Seasonal Recipe: Portobello Mushroom Carpaccio

Cook up this deliciously simple recipe to enjoy the coming season! Courtesy of Sue Levy, Savory Living .

Garden at Brookline Public Health Department is a Growing Experience

The Health Dept. garden on its way.

An idea that was a mere seed last year has blossomed into a full-blown garden outside the Brookline Department of Public Health (BDPH) on Pierce Street.  This spring, staff at BDPH approached Alan Balsam, Director of Health and Human Services, to propose a garden outside their building.  With Alan's enthusiastic support, the staff created space on their property for a vegetable and herb garden.

Missing summer? Garden Steps: "Staycation"

The High Street Veterans Community Garden started three years ago in the High Street Veterans Public Housing Apartments. With advice and funding obtained by Bountiful Brookline and support of the Brookline Housing Authority, volunteers without previous gardening experience turned a brick and concrete terrace into a lush, productive garden that now serves 10 families. In this column HSVCG volunteers share step-by-step what they do each month to grow food in their garden at the top of the steps.

What to Do in July

Is July the doldrums of the gardening year? After the initial enthusiasm of starting up the garden in spring, we often find ourselves in a lull as our gardens are flourishing midsummer. Everything is growing well (or has failed), and there doesn't seem to be much to plant. It's hot, and the necessary work of weeding and watering is not very appealing.

Bountiful Brookline teams Steps for Success students with local gardeners

In her Steps for Success adult English Language Learner course, instructor Bambi Good assigned Seedfolks , Paul Fleishman’s popular collection of stories about people who transformed an abandoned inner-city lot into a community garden. Continuing with the growing theme, Bountiful Brookline helped Bambi match her students with Brookline gardeners to practice using English in interviews. They wrote up their interviews, which were exhibited at the final celebration of the Steps for Success E.L.L. year. Following are two of the interview write-ups.

June Garden Steps: Seeds or Seedlings?

The High Street Veterans Community Garden started three years ago in the High Street Veterans Public Housing Apartments. With advice and funding obtained by Bountiful Brookline and support of the Brookline Housing Authority, volunteers without previous gardening experience turned a brick and concrete terrace into a lush, productive garden that now serves 10 families. In this column HSVCG volunteers share step-by-step what they do each month to grow food in their garden at the top of the steps.

Volunteers Welcome -- Weeds, Not So Much

A post from Andrée Zaleska

Urban Grower, Bountiful Brookline

It's been extremely wet this Spring, with bursts of warmth and sunshine. This is good for the startup of the garden, bringing up an abundance of growth--early lettuces, kale and spinach are all ready to harvest and eat now. Weediness is a challenge in this weather however. My advice is to weed your garden every twelve hours.

Just kidding.

Protect our food and family farmers in the Farm Bill!

With the 2012 Farm Bill, we have the potential to start rebuilding our broken food system! Join us in asking your members of Congress to protect farmers and consumers by:

• Giving farmers the chance to compete against corporate agribusiness
• Protecting key programs that help improve our agricultural systems for farmers and consumers
• Guaranteeing a fair share of research funds for non-genetically engineered crops

It's time to demand that our legislators fight for good food policy and a Fair Farm Bill today!

Garden Steps: May

The High Street Veterans Community Garden started three years ago in the High Street Veterans Public Housing Apartments. With advice and funding obtained by Bountiful Brookline and support of the Brookline Housing Authority, volunteers without previous gardening experience turned a brick and concrete terrace into a lush, productive garden that now serves 10 families. In this column HSVCG volunteers share step-by-step what they do each month to grow food in their garden at the top of the steps.

And the winners are...

Congratulations to Our Silent Auction Winners!!

Body Beautiful - Jenny LaVigne

Eat Healthy Be Happy - Marilyn Paul

Simple Pleasures - Marilyn Paul

Flowers Galore - Cathy Neal



Thank you to all those who bid in this silent auction - we appreciate your continued support.
If you didn't get to bid this time around, check back later in the season for more opportunities to support Bountiful Brookline.

Behind the Scenes: Bountiful Brookline Interns

Since the spring of 2010, nine outstanding interns have worked tirelessly to coordinate and support the website & blog, social media, program and administrative tasks, volunteer coordination, events, grant writing, TGF, garden planning and growing. They have shared their time, ideas and most of all a willingness to dig in to do whatever is needed for Bountiful Brookline.

Spring Recipe: Risotto with Asparagus and Peas

We are thrilled to share this Seasonal Recipe from SavoryLiving , a Bountiful Brookline sponsor.

Welcome to our new Garden Coordinator!

Friends:

I started working for Bountiful Brookline as the new Urban Grower at the beginning of April.  It's an exciting job for me.  I've been looking to move into the world of urban agriculture professionally for a year now, and I'm grateful to have work that keeps me outside much of the time.

I have experience as a community organizer in Jamaica Plain, a teacher and a climate activist.  Most recently I created an urban homestead, the JP Green House.  JP Green House is a zero-carbon house, a demonstration home for sustainable urban living.  It was built on the passive-solar model, and includes a large vegetable garden that I farm in community with four other families.  We are open for visits and hold meetings, work-days, and events at the house (visit the website at JPGH.org to join our mailing list).

I come to this job with a conviction that urban agriculture is critical to re-localizing our lives, which is something we have to do for the sake of the environment and our own well-being in the future. As the Urban Grower, I will be tending the garden (with much volunteer energy!), leading workshops and field-trips in the gardens, and growing produce for at least two local restaurants.

Your vision, ideas and volunteer energy are most welcome. Please contact me anytime at [email protected] I look forward to working together.

- Andrée Collier Zaleska

The 2012 season is underway!

