Flintridge Prep School starts the new year with organic produce in their schools - and a whole lot more!
We also have several pre-schools looking into starting a Farm to School program. These are the easiest schools to work with logistically. And parents who have just spent 3-5 years raising their newborns do not want their children eating fake food.
Watch this spot!
Farm to School at La Canada Unified School District (LCUSD) - One Day it will Happen!
Welcome to the Farm to School for LCUSD Blog. We are on a quest! To bring healthy, locally grown produce to our schools. We deserve the best. Our kids deserve the best.
This is a very do-able project. We are working with the national Farm to School program, conveniently located in Eagle Rock at Occidental College.
Here's what it will do for LCUSD:
- Farm fresh, locally grown, organic produce
- Nutrition education programs for the curriculum
- Interactive opportunities for students to visit local farms, gardens and more
- School lunch participation expected to rise
- New revenue stream for local farmers is supported
- Community awareness will increase encouraging healthier eating for everyone!
We are gathering names of those interested and concerned about the health and well-being of the food we are providing in our school system. What do we want for our children? What do we want for our community?email us today: mail @ farmosafarms.org
Click here to join our efforts and download a petition!
Path to Freedom - a family farm to check out!
Have you been to the Gervais family farm yet? this place rocks. Right in the middle of Pasadena, California. Check it out: http://www.pathtofreedom.com/
Bill's Tomatoes - So Cal Style
Last year, Chris and I grew 34 tomato plants. One of 'em never fruited, but 33 did, producing around 11,000 tomatoes. No joke.
Chris (my wife) thought this too much and wanted around 25 or so this year.
So, our maid of honor, Karin, grew some from seed. Only about a half dozen made it. We had bought and planted several as well.
We volunteered at the Tomatomania event (http://www.tomatomania.com) earlier this month. As part of volunteering, both Chris and I got 16 tomato plants. Once we started planting them, Karin came back with another tomato seed batch!
As opposed to 25 or so, we've got 43 in the ground so far (though one or two may not make it) and we're going to plant at least five of Karin's latest batch.
One thing led to another led to another led to another...
If 11,000 sounded silly, that may be low compared to this year. We'll see.
The two documents are fairly, but not entirely, complete. I'll update them as time permits and when we plant the rest.
Bill Anderson
2008 Front Yard Tomatoes
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhmdr5w4_2gqh827hn&invite=nj9fdz
2008 Back Yard Tomatoes
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhmdr5w4_1fh78g9f3&invite=d97g47
Tomatoes - and what you need to know to grow them in Southern California:
http://socaltomatoes.blogspot.com/
Click Here
Chris (my wife) thought this too much and wanted around 25 or so this year.
So, our maid of honor, Karin, grew some from seed. Only about a half dozen made it. We had bought and planted several as well.
We volunteered at the Tomatomania event (http://www.tomatomania.com) earlier this month. As part of volunteering, both Chris and I got 16 tomato plants. Once we started planting them, Karin came back with another tomato seed batch!
As opposed to 25 or so, we've got 43 in the ground so far (though one or two may not make it) and we're going to plant at least five of Karin's latest batch.
One thing led to another led to another led to another...
If 11,000 sounded silly, that may be low compared to this year. We'll see.
The two documents are fairly, but not entirely, complete. I'll update them as time permits and when we plant the rest.
Bill Anderson
2008 Front Yard Tomatoes
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhmdr5w4_2gqh827hn&invite=nj9fdz
2008 Back Yard Tomatoes
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dhmdr5w4_1fh78g9f3&invite=d97g47
Tomatoes - and what you need to know to grow them in Southern California:
http://socaltomatoes.blogspot.com/
Click Here
Bill's Tomatos
From Bill direct:
I've shared this item with you using Google Docs. To open it, just click the link below.
Note: There's no raw data in the spreadsheet as of yet.
