Here's the Kickstarter for Salem . . . a cheesemaker's factory in Independence!

These are great people with a great product.  Let's help them get re-established so they can continue to supply awesome cheese for us in Salem (go to Lifesource or Cascade Baking Co. to find it if you haven't tried it).

The Mrs. and I met at the University of Wisconsin
(state motto: "Come and Freeze in the Land of Cheese"), so we tend to feel like we know good cheese. And anyone who looks at me immediately can tell that I still have a thing for great cheese.

And the Full Circle Creamery cheese is EXTRAORDINARY.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/633809969/full-circle-creamery-builds-independence-creamery

Grains growing again in Willamette Valley

A beautiful day in the Valley today, especially in Shedd, where the 2013 "Stock Your Pantry" event brought many local farmers together to sell direct to happy people like us, who took home a wonderful box of Fuji apples, 20# of terrific organic rolled oats from Greenwillow Grains, 5# of locally grown wild rice from Running Wild, and two giant blocks of the always-amazing and delicious cheese from Full Circle Creamery (nice story about them here).

We are still fully stocked up on wheat berries and flour, so we didn't need to buy anything from this fascinating farm family below, a nice lady and her husband, who was a professor of ecology and natural resources who retired from Rice University and returned to farm on 12 lovely acres in Albany.  We're eager to try their stuff as soon as we next need flour.  Note their great vision for their small holding:  To participate in the 21st-Century reinvention of small-scale agriculture, building on the perspective (and limitations) of our age and experience to create a sustainable subsistence farm.

Affordable Permaculture Class in Salem! Starts 10-22-13

Brighid's Circle, LLC is offering a Permaculture Design Certification Course, right here in Salem. See details below-

A Permaculture Design Course teaches how to design ethical, self sustaining food growing, water, housing, and energy systems of any size. Create a design to feed your family or work as a consultant for others.

Full Permaculture Design Certificate Course offered for donation of only $10-$20 per class.

1 class per week. 24 weeks. Call for more information or to reserve your seat, 503-449-8077.

Presented by Brighid's Circle, LLC.

Instructor L. June studied permaculture with world renowned permaculture designer & instructor, Geoff Lawton, of PRI, Australia.

Permaculture is "Earth Care, People Care, and Return of Surplus," creating systems that are not only sustainable, but also enriching to the soil and all life.


 Classes begin:
In Salem, October 22nd, 6:30-9:30pm, @ 5090 Center Street NE, Salem, OR 97317

For more info visit:
facebook.com/brighidscircle
brighidscircle.wordpress.com

At Brighid's Circle we believe people need permaculture, not just to create a sustainable future, but also to feed our families and communities now. We offer permaculture design courses on a sliding scale at a fraction of the usual course prices.

Fruit Tree Pruning: an important skill for the future

Amy.Garrett@oregonstate.edu

Wonderful late fall dinner @ Pringle Creek Community

 In case your eyes are as bad as mine and struggle with low-contrast printing, it says:

Dinner with Pringle Creek
Join us for a dinner with Pringle Creek

We would like to invite you to join us for the second in a series of local eating events at Pringle Creek Community. This month our menu centers around foods from the Root Cellar, produce coming out of our garden & orchards with several supplements coming from vendors in and around Salem.

If you are interested in hearing more about what we are doing here at Pringle Creek, or you're just looking for a good meal, come to our Dinner at Pringle Creek

Friday, November 30th at 6:00pm.

 Our menu for the evening is $15 for Vegetarians and $20 for Omnivores with proceeds going to support our garden & orchard programs.

Space is limited, so RSVP as soon as possible either by email to info@pringlecreek.com or by phone at (503) 315-1055.

Autumn Harvest Menu

Appetizer
Spinach Puffs

Soup
Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

Entree
Pumpkin Shepherds Pie

Dessert
Apple Gallete
Pringle Creek Community, 3911 Village Center Dr, Salem, Oregon 97302

We live in a wonderful state for eaters

Oregon: Thanks to our land use laws and dedicated watchdogs
"No Farms No Food" should not be an issue

Hey Locavores, Wine Lovers: Harvest Moon Dinner at GeerCrest Farm

Funky display? Click here

Join us at Historic Geercrest, a sesquicentennial farm, for a farm sourced, chef prepared

dinner in celebration of fall!

