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Good Food Project Garden Newsletter
January 2015
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The New Year Begins with One Little Seed
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 | | Pineville Youth Center Participants Starting Seeds Indoors |
To help brighten the gray and gloomy months of January and February, consider what that summer garden will look like by getting a good start on it now. It is a great time to get tomatoes, peppers and eggplants germinated. It is recommended that you start seedlings indoors at least 4-12 weeks before the last spring frost. Start with a good seed mix, preferably one you mix yourself. Use ingredients that include compost, and composted chicken litter which act as a steady, mild source of nutrients until seedlings are ready to transplant into your beds. Peat moss, perlite, and vermiculite may be added for moisture retention and air flow. Maintaining a balance between moisture retention and drainage is very necessary for seedlings to survive. Seeds that are too wet, leads to a fungal disease called "damping off", which causes the seedlings to fall over and die. A little preparatory work now can save you money and time and give you an opportunity to grow a variety of seedlings that become vegetables of your choice when spring and summer arrive. If you would like to know more about seed starting, please join us for a "SEED STARTING WORKSHOP" Friday, February 6, 2015 - 9:00 - 10:30 AM - FOOD BANK OF CENTRAL LA. HANDOUTS & DOOR PRIZES TO BE GIVEN.
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Beet Salad
Beets - You either love them or hate them, right?
Here's a simple recipe to try that might get you to at least "like" these magenta beauties that are so packed with those good-for-you antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and detoxification properties.
Ingredients
1/2 Pound beets grated
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Optional: chopped chives, green onions, parsley, and/or mint
Salt to taste
Directions:
Wash and peel the beets; if using organic beets, you can grate with the skin on. Using the shredding blade of a food processor can make this chore go faster. Don't forget those beet greens are packed with nutrients also!
Add remaining ingredients, combine thoroughly. Enjoy as a simple salad or add to your favorite green salad. This mixture can be stored in an airtight container for several days.
Nutrition info: Nutritional information per serving: 58 calories; 3 grams fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 milligrams cholesterol; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 32 milligrams sodium (does not include added salt); 1 gram protein
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In January plant:
- Beets
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Chard, Swiss
- Chinese Cabbage
- Eggplant (Seed)
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuce
- Mustard Greens
- Onion, Leek (Sets)
- Peas (English)
- Pepper, Hot (Seed)
- Potatoes, Irish
- Radishes
- Spinach
- Tomatoes (Seed)
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In February plant:
- Beans, Snap, Bush, Pole
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Chard, Swiss
- Chinese Cabbage,
- Corn, Sweet
- Eggplant (Seed)
- Kohlrabi
- Mustard Greens
- Pepper, Bell, Hot (Seed)
- Potatoes, Irish
- Shallots
- Spinach
- Tomatoes (Seed)
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 | | Cauliflower in the GFP demonstration garden |
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The Good Food Project has now helped establish or partnered with 27 gardens in the eight parishes served by the Food Bank of Central Louisiana. We will be adding more school gardens and community gardens in the very near future. Stay tuned for news of these developing stories as the spring approaches and the weather warms up. If your organization would like to partner with the Good Food Project to promote sustainable gardening and nutritious food, please give us a call. We would love to hear your thoughts and ideas! 318-445-2773
January Bouquet of Freshly Harvested Carrots and Turnips at the Good Food Project Demonstration Garden
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You are invited to join us at the GFP demonstration garden on Workday Wednesdays. In the garden, you will experience learning to grow food in a sustainable, organic way, while getting an opportunity to meet new people, and to help those in need in the community. If you, your organization, or work place would like to be involved, please give us a call. We would love to hear from you!
Each Wednesday from 7:30-11:30 AM all adults and children are invited to come out for a fun day of learning and giving back to the community. Let's grow together! Learn more.
If Wednesdays aren't good for you, call us to set up another volunteer day! 318-445-2773
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Garden Quote
"Gardening is an exercise in optimism, sometimes it is a triumph of hope over experience." Marina Schinz
 | | Forest Hill Elementary School Garden |
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 | | Ross Pusateri, Todd Whatley, GFP Gardens Manager, Michael Poindexter, Anna Kate McWhorter, Mai Nguyen |
Volunteers of the Month
The Family Dinner Folks of Kentucky
There is a group of activists in Louisville, Kentucky that call each other family. Although not related by blood, the folks in this group show up to do work together as though they were siblings. Right before the New Year, seven of these folks traveled to Louisiana to help the Good Food Project. Most of the family members met one another through their volunteering with Kentuckians for the Commonwealth , Kentucky Jobs with Justice, the Network Center for Community Change, the Center for Women and Families, The American Community Center, New Roots Fresh Stops, and more. After realizing that they shared common goals and needs, the group decided to spend an afternoon a week sharing meals and ideas together. This led to a closeness that is more like family than anything else. Their goals are simple: find something good and be a part of making it happen. The group traveled fifteen hours to Alexandria and helped GFP staff and volunteers build raised beds, shovel compost, and plant shrubs at the Friendship House garden. Additionally, they helped clean glass from the lot at the North Alexandria Community Garden. All of the group members have a lot of volunteer experience in all walks of social justice. They understand that communities everywhere are in need of help and they are more that happy to get their hands dirty. Their commitment to help communities to organize and make change is much more than words; it is part of their everyday life. The Good Food Project is grateful to have had their help. (Those not pictured above are: Rebecca Katz, Jessica Bellamy, and Teresa McGeeney)
GFP welcomes volunteers at our community gardens and at the Good Food Project on Wednesday mornings in the GFP demonstration garden, 3223 Baldwin Avenue - Food Bank of Central Louisiana 71301 - 318-445-2773
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