Lettuce Link

Food Policy Week: Federal Legislation

2012-01-27T10:49:00.000-08:00

At Lettuce Link, we combat hunger and injustice by building community, supporting gardeners, and donating to the emergency food system. Donations are necessary - but so is lasting, systemic change.

Loyal blog readers will recall our series last year about the Farm Bill - the collection of federal laws that establish the general direction for America’s farm and food policy.

Two exciting 'marker bills' are currently cycling through Congress that could positively contribute to the next Farm Bill.

Marker bills are legislation written to show support for certain issues, but generally don't ever make it out of committee for a vote on the Senate or House floors. Their purpose is to develop support (such as a legislator co-sponsoring the bill) for the specific measures within these bills, which then have a better chance of making their way into a larger bill (in this case, the Farm Bill). Clear as mud, right? The two we're following closely are:

1) The Local Food, Jobs, and Opportunity Act (S.1773) offers a variety of small policy changes (around conservation, crop insurance, technical assistance, etc.) to assist farmers and ranchers engaged in local and regional agriculture. The bill also assists consumers by improving access to locally grown healthy food and direct and retail markets.We are encouraging our supporters in Washington state to ask Senator Patty Murray to support this bill.

2) Lettuce Link has endorsed the Community Agriculture Development and Jobs Act (HR 3225). This bill offers technical, financial and marketing support for urban agriculture and farmers' markets and works to eliminate food deserts by expanding the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program. We are encouraging our supporters in Washington's 7th congressional district to contact Representative Jim McDermott and ask him to co-sponsor the bill.

For more information about the Farm Bill and how you can get involved, check out the Northwest Farm Bill Action Group.

Register NOW for Hunger Action Day

2012-01-23T10:52:00.000-08:00

At Lettuce Link, we combat hunger and injustice by building community, supporting gardeners, and donating to the emergency food system. Donations are necessary - but so is lasting, systemic change.

We need to enact just policies around food, farming, and government assistance to people living in poverty. So, while the garden is put to bed for the winter, please join us in getting your voice heard.

Following up on last week's post about food policy in WA State, we want to let you know about a great opportunity for policy advocacy. Hunger Action Day on Friday February 3rd is a powerful way of letting your legislators know what you care about. Hundreds of anti-hunger and food justice advocates from across the state come together in Olympia to lobby the legislature on policies that affect people's ability to access healthy and nourishing food. Talking with your legislators and their aides is the most effective way to participate in the democratic process.

Photo from Hunger Action Day 2011

Even if you know your legislator is planning on voting the way you'd like them to, it's important to talk to them. Telling your story can ensure they have an emotional connection to the issue, the same way you do. Legislators like to have language rooted in their constituents' stories to use during discussions. It is our right as citizens to demand our representatives do just that - represent us. And they can only do that if they know what we want.

Hunger Action Day is sponsored by the WA State Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition. To read about this year's legislative priorities, visit their website.

To sign up for Hunger Action Day, click here. In the box where it asks you how you heard about Hunger Action Day, please put Lettuce Link - we want to know how many of you we reached with this blog post!

THIS IS THE LAST WEEK TO REGISTER SO DON'T DELAY!



State Capitol in Olympia

Join us @ Food Movements UNITE! -- rescheduled for FRIDAY

2012-01-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Two delicious opportunities to raise your fists (& glasses!) for food justice this Friday:

-- 5 - 6:30PM HAPPY HOUR, College Inn Pub private room (4006 University Way NE)
Mingle with community partners and meet esteemed guest Eric Holt-Giménez, executive director of Food First. Please come to share about your work and learn from others working to bring about change in food systems around the world and in the Seattle area.

-- 7 - 9PM: FREE PUBLIC LECTURE, at University Heights Center
Come hear Holt-Giménez discuss strategies to build alliances that can transform our food system. He is the Editor of Food Movements Unite!, a new publication on this topic, and has had a remarkable career as an advocate for food justice and sovereignty.

About the book: In communities around the world, the power of the people is at work regaining control of our ailing food systems. According to the latest book from Food First, the global food movement is diverse, widespread, refreshingly creative and tremendously powerful. Food Movements Unite! Strategies to Transform Our Food Systems brings us the words, insights and vision of the remarkable farmers, workers and consumers from rural and urban communities around the globe as they address the critical question: How can we unite to transform the global food system?

*Rosalinda Guillén was scheduled to speak as well, but sadly is no longer able to join us

*Please help spread the word! Facebook event here.

Sponsored by Community Alliance for Global Justice, UW Dept of Urban Planning, Anthropology, & African Studies

Co-sponsored by Alleycat Acres, Cascade Harvest Coalition, Cascadian Edible Landscapes, Central Co-op, The Danny Woo Community Garden, EcoPraxis, GroundUP Organics, Just Garden Project, Lettuce Link/Solid Ground, Readers to Eaters, Real Food Challenge-UW, Seattle Tilth, Social HeARTistry Educators (SHE) for Cultivating Radical Activism Vitality and Education (CRAVE), UFCW Local 21, WA Fair Trade Coalition, Yes! Magazine

Food Policy Week: State Food Assistance

2012-01-13T12:11:00.000-08:00

At Lettuce Link, we combat hunger and injustice by building community, supporting gardeners, and donating to the emergency food system. Donations are necessary - but so is lasting, systemic change.