2008 tomatoes
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pYG77XPs88cG4kZ8LSUL7Sw&t=468275552950923936&guest
Farmgirl will confirm, Bill knows how to grow tomatoes! Keep up the great work!
I've shared this item with you using Google Docs. To open it, just click the link below.
Note: There's no raw data in the spreadsheet as of yet.
2008 tomatoes
http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=pYG77XPs88cG4kZ8LSUL7Sw&t=468275552950923936&guest
Farmgirl will confirm, Bill knows how to grow tomatoes! Keep up the great work!
Center for Food & Justice UPDATE
Hello Farm to School Enthusiasts,
See the information below for a Victory Against Hunger Award for Farm to School programs,
TO: ALL FARM TO SCHOOL ENTHUSIASTS
FROM: THE CONGRESSIONAL HUNGER CENTER AND NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK
RE: FUNDING FOR FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS
DEADLINE: JUNE 6TH and NO APPLICATION REQUIRED!
Farm to school programs are eligible for this year’s Congressional Hunger Center’s Victory Against Hunger Awards! If you know of a school nutrition program or organization, that incorporates locally grown, farm fresh foods into their meals, and/or offers hands-on nutrition and agriculture programs, they are eligible for this funding. (Examples of such programs include children visiting farms, involvement in a school garden or farmer-in-the-classroom.) Please forward this e-mail to qualifying programs.
All we need is a two-page nomination letter from the Representative or Senator of the district or state where the program is located. Just follow the 3 easy steps listed below to qualify for this award.
Attached is a press release and two sample letters for your review. One can find information about the VAH Awards and our organization at www.hungercenter.org
3 Easy Steps to Winning a Victory Against Hunger Award
Contact your local or Washington, DC office of the House or Senate member who represents your area and ask for the staff that handles nutrition, hunger, and/or agriculture issues. (This is a great relationship to start if you haven’t already!) To find your elected official, visit: www.congress.org
2. Explain to the Congressional Office how the VAH awards program is a “win/win” situation in that members of
Congress get an opportunity to recognize (with a private sector donated cash award) the valuable work of one
of their constituent organizations. (Make sure that you give the Congressional office all the information it
needs to clearly demonstrate that your organization is effectively developing and/or implementing a Farm to
School program.) A member of Congress then simply submits a one or two page letter describing how your
organization has been engaged in a Farm to School effort.
3. Complete the letter by including the necessary contact details! Consideration is only given to nomination
letters which include the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in either the local or
Washington, DC, Congressional office willing to accept the VAH award check.
Contact for more info: Ed Cooney or Angelina Pérez: Phone: (202) 547-7022; www.hungercenter.org
Feel free to contact Angelina Pérez for more information or any further questions at aperez@hungercenter.org .
-Moira Beery
Center for Food & Justice
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute
Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
Ph. (323) 341-5099 | Fax (323) 258-2917
www.farmtoschool.org
www.uepi.oxy.edu
See the information below for a Victory Against Hunger Award for Farm to School programs,
TO: ALL FARM TO SCHOOL ENTHUSIASTS
FROM: THE CONGRESSIONAL HUNGER CENTER AND NATIONAL FARM TO SCHOOL NETWORK
RE: FUNDING FOR FARM TO SCHOOL PROGRAMS
DEADLINE: JUNE 6TH and NO APPLICATION REQUIRED!
Farm to school programs are eligible for this year’s Congressional Hunger Center’s Victory Against Hunger Awards! If you know of a school nutrition program or organization, that incorporates locally grown, farm fresh foods into their meals, and/or offers hands-on nutrition and agriculture programs, they are eligible for this funding. (Examples of such programs include children visiting farms, involvement in a school garden or farmer-in-the-classroom.) Please forward this e-mail to qualifying programs.
All we need is a two-page nomination letter from the Representative or Senator of the district or state where the program is located. Just follow the 3 easy steps listed below to qualify for this award.
