POTLUCK SEED SWAP

Have any interesting seeds to share with fellow gardeners or looking to diversify your own collection? Want to meet other plant nuts in our central NC area?

Then come to our POTLUCK SEED SWAP event at STARworks, February 6'th, at noon. Bring a dish, seeds and other seed-swapping essentials to share. Please RSVP to anne@starworksnc.org

Grow Your Own Gourmet Mushrooms

NC wild Oyster Mushrooms

Come and learn how to grow your own gourmet mushrooms for your personal use, or for small - scale commercial production.

Shiitake Mushrooms at STARworks Garden

Dates & Times:

Growing Shiitake Mushrooms: February 27. 10AM – 1PM

Growing Oyster Mushrooms: March 13. 10AM- 1PM

Price of the workshop: $15.- per person or $ 20.- on the day of the workshop (if space is available). The price covers the use of tools, wax and spawn. Participants are strongly encouraged to bring their own logs, maximum 3 logs per person.

Log requirements – logs have to be cut no longer than 3 weeks prior to the inoculation, the fresher the better. Please do not bring logs that have fallen due to disease and have been found on forest floor! Size of logs should be 3” - 4” in diameter and about 2 feet long. Anything bigger than that will be difficult to maneuver. If possible, bring your own electric or fully-charged cordless drill.

Types of wood:

For Shiitake – white oak is the best, but oher types of oak and sweetgum will work.

For Oyster – cottonwood, oak, alder, maple, aspen, ash, beech, birch, elm, willow, poplar

Lunch will be provided for additional $5.- (soup and sandwich) or bring your own lunch.

Workshop size is limited to 35 people.

To register, please contact Anne Pärtna: #336 653 9551 or email: anne@starworksnc.org

Space will be filled on first-come-first-serve basis. Payment is expected at the time of registration.

Paranoia - or are "they" controlling "us"?

"troopers"

I have watched the "Food INC" twice in the past week.

While I've been aware of many things presented to the public in this film, thanks to the hard work of Michael Pollan mostly, but also some others, like Joel Salatin and Barbara Kingsolver, I think what disturbed me the most were - the way meat industry treats it's workers... and how the growers of crops are being controlled by Monsanto, by taking away the right to save seed... Even more disturbing is how the right for freedom of speech has been taken away from many people of this country. (see veggie-libel laws)

I found a few links to articles in my mailbox this morning and wanted to share them with you.

The Gardening Game

Most Treasured Heirlooms

Seed Savers Exchange

I strongly recommend you watch Food INC - it's available through Netflix. We need to become more aware about not only how to eat better to be healthier but also where our food comes from, how does the system work, and what/who is behind the most basic/important part of our lives...

Everybody eats.

What do you eat?

Do you realize the impact you have with each bite you take?

And if you do - are you making any changes?

Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a great turn of the years a few days ago! I had a good break, and feel refreshed and ready to tackle the new year head first:)

I'm finding myself plowing through the seed catalogues and organic growing magazines again. That's a good thing. At the end of the growing season I usually feel fed up with it all - the battling of bugs and diseases, the planting and the picking... but a few weeks of "no-thinking-about-gardening" usually cures that. Today, to curb the itch to order every single variety of vegetable -herb - and flower seed available I inventoried my seed "collection". Let me tell you. I have about half of one of those reusable Mother Earth grocery bags (a gift from Adam:) full of seeds. Plus some that I forgot at home today.

That's about 160 varieties of veggies, mostly annual flowers and some herbs. I think I'm pretty set for a year. Or two... However, for those of you who partake in our CSA endeavor - I may get some fancy carrots and onion seed (which is viable only for about a year) to add to the collection. This is the first year that I really tried to save a bunch of seed myself. Mostly for the fun of it, and to try and keep some varieties that performed particularly well, or were just darn pretty...

Tomorrow I'm going there: (they may still have space if you wanna join me!)

Moore County Cooperative Extension presents a CSA workshop for Growers

Featuring results from the Sustainable Sandhills Local Food Consumer Survey.

CSA's: Community Supported Agriculture

Where: Moore County Agriculture Center, PO Box 1149 707 Pinehurst Avenue, Carthage, NC 28327

When: Tuesday, January 5, 12 Noon-3 p.m.

What: Market your fruits and vegetables by pre-sold subscription. Learn from growers who have done it. Schedule planting for continuous harvest, and receive software to help you plan. Hear from a cooperative of growers selling shares for the coming season. Sustainable Sandhills has conducted a consumer survey of residents across the region and the results will be presented at the workshop. These results will include valuable information for the grower including buying preferences, what consumers are willing to pay and a contact list of interested buyers.

Cost: $10 (Please make checks payable to Coop. Ext. Advisory Council)

Speakers: John Parsons, Sustainable Sandhills; Judy Lessler, Harland Creek Farm; Paige Burns, Richmond County Extension; Jan Leitschuh, Sandhills Farm to Table; and Taylor Williams, Moore County Extension.

Pre-registration is required by December 31. A light meal, will be served. $10 fee to cover meal and materials (Notebook & CD).

RSVP: Please call the Moore County Cooperative Extension office to register, get directions, or for more information at 910.947-3188