 Through Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer, you can donate money to breast cancer education and outreach just by taking the girls out on the town! Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer is an outreach and fundraising campaign focused on educating Washington, DC area residents about the importance of early detection and breast cancer awareness. For the entire month of October, chefs and restaurateurs commit their establishments to helping in the mission of reaching tens of thousands of men and women in the area. For one day, a week, or the entire month, participating restaurants generously donate a portion of their food and beverage sales to promote the work of Pink Jams! Pink Jams!, is a DC area non-profit promoting breast cancer awareness to young men and women by combining this important message with fashion, art, social events, live music and now dining! There are many great restaurants participating in Take a Bite Out of Breast Cancer. Check out the list on the Pink Jams! website and take your girls out on the town! |
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month - Take the Girls Out
Spanish Fly, Black Widows, Corpse Eaters and Zombies (Oh My!)
In Wicked Bugs, Stewart shares a darkly comical look at the sinister side of our relationship with the insect world. Customer reviews on Amazon.com range from “Lot’s of Stinging Fun”, “Light, Breezy and Terrifying”, and “Deliciously Wicked”.
Another great review, from the New York Times, said this:
"Wicked Bugs defines bug in the amateur sense — that is, anything creepy-crawly, including worms, snails, slugs and other insects that are not, technically speaking, bugs. A true bug, Ms. Stewart acknowledges, has six legs and wings, like all insects, as well as piercing and sucking mouthparts. And wicked, she makes clear, lies in the eye of the beholder, whether you’re a Roman with scorpions falling into your eyes or a Marylander with stink bugs falling into your hair... Wicked Bugs has some good tips for gardeners, like putting out rolled-up newspaper or cardboard tubes at night to trap earwigs and dumping them into soapy water in the morning... In fact, no bug is truly wicked. It is just eating.”—New York Times
(The New York Times )
If you want to meet the author of Wicked Bugs and pick up a few copies of the book for great gardening gifts, join the Silver Spring Garden Club for their monthly meeting (free and open to the public) on Monday, October 17th at 8:00 pm, at Brookside Gardens Visitor Center to hear Amy Stewart discuss her new book.
Amy Stewart is a bestselling author of five books on the perils and pleasures of the natural world. She has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, and on CBS “Sunday Morning.” She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship and the American Horticultural Society’s 2010 Book Award.
Prior to the talk, Amy’s book will be on sale at Brookside’s gift shop.
Amy will be signing the book before and after the talk.
WHEN: Monday, October 17
Store opens at 7:00PM
Talk starts at 8:00PM
WHERE: Brookside Gardens Visitors Center,
1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, Maryland
Visit http://www.amystewart.com/ for more.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Super Foods - From Your Garden to Your Table
What: Superfoods: From Your Garden to Your Table
Where: Arlington Public Library, Central Library Auditorium
When: Wednesday, Oct. 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Come on out on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 6:30 p.m. for a program in the Central Library Auditorium on growing and eating Superfoods – like bitter melon, goji berry, billberry, jicama and enoki mushroom – in Northern Virginia.
Jennifer Abel (Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent) and Kirsten Buhls (Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent) of the Virginia Cooperative Extension will explore cultural practices as well as preparation guidelines for including superfoods in your diet, with a focus on which superfoods are easiest to grow in our area.
This program is designed for both beginning/advanced gardeners and cooks, and is based on both Tonia Reinhard's book: Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet and current research being conducted at Virginia State University.
Where: Arlington Public Library, Central Library Auditorium
When: Wednesday, Oct. 5th, 6:30 p.m.
Come on out on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 6:30 p.m. for a program in the Central Library Auditorium on growing and eating Superfoods – like bitter melon, goji berry, billberry, jicama and enoki mushroom – in Northern Virginia.
Jennifer Abel (Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent) and Kirsten Buhls (Agriculture and Natural Resources Extension Agent) of the Virginia Cooperative Extension will explore cultural practices as well as preparation guidelines for including superfoods in your diet, with a focus on which superfoods are easiest to grow in our area.
This program is designed for both beginning/advanced gardeners and cooks, and is based on both Tonia Reinhard's book: Superfoods: The Healthiest Foods on the Planet and current research being conducted at Virginia State University.