Washington State: State Food Assistance

We've written before about the State Food Assistance Program, which uses state funds to provide SNAP (food stamp) benefits for legal immigrants who are ineligible for federal food assistance programs. Governor Gregoire's budget proposes eliminating the State Food Assistance Program in July of 2012.

According to a fact sheet from the Washington State Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition, it only takes a loss of $11 per person per week to push a family on a tight budget into hunger. If the State Food Assistance Program is cut, families that rely on this money may loose enough to put them in a dire situation. For more information on this and other legislative agendas for 2012, visit the Washington State Anti-Hunger and Nutrition Coalition and the Children's Alliance

Other safety net programs that are in danger of loosing funding provide cash assistance, medical assistance, housing vouchers, prescription drugs, medical interpretation and other essential services to people living in poverty. While not all government programs on the chopping block are directly food-related, they have a huge impact on people’s ability to provide for their families.

Our colleagues at the Statewide Poverty Action Network have launched a campaign to raise awareness and lobby our legislators called Save Our Safety Net (SOS).

Get Engaged!

Come to a lobby day in Olympia! We’ll be there – will you? If you’ve never been to meet your legislator, this is a great way to get your feet wet!

Poverty Action at the Capitol, Monday, January 16th

Hunger Action Day, Friday, February 3rd

Don’t know who your state legislator is? Find your Congressional District here.

Happy advocating, and stay tuned for more ways to be involved!

Buy Seeds & Support Lettuce Link

2012-01-10T12:30:00.000-08:00

Seed catalogs are responsible for more unfulfilled fantasies than Enron and Playboy combined.

- Michael Perry, Truck: A Love Story

Even though spring feels a long way away, January is the time when gardeners and farmers look ahead to the upcoming growing season. Busting out the seed catalog in January is a time-honored tradition, and we invite you to join us in this annual rite.

This winter we are selling vegetable and flower seed packets as a fundraiser for our program. Consider purchasing seeds for your garden (or the gardener in your life) from Lettuce Link to help support our work.

We are partnering with High Mowing Organic Seeds, a company that has impressed us with their commitment to sustainability and changing the food system. High Mowing offers many delicious varieties of high-quality, certified organic, non-GMO vegetable and flower seeds.

Sounds great! How do I sign up?

Click the image to enlarge

We are selling 25 different varieties of seeds, pictured and described here (click the image to enlarge). Each seed packet costs $3 (a bargain!) and helps ensure everyone in our community has access to fresh, healthy food.

Download, print and fill out this order form. Enclose your payment (cash or check made out to Lettuce Link), and return your order to:

Lettuce Link, Solid Ground

Scott Behmer

1501 North 45th Street

Seattle, WA 98103

We must receive all orders and payment by Tuesday, January 31. We will e-mail you to confirm receipt of payment, and let you know when the seeds are available for pickup at our office in Wallingford (probably mid-February).

Questions? Contact Scott at scottb@solid-ground.org.

2011 and Beyond: Joys, Challenges and New Directions

2012-01-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2012! On these gloomy January days (when we are rather glad to be warm and dry indoors rather than out in the garden), it's a good time to pause and take stock of where we've been and where we're going.

So, without further ado, here are a few of our accomplishments in 2011, made possible by the help of our generous volunteers (over 9,329 volunteer hours!) and financial supporters:

Provided seeds, plant starts and gardening information for 3,695 food bank clients at 23 different locations

Supported gardeners at 49 P-Patches to grow and share over 17,000 pounds of organic produce for food banks and meal programs (with only half of the gardens reporting)

Distributed seeds, starts and resources to 13 community gardens at schools, low-income apartments, food banks and churches

Despite a chilly spring and summer, grew 18,594 pounds of organic produce in the Lettuce Link Giving Garden at Marra Farm to donate to the Providence Regina House and Beacon Avenue food banks

Helped develop and provided seasonal vegetables for South Park’s first Community Kitchen

Held community meetings and garden classes (in 5 languages), built a shed, fences and tables, planted, tended a grew 3,023 pounds of vegetables for the Rainier Valley Food Bank and community work-trade participants in our inaugural season at the Seattle Community Farm!

Taught nutrition, organic gardening and ecology at the Seattle Community Farm and Marra Farm, reaching over 170 children

Harvested 4,605 pounds of local fresh fruit that would otherwise go to waste for food banks and meal programs across the city

Held events to raise $20,000 in needed funds. Thank you Friends of Lettuce Link!

Partnered with Clean Greens, Delridge Neighborhood Development Association, Just Garden Project, Seattle Tilth, UW Department of Urban Design and Planning, Seattle Works, King County Food and Fitness Initiative, the Community Alliance for Global Justice and many others on projects that will increase access to healthy foods for everyone

And yet, as we catch our breath this winter after a busy year, we've found ourselves at a bit of a crossroads. Fewer grants, budget cuts and belt-tightening measures provide an opportunity to reassess our work - what are our program's strengths? What do we do that's unique? How can we continue to grow and change our program to meet community needs, provide wrap-around services for Solid Ground participants and further our anti-racism work?

These are not easy questions, but we're committed to working through them with your support. Here are a few exciting projects to keep an eye out for in 2012:

Building an overhead structure at the Seattle Community Farm, which will allow protection from the elements and make the space more conducive to community gatherings

Continuing our work with the Healthy Foods for South Park project, partnering with the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, Community Coalition for Environmental Justice, Eat Better Feel Better and Concord International Elementary to develop and implement school wellness policies

Expanding our CSA at Marra Farm, to both raise funds for our program and offer a sliding-scale subscription to our neighbors

Advocating for just food policies on the city, state and federal level. Watch this space for details in the next few days!

