West Street Market demo garden - after pictures

If you haven't had a chance to get to downtown Reno and take a look at the new West Street Market demo garden here are some pics of the beds at the end of planting day. It's been a couple of weeks since the beds were planted out and, a few plant loses aside, the beds are in great shape filled with crops and plants that grow well in Nevada. Local residents love "their" new garden and look forward to harvesting some seriously local food. The Karen Craig with the City of Reno and Leslie Allen of the Nevada Cooperative Extension were the guiding forces behind the garden. And a big "Wow!" to the TMPermaculture group, Local Food System Network, EnAct (UNR student group), Master Gardeners, area residents who dropped by to help out, Downtown Market and Silver Peak who fed the hungry and thristy group, Ross Manor for encouragement and access to a water hose, and everyone else who contributed to this fantastic project.

Life is good!

"Work on the Farm" family event

Gary Romano & Son
A view from the farm June 2008

Event information from my mailbox to you:

On Sunday July 20th, Slow Food Lake Tahoe is holding a "Work on the Farm" event at Sierra Valley Farms, followed by a potluck picnic at the farm. Sierra Valley Farms grow vegetables, supply local restaurants, and operate a booth at the Truckee Farmers market as well as hosting their own Farmers Markets on Fridays. We will help with weeding, picking... whatever Gary and Kim Romano need help with. This is a kid-friendly event, we'd love to see families joining in - we plan to have fun while we work and learn in the fields. Let's enliven those vegetables lives by entertaining them with great conversations!

Work time is 7:00 am-11:30 am, with the potluck picnic starting at noon.

Wear clothes and shoes that don't mind getting dirt on them, and bring garden gloves, hats, suntan lotion, (insect repellent), plenty of water, and, of course, food and drink to share at the picnic.

If you plan to join us, please RSVP to me so that we know approximately how many people to expect.

Slow down and participate in all aspects of life!
Have a slow day,

Farmer's market in Somersett Town Square

A friend told me yesterday about another farmer's market in town. This one happens each Wednesday afternoon, from 4-8pm at Somersett Town Square. I recognize a couple of the local growers, like Lattin Farms and NanaDew Herb Farm, and also some of the names we see at the Sparks Tuesday and Reno/Saturday FMs. Here's some of what this market offers (excerpt from an email forwarded to me):

New this week:
Back by popular demand - The Beat Freaks!

Campie's Lavender Patch - live lavender plants, sachets, lavender mist and essentail oil, lavender soaps and shampoos, live and dried bouquets, lavender lotion.

Early Bird Senior (Ages 55+) Meal pricing will be $1 off grilled selections from 4-5:30 pm. Just show your ID!

Chuck's Farm - blackberries, green beans, onions, cucumbers, eggplant, squash, cherry tomatoes.

Fruit Factory - citrus, peaches, plums, pluots, persimmons, apricots, tomatoes, grapes, almonds, walnuts.

Lattin Farms - baked goods, jams, jellies, pastas, sauces, honey, lettuce, spinach, garlic, green onions.

NanaDew Herb Farm - basil, bee balm, borage, cilantro, dill, epazote.

Minton Family Farms - canteloupe, watermelon, corn, peaches, nectarines, plums, aprictos, pluots, apriums, nuts, cherries.

Rodriguez Ranch - strawberries, raspberries, broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, carrots, beets.

Bistro Blends - 16 flavors of vinegars, olive oils, marinades, grilling sauces.

Nature's Select Pet Food Delivery - pet food samples, supplements, treats and accessories.

Pasta Queen - dried pastas infused with flavor, big & short pasta, frozen raviolis, pestos, pasta sauces.

R & C Pastry and Bread - cream puffs, cinnamon rolls, banana bread, tea cookies, sugar cookies, key lime pie, whole wheat bread, raisin-cinnamon bread, French baguette bread, jalapeno-cheddar bread, home-style white bread.

Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory - caramel apples, dipped bananas, cheesecake, dipped strawberries.

Roundabout Market - gourmet cheeses and meats.

Living Springs - fresh cut flowers.

Top Thai Trader - shawls, silks, purses, jewelry.

A-1 Entertainment - face painting and balloon art.

Erik Holland - caricatures.

Magnificent Massage - chair and table massages.

More about our food and drink specials:

Roundabout Market - Grilled Tri-Tip Torta $8. Shrimp Tacos $8. Foccacia Bread $4 - Oregano and Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Pepperoni or Tomato Basil.

Whispering Vine will have their usual selections plus flavored Mojitos and specialty Margaritas for $6.75. They will also feature their Wednesday Wine Tasting for $15.

Looking for something to do with those fresh strawberries?

Great! You purchased fresh, organic strawberries either through your Northern Nevada CSA subscription or from the farmer's market. You know you have about 12-24 hours to do something with them before they get icky and become worm food. Here's one of my favorite ways to turn those strawberries into something that will last, and it only takes about 20 minutes. That's right....Strawberry Sun Dried Jam.

This recipe comes from one of the cookbooks, named Chez Panisse Fruit, that I purchased a couple of years ago when I was trying to find ways to eat fruit in more creative ways than out-of-hand. I've also used the fruit variety information to find non-commercial fruit varieties to grow in my garden. Many of the recipes are easy and flexible, and this recipe is particularly yummy. Great book all around!

I don't bother to water-bath the jars because, really, it doesn't stay in the house long enough to make in necessary. It can be stored in the fridge for about a month but it rarely lasts that long in our house. We eat it on toast, mix it with yogurt, blend it up and make it into strawberry ice cream, or pour it over vanilla ice cream. The possibilities are endless.

Enjoy!

Here's a chance to meet local growers who serve Northern Nevada

Just received these dates from Jana at the GRCF Co-op. Here's a chance to meet the people who grow our food!

We're pleased to announce the dates for the Great Basin Community Food Coop's first annual Local Farm Tour dates. Please rsvp up to 3 days before each trip by emailing or calling Jana: jvanderh@mac.com or 412-8771. Each tour is limited to 20 people max. Schedule is subject to change: individual registrants will be notified of details on carpooling and what to bring, etc.

Saturday, July 12th: Early morning tour of Hanco and Sodbuster Farms. We will meet at the Coop at 7 am and carpool from there to the North valleys. First stop: Hanco Farm: we'll tour Hank Schendel's green houses, grapes, and more. Hank has been providing the Coop with affordable fresh produce all winter and spring! Next stop: Sudbuster Farm, where Clufford and Deborah Sherreck have been raising chickens and providing our members with special order poultry for a few years now. They are also dedicated growers for the Great Basin Basket CSA and supply the Coop with garlic, peas, radishes, and more. We will return to the Coop around 1 pm.

Saturday, August 9th: Morning tour of Heavenly Organics. We will meet at 9 am at the house of John and Jane Stoker, famous for their elm-oyster mushrooms and lavenders! John will have the distiller out to demonstrate lavender oil production. Tour will end before noon.

Saturday, September 6th: All-day tour of Mewaldt Organics and Nanadew Herb Farms. Meet at 7 am at the Coop for carpooling. Bring a sack lunch, $ and containers for U-pick tomatoes! Contact Jana for more details.