TROOSTWOOD YOUTH GARDEN MARKET - Re-Opening on Saturday, April 21, 2012

THERE WILL BE NO BIG-TIME BLOW-OUT NEIGHBORHOOD GREEN-FEST CELEBRATION THIS YEAR...

...but DO come celebrate the re-opening of the

TROOSTWOOD YOUTH GARDEN MARKET
Saturday, APRIL 21, 2012
8am to 2pm
at the North-East corner of 52nd & Paseo, KCMO
(Paseo Blvd & E 52nd St, Kansas City, MO 64110)

(we'll have our web pages updated, soon)

NORMAL MARKET HOURS:

Friday nights 3:00pm-8:00pm
Saturdays 9:00am - 3:00pm

... through October 2012

[SNAP EBT+ Double Value Beans and Greens]

Contact: Mary Wright @ 816-444-5788

https://www.facebook.com/groups/79989349469/ in Facebook

URBAVORE FARM - a BADSEED project - get to KNOW YOUR GROWER at the EXPOs, Saturdays, March 31 and April 7

Dearest Food Revolutionists -

Are you hungry??? Do you miss me??? Good.

Get your "crazy farmer fix" this Saturday or next. Farmer Dan, Baby Percy and I will be bursting at the seams with gorgeous organic transplants and a few early spring yummies (like free-range eggs!!!) at the KC Food Circle 2012 Annual Exhibition of Farmers!!!

EAT LOCAL AND ORGANIC!!

Saturday, March 31

9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Shawnee Civic Center

13817 Johnson Dr.

Shawnee, KS

Saturday, April 7

9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Penn Valley Community College Gym

3201 Southwest Trafficway

Kansas City, MO

You can meet a whole bunch of wacky organic farmers, procure brilliant transplants for your garden, and stuff your bellies with the finest locally grown foods including spring greens, free-range meats & eggs, gourmet mushrooms, and a whole lot more. Are you coming?? Of course you are!!!

Another up-coming event not to be missed:

BADSEED's Annual Organic Transplant Sale

Friday, April 20th, 4-9 PM

1909 McGee*KCMO*64108

Our righteous gang of growers will have a luscious assortment of warm-weather seedlings like heirloom tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and more. Your garden will taste better than ever!! Save the date.

Alright, alright. Enough event promo. Let's talk DIRT:

URBAVORE URBAN FARM Spring Up-Date

You know you have a diversified farmstead when your breakfast "scramble" consists of chicken, duck and goose eggs. Seriously...that's all I've been eating lately! I don't have time to cook complicated meals anymore.

As lovely and necessary as "diversity" may be, it sure as heck makes for an exhausting, ever challenging lifestyle on a farm. Dan and I run around like psychopaths trying to manage our ever-growing ecosystem. One minute you're prepping next spring's asparagus field, the next minute you're pruning the apple orchard, then you're seeding roots vegetables, then planting peach trees, next you're moving the chickens to fresh pasture, and finally you are getting attacked by geese while attempting to seed the pond dam with beneficial grasses. All the while there's a BABY strapped to your back and you can't remember the last time you actually sat down and breathed! Oh yeah...did I mention that all this bio-diversity takes place in the CITY with a nice view of downtown?? Hah! Sometimes I can hardly believe it myself. What a trip. Thirteen freakin' urban acres dedicated to REAL FOOD.

IT'S AWESOME...really, it is!! But the daily grind will eat you alive. Dan and I hit rock bottom a few nights ago as we drudged home from the veggie fields at 8:30 pm, dirt-ridden & starving. We said to each other "what the hell are we doing??...this is madness!". Ya know, in some respects it's not really the farm that tips the iceberg. Perhaps it's the fact that we run the BADSEED Market, teach classes, host big events, run a city-wide Compost Program, and have a freakin' 9 month old!! What the heck is wrong with us. Why can't we just TAKE IT EASY. How did we open up this can of worms???