Thank you for your time, resources and support both this past year and as we boldly stride into 2012 - pushing a wheelbarrow and wearing our rainboots!

The Lettuce Link team - Michelle, Sue, Scott, Robin, Amelia, Mariah and Blair

(with much gratitude to Molly, Kate, Andrea, Sophie and Alice, our staff, AmeriCorps volunteers and interns who have moved on to new adventures)

Marra Farm in 2011: Success, Challenges and Looking Ahead

2011-12-14T14:04:00.000-08:00

As the Giving Garden farmers at Marra Farm transition into hibernation mode until February, we want to recognize our accomplishments and give you a sense of where we’re going next year.

This year, Lettuce Link produced more than 18,500 pounds of produce from our Giving Garden at Marra Farm. These organic vegetables were distributed to a wider-than-ever array of community organizations. We continued to donate the majority of our harvest to the Providence Regina House Food Bank, and also broadened our donation network to include the Beacon Ave Food Bank.

Many of the vegetables that grow abundantly in our cool climate, such as kale, daikon radish, mustard greens and bok choy, are more familiar to families from Vietnam, Cambodia and China. The Beacon Ave Food Bank primarily serves people from these and other Asian countries, so our partnership with them increased our ability to connect food recipients with culturally appropriate vegetables.

In addition to our Giving Garden, we also:

Supported our friends at the SeaMar Community Health Centers and the South Park Community Center with the launch of a bilingual South Park Community Kitchen. Participants came together monthly to prepare and share food from the Marra Farm Giving Garden, while learning new recipes, nutrition and cooking skills.

Painted a mural on our shed!

Educated scores of young gardeners, aged 4 through 11, who came to Marra Farm from SeaMar Child Development Center and Concord International Elementary School for weekly classes this spring. They romped around, nurtured seeds, fed worms and conducted science experiments as well as harvested fresh, organic vegetables for their families. One guardedly optimistic student informed us, “Peas are not that bad.” Click here to watch Amy's video about the pre-kindergarten kids at Marra Farm.

Partnered with the Cooking Matters program at Solid Ground and the South Park Community Center summer day camp to offer another summer of Gardening for Good Nutrition classes to elementary school-aged students. This includes the return of Chef Sue Sheldon's purple vegetable pancakes, developed by Sue and the Marra Farm summer program students in 2009 during an abundant beet harvest. Click here for the recipe - it recently won a national award from Share Our Strength.

Completed our pilot Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) project. As a way to generate a modest amount of revenue, we sold a small percentage of our weekly harvest to paying customers, which usually meant 7-10 items packaged up in snazzy orange bags.

Worked to train 1750 volunteers about food justice, sustainable agriculture, and anti-racism - principles that provide the foundation for our work at Solid Ground. These amazing volunteers devoted nearly 6000 hours in 2011. We are so grateful for your work to improve healthy food access for struggling families as well as educate yourselves on social justice.

As we look ahead, we see challenges and opportunities.

The Giving Garden is infected by the soil disease clubroot (which affects members of the brassica family - including cabbages, radishes, bok choy, kohlrabi, kale, collards, and broccoli). We will be unable to grow these vegetables, which are both well-suited to this climate and popular among many eaters!

Our supporters at BDA Inc have donated the supplies and labor for a 25’x 60’ greenhouse, which we anticipate constructing in the spring of 2012!

Our CSA combined many strands of Lettuce Link’s work: delivery of fresh local produce, recipe sharing and culinary literacy, and education about sustainable agriculture. Furthermore, it offered a small source of revenue, crucial in a time of frugal budgets. As we evaluate and expand our CSA in 2012, we hope to find ways for this model to not just generate income for Lettuce Link, but serve the needs of low-income members of the South Park and White Center communities.

Thank you to all of you who support our work and use our services. We are truly fortunate to work with such an outstanding constellation of people.

~ Amelia and the rest of the Lettuce Link team

Seattle Community Farm wraps up its first season

2011-12-07T11:15:00.000-08:00

Lettuce Link’s newest project, the Seattle Community Farm, completed its first growing season this month. Volunteers spent months preparing the Farm, and we had our first harvest in July. Despite the late start (due to our highly variable weather!), we harvested a grand total of 3023 pounds! 2586 pounds of that went to the Rainier Valley Food Bank, and the rest went to work trade participants. Any volunteers from the neighborhood who struggle to afford fresh vegetables can sign up for a Work Trade. Two hours of volunteer time equals a a bag of produce. This season has been successful overall, and with an earlier start next year we’ll be able to grow even more fresh produce with and for Rainier Valley!

The Farm built up a strong network of regular volunteers this year, and they contributed over 300 hours of volunteer time. We also partnered with local organizations to host work days and field trips for childrens, including Asian Counseling and Referral Services, the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, and Refugee Women’s Alliance. Some of the kids who live next to Farm helped out and enjoyed eating the fresh vegetables and berries!

It was a great first season, and Lettuce Link staff are taking a few weeks to breathe before launching into the excitement of planning for next year.

