I know I’m not the only backyard gardener who feels compelled to survey the garden each morning to make sure all is in order. Is anything being attacked? Any herbs bolting? Any signs of blight on tomatoes or basil? Should I be picking something before it gets overgrown? Does anything need water?

Sometimes we’re delighted by what we find.  This morning I found two bees sleeping in a blossom on my flying saucer squash plant. Despite the cat’s meows they remained fast asleep so I had time to go in and grab the camera. You can even see the pollen on their bodies!

What surprised you in your garden this season? Please come post a photo on Facebook or comment below.

Park City Harvest Farm Stand locations in Bridgeport have reopened for the season and Wholesome Wave’s Double Value Coupon Program for SNAP/EBT and WIC recipients is once again being offered. Under this program, $10 in benefits equals $20 in fresh, CT-grown,  fruits and vegetables! The markets also accept seniors farmers market checks and cash.

Summer 2010 locations open through September:

• Tuesdays, 12:00 - 5:00: St. Vincent’s Medical Center, 2800 Main Street
• Wednesdays, 9:30 - 2:00: Bridgeport Health Department, 752 East Main Street

Park City Harvest is a project of Wholesome Wave  and the Healthy Bridgeport Alliance.

Video: Watch Wholesome Wave’s founder and CEO, Michel Nischan, interviewed on  the “Making a Difference” segment of the NBC Nightly News with Brian William. In it, NBC’s John Yang visits with Michel at farmers’ markets and his family’s backyard garden to discuss the incredibly positive impact Wholesome Wave’s Double Value Coupon Program is having around the country as it provides inner city neighborhoods with access to fresh, healthy and affordable locally grown food.

For more information about Wholesome Wave’s Nourishing Neighborhoods programs, visit www.wholesomewave.org.

Read more about local food hero Michel Nischan in his profile in Who’s Who in Sustainable Food CT.

Woodchucks, rabbits, deer, insects - the list of varmints, critters and bugs that can attack or devour our gardens is pretty long. In order to keep out the rabbits, deer and woodchuck, my husband built wire cages that fit over our raised beds and easily come on and off. It wasn’t until the tops of the radishes and horseradish were eaten this year, that I realized it was time for the cages to go on.

We resorted to the wire cage defense after I lost an entire crop of Lacinato Kale to the rabbits one year. The cages are straight out of Mel Bartholomew’s  “Square Food Gardening” book, and are made from wood and chicken wire. They really work like a charm. I just harvested two kinds of sorrel and bok choy. Some tiny holes are in the bok choy leaves, but the sorrel is pristine.

What are you harvesting from your backyard, school or community garden? Who’s invading your garden and how do you keep them out?

If you’re growing strawberries at home, make sure you pick them soon so they don’t wind up as  squirrel food. We picked our first handfuls earlier in the week and have left a few for our Memorial Day guests to pick and savor.

The strawberries are ripe and ready! Pick them up at your favorite farm, farmers’ market or great grocer. If you’re free this Saturday morning, head over to Jones Family Farm in Shelton for a very special SNEAK PREVIEW picking THIS Saturday morning (5/29) from 8am - 11am! Don’t forget to bring your JFF berry box from last year.

In light of all the negative press that pesticides in our foods have received lately, it’s time to take evasive action if you haven’t done so already.

According to a May 5 New York Times Op-Ed piece by Nicholas Kristof, The President’s Cancer Panel has recommended we “Give preference to food grown without pesticides, chemical fertilizers and growth hormones.” A May 15 article in the Wall Street Journal discussed a recent study showing a possible link between pesticide exposure and ADHD. “Children with higher levels had increased chances of having ADHD, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, a common problem that causes students to have trouble in school.”

What can consumers do to avoid pesticides?

1. Buy organic whenever possible and where is matters most. We all have finite resources, so try to choose organic varities of the 12 most highly sprayed fruits and vegetables. Download the pocket-sized Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides listing the Dirty Dozen and Clean 15 to help guide your organic vs. conventional purchases.