Speaking of worms - let's look on the bright side - I have a heck of a lot of those in my luscious "no-till" veggie fields. Thanks to the worms, this year's spring crops are looking pretty groovy thus far. Lettuce heads are in the ground, peas & fava beans are up & growing, beets & turnips have germinated nicely, gourmet salad mixes are seeded and looking sexy, and cabbage & kale have just been transplanted soon to be followed by bulb fennel & rainbow chard. Hot damn...those will be some good eats!! In addition, the 2013 strawberry plots have been prepped, the apple & peach orchards have been beautifully pruned, and new peach & plum trees arrived last week and went into the ground today. The farm is GROWING...yes it is...and someday it will be truly incredible.

Well, we aint just sowing seeds on the farm. The food is the fun stuff, but we have many more projects swallowing our time and energy. For one, we've recently completed the massive 10 ft deer fence around our property. Remember??...(we lost nearly 13,000 dollars worth of crops last year to those bastards!!). We have also nearly completed the construction of our Farmstand. It's really wicked. It is constructed entirely from giant hedge posts that Farmer Dan tirelessly cut down from the surrounding land. The finishing touch will be a "living roof" covered in sod. Who knows...maybe I'll graze chickens up there for the Farmstand Season Opening!! Beyond that, we are in the design phase for our net zero home. We have been working with a killer architect to create plans for an earth bermed, solar powered personal dwelling. Designs are not final yet, but I have included a couple renderings. The house will sit on the highest point on the farm and will be completely bermed on the north as well as the south (with the exception of a stream of windows for southern sun exposure). The east and west walls will be entirely glass...(so we can see the sun rise and set). It's quite breath-taking. Once we work out the details we will go through the elaborate permitting process and hopefully break ground this summer.

What else..what else...Oh yeah! Our 2012 Farm Apprentice Crew has started as of March 1st and they are kicking ass. THANKS GUYS!!! They make our craziness possible by giving their blood, sweat, and tears Tuesday thru Friday. They got a formal "fruit tree workshop" today and went on to plant peach trees like pros.

Last but not least - BABY PERCY UP-DATE!! You thought I'd leave that out, huh! No way!! That little man consumes my every moment, so I couldn't possibly forget that. Percy is an absolute doll and he's growing like a weed. He's fat, cherubic, smells like buttermilk, and drives his Mommy crazy with LOVE, STRESS, and more LOVE. He's with Dan and I in the field everyday and he absolutely loves being outdoors. He eats a heck of a lot of dirt, but I figure it's better than Gerber baby food! Don't get me wrong - it is HARD being a farmer/mommy. I am deeply in love with my land and even more deeply in love with my son. Having that much love in your life is a good thing, BUT they suck my soul out somedays and I just wanna drop dead.

That being said - I AM TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE POSITIVE THESE DAYS!! The positive is this: the 2012 Growing Season couldn't possibly be harder than last year. Let's just cover some of the highlights...ya know...for fun! In April, my three gorgeous dairy goats (and soul sisters) were brutally slaughtered by dogs. In June, my deer dog & beloved companion was stolen from the farm the same night Percy was born. By July, my entire heirloom tomato crop had been destroyed by deer along with countless other crops. Shortly after that, my die-hard apprentice Calvin was bitten by a venomous snake while harvesting squash and wound up with a $50,000 dollar hospitable bill. I KID YOU NOT!! This is my life, folks. What a f%#&ing ride!!!! So, in comparison, 2012 should be a breeze!! Right?? Don't hold your breath.

Until next time...

Happy Spring & ON WITH THE REVOLUTION!

Yours Truly,
Brooke
-farmer and mistress of the BADSEED

BADSEED

An Urban-Organic Farm & Market

Celebrating Local Food, Culture, and Community

Fridays, 4-9pm*

1909 McGee*KCMO*64108

(~^CLICK ADDRESS FOR MAP^~)

www.badseedkc.com * Opening May 4, 2012

Join the BADSEED in Facebook - it's just right...

EATER MEETS FARMER: "Getting Started"

The KCFC is pleased to welcome our new guest blogger Stephen Flanery and his series entitled Eater Meets Farmer. Stephen is a human resources extraordinaire by day and a gardener by night. He is a Kansas City native, a cat lover, and an avid reader of Edwin Way Teale. Join us periodically as Stephen explores what it means to eat local and organic.

by Stephen Flanery

Welcome to the Kansas City Food Circle’s new weekly blog topic, Eater Meets Farmer. Each installment in this series will be a manifestation of the KCFC mission: The Kansas City Food Circle connects eaters with local, organic food in order to promote a sustainable food system in the Kansas City region. This blog is about starting a conversation. It’s about stretching ourselves. It’s about offering resources and information that will assist us in our local, organic food journey.

