Growing for the Community Kitchen

Two more reasons to love your RVA: some of our museums are growing fresh, local food for the food bank, enhancing their original mission and focus. Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden has a 'Community Kitchen Garden', with a goal of delivering 10,000 pounds of fresh vegetables this year to the Community Kitchen. This part of FeedMore prepares food for Meals On Wheels and the Kids Cafe. I got to work in this garden during the summer with our youth volunteers, giving me great insight on how many hours it takes to work and plan a production garden. A whole, sweaty lot.

The produce we grow is determined by the Community Kitchen's need, so they request certain crops at the beginning of the season. This year, we grew zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes until they were each taken down, slowly, by squash bugs, a common pest in this area. We were able to get 8,819 pounds to date, so that is not too shabby. We've now planted 150 Cauliflower plants, 225 broccoli and 84 cabbage for this season. You can read more about our adventures this season here (along with all the other fun stuff going on in the Garden), and sign up to volunteer here.

See how much fun we have? I also got to grow herbs (mostly basil) for the cafe at the Garden with the youth program- We had even made the compost the herbs were grown in from kitchen scraps from that very cafe! Hyper-local!

Since the season is winding down, I wanted to check out other gardens with similar goals in the area. Lo and behold, the Science Museum of Virginia has its own garden called the Green Acre.
Brian (the manager of LGBG's Community Kitchen Garden) and I went out last Friday to see how the project at SMV is going. A beautiful green space behind the museum holds a permaculture exhibit (maintained by Tricycle Gardens) and lovely herb and veggie plots tended by Matt (the Outreach Coordinator for the museum) and Katie, (the manager for the Green Acre). In between their other museum duties, Matt and Katie also grow and deliver herbs and veggies to the Community Kitchen.

Love how you can see the FFV factory behind the herb section.

Thanks Matt and Katie for showing us the Green Acre! I love how beautiful and urban it is. Even their supply room also houses a old RVA street car! The Green Acre will soon house several bee hives, so if you are interested in beekeeping, there will be an opportunity for hands- on learning with the Richmond Beekeepers Association. If you would like a tour or to help out in the Science Museum's Green Acre, contact Matt at mbaker@smv.org.

The RFC at Tricycle Garden's Urban Farm

This is how it goes, more often than you would think. We were all set to roll to Anne and Stacy's fundraiser for Tricycle Gardens, and then Shannon mentioned the herbed ricotta appetizer that she was going to make, but hadn't had time. After she described it, (ricotta cheese, blended with basil, chives, and oregano, on a sliced baguette with a delicate round of summer squash on top) I knew we had to make it, even though it meant we'd be cutting the timing pretty close. Distracted by food again.

So, we whipped those up, (so worth it) and headed over to meet Cat and the Tricycle Gardens folks for a lovely evening at the urban farm. We had quite the summer feast of picnic foods with veggies straight from the farm. Baba ganoush, zucchini fritters with Shannon's basil dressing, as well as red and green salsa. Recipes to come.

Anne and Stacy made fancy drinks for the event. Spa water, cranberry vodka and white wine spritzers with cucumber and basil. Anne calls these 'Petty Fizzes', after Tom Petty, but that is a whole other story.

And, LOL Richmond set up a photo booth in front of the barn. Oh, boy- was that fun!

What a good time! If you have never had a chance to see the Urban Farm, or any of Tricycle Garden's community gardens, look for opportunities on their website. These folks are working hard to make Richmond more green and definitely more beautiful. Thanks, y'all!

The Edible Revolution lives!

Tricycle Gardens will host their 2nd annual Edible Revolution garden tour on Saturday, July 16 from 3-7pm. Both community and home kitchen gardens will be on the tour, so if you want ideas or advice or just an opportunity give some fellow gardeners admiration for their work, come on! There will also be a family friendly cookout after the tour in the Chimborazo Community Garden for all tour attendees and volunteers.

For more info about the tour, and how to get your tickets, click here.

Interesting query on Richmond Community Garden Initiative

We got an email from a reader who is new to Richmond, wondering how to get in on one of the new city designated community garden plots. She writes:

From what I understand on the website it seems that a group first needs to apply to manage a site and then individual gardeners must apply for a plot with the managing group (right?).

I thought I'd ask if you know of any groups that have applied to the Parkwood or Leigh street gardens. I'd LOVE a plot....just need to make the right connections!

The reader contacted the city to clarify the process, and here is what she found out:

The website will say who has permitted out the property and a contact number for that garden once it’s all been approved…right where you look at them now. Its all automated with is good because it probably would get out of hand with all the requests! We’ve got a group interested and working on permitting the Parkwood site.

So, if you would like to have a plot in one of the new city gardens, act fast!

New Community Gardens in the city!

