*Food Access Panel: * Rooting DC and the DC Field to Fork Network host this free panel discussion to encourage a wide-ranging discussion of food access issues in order to refine comprehensive multi-disciplinary solutions. Panelists will include local and national experts in the areas of community food security, hunger, community development financing, farm to school, sustainable agriculture, and health. Urban and peri-urban African American farmers will be on hand to share their expertise on how to create new local food systems that provide healthy alternatives to communities comprised predominantly of people of color. *Friday, April 16th, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.* THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20020 Registration required! More information here .
*Washington Youth Garden Spring Volunteer Orientation* is scheduled for Saturday, April 10 from 9am to 12pm. It is required that volunteers go through an orientation before coming out to volunteer in the garden. Please RSVP to kwarner@washingtonyouthgarden.org if you plan on coming.
*Marion Street Garden Workday*: Join City Blossoms, Common Good City Farm and the DC Food For All to transform an overgrown lot to community-powered green space on Saturday, April 10, starting at 11AM! Please RSVP and send any questions to DCFoodForAll@gmail.com.
*Will work for seeds?* America the Beautiful Fund will be hosting a volunteer work day out at their Fort Belvoir warehouse! If you are interested in helping to sort, inventory and ship out seed packets to thousands of civic gardening projects across the country, please join us Sunday April 11th from 9AM-6PM: come on out and put in as many hours as you can. Volunteers are welcome and encouraged to stock up on veggie, flower and herb seeds for themselves and community planting projects they are associated with! Please write or call Katie-202-638-1649 katie@america-the-beautiful.org for directions or more information.
*Local Food: Farms & Markets*, presented by Holistic Moms Network: Find out how community supported agriculture (CSA) shares work, where the farmers markets are, how costs are determined for local food and why prices differ from those in the grocery store. Members, new visitors and children welcome! Arrive early to peruse information tables (and refreshments!) Thursday, April 15, 7-9 p.m. (doors open 6:30 p.m.) 716 S. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA 22204 (in Arlington United Methodist Church). More info here
*Work-in-progress Documentary Screening, “A Community of Gardeners,”*: Saturday, April 17 at 2 p.m. at the Arlington Central Library Auditorium. The film explores the vital role of seven community gardens in Washington, D.C., and their impact on people’s lives, their neighborhoods, and their environment. Part of Arlington Public Library’s 2010 sustainable food events.
*The Artful Vegetable Garden*: The Silver Spring Garden Club invites you to this talk by Robin Ripley on how to elevate your edibles garden from good to great. Illustrated with photos, Robin offers ideas and inspiration to make this your best—and most beautiful—veggie gardening year yet. The event is on Monday April 19 and doors open at 7:30pm, speaker starts at 8pm. Free and open to the public. Kathy Jentz, laserblast@aol.com, 301-588-6894. Directions at www.brooksidegardens.org
*2010 Regional Working Lands Forum: The Growing Local Challenge: *The purpose of this forum is to both examine and discuss the role of agriculture in the rapidly growing WMA, as well as the opportunities that enable local agricultural producers and markets to flourish in this highly competitive landscape. This regional discussion about the importance of our agricultural community and how we may work together to sustain their contributions to our local economy, providing high quality local food, for a better quality of life on Wednesday April 21 from 8-5 at the Great Frederick Fairgrounds. Please click here to go to the registration form.
*Sweetgreen Festival to Benefit the DC Farm to School Network!* On April 24, musical performances and other surprises will celebrate food, lifestyle and community. Tickets available April 9th via Sweetgreen blog (suggested donation)
*Taking the Pesky out of Pests or How to Keep Your Sanity While Dealing with Bugs in the Garden! * So much energy goes into putting in a garden: the expectations, deliberations, and finally the sweat. Don’t let all of your hard work go for naught when you get those pesky uninvited guests! Spend time with Carol Allen while she gives you sound, common sense ways of taking control of your garden again while still maintaining a healthy environment. Whether you grow veggies, flowers or care for a home landscape, there are safe, sane ways of controlling pests. Carol will present information on many wily pests and their control, so bring your questions! 2-3:30pm on Sunday April 25. Details: Kathy Jentz, WGardenermag@aol.com, 301-588-6894 Talk is free and open to the public. Part of the DC Urban Gardening Talk series. It is at the Historical Society of Washington DC
*Save the Date: *ECO, Inc. is proud to announce that Will Allen of Growing Power is the keynote speaker at our day-long* Sowing Seeds Here and Now! * *A Chesapeake Urban Agriculture Summit* on June 18, 2010. The Summit aims to educate and excite a diverse group of people about the possibilities of urban farming, teach urban farming techniques, showcase successful urban farming projects throughout the country, help identify specific policies and ordinances to encourage urban agriculture in our area, and bring together healthy food system advocates and practitioners throughout the Chesapeake area for future collaboration.
*The Neighborhood Farm Initiative* hosts volunteer garden workdays each Saturday from 9-1 and each Wednesday from 4:30 until dark. Depending on the day you’ll be planting, weeding, mulching, watering, harvesting, or anything in between. Starting in May, NFI will also offer a hands-on, season-long gardening course that lasts through the growing season. E-mail neighborhoodfarm@gmail.com for more information or to join the mailing list.
* Sign-on to the DC Farm to School’s **online petition* * *to include Farm to School in the Healthy Schools Act, and join about 100 others who’ve already shown their support! On March 26th dozens of farm to school advocates gathered at the Wilson Building in support of including farm to school in the the Act. Testimony is available here .
*The Washington Youth Garden* is looking for a committed person to serve as volunteer coordinator on Saturday mornings. This is not a paid position, but the volunteer coordinator will receive a box of organic fruits, vegetables, and herbs every week. This person would need to be at the April 10th volunteer orientation and would need to commit to four hours every Saturday morning from May 8th until the middle of August. Emailkwarner@washingtonyouthgarden.org for more information.
*The Washington Youth Garden* has hosts families every Saturday morning from early spring until the end of the summer. The program, called *Growing Food…Growing Together*, brings twenty five to thirty families together to grow and prepare their own organic food. Each week, families work together to tend our communal vegetable area, herb garden, and fruit section. For more details on the program, please see our website . This program is intended for first-time gardening families who are seeking to gain healthy living skills. Prospective participants should fill out a family questionnaire.
*Toolkit & Food Resources* – The D.C. Farm to School Network has prepared a toolkit for D.C. schools and vendors to help them incorporate healthy, local foods into their school meals! We’ve also amassed some of the local growers and distributors interested to sell to schools. They re still works in progress, but please see the most recent version at www.dcfarmtoschool.org.
*Parents for Better D.C. School Food* – A contingent of enthusiastic parents spun off from the DC Farm to School Network to form a parent advocacy group, and they are working to educate each PTA in the District and advocate for more healthy, local foods in D.C. schools. Visit their blog at betterdcschoolfood.blogspot.com.
You can also join the Field to Fork Network on Facebook !
DC Field to Fork Network
