Ripe Recipe- Holiday Edition!

Take this holiday appetizer to your next festive event!

Crew Call!

Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm and Garden

THANKS for an AMAZING YEAR!

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers, individuals and groups who helped make the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle’s Farm & Garden program a raging success this year.  Truly, we have accomplished SO MUCH in less than a year!   We wanted to take a moment to review our accomplishments together…

• March – Methodist Ministers Conference puts up the green house at Food Shuttle Farm.
• April – Land is tilled at Food Shuttle Farm and volunteers pull Bermuda grass out by the wheel-barrow load.
• May – Construction starts on Mayview Community Garden and first crops are planted at the Farm.  First Potluck dinners at the Farm and Mayview which continue well into fall.
• June, July, August – Over 400 volunteers help out at the Farm and Mayview to weed, mulch, tie tomatoes and peppers and harvest bountiful crops.
• September – Neighbor to Neighbor and Alliance Medical community gardens are installed. 
• October – Thanks to a late Fall we are still harvesting tomatoes and peppers as Fall greens, broccoli and spinach mature.
• November, December – Fall greens including swiss chard and some very tasty baby lettuce bring the total Farm Harvest to 8,126 lb! 

Great job everyone, we could not have done this without all of you! 

 We will have some garden days (see below) but the next Crew Call at Food Shuttle Farm will be Sat. Jan. 9^th from 9 AM to 12 PM.  There will be no crew-calls during the holidays to give Farm & Garden staff and volunteers some well deserved time off with their families.  So have a great holiday, take some time to enjoy some great home-cooked slow-food and dream – about all the fresh green vegetables and fruit we are going to start planning for the Spring garden when we get back together next year.  Hoe! Hoe! Hoe!

And continue to come to the Farms and Gardens blog for great recipes and the latest news on our community gardens and farm plans for next season.

 HOLIDAY VOLUNTEER TIME:

Despite the absence of Crew Calls, our Nutrition Coordinator, Amanda, will be working with community members in our neighborhood gardens and would love your help if you’re looking for a way to get dirty over the holidays.  Below is her schedule for Mayview; please email Amanda at NutritionCoord@foodshuttle.org if you think you might join and for directions. 

• Wed 12/16  3:45-5pm
• Mon 12/21  3:45-5
• Mon 12/28  3:45-5
• Mon 1/4     3:45-5

 NEED ROOFING TIN!

We are still looking for a source of roofing tin.  We need 20 pieces, at least 10 ft. in length each, to repair the roof on the vermi-compost building and to build a potting shed off the greenhouse.  Please call or email Sun if you know of any that we can scavenge.

 ONGOING NEWS….

FARMS & GARDEN BLOG

Keep up with what’s going on with our Farms & Gardens and PAR programs through the IFFS blog farmsandgardens.wordpress.com.  Never miss the latest Food Shuttle news by subscribing to the blog on the top right of the page. Use the blog to check out weekly ripe recipes, find yourself in photos of weekly crew calls, hear from other volunteers, and stay up to date with activities at IFFS.  Let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the blog!

LOCAVORE LUNCH – Every Wednesday!

Every Wednesday at noon we are holding local agricultural discussion groups at Farmhouse Pizza, 3011 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. We will be serving a pizza made using some (hopefully soon to be all) local ingredients from NCSU’s Farmers’ Market. Please RSVP to Steve (steven.p.horton@gmail.com) so he knows many pizzas to have made.  If you can contribute, he is asking for a $5 donation… if you can’t afford the cost we’ll gladly cover you in return for good conversation!   A portion of the proceeds will go to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

We will not have another until the 2010 school year starts back up but please consider putting Wednesday’s at Farmhouse on your calendar.

GARDEN SUPPLIES:

We are still in need of hand-tool donations.  We gladly accept new and/or lightly used equipment. Thanks to all who have responded. 

 GROW VEGGIES AT HOME?

