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KGI Newsletter: March 2006 |
Contents:
Gardening: -(Wild) strawberry fields forever
Cooking, recipes, and self-reliance: -dandelions: if you can beat 'em, eat 'em
Food system news and commentary: -Kitchen gardens: crunching the numbers -World's Largest Seed Bank Program Faces Funding Uncertainty -Alice Waters: Eating for Credit -LA urban gardeners face uncertain future
Humor: -In the beginning, there was broccoli
From KGI's bloggers:
KGI News: Almost there: $75 to go We're still looking for 5 new members at the $15 level or 3 at the $25 level to close out our $1000 campaign started last October. Thanks. Join online via our super secure server
High on bandwidth but low on cooking skills?
We've added a video page to the KGI site containing a links to a number of short how-to videos that will teach you everything from making compost to making sushi.
Is there a skill or technique in the kitchen or garden that you'd like to learn that is not covered by this selection?
Please let us know and we'll see if we can help.
Link Up!
Got a website or a blog? Please consider adding a link or a logo below.
Peas be with you
“We lived very simply - but with all the essentials of life
well understood and provided for - hot baths, cold champagne, new peas and
old brandy.”
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Dear Kitchen Gardener,
Welcome to my neighborhood and my not-so-private fantasy.
The green rectangle represents current kitchen gardens (i.e. mine), the red rectangles future ones (i.e. my neighbors'). I'm going to have to ask for your utmost discretion because my neighbors don't know yet that they will be planting these gardens.
My subversive plot to win them over is to use my subversive plot, all 1000 square feet (93 square meters) of it. Fear not: it will be a peaceful neighborhood revolution based on what I call "Sun Gold Diplomacy". My thinking is that once they get a taste of my Sun Gold cherry tomatoes on Kitchen Garden Day and see me harvesting fresh salad greens (the same ones they're paying $5-$7 a pound for at the store), they'll start looking at their yards in a new way.
I'm old enough to know that I won't win them all over, but I'll settle for one or two this year and a couple more next year. To the extent that you are willing to carry out similar campaigns in your neighborhoods and communities, the planet and I would greatly appreciate it (see below)
Collectively, we've got our work cut out for us. According to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture, the level of home food production is at its lowest point in US history. As "Geography of Nowhere" author James Kunstler points out, you know it's bad when those who grow food for a living don't even grow their own food: Having turned farming into just another industrial enterprise, Americans have lost the culture of agriculture. Where I live there are still dozens of dairy farms in operation. On hardly any of them will you find a household vegetable garden. The farmers have vinyl swimming pools in their side yards, recreational vehicles parked next to the house, motorcycles, TV satellite dishes, but no Gardens. Like the rest of us, they get their food at the supermarket. Perhaps they are ashamed to put in a garden – afraid the neighbors might take it as a sign that they are too poor to go to the supermarket. Perhaps they have lost the knowledge and skill to garden. Perhaps they are lazy. In any case, their behavior is a symptom of a degraded agriculture. If you take into account the historically low level of home food production and historically long distance (1500-2000 miles) the average mouthful of food travels from field to fork in the US, I think it is accurate to say that Americans have never more more removed from the origins of their food than they are today. Europe is better off, but has its own challenges. My 10 years of living and traveling in the EU leave me more optimistic about Europeans' ability to remain closely connected to their food. Even in Europe, though, there has been a remarkable erosion in cooking and gardening skills as more people succumb to the siren song of convenience foods. Given all this, there's only one thing for us kitchen gardeners to do: UNITE! If that ain't a rallying call, I don't know what is. I'm hoping that some of you will answer the call by volunteering your efforts below. May all your gardening fantasies come true this season,
Call for Volunteers:
KGI is looking to get more people involved its work. Please let us know if any of the opportunities interest you by clicking on the link below each one. Be sure to tell us who you are and where you are based. Thanks. Advisory board volunteers: KGI has recently received a $1000 grant from a charitable foundation and anticipates further growth in its membership base and budget over the course of the coming year. We are looking to convene a diverse group of 10-20 people to serve as virtual advisors to KGI as it moves to the next stage in its organizational development. Ideally, we are looking for people with some organizational development experience (someone who has helped to grow a nonprofit or business) or an interest in developing some. Chances are that you enjoy strategic thinking and are capable of seeing not only the "big picture" of KGI's goals, but the small steps that need to be taken to reach them. The work will be done primarily by e-mail with a conference call or two later in the year. Yes, I think I can help KGI with this.
Community Organizer Volunteers: In our last member survey, a number of respondents said that they would consider acting as a local organizer. We like to know who and where you are. The work could vary depending on your interests and availability. If you are looking to make a small time commitment, you might consider volunteering to organize an informal garden gathering of friends and neighbors for Kitchen Garden Day. If you are looking for more, we can help give you ideas for organizing a local group of people who would meet on a more regular basis to work on and discuss food and gardening issues. Yes, I think I can help KGI with this.
Computer-technical volunteers: Do you have talents in computer programming and the internet? We're looking for people who can help develop our website into a networking tool so that kitchen gardeners can connect with each other. Some of the ideas we would like to pursue are: 1) creation of moderated discussion forum 2) customized html and java programming so that KGI members can create their own profile page 3) setting up a member/donor database. Yes, I think I can help KGI with this.
Something else: Yes, I have other skills or talents that I'd like to offer to KGI (please specifiy)
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