Interesting SNAP enrollment graphic

2011-11-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

In the news and in our communities, it's becoming obvious that hunger and food insecurity are on the rise. At a time when unemployment is high and many safety net programs are being cut, we know people are struggling. The number of people enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), formerly Food Stamps, provides an interesting measure of food insecurity and hunger in our states. Not everyone who has trouble affording food for themselves and their families is enrolled in the SNAP program, so enrollment numbers show both how many people are struggling with hunger and food insecurity, and how well states are doing at enrolling those people.

A professor at Tufts University's School of Nutrition Science and Policy has put together an interactive graphic that illustrates SNAP enrollment data from 1990 through 2010 in all 50 states and D.C.

Click here for the interactive graphic (screen shot pictured here).

Take a minute to play around with the graphic - there's a lot of information captured there. You can select particular states and watch how enrollment has changed through the past 20 years. You can also color the data according to unemployment %, population, or % of population (rather than number) enrolled in the SNAP program.

A few of interesting trends I noticed are:

WA went from being in the middle and lower end of SNAP enrollment, to being in the upper half just a few years ago, in 2009.
Similarly, WA's % of population enrolled in the SNAP program has gone up steadily over the past 20 years. Whether that is more people in need or better enrollment programs is unclear.
Our nation's capitol - Washington D.C. - has been in the top three for SNAP enrollment since 1995

What do you notice?

SNAP and other food assistance programs are all funded under the Farm Bill. You can refer to previous posts on this blog (under the label Advocacy) or the Northwest Farm Bill Action Group's website for more information on this incredibly important piece of legislation.

Rally for a Fairer Farm Bill -- TODAY!

2011-11-21T20:36:00.001-08:00

Supporters of Lettuce Link --

The Northwest Farm Bill Action Group is hosting a RALLY for a FAIRER FARM BILL -- and it's TODAY at 2pm at Victor Steinbrueck Park (directly north of Pike's Place market). Prior to the rally, supporters and members of NWFBAG will present Senator Patty Murray's King County Director with hundreds of signed postcards from farmers and urban constituents who are advocating for a more just food system that provides for communities, farmers, markets, and ecosystems. Join NWFBAG in demanding that we:

• capping and reforming commodity subsidies

• prioritizing working lands conservation programs

• reinvesting in innovative, job-creating programs for rural economic development, local and regional food systems, renewable energy, organic farming, and young and beginning farmers

• raising revenue, making cuts to non-safety net programs, and exempting safety net programs from reductions -- three crucial approaches to justly reducing the deficit.

How does this relate to Lettuce Link's work?

The Farm Bill is the country’s main food and farm legislation. A multi-year bill, it funds commodity subsidies, crop insurance, conservation programs, food stamps, and many other programs. One specific relationship: the Seattle Community Farm's start-up costs were funded a Community Food Project grant -- Farm Bill money. But more broadly, Lettuce Link's work responds to many of the Bill's darker sides. These include:

~funding commodity agriculturists instead of sustainable farmers

~supporting growers of monocrop corn, wheat and soy but offering no subsidies to growers of fruit or vegetables

~centralizing food production in a way that disassociates most of us -- and especially those of us who live in cities -- from the labor and methods of growing food.

Learn more about the Farm Bill through some of our earlier blog posts (1) and (2) and (3), then come rally with NWFBAG for a fairer, healthier, and tastier food system!! If you aren't able to be at this rally but would like to support the policy priorities of NWFBAG, please find information for calling legislators here.

Be our new VISTA Gleaning Coordinator!

2011-11-18T10:00:00.000-08:00

Are you passionate about community food security, gleaning, gardening and community building? Come join the Lettuce Link team through the Rotary First Harvest's Harvest Against Hunger AmeriCorps*VISTA position.

Lettuce Link AmeriCorps*VISTA Gleaning Coordinator
This position will work in collaboration with community groups to expand participation in fruit tree gleaning and growing food for Seattle area food banks and meal programs, working with the Community Fruit Tree Harvest and the P-Patch Giving Gardens.

Specific responsibilities include volunteer recruitment, community outreach and program coordination. This is a good fit for you if you:

Have an interest in working with people from a variety of racial, cultural and economic backgrounds.
Have worked with volunteer organizations and/or the emergency food system.
Are highly organized and self-directed with the ability to speak to groups.
Can work independently and collaboratively and juggle many different projects.
Are committed to diversity, undoing racism, innovation and community-building.
Can work weekends and occasional evenings during the growing season (with time off in exchange).
Like to work in an office as well as an outdoor environment, including working in hot or cold conditions, and can lift 30-50 pounds regularly during the harvest.
Are comfortable with web-based social networking technology.

Full job description located here.

This AmeriCorps*VISTA position is for 12 months, starting January 30, 2012. Volunteers receive a living stipend, education award at completion of service, student loan deferment, health benefits and childcare assistance.

The positions are open to applicants until December 23, 2011 (applications reviewed as received). Please both apply online and send your resume and a cover letter that explains your interest and fit for the position to benjamin@firstharvest.org.

Don't forget: Our friends at Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop have created a tasty Seasonal 10 sandwich, Turkey + Red Pepper Relish, and 10% of the proceeds from the sandwich will go to Lettuce Link. Stop by one of their shops in Fremont, Queen Anne, or Capitol Hill this fall for a delicious treat, and thank them for supporting Lettuce Link!