Our new Plant a Row (PAR) program has kicked off… We are hoping anyone with home grown vegetables will consider planting extra or just giving any excess harvest to our community members in need.   Check out the attachment, spread the word, and/or get in touch with Katherine if you are interested in finding out more. 

 New Volunteer?

If you have not filled out a volunteer form or have a friend who is interested in helping out please email Janet at RGSJRS@aol.com.

TCAR on the Farm

About 15 folks from TCAR- Triangle Commercial Association of REALTORS® came out to the Farm on Friday to volunteer. Despite the cold weather, the group came bundled up and had enthusiastic attitudes about working on the farm! They started work on constructing a potting shed and helped with moving compost.

TCAR’s community service organizer, Baxter Walker, and Kim Brennen, Executive Officer at TCAR, took some time to make a video about their time on the Food Shuttle Farm and why they choose to work with Inter-Faith Food Shuttle this holiday season:

Crew Call!

Come out Saturday before it gets any colder!  We will continue to work on building our vermin-composting program by preparing lumber and constructing bins. We’re also looking for roofing tin; please consider calling a friend in construction or anyone you know who is re-doing their home.  See below for more information.

 VOLUNTEER TIME:

• Garden Crew will meet this Saturday December 12^th from 9:00–12:00 PM at the Food Shuttle Farm (see map below).   We will be de-nailing donated lumber and constructing bins for the vermi-composting unit. 
• Our Nutrition Coordinator, Amanda, and volunteer, Melissa, will be leading the charge at the Community Gardens this year and would love your help in the garden and working with community members.  Please email Amanda at NutritionCoord@foodshuttle.org if you want to join and for directions.  Schedule Below:
  • Tuesdays     4-5pm  -  Neighbor to Neighbor
  • Wednesdays & Fridays    4-5pm  -  Mayview
• We can always use help during the week too!  Farm Manager Sun Butler can meet you on the Farm any day during the week from 8:30-12 PM and  3-6PM. Please call Sun ahead to let him know when you are coming or give him a heads up on your way out there (919.559.2391).  Sun’s number is also posted on the bulletin board at Food Shuttle Farm if you get there and cannot find him.

 KNOW OF SOMEONE IN CONSTRUCTION?

We are looking for donated roofing tin. We need 20 pieces, at least 10 ft. in length each, to repair the roof on the vermi-compost building and to build a potting shed off the greenhouse.

 FARMS & GARDEN BLOG

Keep up with what’s going on with our Farms & Gardens and PAR programs through the IFFS blog farmsandgardens.wordpress.com.  Never miss the latest Food Shuttle news by subscribing to the blog on the top right of the page. Use the blog to check out weekly ripe recipes, find yourself in photos of weekly crew calls, hear from other volunteers, and stay up to date with activities at IFFS.  Let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the blog!

 LOCAVORE LUNCH – Every Wednesday!

Every Wednesday at noon we are holding local agricultural discussion groups at Farmhouse Pizza, 3011 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. We will be serving a pizza made using some (hopefully soon to be all) local ingredients from NCSU’s Farmers’ Market. Please RSVP to Steve (steven.p.horton@gmail.com) so he knows many pizzas to have made.  If you can contribute, he is asking for a $5 donation… if you can’t afford the cost we’ll gladly cover you in return for good conversation!   A portion of the proceeds will go to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

We will be discussing the same topic as last week (resources available in NC for small sustainable farmers), but with a wrap up of the CFSA conference.

**This will be our last meeting until January when schools start their 2010 semesters**

 GARDEN SUPPLIES:

We are still in need of hand-tool donations.  We gladly accept new and/or lightly used equipment. Thanks to all who have responded. 

 GROW VEGGIES AT HOME?

Our new Plant a Row (PAR) program has kicked off… We are hoping anyone with home grown vegetables will consider planting extra or just giving any excess harvest to our community members in need.   Check out the attachment, spread the word, and/or get in touch with Katherine if you are interested in finding out more. 

 New Volunteer?

If you have not filled out a volunteer form or have a friend who is interested in helping out please email Janet at RGSJRS@aol.com.

