Woodland Farmer's Market

I received a nice e-mail from a gal named Hillary Ann today asking if I would mind tooting my horn about the new Woodland Farmer's Market. It would positively be my pleasure, Hillary Ann! You can read a bit about the market in Hillary Ann's e-mail below, then click on the link to the web site at the bottom of this post for more details:

I'm a member of the Woodland Farmers Market Committee and 2009 will be the first season of the Woodland Farmers Market. There are seven of us (as well as many others who are also volunteering their time) who've been working together since January to make the WFM a reality for our community.

The Woodland Farmers Market will take place every Friday from 3 - 7 PM in Hoffman Plaza, in downtown Woodland. It was important to us that we choose a day that didn't conflict with other area markets in the hopes that we could work as a team instead of trying to compete with or take away from the other markets. The Market is set to run for 15 Fridays with October 2nd being the last Market day of the 2009 season.

We're going to be having a Woodland Farmers Market Community Meeting on Wednesday, March 18th at 6:30 PM at the Woodland Grange Hall to share with the community the progress we've made and also receive any feedback and get more folks signed up as Vendors as well as Volunteers.

Woodland Farmer's Market Web Page

Best of luck with your new farmer's market Woodlandites!

Life in the tune of Anna

Anna Petruolo, one of the chefs over at the delightful and delicious Mint Tea Bistro has started a very inspirational garden project at her house. Check out her blog to follow her progress, head over to Mint Tea Bistro and taste some of her fine cooking, and please get in touch with Anna if you can donate any time or materials to her gardening efforts. Here's a link to Anna's new blog:

Life in the tune of Anna

While you're visiting her blog, consider her idea of planting a row for the hungry. Imagine what we could do if everyone planted a portion of their garden this year and donated the produce to a local hunger relief effort or gave it to a family you know who could use the help...

WSU 78th St. Master Plan - What's Happening at the Old Poor Farm

For those of you who have been following the somewhat limited and not overly public goings on at the former WSU Extension site on 78th Ave. here is a link that will get you up to speed on the county's proposed plan for the site.

WSU 78th Street Master Plan

This proposed plan has had and will have opportunities for public comment. If you want to give your input on what this site will be used for, please check the web site above for upcoming meetings. I imagine you could also contact Clark County sustainability coordinator, Pete Dubois, for more info.

Pete Dubois (360)397-6118 ext. 4961 or email him at pete.dubois at clark dot wa dot gov

Current proposed uses include:

* 6 acres hosting several hundred community garden plots and a community certified kitchen
* 15 acres of organic Community Supported Agriculture 'incubators', and a working farm
* 25+ acres of wetland conservation, watershed stewardship and forest conservation & habitat demonstrations, including research opportunities and demonstration agroforestry projects
* education opportunities for public schools and colleges in ecology, agriculture, and sustainable forestry as well as sustainable business management
* continuing education, research and demonstration of sustainable systems, including construction, farm scale land use practices, and 'cradle to cradle' food systems
* community open space and recreational opportunities, heritage education
* a clear vision that honors our past while embracing a future that gives our children a knowledge and vision of how to thrive

Sounds great? Right? I think so too. I hope things move along out there. I really like the idea of hundreds of additional community garden plots and a certified community kitchen. With the way the economy is moving, having a facility like this could go a long way towards helping the families of our community feed themselves.

There is one proposed use that isn't mentioned on the county's web site that I have some issues with....the establishment of another farmer's market. I'm not saying the idea doesn't have merit, but don't we have several farmer's markets in the county that already suffer from a severe lack of participating farmers? I'm not counting the large farms from out of state that set up shop at the Vancouver "Farmer's" Market. I'm talking about farmers who are living and working here in Clark County or at least in SW Washington. I also think the folks that operate the existing farmer's markets might have some valuable input on the concept of creating yet another competing market that could possibly be subsidized by county funding. I've always felt that farmer's markets best serve their community when they are located in areas that are well suited for pedestrian traffic and convenient to neighborhoods. I wonder how the idea of a market on the commercially oriented, heavily trafficked 78th Street, which would essentially require folks to drive there, fits in with a model of sustainability?

Another thing that troubles me is the shared use of the land by community gardeners and CSA Farmers. I would think there would need to be a rather strict set of guidelines in place to deal with disease control to prevent community gardeners from potentially transmitting pathogens to the CSA plots. Maybe I'm just thinking about this too hard though...

Despite my musings, this is shaping up to be one of the greatest projects Clark County has undertaken in recent memory in my humble opinion. I look forward to see how things develop out there.

If you're looking for an opportunity to check out the site first hand, don't forget about the FREE permaculture workshop & work party taking place at the 78th Street site on March 21st.

FREE Permaculture Workshop & Work Party 3.21.2009

Polycrop Orchard (aka 'Food Forest') Planting
Free Educational Workparty- Please Forward!

Facilitated by Deston Denniston,
Abundance Consulting

March 21, 2009
10am-3pm

clickable link to map:
WSU EXTENSION / Old Poor Farm
1919 NE 78th Ave
Vancouver Washington

Please join us for a day of polycrop orchard establishment! These systems have shown to the potential to be cornucopia strategy for food production, ecological balance, and economic return. By first addressing local food security, then developing food and craft commerce, many small farms are finding potentials for 20-80K in production per acre/year without need for industrial fertilizers and bio-cides. We will be planting about 10,000 sf (1/4 acre) of terraces with companion guilds of fruit trees, including nitrogen fixers, insectories, beneficial predator habitat, an herbaceous layer, and desirable fungi at the Old Poor Farm. This planting will be established on the terraces which Sepp Holzer led us in constructing March 7-8.

We will discuss irrigation, animal systems, maturation and other aspects of the whole system at a separate volunteer seminar, time and date TBA. Please let us know if you are interested in volunteering for this event, and well have a special training and potluck dinner for those attending the training.

Please plan for inclement weather and hope for sun; please bring warm water proof clothes, gloves, boots, etc.

Deston Denniston will offer an overview of the polyculture planting method early, sharing theory and application from 10am-11am, with planting proceeding through the early afternoon.

Refreshments will be available.

We intend to get the planting done by 3pm, and convene over food at a local eatery afterwards.

Please contact abundancepc at gmail dot com if you have any questions.

--
Deston Denniston, M.S., C.P.I.
Steward, Abundance Consulting LLC
www.abundancepermaculture.com
(360) 673-2124

Tom's Taters

Today I want to introduce you folks to a man you really want to get familiar with. His name is Tom Wagner. He's an independent plant breeder residing in the Everett, WA area. He's been breeding/improving lines of potatoes and tomatoes for about 50 years. You have likely already grown some of his varieties of tomatoes (or at least seen/heard of them) and never even knew his name. Green Zebra, Banana Legs, Green Grape, Green Sleeves, Vintage Wine, Schimmeig Stoo, Schimmeig Creg, Elberta Girl, Snow Berries, Summer Cider, Lime Green Salad, and Brown Derby are just a few of his taste-award-winning successes.

Tom has been somewhat out of the public view for a while but, lucky for us, he's looking to get some of his work out into the hands of passionate gardeners again. He's not offering tomatoes at this time, however, for a very reasonable $40 (shipping included), he will send you a nice, diverse sampler box of potato tubers. These are Tom's own varieties and you will NOT find them available from any other source. Please do not contact Tom and make special request for particular traits or colors in your sampler. Tom is not set up to do custom orders at this time. But don't worry. He'll send you plenty of variety in your sampler and you will find at least a few tubers that you will come to treasure. For the more adventurous among you, he may also have some True Potato Seed (TPS) available for sale if you inquire. Here's a link to a very nice picture of potatoes he sent to some folks last year:

Tom's Taters Sampler

And here's a link to Tom's listing on Local Harvest. All the info you'll need to order a Tom Wagner potato sampler can be found there.

Tater-Mater Seeds

I've already ordered my sampler and look forward feeding my family some of the best tasting potatoes ever. Thank you for giving us access to your amazing work, Tom. What a truly wonderful and fortunate time it is to be a gardener and have something like this available to grow for our table.

Got Bees? - Take II

If you think you know everything there is to know about Mason Bees, you might change you mind after you meet Sherian Wright. She's been studying the Mason Bee for the past eight years here in Clark County and she'd like to tell you all about the little critters. Her She even give presentation both publicly and to private groups. Here's a link to her upcoming class schedule.

Here's a link to Sherian's very interesting series of Mason Bee Memoirs.

And if you're ready to take the plunge and become a bee keeper, check out all of the detailed nesting "block" plans.

To find out more about Mason Bees, visit Sharian's web site, Mountain Bugs. If that doesn't quench your thirst for more knowledge on pollinators, then sign up for one of Sherian's presentations.

Urban Farm School Upcoming Classes & Events

Here's an excerpt from a recent post on the Urban Farm School blog all about the good stuff they have planned for us this year. Very cool stuff!

In the spirit of new opportunities we are introducing a new series of classes this summer called “Primers” that will focus on a small classroom environment, intensive instruction and lots of hands-on/take home activities for preserving in-season foods from your garden as well as local sources. These classes are a great opportunity for people to decrease their grocery bills while increasing good, healthy, local food for their families while supporting their local food community. We look forward to seeing you at a Primer!