Fruit Tree Harvest Wrap-Up

2011-11-15T14:09:00.001-08:00

Many, many thanks to all our volunteers for what has been an amazing fruit harvest season!

Under the capable leadership of Molly, our Harvest Against Hunger VISTA, volunteers harvested 4,605 pounds of fruit for 21 different food banks, shelters, meal programs, and other community organizations in Seattle. That's over 11,500 servings of fruit which would have otherwise gone to waste!*

In this season of giving thanks, we are so thankful for Molly's leadership and service this past year. We will miss her cheerful volunteer e-mails, complicated tracking spreadsheets, and willingness to harvest fruit in the rain. Not to mention the adorable knitted vegetables she creates. We wish her well in her next farming endeavors!

Molly Woodring talks about theCommunity Fruit Tree Harvest(produced on Vimeo by Basil Weiner, Harvest Against Hunger VISTA).

What will next year’s fruit harvest bring? Hopefully lots of plums! But in terms of staffing, it looks like we will once again have a Harvest Against Hunger AmeriCorps*VISTA member at Lettuce Link. If all goes according to plan, this person will be on board by the end of January and will start work with the P-Patch Giving Gardens in the spring.

On behalf of the food banks, meal programs and clients who received, fresh, Seattle grown fruit the season, our thanks to Molly and all our fruit tree harvest volunteers!

~~~

If you'd like to harvest fruit in your community next season, please contact fruitharvest@solid-ground.org. Or if you need help harvesting your extra fruit for donation, please contact the Seattle Tilth Garden Hotline at 206.633.0224 or help@gardenhotline.org.

*Based on an average of 2.5 cups of fruit per pound

Celebrating Food Day at Marra Farm

2011-11-10T14:52:00.001-08:00

Food Day -- sounds like a rough description of many holidays, right? National Food Day was indeed all about eating, but the 2,300 groups participating in this nation-wide day of action were hungry for more than a special meal. Across the United States, organizations working in the fields of nutrition, anti-hunger, garden education, sustainability, farm worker justice, and more held events to spark conversation and action around our food system.

At the Marra Farm giving garden, we welcomed more than 120 young students from Concord International Elementary and Somali Community Services Coalition. Together with our partners from Healthy Foods for South Park, we harvested pumpkins, pressed apples into fresh cider, and helped put the garden to bed for the winter. Some of these students had come down to the farm last spring to plant the very pumpkin plants that they harvested on Food Day, which they had started from seed into their classrooms.

Youth from Somali Community Services meet "Tiny", our friendly tromboncino squash.

One my favorite lessons to learn with new visitors is that everything we eat was once alive. Whether it's a head of lettuce, a cheeseburger, or even a can of soda pop, we can trace everything back to plants. Several visitors felt a little nervous about sampling fresh apple cider because it didn't come in a package, which is a very justified way to feel given the way our food system disconnects all of us from the farms and people that grow the stuff we eat. Marra Farm is a place where we intervene in that system to revive and embrace the relationship between humans and food. Not everyone felt comfortable sampling cider on Food Day, and that's okay. Maybe next time, or next next time ... it's a long process and we're all learning together.

First grind the apples (left), and then press the pulp into cider, and finally take a long, sweet sip (if you dare!).

Thanks to all the students, parents, teachers, and volunteers who joined us on Food Day!

Marra Farm is letting forth a big yawn as winter approaches, but we're not sleeping yet. Please contact us at lettucelink@solid-ground.org if you'd like to help out with our last work parties of the season.

How to hack a hubbard squash

2011-11-03T14:18:00.000-07:00

We grew many different varieties of winter squash at Marra Farm this year: divine delicatas, charismatic kabochas, and absolutely-scrumptious acorns. Throughout the autumn, we harvested up these squashes and sent them to clients at the Providence Regina House and Beacon Ave food banks. One squash that we seemed to have in particular abundance was the tremendously hefty Hubbard. These were a challenge to distribute; they frequently weigh more than 20 pounds, and food safety rules at prevented us from cutting them into smaller pieces for food bank clients. So the hubbards went out to many partners: the South Park Community Kitchen, meals programs, classrooms at Concord International Elementary, and the Food Justice delegation at Occupy Seattle. Below is an illustrated journey into the seedy heart of this great fruit. This particular squash went out to clients of our inaugural Community Supported Agriculture program.

Step one: find yourself a very sharp knife.

Caaarefully open the hubbard; the skin is tough (but edible & full of fiber!)

Squish around the seeds, scoop em out, and set aside for roasting. Now your squash is ready to bake.

Bake your squash at 400 degrees for about 40 minutes, or chunk it into cubes for soup. Many people will put the squash face down in a pan with water, so that the squash cooking via steaming and does not burn. Did you know that most canned "pumpkin" is really hubbard squash? That's because hubbards tend to be sweeter & more flavorful than most pumpkins. Feel free to leave a comment with your favorite winter squash recipe!

Picardo Glean-Out

2011-11-01T14:07:00.000-07:00

photo by Julie St. George

What better way to say goodbye to short-season gardening at the Picardo Farm P-Patch than with an unseasonably warm and sunny Glean Out Day?