'Tis spring, and we are so grateful to spend time outside, digging in the dirt if we are lucky. This has been an exciting week for community gardens in RVA. The Tricycle Gardens farm stand is now open at 2107 Jefferson Ave from 4-6 pm every Tuesday and Thursday with lots of spring veggies from their urban farm.

And, last Monday the Richmond Grows Gardens Initiative passed. This program of the city’s Green Richmond aims:

• To support the sustainability goals for the city of Richmond: improve the quality of life for residents, create a healthy environment and enhance economic development and job creation opportunities;
• To increase the public’s understanding of the value of community gardens and the need for community gardens in the city;
• To encourage and facilitate local urban agriculture which increases access to fresh, nutritional food for residents-particularly those in underserved communities; and
• To transform vacant and underutilized city parcels into productive gardens.

Way to go, Richmond!

Also, I was so excited to see the Backyard Farmers yesterday, helping the students and faculty of St. Catherine's school install a new community and teaching garden right on Grove Avenue!

Lots of folks got in on the act digging beds, putting raised bed frames together and building compost bins. It was a beautiful sight indeed.

Public Hearing on City Community Garden Program This Monday

City Council’s Health and Human Services Committee held a meeting on Wednesday on the City of Richmond’s request to create a Community Garden Program. There is now a second meeting before City Council for the Public Hearing. This is to be held Monday November 22 at 6pm in City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall.

Apparently there were a few in attendance on Wednesday that spoke in opposition to the program. If you are in favor of the the Community Garden's Program you should consider attending the meeting on Monday night and speak in favor of the program.

If you are unfamiliar with the community gardens proposal you can follow these links for more information.
http://eservices.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/clerkstracking/getPDF.asp?NO=2010-229 link to ordinance for Community Garden Program

http://eservices.ci.richmond.va.us/applications/clerkstracking/getPDF.asp?NO=2010-R181 link to resolution for parcels for Community Garden Program

Hearing for more community garden space in RVA this Wednesday!

Thrilled to see that the City of Richmond is on board for more community garden space!

From: Alicia R. Zatcoff, J.D., LEED AP

Sustainability Manager

City of Richmond

The City of Richmond’s request to create a Community Garden Program to use city owned parcels for community gardens will be heard by City Council’s Health, Human Services and Education Committee on Wed., Nov. 17 at 5PM in City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor, City Hall. There are two papers. The ordinance request for the program (first link) and the resolution to make city parcels available for use as community gardens (second link).

link to draft ordinance for Community Garden Program

link to draft resolution for parcels for Community Garden Program

Please feel free to forward this information to interested parties and encourage members of your organization to attend the meeting and speak in favor of the program.

Edible R-evolution Tour this Saturday

Tricycle Gardens is hosting a tour of kitchen gardens around town this Saturday, July 17. The event promises to be super fun and inspiring!
The folks at Tricycle Gardens sent out this info about the tour:

Tickets are $20 per carload or group of four bicycles. The price includes a map, access to some of the most creative food-producing backyards from 1pm-5pm AND a cookout at our Jefferson Avenue garden from 5pm-8pm. What a deal! And what a way to celebrate the summer (and fresh tomatoes). Highlights include the joint Strawberry Street Vineyard/Belmont Butcher garden, executive director Lisa Taranto’s backyard and the community garden at Holton Elementary School. Tickets can be purchased online, or at the 9th and Bainbridge Urban Farm, or by emailing will@tricyclegardens.org. Proceeds go toward helping expand Tricycle Gardens programs throughout the city.

Universtiy of Richmond and Local Foods

The University of Richmond has been taking action to support local, sustainable foods. The campus created a special CSA option for staff that allowes them to enjoy perks like on campus delivery of their weekly shares. They also created a community garden where staff, and students can have their own plots. Now the University of Richmond Boatwright Library has partnered with The Rural Virginia Market to create a library guide for local foods. Providing a list of relevant reading, the library guide also offers web links to area farms and recipe sites. You can check out the library guide here.

Whole Foods Village Community Garden and Outdoor Film Screening

The Whole Foods on West Broad has partnered with Richmond's own Backyard Farmer to create what they have named the Village Community Garden. It is located in the West Broad Village development. This Community Garden will serve as an outdoor classroom for Whole Foods run programs. Produce grown in the garden will be for sale at Whole Foods, and used in some of their prepared foods. In addition, rental plots will be available.

To kick off their community garden opening Whole Foods has a series of events taking place Wednesday June 23 through Saturday June 22.

Next Wednesday the 23rd is their 5% day. Five percent of all of their sales from that day will will go to the new Richmond chapter of Slow Food!

Thursday June 24 farmer's market with live music.

Friday June 25 at 9:00pm Whole Foods is doing a free outdoor screening of the movie FRESH.

Finally, on Saturday the 26 from 11am-4pm their will be an open house for the community garden.