2. The next best choice after organic is IPM-grown. Integrated Pest Management practices differ by farmer, but stress the avoidance of routine spraying and emphasize preventing crop damage while creating  “the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment” . Farmers’ markets around the county have opened, or will open soon, and this is a great chance to get to know your farmers face-to-face. If you find they haven’t sprayed or only sprayed with organic products, this is an excellent choice.

3. Rinse and peel any conventionally-grown fruits and vegetables to reduce, but not eliminate pesticide residue.

4. Grown your own! If you’re just starting out, lettuces grow quickly and strawberries are a low-maintenance perennial that self seed. Visit a farmers’ market or Gilbertie’s Herb Gardens to buy your organic strawberry plants.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Roger Ludlowe Middle School Garden Sass- Plant Sale

SATURDAY, MAY 22^ND, Fairfield, CT

FROM 10:00-2:00 RAIN OR SHINE

RLMS FRONT PARKING LOT 689 UNQUOWA ROAD

(IN THE EVENT OF RAIN RLMS GYM)

Heirloom Tomatoes and Vegetables, Annuals and PerenniaIs, Herbs, Fruit Trees & Ornamental Shrubs, Strawberries, Raspberries, Blueberries and Rhubarb will be available for purchase

FOOD, LIVE MUSIC, AND GARDEN SYMPOSIUM

Roger Ludlowe Middle School will be hosting their First Annual Garden Sass & Plant Sale next Saturday. A Garden Sass is a Yankee term for the home garden. Three farm vendors with ties to our community will be selling seedlings - Maple Row growers in Easton, Moorefield Herb Farm in Trumbull, and Daffodil Hill Growers in Southbury.

We will hold a Garden Symposium, provide live music and offer local fare to fortify our shoppers as they purchase the best of what Connecticut Growers have to offer. Goatboy Soap will supply gardeners with wonderful soaps to use before and after gardening.

Michelle Flashman and Amie Hall will give a tour of the RLMS Garden Square Foot Garden and answer questions. They will be selling seedlings they have grown themselves. The Operation Hope Community Garden will be also be selling vegetable seedlings and will be on hand to share the success of their garden.

CONTACT: Kate Carroll at tenlittlelines@yahoo.com

Win two nights in Maine, a GE Energy Star appliance (up to $500.00 in value, shipping incl.)

a bike,  a family pass to a Bpt.Blue Fish home game & many more prizes!!!.

FREE Admission! Town of Ffld. canvas shopping bag.

Plenty of Free Parking
SAT, MAY 8, 2010 from 10:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.
@ Fairfield Warde High School, 755 Melville Ave., Fairfield

Learn about…state of the art, clean and renewable alternative energy choices, conservation, our environment, organic and sustainable methods of gardening, cleaning, and safe organic products and services, etc.

Recycle… Old sneakers, batteries, eyeglasses, hearing aids, cell phones, wire hangers, and even clean pairs of socks and unmatched socks.

Enjoy… Free samples, face painting, arts & crafts, kid’s wood construction projects with Home Depot w planting wStudent Exhibits.

See… “Trashy Fashions“ A combined elementary & high school student fashion show using recycled materials. A “Green” Auto show

Hear… Experts discuss current & future trends in automotive transportation.  What’s up with healthy eating, gardening, etc.?

Taste…Fantastic food by Catch a Healthy Habit  and Chef Jeff’s portable wood-fired brick oven. Indulge yourself!  Try kettled corn!

Sing along with… the Mill River Band w Lisa Furman & Friends w Roger Ludlowe Middle School (RLMS) Chamber Choir w Fairfield House Band

Meet … 80+ exhibitors

Schedule

* Please see posted information at the event for most up to date information*

10:15 OPENING CEREMONY by Fairfield’s First Selectman Ken Flatto in the Courtyard.

LECTURE SCHEDULE

Lecture Room:

10:30   An Organic Teaching Farm in Fairfield ?