For decades, Picardo has stood out not only as Seattle's oldest and largest P-Patch, but also as the only one with short-season plots. Glean Out Day is a tradition tied to these plots, which until now have occupied the southern half of the 2 ¼ acre P-Patch. Each year P-Patch gardeners, community volunteers, and a Lettuce Link crew have gathered on the last day of the short-season to glean produce for donation before the area is rototilled and planted in cover crop for the winter.

photo by Julie St. George

This year's Glean Out on October 15th showcased the very best of P-Patches: plenty of delicious fruits and veggies, lots of enthusiastic volunteers, and great company! While some folks moved across the field filling wheelbarrows with greens, searching for forgotten squash, and even unearthing a few potato plots, others worked to keep up with washing, sorting and weighing the bounty. We have pages and pages of data to get through before we'll know exactly how many pounds were harvested, but there was enough produce to keep us busy from 9am until 3pm! The North Helpline food bank, Silvercrest Senior residences, and the Seattle Union Gospel Mission all received carloads of vegetables.

But what does next year hold for Picardo? The planning process is ongoing, but there's talk of an increased number of food bank plots, an expanded children's garden, and of course, the opportunity to grow food year-round for many current plotholders. So while there won't be a big Glean Out day next year, we are confident that Picardo gardeners will continue to uphold their legacy of Growing and Giving thousands of pounds of produce each year!

If you have extra home-grown veggies, please see our Where to Donate sheet for food bank hours and donation guidelines. If you'd like to volunteer with a P-Patch in your neighborhood, please contact Molly at mollyw@solid-ground.org.

Restore Lettuce Link's City Funding!

2011-10-25T16:07:00.000-07:00

Portion of a Marra Farm harvest for Providence Regina House Food Bank
August 2011, photo by Steve Tracy

Lettuce Link friends and supporters -

We have an urgent ask of you. Our funding from the City of Seattle was reduced by $17,000 and we need your help in asking that it be restored! There are two ways you can help:

Come to the City Budget Hearing and be counted!
Wednesday, October 26th, 5:30 pm
Council Chambers, 2nd floor Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Ave. 98104

Contact Seattle City Council Budget Committee Chair Jean Godden (206.684.8807; Jean.Godden@seattle.gov).

A few talking points for phone or e-mail messages to Councilwoman Godden:

Solid Ground's Lettuce Link program's budget was reduced in the Mayor's 2012 budget by $17,000 - we are asking the City Council to restore those funds.

Lettuce Link contributes over 50,000 pounds annually of fresh, organic vegetables and fruit to the emergency food system through our Giving Gardens and Fruit Tree Harvest

A personal experience you've had with Lettuce Link as a client, supporter or volunteer.

Thank you! Thank you! ~ Michelle and the Lettuce Link team

----------------------------

Another way to support Lettuce Link: Our friends at Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop have created a tasty Seasonal 10 sandwich, Turkey + Red Pepper Relish, and 10% of the proceeds from the sandwich will go to Lettuce Link. Stop by one of their shops in Fremont, Queen Anne, or Capitol Hill this fall for a delicious treat, and thank them for supporting Lettuce Link!

The photogenic Marra Farm Harvest, 10/14

2011-10-20T17:35:00.000-07:00

Can you name em all? As always, thanks to superstar volunteer Steve Tracy for the beautiful photos. We'll be harvesting every Friday til the end of November -- come join us!

Contact Robin at lettucelink@solid-ground.org

The arrival of fall vegetables

2011-10-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

The days are shorter, the rains are starting up, and there's a chill in the air; it's definitely fall. And with the changing season comes a whole array of delicious fall vegetables! Here are a few interesting recipes for things you may find in your garden this fall.

SPICY SQUASH & RED LENTIL SOUP

from Pike Place’s Brimming Basket newsletter

Serves 8

6 cups cubed, peeled winter squash

¾ cup red lentils

2 T. canola oil

1 cup chopped onion

5 large garlic cloves, minced

1 cup chopped celery

salt to taste

2 t. curry powder

½ t. coriander

¼ t. ground nutmeg

cayenne to taste

3 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. tomato paste

2 cups milk (optional)

Cook squash and lentils in 5 cups of water in a large soup pot until tender, 20-25 minutes.
Working in batches, puree the squash, lentils, and cooking water in a food processor or blender.

Return puree to the pot and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Sauté the onion, garlic and celery until tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the sautéed vegetables to the soup pot.

Stir in spices and lemon juice.

Heat soup to simmer.
Add tomato and milk if desired and simmer 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

Marinated Carrots

This dish can be used as a garnish, a salad or snack

Makes 3 cups

1 pound carrots
2 ½ T. lemon juice
½ t. Dijon mustard or other grainy mustard
¼ cup olive oil
1 green onion, chopped (include green top)
1 T. chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Scrub and peel carrots.
Julienne, log or slice.
Blanch carrots in 1quart boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until barely tender.

Drain.

In a small bowl, stir together the lemon juice and mustard.
Using a fork or small whisk, beat in olive oil a little at a time.
Add onions, parsley and garlic.
Pour over warm carrots.

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Refrigerate 6 to 8 hours or overnight.

Fried Green Tomatoes

A southern classic

4 to 6 green tomatoes, sliced ¼ inch thick

Salt and pepper

Flour for dusting

2 eggs, beaten

Cornmeal to coat the tomato slices

Vegetable oil

Salt and pepper the tomato slices
Dust tomato slices lightly with flour
Dip slices into beaten egg, letting excess drip off
Then coat well with corn meal
Fry in hot oil until browned, turning gently (about 3 minutes each side)