Attached is a press release and two sample letters for your review. One can find information about the VAH Awards and our organization at www.hungercenter.org
3 Easy Steps to Winning a Victory Against Hunger Award
Contact your local or Washington, DC office of the House or Senate member who represents your area and ask for the staff that handles nutrition, hunger, and/or agriculture issues. (This is a great relationship to start if you haven’t already!) To find your elected official, visit: www.congress.org
2. Explain to the Congressional Office how the VAH awards program is a “win/win” situation in that members of
Congress get an opportunity to recognize (with a private sector donated cash award) the valuable work of one
of their constituent organizations. (Make sure that you give the Congressional office all the information it
needs to clearly demonstrate that your organization is effectively developing and/or implementing a Farm to
School program.) A member of Congress then simply submits a one or two page letter describing how your
organization has been engaged in a Farm to School effort.
3. Complete the letter by including the necessary contact details! Consideration is only given to nomination
letters which include the name, address, and telephone number of a contact person in either the local or
Washington, DC, Congressional office willing to accept the VAH award check.
Contact for more info: Ed Cooney or Angelina Pérez: Phone: (202) 547-7022; www.hungercenter.org
Feel free to contact Angelina Pérez for more information or any further questions at aperez@hungercenter.org .
-Moira Beery
Center for Food & Justice
Urban & Environmental Policy Institute
Occidental College, Los Angeles, CA
Ph. (323) 341-5099 | Fax (323) 258-2917
www.farmtoschool.org
www.uepi.oxy.edu
Galapagos Islands
Farmgirl survived Isla de Galapagos in great fare. Despite her extreme sensitivity to heat with her multiple sclerosis, her cooling vest from Arctic Heat worked wonders. She was able to get some good pictures and posted them here:
galapagos pictures
http://flickr.com/photos/41737155@N00/sets/72157605257525765/
galapagos pictures
http://flickr.com/photos/41737155@N00/sets/72157605257525765/
ACRES - The voice of eco-agriculture
"When the soil is gone, men must go; and the process does not take long." -Theodore Roosevelt
Check out some of these new books distributed through ACRES:
Cancer, Nutrition and Healing by Jerry Brunnetti
Weeds - control wihtout poisons by Charles Wlaters
Foundations of Natural Farming by Harold Willis
And many other titles. Starting your first farm? Improving your current Farm? You will find the answers in one of the many books offered by ACRES.
Check it out! www.acresusa.com
Check out some of these new books distributed through ACRES:
Cancer, Nutrition and Healing by Jerry Brunnetti
Weeds - control wihtout poisons by Charles Wlaters
Foundations of Natural Farming by Harold Willis
And many other titles. Starting your first farm? Improving your current Farm? You will find the answers in one of the many books offered by ACRES.
Check it out! www.acresusa.com
organic food at Luna Runtun Ecuador
The food in Ecuador was exceptional. Our guides, Sofia Flores from Quito, driver, Freddy immediately took us to experience the flavors of their country. We arrived in Luna Runtun, the adventure spa and it was above expectations. They grow their own vegetable using natural, organic methods. Which fits the country and the folks you meet. They are natural and organic.
Our guides, Sofia Flores and Freddy, organized through Carmen at Luna Runtun near Banos, Ecuador, provided an excellent experience with their knowledge and personalities. We experienced the Pan American Highway through the farmland and high country happily landing in Cuenca safe and sound. It was May Day. Big stuff and lots of traffic.
Our digs were the Santa Lucia. An old governor's home turned hotel. Colonial and quaint - what I was hoping for on this trip. We watched daily as the food was being harvested and purchased at market. The doors open to the kitchens, pots in use. The Indians of the highlands brought color to the landscape with a brightness not seen in our natural dyes.
more to come...
Our guides, Sofia Flores and Freddy, organized through Carmen at Luna Runtun near Banos, Ecuador, provided an excellent experience with their knowledge and personalities. We experienced the Pan American Highway through the farmland and high country happily landing in Cuenca safe and sound. It was May Day. Big stuff and lots of traffic.