First, let me tell you a little something about me. I was a gardener from an early age. I began by helping my mom tend her large garden of vegetables. I loved to harvest wild mulberries and gooseberries. Now I have a small garden of my own where I grow some of my favorite vegetables and herbs. I love to shop at the farmers' markets, and I enjoy cooking. Mostly, I just love food. The local, organic food movement became a passion of mine when I realized my food decisions affect people and wildlife around the globe. I see food decisions as not only a personal health issue, but also an environmental issue and a social justice issue. I believe what I eat says a lot about who I am.

With this blog I’d like to talk about why local and organic is important and about what we can do to foster a more sustainable food system in Kansas City. I’m hardly an innovator, but rather, I follow in the footsteps of countless eaters and farmers who have come before me. So what do I have to offer? I have some ideas, I have a little knowledge, and I have lots of passion.

Now you know how I became interested in local and organic. How about you? What got you started on local and organic?

And join me next time as I ask: WHY LOCAL?

BIG TIME - Our EAT LOCAL & ORGANIC EXPOs starting SATURDAY (Shawnee (KS) Civic Center - Expo 1 (of 2))

JUST IN CASE YOU MISSED OUR OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS...

Special thanks go out to our Sponsors and Service Providers, including:

Sierra Club (MO / KS)
Fresh Connect
Whole Foods Market Local Vendors Program
Greens KC
KKFI 90.1 FM
- KC's Community Radio
Fresh Food Express
Precision Printing
ColorMark
The Pitch
Greenability Magazine

EAT LOCAL & ORGANIC!
The 2012 Expo season
is UPON US!

In brief, our 14th Annual Exhibition of Farmers is going to be held at TWO (2) Expos again this year... with The GOOD YOU Mobile Organic Eatery on hand for meals at both venues!!

Saturday, March 31st at the
Shawnee (KS) Civic Center
** 9am-2pm **
Johnson Dr and Pflumm Rd (13817 Johnson Drive), just North of Shawnee Mission Parkway
- CLICK FOR A MAP and note nearby access to I-35 and/or I-435
Shawnee Workshops:

09:30-10:30 - Buy It, Eat It!
11:00-12:00 - Can It, Freeze It!
12:30-01:30 - Dish It Up!

with Starker's Chef Julio

Saturday, April 7th at
MCC Penn Valley Gymnasium (KCMO) ** 9:30am-2:30pm**
3201 Southwest Trafficway
- CLICK FOR A MAP showing access issues
(no left turn East from Southbound SW Trfwy
- USE BROADWAY from Southbound I-35)
Please use the multi-level VISITOR PARKING, with marked entrances on Broadway and on Linwood. All else is reserved for FACULTY, HANDICAPPED and YOUR LOCAL GROWERS!
MCC Penn Valley Workshops

09:30-10:30 - Buy It, Eat It!
11:00-12:00 - Can It, Freeze It!
12:30-01:30 - Dish It Up!

with Smokin' Fresh
Streetside BBQ

Here's a big flyer*... thanks for helping us get the word out!

* KCFoodCircle.org/docs/KCFC2012ExpoFlyerLG.pdf
(2.28MB .PDF)
* KCFoodCircle.org/docs/KCFC2012ExpoFlyerLG.jpg
(211KB .JPG)

You can also Right-Click or Apple-Click the embedded .JPG (above) for a smaller file... lower-res, but still printable.

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Keep in touch with us any way you like... subscribe to / follow this blog... tweet with us in twitter @KCFoodCircle... friend us and be a groupie in facebook... find the eList signup form on our home page... we got it going ON...

LOCAL FOOD can help children perform better in school and be healthier in life.

Transforming School Food:
Leveraging the Power of Public Procurement.

Kathy Lawrence,
Program Director of School Food FOCUS,
discusses the broken school food system.