Pam Jones/Jody Eisemann

11:30   Local Food Panel Discussion

Moderated by Analiese Paik, Founder Fairfield Green Food Guide

Guest Panelists:

• Schools gardens - Annelise McCay & Amie Hall,
• Organic gardening - Nick Mancini
• Community Garden - Eric Frisk
• School Food - Michelle McCabe
• CSAs & Food Coops - Sarah Bollman
• Town Farm - Jody Eisemann and Pam Jones

2:00     Bees into Battle Win Baum

3:00     Organic Gardening Simplified Nick Mancini

Court Yard (Lecture Room if weather is inclement):

1:00       Future of Transportation - a panel discussion.

Moderator -  Jim Motavalli

Sure to be an exciting and informative panel discussion on our current transportation behaviors and the prescription for the future for attaining sustainability in the way we should choose to move ourselves, and the alternatives that will available to us.  Be sure to attend this engaging discussion by our panel of transportation experts.

Cooking Room :

Ongoing demos begin at 10 am. Stop in any time! Follow the signs to the cooking area

Coordinator and Speaker - Amie Hall

11:00    Sustainable Eating

11:30    The Green Lunch Box

1:30    Square Foot Gardening in the Curriculum

2:30    Square Foot Gardening - The Basics

10:00 am- 4:00 pm - Earth Food Tour, Self Guided, Ongoing.  Visit 5 interactive family friendly stations that will expand your food knowledge and build comfort in your kitchen. Topics include Glorious Greens, Great Grains, The Mighty Bean, Flour Power and The Green Lunch Box.

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE

Time               Court Yard

10:45                   Mike Dougherty & the All Star Energy Band

11:15                     Save our Trees-Reading by Persephone  Ocasio

Trashy Fashions

11:45                     Drumming Circle

12:30                     Trashy Fashions

2:00                       Drumming Circle

2:45                       Mike Dougherty & the All Star Energy Band

Main Entrance (Outside)

Solar Powered Music

11:15 -2:00         Lisa Furman Band

2:00                       FFld House Band

2:45 - 3:45           Lisa Furman Band

Lecture Series Speakers:

Pam Jones and Jody Eisemann, former Westporters, re-met as Fairfield residents and found they had numerous interests in common, including the preservation and restoration of their local environment. Both of them believe that the earth is facing an unparalleled environmental crisis of resources, out of control pollution and most importantly the safety and security of our food sources. Pam and Jody believe that learning to grow your own food is a simple solution to lowering the area’s carbon footprint, accessing really healthy food and is real security for people everywhere. They have spent the past year pursuing the idea of creating a town owned organic teaching farm as a way to help create a sustainable future for our town and our children.

Analiese Paik is a local/sustainable food advocate and founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, an online consumer resource for finding local and sustainably grown food and connecting with the green food community. Launched in January 2009, fairfieldgreenfoodguide.com features a blog, database of green food resources, event calendar and e-newsletter that empower consumers to eat fresh, local and sustainable food in Fairfield County. Analiese organizes documentary food film events to benefit not-for-profits, and is a regular monthly guest on News Channel 8’s Good Morning Connecticut show.

Win Baum, Fairfield Backyard Beekeeper, is back this year and will talk about the perils honeybees and fellow pollinators, like bats and butterflies, are facing from chemical pesticides and other man-made foes. Win and his wife, Stefanie, have been keeping bees in their backyard Fairfield apiary since 1992.  Win’s experience with honeybees and other pollinators is sure to be informative and useful for gardeners of all types.

Nick Mancini will show you how to maintain a trouble free garden through good sanitation, crop selection, proper fertilization and Organic pest management. Nick is a Certified Master Gardener from the Cooperative Extension System of the University of Connecticut, specializing in organic vegetables, fruits and brambles, and past head Master Gardener of Vegetables and Tree Fruit at Bartlett Arboretum in Stamford, Connecticut. He teaches organic gardening at Norwalk Community College’s Extended Studies program and the Kathryn Croaning Child Development Laboratory School where they have developed an organic garden. Nick also teaches Organic Gardening at the Westport Continuing Education, Fairfield Continuing Education, Northeast Organic Farmers Association and lectures in garden clubs, horticultural societies and libraries throughout Connecticut and neighboring states.

