Sharing the Bounty

This may have been the most successful Sharing the Bounty yet.
Patrona was packed with community gardeners, farmers, land owners, donors and people ready to get involved in the local food system.

The evening started out with music by Marcos Peredia, creating a relaxed community atmosphere for people to gather around the appetizers of Sea Palm with Red Chili, French Deviled Eggs and Stinging Nettle Croquette, as well as tantilizing wines from Husch Vineyards, Campovida and Nelson Family Vineyards.

As people settled into their seats, they were greeted by a slideshow with pictures from the community gardens and a salad of Mixed greens, fava leaves, arugula, apples, sun chokes, ramps, beets, radishes and lemon dressing, with Schat's rolls made with local Red Fife flour, accompanied by a Truett Hurst from Dark Horse Vineyards and Chenin Blanc from Husch.

Miles Gordon gave everyone an overview of what the Gardens Project does and an introduction to the local food system as people finished their salads. We have 11 new community gardens and 8 new school gardens, creating a countywide network of 32 community and 35 school gardens and this number is growing all the time with support from community members like those at Sharing the Bounty!

This talk was followed by the main course: a choice of Spiced Lamb Shoulder or Spring Greens Gratin and Lentils, both on a Sonora Cracker and topped with delicious Goat Cheese Sauce.

The goat cheese sauce was so good most people forgot about dessert until it arrived, a beautiful Pomelo Pie with Honey Walnut Crust, topped with whipped cream, that was tart and flavorful.

Thank you to everyone who attended for your support, and to the community and school gardens, farmers, food producers, foragers and winemakers who provided the food and wine for this meal!

You made this event a great success and we appreciate your involvement in creating a thriving local food system!
Cleveland Lane Community Garden
MCOE Youth Garden
Pomolita School Garden
Ecology Action
Fairall's Farm
Filigreen Farm
Green Uprising at Blackberry Bend
Love Farms
Lover's Lane Farm
Magruder Ranch
Mendocino Grain Project
Mendocino Organics
Ocean Harvest Se Vegetable Co.
Owen Family Farm
Peggy Backup's Garden
Redtail Ranch
Schat's Bakery
Shamrock Artisan Goat Cheese & Summer Breeze Ranch
Smart's Mountain Farm
Stella Cadente Olive Oil Company
Dave's Bike Shop
Campovida
Husch Vineyards
Nelson Family Vineyards
Dark Horse Vineyards

You can see more photos here

Gardening Workshops are a Success!

The first three gardening workshops of the year got Mendocino residents out gardening!

We kicked off the workshops on Earth Day, April 22nd, with a cob building party at the Talmage Preschool Garden at MCOE.
Cob is a natural building material made of clay, sand and straw and we used it to build counters around an already existing outdoor oven. The preschool will use this outdoor kitchen to bake bread and chop up veggies and fruits from the garden for snacks.

After the cob party, Ron Woolsey, of Living Sculpture Studios, led a "Planning a Summer Garden Workshop" at the preschool garden.
For more information about Ron's workshop, check out this article from the Ukiah Daily Journal!
Ron will be teaching more gardening workshops soon: "Weeds, Mulch & Compost" in June and "Hoop Houses & Row Covers" in October, so keep your eyes open for details coming soon on those workshops!

This was followed by a "Seed Starting Workshop" by Nona Carpenter and Louisa Aronow, of the Master Gardeners at the Grace Lutheran Church Community Garden.
Louisa will be teaching a "Planning a Fall Garden" workshop in July, so look for details on that as well.

On 5 de Mayo, Peter Reynolds, of Down to Earth Landscaping and a Plowshares garden volunteer, taught a Drip Irrigation workshops at the Plowshares Garden. The Plowshares garden provides fresh vegetables for the Plowshares Peace & Justice Center kitchen, which serves several hundred people a day. Peter installed the fantastic drip irrigation system for this garden, and demonstrated how to install a system like that at the workshop.

All of these workshops were a great success and we look forward to the next 10 workshops of the year! Details coming soon.

You can see more photos from our workshops here

THANK YOU 
for the 

Plant Starts! 

We'd like to extend a huge thank you to Lovin' Blooms  Organic Nursery in Philo and C & A Organic Farm in Calpella for their generous donations of plant starts! 

Thanks to Lovin' Blooms and C & A Organics, the Gardens Project is able to provide flowers, salad greens, collards, sorrel, tomatoes, and other delicious plants to our local community and school gardens!!

To learn more about Lovin' Blooms Organic Nursery, call them at 895-2358.

To learn more about C & A Organic Farm, call them at 485-1142 or send an email to caorganicfarm@yahoo.com.  

Spring Plant Sale!

Spring Plant Sale at Mendocino College!
Support the Ag Department
Friday May 4th from 9-5pm & Saturday May 5th from 9-3pm

Sharing the Bounty

3rd Annual

Sharing The Bounty

a fundraiser for The Gardens Project of NCO

Creating access to local produce
through community supported gardens

Sunday, May 6th 6-9 pm

Patrona Restaurant and Lounge

130 W. Standley Ukiah, CA

Tickets are available for $75
Full course meal and wine

Limited seating available. Reserve your ticket by phone at 467-3212

See our Events page for more information.

Seed Exchange

Saturday, April 21 9:30 am to Noon

The Ukiah Saturday Farmers’ Market: Alex Thomas Plaza/School Street

The Food & Seed Working Group of Transition Ukiah Valley is sponsoring an Earth Day Seed Exchange at the Saturday, April 21 Ukiah Farmers' Market, Alex Thomas Plaza and School Street, 9:30 am to noon.

Bring your dried seeds in labeled envelopes; planting directions, growing conditions, and ease of growing would be helpful. Vegetables, flowers, natives, and herbs are welcome: share your bounty and pick up some new varieties. For those who cannot attend Saturday, but wish to contribute, please leave your seeds at Mulligan Books, 208 S. State Street, beforehand.

For more information visit our Events page or contact Contact: 707-485-0917 www.transitionukiahvalley.org

The California Right To Know Genetically Engineered Food Act

The purpose of this measure is to create and enforce the fundamental right of the people of California to be fully informed about whether the food they purchase and eat is genetically engineered and not misbranded as natural so that they can choose for themselves whether to purchase and eat such foods. It shall be liberally construed to fulfill this purpose.

Government scientists have stated that the artificial insertion of DNA into plants, a technique unique to genetic engineering, can cause a variety of significant problems with plant foods. Such genetic engineering can increase the levels of known toxicants in foods and introduce new toxicants and health concerns.

Without disclosure, consumers of genetically engineered food can unknowingly violate their own dietary and religious restrictions.

All those who sign the petitions to Label GMOs must be registered voters in California. One can register to vote and immediately sign the petition. 550,000 signatures are needed statewide to qualify as an Initiative. Please sign a petition in Ukiah at Mulligan Books and Seeds (208 S. State St), Three Sisters (112 S. School St), or usually on weekends from noon to 5 in front of the Ukiah Coop (721 S. State St.).

You can find more information on our How To Eat Healthy Page.