U.S. Supreme Court Questions Ban of Biotech Alfalfa

In what could be a key ruling on the growth of genetically-engineered crops, the U.S. Supreme Court this week sharply questioned a lower court's decision prohibiting the sale of genetically engineered alfalfa seeds.

This is a closely watched case, with many concerned that the U.S. government has approved genetically engineered crops without sufficient study of their environmental impact, particularly their ability to contaminate non-GMO crops. (The USDA had previously approved the biotech alfalfa, but both Oregon and California questioned their testing, leading to a ban on the alfalfa from a San Francisco judge.) So far the Supreme Court Justices seem skeptical of the ban, with Justice Antonin Scalia going so far as to say "This isn't the contamination of the New York City water supply. This isn't the end of the world, it really isn't." Well, it could be the contamination of our food supply, couldn't it?

And does anyone want to guess the company making the GMO alfalfa, used as a primary livestock feed? Yup, it's Monsanto - the same agribusiness giant which has, as we know from the movie "Food, Inc.," moved aggressively to corner the market on crops such as soybeans, legally attacking small farmers who try to resist them, and done everything in its power to advance genetically modified crops.

Not surprisingly, the alfalfa in question has been genetically modified to be resistant to the weed killer Roundup - Monsanto's signature product. In short, Monsanto is working now to ensure that their herbicide can be massively sprayed over the 22 million U.S. acres currently planted with alfalfa.

To read the AP report, U.S. Supreme Court Questions Ban of Biotech Alfalfa, click here.

To read the NY Times article, Supreme Court to Take First Look at Genetically Modified Crops, click here.



"Food, Inc." Screened in Takoma Park - Saturday, May 1

Speaking of "Food, Inc.," we are delighted to announce that the Oscar-nominated independent documentary on the ills of our industrial food system will be screened in Takoma Park this coming Saturday, from 4-6pm at the Takoma Park Silver Spring Co-op.

Better yet, the film will be shown by Mike Tabor, a Takoma Park resident, food activist and farmer who runs Licking Creek Bend Farm and CSA, which produces certified naturally grown produce. The movie will be followed by discussion, at which time Mike will also review the CSA season and the Licking Creek Bend Farm Open House on Sunday, May 16.

The event is free - so come join Mike and other Takoma Park residents to see the award-winning film "Food, Inc." this Saturday afternoon!



Getting Started with Container Gardening

Not everyone has access to a garden, or land to grow food on. Perhaps you live in an apartment. Or on a small piece of property that is too shady or has really poor soil. Or perhaps you are just getting started with food growing.

All of these are excellent reasons to do container gardening: growing food in small, usually portable containers such as window boxes, pots, five gallon buckets, plastic or burlap bags (even dog food bags!), old tires or wooden crates - virtually anything, as you can see. If all you've got is a half dozen hours of sunlight a day on a porch or windowsill or in a corner of a yard, you can do container gardening.  

While herbs and greens such as lettuce are the easiest to grow, many of the vegetables you'd like to grow in a garden can also be grown in a container, including staples such as tomatoes and potatoes. (Although having more sunlight helps with these - and probably best not to try planting watermelon in a container!) Container gardening also offers some unique advantages over "in ground" gardening, including greatly enhanced control over the soil, pests and weather, due to the fact that you're growing in a small space, one that can be readily covered and/or moved.

To really catch the spirit of growing in small places, we'd like to re-post (from last fall) this short interview with R.J. Ruppenthal, author of Fresh Food From Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting. Acoording to Ruppenthal, "If you live in an apartment, condo, or townhouse, you might not think that you have enough space to grow anything, but my goal is to change your mind on that."

After that, you will find tons of resources on the web to talk about container gardening (including my favorite, growing potatoes in a bushel basket), but in particular we recommend that you start with the Maryland Master Gardener's publication on container gardening, on their excellent "Grow It Eat It" website.

