Ukiah's Vibrant Market... and BEANS!

What a tasty August we had at the Saturday Ukiah Farmers’ Market! The BEANS teen peer educators were out in force, whipping up some tasty food samples, playing with kids, and coordinating the “Market Scavenger Hunt.” More than 400 shoppers tasted the BEANS "black bean and corn fiesta salad," the "edible plant part crackers." and the "very berry smoothie with spinach!" Over 50 kids and families participated in the scavenger hunt! They all found some great seasonal veggies, local meats and cheeses, and some beautiful plants and flowers. For those of you who may have missed our booth, feel free to check out our recipes now! BEANS is committed to sharing tasty, low-cost, healthy recipes with Mendocino County families.

Homegrown in Ukiah: Community Garden Tour!

Join our gardeners for the 2nd Annual "Homegrown in Ukiah: Community Garden Tour!" This year's tour will feature five gardens: The Cleveland Lane Community Garden, The Washington Avenue Community Garden, The Orchard Head Start Garden, The Plowshares Peace and Justice Garden, and The Orchard Apartments Garden.

The tour will begin and end at the Garden at Bella Vida (formerly Tierra). Reserve a ticket today: call 462-1955 or contact The Gardens Project

BEANS at the Willits Food Bank... and MORE!

Hi, I'm Megumi, the teen writer for the BEANS Program...

It’s summer! And what better way to celebrate than with a crisp, new, low-cost summer recipe for your friends and family to enjoy. Our gardens and the local markets that were once bare are now lush with the fresh fruits and vegetables that we so anxiously waited to pick since the winter. But, how do you find a recipe that’s delicious, quick, low-cost, and more importantly, healthy for your little kiddos?

Luckily the B.E.A.N.S. (Better Eating, Activity, and Nutrition for Students) team has not only one, but many recipes ready for you to try! So, stop by the Willits Food Bank on Wednesday, August 3rd and 17th for free taste-tests and recipes.

The B.E.A.N.S. team is a group of local teen peer educators working together to bring health awareness to the Willits community. These teenagers visit the Kids Club of Willits after-school programs for Brookside Elementary, Blosser Elementary, and Baechtel Grove Middle School. They talk to the students about healthy foods and also prepare a healthy recipe with them in hopes that the students will introduce these healthier eating habits to their families. In the summer, the B.E.A.N.S. team shares taste tests at food banks, farmers markets, and summer kids programs like Nuestra Alianza’s Plan Vacacional.

The B.E.A.N.S. team understands that choosing to eat “organic” or “healthy” can be seen as relatively expensive and that’s part of the reason why we chose to set up a booth at the Willits Food Bank. In fact, a lot of times, fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables are very affordable and can add so much to a meal. It’s tastier when something fresh is added to a meal and of course it gives your body much-needed vitamins. We want for people who don’t have as much of a financial luxury to spend on food to still have healthy food options available to them, especially during this economically challenging time.

I think most of us have gone through some sort of cut-back in one area or another; but, more specifically in buying certain foods. Have you ever been in a grocery store or farmers market, weaving through a crowd of fellow shoppers in search of something interesting and new to try, or something familiar to take home and curl up with? But as soon as you discover the price, you automatically think it’s too expensive? I know I have. I’ll occasionally tag along with my mom to the grocery store and every time I’ll come across something I’ve never seen before. Maybe it’s because I’m not a very experienced cook, but I like to try new things. So, I’ll grab it, taking it back to my mom like it was one of the stray pets I would find when I was a little girl, and beg for her to let me keep it. Anyway, as soon as I’d present her with my new discovery she’d ask how much it was (something I always overlook). And sometimes when I go back to look for the price, I’m disappointed. It’ll be too expensive to splurge on. But other times, my mom and I figure out that it really doesn’t cost that much when you think about how many meals it can be cooked with. We’ve had fun trying some of the simple, tasty recipes that the B.E.A.N.S. team has come up with.

If you are one of those people who like to try new foods and collect new recipes, or you just like food, please stop by the Willits Food Bank. We would love to share our fun recipes and you get a free sample of something yummy!

July Garden Tips

July is a very exciting month in the garden! Robust leaves and early fruits should be prominent and plots containing your more sizeable plants are probably approaching jungle status!

What to do in your garden this month?

