Organic Gardening Series Feb 29 - Mar 28

From soup to nuts, in a series of five Wednesday classes,Bill will lead classes teaching you to grow your own organic garden, grow it safely, and enjoy your gardening!

Series will cover...

February 29 Introduction to Gardening for Food and Beauty

March 7 Understanding Soils, Fertilizers and Amending

March 14 Planting, Spacing and Choosing

March 21 Maintaining, Pruning, Insect, Disease, and Weed Control

March 28 Other Things to Have in the Garden for Food and Joy

Time: 5:30-7:30pm

Location: Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center - 4126 Executive Drive - La Jolla, California 92037

Cost: $20/Member; $25/Non-member per workshop (OR sign up for all 5 for only $80/JCC Member; $100/Non-member)

Learn more: Click on the following links for more information or to register or call, 858-362-1141

Tip Tuesday: Hulling Strawberries

Here's a wonderful simple tip by way of Amy at New Nostalgia:

Pop a straw through the bottom of a strawberry.  Push up and voila! You have a hulled little number for freezing, preserving, baking or margarita making.

p.s. So you know how we have dig-your-own strawberries, right?  Organically raised on premise (in our greenhouse) these little darlings come in many varieties and are the perfect blend of sweet and fiber.

Fermenting on the Farm

From pickles to kimchi, Austin Durant and his local Fermenters Club are in the spotlight at the U-T.

Austin will be teaching a Fermentation Class at City Farmers.

• You'll learn about the many benefits of fermenting your own food.
• You'll see a live presentation on how to make sauerkraut and kimchi.
• Finally, you can participate and start your very own batch, and take home your own Fermenters Club jar!

Fermenting Workshop: Sauerkraut and Kimchi Saturday, February 25th @1pm Free to attend $12 for (optional) workshop materials

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Learn more about Austin and the Fermenters Club

{via the San Diego Union-Tribune}

What is Fermentation?

Fermentation is the process of preserving vegetables using salt or sugar to encourage lactic acid, which inhibits bad bacteria from surviving, while encouraging “good” bacteria, which advocates, like Durant, say is tasty and good for your health.

What kind of food can be fermented?

Salsa, corn relish, yogurt, sourdough, cheese, ketchup, kombucha and even beer are examples of foods that fit the fermentation formula.

What is the Fermenters Club?

Fermenters Club members meet, exchange recipes and trade homemade fermented goodies... “To show how simple, nutritious and easy (fermenting is) to do, it hit me one day to do a micro food swap,” says Durant. With a hat tip toward food-geek humor, he launched two pilot groups he calls “cultures” last year. Each culture consists of four to six households who gather once a month or so to share the fermented foods they make.