Sunshine Weekly Weeder Newsletter
10 February 2016
www.sunshinecommunitygardens.org
Reminders!
All Gardeners meeting - Saturday, February 20th 10:00 am
Vegetable Theft -If you see someone walking around the garden that looks suspicious we encourage you to talk to them. Ask them if they have a plot. Remind them it is not OK to harvest from anyone's garden without their permission.
Calling all Gardeners - Annual Plant Sale
Sunshine Community Gardens
March 5th
9:00 am - 2:00 pm
This is our most important fund raiser and requires many gardeners to swing into action to help with all of the preparations and activities during and after the plant sale. Most of the volunteer activities are during the plant sale (9-2), but there are before and after tasks also. If you help with the sale, you may buy plants Friday evening (3/4) after 5 pm. Your volunteer time will fulfill service hours. It is up to you to record your hours in the online green binder. No cars will be allowed in Sunshine after 4 o'clock on Friday until Sunday 3/7.
Music Line-Up - Another awesome music year for the Sunshine Plant Sale!
- 9:00-9:30 March-In by The Hey Lolly Brass Band
- 9:30-11:30 Alyse Black
- 11:30-2:00 The Will Gullatt Ensemble featuring Lynette Perkins
Volunteer Opportunities - Day of the sale
Our Annual plant sale will be held March 5, 2016
This is our most important fund raiser and requires many gardeners to swing into action to help with all of the preparations and activities during and after the plant sale. Most of the volunteer activities are during the plant sale (9-2), but there are before and after tasks also. If you help with the sale, you may buy plants Friday evening (3/4) after 5 pm. Your volunteer time will fulfill service hours. It is up to you to record your hours in the online green binder. No cars will be allowed in Sunshine after 4 o'clock on Friday until Sunday 3/7.
On the day of the sale there are two shifts - AM 8:30 to 11:30 and PM 11:30 to 2:30. Additionally, you have the option of working the entire day or if you can only work overlapping shifts that is fine.
Jobs include the following and a brief description. If you have any questions contact Ila.falvey@gmail.com.
Please read the job descriptions and use the sign up below
Silent Auction - Need volunteers to solicit donations/gardeners may contribute goods/services Please contact Kathleen Cobb kgc@tx-lobby.com
Gate/Greeting - Stand at the gate, hand out plant list, greet customers, answer questions.
Compost Sales - Bagging compost (we try to have as many bags as possible bagged prior to the sale) Compost from the Whittlesey is to be delivered on Friday. Heavy lifting is required. $5/ 5 gallon bag. Kyle Rosenblad and Ross Hageman are in charge.
Haulers - Helping our customers carry their purchases to their cars. Some heavy lifting. Wander around and offer help.
Receipt Writers - Customers select their purchases and receipt writers roam with clipboards and write out the customers receipt and give it to them to bring to the cashiers. Plant transplants and Herbs are $2/each (4 inch pots). The only exception is pass along plants and ornamentals. They are priced as marked. Diana Woraczyk is in charge.
Music Committee - Several positions needed PLEASE CONTACT charlotte@cybermesa.com directly to join us! Anyone can sign up for more than one of the jobs listed here as these jobs are not mutually exclusive of each other.
Tomato tents - Become familiar with the varieties for sale and help customers. Kay McMurry and Randy are in charge.
Pepper/Eggplant/Tomatillo tent - Become familiar with the varieties for sale and help customers. Marge T and Adriana in charge.
Pass along Plants - Become familiar with the varieties for sale and help customers. Susan Prosperie and Nancy Seibert are in charge.
Herbs/Ornamentals - Become familiar with the varieties for sale and help customers. Betty Chlystek and Jennifer Woertz in charge.
Stroller/Go to Person - Help volunteers and /or customers as needed.
Breakdown/Closing - Organize remaining plants (hopefully not too many).
Kitchen Set up - Refreshment set up for volunteers. Kathleen Cobb is in charge.
Volunteer Opportunities - Before the Sale
Herb Turning
TSBVI Greenhouse
Saturday February 13th 10:00 am
The herbs for the spring plant sale are doing well, but we need to turn the pots 180° for even sun exposure. If you are willing to help, we will meet at the TSBVI greenhouse. The more folks that show, that faster it will go!
SFC Plant Sale Promotion
SFC (Sustainable Food Center) Farmers Market at the Triangle
Wednesday February 17th 3:00 - 7:00 pm
Wednesday February 24th 3:00 - 7:00 pm
Wednesday March 2nd 3:00 - 7:00 pm
Volunteers are needed to hand out postcards and talk about the plant sale to customers on any of the dates. Please contact Kathleen Cobb kgc@tx-lobby.com or call 512-656-3233 for more information.
Silent Auction Items Needed!
We will be having a silent auction at the plant sale this year and hope you gardeners can assist and contribute! Ask your local vendors where you have a relationship if they would like to donate an item to our silent auction. Gift certificates, apparel, jewelry, theme baskets, artwork, services! For further information please contact Kathleen Cobb kgc@tx-lobby.com.