Crew Call!

We hope you had a bountiful thanksgiving.  We are so thankful for you all!   This Saturday we will be having a unique crew call in one of our community gardens – at Neighbor to Neighbor (N2N) in Raleigh but are limited in space so we need to know if you’re planning on joining us.  Please see below for more info. 

 

VOLUNTEER TIME:

• Garden Crew will meet this Saturday December 5^th from 9:00–12:00 PM at Neighbor to Neighbor.   We need 5-7 people to help finish the garden there. We’ll be digging and raking up the remaining grass to plant cover seed before it gets much colder.  Please RSVP to Amanda at nutritioncoord@foodshuttle.org by Friday morning 12/4 if you’re able to help.  In the event the forecasted rain on Wednesday/Thursday of this week makes the ground too wet, we’ll need to reschedule the crew call for sometime next week.   N2N is located at 1200 S. Blount Street (see map).
• Dark is coming earlier these days so our garden times have gotten shorter – what an easy and quick way to get out and help!!   Our Nutrition Coordinator, Amanda, and volunteer, Melissa, will be leading the charge at the Community Gardens this year and would love your help in the garden and working with community members.  Please email Amanda at NutritionCoord@foodshuttle.org if you want to join and for directions.  Schedule Below:
  • Tuesdays     4-5pm  -  Neighbor to Neighbor
  • Wednesdays & Fridays    3:45-5:00pm  -  Mayview
• We need help during the week too!  Farm Manager Sun Butler can meet you on the Farm any day during the week from 8:30-12 PM and  3-6PM. Please call Sun ahead to let him know when you are coming or give him a heads up on your way out there (919.559.2391).  Sun’s number is also posted on the bulletin board at Food Shuttle Farm if you get there and cannot find him.

 

FARMS & GARDEN BLOG

Keep up with what’s going on with our Farms & Gardens and PAR programs through the IFFS blog farmsandgardens.wordpress.com.  this is a great place to check out weekly ripe recipes, find yourself in photos of weekly crew calls, hear from other volunteers, and stay up to date with activities at  IFFS.  Let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the blog!

LOCAVORE LUNCH – Every Wednesday!

Every Wednesday at noon we are holding local agricultural discussion groups at Farmhouse Pizza, 3011 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. We will be serving a pizza made using some (hopefully soon to be all) local ingredients from NCSU’s Farmers’ Market. Please RSVP to Steve (steven.p.horton@gmail.com) so he knows many pizzas to have made.  If you can contribute, he is asking for a $5 donation… if you can’t afford the cost we’ll gladly cover you in return for good conversation!   A portion of the proceeds will go to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

This week we will be discussing resources available in NC for small sustainable farmers (i.e. CEFS and CFSA). CFSA has their big conference this weekend in Black Mountain and we’ll be looking forward to hearing what comes out of the conference. Bring idea of organizations/websites you know that could help farmers of any experience.

GARDEN SUPPLIES:

We are still in need of hand-tool donations.  We gladly accept new and/or lightly used equipment. Thanks to all who have responded. 

 

GROW VEGGIES AT HOME?

Our new Plant a Row (PAR) program has kicked off… We are hoping anyone with home grown vegetables will consider planting extra or just giving any excess harvest to our community members in need.   Check out the attachment, spread the word, and/or get in touch with Katherine if you are interested in finding out more. 

New Volunteer?

If you have not filled out a volunteer form or have a friend who is interested in helping out please email Janet at RGSJRS@aol.com.  

See you on Saturday at IFFS Farm

Crew Call

We are so THANKFUL for you – our wonderful volunteers – so we’re giving you the week off!! 

 

There will be no Crew Call the week of Thanksgiving.  Farm staff and volunteers will take some well-earned time off with their families who have been very patient this year.  We hope that each of you has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. 

 

The next Crew-call will be Dec 5th, location to be announced.

 

Community Gardens

While there is no crew call, Amanda and Volunteers will be in the Mayview Garden on Wed, Nov 25^th for any pre-Turkey day harvesting.  Come out and join her if you’re in town 3:45-5:30.  Please email Amanda (NutritionCoord@foodshuttle.org) if you’re thinking about stopping by. 

 

New!!  Farm & Garden Compost Crew

Farm & Garden volunteer extraordinaire Ron Paul Hunter will be heading up our latest project starting in December – the Food Shuttle Farm & Garden Compost Crew.  Expanding on our current composting program that utilizes food waste from the IFFS Culinary Job Training Program, we will be processing spoiled produce from Food Shuttles loading dock as well as recruiting local coffee shops and restaurants to send us their food waste.  *Start thinking now about which restaurant you want to talk to about donating their food scraps.  We will also build a vermi-composting(worms) facility this winter in an existing barn at the IFFS Farm.  Compost generated from the IFFS composting program will be used to improve soil structure at the Farm and our community gardens.  The vermi-composting facility will be an exciting educational addition for kids and adults alike when visiting the Farm. 

 

We need volunteers to work at Food Shuttle and the Farm to remove plastic and ties from compostable produce, and help Ron transport and incoporate that material into our compost wind-rows at the Farm.  In the near future we hope to establish compost routes to pick up materials from our participating business.  Join us in taking this next important step in making the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle Farm and Community Gardens truly sustainable.  If you’re interested in helping out, please contact Ron at rphunter@civilizationcontinuity.org
 

 

Thanks again for all of your wonderful work this season. We’ve done so much!

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

Thanksgiving Recipe Twitterthon!

You are invited to the Food Shuttle’s Thanksgiving Recipe Twitterthon! All day Wednesday we will be posting the recipes you need for a delicous Thanksgiving meal. That’s right, Chef Terri, Sally, Katherine and a few surprise guests will provide you with their favorite Thanksgiving recipes!

How can you join in? It’s easy, follow us on Twitter(@foodshuttle) and all the great recipes from the Food Shuttle staff will come your way! Here’s a taste of what we’ve cooked up in the past.

Join us tomorrow and tell your friends. It’s a Twitter Miracle!

The Food Shuttle might have some amazing chefs and foodies on staff, but we know our supporters and  volunteers can make some great dishes, too! Comment on this post to share YOUR favorite Thanksgiving recipe!!

This week’s Crew Call

Crew-Call

 Thanks to so many of you that came out last Saturday.  Be sure to check out the photographs Mark Petko took at the Farm! Everyone helped get a lot done and have even more to do this week.  We have lots of fall greens to pick so that we can get them out to agencies and community members. Bring a friend, a neighbor, or make it a family affair and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

 

VOLUNTEER TIME: 

 

• Garden Crew will meet this Saturday November 21^st from 9:00–12:00 PM at Food Shuttle Farm (directions).   Our fall garden is in and we need lots of help harvesting fall greens. 
• Our Nutrition Coordinator, Amanda, and volunteer, Melissa, will be leading the charge at the Community Gardens this year and would love your help in the garden and working with community members.  Please email Amanda at NutritionCoord@foodshuttle.org if you want to join and for directions.  Schedule Below:
  • Tuesdays     4:00-5:30pm  -  Neighbor to Neighbor
  • Wednesdays & Fridays    3:45-5:30pm  -  Mayview
• We need lots of help during the week too!  Farm Manager Sun Butler can meet you on the Farm any day during the week from 8:30-12 PM and  3-6PM. Please call Sun ahead to let him know when you are coming or give him a heads up on your way out there (919.559.2391).  Sun’s number is also posted on the bulletin board at Food Shuttle Farm if you get there and cannot find him.  

FARMS & GARDEN BLOG 

Keep up with what’s going on with our Farms & Gardens and PAR programs through the IFFS blog farmsandgardens.wordpress.com.  this is a great place to check out weekly ripe recipes, find yourself in photos of weekly crew calls, hear from other volunteers, and stay up to date with activities at  IFFS.  Let us know if you’re interested in contributing to the blog!  

LOCAVORE LUNCH – Every Wednesday!