Onions should be fully developed and can be harvested and prepared for storage. Other plants like broccoli, peas and cauliflower will be coming to a completion as well. Strawberries are hanging in there and producing pretty consistently and beautiful ripe red raspberries should be popping out all over the place! Be prepared to get your harvest on this month! All those big beautiful zucchinis, cucumbers and juicy ripe tomatoes are right around the corner. This time of year tends to be very hot and dry so you need to be on the top of your game when it comes to watering. Your garden needs about one inch of water each week. Early morning is the best time to water. Evening watering is less desirable because plant leaves that remain wet through the night are more susceptible to fungus diseases. Check the soil moisture of container grown vegetables and flowers daily. As the temperature rises, some plants may need water twice a day. A reapplication of straw mulch can be applied to plants to reduce water lose and improve yields. You may also want to apply a mid season fertilizer to assure consistent production through the rest of the growing season.

What to plant this month?

Continue to make successive plantings of crops like beans, cucumbers and sweet corn to provide a continuous harvest until fall. A small garden will produce a large quantity of vegetables if replanting is done throughout the summer. Although the excitement of ripe summer vegetables make it hard to think about fall and early winter crops timing is everything when it comes to planting. For a sufficient fall/winter harvest of lettuce, radish, broccoli, turnips, kale and spinach, sow seeds in late July.

Final Thoughts?

Once again, make sure to weed, weed, weed! It’s a continual process, and a daunting task, I know, but keeping your beds free of weeds will allow your plants to thrive without having to fight for sunlight, water and soil nutrients. Also perform frequent plant prunings. When you think of pruning you probably don’t think about vegetables, but snipping off wilted branches and dead or pest-munched leaves allows the plants "support system" to send vital energy and nutrients to healthy areas, provides better air circulation and stimulates more vigorous growth.

Happy Planting!

Not so simple

The Not So Simple Living Fair, a weekend of hands of workshops on rural living, is coming back to Boonville this weekend. Learn neat things like how to mill your local grain, how to keep your bees, seed saving and composting, and winter veggie growing. It's the perfect place to polish up your rural living skills. For more information on the event, click here

If you get a chance come check out The Gardens Project in the conversation cafe on Saturday morning. We'd love to chat with you and answer any questions you have on gardening and community gardens!

Hope to see you there!

FREE food! New recipes! More fruits and veggies!

FREE taste-tests of farm-fresh foods are offered by local BEANS teens!

This summer, the BEANS crew of teen peer educators is reaching out to coastal and inland community members at farmers’ markets, food banks, and community centers.
1) Fort Bragg: You can see a recipe demonstration, learn nutrition facts, and try new foods at the Fort Bragg Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays in July. Also, if you want a hands-on cooking experience, you can join the BEANS class at Safe Passage during the month of July in Fort Bragg.
2) Willits: Stop by to taste some goof-proof recipes with the BEANS teens at the Willits Community Food Bank on several Wednesdays (July 20, August 3, and August 17). The teens will be cooking a recipe using food bank food and, of course, incorporating tasty fruits and veggies. Also this summer, local kids from the Nuestra Alianza summer program will be cooking with the BEANS teens and learning new recipes to share with their families.
3) Ukiah: You can gather recipe ideas, learn nutrition facts, play with home-made hula hoops, and try new foods at the Saturday Ukiah Farmers’ Market in August. Also, if you know someone who attends the summer program at the Ukiah Boys and Girls Club, be sure to ask them to tell you about the great foods the BEANS teens will be cooking there on Mondays and Wednesdays in late July and early August.

The BEANS crew reminds you to enjoy the bounty of fruits and vegetables by incorporating them into every meal. Need ideas? Stop by one of our summer locations and we’ll be happy to share!

Summer Garden Tour

Mark your calendars for August 26th - our second annual garden tour is coming back!

This year we're envisioning more of the same good music, great food prepared by our gardeners, and a personal tour lead by the people who grow some of the best food in town. If you've ever been interested in knowing what's going on in the gardens or if you're not sure exactly what a community garden is or what happens in a pre-school garden - this is the time to come check it out.

We're even more excited for this year as we're partnering with the Cancer Resource Center of Mendocino to make an even more spectacular weekend full of great food. Saturday night, guests at the 7th Annual Pure Mendocino Dinner will eat the freshest, most local food, including produce from gardens in Ukiah. On Sunday afternoon dinner attendees will have the opportunity to get participate in the garden tour.

Tickets are available at a $30 suggested donation for the garden tour.

Call for more information: 462-1958