Education Events
Fermentation Class
Saturday, February 13th at 1:00 pm
Looking for a way to preserve some of your harvest? Join us for a free fermented foods discussion and HANDS-ON workshop, . The class will be held in the kitchen of:
First Unitarian Universalist Church of Austin (one block from Sunshine Gardens)
4700 Grover Avenue
Austin, TX 78756
A local Chef Instructor and other Sunshine gardeners will explain how to ferment foods like sauerkraut, probiotic veggies, healthy Escabeche (carrot jalapeño relish) and kombucha.
Please bring, if possible, ALL ARE OPTIONAL:
- Two clean pint jars with lids
- A cutting board, a carrot peeler and a good kitchen knife
- An apron and some way to tie back your hair (or wear a cap)
- Your favorite whole spices (pepper corns, mustard seeds, allspice, dill seeds, etc)
- Fresh herbs
- Veggies! Freshly harvested or organic: carrots, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, garlic, etc. You can brine ferment almost anything from the garden.
Fermented foods have many health benefits and are a great way to put up extra produce from your garden...and they taste great! This class is open to the public, so feel free to invite anyone who may be interested.
For more information, contact the SCG education committee at sunshinecgeducation@gmail.com.
Free Pre-Tour Event: 2/18 Pat Foreman on Growing Food with and for Chickens
We are really excited to have Pat Foreman, sustainable agricultural author, local foods activist and popular speaker for a 2016 FCCT pre-tour free event on Feb. 18th from 6-8 p.m. at St. Francis School. Her presentation is all about how to transform food deserts into growing food paradises by employing chickens-and their skill sets-to produce much of your own vegetables, fruit, eggs and meat.
Check out the flyer.
RSVPs at:
Calling all Junior Gardeners!
Saturday, February 20th
Sunshine Community Garden - 11:00 am
Join Sunshine Community Garden on February 20 at 11:00 am for our first in a series of activities for the children of our garden and the Austin community. This month we will be reading "Tops and Bottoms" by Janet Stevens followed by a fun activity to learn all about root systems. Contact sunshinecgeducation@gmail.com for more information.
Tuck Into Tasty Tomatoes
Central Tx Gardener on KLRU
Sunshine Gardener Randy Thompson with CTG Host Tom Spencer
Saturday, February 20th
KLRU Austin - Channel 18
12:00 pm & 4:00 am
Randy Thompson, long time seasoned gardener at Sunshine, will be the featured guest on Central Texas Gardener with Tom Spencer. Randy knows his stuff when it comes to tomatoes and will be sharing his wisdom about growing the tastiest and top-performing tomatoes and peppers in the Austin area. For those of you who may not know Randy, he has been a leader in helping with tomato & pepper varieties at our annual plant sale. No doubt you will pick up some great pointers and information from the show. Highly recommended!
Other local show dates on KLRU:
- Sunday, February 21, 9 am
- Monday, February 22, 5:30 am
- Tuesday, February 23, 6:30 pm
- Wednesday, February 24, 7:00 am
- Friday, February 26, 9:30 am
Mother Earth News Fair
On February 20th & 21st Mother Earth News will be hosting a Fair in Belton Texas. The fair will have fun-filled, hands-on, Sustainable lifestyle events. Find more information on their web site - http://www.motherearthnewsfair.com/.
Officer and Zone Coordinator Contacts - Sunshine Garden
Officers
- President - Jeff Monks garden@jeffmonks.com
- Vice President - Jim Willmann jhwillmann@gmail.com
- Secretary - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Treasurer - Caroline Limaye scgtreasurer1@gmail.com
- Director - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- Director - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Director - Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
Zone Coordinators
- Zone 1, Martin Morales marmoral512@gmail.com
- Zone 2, Katy Davis katydavis@austin.rr.com
- Zone 3, Ludmila Voskov lvoskov@austin.rr.com
- Zone 4, Ila Falvey ila.falvey@gmail.com
- Zone 5, Mary Gifford mgifford@austin.rr.com
- Zone 6, Charlotte Jernigan charlotte@cybermesa.com
- Zone 7, Jing Li jingli80@yahoo.com
- Zone 8, Irina Kadukova irina@austinshrooms.com
- Zone 9, Kerry Howell casonhowell@gmail.com
- Zone 10, Christopher Schroder christopher.s.schroder@gmail.com
Other Coordinators
- Weekly Weeder Newsletter - Margaret Powis purslane2013@gmail.com
- Plant Sale - Michael Hall fibercable@austin.rr.com
- TSBVI Liason & Volunteer Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmailcom
- Plot Rental - Kay McMurry scg.plots@gmail.com
- Compost Coordinator - Janet Adams jartdaht@gmail.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.com
- Education Committee - Shannon Posern shannonposern@gmail.com
- Carpentry & Repairs - Robert Jarry r.jarry@sbcglobal.net
- Water Leak Repairs - Steve Schulz sschulz784@aol.com
- Tools & Wheelbarrows - Bob Easter beaster1@austin.rr.com
- Compost Tea - Jennifer Woertz jennifer.woertz@urs.com
- Website Coordinator - Sharon Rempert scgardenweb@gmail.com
Record Service Hours Online - the Virtual Green Binder