We are also excited to re-establish our relationship with Sherian Wright, the local native bee lady. Her website can be found at: http://www.mountainbugs.com and is a wealth of native bee information, box designs, easy how-to lessons and more. We are also excited to form a new relationship with ecolutionnw, a local Vancouver business that specializes in green building products, floors, counter tops, insulation and more. Join us for our first chicken class of the year March 10th at their store. visit their website at: http://www.ecolutionnw.com for store and product details.

For our second year we will be participating in the Marshall Center Earth Day Celebration, April 18. We’ll be conducting two basic canning information classes as well as having a booth. We’ll be available throughout the day to answer your questions and just talk gardening! This is a great family event with lots of information for all ages.

For the first time we will be participating at the Home and Garden Idea Fair at the Clark County Fairgrounds April 24-26. We will have an informational booth in the Exhibition Hall and will be conducting a “Food Gardening for Small Spaces” lecture Saturday at 1pm again this year. We are excited to be exhibitors in this annual event; it’s one we always look forward to visiting as guests!

Farm Connect/Locavore Delivery 2.26.2009

Here's this week's Farm Connect/Locavore Delivery list from Summer @ Dee Creek Farm. If you haven't already tried the Hot-4-U cheese from Dee Creek (makes excellent quesadillas) or the jelly from Garden DElights (my daughter is living on peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwiches these days), I highly recommend putting some of each on your list this week. We can't get enough of either of them at our house!

Hey folks! This week we're starting new CSA'ers for our eggs (we offer shares in feta, eggs, produce, and poultry - more info coming on these for the new season!). We fill CSA egg orders first, which ensures that you receive eggs each week. Let me know if you're interested!

Also, be sure to check out the new blog entries on our website, and here's a reminder about our Herbs for the Common class this Saturday in Vancouver - there's still a wee bit of room. We'll get to learn some funky things like how to make natural cough drops (how cool is that?!). After the class, in the next week, I'd like to place a bulk order with the Mountain Rose Herbs. Anyone's welcome to join in on this.

I'd like to get together with a few folks for a nice lil' lotion bar class next week as well, if anybody's up to it. Something casual, probably $10/person for supplies, to chat what oils are good for what, etc... And how to make salves out of some of the great herbs we may want to order (or grow!). Any interest? Someone want to offer their place?


See you soon! It's looking like rain! ~S

*****

Cheeses,
All of the milk produced for our deliveries cheeses are from goats raised at Dee Creek farm. The cheeses are handmade here, too!
Logan, $1.50oz/sizes vary from 4oz-7oz packages
Colby-style cheese made from our unpasteurized Nubian goat milk; aged for 3 months. Sharp Cheddary flavor; a nice cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches or melted over anything!
Hot-4-U, $6-8.75/4-6oz packages
Good plain for snacking, grating, or melted on a burro or pizza! This cheese with locally grown red peppers in a spicy, aged, unpasteurized, goat cheese. Somewhere between Gouda and Cheddar with ZING!
Feta Tapenade-style, $6.50
4 ounces of Creamy Feta crumbles mixed with chopped Kalamata olives, herbs, lemon and olive oil. Use as a topping on crusty bread, pizza, chicken or toss into cooked pasta, tuna salad, egg salad or omelet. Stuff a hamburger or meatloaf with it! Yum!
Aged Feta, $5.50/container retail, $5.00/container CSA - block or crumble
Creamy block or crumbles of unpasteurized aged feta. Try in rice dressing, warm pasta dishes, pear & hazelnut salad, deviled eggs, bowl of beans.

Eggs,
$5/dozen, ($4.50 per dozen if you join our egg CSA)
$2.50/half-dozen (limited)
This week we're sending some eggs (and chicken 'n' cheese) up to a dinner put on to educate folks about local eating, by the Cowlitz County Dept. of Health - way to go! We will have plenty for everyone still, with eggs from our hens, who have picked up to a massive pace. If you'd like to join our farms egg CSA and secure a dozen for your family each week, let me know!
We'll also have eggs from Certified Naturally Grown Creative Outlet, and organically fed Nature's Choice! These are (likes ours) are fed only natural feeds and lots of pasture. Be sure to recycle egg cartons that you pick up at our deliveries with us!

Raw Honey,
Quart/$12, Pint/$7
Raw honey in glass jars form Honey House Farm in Brush Prairie - super local! Great for allergies!

Dried Herbs, $4/packet
From Garden DElights in Brush Prairie, these herbs were hand prepared from chemical-free herbs. There are several mixes available, including: Dilly Dip, Seafood Blend, Italian Blend, Mexican Blend, Herb Dip, Herb Butter, Honey Butter, Grilling Blend, Veggies & Soups, Herbal Dressing. All great in soups, dressings, dips, butters, cheeses...

Jellies, $5/8oz jar
Strawberry, low sugar
Raspberry, low sugar
White Grape, NO sugar
The above also come from Garden DElights, in Brush Prairie. A multi generational farm, this Mom and daughter team work hard on creating healthful, local, and delicious foods. Generally known for their herb packets & natural doggy treats, they are also a produce CSA farm!

Herbal Teas, $3/each
Cold Calming (sage, dutch tea time, lemon balm, chamomile)
Stress Relief (lemon balm, chamomile, lavendar)
Hand blended by the ladies at Garden DElight with chemical-free herbs, mostly grown at their farm, these blends are sure to be delicious! Each comes with 4 tea bags.

Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats,
No fresh mushrooms this week.
Mushrooms, Vacuum packed Frozen – ¼ lb packs
Chanterelle 4.00
Porcini 4.50
Matsutake 9.00 (packed in 1/2#)
Mushrooms, Dried – half-pint jar, $5 each
Chanterelle, Porcini, Maitake, or Hedgehog
Berries, Vacuum packed Frozen – 1 lb packs
Elderberries 5.00
Himalayan Blackberries, $3.50
Wild Huckleberries $9.00
Dried Snack and Meal Helpers -
(Already chopped, diced, sliced, portioned, and packaged just right for 1-2 meals)
Org Red Onions (great for stir-fry, burgers, sandwiches, deli salads...) $1.25
Org. Walla Walla Onions (great for snacks, sandwiches, salad toppings), $1.25

Org. Heirloom Tomatoes (snacks, great for pasta or rice dishes, saute` w/vegs...) $2.00
Dried Wild Elderberries $2.00
Frozen or Dried Rosehips, $2.00
The above comes from Nature's Choice, a Vancouver business, operated by a couple who collects & sells wild eats, and prepares naturally preserved foods.

Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, $20
I'll be placing another order the first of March for a couple of boxes of Nourishing Traditions "cookbooks". Since we are buying in bulk, we can get them for a good discount, with no shipping/tax. Great price! If anyone wants to pre-order one, let me know! We need 8 to get at least one box, and have 6 ordered so far.

Holy Cows & Hog Heaven, $10
"Holy Cows and Hog Heaven is written by an honest-to-goodness-dirt-under-the-fingernails, optimistic clean good farmer, Joel Salatin. His goal is to:
* Empower food buyers to pursue positive alternatives to the industrialized food system.
* Bring clean food farmers and their patrons into a teamwork relationship.
* Marry the best of western technology with the soul of eastern ethics.
* Educate food buyers about productions.
* Create a food system that enhances nature's ecology for future generations."
This is one of my (Summer) favorite books ever - I wish everyone would read it, and so bought a case to share at a discount.

*****

Remember that in an effort to be more efficient, and less wasteful, we do not write individual receipts, but instead keep a book. If you specifically want a receipt, please let us know when you place your order, if possible.

Anyone and everyone can order from our deliveries, not just "subscribers"! To any newcomers on the e-list, welcome! Also rest assured that all farms contributing to our deliveries all meet several standards: chemical-free, sustainable, natural, family farming... If you have questions about any of them, don't hesitate to ask, or check them out yourself!

To order, click here and specify what you would like.
All checks go to "Dee Creek Farm", or bring cash.
**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**
We fill pre-orders first, then it’s first come, first served!
We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.
Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!

Summer & Spark
Email: summer at deecreekfarm dot com
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)

Raised Bed Low Tunnel Project

Alrighty! My low hoop tunnel project got off the ground this weekend thanks to a little help from Grunt & Grungy's visual tutorial. The materials were all easily obtained at the local Home Despot and the total cost for two tunnels for 4' x 8' beds was approximately $25 each with enough left over to do another half a tunnel. Mine are not quite as heavy-duty as Grunt & Grungy's, but I don't have quite the extreme weather here on the west side of the Cascades. Fortunately, the design is flexible enough that reinforcing the tunnels would be a simple proposition if necessary. If they work out well, I'll beef them up for winter time use at the end of the year. The completed tunnel is planted with a mix of various early season salad mix and some Windsor favas. I'll be checking for little green heads over the next week. Here are a couple of pictures:




























If you want to use metal pipe for your hoops, check out the hoop house and row cover benders offered by Lost Creek Greenhouse Systems.

http://www.lostcreek.net

WSU Ag Extension Offices Facing Extinction?

The following letter was sent to me by one of our local CSA farmers. I don't know about you, but I think that closing our WSU Ag Extension Offices is one of the biggest steps backwards I've heard about in a long time. Heck, it's right up there with Pakistan handing a chunk of their nation to the Taliban as part of a truce agreement. Some of Clark County's most beloved, dirt related activities are associated with the County's WSU Extension Office and we are in serious danger of losing those programs. Imagine life without the Master Gardeners? Not too rosy, is it? Please read the following and then PLEASE write, call, e-mail or send smoke signals to the WSU officials named in the letter and let them know that you are vehemently opposed to them cutting their budget at the expense of our Extension Offices.