Amie Hall - Amie Guyette Hall, is a certified health coach, Square Foot Gardening teacher and Founder of Fairfield’s Middle School Gardens.  Amie has helped our foods teachers develop a whole foods based curriculum. She connects children and families to their food, their community and the land through educational workshops and wellness programs in our schools and at a local farm.

For more information visit: fairfieldearthday.org or call (203) 256-3010

Ridgefield and Westport GVIs will be hosting an on-farm workshop (emphasis on the “work” part of workshop) for people interested in learning about organic soil care and the basics of organic garden management.  Participants will join Dina Brewster of The Hickories as she leads us through the steps involved in the readying of a spring garden plot. The Hickories is a certified organic farm under the Bay State Organic/ USDA National Organic Program located  in Ridgefield.

Topics to be covered:

• the basics of organic soil science and fertility
• seeding and the seed calendar
• pest, disease and weed management

Sunday, May 2nd.  1:30-3pm, at The Hickories, 126 Lounsbury Road, Ridgefield CT 06877

RSVP and $10 registration fee required. Click here to reserve your spot.

This informative workshop will teach you all you need to know about raising your own backyard chickens.

• Learn how to incubate, brood, and gather eggs in your very own backyard

• Become familiar with each critical step in caring for your chicks, providing the right environment and nurturing them to lay eggs

• You will get a resource book teaching you every step of the way as well as Millstone farm expertise

• Tour the farm and see our state of the art mobile chicken coop
• Interactive hands-on learning

Cost: $30 payable to Millstone Farm by cash or check.

When: April 24th

Time: 1:00PM to 4:00PM

Where: Millstone Farm, 180 Millstone Road, Wilton, CT 06897

Space is limited so please call or email: fmasani@millstonefarm.org or 203 834 2605. l. We will reserve 5 spots free of cost for Non-profit organization, educators and pre-schools.

About Millstone farm:
Millstone Farm is a 75-acre property in Wilton, CT. We are a working farm whose mission is to achieve a sustainable and economic farm model. The farm also serves as a hub for education and outreach, where we host workshops and action-learning activities, and partner with farmers, community organizations, school groups, restaurateurs, and others interested in learning about diverse, chemical-free farming. Our practices are geared towards achieving a closed loop system where the farm’s varied parts contribute to the whole working body. Our activities include; organic pasture management, rare breed animal husbandry for eggs, meat, wool,
and breeding, bio-intensive vegetable and fruit production, maple syrup harvest, and more. We produce for local restaurants, Wilton’s only family-owned supermarket, and a small CSA. We strive to use best farm
practices, encourage their implementation, and promote awareness about their positive impact on local economies, the community, and quality of life.

Audubon Greenwich’s Events In Celebration of  “Earth Week” & The “Audubon At Home” Initiative Offer Something for Everyone

Sat.    4/17:  Healthier Foods, Healthier Families: With Chef & Health Counselor Rachel Khanna

Tues.   4/20:  Green Homes & Building Series Part 3: Water Harvesting & Rain Gardens in Landscape Design

Fri.            4/23: Tapped: The Movie: Screening, bottle exchange, and reception with the Director & Producer of the film. Please join me at this event! Replacing plastic water bottles with a reusable stainless steel thermos is one of my Green Food Tips for Earth Day. Don’t have a thermos yet? Bring your (last) plastic bottle and exchange it for a thermos, courtesy of the producer, while supplies last.

Sun.    4/25: Composting 202: Going Beyond The Outdoor Pile: With Wendy Bounds from the Wall Street Journal. If you don’t like messing with worms and compost piles, but still want to compost your food waste, this event is for you!