Harvest Moon Dinner at GeerCrest Farm Experience the third meal of the day in a whole new way. GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society invites you to a taste experience you won't forget as we offer up our bountiful summer harvest, invite a guest chef to work their magic, and present a 4 course dinner paired with 4 local wines. With our historic farmhouse and 20 peaceful acres as the ultimate outdoor venue, you are sure to savor the experience of dinner at GeerCrest. Saturday, September 29th 6:00pm $80 per person Seating is limited. Reserve your seat today! RSVP

Once and future history of Oregon

One of the greatest gems in this area is Geercrest Farm, a sesquicentennial farm on Sunnyview Road in the Waldo Hills between Salem and Silverton, where GeerCrest Farm and Historical Society is making great headway in preserving and bringing this irreplaceable treasure into the future, providing a place where the future pioneers of Post-Carbon Oregon can reskill and learn how the last generations thrived in the era before fossil fuel farming took over.

Upcoming Events:

"Annotated Cartoons By Davenport"
Book Release Party - Saturday, August 25 – 6:00 pm

The Davenport Project and GeerCrest Farm & Historical Society are pleased to announce a special Book Release Party to celebrate the publication of “The Annotated Cartoons by Davenport.”

This event, set for Saturday, August 25, at 6:00 pm is to honor the many backers of our recent “Kickstarter” Fund Raising campaign, that made the publication possible. Folks who donated $25 or more during the Kickstarter Campaign are the honored guests of the evening. Others may attend for $30 per person. Please do RSVP to the farm via phoneat 503-873-3406 or Email.

During the evening, light refreshments, beer and wine will be available. Gus Frederick, the book’s researcher and compiler will be on hand to autograph copies, which will be available for purchase for $15, a 25% discount off of the cover price of $20, for this event only. Additionally, a short presentation by Frederick will provide some historical context to Davenport, the Gilded Age and how reprographics technology enabled a local country boy from Silverton, Oregon to become the highest paid cartoonist in the world.

In 1898, Homer Davenport published Cartoons By Davenport, a collection of over 80 cartoons which originally appeared in William Randolph Hearst’s New York Evening Journal. It was a large format work, with hardbound cover and an introduction by Senator John J. Ingalls, (R-Kansas).

Over 100 years later, Davenport historian Gus Frederick researched, compiled and reprinted a fully annotated edition of this historic work. The faces and the issues behind Davenport’s witty, satiric caricatures were teased out in a cartoon-by-cartoon commentary.

This revised, expanded edition will number just under 200 pages, and measure slightly over 8 by 10 inches. “Annotated Cartoons by Davenport” will be the first publication of The Liberal University Press, based out of Silverton, Oregon.

A wonderful resource, now with an online option

Professional and Noncredit Education
4943 The Valley Library
Corvallis, OR 97331-4504
541-737-8634
learn@oregonstate.edu

Yardening wins another round

Great stuff here.

More great stuff at Marion-Polk Food Share: Food Preservation and Community Cooking Classes

Upcoming Food Preservation Classes from OSU Extension Services 

2012 FOOD PRESERVATION CLASSES
in the Mid-Willamette Valley 

All classes begin at 6:00 PM. Pre-registration is required; space is limited. 

Cost: $10.00 per session. Pre-registration and pre-payment required. Contact debra.driscoll@oregonstate.edu or tonya.johnson@oregonstate.edu





Salem: Marion-Polk Food Share

• Tuesday, July 24 - Preserving Fruits 
• Tuesday, August 14 - Preserving Tomatoes and Salsa 
• Tuesday, September 18 - Pressure Canning

 Community Kitchen Classes

 

Magic Marinara – Tuesday, July 10, 5:30-7:00 p.m., $10

Instructor Dawn Manke has a magnificent recipe that she describes as “so simple and versatile it’s genius!”  Roasting seasonal vegetables right out of the garden, she will teach you to create some frugal and healthy variations on a basic marinara that is equally at home as a sauce for pasta or as a basis for chili or a yummy salsa verde. Class will include a light supper. 