Native Plant Sale - University of Maryland Arboretum
Native Plant Sale at University of Maryland Arboretum
When: October 5, 2011 12:00 noon – 5pm
Location: University of Maryland Arboretum Outreach Center at the Apiary
Sponsoring Organization: University of Maryland Arboretum
Description:
Locally native wildflowers and grasses will be available, including bushy beardgrass, great blue lobelia, cardinal flower, wild stonecrop, pink fuzzybean, downy wildrye, orange coneflower, swamp rose mallow and many more.
Plants were lovingly grown by volunteers using seed descended from local wild populations.
Proceeds will be used to support native gardens on campus.
More Information:
Parking is available immediately adjacent to the plant sale at the Stadium Drive
Parking Garage ($3/hr pay stations).
Both the Apiary and the Stadium Drive Garage may be found on GoogleMaps.
Please visit www.arboretum.umd.edu.
When: October 5, 2011 12:00 noon – 5pm
Location: University of Maryland Arboretum Outreach Center at the Apiary
Sponsoring Organization: University of Maryland Arboretum
Description:
Locally native wildflowers and grasses will be available, including bushy beardgrass, great blue lobelia, cardinal flower, wild stonecrop, pink fuzzybean, downy wildrye, orange coneflower, swamp rose mallow and many more.
Plants were lovingly grown by volunteers using seed descended from local wild populations.
Proceeds will be used to support native gardens on campus.
More Information:
Parking is available immediately adjacent to the plant sale at the Stadium Drive
Parking Garage ($3/hr pay stations).
Both the Apiary and the Stadium Drive Garage may be found on GoogleMaps.
Please visit www.arboretum.umd.edu.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Low Cost Plants and Garden Supplies
I saw this message on a local garden forum and thought I would pass it along:
Hi everybody – Ruthie here, from Community Forklift, the nonprofit thrift store for home improvement. Please forgive me, I usually behave myself and let other folks on this listserve recommend CF, but we have an unusual situation right now, and we need to get the word out very quickly!
Please help spread the word: we have TRUCKLOADS of landscaping materials, grasses, trees, & edible plants arriving this week at our warehouse (leftover from the Solar Decathalon). We don't have any way to water them, so we need to find homes for them very soon. Starting Wednesday, they will be available to the public at very low cost. More details at the bottom of this message.
Thanks so much!
Ruthie
301-985-5180
Ruthie(at)CommunityForklift.com
Our cavernous warehouse is located in the Hyattsville area, about 15
minutes southeast of Takoma Park, at 4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston MD 20781.
Call 301-985-5180 or visit www.CommunityForklift.com for store hours & directions
ABOUT THE PLANTS AND LANDSCAPING:
All of this great stuff is coming from the Solar Decathalon down on the National Mall. As you may know, the U.S. Department of Energy challenged collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive (This year, the hometown team won grand prize – congratulations to our friends at UMD!!!)
The teams are currently breaking down their exhibits, and many have asked us to pick up their leftover landscaping items so it won't go to waste. We've gotten offers of decking & railing, as well as hundreds of shrubs, small trees, native grasses, edible plants, and straw bales (Purdue University even offered us a 24' garage. It took us hours on the phone to find a crane & flatbed, but we finally arranged for it to be transported to DC Groundworks, a great nonprofit in need of a storage building).
So, we're still not sure exactly how much we'll be able to get, but starting this Wednesday, Oct. 5th, it will be here waiting for you! (Note that we are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays – visit www.CommunityForklift.com for store hours & directions)
PRICED TO MOVE – we gotta find 'em good homes before they die. We're not set up to water hundreds of plants, and it would be a shame if they wilted before they find homes. So, we'll be pricing them to move! For example, we expect that most shrubs, grasses, edible plants, and trees will be priced at one to ten dollars each. Straw bales (perfect for a fall or Halloween display in your yard) will be only two bucks each.
******
ABOUT COMMUNITY FORKLIFT: We are a nonprofit thrift store for home improvement & architectural salvage. Instead of donating clothing or couches, folks donate renovation leftovers like cabinets, doors, lights, and lumber. The building materials are then made available to the public at very low prices (40% to 90% below big-box stores), and donated to local nonprofits. To improve our financial stability, we have also brought in consignment partners to offer higher-end products: unusual antiques & primitives, raw-edge hardwoods, & reconditioned appliances. We are owned & operated by local 501c3 nonprofit Sustainable Community Initiatives, so donations are tax-deductible.