Healthful. Regional. Sustainable.
School Food FOCUS is a national collaborative that leverages the knowledge and procurement power of large school districts to make school meals nationwide more healthful, regionally sourced, and sustainably produced.
Funded by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and a growing number of sponsors, individuals, and private funders, FOCUS aims to transform food systems to support students’ academic achievement and lifelong health, while directly benefiting farmers, regional economies, and the environment. see also: http://schoolfoodfocus.org/
School Food FOCUS is a program of Public Health Solutions.

Kathy Lawrence has worked for twenty years in sustainable agriculture, local food systems development, and non-profit management. She is the Program Director of School Food FOCUS, a national initiative that helps large school districts with 40,000 or more students procure more healthful, more sustainably produced and regionally sourced food so that children may perform better in school and be healthier in life.

Before serving as Executive Director of the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, Kathy directed Just Food, the New York City-based non-profit organization she founded in 1995. Prior to that she coordinated outreach and education for both the New York and Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Working Groups (NYSAWG and NESAWG) and engaged in citizen advocacy at the United Nations. Kathy serves on the boards of Just Food and NESAWG, sings in an a cappella jazz quartet, and is devoted to her perennial flower gardens.
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T = Technology
E = Entertainment
D = Design
http://www.ted.com/pages/about_tedx
About TEDx, x = independently organized event:

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)
About TED http://www.ted.com/pages/about

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IN K.C., join

The Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition

http://kcfoodpolicy.org // http://kcfoodpolicy.ning.com
in facebook at
www.facebook.com/groups/GKC.FoodPolicy/

Greater Kansas City Food Policy Coalition in FACEBOOK

URBAN HOMESTEADING CLASSES - DIY HOW-TO Start your own GARDEN! Sunday, March 25th, 2012

see http://www.badseedkc.com/farm/classes-events/

Organic Transplants:

How To Start Your Own!

Sunday, March 25th, 3-5:30 pm

Join BADSEED Farmers, Brooke Salvaggio & Daniel Heryer, and get down and dirty (literally) as we mix up homemade potting soil and plant some seeds for your magnificent (soon to be) organic garden.

Students will learn:

How to make their own organic potting soil
How and When to seed specific crops indoors, and when to plant them outside
Where to obtain ingredients and supplies at the best price

Students will go home with their own seeded tray of tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and herbs. As well as an informational packet including seeding schedules and local resources.

Cost of Class: $25 - PreREGISTER using our Mail-in Registration Form:

To SIGN-UP for any class, download our Mail-in Registration Form. Mail all registration forms and payments to BADSEED, 1909 McGee St., KCMO, 64108

blue bird bistro - Farmers' Table - know your growers on Saturday, March 31, 2012 (after the Expo)

...maybe you missed their St. Patrick's Day specials (I did)... if so, here's another March Moment from blue bird bistro:

farmers' table

"Thus, food is a product both natural and cultural,
and good cooking must be said to begin with good farming." - Wendell Berry;
excerpted from "A Nation Rich in Natural Resources."
Home Economics

Saturday, March 31, 2012

farmers' table Saturday, March 31, 2012

start with an aperitif and hors d'oeuvres as you mingle and visit with
Fred and Helen from Nature's Choice Biodynamic Farm and
Jeff from New Grass Bison

be seated for five courses of all local culinary delight
special seating at 7:45pm for anyone wanting to dine with the farmers

pan fried Boulevard Brewery beer battered
Nature's Choice Biodynamic Farm Jerusalem artichokes

Campo Lindo Farm chicken balls herbed with blue bird bistro garden fresh herbs over CalAnn Farm basil pesto pasta

Beau Solias Farm oyster mushroom cocktail

New Grass Bison tenderloin prepared Wellington style with
Campo Lindo Farm chicken liver pate served with
Nature's Choice Farm mashed Jerusalem artichoke and
blue bird bistro garden sage

finish with Thane Palmberg Farm heirloom fingerling sweet potato and winter spinach cake

~~~

Wednesday night table 'a communal dining experience'

every Wednesday at 7:30pm

reservations are not necessary as long as space is available

menu posted to wednesdaynight.bluebirdbistro.com

also at www.bluebirdbistro.com

816-221-7559