Keep warm in a low oven (200° to 250°) if frying in batches.

Community Fruit Tree Harvest update!

2011-10-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

Last year's disappointing fruit year left many of us gun shy this year. We fretted over the fickle weather and lamented the lack of fruit in July and early August. Surely we were in for another slow, slow year!

But just when we were starting to give up hope, summer—and the fruit it brings—arrived fashionably late. Luckily, we were ready with a fantastic team of volunteer Harvest Leaders ready to organize harvests in their neighborhoods and even more volunteers eager to pick! And of course, local food banks are excited to reap the bounty of Seattle's fruit trees.

All in all it's a winning combination, and we've harvested close to 4000 lbs of fruit so far. Although we’ve moved on to apples and grapes now, there were a few weeks when the Italian prune-plums kept us busy. This is a fantastic change from last year, when prune-plums were few and far between!

In fact, visiting trees that had almost no crop to speak of last year and walking away with pounds and pounds of fruit is an incredible reminder of the cyclical nature of, well, nature. I often laugh at the irony that the tree owners I talk to are either shocked to hear that others have fruit because they have none, or are shocked that others have none because their trees are loaded with fruit. It is laughable, but it's also fundamental to the fruit harvest—communities coming together to share the bounty and the burden.

If you'd like to harvest in your community, please contact Molly at fruitharvest@solid-ground.org or 206.694.6751. Or if you need help harvesting your extra fruit for donation, please contact the Seattle Tilth Garden Hotline at 206.633.0224 or help@gardenhotline.org.

A few Odds and Ends from the Lettuce Link World

2011-09-22T18:37:00.000-07:00

Mmm, the perfect sandwich for a September lunch

On the delicious food front:

Our friends at Homegrown just introduced a new seasonal sandwich, and ten percent of the proceeds benefit Lettuce Link! Get yourself to one of their stores in Fremont, Capitol Hill or Queen Anne and try the Turkey + Red Pepper Relish sandwich. If you are not a turkey-lover, purchase the seasonal sandwich for that special someone in your life, and then check out their delicious variety of other sandwiches for yourself, including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options. While at Homegrown, you can also admire (or purchase!) the beautiful photography on the walls, taken by our own dedicated Marra Farm volunteer Steve Tracy. That bare wall in your kitchen really needs a matted photo of red tomatoes to brighten up the gray days.

On the pole-picker front:

A volunteer with Lettuce Link's Community Fruit Tree Harvest has an apple-picking adventure.

On the advocacy front:

Our friends at the Magnuson Children's Garden brought our attention to potential cuts at the Magnuson Community Center. Their upcoming Fall Harvest Celebration is one of many events and programs put on the center that are now in jeopardy of being cut.

Governor Gregoire called for a special session of the legislature and more than $2 billion in budget cuts. It's going to be a long and brutal session - be sure to contact your legislators in the upcoming weeks about the issues most important to you and your community.

Food Lifeline urges you to contact Senator Patty Murray, one of 12 people on the new Federal Joint Committee charged with creating a plan to reduce the federal deficit, urging her to protect vital programs, including SNAP (also known as food stamps).

On the Icelandic travel front:

A former Lettuce Link intern was recently awarded a Watson Fellowship to "study how local food systems in Madagascar, Greece, India and Iceland support a sense of geographical and ecological stability, create community ties and place a country in a global context." We're not completely sure what that entails, but are definitely enjoying reading her blog and learning about Icelandic cuisine as she travels through the country and visits fish processing plants, sheep farmers, dairies and more.

Outdoor Movie Night at Marra Farm 2011

2011-09-14T14:37:00.000-07:00

For the 2010 Marra Farm Outdoor Movie, it rained. And not just a little rain - it was a torrential downpour for the ENTIRE evening. We had a few intrepid attendees huddle under canopies to watch the film, but everyone was damp and cold by the end of the night.

I, personally, felt that the universe owed us big time after that. And lo and behold, we could not have asked for a more beautiful evening to host the fourth annual Marra Farm Outdoor Movie.

After a warm day, the air cooled down to a pleasant temperature, and over 80 people joined us under the stars and amid the corn at Marra Farm for the Seattle premier screening of The Greenhorns, a film about a new generation of young farmers.

We hosted farm tours and ate delicious sandwiches from Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop and goodies baked by Lettuce Link volunteers. Before the movie, there was Lettuce Link trivia with fresh vegetable for prizes, and an introduction to the film by Becky Warner, a former Marra Farm volunteer and farm intern at the Oxbow Center for Sustainable Agriculture and the Environment in Carnation.

Becky shared about her career switch from software developer to farmer and why she feels passionately about growing food. She also gave us some information about the Young Farmers Coalitions - both nationally and here in Washington. There's even an annual Mixer coming up in Olympia on October 3rd, open to all - young and beginning farmers, future farmers, mentor farmers, and farmer friends (anyone reading this blog qualifies) from around the state.

And then we watched the film:

Missed the screening? Never fear! Central Co-op is sponsoring a screening on October 24th at Northwest Film Forum, and Seattle Tilth will be showing it October 26th at the Good Shepherd Center.