Since opening in 2005, Community Forklift has made it possible for thousands of DC-area homeowners and nonprofits to repair substandard housing. Not only have 18 green jobs been created at the store, but hundreds of local contractors have been able to keep their estimates low, allowing them to attract clients and keep working despite the tough economy. Reuse of materials also means that fewer materials go into the landfill, which reduces the burden on local governments; and that less energy is used to extract, manufacture, and transport new materials. Reuse is better for our wallets and our world!
Hi everybody – Ruthie here, from Community Forklift, the nonprofit thrift store for home improvement. Please forgive me, I usually behave myself and let other folks on this listserve recommend CF, but we have an unusual situation right now, and we need to get the word out very quickly!
Please help spread the word: we have TRUCKLOADS of landscaping materials, grasses, trees, & edible plants arriving this week at our warehouse (leftover from the Solar Decathalon). We don't have any way to water them, so we need to find homes for them very soon. Starting Wednesday, they will be available to the public at very low cost. More details at the bottom of this message.
Thanks so much!
Ruthie
301-985-5180
Ruthie(at)CommunityForklift.com
Our cavernous warehouse is located in the Hyattsville area, about 15
minutes southeast of Takoma Park, at 4671 Tanglewood Drive, Edmonston MD 20781.
Call 301-985-5180 or visit www.CommunityForklift.com for store hours & directions
ABOUT THE PLANTS AND LANDSCAPING:
All of this great stuff is coming from the Solar Decathalon down on the National Mall. As you may know, the U.S. Department of Energy challenged collegiate teams to design, build, and operate solar-powered houses that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and attractive (This year, the hometown team won grand prize – congratulations to our friends at UMD!!!)
The teams are currently breaking down their exhibits, and many have asked us to pick up their leftover landscaping items so it won't go to waste. We've gotten offers of decking & railing, as well as hundreds of shrubs, small trees, native grasses, edible plants, and straw bales (Purdue University even offered us a 24' garage. It took us hours on the phone to find a crane & flatbed, but we finally arranged for it to be transported to DC Groundworks, a great nonprofit in need of a storage building).
So, we're still not sure exactly how much we'll be able to get, but starting this Wednesday, Oct. 5th, it will be here waiting for you! (Note that we are closed on Mondays & Tuesdays – visit www.CommunityForklift.com for store hours & directions)
PRICED TO MOVE – we gotta find 'em good homes before they die. We're not set up to water hundreds of plants, and it would be a shame if they wilted before they find homes. So, we'll be pricing them to move! For example, we expect that most shrubs, grasses, edible plants, and trees will be priced at one to ten dollars each. Straw bales (perfect for a fall or Halloween display in your yard) will be only two bucks each.
******
ABOUT COMMUNITY FORKLIFT: We are a nonprofit thrift store for home improvement & architectural salvage. Instead of donating clothing or couches, folks donate renovation leftovers like cabinets, doors, lights, and lumber. The building materials are then made available to the public at very low prices (40% to 90% below big-box stores), and donated to local nonprofits. To improve our financial stability, we have also brought in consignment partners to offer higher-end products: unusual antiques & primitives, raw-edge hardwoods, & reconditioned appliances. We are owned & operated by local 501c3 nonprofit Sustainable Community Initiatives, so donations are tax-deductible.
Since opening in 2005, Community Forklift has made it possible for thousands of DC-area homeowners and nonprofits to repair substandard housing. Not only have 18 green jobs been created at the store, but hundreds of local contractors have been able to keep their estimates low, allowing them to attract clients and keep working despite the tough economy. Reuse of materials also means that fewer materials go into the landfill, which reduces the burden on local governments; and that less energy is used to extract, manufacture, and transport new materials. Reuse is better for our wallets and our world!
It's National Child Health Day
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, today is National Child Health Day. AND the month of October is Children's Health Month.That makes October the perfect month to start plans for your eco-friendly garden.
There are many reasons that eco-friendly gardening is great for kids. Here's a list of ten of them.
10 Reasons that Eco-Friendly Gardening is Good for Babies
1) Eco-friendly gardening means gardening without chemicals. Eliminating chemicals from our landscapes makes our gardens safer places for children to play. Because babies, kids, and pets spend most of their time playing outdoors on the grass, or indoors on carpets, where lawn chemicals have been tracked in on shoes, the tiniest members of our family are also the most vulnerable.2) Eco-friendly gardening conserves water. Conserving water in our gardens helps to insure that we preserve the world’s water supplies for future generations – water is not a renewal resource.