Event Details:

This Saturday, April 17

Healthier Foods, Healthier Families

With Chef Rachel Khanna

2:00-3:30 pm

Discover what it means to eat local, organic, seasonal and learn how to choose healthier foods. Did you know that roughly 70% of antibiotics in the U.S. are given to animals?  Or that there are now more overweight people in the world than starving people? Join Chef and Health Counselor Rachel Khanna as she explores some of the myths surrounding our food supply and discusses easy food ideas for everyone to enjoy. All ages. Suggested donation: $10. Free for youth.  RSVPs appreciated but not required. RSVP to jcordulack@audubon.org<mailto:jcordulack@audubon.org> or call 203-869-5272 x239.

Rachel Khanna is a Certified Health Counselor and a passionate advocate of organic and local food and a healthy lifestyle. She decided to become a health counselor to fulfill her passion of working with children and parents to improve their health and family life.  With a Master’s Degree from Columbia University, she subsequently completed a diploma in Culinary Arts from the Institute of Culinary Education in New York, and received her training as a Health Counselor at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City and is currently completing certification in Food Therapy at the Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City.  Rachel owned and operated Tiffin Organic Dinner Delivery Service in Greenwich, CT.  Currently, she teaches cooking classes and holds workshops on eating for optimal health.  She also offers individual health and nutrition coaching to parents and families.  Rachel is the mother of four daughters and has lived in Greenwich since 2000.

Tuesday, April 20

WATER: Reducing Use & Harvesting Water for Landscaping Elements Part 3 of the Green Homes & Building Series 7:00-9:00 pm It may seem that the Northeast is water-rich, but this region often experiences drought and water shortages. Before your ‘well runs dry’ visit Audubon Greenwich and learn easy ways to reduce water use in homes and landscaping methods that collect and use the rain for use on-site. Topics will include rain garden design, practical rain harvesting methods for this region, and will feature a newly patented device for toilets that eliminates water waste, saving approx. 30% on each tank refill. The presenters for that event will include Peter Alexander and Keith Beaver. $10 suggested donation for adults. Youth and teens attend at no cost. Please RSVP to jcordulack@audubon.org or call 203-869-5272 x239 to save your seat. Please note: Advance questions for the presenters can be sent to the RSVP email address.

Peter Alexander is a Landscape Architect and Planner with 30 years of practical experience. He has degrees in Biology and History from the University of Denver and degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture from the Rhode School of Design. He also holds a Wetland Delineation Certification from Rutgers University and is currently involved with post-graduate work at the Harvard Graduate School of Design that focuses on ‘experiencing architecture’. His expertise includes fine landscape design for residences, sporting venues, and coastal planning projects that protect natural resources from runoff polluted by golf courses and development projects. Peter’s presentation will focus on how landowners and designers can capture runoff for groundwater recharge and use on-site in water features and rain gardens. He will describe the principles of rain garden location, design approaches and specify the plants that are well suited to such gardens.

Keith Beaver is a partner and Sr. Associate with Didona Associates - Landscape Architects, LLC in Danbury, Connecticut and has been with the firm for 15 years.  Keith has been a Landscape Architect for 20+ years and a LEED AP for 1 1/2 years.  Keith has incorporated sustainable design techniques into projects for many years and has extensive knowledge of public sector projects including state and federal multi-family and elderly housing projects, streetscape design, and public school site planning,  At Didona Associates, his responsibilities include team leadership for sustainable design and development, land use analysis, preparing construction documents, and presenting to local land use commissions. Keith’s presentation will describe a project recently finished in Ridgefield that was awarded a LEED Platinum certification. The project’s many sustainable aspects included native plants and rain gardens in the landscaping, two 1,000 gallon cisterns for water harvesting, pervious pavers, and a fountain fed by roof runoff.