Unfortunately you did miss out on the amazing experience of watching a film about farming on a farm. But mark your calendars now - the fifth annual Marra Farm Outdoor Movie will most likely be September 8, 2012!

Special thanks to Wallingford Meaningful Movies for their invaluable help in providing the equipment and technological expertise.

Upcoming Events: September 2011

2011-09-02T13:49:00.000-07:00

It feels like summer has just begun, but September is here and that means harvest season is, too! We've been busy harvesting at Marra Farm, at the Seattle Community Farm, and in neighborhoods all over Seattle with the Community Fruit Tree Harvest.

If you're looking for something to do, we'd love to see you at a work party or at one of these great events:

Saturday, September 3: Blues for Food Fest
Magnuson Park, 12-8pm
A celebration of food, music and community that benefits the P-Patch Trust and the Washington Blues Society. Lettuce Link will be there collecting donations of fresh produce for local food banks. Tickets are $20 ($10 for youth) and can be purchased online or at the door.

Thursday, September 8: Final film in CARW's Immigration Outdoor Film Series
302 27th Ave in the Central District, 8pm
Join the Coalition of Anti-Racist Whites (CARW) for a screening of Immokalee USA, "a film that documents the present-day exploitation of labor in Florida's farmlands--a history of slavery and peonage that dates back to Spanish conquest and persists into the present day." A $5 suggested donation goes to support the May 1 Action Coalition--bring a little extra for snacks and beverages.

Saturday, September 10: Seattle Tilth Harvest Fair
Meridian Park, 10am-4pm
Celebrate harvest season with workshops, demonstrations, and activities for all ages. There will be music, plenty of tasty food, and a farmers market. Don't forget to buy extra produce to donate at Lettuce Link's BEET Hunger booth!

Saturday, September 10: Outdoor Movie at Marra Farm
Marra Farm (9026 4th Ave S), 6:30-9:30pm
Join us for the Seattle premiere of The Greenhorns, a documentary that explores the lives of young farmers in the U.S. The $10 ticket price includes a tour of the farm, delicious appetizers from Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop, and the movie!

Harvests Begin at the Seattle Community Farm

2011-09-01T10:44:00.000-07:00

A month ago, we had our first harvest at the Seattle Community Farm. That one weighed in at just under 6 pounds, and in four weeks we've gotten all the way up to a harvest of 132 pounds.So far our harvest total is 321 pounds, and we expect that to keep growing.

So far we've harvested a lot of lettuce and basil, collards, radishes, beets, turnips, a few kohlrabi, tomatoes and lots of green beans. We're also bringing in zucchini and cucumbers, including some lovely looking lemon cucumbers. The turnips will be coming soon, and carrots not too long after that.

Our harvests go to both work trade participants (people who might not otherwise be able to afford fresh produce) and the Rainier Valley Food Bank.

Now comes the fun part - figuring out what to do with the vegetables. Chard is new to some people, while others have never eaten radishes. We're going to have a few potlucks and meals at the farm where people can teach each other how to cook the veggies that we grow. Farming is about eating, after all, and eating is best when its shared with friends and neighbors.

Annual Garden Party Fundraiser a Huge Success!

2011-08-24T18:39:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, August 6, over 40 friends of Lettuce Link gathered at Farmer Sue McGann’s beautiful home and garden to celebrate the program’s successes and demonstrate their support for the continuing importance of growing and giving. The event raised over $3000 from individual and matching donations, and we are incredibly thankful to everyone who generously contributed!

Tania draws the raffle winners

We are also extremely grateful to the local businesses who contributed in-kind donations which helped to make the evening such a success. Brouwer’s Cafe, Cloud City Coffee, Dahlia Spa, Kitchen N Things, The Massage Sanctuary, Seattle Coffee Works, and Tall Grass Bakery all donated items to the raffle.

Food and drinks were provided by The Calf and Kid Artisan Cheese Shop, Central Co-op, Dry Soda, The Essential Baking Company, Homegrown Sustainable Sandwich Shop, Ken’s Market, Molly Moon’s Ice Cream, Naked City Brewery and Taphouse, PCC Natural Markets (Fremont), Tall Grass Bakery, Trader Joe’s (U. District), Wheatless in Seattle and of course fresh produce from Marra Farm. Many thanks to all of these donors for demonstrating their commitment to community here in Seattle!

Stacy and Farmer Sue

Over the course of the evening, Lettuce Link supporters had the opportunity to marvel at Farmer Sue’s bountiful backyard garden and meet other advocates for a just and sustainable local food system, before hearing from Lettuce Link program manager Michelle Bates-Benetua and Seattle City Council President Richard Conlin.

Raffle winners received fabulous prizes, some donors had a chance to take home delicious Marra Farm honey, and we hope that everyone left with full, happy bellies and renewed enthusiasm for what we can achieve as a community working together. We were certainly inspired by the generosity of our local supporters, and are grateful for the reminder that we couldn’t do it without you!

Check out our new friend and supporter Stacy's blog post about the evening and how she's inspired to start a Giving Garden in her yard!

Marra Farm, 7.29.11

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

Slowly ripening tomatoes, beans, zucchini, cabbage and more!

Amelia weighs cabbage -
we'll miss her smile and sunny attitude!

Our harvests go to the Providence Regina House Food Bank, the Beacon Avenue Food Bank and the South Park/SeaMar Community Kitchen.

The entire set can be viewed here. Thanks once again to Marra Farm volunteer Steve Tracy for his beautiful photographs.

Inspired? Come join us on Fridays from 10am-2pm at Marra Farm for harvesting, washing and being outside on a sunny summer day.