March 2010

The pea plants are up. The kale won’t die. Without too much effort, the Kupar Garden at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church is ready for spring. Come help us advance the cause this week when we plant a bed of potatoes.

What: Potato Planting

Where: the Kupar Garden at Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church (180 E. Maxwell St) (the garden is on Lexington Ave.)

When: Good Friday, April 3rd, 10am-11am

Why: Because everybody loves a tuber.

Jamie met a group of us at the London Ferrell Community Garden this past Tuesday morning to help get the orchard there straightened out a bit. He demonstrated proper pruning technique (and made it look easy). We were impressed at how quickly a tree can be prepared for growth, and how easy it is to do it wrong!

The Fayette County Cooperative Extension continues to be a great blessing as we learn more about the work of growing food here in Lexington. Do visit their website and take advantage of their regular classes.

And in the meantime, take a peek at a quick video from the event!

Our friend Jessica Ballard at PeaceMeal Gardens has brought this benefit concert to our attention. She does great work orchestrating the food production at Bluegrass Community and Technical College (Leestown Campus), and is actively looking for regular volunteers. Also, if you are looking for a CSA share, she has some available .

Please support this enterprise and help Jessica with the good work that she has begun. Check this poster for details.

Yes, we do have a bit of a schedule conflict, but these events are no conflict of interest–we are very much interested in both! If you don’t want to make soup with Rebecca, join me and John Walker for a demonstration of the soil blocks–a way to start seeds without so much plastic involved. We hope to send participants home with a number of these blocks so that you can practice this method at home and see what you think. If you do want to take home a few blocks, please bring some sort of tray for transporting them.

What: Soil Blocks–a hands-on demonstration

Where: London Ferrell Community Garden

When: Saturday, March 27th, 10am-12pm

We’ll also be doing our regular maintenance, and continuing with the installation. Master Gardener Sherry Maddock will also be on hand, and will welcome helping hands, to plant a bed of asparagus and rhubarb.

This Saturday will mark the start of a new collaboration between Seedleaf and Maxwell Presbyterian Church. At this monthly event, held on the fourth Saturday of the month, we’ll have a chance for folks to learn to prepare a fresh, seasonal recipe for soup. Not only will this be an easy and fun way of learning how to utilize produce as it becomes available here in Kentucky, but each participant will go home with a quart jar of the day’s fixings. Even better, the surplus soup will then be utilized by the folks at Maxwell Street Presbyterian who offer a free soup meal to those in need every Sunday.

Please plan to join us for this inaugural event as we begin with this season’s kale and finish off the remainders of last season’s pumpkin!

You won’t want to miss this opportunity to learn how to prepare a delicious pumpkin kale bisque with a recipe provided  by none other than Bluegrass area’s celebrity chef, Ouita Michel of Holly Hill Inn!

When: Saturday, March 27th 9:30am – 11:30am

Where: Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church (180 East Maxwell Street)

Menu for March: Pumpkin Kale Soup featuring Seedleaf grown greens and Reed Valley Orchard pumpkins!

What to Bring: We’re asking for a $5 minimum donation to help cover the cost of the ingredients. We’ll provide quart jars to take home the day’s splendor, but feel free to bring your own if you’d prefer. And of course, bring your family and friends!

Please note, in order for us to account for enough ingredients, please RSVP here!