Register through Friday, July 6 by calling Kat Daniel at Marion-Polk Food Share, 503-581-3855 extension 322.  Class limit: 10.

 Kids in the Kitchen – Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue, 
Tuesday, July 17, 4:30-5:30 p.m., FREE

Join OSU Extension Summer Intern Amy Comer to learn to make some red, white, and blue food that is both fun and good for you!  Bring your mom or dad to the Community Kitchen to help you create a fruit flag, Patriotic Parfait, and Cranberry/Blueberry muffins.  Class size is limited to 10 children plus their parent helpers.

Register by calling Kat Daniel at Marion-Polk Food Share, 503-581-3855 extension 322, no later than Friday, July 13.

Waste Not, Want Not
Wednesday, July 25, 5:30-7:00 p.m., $10

Tim Branaman presents a healthy way to stretch vegetable “scraps” into a delicious Portuguese vegetable (vegan) soup that you can stretch even further with the addition of staples from your kitchen. Join Tim for a step-by-step demo and then a light supper of soup and quinoa salad:  a nice boost of protein after your busy day.
 
Register by calling Kat Daniel at Marion-Polk Food Share, 503-581-3855 extension 322, no later than Friday, July 20.  Class limit: 10

Vertical Veg – inspiring and supporting food growing in tiny spaces

Urban farmers unite!  The only way to grow is up!

Maybe your last chance for community garden plots for Summer

community gardens boston, mass. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Still time for plenty of good growing if you hurry!
There are two new gardens open for your use!

St. Francis Community Garden 1820 Berry St. SE, Salem, OR
8’x4’ plots, $10 for the season, or $15 for two.
Contact Claudia Howells: 503-363-6587

Salem SDA Community Garden 4625 Cordon Rd., Salem, OR
10’ x 10’ plots, $10 for the season.
Contact Berta Mirandez: (503) 409-2014

Other gardens with availability:

Fuente de Vida 3295 Ladd Ave. NE
Coordinator: Pamela Lyons-Nelson

Hammond Community Garden 4900 Bayne St. NE
Coordinator: Michelle Bertholf 503-463-5975

Julie's Garden 590 Elma St. SE
Coordinator: Cindy Kimball 503-385-1876

Southeast Salem Neighborhood Garden 410 19th St. SE
Coordinators: Marcia Hoak & Nicole McDavid 971-208-5402

West Salem Boys & Girls Club Community Garden 925 Gerth St. NW
Coordinator: Erin Boers 503-779-5912

For those with more gardening urge than space

From the good folks in Marion-Polk Food Share's Community Gardens program:

Hello folks.

A few gardens in the area still have available plots. See below for gardens with availability. Contact the listed coordinator to rent a plot. Plot sizes and prices vary.

For gardens outside Salem/Keizer, scroll down.

Salem & Keizer

Northeast Salem

Fuente de Vida
3295 Ladd Ave. NE
Coordinator: Pamela Lyons-Nelson
plnelson@teleport.com

Hammond Community Garden
4900 Bayne St. NE
Coordinator: Michelle Bertholf
hammondptc@yahoo.com
503-463-5975

Highland Neighborhood Garden
Corner of Hazel and Columbia NE
Coordinator: Cassy Hedberg & Karen Hill
chadcassy@comcast.net


South Salem

Julie's Garden
590 Elma St. SE
Coordinator: Cindy Kimball
whiteoakridge@juno.com
503-385-1876

Southeast Salem Neighborhood Garden
410 19th St. NE
Coordinators: Marcia Hoak & Nicole McDavid
marcia25@comcast.net
971-208-5402


West Salem

West Salem Boys & Girls Club Community Garden
925 Gerth St. NW
Coordinator: Erin Boers
boers.erin@gmail.com
503-779-5912