Every Wednesday at noon we are holding local agricultural discussion groups at Farmhouse Pizza, 3011 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh. We will be serving a pizza made using some (hopefully soon to be all) local ingredients from NCSU’s Farmers’ Market. Please RSVP to Steve (steven.p.horton@gmail.com) so he knows many pizzas to have made.  If you can contribute, he is asking for a $5 donation… if you can’t afford the cost we’ll gladly cover you in return for good conversation!   A portion of the proceeds will go to the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle.

At this weeks discussion (11/18/09) Steve will be talking about the farmers’ markets in the area, specifically focusing on NCSU’s student run model. This week is the last week of NCSU’s campus market this semester, but the success of the project throughout the year has been very promising. Hope to see you at lunch!

 

GARDEN SUPPLIES:

We are still in need of hand-tool donations.  We gladly accept new and/or lightly used equipment. Thanks to all who have responded. 

GROW VEGGIES AT HOME?

Our new Plant a Row (PAR) program has kicked off… We are hoping anyone with home grown vegetables will consider planting extra or just giving any excess harvest to our community members in need.   Check out the attachment, spread the word, and/or get in touch with Katherine if you are interested in finding out more. 

 

New Volunteer?

If you have not filled out a volunteer form or have a friend who is interested in helping out please email Janet at RGSJRS@aol.com.  

 

See you on Saturday at IFFS Farm!

Ripe Recipe

Our resident nutrition guru, Katherine,  has perfected her Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Cake just in time for the last days of fall! Nothing beats the smell of apples and cinnamon cooking in the oven after a cool day! Try this Ripe Recipe for dessert tonight and let us know what you think.

 

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 large eggs
• Dash of orange or lemon juice
• 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3 1/2 cups chopped peeled Rome apple (about 2-3 large)
• Cooking spray

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Beat 1 1/4 cups sugar, margarine, vanilla, and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes).
3. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. Add juice.
5. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
6. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low-speed until blended.
7. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon.
8. Combine 2 tablespoons cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter.
9. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture.
10. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan.
11. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut using a serrated knife.

Note: You can also make this cake in a 9-inch square cake pan or a 9-inch springform pan; just reduce the cooking time by 5 minutes.

Sun’s take on Will Allen

People are still talking about Will Allen and the lecture he gave Monday night at the Mckimmon Center. Check out our rundown, with links to other blogs and writeups, here.

Here’s what the Food Shuttle own guru of farms, Sun Butler, had to say about it.

Grandfather Willl Allen, founder of  the urban farming non-profit ’Growing Power’ spoke to packed houses in both Goldsboro and Raleigh this Monday.  I refer to him as “grandfather” because his sixteen year history working the last farm in Milwaukee WI city limits, his work with inner city youth and a city wide composting program have established Will as the Grandfather of the urban farming movement. 

At 6′5″ with arms the size of tree trunks, Mr. Allen cut a Paul Bunyanesque figure walking to the podium.  As he narrated his way through 600 slides of Growing Power projects in 7 US cities and 6 countries it was easy to see how the mythology around this self effacing MacArthur grant winner has grown.  Thanks to his efforts neighborhoods that society has given up on bloomed with food opportunitiy and hope.   Will’s favorite strategy is to “flower bomb”; planting beautifully designed gardens in vacant lots in drug infested neghborhoods.  The result - the drug dealers move out.  Even more impressive are Growing Power programs that divert millions of tons of biodegradable waste from urban landfills.  Made into compost that in turn feeds the army of worms that power Will’s vermi-composters, the final product is trucked to local neighborhoods to build instant community gardens. 

The highlight of the talk were the pictures of the kids and Will’s description of the pure joy they experience getting their hands dirty and making things grow.  Will Allen is a susccessful farmer and a businessman.  But he also reminds me of my own grandfather who was once chided by a neighbor that his front lawn would grow more grass if he kept all those kids off of it.  Grandpa just laughed and said ” Well sir, I not growing grass, I am growing kids!”