Our digs were the Santa Lucia. An old governor's home turned hotel. Colonial and quaint - what I was hoping for on this trip. We watched daily as the food was being harvested and purchased at market. The doors open to the kitchens, pots in use. The Indians of the highlands brought color to the landscape with a brightness not seen in our natural dyes.
more to come...
Farmgirl in Galapagos
Farmgirl is wrapping up a week in Galapagos
Check out our daily reports - CLICK HERE
Check out our daily reports - CLICK HERE
Quito Ecuador
Changing of the guard in the Grand Plaza and surrounds. Lots of color and lively energy!
farmgirl in Ecuador
Wahoooo! Farmgirl is in Ecuador. So, what does that mean? Well, we arrived last night for a restful stay in our hotel, the JW Marriott. Today, after breakfast we took off for a city tour of Quito, the capital of Ecuador. We saw several churches and much of the city. One of the churches had 7 tons of gold in it! It was pretty amazing. We saw the changing of the guard at the presidential house. People watching was amazing - the colors, the styles, the buildings. So much eye candy.
As for food and organic agriculture, there were signs of growth everywhere. Several times we saw chocolate bars, restaurants, cafes all advertising for USDA or organic food. The movement is growing.
Tomorrow we head to Banos and Luna Runtun. I am most psyched to see more of this beautiful country.
In the high country they grow mostly potatoes and corn. The hills are very steep but these products grow relatively easily.
One of my favorite products was Coca Tea - designed for all sorts of inflictions. It has a gentle flavor and all sorts of benefits.
Pork is big here and so are empanadas. The food is wonderful and so are the people. Everyone had a smile and is very gracious and helpful.
Although much of my notes are not organic or food in nature, the colors and love in this country are unmatched.
I am looking forward to reaching Banos, Luna Runtun, Cuenca and then Galapagos. Luna Runtun has an organic farm - YUM!
Actually, all of the food has been great. Today we had Locro sopa - potato soup with cheese and avocado. Yum again.
OK - so the big thing in Luna Runtun is that we might see a tapir. OMG. a tapir. wowza. maybe some monkeys and more. We might even see a spectacled bear. That would be awesome. Its' all pretty incredible.
I'll share more - getting ready to leave the free wireless.
As for food and organic agriculture, there were signs of growth everywhere. Several times we saw chocolate bars, restaurants, cafes all advertising for USDA or organic food. The movement is growing.
Tomorrow we head to Banos and Luna Runtun. I am most psyched to see more of this beautiful country.
In the high country they grow mostly potatoes and corn. The hills are very steep but these products grow relatively easily.
One of my favorite products was Coca Tea - designed for all sorts of inflictions. It has a gentle flavor and all sorts of benefits.
Pork is big here and so are empanadas. The food is wonderful and so are the people. Everyone had a smile and is very gracious and helpful.
Although much of my notes are not organic or food in nature, the colors and love in this country are unmatched.
I am looking forward to reaching Banos, Luna Runtun, Cuenca and then Galapagos. Luna Runtun has an organic farm - YUM!
Actually, all of the food has been great. Today we had Locro sopa - potato soup with cheese and avocado. Yum again.
OK - so the big thing in Luna Runtun is that we might see a tapir. OMG. a tapir. wowza. maybe some monkeys and more. We might even see a spectacled bear. That would be awesome. Its' all pretty incredible.
I'll share more - getting ready to leave the free wireless.
Victory against Hunger Awards
Check out the latest from Farm to School:
The National Farm to School Network is extremely honored to have the 2008 Victory Against Hunger (VAH) Award’s theme be Farm to School. Take advantage of this incredible opportunity to advocate for your program and be nominated for a VAH Award. It’s not about the money (even though every cent helps), it’s about raising awareness of a farm to school program to your Congressional representative for future supportive farm to school policy and press.