3) Eco-friendly gardening creates wildlife friendly spaces. Creating wildlife friendly landscapes allow children a bird’s eye view of all of the wonders of the world.
4) Eco-friendly gardening insures that these wonders, such as hummingbirds and butterflies, will be around for them to appreciate and share with their own children.
5) Eco-friendly gardening prevents storm-water runoff. Preventing storm water runoff helps us maintain clean drinking water and provides beautiful recreational resources for future generations.
6) Growing food in eco-friendly, organic gardens provides healthier food sources for children.
7) Eco-friendly gardening saves time, which leaves more time for you to play with your kids (or grandkids). Choosing plants which are compatible with your site conditions will require less work.
8) Eco-friendly gardening saves money which you can spend on your kids (or grandkids). Learning to work with Mother Nature, Not Against her, will save money on water, chemicals and plants that don't flourish and need to be replaced.
9) Eco-friendly gardening decreases energy use (and air pollution associated with its generation) because less pumping and treatment of water is required.
10) Eco-friendly gardening is good for your soul. And good souls are important for raising good kids.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
UMD's "Watershed" Wins Solar Decathalon, Protects Chesapeake Bay
The University of Maryland took first place Saturday in the U.S. Department of Energy's Solar Decathlon 2011 with a solar-powered, energy-conserving WaterShed House
that not only produces lots of solar power, but also incorporates many
eco-friendly aspects that help to protect the Chesapeake Bay.
A team of 200 Maryland students, faculty and mentors from multiple disciplines designed and built WaterShed to blend solar energy efficiency and water conservation. They drew their inspiration from the Chesapeake Bay.
Below are some highlights from the Watershed website.
Congratulations to this team for their inspiring efforts!
To learn more about this project, visit the Watershed website.
A team of 200 Maryland students, faculty and mentors from multiple disciplines designed and built WaterShed to blend solar energy efficiency and water conservation. They drew their inspiration from the Chesapeake Bay.
Below are some highlights from the Watershed website.
WaterShed is a solar-powered home inspired and guided by the Chesapeake Bay ecosystem, interconnecting the house with its landscape, and leading its dwellers toward a more sustainable lifestyle.
The house is formed by two rectangular modules capped by a split-butterfly roof that is well-suited to capturing and using sunlight and rainwater. The spacious and affordable house features:
- constructed wetlands, filtering storm water and grey water for reuse
- a green roof, retaining stormwater and minimizing the heat island effect
- an optimally sized photovoltaic array, harvesting enough energy from the sun to power WaterShed year-round
- edible landscapes, supporting community-based agriculture
- a liquid desiccant waterfall, providing high-efficiency humidity control in the form of an indoor water feature
- a solar thermal array, supplying enough energy to provide all domestic hot water, desiccant regeneration, and supplemental space heating
- engineering systems, working in harmony and each acting to increase the effectiveness of the others
- a time-tested structural system that is efficient, cost-effective, and durable
WaterShed’s inspiration comes from the Chesapeake Bay and its watershed. Covering 64,000 square miles across six states and the District of Columbia, the Chesapeake Bay watershed includes over 100,000 smaller rivers and streams that eventually drain into the Bay. The bay itself is the largest estuary, or body of water where fresh and saltwater mix, in the United States.
The Chesapeake Bay has a complex balance of salinity and nutrients that must be maintained. Nearly 4000 species of plants, fish, and animals rely on the Bay’s unique environment to survive. Water runoff from the 16.6 million human inhabitants of the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the cities, towns, power plants, and farms that make their lives possible upsets this subtle ecological balance in catastrophic ways. The long-term success of this ecosystem is challenged by inadequate storm water management systems combined with expanding development of houses, businesses, and infrastructure that increasingly put pressure on the Bay.
WaterShed brings attention to the threats the Bay faces. Its design serves as a model for how our built environment can help preserve the richness of watersheds everywhere by managing storm water on site, filtering pollutants from grey water, and minimizing water usage.
Congratulations to this team for their inspiring efforts!
To learn more about this project, visit the Watershed website.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Hydroponic Gardening Seminar
On Tuesday, October 4, the DC chapter of the Holistic Moms Network is
hosting a seminar on hydroponic gardening from 7:00 – 9:00 pm in the
community room of the Takoma Park Public Library. The meeting is open to
the public for first time members.