WSU Budget Proposal to State Legislature

The recent WSU proposal to the state legislature to meet requested budget reduction targets (13% to 18%) includes efforts to protect instruction and research. WSU suggested scenarios proposing cuts to "public service" (of which Extension comprises a most part) equaling 49% to 75%. At this level, many or most county offices would lose WSU funding support for the County-WSU partnership.

Washington has 35 community colleges, six public 4-year universities and numerous private colleges, all of whom provide instruction. ONLY WSU has the land grant outreach and public service responsibility and mission. WSU is unique in Washington in having the public service mission.

State funding reductions place other funding sources at risk.

County funding is predicated upon our ability to provide faculty and staff.
Most grants require some form of cost share – generally provided by state PBL dollars. Therefore, PBL reductions will be associated with a loss of extramural funding and F&A returns.
Federal Smith-Lever funding requires a dollar per dollar match

I am providing information on this proposal below. Please contact me if you have any questions.

Doug Stienbarger, Director
WSU Clark County Extension

Want to Comment? University Contacts for more Information:

Elson Floyd
President, WSU
floyde@wsu.edu
509-335-6666
Assistant: Karen Fischer
fischerk@wsu.edu

Office of the President, WSU
PO Box 641048
Pullman, WA 99164-1048

Warwick Bayly
Provost and Executive Vice President, WSU
wmb@wsu.edu
509-335-5581
Assistant: Donna Clark
donnac@wsu.edu
PO Box 641046
Pullman, WA 99164-1046

John Gardner
VP, Economic Development & Extension
gardnerj@wsu.edu
206-219-2432
Blog URL:
https://sharepoint.cahnrs.wsu.edu/blogs/gardner/default.aspx
Assistant: Alexis Holzer
alexisholzer@wsu.edu

WSU West
520 Pike Street, Suite 1101
Seattle, WA 98101-3916t

Larry Ganders
Assistant to the President, Government Relations
ganders@wsu.edu
360-534-2330
410 11th Avenue, SE, Suite 102
Olympia, WA 98501
Assistant: Annie Van Scyoc
vanscyoca@energy.wsu.edu


University Budget Committee: http://budget-committee.wsu.edu/

Spokesman Review article on WSU budget scenario presented to State Senate

This article outlines WSU proposed cuts and links to a web video of WSU Provost Warwick Bayly's presentation to the Washington State Senate Higher Education and Work Force Development Committee.

http://www.spokesman.com/blogs/olympia/2009/feb/10/broad-strokes-wsu-officials-lay-out-their-plans-if-deep-budget-cuts-become-reality/

Facts about WSU Extension (statewide)

Leveraging State Dollars

For every $1 of state PBL (permanent budget line) dollars invested in Extension, Extension staff and faculty leverage an additional $3 in externally funded grants and sponsored projects. In some program areas, such as the Energy Program, that investment is $11 for every $1 invested.

At the close of fiscal year 2008, Extension again ended the year in excess of $23 million in grant and contract expenditures; second highest unit in university in extramural funding. This amount does not include grants accounted for through the county and not run through WSU. The level of extramural funding per Extension faculty FTE averaged $145,000 in FY08.

WSU Extension grants returned $2 million in overhead (Facilities & Administration) directly to the university last year. Additional F&A was returned to the departments and the Research & Extension Centers.

Community Access and Outreach

Extension faculty members each make nearly 7,000 educational contacts providing knowledge that enhances the environment, strengthens the economy, or improves their quality of life. Extension's strong local partnerships allow us to leverage human capital resources in order to affect action on critical issues.

Almost 13,300 volunteers contribute their time and talents to Washington State facilitated by WSU Extension. Each Extension educator averages 120 volunteers who magnify their work and contribute time and talents equivalent to $26 million annually.

Currently, all of Washington's residents can access the WSU system through Extension's partnership with all 39 counties. Residents access WSU's finest programs, including Distance Degrees facilitated by the nine (9) Learning Centers. Extension's presence in every county enables community members to come to WSU directly with their issues and receive educational programs adapted to critical needs in the community.

Who Funds Extension?

WSU Extension is funded the same way it operates – with strong, vital partnerships that leverage each other. Specifically, WSU Extension receives funding from the state of Washington, the federal government, all 39 counties, as well as internally generated funds. In addition, WSU Extension educators successfully compete for dollars from public agencies and private funding organizations. While State funding is only about 25% of Extension's total, it is the foundation upon which Extension leverage the federal, county, and grant funding.

While the major public funding partners (state, county and federal governments) continue to provide critical support for WSU Extension, the mix of funding continues to change. Over the past five years, funding from state and county sources has remained relatively constant overall, whereas direct federal appropriations have actually decreased when inflation is considered.

When federal, state, or county government invests in WSU Extension, these dollars leverage funding from other sources. Every dollar the state appropriates for Extension programming leverages $2 from other sources; every dollar invested by county government leverages $5 from other sources; and every dollar invested by the federal government in formula funds leverages more than $10 from other sources.

Extension Funding

Federal. Funding for WSU Extension includes federal formula funds appropriated by Congress and administered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) under authority of the Smith-Lever Act.

State. The Washington State Legislation appropriates money to WSU. WSU administration allocates dollars within the WSU system, including to Extension.

County. County Memorandums of Agreement (MOAs) allocate approximately $3.2 million annually in salaries for WSU employees. Counties also provide funding to support offices, local staffing, internet, vehicles, travel allocations, and other operations including facilities/office space. The additional county contribution is $6.6 million.

Budget figures indicate Counties reduced their total contributions to WSU by only 7% for CY09 (FY 08 $10,676,624 million; FY09 $9,945,422 million = $731,202l).

Grants and Gifts. Extension staff leverage their time by obtaining grants and other funding to implement programs for residents of Washington.

See graphs for funding and expenditures in attachment.



Economic Benefits of Extension http://ext.wsu.edu/economicbenefits/index.html

Extension Statewide Programs (sample)

Publications that speak to program quality for the statewide programs and how they are involved in their communities include the following:

Beach Watchers http://ext.wsu.edu/fs/documents/BeachPSP2.pdf
Horizons http://horizons.wsu.edu/index.html
Food Sense http://nutrition.wsu.edu/foodsense/index.html
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) http://ipm.wsu.edu/home/5yrReport.pdf
Food Safety, Good Agricultural Practices http://foodsafety.wsu.edu/ag/index.html
Forest Stewardship Program http://ext.wsu.edu/forestry/stewardship.htm
Master Gardeners http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/index.html http://mastergardener.wsu.edu/overview.html
Sustainable Agriculture http://csanr.wsu.edu/
Managing Personal Finances in Tough Times http://www.extension.org/personal%20finance

Clark County Extension (http://clark.wsu.edu/)

Our local Extension office leverages state funding:

Local matches to obtain approximately $180,000 federal dollars to fund Food Safety & Nutrition education targeting low income youth in schools and adults.
Public Works clean water funding to help educate residents on managing land to produce less polluted runoff (Watershed Stewards and Small Acreage programs)
1080 volunteers (4-H, WSU MG, Watershed Stewards, Food Advisors) worked over 30,000 hours (the equivalent of over15 staff and $600,000).
Local MG Foundation of Clark County (501c3) helps fund staff time to support WSU Master Gardeners.
Federal, state, and local non-profit dollars fund the Gee Creek Restoration program to help the Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge and local watershed residents.

WA State Heritage Barn Nominations Due April 3rd!

Excerpts from the WA State Dept of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. Full text can be found here.

Heritage Barn Register

Created with the passage of Substitute HB 2115 in May of 2007, the Washington Heritage Barn Register commemorates barns as historically significant resources representing the agricultural, economic and cultural development of the State of Washington.

“Barns are a symbol of Washington’s agricultural heritage and are beautiful buildings in their own right,” said Governor Chris Gregoire. “The Heritage Barn register will support the efforts of the Washingtonians who own these barns to preserve and stabilize these icons of our history.”

In addition to creating the Heritage Barn Register, the Heritage Barn Preservation Initiative (HB 2115) provided for:

* Competitive matching grants to heritage barn owners throughout the state to support their efforts to preserve, stabilize and rehabilitate their barns; and
* Established the Heritage Barn Advisory Committee to review grant applications and examine tax incentives and land use regulations that support barn preservation and use.

To be eligible for listing in the new Heritage Barn Register, barns must be over 50 years old and retain a significant degree of historic and architectural integrity. Owners interested in seeking designation for their historic barns are asked to complete a nomination form and provide basic information about the property.

The fifth round of Heritage Barn nominations are due April 3, 2009. Those barns will be considered for designation at the May 2009 meeting of the Governor's Advisory Council meeting and will be eligible to apply for the grant program (when money become available). Subsequent nominations will be reviewed at proceeding ACHP meetings.

Listing on the Heritage Barn Register is strictly honorary in nature and offers no protection from demolition, nor requires review of alterations and/or changes in use. Only barns listed on the new Heritage Barn Register, or barns that have been previously listed on the State or National Register will be eligible for grant funding under HB 2115.

Got Wood?

