Garden Committee Minutes, Garden Work Schedule & Notes
The Garden Committee Minutes are being transfered to the ORGANIZATION/minutes Menu Section
This page is going to be a schedule for buying and harvesting organic produce in our area....Please contribute any information you want. This will be a permeate feature of the garden website...thanks send to info@soupcouncil.org thanks
Wisc. Field Harvest Schedule
May
Asparagus
Rhubarb, parsnips from last year
June
Strawberries, early peas, early potatoes
July
August
Gladiolas
September
Almost everything from the garden This is the big canning and food dehydration, picking month
October
pumpkins,
November
Brussel sprouts, kale,
Stone Soup Garden 2/12/2007 meeting notes: Kim
Present: Tim Torrez, Martha Haugen, Kim Diaz, Juniper Sundance, Lucas Sundance, Brian Pierce, Margaret Gerhard, Mary Larsen
Margret came with her Mother Earth outfit which she will wear to receive her environmental hero award and Briam and Martha took pictures for the website.
Expectations: Just a reminder that the purpose of this project is for our good health and well being, that it is a volunteer effort and that hopefully we will make some money but remember that this is our first attempt at market so expect the unexpected!
Farmer's Market:
The group decided to go with the Broadway market rather than the Oneida market.
Beginning June to Sept, Wednesdays from 3 - 8 PM. Approx. $ 90.00 for the year.
Will sell produce, plants, art, & aromatherapy. All artwork must be approved by On Broadway.
Margaret, Martha, & Tim will pay $30.00 each for the booth with the understanding that they will receive that money back out of the profits. It is understood that Margaret will receive the money made from her artwork and Martha will receive the money from her aromatherapy and hopefully they will make a donation of some of those profits back to the soup council or whatever they feel is fair. If someone brings vegetable to the market they will receive money that is made but will hopefully make a contribution back to the soup council. The money that we make from the vegetables from the garden. I ask that some compensation goes back to the people that work in the garden to make up for their time and expenses. We will do our best to divide things fairly but we ask that everyone do this as volunteers without expectation of compensation and you won't be disappointed. We agreed not to go with complicated book work to keep track of time but to try to keep things as simple as possible. In the end we will figure out what we need for the soup council and split the profit with those who contributed to the effort as fairly as we can.
We need tables, tents, scale, bags, buschel baskets. Martha has a table & Juniper has buscel baskets. We will take turns working the booth but everyone needs help with setting up the booth and taking it down. We will need some where to store the things. Need a cash box and petty cash to start out.
Plants:
UWGB has offered to donate their leftover heirloom plants to us to sell at market for fundraiser and also to plant in garden. This will be in early May. We need to figure out where to store them and if they are ready to harden off. They ask that we help in the green house and at the plant sale in exchange.
We are going to pot houseplants from cuttings that Margaret has and containers that she is gathering. We only need to get the soil and come together to do the potting. Mary said she has room in her basement and grow lights to start seeds...and maybe to keep plants between the time we get them and the market starts.
Garden:
Location:
Brian offered us the use of land at his house for our garden but the soil needs a lot of work, it is very clayey. Mary felt that she could fix the soil with compost but we need to get toxic free compost...not from the land waste site. Brian was going to call a friend to see if he could get a couple truck loads of organic compost. It will take a lot of work...there are tons of invasives on his property. We will have dig out all the current grass and till and then work in the compost. We talked about doing some perennials here. Artichokes, Rebecca's rhubarb, herbs.
We agreed to keep the garden on hwy 54 for this year and work on Brian's soil.
Seeds & plants:
UWGB has agreed to donate their heirloom plants that are left over from the sale to us. Last year there were a lot so we should be able to have some to plant and some to sell at the farmer's market which is great to have for the early season.
Juniper was able to save some seeds from last year's plants: (zebra, stuffing, chocolate) Tomatoes, Hopi ? winter squash.
there is $50.00 in the account for seeds that tim put in, we will order seeds and combine our order with Juniper to save shipping costs.
Work Schedule:
There are certain times that during the season that require more effort & cooperation. we need to work together during planting & harvest time. Hoping to do a better job of food preservation and seed saving this year.
Then we can split up during the season for weeding & watering. Martha & Pat agreed to work on Saturdays when they can. Tim & I will work on Mondays and Wednesdays. and probably more as needed. Mary committed to getting the soil at Brian's ready for planting. We will need lots of help and work for this project. Jeri from Shelter care got permission for the kids to work in the garden and on the clean up. We need to figure out when we can get started and get back to them.
It's almost Maple syrup time also. Juniper has invited us to her house again this year to make maple syrup so if anyone has any time I'm sure she needs help tapping trees.
Next Step:
Brian: Call to find out about organic compost.
Tim: Order seeds
Kim: Get farmer's Market Info.
I'll organize another meeting in early march to do seed planting when they come in. Kim Diaz
Chris VanderSteen's Solar Greenhouse
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Chris's Greenhouse in Early Spring
FEB.4, 2007 GARDEN COMMITTEE REPORT....Garden Committee Report Tim Torrez report. The garden is frozen. UWGB is going to donate plants, and they want greenhouse volunteers. Dr Vicki P____of UWGB Environmental Sciences, is getting back to us with a list of seeds that are going to be started in the greenhouse. Then we will order seeds.Brian Pierce offered some of his land for the community garden. We are going to plan a meeting there to look at the site.
