Community CROPS July-August 2010 Newsletter
Fantastic Gala!
Thanks to everyone who came to the Garden Gala at the end of June. On the left you will see some of the great photos from the event. Everyone had a great time visiting with gardeners, tasting carrot or beet ice cream and meeting chickens. See below for more fun events we have planned.Save the Date: Farm Dinner
Saturday, August 28, 5-8pm, Sunset Community Farm, 4000 West F Street
New this year - Community CROPS is hosting a dinner at Sunset Community Farm to raise money for the program. A wide variety of foods from local sources will be served, and a silent auction has many items including art from local artists, a football signed by Tom Osborne and Bo Pelini, tattoo gift certificates from Iron Brush Tattoo, and much, much more.
Save $5! Tickets are $40 until August 16. Purchase your tickets now!
Save the Date: Farm Walk
CROPS will also hold our popular Farm Walk this year on Friday, September 10. Join us for a relaxing evening at the farm. Get to know the CROPS participating new farmers and the crops they grow. Meet our chickens. Eat delicious food from local vendors, including soup from Thé Cup. Enjoy fun kids' activities.Meal tickets are just $8 until September 7. Reserve your Farm Walk tickets.
Stories from the Garden
Carol Zanetti, Antelope CROPS Community Gardener, wrote the following about why she likes having a community garden plot:One of my great joys has always been working in, and enjoying fresh produce from, my home vegetable gardens - something that had become much more difficult to do as my physical disabilities worsened over time. Also, the costs of doing even a small backyard garden - fencing, seeds, mulch, bedding plants, stakes, cages - were more and more of a burden on my fixed, disability income. Although the benefits of fresh, organic produce are many, in recent years gardening had become more of a luxury than a need.
With the help of a Community CROPS scholarship for one garden plot, and a reduced fee for a second, I have been able once again to enjoy a variety of home-grown fruit and vegetables, and to supplement my limited food budget.
Even better, I have enlisted the help of my young granddaughters, who have enjoyed watching the tiny bedding plants they helped me to plant grow into forests of treasures - from handfuls of bright red cherry tomatoes and fresh strawberries, to yet another "hidden" cucumber or zucchini.
But my gardens bring me more than good food. On days when I am in great pain, or having a difficult time dealing with even the most mundane of life's little stresses and worries, it has been a great comfort to go and "play in the dirt" for a while, and to bring home a colorful array of goodies for dinner.
Thank you, CROPS!
Thanks to Bishop Heights True Value
Bishop Heights True Value is just one of the many people and businesses are involved in making Community CROPS a successful organization. The store is located just north of 27th and Highway 2, next to Shopko, and stocks a wide array of garden supplies, hardware, paint and much more. They are also a great supporter of Community CROPS, giving us a discount on every purchase we make, which helps us stretch our limited resources. Stop by and thank them for their support!
New Garden Sponsors
We are excited to announce two new community garden Sponsors, Russ's Market and Union Bank and Trust. Both businesses are long-time supporters of Lincoln projects, and we are excited to have their support for the Community Garden Program. If your business would like to find out more about being a Garden Sponsor, please contact Brendan Evans at brendan@communitycrops.org or at the office at (402) 474-9802.
Resources and Articles
How do you tell when your vegetables are ready to harvest? Check out the most recent video from Territorial Seed Company on harvesting tomatoes, beans and cucumbersWhat is happening around the country? The New Entry Sustainable Farm Program provided lots of great advice as CROPS began the Growing Farmers Program in 2005. New Entry was recently featured in a good article about their farm program and its successes.
Places to Donate Extra Vegetables
This time of year, many gardeners have more vegetables than they know what to do with. Here are two places to donate your surplus:
Lincoln Food Bank's "Grow and Share" Program
The Lincoln Food Bank accepts donations of garden produce through a partnership with Campbell's Nursery. Drop off unwashed produce in paper bags at either Campbell's location, 40th and Normal or 56th and Pine Lake on Mondays and Tuesdays and it will be delivered to the Food Bank and shared with needy families around Lincoln.
FoodNet
Foodnet is a group of volunteers from many different churches and non-profit organizations, trying to stop the waste of food and provide for those in need. On their main page, http://members.cox.net/foodnet you will find a link to the various sites.. There are sites all over Lincoln and every day of the week. It is best to bring produce at least a half hour before the site opens. They suggest calling the Food Net phone number at 416-6197 to confirm site details.