Attention home orchardists and aspiring to be orchardists! Three of the best regional scionwood exchanges are happening in the next two weeks. They are sponsored by the always helpful and immensely knowledgeable folks from the Home Orchard Society. I am especially stoked about the Vern Nelson espalier lecture at the Milwaukie, OR event! These are great opportunities to find the material to start that dwarf Roxbury Russet you've been dreaming of, get advice from some of the foremost region experts, and spend a fun day hanging out with other fruits & nuts...I mean fruit & nut enthusiasts.

For the folks up North:

Fruit Variety Scionwood Exchange
Location: Room #1, Fed. Way 320th Library
Date: Saturday, Feb. 28th
Time: 10 AM—5 PM
Admission: FREE
Sponsored by Dave Johnson

Please bring your dormant scionwood of apple, pear, quince, medlar, fig, ribes, vitis, etc.

Please label your wood

Best to keep your scionwood slightly damp, 'damp newspaper is perfect, and a lot less messy than sawdust.
Ideal cutting, from 7-18 inches long for most plants.
Please, bring a few extra markers/plastic bags.
No pets please.
For more information contact David Johsnon - Royj157 at gmail dot com

Directions to the library

And for the Southerners:

Fruit Tree Grafting Class
Saturday, February 21st, in Clairmont room 118, Clackamas Community College.
9am - 10:20am Beginning
10:45am - 12:05pm Beginning
12:45pm - 2:05pm Intermediate

Beginning: Veteran grafters & members of the Home Orchard Society cover the basics of grafting, including hands-on experience with grafting your own fruit tree. You will receive an apple rootstock and your choice from several varieties of scion wood. Please bring a straight-edged knife.

Intermediate: This session will cover more advanced grafting methods, including: Cleft graft, Kerf graft, Bark graft, Side-Bark graft, Bark Inarching and invent your own.” Again, you will be provided with a rootstock and scion wood. Please bring your straight-edged knife.

All classes in Clairmont Hall, Clackamas Community College, $15 per session. Pre-registration is through Clackamas Community College, NOT the Home Orchard Society. Download a Registration Flyer Questions? Email lorettam@clackamas.edu or call 503-657-6958 x 2246

Fruit Propagation Fair
(Scion Exchange)
March 7, 2009
Alder Creek Middle School, Milwaukie, Oregon
10 A.M. to 4 P.M
HOS Members: $4/person, $8/family
Public: $6/person, $10/family
Become a member at the show and get in FREE!

What to Expect

* 100's of free fruit-tree scions.
* Rootstocks for apples, pears, Asian pears, and stone fruits for sale.
* Mason bees for sale.
* Custom grafting.
* Books and HOS publications.
* Free advice from HOS experts.
* Garden/orchard tools/American pruning saws sharpened, adjusted, and for sale.
* And much more!

Speakers

This year, in conjunction with its Scion Exchange, The Home Orchard Society is presenting a program of speakers on a variety of topics.

11:30 - Caring for Your Newly Grafted Tree - Ted Swensen

12:45 - Fruit Tree Espalier in the Home Garden - Vern Nelson

Got Trees? We do! And you can too. By mixing and matching the scions (the part of the tree that determines the fruit) and rootstocks (the part of the tree that controls the size and characteristics of the tree), the possibilities are endless. Imagine exotic apples, peaches, pears, Asian pears and plums of various kinds, waiting for you to put them together to make your home orchard and garden a unique landscape.

Get guided hands-on grafting experience and expert advice from HOS members.

Scions are free. Rootstock is available for a nominal cost. If you have scion wood you want to share, please bring it!

What are you waiting for? Join us. If you have questions, contact Jerry Shroyer (503) 266-6745, or Ted Swensen (503) 293-1468

Held at Alder Creek Middle School (off Hwy 224, I-205 Exit 13)
13801 Webster Road Milwaukie, Oregon

Farm Connect/Locavore Delivery 2.19.2009 + Dee Creek Hoop House Raising Update

Our Hoop (ie. greenhouse) Raising Party was fantastic!By the end of the day, we had poles up, with 3 top braces, base boards and shoulder boards.We also even got most of the 'spring clips'in. With the plastic arriving today or tomorrow, we should be planting by the end of the week (possibly a little bit of wishful thinking, but it should be soon still)!Thank you to everyone who came out and helped! You guys are awesome! And thank you Anne & Nelson, for setting this up, and providing lunch to a hungry crew! To keep in tune with our "Hoop Party", we all got to stand around and actually hoola hoop a little when we were wrapping it up. That was a good laugh!

Check out the sale that Nature's Choice is offering - free goodies
with particular purchases. Info below.

See you soon! ~S

*****
Cheeses,
All of the milk produced for our deliveries cheeses are from goats raised at Dee Creek farm. The cheeses are handmade here, too!
Logan, $1.50oz/sizes vary from 4oz-7oz packages
Colby-style cheese made from our unpasteurized Nubian goat milk; aged for 3 months. Sharp Cheddary flavor; a nice cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches or melted over anything!
Wyatt, $1.38oz/sizes vary from 4oz-7oz packages
This semi-hard, Gouda-style, unpasteurized goat cheese was aged with a natural rind, rubbed with Olive Oil. The character is recumbent of a wild bleu cheese, with an untamed, musky note.
Aged Feta, $5.50/container retail, $5.00/container CSA - block or crumble. Creamy block or crumbles of unpasteurized aged feta. Try in rice dressing, warm pasta dishes, pear & hazelnut salad, deviled eggs, bowl of beans.

Eggs,
$5/dozen
$2.50/half-dozen (limited)
We have lots of extra eggs from Creative Outlet this week, as well as several dozen from our farm - finally! These are (likes ours) from unvaccinated chickens, fed only natural feeds and lots of pasture. Be sure to recycle egg cartons that you pick up at our deliveries with us!

Raw Honey,
Quart/$12, Pint/$7
Raw honey in glass (sometimes plastic) jars form Honey House Farm in Brush Prairie - super local! Great for allergies! They also have bee pollen - I could pick some up next time -- any interest?

Dried Herbs, $4/packet
From Garden DElights in Brush Prairie, these herbs were hand prepared from chemical-free herbs. There are several mixes available, including: Dilly Dip, Italian Blend, Mexican Blend, Herb Dip, Herb Butter, Herbal Dressing. All great in soups, dressings, dips, butters, cheeses...

Jellies, $5/8oz jar
Strawberry, low sugar
Raspberry, low sugar
White Grape, NO sugar
The above also come from Garden DElights, in Brush Prairie. A multi generational farm, this Mom and daughter team work hard on creating healthful, local, and delicious foods. Generally known for their herb packets & natural doggy treats, they also a produce CSA farm!

Herbal Teas, $3/each
Cold Calming (sage, dutch tea time, lemon balm, chamomile)
Stress Relief (lemon balm, chamomile, lavendar)
Hand blended by the ladies at Garden DElight with chemical-free herbs, mostly grown at their farm, these blends are sure to be delicious! Each comes with 4 tea bags.

Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats,
No fresh mushrooms this week.
SALE: For every 1/4# of frozen mushrooms, or 1# frozen berries, you get your choice of dried heirloom tomatoes, or dried heirloom tomatoes FREE! Please specify preference when you place your order, or it'll be a surprise!
Mushrooms, Vacuum packed Frozen – ¼ lb packs
Chanterelle 4.00
Porcini 4.50
Matsutake 9.00 (packed in 1/2# bags)
Mushrooms, Dried – half-pint jar, $5 each
Chanterelle, Porcini, Maitake, or Hedgehog
Berries, Vacuum packed Frozen – 1 lb packs
Elderberries 5.00
Himalayan Blackberries, $3.50
Wild Huckleberries $9.00
Organic Blueberries $4.00
Dried Snack and Meal Helpers -
(Already chopped, diced, sliced, portioned, and packaged just right for 1-2 meals)
Organic Red Onions (great for stir-fry, burgers, sandwiches, macaroni & potato salads...) $1.25
Organic Heirloom Tomatoes (snacks, great for pasta or rice dishes, saute w/vegs...) $2.00
Dried Wild Elderberries $2.00
Frozen or Dried Rosehips, $2.00
The above comes from Nature's Choice, a Vancouver business, operated by a couple who collects & sells wild eats, and prepares naturally preserved foods.

Natural Soap, $4/bar - Few left!
This was hand crafted by Summer (me!) for the holidays, but with the snow and flooding, our holiday specials sort of went by the wayside. No worries! With a bit of snow, the peppermint bars will still be glorious! They are made with various oils, and contain no fragrance, just essential oils! The vapors are soothing and head-clearing.

Nourishing Traditions Cookbook, $20
I'll be placing another order the first of March for a couple of boxes of Nourishing Traditions "cookbooks". Since we are buying in bulk, we can get them for a good discount, with no shipping/tax. Great price! If anyone wants to pre-order one, let me know! We need 8 to get at least one box.

*****

Remember that in an effort to be more efficient, and less wasteful, we're going to stop writing individual receipts, and instead keep a book. If you specifically want a receipt, please let us know when you place your order, if possible.

Anyone and everyone can order from our deliveries, not just "subscribers"! To any newcomers on the e-list, welcome! Also rest assured that all farms contributing to our deliveries all meet several standards: chemical-free, sustainable, natural, family farming... If you have questions about any of them, don't hesitate
to ask, or check them out yourself!