Friday, April 23

“Tapped: The Movie”

A film about bottled water with the film’s Director & Producer on-site 7:00 pm: Reception with Bottle Exchange 8:00 pm: Movie Screening Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host the final event for the “Get Off The Bottle Tour” with Stephanie Soechtig and her team’s award-winning film. From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car, this unflinching documentary about the bottled water business is a timely behind-the-scenes look into the un-regulated and little known world of the water industry. From pumping the water, to plastic production, to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this film trails the path of the bottled water industry and communities where the water is drawn.

Join us for a wine & cheese reception and a ‘bottle exchange’ at 7:00 pm, followed by the movie at 8:00 pm. For the bottle exchange, bring an empty plastic water bottle (… hopefully your last) and get a brand-new steel water bottle from the film’s producers (while supplies last). As a special bonus, Stephanie Soechtig (the Director) and Sarah Olson (the Producer) will be on-site to field questions from the audience. All the details & information about the film is posted to our website: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_SpecialEvents.html.

Space is limited. Advance tickets recommend. Tickets are $10/person online (+ a $2 service charge) or $15.00 at the door (if space permits).

To buy tickets online, visit: https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/106957. To pay at the door, please RSVP to Jeff Cordulack at 203-869-5272 x239.

Director Stephanie Soechtig’s says:  “Not only are we in a water crisis in which 2/3 of the planet will be without drinkable water in just 11 years, but multinational corporations are literally pillaging communities around the country for this precious resource and bottling into the very bottles, which contribute the plastic soup in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.  … Tapped is a story of how one person really can make a difference. Each section of the film tells the story of a David and Goliath battle in which a regular person, like you or me, goes up against a big corporation in order to initiate change in the world, and I want people to walk away from this film knowing that they can make a difference.”

This event is co-sponsored by:

Fairfield Green Food Guide (www.FairfieldGreenFoodGuide.com) Natural Awakenings Fairfield County (www.NaturalAwakeningsFFC.com) Connecticut Fund for the Environment & Save The Sound (www.cfenv.org) Citizen’s Campaign for the Environment (www.citizenscampaign.org)

Sunday, April 25

Composting 202: Going Beyond The Outdoor Pile With Wendy Bounds from the Wall Street Journal 2:30-3:30 pm Audubon Greenwich is pleased to host an acclaimed author and journalist from the Wall Street Journal, Gwendolyn Bounds, for discussion on the many ways to create compost without a traditional outdoor compost pile. Since investigating this topic as a journalist, she has experimented with several methods and had great success turning her spoils into soils. During the presentation, she will discuss results of several methods she tested including worm composting, the “Nature Mill” automatic, indoor plug-in model, a bokashi-based method and a ball-shaped composter called the “e-composter”. She welcomes questions from the audience and will bring in examples of these methods so guests can see various methods for themselves. All ages. Suggested donation: $5. RSVPs are appreciated. To sign up, send an email to jcordulack@audubon.org<mailto:jcordulack@audubon.org>.

Gwendolyn (Wendy) Bounds writes and creates video content about home improvement and housing for The Wall Street Journal with a focus on energy efficiency and green building science. Wendy is also a contributor to ABC’s “Good Morning America” and CNBC. Wendy previously wrote about fashion, publishing, manufacturing and was WSJ’s small business editor from 2004 to 2008. Wendy’s non-fiction book, “Little Chapel on the River,” chronicling her experiences behind the bar at an Irish pub in New York’s Hudson River Valley, was published by William Morrow in 2005. She is a native of North Carolina and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

*****

These events will be held at:

Audubon Greenwich

613 Riversville Road

Greenwich, CT 06831

203-869-5272 x239

http://greenwich.audubon.org

For directions, visit: http://greenwich.audubon.org/AboutUs_Directions.html

To learn more about the “Audubon At Home” Initiative, visit: http://www.audubon.org/bird/at_home/index.html

To access Audubon Greenwich’s Nature Program Calendar with many other walks, hikes and programs, visit: http://greenwich.audubon.org/Programs_Calendar.html