Get Nominated!
The nomination period is April 1st through June 6th, 2008 for organizations building innovative “farm to school” programs including anti-hunger and community food security groups, food banks and schools. Awards will be announced on July 1st.
Congressional offices send nomination letter to:
Victory Against Hunger, c/o Congressional Hunger Center
Hall of the States Building
400 North Capitol Street, NW, Suite G-100
Washington, DC 20001
CLICK HERE
Cal Poly CSA - a model of agricultural success
Cal Poly does it again. If you haven't seen it yet check out the PBS series with Huell Howser click here (and scroll down a bit) to buy the video California's Green #122 - ORGANIC FARM
"Huell's visits Cal Poly to see their student-run, certified organic farm which consists of approximately 11 acres of land."
www.calpoly.edu/~sarc/farm.htm
805-756-6139
to Purchase this Video
or call 1-800-266-5727.
to Purchase this DVD
or call 1-800-266-5727.
click here to check out Cal Poly's organic farm.
The Cal Poly Organic Farm (CPOF) provides students and the community a place to experience and explore organic and sustainable farming and gardening techniques. Furthermore, it serves as a classroom and laboratory to several Cal Poly courses and research programs. Faculty, staff and students jointly manage and steward the farm. The farm is also supported by grants, community members, the Horticulture and Crop Science Department and the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences. CLICK here for more
These kids will inspire you to better health.
Rock on!
Blog Entry dated 4/22/08 5:01 PM
Interesting article in the Los Angeles Times about Food's effect on the atmosphere. Did you know that a cow belches about 145 pounds of methane per year? This isn't new but it's eye-opening. A reminder of what our food purchases mean to our future. Written by Kenneth R. Weiss, I have yet to find an online edition. The gist is about the total energy used to produce our food, such as one hamburger patty. I know that folks will find fault but I enjoy the simplicity of it. The article reminds us of a basic concept forgotten these past couple of generations, but food costs us something - we can either pay the extra 25 cents to our local farmers or save 25 cents and apologize to our grandchildren for the distruction of our environment.
Alma Rosa tops wine and organic industries
on my last trip wine tasting to the Santa Ynez valley I fell in love with Alma Rosa winery. Their wines were a true experience of delicacy for even the most hardened taster. Check them out: http://www.almarosawinery.com/club.html
Alma Rosa Winery - Keep up the great work!
Alma Rosa Winery - Keep up the great work!
Blog Entry dated 4/18/08 11:22 AM
Check out what our friend Bill sent us:
Tomatomania is here!
This is a website for true tomato lovers.
TomatoMania Schedule of events
Tomato seedlings - available now
Check it out!
Things considered
Farmgirl here, one of them at least. 2008 has already topped previous years but is moving by in a whirlwind. I can barely focus. My multiple sclerosis (MS) has been subdued BIG time. I attribute this to a variety of factors, one of which is nutrition. How can I talk about my improving health and not mention ShenTrition. You know me - no frills. I can barely take vitamins except if they are chewables. So what do I do? get hooked on a green drink called ShenTrition. I've taken it faithfully since Oct. 22, 2007. An odd thing to remember but I guess if you remember when you got sick why is it so odd to remember when you started to heal?
"The healthy snack food for stress". Someone called it that the other day. And I agree. I drink it every morning. I'm one of those that can live off coffee and run through the morning. I also get very sick. I drink coffee on occassion, but often it's herbal tea. Feeling the affects of ShenTrition remind me that my health is worth some changes.
Nutrition must be at the forefront of my life - I depend on it. I have become aware of what I'm ingesting and digesting. My body has changed. My illness is at bay. Nutrition and a little help from ShenTrition have helped me reach a new level in life.
With that in mind, I leave 4/27 for Ecuador and Galapagos. I will be checking out the agriculture and nutrition while I'm there and report back with my findings.
Keep me posted on your activities!
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