Keizer

John Knox Community Garden
452 Cummings Lane N
Coordinator: Mary Jo Emmett
mj.emmett@comcast.net
503-393-9447

Whittam Community Garden
5205 Ridge Drive NE
Coordinator: Kathy Whittam
kwhittam@comcast.net
503-510-9926


Marion County

Silverton
Silverton Grange Community Garden
601 Division St.
Coordinator: Leonide Martin
lenniem07@yahoo.com

Woodburn
Planting Communities Gardens
950 N. Boones Ferry Rd., other locations
Coordinator: Ian Niktab
considrpeas@gmail.com

Mt. Angel
St. Joseph’s Community Garden
925 S. Main St.
Coordinator: Sister Marcella
503-845-6147

Mill City
Mill City Community Garden
Kimmel Park, Mill City
Coordinator: Susan Chamberlin
503-949-5965


Polk County

Dallas
Common Grounds Community Garden
775 E. Ellendale Ave.
Coordinator: Landon Pegg
503-999-1339
garden@dallasalliance.org

Grande Ronde
Grande Ronde Community Garden
825 Grande Ronde Rd.
Coordinator: Angella McCallister
971-241-1719
grcrcfoodbank@yahoo.com


Ian Dixon-McDonald
Community Gardens
Marion-Polk Food Share

T: 503-581-3855 x329
C: 503-798-0339
F: 503-581-3862
E: imcdonald@marionpolkfoodshare.org
1660 Salem Industrial Drive NE
Salem OR 97301-0374
www.marionpolkfoodshare.org/

YAY! Salem Saturday Market opens tomorrow!!

Zero Waste Policy (Photo credit: heidigoseek)And there's a nice volunteer opportunity for you to help make it even nicer, while getting to know some very nice people behind the scenes:

It's farmers market season again! And that means the award-winning Zero Waste Zone project will be up and running again. We believe the public is more in tune with composting and recycling at the market with two years of volunteers helping at the Zero Waste stations. But it doesn't hurt to have a few volunteers at the start of the season as a reminder.

Anyone interested in volunteering at a Zero Waste station tomorrow? Just let me know the time, and I will put you on the schedule. You can check in with Tina Miller, the market manager, at the start of your shift. Just let her know which station you'd like to be at.

Thank you for all of your work! Without wonderful volunteers, this project would not be the success that it is!

Best,
Beth
--
Zero Waste Zone Project
Friends of Salem Saturday Market
(503) 877-FSSM (3776) --
friendsofsalemsaturdaymarket.org -- salemsaturdaymarket.com
ZeroWaste@FriendsOfSalemSaturdayMarket.org
Winner of 2 "Recycler of the Year" awards for 2011!
Association of Oregon Recyclers ~ Mid-Willamette Valley Green Awards

Now Hear This! Seed-Starting Learn-by-Doing Workshop Tomorrow!

Come one, come all!
All are invited to lend a hand this Saturday as we start seeds at the
Oregon School for the Deaf.

WHO: YOU! Anyone interested in learning how to start seeds in our climate

WHAT: we’ll be doing: OSD is the site of a 2-acre urban farm, and this year we’re gearing up the summer youth program to grow even more food on that site. This Saturday we’ll be doing some seed starting, preparing seed flats, and maybe planting in the garden if time allows. For folks interested in the basics of starting seeds, this will be a great opportunity!

WHERE: The Oregon School for the Deaf Urban Farm. 999 Locust Ave. NE, Salem
(Click on address for a map; from Cherry turn right on Locust, then take a right on Maple. Enter through the gate on your right. Meet at the greenhouse.)

WHEN: Saturday, 2/18 from 10 – noon.

HOW to pack: Bring weather-appropriate clothes, sturdy shoes, water to drink and a snack if you so desire.

WHY: Because hunger never takes a holiday!

For more information, please call Ingrid at 503-798-0457. See you Saturday!