To order, click here and specify what you would like.
All checks go to "Dee Creek Farm", or bring cash.
**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**
We fill pre-orders first, then it’s first come, first served!
We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.
Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!


Summer & Spark
Email: sum...@deecreekfarm.com
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)

Early Season Gardening

OK, I'm really going to put up some low tunnel, cold frame type structures for at least a couple of the raised beds. I've been saying it for a few years, but I've found new inspiration.

A great pictorial tutorial by some folks who own a farm in British Columbia, just north of the Idaho panhandle. (Thank you Grunt & Grungy!) inspired me with their detailed description on how they did theirs. You can check it out here:

Grunt & Grungy's Low Tunnel

I'm considering combining their design with an interesting article I read about Eliot Coleman's version of a low tunnel using a double cover combination of frost preventative/insulating row cover fabric and clear plastic because I don't want to run a heater out there (too many dogs, kids, etc.).

I'm also looking for a better way to get my seeds/seedlings growing and hardened off faster, so I'm going to do some "winter sowing" I'm also going to try to move my indoor started seedling out into the low tunnels much earlier than I would normally consider moving things outside.

For anyone who wants to fill the "hunger gap" time of winter-early spring when the garden isn't producing much, there are a number of other alternatives you could consider to keep some fresh produce on their family table or going out to your CSA customers. Check out perennial varieties of vegetables. We've enjoyed a bounty of kale as well as a number of root crops that have over-wintered in our beds this year and you can too. The interest in perennial vegetables is growing and availability of winter hardy crops is getting better. Contact your local garden center or favorite online vendor and ask them what they might have available. If they don't have much in their inventory, consider doing them a favor and educate them on the subject. You'd be surprised how may vendors are open to suggestions for new varieties to include in their offerings. Another source for hard to find seeds are through seed trades with other gardeners. Do a web search and you will find a multitude of web sites and online forums/bulletin boards based around seed trading. Most of these groups have a a set of rules regarding trading, so make sure to familiarize yourself with the correct way to perform a trade. And remember, these are your fellow gardening enthusiasts you're dealing with so be kind, be communicative, be honest, and follow through on any trades you set up. If somebody is willing to send you something for free, then please at least offer to send them an SASE...a hand written thank you note is also always a nice way to show your appreciation.

Here are a couple of places you can go to learn more about perennial vegetables:

The Perennial Platter
The Vegetable Garden
perennialvegetables.org

Nine-Star Perennial Broccoli anyone?

CSA With a Twist

Attention canning and food preservation aficionados! Dust off that pressure canner and buy a few boxes of new lids for all of those jars you've been hiding in your garage!

Rosemattel's CSA Farm is offering a very cool twist on the standard CSA format. You order however many pounds of produce you think you can use for your canning project and Rosemattel's will grow it for you. What a sweet deal. And once you've checked out the list of produce and prices below, I think you'll be hard pressed to find a better deal.

Here's the produce list, prices and contact info for Rosemattel's:

Rosemattel's CSA is offering canning/food preservation shares for the summer and fall of 2009. Prepay for your veggies and we will grow it for you!Items we will be growing for this with pricing as follows:

Sauce/Paste/Drying Tomatoes 1.50 a pound
Cherry Tomatoes 2.50 a pound
Pickling Cucumbers 2.00 a pound for early varieties
" " 1.50 a pound for late summer harvest
Bell peppers 1.50 a pound
Hot peppers 5.00 a pound
small onions 2.00 a pound
Dill 5.00 a pound or 2.00 per harvested complete
Green and burgundy beans 2.00 a pound
Tomatilloes 1.00 a pound
Cilantro (ready in late summer/fall) 5.00 a pound or 3.00 /1.5 pounds
Other veggies available upon request, if you are able to put a deposit down. Prices on these will be negotiable.

call us at 360 576-9767 or email at battlegroundfma@yahoo.com

Meet the Farmers CSA Event Tonight!

Hosted by the Loo Wit, SW Washington Sierra Club Chapter
SW WA CSA Farms "Meet the Farmers"

When: February 11th, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Where: Clark PUD, Downtown Vancouver, 1200 Fort Vancouver Way
MAP

This event will feature local community supported agriculture (CSA) farms from southwest Washington.

We will learn about community supported agriculture, how to determine if a CSA is right for you, and be able to talk directly with the farmers.

Organic edibles, crafts and even pet food is provied by our local farmers!!

Everyone welcome! Hope you can join us.

For more Information: Geri Rowe at rowe9629@comcast.net

News from Summer & Spark @ Dee Creek and Locavore/Farm Connect Delivery for 2.11.2009

From Summer & Spark @ Dee Creek:

Yesterday we awoke to snow again! Not much, just enough to be absolutely beautiful! We got news over the weekend that our county did qualify for some disaster assistance, and will know more details in a week or so.

Yester-eve was spent preparing our 'parts list' for a hoop raising party here at the farm this coming Sunday. More details on our website calendar. Please contact the farm or Anne if you'd like to participate! While you're on the website, check out our Blog for several new entries!

We have a few new events scheduled for February, also on our website calendar. Tomorrow night is our second (and last for this season) Meet the Farmers event at the Clark County PUD building - across from the library on Mill Plain Blvd. Come and explore your CSA options! This event is FREE to the public.

This week we have extra 'tea party' goodies -- jam, teas, cheeses, soap (okay, not very tea-like, but still a new something!). And for all you love birds out there, happy Valentines Day! ~Summer

*****

Cheeses,
All of the milk produced for our deliveries cheeses are from goats raised at Dee Creek farm. The cheeses are handmade here, too! Just in time for V-Day: Two styles of red pepper spiced aged cheese.

Hot-4-U, $6-8.75/4.3-6.3oz packages
Good plain for snacking, grating, or melted on a burro or pizza! This heart-shaped cheese with locally grown red peppers in a spicy, aged, unpasteurized, goat cheese.Somewhere between Gouda and Cheddar with ZING! Check out the photo below!

Valentella, $5.50/4 oz packages
Heart-shaped, goat cheese similar to above, but melted and hand-stretched before molding.

Wyatt, $1.38oz/sizes vary from 4oz-7oz packages
This semi-hard, Gouda-style, unpasteurized goat cheese was aged with a natural rind, rubbed with Olive Oil.The character is recumbent of a wild bleu cheese, with an untamed, musky note.

Aged Feta, $5.50/container retail, $5.00/container CSA - block or crumble
Creamy block or crumbles of unpasteurized aged feta. Try in rice dressing, warm pasta dishes, pear & hazelnut salad, deviled eggs, bowl of beans.


Eggs,
$5/dozen
$2.50/half-dozen (limited)
Through February eggs will be less predictable, and so we are not offering the CSA option this month. This week we will have eggs from DCF (at last!), Creative Outlet, and Nature's Choice. Be sure to recycle egg cartons that you pick up at our deliveries with us!


Raw Honey,
Quart/$12, Pint/$7, Half-pint/$4
Raw honey in glass (sometimes plastic) jars form Honey House Farm in Brush Prairie - super local! Great for allergies! Assuming all goes well, we'll stop in at their place on Thursday for honey before deliveries.


Dried Herbs, $4/packet
From Garden Delights in Brush Prairie, these herbs were hand prepared from chemical-free herbs. There are several mixes available, including: Dilly Dip, Italian Blend, Mexican Blend, Herb Dip, Herb Butter, Herbal Dressing. All great in soups, dressings, dips, butters, cheeses...


Jellies, $5/8oz jar
Strawberry, low sugar
Apple, low sugar
Raspberry, low sugar
Blackberry, low sugar
White Grape, NO sugar
The above also come from Garden Delights, in Brush Prairie. A multi-generational farm, this Mom and daughter team work hard on creating healthful, local, and delicious foods. Generally known for their herb packets & natural doggy treats, they are also a produce CSA farm!


Herbal Teas, $3/each
Minty Cocoa (chocolate mint, peppermint)
Cold Calming (sage, dutch tea time, lemon balm, chamomile)
Lemon Mint Medley (lemon balm, peppermint, spearmint)
Stress Relief (lemon balm, chamomile, lavendar)
Hand blended by the ladies at Garden DElight with chemical-free herbs, mostly grown at their farm, these blends are sure to be delicious! �Each comes with 4 tea bags.


Wild & Naturally Preserved Eats,
Mushrooms, Fresh - 1/4 lb bags
Maitake, $4.00
Shiitake, $3.00
Mushrooms, Vacuum packed Frozen 1/4 lb packs
Porcini 4.50
Chanterelle 4.00
Mushrooms, Dried half-pint jar
Chanterelle, $5.00
Porcini, $5.00
Berries, Vacuum packed Frozen 1 lb packs
Elderberries 5.00
Himalayan Blackberries, $3.50
Wild Huckleberries $9.00
Organic Blueberries $4.00

Dried Snack and Meal Helpers -
(Already chopped, diced, sliced, portioned, and packaged just right for 1-2 meals)
Org. Walla Walla Onions (great for snacks, sandwiches, salad toppings...) $1.25
Org Red Onions (great for stir-fry, burgers, sandwiches, macaroni & potato salads...) $1.25
Org. Heirloom Tomatoes (snacks, great for pasta or rice dishes, saute` w/vegs...) $2.00
Dried Wild Elderberries $2.00
Frozen or Dried Rosehips, $2.00
The above comes from Nature's Choice, a Vancouver business, operated by a couple who collects & sells wild eats, and prepares naturally preserved foods.


