Food Not Lawns - Kansas City

For the fourth year in partnership with the
Squash Blossom Food Cooperative, Food Not Lawns
is offering KState Organic sweet potato slips.
This year we have 3 varieties available:
 
Beauregard                   orange skin and flesh
NC Japanese        purple skin white flesh — great for fries and mashing.
O’Henry                white skin and flesh — great for fries and mashing 
$2.50/doz plus .50 donation to Food Not Lawns Kansas City for website expenses and a gratuity for our WebMinion  
Limited supply, till we run out.
Best to preorder at http://squashblossomcoop.org
 
Pickup date may change due to weather delays at
John C Pair Horticulture Research Center.
 
Pickup slips  Saturday June 4th 3:30 – 6:30PM
5309 Rosewood St, Roeland Park, KS66205

Get a head start on the gardening season. Learn how to extend growing to four seasons. We will learn to construct cold frames, hot beds, quarter tunnels, low tunnels, and high tunnels using low cost materials and methods. Bring $15 to class for materials.

CONVENER: Steve Mann (816-352-9213)

CLASS FEE: $14

Sec. A: 1 session; Saturday, February 26; 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM;

Rethink Energy, 2052 N. 3rd St., KCKS 66101

Register at www.umkc.edu/commu or Communiversity Winter 2011 Catalog

Our next Communiversity Classes

#2310 A

Food Not Lawns

Grow food, not lawns! Increase local food security,

improve your diet, beautify your surroundings,

build community, reduce pollution and energy use.

(It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie

of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east

coast.) Food Not Lawns will hold four sessions

dealing with topics that include whole system design,

garden preparation, permaculture, water wise

gardening, seed saving, planting, and free resources

(foodnotlawnskc.org). Please bring $5 for materials.

CONVENER: Steve Mann (816-352-9213)

CLASS FEE: $18

Sec. A: 4 sessions; Wednesdays, beginning March 2; 7:00 PM -

9:00 PM; UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, first floor, 24th

& Charlotte, KCMO

Register at www.umkc.edu/commu or Communiversity Winter 2011 Catalog

#2312 A

Urban Forest Gardens

Learn small scale Urban Forest Garden

design and hands on planting skills as we help

develop a food forest at 43rd & McGee. Learn how

to mimic the structure and function of forest ecosystems

using sheet mulching, layering, planting

patterns, species diversity, guilds and more. We will

cover proper planning techniques for tree, shrubs

and fruit. Two theory sessions and a hands on planting

workshop. Bring $10 to class for materials.

CLASS FEE: $14

Sec. A: 2 sessions; Wednesdays, beginning April 6; 7:00 PM -

9:00 PM; UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, first floor, 24th

& Charlotte, KCMO  

Register at www.umkc.edu/commu or Communiversity Winter 2011 Catalog

HOW FOOD NOT LAWNS CHANGED MY LIFE:

 Before I found the foods not lawns class, I knew I needed to eat more healthy.  I was trying to eat organic but was tired of paying expensive prices at the store.

 I knew having a garden would be beneficial, but my previous attempts weren’t worth the effort.  I saw an FNL flier and thought the whole concept was intriguing so I signed up.

At the classes, I realized I should be putting my time and money into growing food rather than into maintaining my yard.

The instructor and speakers shared a wide variety of information on different methods of growing your own food.  It really set off my imagination, creativity and the courage necessary to convert my home grown grass into home grown food that will nourish both body and soul.

The class I attended was in early spring and by summer I had a 20’x30’ no-till garden with LOTS and LOTS of fresh, organic, delicious veggies.  I am so glad I took the Foods Not Lawns class!

 Christy

Christy will be one of the presenters for the upcoming ‘My Paradise Garden’ Food Not Lawns Kansas City Communiversity Event On December 8th. Come celebrate the start of our forth year changing lives one lawn at a time!

To register for this event go to:  www.umkc.edu/commu

Join us as we celebrate the start of our fourth year of Food Not Lawns Communiversity Classes.

Email Steve if you would like to share photos and stories of your gardening experience. steve@foodnotlawnskc.org

To register for this event go to:  www.umkc.edu/commu

#2305 A

Food Not Lawns

Grow food, not lawns!

Increase local food security,

improve your diet, beautify your surroundings,

build community, reduce pollution and energy use.