Ingrid Evjen-Elias
Community Gardens Resource Coordinator
Marion-Polk Food Share

T: 503-581-3855 x329
C: 503-798-0457
F: 503-581-3862
E: ievjenelias@marionpolkfoodshare.org
1660 Salem Industrial Drive NE
Salem OR 97301-0374
www.marionpolkfoodshare.org/

Worth a million reads: ClubOrlov: A Million Gardens

http://cluborlov.blogspot.com/2011/11/million-gardens.html

Let's start a yard share program in Salem! (GROWSalem, anyone?)

A dear friend is hobbling about this winter, wondering what she's going to do -- or, more likely, not do --- with her great raised beds this coming year. She's got at least one surgery on tap that will lay her up for some time, and she's struggling a bit with mobility anyway, which the surgery aims to fix. She has terrific beds, with water and good sun, and all the tools. All she needs is a gardener (or would-be gardener willing to be tutored some) to do the legwork for her in return for a share of the proceeds.

We we talking about it, and I suggested she call the Marion-Polk Food Share or Local Harvest about helping her with finding someone who had the gardening itch but no good place to scratch it. But then, later, I realized that both those fine organizations have more than enough to do to put food on others' plates already, and that there was really no reason that LOVESalem couldn't be helping this idea get growing in Salem.

So what do you think? If I put together a GROWSalem website, do you think that can serve as a matchmaking service to connect people with gardens at-risk of going idle (or, even better, with lawns they want to turn into gardens) and people with the need or the urge to grow some food but inadequate locations or access to garden space?

Anyone interested in heading this up? (Eagle Scout project? Capstone high school project? College internship? Self-directed study and opportunity to show potential employers or admissions officers that you're REALLY a self-starter and problem solver. Retirement activity and social mission?)

If you have feedback or ideas for this, drop a comment below, especially if you want to pitch in!

Reserve some time for Monday night at City Hall!

Image via WikipediaThanks to VERY hard work by a handful of dedicated folks, Salem finally passed an ordinance allowing very limited amount of henkeeping in residential zones. The results have been as expected, with legal recognition REDUCING the problems caused by people who need to keep hens but won't spend any money on coops and equipment as long as they are banned entirely.

So that's the good part, we have limited legal henkeeping. The bad part is that the city council was so pelted with rocks from fearmongers trying to terrify people about hens that they wound up producing a real hairball of an ordinance that essentially treats hens as bloodthirsty terrors that need to be kept under armed guard at all times (in contrast with the complete absence of rules for keeping dogs, even very aggressive breeds).

Worse, the ordinance makes it outrageously costly to keep hens legally.

So, now that we have experience showing that the more the city acts reasonably, the more conditions improve for hens, henkeepers, and neighbors, it's time to improve the ordinance.

SO, PLEASE ATTEND the Salem City Council for the kickoff of the next round of "bringing sanity to henkeeping in Salem," the longest-running drama in Salem legislative history.

Monday, Jan. 23rd at 6:30 pm - please attend!

Chief petitioner Barb Palermo, founder of CITY (Chickens in the Yard) reports:

For the last three months I've been trying to get Salem's chicken ordinance modified. Based on a positive report from the Code Compliance Office, I thought we could get some changes made administratively, but unfortunately that is not the case. We're going to have to work for it.

While some city councilors support the changes, there is still resistance. City Staff has recommended no changes be considered for at least two more years, despite it's own report stating the number of complaints has decreased and backyard chickens have not created any problems.

At the January 23rd meeting, Councilor Chuck Bennett will make a motion to modify the chicken ordinance. We will need a lot of people at that meeting to support the proposed changes outlined below. If we can convince at least 5 of the 9 council members to support the motion, we could have a less expensive and less restrictive chicken ordinance in effect by spring!

There is only one way to make this happen and it requires a big showing of support at the meeting. You don't have to speak, sign in, or give your name. Just show up and raise your hand when we ask all supporters in the audience to do so. This is very important and very effective so PLEASE attend: Monday, January 23rd at 6:30 pm - Salem City Hall, 555 Liberty St SE, Room 240 (council chambers).

