Local Farmer Hits the Big
Screen at SilverDocs!
We've talked about Silver
Spring farmer Charlie Koiner in the update before, and we're delighted to
let you know that this truly local urban farmer is the subject of a short documentary
film to be screened at the American Film Institute's famed
"SilverDocs" documentary festival this month!
The miracle of Charlie's
one acre farm is obvious to anyone who visits - this highly productive piece of
land is right smack in the middle of downtown Silver Spring and only two blocks
from Georgia Ave., one of the most heavily traveled thoroughfares in the
region.
Yet Charlie has
successfully operated his "farmette" on this land for decades,
selling his produce at home and at farmers markets, not to mention winning
numerous awards at the County Agricultural Fair. And the 89 year old Koiner, now joined by his
daughter Lynn, has no intention of stopping anytime soon. When realtors called trying to buy the land,
Lynn told them it's not for sale. She
said "we are going to farm it.... They couldn't believe their ears, but
that's exactly what we do."
The film about Charlie's
farm, "The Corner Plot," will be aired free outdoors at Silver Plaza
on Ellsworth Drive in Silver Spring at 9pm on Tuesday, June 22, as well as in
the AFI Theater, along with companion shorts, on Friday June 25 at 9pm and
Saturday June 26 at 11:15am. Come watch
this heart-warming film and join us in celebrating this local legend in urban
agriculture, Charlie Koiner!
For more information on the screenings, click here.
To read The Gazette article, "Koiner Farm focus of duo's documentary," click here.
New Fungal Disease Attacks
Sweet Basil
I read "What's eating your basil?" by Washington Post garden writer Adrian Higgins with a heavy
heart: it appears that an aggressive
fungal disease named downy mildew has made its way up the east coast from
Florida, and is now attacking our beloved sweet basil right here in the
mid-Atlantic area.
The disease appears first
as faint yellow bands on the plant's upper leaves, followed by tiny gray specks
on the lower leaves. (See photo at
left.) Organic fungicides appear to have
limited effectiveness. Like other
vegetable diseases, downy mildew spreads most easily in moist conditions - our
area's humidity being a significant problem in this regard - so the best answer
for home gardeners is to grow your basil in sunny, open areas with good air
circulation.
If there is an upside to
this news, it is that the disease is not toxic to humans, and leaves from
affected plants can be harvested and eaten - at least before they start to look
too gnarly. Gardeners can keep plants
going by picking infected leaves off, and of course you can always harvest the
entire plant and turn it into pesto, which can then be frozen for months. (Important note - for best flavor and
results, freeze just the chopped basil with olive oil; add the cheese, garlic
and nuts when you defrost it for eating!)
Continuing to start new plants throughout the season, to take over for
infected plants as necessary, might also be a good precaution.
Sigh - another new garden
disease. If you keep your eyes open,
though, and take some simple precautions, you should still be able to enjoy this classic summer herb throughout the season.
Gardeners taking on the
Marines.
D.C. Council member Tommy Wells
recently lamented, "Who wants to take on the U.S. Marines?" Food
gardeners, that's who.
Until six years go, the
four acre lot on South Capitol Hill just a mile from the U.S. Capitol was "a
threadbare city park filled with drug dealers, broken playground equipment and
a cracked basketball court." Thanks
to the diligent efforts of the local residents, it is now a thriving vegetable
and fruit garden serving 60 local families.
So naturally, the U.S.
Marines want to rip out the gardens and build barracks there. What gives?
For the Marine brass,
apparently, all four acre lots look the same, and this is the one that is most
convenient for them. (The Marines have
offered to "move" the garden, unaware that it took years for
the residents to build the soil fertility of the lot.) Local families are organizing to stop the destruction
of their gardens, though, and have started a Facebook page and written to First
Lady Michelle Obama. "Given your
own policy interests," the letter read, "it would be sadly ironic to
lose to federal development one of the community gardens nearest to the White
House."
One thing is for sure:
people are going to fight, and fight hard, if you try to take away their food
source, whether it's a community garden or a farm. And this is one battle we'll keep our eyes
on.
To read the original Post
story, "Gardeners taking on the Marines," click here.
National PTA Advocates
School Vegetable Gardens
As we launch our campaign
to repeal the ban on school vegetable gardens in Montgomery County, it is
important to realize just how many schools are already growing gardens, and for good
reason.
And representing this
large and growing number of gardening schools is none other than the National
Parent Teachers Association, which maintains a "How to Grow a School Garden" page on their website.
According to the NPTA:
"A school garden is
an outdoor classroom oasis, [an] on-site 'field trip....' Numerous studies point to school gardens as a
means of improving academic achievement, promoting healthy lifestyles,
demonstrating the principles of stewardship, encouraging community and social
development, and instilling a sense of place. Children benefit enormously from
a working knowledge of good nutrition and healthy lifestyle choices, and this
is compellingly taught in a school garden." (You can also listen to the presentation on PTA Radio, here.)
Do you hear that,
Superintendent Weast and Board of Education?
You are actively denying our students critically important learning
opportunities in Montgomery County. Why?
It may take national
voices like the PTA (or Michelle Obama) to help us convince MCPS officials to
repeal the ban, and if so, we will recruit those voices. How fortunate that virtually everyone in the
country agrees with us!
Many thanks to Janis
Sartucci of the Parents Coalition for passing on the PTA page, and for
following the school garden story on their blog!
Insect Pests in the
Garden? Give 'em some Garlic Fire!
Are you getting an overdose
of aphids this season? Are squash bugs
bumming you out?
While no method for
controlling insect pests is 100% effective, the organic food gardener has a
number of good ones at his or her disposal, including row cover, trap crops, and
crop rotation. And to add one more
weapon to the organic arsenal, why not give 'em a dose of garlic spray?
Garlic sprays can be
purchased commercially (Garlic Barrier is a commonly available one), but they
are also easy as all get-out to make. Here is one basic recipe. A powerful
variation on this is to add hot peppers (like cayenne) to the garlic before you put it in the blender and then soak it. You can probably
guess why this works.
Be careful, though,
because you don't want to drive away your "beneficial" insects at the
same time. If you've got a few ladybugs
on your plants, for instance, it might better to wait and let them go after the aphids
for you - or at the very least move them to other plants before you spray.
For information on
additional natural and organic sprays, click here. And to check out a comprehensive resource guide on organic sprays, click here.
UN Urges Shift Toward
Vegetarian Diet
According to a United
Nations report released earlier this month, a global shift toward a vegan diet
is necessary to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts
of climate changes.
Following up on previous
reports and statements from leading experts, the UN's International Panel for
Sustainable Resource Management explored how the environmentally destructive, fossil
fuel intensive method of "factory farming" cattle and other animals
is compounded by the tendency for people to switch to more meat and dairy rich
diets as they prosper. The clear answer,
for the U.N. and others that study the issue, is that we must start consuming
less meat and dairy.
This is not to say that
cows and other animals cannot be raised in ways that are much less harmful to the
environment, indeed even beneficial.
Herbivores, for instance, are naturally occurring creatures in our
biosphere, and the now famous Joel Salatin of Polyface Farm, among others, has
shown how cows can be raised so that they actual sequester carbon in the soil. (There are grass-fed animal farmers present
at most local farmers markets now.)
Until there is a massive
shift toward such methods, though, and maybe even after it, those that study
the issue are in agreement: for the planet's health, as well as our own, we
need to start eating more vegetables, and less meat.
To read the full Guardian article, which includes many useful related links, click here. Thanks to Tim and other MVGers for forwarding
these articles!
One More Great Way to Use
Mint
A couple of weeks ago we urged everyone to embrace the mint that invades our gardens - and more
specifically to chop it up and use it in everything from water and iced tea to
salads, pasta sauce and pesto.
Here's one more great
combination that my wife just turned me on to this week: mince up several
mint leaves and add them after you cook those fresh peas that are coming out of your garden (or
which you can now purchase at farmers markets).
It's an absolutely delicious and unique flavor combination you won't
want to miss!
Need a Laugh? Check out
"The BP Coffee Spill!"
We're going to go
"off topic" for just a moment here.
Every foodie and gardener
I know cares deeply about the environment.
And if you care deeply about the environment, it's hard not to feel
devastated these past two months, as the largest environmental disaster in U.S.
history continues to unfold in the Gulf of Mexico.
We'll leave the analysis
to others, but for those who care about the planet and have had a hard time
dealing these past 60 days, here is a much needed laugh. Click here to watch a short video on "The BP Coffee Spill."
That's it for
this week, everybody! Please help
support Montgomery Victory Gardens - click here to make a 100%
tax-deductible contribution online!
And don't forget to
send us your feedback and ideas for stories or local food events we can promote, just email to [email protected].
Yours for a bountiful local harvest in 2010,Gordon Clark,
Project Director
Montgomery Victory Gardens