Looking for a fun way to get dirty -- or stay clean -- and make Brookline more bountiful this year?

• Help with Bountiful Brookline's table at upcoming events.  Get to know volunteers and chat with other residents about growing local!
• Join a committee or work crew.
• Volunteer for a day, a season or anything in between or beyond--there's something for everyone!

Check out new opportunities below and contact us for more info.

Thank you and have a great spring!

Support mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods (GMOs)

More than forty countries, including Russia and China, already require labels on genetically engineered foods. And a recent poll found that nearly all Democrats (93%), Independents (90%), and Republicans (89%) support labeling of GMOs. At a time when partisan rancor dominates the public conversation, there are few topics that can muster such overwhelming support.

And although over 1 million people submitted comments in favor of labeling, the FDA has yet to act.

for President Obama to listen to the American public and speak out in favor of the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods.

200 Foot Garden Workday this Sunday!

Please bring your favorite garden gloves and trowels to the first garden planting of the season: Sunday, April 15 at 2 p.m.!  Refreshments provided.  The 200 Foot Garden is located on Kent Street just before the Brookline Village T-stop.  Coordinated this year by Simone Smith and Jenny Molina, the garden is a community garden/art project started to create a commuter garden in Brookline.  For more information about Simone, Jenny and the garden, check out their blog here.

First Garden Workday TOMORROW!

Join us this tomorrow for the first workday of the season:

Spring cleanup, greens & pea planting and more!

Saturday, April 7 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at

Greenside Out Garden, 40 Webster Place

Refreshments provided; please bring garden gloves.

BB Gardeners are Gathering: Tomorrow and at Saturday's Workday!

... A New Growing Season Beckons! Interested in community gardening, garden sharing, volunteering at a Bountiful Brookline garden or other food-raising activities? Want to find out more about Bountiful Brookline, your local food initiative? Come share your interest and ideas at this community gathering. Bountiful Brookline is bringing together new and seasoned gardeners to dig in around town... Join us and meet others who share your enthusiasm for urban farming! Wednesday, April 4 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. Brookline Community Foundation 40 Webster Place, Brookline Village Click here to register! Refreshments will be served. Interested but can't make the meeting? Let us know at [email protected] and we'll follow up with you.

Also, join us this Saturday for the first workday of the season:

Spring cleanup, greens & pea planting and more!

Saturday, April 7 from 1:00 - 3:00 p.m. at

Greenside Out Garden, 40 Webster Place

Refreshments provided; please bring garden gloves.

The Dirt Ball is almost here!

Our first Dirt Ball is only days away... Don't miss out on food, drink, dancing, games, prizes and more! Click here for more information and to register.

Our first Dirt Ball!

Click here to register ,

or check out our page for more information.

See you there!

200 Foot Garden: New coordinator needed

From Patrick Gabridge: When we re-landscaped the tiny bit of ground in front of our condo building, a volunteer tomato plant sprouted, probably from a castaway seed from some passerby's sandwich. This tomato grew in a small crack between the sidewalk and our cobblestones. Over the summer, neighbors cared for it, and it grew large enough to produce tomatoes for anyone to take (and they did).  It also helped form the seed of an idea for a different kind of garden.

Tell Walmart: Don't sell Monsanto's potentially toxic GMO sweet corn

This spring, Monsanto's GMO sweet corn -- their first product for direct human consumption -- will be getting planted for the first time, and eventually be sold, unlabeled, in a grocery near you.

What would it take to stop it? It would take the largest food retailer in the country rejecting Monsanto's untested, potentially toxic corn.

Tell Walmart: Don't carry Monsanto's GMO Sweet Corn!

Something's Fishy

The FDA is on the brink of approving genetically engineered salmon for human consumption. This would be the first genetically engineered animal on supermarket shelves in the United States.  The government already requires labels to tell us if fish is wild-caught or farm-raised—don't we also have a right to know if our salmon is genetically engineered? Without labels, we'll never know.

If you believe we deserve the right to know what we are eating, to sign the petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on SignOn.org, which says:

Commissioner Hamburg, we urge the FDA to require the mandatory labeling of genetically engineered foods. We have a right to know about the food we eat and what we feed our families, but under current FDA regulations, we don't have that ability when it comes to genetically engineered foods.

Polls show that more than 90% of Americans support mandatory labeling. Such near-unanimity in public opinion is rare. Please listen to the American public and mandate labeling of genetically engineered foods.

Just a thought...

Bountiful Brookline receives Carlin Award

Neal (second from right) accepts the Carlin Award.

In recognition of our work in creating and sustaining a local food system that is accessible to all, Bountiful Brookline was honored by the Friends of Brookline Public Health with its 2011 Carlin Community Health Award.  Speaking at the Friends' annual meeting on Feb. 1, Lynne Karsten, Director of Community Health, described many of Bountiful Brookline's creative and productive programs that led the Friends to select us for this honor, such as our Greenside Out and other gardens, High St. Veterans garden installation, Teens Grow Food program and more.


Additionally, a representative of Senator Cynthia Creem, who sent regrets for being unable to attend the meeting herself, read a proclamation passed by the Massachusetts State Senate recognizing Bountiful Brookline's accomplishments.  In accepting the Award, Cathy Neal, Founder of Bountiful Brookline, acknowledged in return the consistent support and encouragement the Brookline Public Health Department has provided to our initiative.

And the winner is...

Jean and Paul McCabe are the happy winners of the Bountiful Brookline Climate Week 2012 bean count! Their estimate of 2,532 beans in a mason jar was the closest to the count of 2,820, and they have received a free annual membership to Bountiful Brookline.