Natural Soap, $4/bar
This was hand crafted by Summer (me!) for the holidays, but with the snow and flooding, our holiday specials sort of went by the wayside. No worries! With a bit of snow, the peppermint bars will still be glorious! They are made with various oils, and contain no fragrance, just essential oils! The vapors are soothing and head-clearing.

*****

Remember that in an effort to be more efficient, and less wasteful, we're going to stop writing individual receipts when you place your order, if possible.

Anyone and everyone can order from our deliveries, not just "subscribers"! To any newcomers on the e-list, welcome! Also rest assured that all farms contributing to our deliveries all meet several standards: chemical-free, sustainable, natural, family farming... If you have questions about any of them, don't hesitate to ask, or check them out yourself!

To order, click here and specify what you would like.
All checks go to "Dee Creek Farm", or bring cash.
**BRING YOUR OWN BAG**
We fill pre-orders first, then it's first come, first served!
We do mostly pre-orders at deliveries, rather than Farmers Market style.
Please help us in this by pre-ordering what you can!

Summer & Spark
Email: summer at deecreekfarm dot com
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)

Hoop House Raising @ Dee Creek Farm

The folks out at Dee Creek Farm are having an old-fashioned barn raising....er hoop house raising this Sunday. If you're able-bodied and have a few hours to spare, they could really use your help. This is an excellent opportunity to show Dee Creek some love for any of you folks who were/are unable to make a financial contribution to their farm relief effort! See the note below from Anne Lawrence of Storytree Farm for the details:

Hoop House-Raising at Dee Creek Farm
Sunday, February 15

9:30 am Start
1:00 pm Lunch (Kitchen is open to anyone helping!)
5:00 pm Call 'er quits

Need strong folks, and 'light helper' folks to hand them stuff, etc...
Sign up for a shift (first half / second half), or all day.

Totally up to whatever folks can do; please let us know so we can plan food and schedule our crew.

This should be good!

Things folks could bring:

Cordless drills/screwdrivers; the more, the merrier!
Ladders, especially some taller ones?
Gloves, sunscreen, hats, jackets
Round shovels
circular saw
wire cutters
pliers
hammers
measuring tapes, 25' and 100'
levels
SOCKETS AND SOCKET WRENCHES
maybe some open end wrenches

Questions, or to sign up for a shift:

Summer: (360) 225-9711 (farm)
Anne: (360) 903-3149 cell or (360) 576-7139 (farm)

Check out the hoop house and row cover benders offered by Lost Creek Greenhouse Systems.


http://www.lostcreek.net

Preserve DVD Release - Coming Spring 2009

Harriet Fasenfest and company, aka Preserve has announced their official foray into the video world. This promises to be an informative and accessible visual tutorial for all of you home preservation buffs. I know I'm signed up on the contact list for the announcement of the official release date. Click here and get your name on the list too!

While you're at it, please take a few minutes and check out the latest treatise by Harriet, Food and the Current Economy - a shift from fancy pantries to local food. It's relevant, it's intelligent, it's witty, and it's available for download in a friendly .pdf format. Did I mention it's free?

Playing In the Dirt

Despite the continued presence of frost in the mornings and the snow flurries today, it is time to start planting the garden. We put in peas, favas, and a variety of lettuces & greens this past weekend. All the babies are tucked in under a layer of mulch for the time being, but based on past years we expect to see little green heads popping up in the next couple of weeks. If it doesn't warm up soon, I may actually try some row covers for the raised beds this year. Tomatoes and peppers are resting comfortably in seeds flats on the sun porch and with any luck they'll also be reaching for the sun over the next couple of weeks. We have a number of herbs in 4" pots that have been spending the winter indoors, but are itching to get outside. Need to do some work on the herb spiral we started last fall. Picked up a few annuals this past weekend to give us a little early color in the borders. And the bulbs all seem to be waking up and on their way to a good spring show. Woo-Hoo!!

I don't know about any of you folks, but when we have days like this past Saturday, the gardening bug hits our house hard. How about you? Gettin' dirty yet?

2007 US Census of Agriculture Results Available

Some folks follow baseball stats, some enjoy perusing financial market stats (well, maybe not so much right now), and then there are some of us who fill our leisure reading time with agriculturally related stats. For you fellow farm junkies out there, I give you a link to the recently released

2007 US Census of Agriculture!

One interesting note, for the first time ever this year's census includes separately collected data specifically related to organic agriculture (see Table 43). Seems that next to Kalifornia, our fair state blows the rest of the country away with regards to value of sales of organically produced commodities...and we do it with fewer acres in production and fewer farms than a number of other states. Way to go Washington farmers!

Upcoming Vermicompost Class

Looks like Doug from Northwest Redworms is cranking up the vermicomposting classes again just in time for the approaching gardening season. His first class is being hosted @ Ecolution NW in Uptown Vancouver later this month. The class is only $5! Read the details from Doug below:

Hello,

I am Doug Knippel of Northwest Redworms and we are starting up the vermicompost classes again. The first class I am scheduled to present will be on February 19 at 7 pm. This class is being sponsored by Ecolution NW and the class will be at their store at 1709 Broadway, Vancouver, WA. They are charging $5 per person and seating is limited to 15. If you are interested contact Heidi on their website. This is the same class that I teach at our facility in the cat chalet for $12 so don't wait to sign up.

If you would like to pick up products after the class please order them in advance and then email me so that I bring your order to the class.

I am putting together this class for everyone who wants to:

Learn about composting organic waste, types of compost, types of compost systems and how they work.
The use and benefits of composting and using redworms.
Soil chemistry, soil biology, worm biology.
Setting up a compost system, building up your compost and harvesting your product.

This Seminar will include approximately one hour of instruction, visual displays, handouts, and time for questions. About two hours total time.

Doug Knippel

Northwest Redworms

360-513-7251

Got Bees?

Well Jason does and he's offering a sweeeeet deal on blocks loaded with Mason Bees all ready to go to work in your garden this Spring.

Block of 100 bees - $25
Block of 200 bees - $45

That price does not include shipping, but he shipped mine to me via UPS ground service on Monday, I got 'em yesterday morning, and the total was only $32 for the 100 bee block. I dare you to find a better deal anywhere.

Here's Jason's contact info:

Jason Hawken
(206)387-5553
jhawk2tall at hotmail dot com

Give him a "buzz" and get you some bees!

Butchering Class Update

Here are some further details on the butchering class I spoke of in an earlier post. Check out the class price...$25 per class!! You'll never find a deal like this anywhere else! Also, it seems that the Greener Pasture folks don't currently have any livestock ready for slaughter at the moment, so they're appealing to you folks for demonstration subjects to use for the class. Contact them if you have a couple of sheep ready for processing. Hopefully that detail will be worked out soon so we can get a firm date on the classes! Read the following note from Ronda to get the latest scoop on the classes and/or to get her contact info:

Jon is willing to teach 2 generic classes on slaughtering and butchering wild game or medium sized livestock, using sheep or goats as the sample. Because we don't have any livestock to butcher at this time, if someone has 2 sheep to be butchered, it would be best to hold the class on the premises of the owner of the livestock, and Jon would waive the fees for that person. If not, Jon will make other arrangements.

Slaughter Class: $25 per person
How to humanely kill the animal, bleed it out, skin and gut, and "hang" or age the meat. Keeping the meat as sanitary as possible under home conditions will be covered throughout the class, as will discussion of types of tools, and proper care of tools. Knife sharpening will also be covered; Jon can bring his bench grinder to show this. Hands on class participation will depend on the number of people.

Butchering Class: $25 per person
How to cut up the carcass and bone out the meat into practical portions. Hands on class participation will depend on the number of people.


Ronda Jemtegaard
360-833-1917
greenerpasturesfarm at gmail dot com

Looking for a Few Good CSAs

Bill and Laura Cole of Nature's Choice are looking for CSA farmers who are interested in some added value for their subscribers. The Coles have offered the freshest wild gathered mushrooms, berries, fiddleheads, nettles, etc. to folks frequenting local farmer's markets and the Locavore/Farm Connect crowd for years. I can personally vouch for the quality of their product. Sounds a great deal to me! If you are a CSA farmer who is interested in the Nature's Choice product line, read on for more details. If you are a CSA subscriber, let your farmer know about this added value offer and get 'em onboard.

WE’RE LOOKING FOR A FEW GOOD FARMS !!!

After several suggestions from customers and brainstorm discussions with a few of our farming friends, Bill and I put our heads together to come up with ways we could work with others in meeting the needs of our growing locavore & health minded community. We have put together a special CSA supplemental package of strictly wild-crafted edibles that can serve as a wonderful compliment to seasonal CSA produce, meat and dairy packages already offered by local farmers. The cost is expected to be just under $20.00 per week and we will offer membership flexibility and a payment plan so folks can try us out.

We are hoping that after you have a chance to review the details, you might find us a nice fit as a ‘value added’ package to offer alongside your CSA subscription offering. We are open to tailoring a brochure to compliment your own materials, and would love to offer a 5% discount for anyone who signs up through your CSA, just for being your customer. We can make arrangements to deliver the weekly basket to you in time for one of your regularly scheduled deliveries or farm pick-ups, and are open to other ways that we might accommodate a joint effort, such as offering some of your products through our own weekly delivery efforts.

