Video by IcicleTV

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From the Filmmakers:

Did you know that you can donate the produce you grow and cannot use? Many of us have trees with fruit left to be picked at the end of the season, or more veggies than we can handle on our own during harvest. Rather than tossing those goodies from the garden that you just weren’t able to eat or process, think about donating them to your local food bank.

Or, better yet-plan ahead now and plant an extra row for those in need. Alison Detjens, Gleaning Coordinator for Community Farm Connection, is working connect local farmers and gardeners to gather leftover produce and help to feed those that otherwise may not have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. When we think of food banks, the first image that comes to mind is usually canned food and while non-perishables are still a staple for local foodbanks, fresh produce is always appreciated as well.

We spoke to Alison and Bob Mark, manager of the Community Cupboard about the Gleaning Project and Plant A Row initiative. Now is the time that greenthumbs begin to get antsy about digging in the dirt and starting plants. Gardeners-if you’ve got your plans all mapped out on graph paper and your seed packets ordered, please consider planting a little extra this spring. If you live in Leavenworth, your local food bank is Community Cupboard and they are open six days a week to receive your donation. There are many foodbanks throughout North Central Washington as well if you live in the Greater Wenatchee Valley.

Every little bit counts. And, as we learned while producing this piece, it’s a need that isn’t going away. For more information, check out the video or go to: communityfarmconnection.net.

This video is the trailer for a Kickstarter campaign to fund a food waste recycling pilot project in Hawaii. This project utilizes an ancient and earth friendly method to recycle large volumes of food waste, called Bokashi Fermentation. See the links below on how you can support this project

For More information visit: kickstarter.com/projects/1185750395/throw-to-grow-a-new-trash-revolution

‘Seeds for Learning’ is a program that has furnished the tools for an underserved community located in Northwest Philadelphia, to raise, harvest and provide organic produce to their community.

Community members learn the process of how to grow the food from planting to harvest. They take satisfaction in learning and working together to maintain this 1/3 of an acre urban farm where they raise a wide variety of vegetables including; okra, pepper, onions and cucumber to name a few.

In this video, one participant remarks on the value and importance of working together on this urban farm, “Having teamwork is probably a big plus in this program because a lot of this could not be done with one person or a couple people, it actually takes a real team to do it…”

Community Farm Coordinator, Christopher Bolden-Newsome details how group members “work with food from the context of providing food access and food awareness” in the community. He observes: “we don’t have access to places like Whole Foods, even in the grocery stores we don’t have options to organic or chemical free foods…” emphasizing, “what we can do about that, besides bellyaching, is actually make a plan, and do it ourselves…”

Seeds For Learning provides an excellent model for people to come together to address underserved communities through participation, commitment and learning.

Video by: karetstudio.com

Seeds for Learning is a school-based farm and entrepreneurship program, the first of its kind in Philadelphia.Foundations and its local partners provide non-traditional educational opportunities, hands-on learning, and 21st century skills training for students throughout the city and at its inaugural site, Martin Luther King High School.

In school, after school, on the weekends, in the summer – Seeds for Learning runs all day long and all year long, exemplifying Foundations’ commitment to creating uninterrupted learning experiences for underserved populations.

To learn more visit Foundations, Inc website: Foundationsinc.org and their urban farm education blog: Beyondthefarm.org

Video by: Abbey Gardens

Abbey Gardens is a community garden in West Ham, East London,surrounding part of the ruins of a 12th century abbey. There are free garden club sessions and new gardeners are always welcome. The garden is open to visitors from dawn till dusk.

In 2005 the mission imagined by the founders of Grow Pittsburgh was relatively simple. They wanted to teach, model and facilitate sustainable urban agriculture within the Pittsburgh region.

Photo: Ryan Sigesmund

Since then, several communities around the city of Pittsburgh have thrived in the company of this extraordinary organization.

Photo: Ryan Sigesmund

From the beginning dedicated volunteers have made up the core of this remarkable community and they continue to play a key role in supporting Grow Pittsburgh’s work and mission.

Photo: Courtney Thrall

With the support of such organizations as The Heinz Foundation, The Frick and Fairmont Hotel Pittsburgh they are truly thriving.

Listen in to learn hear about their spring planting, Grow Pittsburgh Seedlings, and the development of a web-based toolkit for garden educators. We speak with Josh Burnett, the Director of Educational Programming at Grow Pittsburgh.

Listen here:

Chef Robin Burnside

After years of success there, Robin and her family opened Café Amphora in the rugged natural beauty of Big Sur.

This was followed up with work as a private chef and caterer. I could go on, but the point is that Robin Burnside knows how to make really good food. Lucky for us, she has shared some of her recipes in the recently published cookbook titled:

THE HOMESTEADERS KITCHEN – RECIPES FROM FARM TO TABLE

Among my favorites in the book are the following recipes:

• Bali Toast - Robin says it’s a “tropical twist on French toast” with additions like banana, yogurt and cinnamon cooked in coconut oil.
• Gado-Gado – A traditional Indonesian peanut sauce. Beauty of this sauce is that it “blooms” with age and is very easy to prepare.
• Big Batch Pizza – Got kids? This wholesome recipe makes up to 6 large pizza’s for pennies a serving.
• Cranberry-Tangerine Relish – Made with whole fresh cranberries this sweet and tart relish is competently versatile.
• Handmade Whole Grain Crackers - What a concept!
• Apple-Raspberry Crisp – Beauty of this recipe is that it can be substituted with nearly every seasonal fruit, making this a classic, go to recipe.

The Homesteaders Kitchen

Listen here: The Homesteaders Kitchen

Farm Stand

With the increase in home and community gardens it’s understandable that with many people there has been an increase in interest in Raw Foodism. But like an over abundant crop of zucchinis in the garden, there seem to be countless theories, recipes, and books floating around the Internet about Raw Foodism, and it is clearly very easy to become overwhelmed by it all.

If you have ever wondered what the Raw Foodism movement is all about, or if you are interested in pursing and learning more about how to become a Raw Foodist yourself, you will want to give this podcast a listen as we speak with Laura Bruno.

A raw food coach since 2005, in many circles Laura is known simply as the Successful Lazy Raw Foodist. Through our interview with Laura, these are a few of the tidbits you will learn about living the Raw Foodist lifestyle:

• The 3 most important aspects of a Raw Foodist Diet.

• How uncomplicated and easy it is to switch to a Raw Food Diet.

• The 10 ingredients that will likely be found in the pantry of a Raw Foodist.

• The equipment needed to effectively embark on a Raw Food Diet.

• The positive affects attributed to being a Raw Foodist.

Raw Foodist - Laura Bruno

Laura Brunno is the creator of “The Lazy Raw Foodist’s Guide” an e-book available for purchase at www.lazyrawfoodist.com.

Listen here: LAURA RAW FOODIST

Based on the seed-to-table learning model initiated by Alice Waters in Berkeley, CA, The Pittsburgh Edible Schoolyard integrates garden activities into the regular classroom curriculum to improve young students’ eating habits, invest students in their school communities, and enhance students’ academic performance.

Now in its fourth year in the Pittsburgh Public Schools (PPS), The Edible Schoolyard is the fruit of collaboration between PPS personnel, teachers, parents, community members, and the non-profit organization Grow Pittsburgh.

In this podcast we speak with the Director of Education for Grow Pittsburgh, Joshua Burnett. To many young Pittsburgh students, he is better known as “Farmer Josh”.

FARMER JOSH PITTSBURGH 10 9 09-NEW