Monday, August 1, 2011

August Newsletter

Free Events:

• Sustainable Puyallup’s Mid-Summer Potluck
Come celebrate the season by gathering together to share our harvest. Everyone is welcome to join in the festivities. It will be a great time to share our gardening experiences, problem solve our struggles, and congregate with like minded people.
Please RSVP on our FB events page.
Date: August 19th, 2011
Time: 6:00-9:00 pm
Location: 1120 7th Ave. S.W. Puyallup, WA. 98371
Host: Tiffany McGill & Amanda Wendt

• WSU Master Gardener Program is hosting “Summer Garden Talk’s.” On August 6th from 10am-12, the class: Saving the Harvest will discuss canning, freezing and drying produce with a panel of experts. The Master Gardener Garden is located in Puyallup where Fruitland Ave. meets Pioneer Way. http://county.wsu.edu/pierce/mg/Documents/2011GardenTalks.pdf

Jubilee Naturals is offering the following two classes FREE! They are sure to fill up fast! The store is located at: 909 Main Street #1 Sumner WA 98390

• SMART STARTS
August,18th - 9:00 to 11:00AM
Offering tools for raising healthy, smart, and active kids. Topics will include risks to kids from GMOs, allergies and intolerances, good behavior without drugs, nutritious foods, supplement tips and building strong immune systems. The class will run generally an hour and a half with a half hour set aside for Q and A.

• SICK AND TIRED OF BEING SICKLY?
August, 20th - 8:00 to 10:00AM
Learn about all the things that challenge our immune systems. Receive information and tools you can put to use to combat flu, mold, virus, bacteria, infection, food poisoning and more. Nature has a lot to offer! This is a good class for anyone who travels, works indoors with others, and for students heading off to college who want to learn nature's way to stay well. (Especially if you are going to live in a dorm!)

Call Kim to Register: 1-253-447-7921 or email info@jubileenaturals.com

Classes:

• Seed saving Retreat Weekend at the Wild Thyme Farm with Marisha Auerbach and Forest Shomer

Friday August 26 - Sunday, August 28. 7 pm Friday - 3 pm Sunday
Wild Thyme Farm Oakville, WA (outside of Olympia, WA)

$160, if registered by 7/22 - early bird discount
$175, if registered by 8/12
$200, if registered after 8/12

This workshop has an active hands-on component. You will be saving lots of different varieties of seeds and each participant will go home with a small collection gathered from this event. Please join us to learn about how to select and save seeds from your garden.

For more information, or to register, contact Marisha Auerbach at
(503) 454-6656 or queenbee@herbnwisdom.com

• Tacoma's 2nd annual Permaculture Design Course:
With a focus on Urban Issues and Advanced Design. Permaculture is a solutions-oriented approach to sustainable living. It honors diverse earth-based traditions while nurturing a positive vision of our collective future.
Eight weekends spread between September 2011 and February 2012
When: Fridays 7-9pm, Saturdays & Sunday 10am-5pm on the following weekends 9/9-11, 9/23-25, 10/7-9, 11/4-6, 12/2-4, 1/14-16, 2/3-5, 2/17-19. Where: Most Friday evenings: Kings Book's, 218 St. Helens, Tacoma
Weekends: First Congregational, 918 Division, Tacoma. Contact: Patricia 253-565-2599 Childcare available: we're still working out details.
Tuition: $900- $700 (sliding scale) includes handbook and lunches. Some work trades available. sustainabletacomapierce@gmail.com

Resources:

Urban Sustainable Living Magazine - the Urban Farm Magazine: “We've put together a list of 5 catalog companies that specialize in heirloom and organic seed with easy links to order their catalogs for free. Because of the high demand for these types of seeds, you'll need to place your order soon, many varieties sell out quickly. These catalogs are also chock full of information about unique heirlooms with pictures that will have you trying new things in your kitchen garden.”
http://www.urbansustainableliving.com/the-5-seed-catalogs-for-organic-and-heirloom-seeds.html

Get Involved:

There are many ways you can help us have a successful gleaning season: Become a Gleaner, Register your Fruit Tree, Scout Trees, or Plant an Extra Row. http://www.piercecountygleaningproject.org/get_involved
To help us fight hunger and get more produce into Pierce County Food Banks.

*Support this local business: Caffe Sorelle. Located at 108 West Meeker; in down town Puyallup. They strive to serve true Italian Espresso, offer fresh, wholesome & delicious baked goods, provide a warm and welcoming atmosphere, buy local & organic (whenever possible), and be environmentally responsible. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Caffe-Sorelle/167812506563631?sk=info#!/pages/Caffe-Sorelle/167812506563631?sk=wall


Plant of the month:


Purple Sprouting Broccoli is featured in July’s Special Issue of grow: Fine Gardening’s Guide to Vegetable Gardening magazine, as one of their northwest regional picks of the month. “This is an excellent vegetable that will supply you with produce for a good part of the year;” says Carey Thornton at Seattle Tilth. Plant in late July, early August for harvest in March-May in the pacific northwest. Easier to grow than annual broccoli, the extremely cold-hardy biennial plants must over winter before heading. Tall 24–36 inch plants are covered with smallish, very sweet tasting purple heads that turn green when cooked. Purple Sprouting is a delicious mainstay of the family spring food supply. The heads of purple sprouting broccoli are much less densely packed than regular broccoli. Because of their purple color, they contain antioxidants, commonly known as anti-cancer causing agents. http://store.finegardening.com/grow-vol-6-044035.html