Agnes Traynor, Master Gardener, will demonstrate different ways of growing your own greens and herbs indoors year-round. She will have a hydroponic garden on display and green, nutritious samples to share. This will be a terrific opportunity to learn how to garden indoors when it is too cold outside! She will also discuss microgreens growing. Microgreens are seedlings that have not yet developed their true leaves. Packed with nutrients, they provide a colorful and unique punch to salads, soups, and sandwiches. Some common varieties of microgreens include broccoli, kale, beet, amaranth, and arugula. You can harvest these homegrown greens within 7-10 days of planting and can enjoy them year-round.
Agnes Traynor is a Master Gardener and Wildlife Habitat Steward with the National Wildlife Federation. She owns Home Food Gardens, a local business promoting hydroponic gardening and supporting local kitchen gardens. Agnes demonstrates her commitment to urban agriculture by growing food for her family in their suburban front yard garden while supplementing each season with produce grown hydroponically indoors.
The “Hydroponic Gardening and Microgreens Growing” meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 4, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.
For more information, visit the Holistic Moms DC website
Agnes Traynor, Master Gardener, will demonstrate different ways of growing your own greens and herbs indoors year-round. She will have a hydroponic garden on display and green, nutritious samples to share. This will be a terrific opportunity to learn how to garden indoors when it is too cold outside! She will also discuss microgreens growing. Microgreens are seedlings that have not yet developed their true leaves. Packed with nutrients, they provide a colorful and unique punch to salads, soups, and sandwiches. Some common varieties of microgreens include broccoli, kale, beet, amaranth, and arugula. You can harvest these homegrown greens within 7-10 days of planting and can enjoy them year-round.
Agnes Traynor is a Master Gardener and Wildlife Habitat Steward with the National Wildlife Federation. She owns Home Food Gardens, a local business promoting hydroponic gardening and supporting local kitchen gardens. Agnes demonstrates her commitment to urban agriculture by growing food for her family in their suburban front yard garden while supplementing each season with produce grown hydroponically indoors.
The “Hydroponic Gardening and Microgreens Growing” meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 4, from 7:00-9:00 pm in the Community Room downstairs at the Takoma Park DC Public Library. The Takoma Park DC Public Library is located at 416 Cedar Street NW, Washington, DC 20012. There is street parking, and the library is also metro-accessible from the Takoma/Red Line stop.
For more information, visit the Holistic Moms DC website
Looks what's in our nest box now!
Tom and I were just out taking a walk around the property. I looked up
at one of the nest boxes and for a minute, I thought our screech owl
was back. But looking closer......it is full of bees! I'm pretty sure
they are honey bees. We've had them on the property once before and they
hang out for a day or two and then disappear. Pretty cool sight,
though. Notice them coming out of the side, too. That is an air hole we
made for the owls.
Takoma Hort Club Annual Bulb Sale
The Takoma Horticultural Club (THC) is participating
again in the 30th Annual Takoma Park Street Festival by hosting a booth
(near Carroll and Tulip) where you can find all your spring bulbs. This
is the club's only fundraiser for the year, so please come out, and
bring your neighbors and friends! Rain or shine! (We have a tent, and
bulbs don't mind getting wet.) Bulbs make great gifts, and extras can be
bought for easy indoor forcing to brighten those grey winter days.
The festival will have live bands on three stages, over 200
artists and crafters, community groups, food vendors, and much more.
Members of the Takoma Horticultural Club get a 10% discount on all bulb
purchases. You are welcome to renew or join the club at the Fair. The
membership fee is $18 for the rest of this year and through 2012; or you
can become a Life Member for $125.
See you at the Fair with cash or checks and your reusable tote bags!
(Sorry, we cannot accept credit cards.)
Directions and details at www.takomafestival.com.
This information was provided by Kathy Jentz, editor of Washington
Gardener Magazine, who also provided this BONUS information about bulbs:
BONUS Bulb Tips from Washington Gardener Magazine:
- plan to plant between mid-Oct and Thanksgiving — but if you get them in by the end of the year, you are still fine
- in general, pointy-side up
- in a hole 2- to 3-times as deep as the bulb's height
- daffodils are most reliable for returning every year, they multiply in future years, and are deer-resistant
- look on packages for "early season", "mid season" and "late
season" – try to buy a variety from each of these to lengthen your
blooming time over a 6-8 week period rather than all bulbs blooming at
once
- buy only bulbs that are firm, large and unblemished (no mold or mildew)
Kathy Jentz
Editor/Publisher
Washington Gardener Magazine
WGardenermag@aol.com
www.WashingtonGardener.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)