(It takes 87 calories of fuel to transport one calorie

of perishable fresh fruit from west coast to east

coast.) Food Not Lawns will hold four sessions

dealing with topics that include whole system

design, garden preparation, permaculture, water

wise gardening, seed saving, planting, and free

resources (foodnotlawnskc.org). Presenters include

master and highly-qualified gardeners. Please bring

$5 for materials.

CONVENER: Steve Mann (816-352-9213)

E-mail: steve@prairietrading.com

Web site: foodnotlawnskc.org

CLASS FEE: $18

Sec. A: 4 sessions; Wednesdays, beginning October 20; 7:00

PM – 9:00 PM; UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, first floor,

2411 Holmes, KCMO, Bring picture ID; LIMIT: 30

Register online at www.umkc.edu/commu

#2306 A

My Paradise Garden

Past “Food Not Lawns” class participants

will share photos and stories of their own

paradise garden experience.

CONVENER: Steve Mann (816-352-9213)

E-mail: steve@prairietrading.com; Web site: foodnotlawnskc.org

CLASS FEE: $14

Sec. A: 2 sessions; Wednesdays, beginning December 8; 7:00

PM – 9:00 PM; UMKC School of Medicine, Theatre C, first floor,

2411 Holmes, KCMO, Bring picture ID; LIMIT: 30

www.umkc.edu/commu

Kansas City Urban Gardening news Story

Kansas City, MO- will it vote for growing good food in the city for all its residents?

The Kansas City, MO Planning and Zoning Committee will be voting on our proposed ordinance to make Kansas City a place where people can grow good food to feed themselves and others next week.  If you:

·         Believe that people should have access to locally grown healthy food, no matter what part of town they live in

·         Believe that urban gardens and farms are a productive use of Kansas City’s many empty lots and back yards

·         Believe that Kansas City, MO needs to support urban farms and gardens as one of many strategies to rebuild communities and create neighborhood-based economic and educational opportunities

YOU NEED TO SHOW UP AT CITY HALL for the hearing! 

Wednesday, May 5, at 1:30

City Hall, 414 E. 12^th Street, 26^th Floor

The City Council needs to know that while there are some who believe that this ordinance will turn  neighborhoods into a scene from The Beverly Hillbillies complete with cows, chickens, and low class farmers*,

GROW FOOD NOT LAWNS

  Here I am jubilantly holding up one of the sweet potatoes we harvested from our median in midtown KCMO. We decided to take a different tack this summer with that useless strip of land between the street and the sidewalk, the area that just sits there needing to be mowed week after week. My husband and I planted the whole thing with sweet potatoes, which is one of our favorite vegetables — decorative, delicious, and highly nutritious. We divided it into three sections using two pathways of stones, so people getting out of cars had somewhere to walk besides tromping on our crop.

Normally, we can expect to find doggy doo and trash on our median several times a week. There was none of the former and little of the latter throughout the summer. People seemed to recognize that something special was going on and out of respect kept their dogs on a tight leash as they passed by. If I was outside, they’d ask, “What is THAT?”  “Sweet potatoes,” I’d say. “Cool,” they’d say, or “Way to go!” Sweet potatoes are super easy to grow, and the twining leaf is pleasant to look at. 

We got well over a bushel of sweet potatoes out of our plot. As a friend and I were digging them out this fall, we became the neighborhood attraction. Kids wanted to help out (and did). People walking on the sidewalk stopped to admire and chuckle. One guy drove around the block and returned with his cell phone camera. “Did you get those out of the ground?” he asked incredulously. Then he asked if I minded standing next to the bushel of sweet potatoes so he could take a picture and put it on his Facebook page. 

We also grew sweet potatoes at the Rainbow Mennonite Church Community Garden, which we helped to start, and as a result we ended up with over two bushels in our basement. What did we do with all of them? We gave some away. We made pies. As always, we enjoy them just baked and with a little butter.

 This year, we’ve discovered a fabulous recipe for black bean-sweet potato burritos that has become a favorite. Just heat some onion, 3 cups of diced sweet potatoes, and spices until tender, then mix in a can of black beans, roll into 8 flour tortillas with some shredded cheese, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes!

Diane Eickhoff 

Food Not  Lawns KC Participant