Broadway Farmers Market and Oneida Farmers market, Kim researching and looking into the feasibility of having other people selling their products at the booth, to share in the responsibility of setting up and manning the weekly booth. Margaret Gerhardt's Green Arts (Recycled arts) and Martha Louise's Aromamora, aromatherapy products, have been suggested. For more info or to participate contact Kim. Broadway Farmers Market will be Wednesday, (set-up before 3:00)Hours 3-8 PM. Oneida Farmer's Market.
We need a scale and tent for the Farmer's Market
Garden Committee report from 2006 Tim gave us a report on the success of the garden this year. We started the year in the green house at Tsyhekwa again this year. Our garden ended up being at the UW extension site on HWY 54. We had the last 40 X 40 plot on the far left. Kim & Juniper helped in the garden this year. Juniper brought tons of heirloom tomatoes from UWGB and we had a wonderful variety of plants. We did tons of canning.
GARDEN COMMITTEE REPORT..2006
Meeting at Tsyhehkwa on Feb 22 at 2 PM with Ted Skenandore. Tsyhehkwa ( means life sustenance in Oneida), is a fully organic certified garden in Oneida. They offered to allow us to use space in their garden in exchange for labor. We are working out the details. space is a little more limited. As in the past, anyone working in the garden will be entitled to vegetables and products produced. Oneida also has the cannery which is a certified kitchen which means that we can make products like salsa and tomatoes or whatever and sell them. They also have a farmer's market. Our ability to commit to these things will depend on the level of participation from the people in our council. Tim & I are committed to doing the garden.
Tim & Chris are going to meet with Harvey today to discuss us having our potato garden and few other things at his location again this year.
We are meeting with Ted on Monday morning to decide what we are going to grow there. We will be placing our seed order on Monday. Chris, Pat & Martha have offered to share the seeds that they have saved so we should have a good variety. Tim & I have offered to match the $50 from the Soup council for our order. If anyone else wants to get together on the order we can share seeds. We would like to have rare & heirloom items and for sure everything organic.
Pat & Martha will not be on the garden committee this year. We thank them for all their help last year and for their wonderful idea to have a garden. We hope that we can keep it going.
We will begin work in the greenhouse in March. work dates will be posted.
Senate Poised to Pass Bill Taking Away Your Right to Know What's in Your Food**
**Tell your Senator to vote "No" on the "National Uniformity for Food Act" **
The House of Representatives has passed a controversial "national food uniformity" labeling law that would take away local government and states' power to require food safety food labels such as those required in California and other states on foods or beverages that are likely to cause cancer, birth defects, allergic reactions, or mercury poisoning. This bill would also prevent citizens in local municipalities and states from passing laws requiring that genetically engineered foods and ingredients such as Monsanto's recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) be labeled.
Soon, the Senate will vote on this bill, which would gut state food safety and labeling laws. The "National Uniformity for Food Act," lowers the bar on food safety by overturning state food safety laws that are not "identical" to federal law. Hundreds of state laws and regulations are at risk, including those governing the safety of milk, fish, and shellfish. The bill is being pushed by large supermarket chains and food manufacturers, spearheaded by the powerful Grocery Manufacturers of America.
Big food corporations and the bio tech industry understand that consumers are more and more concerned about food safety, genetic engineering, and chemical-intensive agriculture, and are reading labels more closely. They understand that pesticide and mercury residues and hazardous technologies such as genetic engineering and food irradiation will be rejected if there are truthful labels required on food products. This industry-sponsored bill is gaining momentum and must be stopped! Act now! Preserve local and regional democracy and protect yourself and your family from unsafe food by sending an email or calling your Senator.
Learn more and take action here:
http://www.organicconsumers.org/rd/labeling.cfm
What is Organic Food?
The simple definition is that organic farmers do not use chemicals on their plants. But it's a lot more than that.....the following definitions is form the USDA, National Organic Program.
Organic food is produced by farmers who emphasize the use of renewable resources and the conservation of soil and water to enhance environmental quality for future generations. Organic meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products come form animals that are given no antibiotics or growth hormones.
Organic food is produced without using most conventional pesticides: fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation. Before a product can be labeled "organic", a Government approved certifier inspects the farm where the food is grown to make sure the farmer is following all the rules necessary to meet USDA organic standards. Companies that handle or process organic food before it gets to your local supermarket or restaurant must be certified, too.
Why Eat Organic Food?
1. It's Healthy
On average, organic food contains higher levels of vitamin C and essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron and chromium as well as cancer fighting antioxidants.
2. No nasty additives
Organic food doesn't contain food additives which can cause health problems such as heart disease, osteoporosis, migraines and hyperactivity.
3. Avoids pesticides
Over 400 chemical pesticides are routinely used in conventional farming and residues are often present in non organic food.
4. No genetically modified crops
5. Reliance on drugs removed
There is growing concern about the high use of antibiotics on farm animals and the possible effects on human health.
6. No hidden costs
No taxes for removal of chemicals from drinking water as a result of pesticides used in farming.
7. High Standards
Organic food comes from trusted sources. All organic farms and food companies are inspected.
8. Care for animals
Animal welfare is taken seriously under organic standards.
9. Good for wildlife and the environment
Organic farming is better for wildlife, causes lower pollution from sprays, produces less carbon dioxide, the main global warming gas, and less dangerous wastes.
10. Taste better
Many people prefer organic food because it tastes better.
Nancy Saladino at Garden Meeting at Harvey's Garden
HSC Garden/ Garden Committee Minutes, Garden Work Schedule & Notes