To induce you to come -- as if helping to improve your city greatly isn't enough -- Barb is offering a giveaway, free USDA 2012 poultry calendars. (I wonder if these are like "Playhen" with the hot centerfolds?)

1. Reduce the licensing cost to a one-time $25 fee (not $50/yr [!]).

There are now 57 registered chicken owners in the city of Salem. Each of them had to pay $50 for a chicken license, yet other pets cost little or nothing. Soon, our licenses will have to be renewed and we will have to pay another $50. This is unreasonable and for many, unaffordable. Most other cities do not charge a fee for keeping chickens and of those that do, it is a one-time fee. A one-time fee of $25 would cover the cost of maintaining the city’s online application process.

2. Reduce the inspection burden to one initial inspection (not every three years).

Most cities do not require inspections to keep chickens. If you think an inspection is still necessary, than it should only be required initially to obtain the license. After that, no follow-up inspections should be needed unless there is a valid complaint. Inspections are what cost the city money and by reducing the number of inspections, the city will save money and the cost of the license can be lowered as described above.

3. Drop the rule that forces coops out at least 10’ from the henkeeper's own house.

There is no logical reason for this. The closer the coop is to our own house, the further it will be from neighbors and that’s what matters.

4. Change how coop size is measured to exclude the run/pen.

The 120 square foot requirement should only apply to the portion of the chicken structure with walls and a roof, not the wire run that’s attached to it. A wire pen should not be subjected to the building code requirement because it’s not a building. The pen will still have to be at least 20’ from neighbors’ homes.

5. Increase the number of hens from three to five.

Many cities allow up to six hens and for good reason. Hens lay fewer and fewer eggs as they get older. We don’t want to get rid of older hens because they are pets we’re fond of, and they will continue to provide fertilizer and natural pest control. But we would like to be able to introduce young chicks when our hens get older, so the eggs keep coming. By increasing the number of hens to five, we could add two more chicks to the flock in a couple of years when our current hens get older and produce fewer eggs.

6. Allow chickens at churches, schools, and community gardens.

Marion-Polk Food Share, Pringle Creek Community Garden, and the Oregon Deaf School have all expressed a strong desire to include a chicken coop at their facilities. The Deaf School runs an urban farm program and thinks kids would benefit from learning to raise chickens. People at MPFS want to teach low-income families self-reliance and healthy food choices, and community gardens want fertilizer and natural pest control, and organic eggs to share.

If revised as proposed, these parts of the original ordinance would remain unchanged:

• Online permits will still be required. That way, you will know where the chickens are and people will still have to read the rules and agree to them.
  
  
• Coops and pens will still have to be at least 20’ from neighbors’ houses (not the property line).
  
  
• The ordinance will remain complaint-driven. If a valid complaint is lodged, an inspection will be conducted and if the complaint proves valid, the chicken owner will be given time to comply or be fined.
  
  
• Coops will still need to be maintained in a manner that does not create a nuisance.
  
  
• Selling or slaughtering will continue to be prohibited.
  
  
• Roosters will remain prohibited.
  
  
• Escalating fines for non-compliance remain in effect.

Related articles

• Pasco homeowners can keep chickens (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• 13 Creative Chicken Coop Designs (neatorama.com)
• Nashville Council could approve the chicken bill on 1-17-12! (backyardchickengal1.wordpress.com)

Shameless commerce division on a sweet Groupon deal: Up to 53% Off Frozen Pies

These are really, really good pies from a local Salem company that uses locally grown fruit. Just got my five-pie punchcard for $28. Hard to top that.

If you sign up and buy it these by clicking through the link below, you might earn me some Groupon credit, which will earn you my undying appreciation, or maybe a slice of pie.

Punch Card for Two or Five Frozen Pies at Willamette Valley Fruit Company (Up to 53% Off)

http://www.groupon.com/deals/willamette-valley-fruit-company-1?utm_campaign=UserReferral&utm_medium=email&utm_source=uu3531303