If this sounds like something that might interest you, I would love to get together at your convenience either by phone or over a cup of coffee to answer any questions and to discuss how we might work together. My direct number is 360-852-7851 or you can drop me an email.

Hope to talk with you soon.


Cheers

Bill & Laura Cole





Laura Cole
Nature's Choice
(360) 852-7851 Phone
(360) 852-8835 Fax
www.natureswildharvest.com
laura at natureswildharvest dot com

From the Desk of Josh Giuntoli

Here's a nice note I received today from Josh Giuntoli, of the Washington State Office of Farmland Preservation. You didn't know we had a state Office of Farmland Preservation in Washington State? Well we do! Surf on over to a few of the links that Josh provided in his note below and see what's happening at the OFP. Thanks, Josh!

Hi Glenn,

I just wanted to introduce myself and let you know I appreciate your blog for SW Washington. The Office of Farmland Preservation has a web page which we are continuing to develop but may be interesting to you and your readers.

WA State Office of Farmland Preservation


There are a few regular features which are updated weekly and monthly.

Every week I update the “Weekly Legislative Update” which covers bills in the legislature that may have impacts on preserving farmland. Another (page), updated on Mondays, is the Washington News and Views feature which is a link dump of ag news from Washington over the past week.

Every month I put out a newsletter with past issues available here.


Anyway, I enjoy your postings and hope you have a great week.

Josh Giuntoli
Office of Farmland Preservation
WA Conservation Commission
360.407.7474
jgiuntoli at scc dot wa dot gov

Butchering Class

I've been exchanging e-mails recently with Ronda Jemtegaard of Greener Pastures Farm in Camas. It seems that like many of us, the economic slowdown has affected their off-farm employment and they're looking for a way to generate some extra income. After some brainstorming with her husband, Jon Schulze, they have decided to share her Jon's extraordinary butchering knowledge with the public and generate some additional income by creating a series of classes on home butchering. They are still working out the particulars, but this promises to be a fantastic educational opportunity for anyone who wants to brush up on their butchering skills or the novice looking to learn the basics. I for one am seriously stoked about their project and look forward to attending.

More information will be coming, so check back for further details soon!

Here's a link to the Greener Pastures website if you'd like to learn a bit more about the farm, livestock, farming, or the Greener Pastures family (it's seriously chocked full of more info. than you can imagine and reading the website is an eduaction in itself!) :

Greener Pastures Farm

Pigs, Wine, Chefs...and the Other Side of the River

I know , I know. This is a blog that focuses on what's going on over here on the North Bank. However, despite the multitude of folks covering the food and farm scene for our neighbors to the south, I would be remiss if I did not occasionally mention extraordinary people or events happening on the other side of the river. That's why you see links from this blog to folks like Red Pig Tools, the Urban Farm Store, Viande Meats, Steve's Cheese, and Apizza Scholls. Amazing people doing amazing things that you should know about. All folks that I have had enough personal experience with to recommend to you.

Today I wanted to let you know about a culinary tour of sorts that is coming to Portland on March 1st. It's being held at the Ecotrust building in NW Portland and will showcase the talents of five of NW Oregon's finest chefs, including Vitaly Paley (Paley's Place), John Gorham (Toro Bravo), Tommy Habetz (Bunk), and Gabriel Rucker (Le Pigeon), each preparing an entire heritage breed hog from head-to-tail any way they see fit. The pork will be served with five, fine Oregon wines. It's all for the benefit of the Raphael House of Portland, a shelter that has been serving the needs of women & children since 1977. Here's the link that will get you to the event website and an avenue from which you may purchase tickets:

Cochon 555

$125.00 is a steep fee for admission, but I sincerely believe that this will be a unique and noteworthy culinary event as well as a bargain for the price. Check it out.

Julia Bakery on the Web!

Nenad, baker & proprietor of Julia Bakery, launched a new website recently. For those of you who are already fans or would like to check out Julia Bakery virtually, please click on the link below:

Julia Bakery

Julia Bakery is Vancouver's only artisan, organic bakery with a retail storefront that I am aware of. Nenad is a very congenial fellow who bakes all sorts of delicious treats, both sweet & savory. If you haven't been to his bakery before, please stop by and check it out. Your tummy will thank you.

NW Organic Farm 2009 CSA info.

Greg & Joyce are a joy to spend time with and mighty fine food growers too. The Pacific NW is blessed with numerous excellent farmers, but I've found very few who can match the consistent quality of the produce I've purchased from NW Organic Farm. These folks are serious about their farming and they are working to continually expand and improve the variety of products at their farm. Still have doubts? Give Joyce a ring and set up a visit to the farm. You can also visit their website for more info.

NW Organic Farm

Here's the CSA note from Joyce:

Come Join Our CSA- Shares available for 2009

We have CSA (Community supported agriculture) shares available for the 2009 growing season. NW Organic Farm is "Certified Organic" by Oregon Tilth. We strive to use only Heirloom seeds. This assures you of a unique basket full of the best quality produce each week.

Some full share samples may include:

Spring: 1 pound sweet peas, 1/2 pound spinach, 1 bunch radishes, 1 bunch turnips, 1 bunch onions, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch chard, 1 bunch arugula, fresh herbs, 1/2 pint strawberries.

Summer: 2 pounds green beans, 4 pounds tomatoes, 2 egg plant, 3 summer squash, 1/2 pint black berries, 3/4 pound salad mix, 1 bunch kale, 1 bunch basil, 1 bunch carrots, 3-4 peppers, 2 onions, 2 garlic, 3 cucumbers, flowers or herbs.

Fall: 4 pounds tomatoes, 1 bunch beets, 1 bunch kale, 3-4 peppers, 1 pint blueberries, 1 bunch radish, 2 broccoli, 1 cauliflower, 1 cabbage, 4 ears of corn, 3 pounds potatoes, 1 bunch leaks, 3 winter squash, 2 onions.

23 week full share $598.00 One half share $325.00

Gourmet Micro Greens is a weekly bag of fresh harvested mixed gourmet salad greens. This share insures you weekly fresh salad for our full 23 week season. One pound is only $7.50.

We also have free range eggs. One dozen $4.25.

Contact Joyce at (360) 573-4868 or Cell (360) 608-1483

Nature's Choice for the New Year

My good friends Bill & Laura Cole just sent me an e-mail over the weekend detailing their plans to make the offerings from their company, Nature's Choices, more readily available to us common folks. No longer will we have to play the waiting game to find out which farmers' market Bill will be at hocking his amazing selection of handpicked mushrooms, fiddleheads, huckleberries, and other wild foods. Looks like they'll also be regularly offering a fair portion of their selection of dried foods as well as eggs from their expanded chicken flock too. I did not attach the .pdf copy of their product list to this post, but I bet you can easily get a copy by dropping Laura an e-mail or ringing her up on the tele. Read on to get the full details on what's in store for Nature's Choice customers this year.

Bill Cole (the mushroom guy) and his new wife Laura here. Greetings to all our mushroom friends and locavores.

We hope that you are off to a healthy and happy New Year in spite of the many difficulties facing us all these days. We know that times are tough for many folks and we send our best wishes to all in need.

This email is to let you know what our plans are for Nature’s Choice this year, and to offer you several ways to find us and to bring home your favorite mushrooms, berries and other wild-crafted goodies throughout the year ahead.

#1 Starting this coming week, we are offering a weekly product pickup at our home. Since we do not always know if, when (or which) farmers market we may be at, many customers often call us for alternative arrangements. Having an organized effort seemed like a natural step. The plan is to send out a product list every Sunday or Monday, with the products we have for that week highlighted, and then to accept preorders that can be sent to us by email, fax or a phone call. We are requesting that all preorders be sent over by Wednesday noon to ensure delivery. The pickup time will be on Thursdays from 6:15-7:00pm. We have a very convenient location from just about anywhere, at I-205 between Mill Plain and Highway 14. Even if you have not preordered, everyone is welcome to stop by and purchase on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. We will often have wonderful items available from some of our farm friends as well. Such as raw, unfiltered honey, artisan cheeses and organic produce.

#2 Also in the works is a special CSA supplemental package of strictly wild-crafted edibles that will serve as a wonderful compliment to seasonal CSA produce and dairy packages offered by several of our hardworking local farmers. The cost is expected to be just under $20.00 per week and we will offer membership flexibility and a payment plan. A brochure on this will be available in the next few days.

#3 And finally, we are working on setting up a website and blog, so you can keep up with what’s going on in our world and the many wonderful wild foods available in the Pacific Northwest. We will also be offering some fun new products through that avenue such as t-shirts, recipe books, wild-crafted teas, dried mushrooms, jams, seasonings and gift packs that do not have strict freshness issues.

We are attaching a PDF file with our first ‘organized’ product list to get the weekly delivery system in place. If there are any goodies that you would like to request, please give us a call or drop an email by this coming Wednesday, Jan. 28th by noon or so, and then we will confirm your order and give you directions to our place for the Thursday pickup. (The fax will be installed by next week for that option as well.) We will also have some treats & a small food gift on hand for all who visit us in the first couple weeks.

If you would like to be removed from our email & mailing list, please just let us know.

