We're going to Bonnaroo - woo hoo!

We’ll have our own 10’ x 10’ plot of land in Planet Roo – where a select group of righteous groups will gather to share their good work. Naturally, some of us will be ducking out to see The Black Keys, Mastodon, Ozomatli and the mighty Metallica, but there will always be someone there to talk HOMEGROWN with folks.
If you’re going, stop by the HOMEGROWN booth, get some fun swag and sign up for a chance to be a part of the Bonnaroo Barbe-roo – the cookout that we are co-hosting with Sustainable Table. Our friends from Nashville Urban Harvest will be bringing locally-grown food for us to cook up – can’t wait!
Stay tuned for more news as it develops.

Over the last couple of weeks, I‘ve been sharing my tomato seedlings with my friends who are able to give them good homes. The starter cells are getting crowded with little guys fighting for sun and nutrients, so the call for caring tomato parents goes out!

Today around the Farm Aid kitchen table, Ted, Jen, Glenda and Anna all grabbed a few for their EarthBoxes and back yards. Wendy doesn’t know it yet, but she is the proud mamma of four heirloom (two red, two black) plants, too – come and get ‘em!

Fast forward a few months...I reap the rewards of my generosity. Mmmm...tomatoes...
**An update*** It is not advised that you plant the actual newspaper, as it does take a long time for the paper to biodegrade. Our friends at Homegrown Evolution also say that the newspaper tends to wick precious moisture away from your fledgling veggie plants.**

CSA Roulette

Now that we’re enjoying the first signs of spring after a long winter, the yearning for fresh local veggies is strong. I signed up for my first CSA share this summer with Revision House Urban Farm and I can’t wait!
While I know that the first box will be heavy on just a few ingredients (definitely not a problem), I’m looking forward to June’s more diverse boxes so we can play “CSA Roulette” (our friend Severine’s term) – essentially, make a fabulous and delicious meal out of a random grab from the box. A pretty obvious thing to do with a bunch of vegetables, but using a sexy casino term in concert with fresh vegetables might just get us to dress up for dinner!

DIY - Organic pesticide made from vegetables!

The tomato seeds I harvested from last summer's yummies have sprouted into delicate, yet ambitious, wisps. It won't be long until my nephew plants them in his raised bed garden in the country. In the event that any unwanted visitors shack up on the plants, I want to provide him with a safe pesticide alternative.

Our friends at Instructables have just the recipe - using onions, hot peppers and a little bit of dish soap - brilliant!
link

The Greenhorns

We had a delightful visit from Severine from The Greenhorns yesterday. We dug into a fresh blueberry peach pie while she told us about the many interesting projects she's involved in - including getting The Greenhorns movie produced and distributed. Her passion for getting young farmers hooked up with each other is wonderfully infectious - you go, Severine, we're big fans!
The Greenhorns Trailer: