There's some things happening tomorrow evening you might want to attend.
But first...
Enjoying the local strawberries, early tomatoes, peaches, sweet corn, creamer potatoes, raspberries, herbs, chard, blueberries and, soon, the blackberries of summer?
Have you picked your first tomato yet?
(We did, an "Early Girl," ten days ago, eaten on - what else - a mater sandwich with a crack of pepper, some smoked turkey and avocado).
The yellow squash, green peppers, garlic and zucchini are starting to ripen and find their way into the kitchen, with the green beans, sweet potatoes, okra and eggplant are gathering speed. Every meal is tasty vegetable abundance.
And also, with gathering speed, come the weeds and garden bugs. I left for a week to visit my brother in Wisconsin, and when I returned last week, I found a chewed up jungle!So much chaos in so little time!
So! How to right things?
I wanted to put out this newsletter quickly, so all you gardeners (or wannabe gardeners) could learn to weather this most satisfying and also the most trying period of the summer garden.
It's hot, it's buggy, it's weedy - but the fruits and veggies of your labors are beginning to be offered in abundance as well.
Come celebrate with cooperative extension agent Taylor Williams this Thursday evening at 5:30 at First Garden Armory park (the site of the Thursday Farmers Market on Morganton Rd. in Southern Pines - park and walk up the hill to the community garden).
The clinic will last an hour or so, with time for questions.
Bring your problem vegetable children and let Taylor diagnose and offer solutions, and see the community garden in action.
Tell your friends, okay? This is short notice.
No registration required for this free clinic, but if you have questions, call 947-3188 See you there!
PS (A clinic on Fall Gardens will be offered in the un-fall-ish month of July (gotta think ahead).
FALL IS OFTEN THE BEST TIME TO GARDEN HERE IN THE SANDHILLS, AS THE PEST PRESSURE DECLINE RAPIDLY.
Mark Thursday, July 16, 5:30 PM at the Armory - same time, same place - on your calender).
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Also, right after this clinic - that is, also this Thursday - Sustainable Sandhills will be offering the movie "King Corn" for your viewing pleasure, 6:30, at the Dempsey Center at Sandhills Community College.
"King Corn" examines exactly what is in the food on our shelves, and the implications for our health. It is eye-opening.
These films are presented for the community to watch and stimulate discussion about Sustainability in our communities.
See you there!
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Speaking of the food we eat, PBS recently did an interesting piece of the buzzed-about new movie "Food, Inc." This movie is said to advance the converstion about our food systems as much as did Michael Pollan's "Omnivore's Dilemma."
For a peek at that interview, and clips from the movie, see:
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/523/index.html
And also on the food news front, a "US Doctors' association calls for Moratorium on GMO Foods":
In a press release dated May 19, the American Academy of Environmental Medicine, ‘an international association of physicians and other professionals dedicated to addressing the clinical aspects of environmental health,’ called immediately for the following emergency measures to be taken regarding human consumption of GMO foods:
* A moratorium on GMO food; implementation of immediate long term safety testing and labelling of GMO food.
* Physicians to educate their patients, the medical community and the public to avoid GMO foods.
* Physicians to consider the role of GMO foods in their patients' disease processes.
* More independent long term scientific studies to begin gathering data to investigate the role of GMO foods on human health.
The AAEM chairperson, Dr Amy Dean notes that ‘Multiple animal studies have shown that GM foods cause damage to various organ systems in the body. With this mounting evidence, it is imperative to have a moratorium on GM foods for the safety of our patients' and the public's health.’ The President of the AAEM, Dr Jennifer Armstrong stressed that ‘Physicians are probably seeing the effects in their patients, but need to know how to ask the right questions. The most common foods in North America which are consumed that are GMO are corn, soy, canola, and cottonseed oil.’ The AAEM's position paper on Genetically Modified foods can be found at http:aaemonline.org.
http://financialsense.com/editorials/engdahl/2009/0521.html
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Finally, a strong local food interest is gathering speed. Various groups - chefs, growers, reps of community groups, planners and more, coordinated by NC Cooperative Extension - are gathering to further connect consumers - you - with fresh local food and local growers. This effort also keeps surrounding land in open, green farmland.
I'm on a Local Food Council committee to help compile an email list of folks interested in good, local eating - to let consumers of fresh, local vegetables and fruits know when things are ripening and available. Since you all are among the most interested and faithful consumers of fresh-local that I know of, I'd like to offer them my list of 300+ . Someday before the end of the year, you'll get an email about it with an option to unsubscribe. If you have strong feelings about that now, let me know.
As always, Have a great week!
With enthusiasm,
Jan and Michael
Cottage Garden Farm
Southern Pines, NC
Fresh - Local - Organic
Mr.GreenJeans Lawn and Garden - 695-5162
and now, Bountiful Backyards of Moore - 692-8801
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