We look forward to hearing from you and hopefully to visiting with some of you on Thursdays.

Bill & Laura

Laura Cole
Nature's Choice
(360) 852-7851 Phone
(360) 852-8835 Fax
www.natureswildharvest.com
laura at natureswildharvest dot com

Permaculture/Slope Terracing Workshop @ the Old Poor Farm 3.7.2009

Here's an announcement re. an upcoming permaculture related workshop on Slope Terracing brought to you by the folks @ Abundance Permaculture Consulting. For those of you who have never heard of Abundance, they not only provide permaculture consulting for folks in our region, but they were also contracted by Clark County to help develop the Old Poor Farm/WSU Extension property on NE 78th St. in Hazel Dell. You can read more about their involvement with the project here:

Ne 78th St. Project

Now for the details on the workshop from Deston Denniston of Abundance Permaculture:

Howdy Friends,

I'm happy to make official the promotion to bring Sepp Holzer to demonstrate Slope Terracing on March 7-8. This is for you farmers, or your farming friends. Please forwad this message to anyone you know who may be interested in attending this workshop on erosion free terrace construction on slopes. This workshop is valid for farmers and foresters alike. Sepp's methods have produced a veritable Eden in some of Austria's steepest forest terrain. We have a small John Deer with a bucket and are working to get a backhoe for this demonstration- as long as weather permits, this will be a hands on field day. Sepp will field questions and demonstrate use of the machinery to insure stable terrace construction. Construction of terraces is not complete without plantings, and Sepp will talk about that aspect of stabilization as well. The following weekend we are planning a workparty to fully plant the terraces with native species, fruiting cultivars and beneficial associatives.

Who is Sepp? watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw7mQZHfFVE

The location is 1919 78th Street, Vancouver Washington.
This is just 20 minutes north of Downtown Portland, 5 minutes off the highway, in north Vancouver/Hazel Dell.

Details, including map, can be found at
http://www.abundancepermaculture.com/events.html

links to the tour info and sponsor can be found at
http://www.perma-dise.com/workshop_sepp_holzer_2009

We have managed to secure Sepp at very low prices, just $150 for a two day seminar if you register before February 8, $200 after that date.

Please send check and registration info to

Perma-dise
16827 Hickory Lane SE
Yelm, WA 98597

The lunch meal will be a Brown Bag potluck; please bring casseroles, pies and other dish items to share.

Coffee and tea will be provided.

Information about the 78th St. Site, which is quickly shaping up to be the largest publicly funded permaculture site Im aware of, can be found at the home page of our website, www.abundancepermaculture.com.

If you have questions about the site, contact me here; if you have questions about Sepp or the tour in general, please contact Mathilda at (info at perma-dise dot com)

Thank you all!

Peace,

Deston Denniston
Abundance Permaculture Consulting

Washougal Community Garden

Thanks for this info from Peter DuBois, aka Recycleman and the Sustainability Coordinator for Clark County:

Edible Clark County - Washougal Community Gardens Coming March 2009
COMMUNITY GARDENS PROGRAM A SUCCESS

The City of Washougal is jumping in to the vegetable business through their community gardens program. Following a series of public meetings and completion of an online survey, the city decided to convert an unused portion of Hamllik Park into community vegetable gardens.

The park is located near apartment complexes making it an ideal location for residents without yards to plant a garden. The community garden is slated to be operational by March 1, 2009.

You can get a truckload of great info and ideas about sustainability efforts in Clark County by checking out Pete's blog...so go check it out!

Sustainable Clark County

Oops...One More

I am hanging my head in shame for forgetting to tell you about an event being hosted by one of my favorite farm families, the good folks @ Dee Creek Farm. This will be a unique opportunity to learn about emergency & family preparedness. Here's the scoop on their upcoming class:

Hey folks! It's been so long since we did deliveries (a whopping two
weeks!) - I'm suffering from withdrawal, and so couldn't help but
plan a get-together. It should be a great workshop - I'm totally
excited! We are planning on having another similar class in the
summer, which will include a campout, with hands on experience in
some of these techniques. That class will be more spendy. Btw, I
did update the website with new blog entries this week! ~Summer

Please Join Us
at Dee Creek Farm

"Intro to Emergency & Family Preparedness"
by Summer M.
January 17th, 2008, 2pm
$35 per person

To register for the class, email me your interest,
And confirm with your admission fees (at deliveries or by mail)
Class space is limited

Emergency and Family Preparedness will focus on the skills and
supplies needed for weathering emergencies and disasters. Whether it
is a loss of a job or illness in the family, a natural disaster,
epidemic or a temproary/long-term breakdown of the food/commodity
supply chain, learn what is necessary to keep yourself and others
from panicking while coming up with practical solutions to keep
oneself, family, friends or neighbors alive and healthy.

Topics will include: how to stock your food pantry, packaging/
preserving/storing foods, preparing emergency Bug-Out bags and
equipment, storing/cleaning/treating water, catching and using
rainwater, emergency toilets, seeds for quick sprouting and planting
in 30-40 day growing cycles, putting together an emergency first aid
kit, how to dress burns, how to use an oil lamp, tips for cast iron
and dutch oven cookery, starting a fire and more!

Bring snacks just in case class heads on into evening!
(we're shooting for 4 hours)
Come, and let's learn together!

Summer M. has been a long-time customer of DCF, and a committed
Locavore in our community, with two boys needing maximum nutrition to
keep their health maintained.

I have attended several of Summer's classes, and found the shared
information and instructors input invaluable. I thought I knew
stuff, but learned quickly that I could glean many new concepts, how
and why they worked. Folks that attend are invited to join a Google
group that is full of sharing, too!

I think there is no better time than now, when the economy is
struggling, to learn old-fashioned ways of living!

Summer
Email: summer at deecreekfarm dot com
Farm Phone: 360-225-9711
Cell Phone: 360-903-6956 (no service at the Farm)

Meet the Farmers and New Series of Classes at Preserve

Happy New Year everyone! I'm back after a short holiday break and I have a couple of really exciting upcoming events to tell you about.

The first is the 3rd Annual Meet the Farmers Event:

Sponsored by:

The Vancouver Food Co-op, SW WA CSA Farmers, WSU Vancouver Public Affairs Department, WSU Small Farms Team

Details:

7:00 to 8:30 pm
January 21st, 2009
WSU Vancouver
Firstenburg Student Commons
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave

The Vancouver Food Coop in cooperation with Washington State University Vancouver and the WSU Small Farms Team will host the Southwest Washington Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farms for Meet the Farmers on Wednesday January 21, 2009. The event will feature local CSA farms from southwest Washington and a speaker from the WSU Small Farms Team. WSU Small Farms Team staff and the SW WA CSA Farms will provide information to participants on what a CSA is, how to determine if a CSA is right for you, and questions to ask farmers to find the right CSA for you and your family. A Vancouver Food Co-op (VFC) board member will be present to speak briefly about VFC and their role with local farms.

There are a record number of CSAs in SW WA this year we are up to 18, that is from only around 3 a few years ago.

Come join others to meet many of the CSA farmers in person and sign up for CSA shares before the season begins.

“We are excited to be partnering with the CSAs for this event; we are proud to support local agriculture,” says Sunrise O’Mahoney of the Vancouver Food Coop.

For more information please call the Vancouver Food Coop at 360-694-8094 or check their website at http://www.vancouverfood.coop/. SW WA CSA Farms website: http://www.swwa-csafarms.com

The next is a phenomenal series of classes being offered by local home economics heroine and proprietor of the amazing Preserve, Harriet Fasenfest. The classes will span the better portion of the local growing season and will take you on a journey from pre-season garden planning all the way through preserving the harvest. This will definitely be one of the best home economics educational opportunities offered by anyone in our region this year and it's a bargain too. Sign up soon, because this will be a for sure sell out. For more details, please click this link:

The Householding Series: From Seed to Pantry

And for the Cliff Notes version, here's what Harriet has to say:

The Householding Series:
From Seed to Pantry

What is House Holding?

House Holding suggests a commitment and year-round process of tending our gardens, home, psyche and pantry in accordance to the logic, systems and bounty of the natural world. It supplants the full-throttle acceptance of the market economy as the engine of our survival as well as the ferocious consumer culture that fuels it. In essence, house-holding is about skills, values and processes that not only bring our own needs back to earth, but those of the planet’s as well. When combined, the information in this series will give you not only an efficient system for creating your own “stores” but, too, a sound economical one that brings the notion of local and sustainable to a whole new level. New systems need new thinking - not just smart packaging!

Series Summary

Taught once a month over the nine-month growing and preserving season, this series is intended to offer concrete tools for creating new patterns of food production, direct-farm purchase, preservation and meal planning.

Appropriate for all levels of experience but suggested for those truly committed to the process. Some previous knowledge helpful but not necessary.

The series will be presented by a number of instructors experienced in their field but who, together, offer a systematic approach to living, growing and cooking within the seasons.

This year is looking like it will be a stellar one for local agriculture, supporting the local economy, and revitalizing the art of keeping a good, healthy home. Don't let the media get you down with all of the stories of gloom and doom. As a caring, concerned community, we can and will work together to weather any storm. And we are truly blessed to have wonderful resources in our area to help us figure out how to do it.

Love your family, hug a farmer, and start planning your gardens. Talk to y'all soon.