And one particular invention of the Maryland Master Gardeners that you might enjoy - salad boxes. Salad boxes are the mini version of their patented salad tables (you can watch state MG Coordinator Jon Traunfeld explain them on the Martha Stewart Show) - they are easy to build, easy to move around, and can provide you with fresh salad greens or herbs for the majority of the year. I saw many of them being built and carried around at this month's Earth Day Festival at Brookside Gardens, and they look great. Check out their publication on salad tables and boxes, and the Jon and Martha video, here.)

Now you've got no reason not to grow something. Get out there and get planting!



Looking for That Certain Vegetable? Check out the Profile!

Do you want to grow eggplants, peppers or tomatoes - or all three? Do you need to know how to plant, weed, water, fertilize, harvest or store any particular vegetable? Then we have the perfect online resource for you.

Our ever-dependable colleagues at the Maryland Master Gardeners have just put out a new publication filled with vegetable profiles that contain all that information and more. Well organized and clearly laid out, this new resource is invaluable for helping to plan your garden this spring and summer, or to use as a quick and easy reference for any nagging vegetable growing question.

With thanks again to the Master Gardeners (where would we be without them?), click here for their new publication, Vegetable Profiles.

The Yes to Carrots Garden Challenge

"Yes to School Gardens. Yes to healthy kids. Yes to making a difference."

That is the motto of the "Yes to Carrots Garden Challenge." Yes To Carrots, a company that makes  fruit and vegetable based skin and hair products, is joining with Environmental Media Association and TV Star Emmanuelle Chriqui (pictured at left) of HBO's Entourage to offer this unique prize: one lucky school will have a school garden built or revamped, along with a Seed Fund Grant, a year's worth of supplies from Kellogg Garden Products, and a celebrity garden mentorship from Ms. Chriqui herself. (Okay, I don't watch the show either - but a lot of people do, and she is a big star!)

The other young stars coming together to form the judging panel include Rosario Dawson, Amy Smart and Carter Oosterhouse, making this one of the hippest school garden contests around. And their rational for building school gardens couldn't be more right on: giving kids the tools they need to grow their own food and learn about a healthier lifestyle.

Currently, of course, we are working to overturn a ban on veggie gardens here in MC public schools. Perhaps one of our friends reading this at a D.C. school can apply to the Garden Challenge. Or maybe a school or two in Montgomery County would like to apply anyway, and state to this august panel why they would love a veggie garden at their school. (It would be another great way to challenge the food garden ban!) As Ms. Chriqui said, "I hope we can plant the seed of how important gardens are with other schools across the country." I can't think of a place we need to hear that message more than here in Montgomery County!

To check out the "Yes to Carrots Garden Challenge," click here.



New Poll: Americans Say Get the Junk Out of School Lunches

A brand new national poll about school lunches has been released by the W.K Kellogg Foundation, and the results are heartening.

In the poll, 55 percent of Americans - and 63 percent of parents of school-age children - described the nutritional quality of food at their local schools as "poor" or "only fair." Moreover, the top five food items mentioned when those polled were asked about school food are all high fat or high sodium nutritional disasters: pizza, hamburgers, French fries/tater tots, hot dogs/corn dogs, and chicken nuggets.

The good news is that these are exactly the foods that people want to see drastically cut from school menus. Nearly 70 percent of Americans said pizza should be served in school just once a week or pulled from menus entirely; more than 60 percent said chicken nuggets and hamburgers should be limited to once a week or removed. (The most recent School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study conducted by the USDA found that 90 percent of school lunch menus offer entrees such as pizza and cheeseburgers.)

"The data in this survey highlight the widespread support for transforming school food to help all children lead healthier lives," said Dr. Gail Christopher, who oversees food, health and well-being as vice president of programs at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. "When students have access to healthy, locally-grown food and physical activity, it allows them to thrive both in and out of the classroom."

Thanks to Jill Richardson of La Vida Locavore for sharing this encouraging new poll with us!  (You can read the Kellogg Foundation press release here.) Now let's work to make these desired changes happen here in Montgomery County, and across the country!

That's it for this week, friends!  Don't forget to send us your feedback, as well as ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, by emailing us at info@montgomeryvictorygardens.org.