As warm weather moves in, our thoughts turn to lush gardens filled with fresh produce and yards full of beautiful flowers. Where does it all start? Healthy soil and water, of course! Composting and rainwater harvesting are great ways to boost crop and flower yields, conserve resources, reduce waste, and much, ...]]> Ahead of the City of Milwaukee’s compost bin and rain barrel truckload sale, DPW Recycling Assistant Becky Curtis shares some great ways that composting and rainwater harvesting help the environment, our wallets, and our community.

As warm weather moves in, our thoughts turn to lush gardens filled with fresh produce and yards full of beautiful flowers. Where does it all start? Healthy soil and water, of course! Composting and rainwater harvesting are great ways to boost crop and flower yields, conserve resources, reduce waste, and much, much more!

Composting

You already know that composting reduces the need for fertilizer and watering by replenishing nutrient levels and promoting healthy soil that holds water more efficiently. Did you also know that reducing the amount of organic materials sent to landfills also decreases methane production, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide? It is estimated that nearly 25% of the trash that is thrown out is made up of organic materials that could have been composted rather than sent to a landfill. Having 1,000 residents in the community actively composting would divert 600,000 lbs of organic waste from going to local landfills each year!

Orange peels, apple cores, vegetable scraps, garden trimmings, coffee grounds and filters…the list of compostable materials goes on and on. Whether we grow our own produce or enjoy trips to local farmers’ markets, we can all benefit from composting organic materials and reducing our waste stream.

Rainwater Harvesting

If April showers bring May flowers, we should get ready for quite a dazzling show. So far this season, heavy rains have resulted in two sewer overflows and undoubtedly a significant number of basement backups. Harvesting rainwater through the use of a rain barrel is an easy way to help. According to the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD), the risk of backups and overflows could be reduced by 11 million gallons if all customers reduced water usage by just 10 gallons on days with heavy rainfall.

Using a rain barrel also helps you to save money on your water bill and conserves a precious resource – water. Just one inch of rain falling on a 1,000 square foot roof provides 600 gallons of rainwater for use on lawns and gardens – without turning on the tap!

Compost Bin and Rain Barrel Sale

In order to encourage composting and rainwater harvesting, the City of Milwaukee will host a one-day-only, first-come first-served backyard compost bin and rain barrel sale event. It all happens on Saturday, May 4th, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Washington Park Senior Center parking lot at 4420 W. Vliet St., rain or shine. A limited number of Earth Machine™ compost bins and SYSTERN rain barrels will be available for $45 and $55 respectively (including tax), offering significant savings from regular retail prices of $100 and $120. This sale is not restricted to City of Milwaukee residents. Hundreds attended last year’s event, and the City of Milwaukee is bringing it back again by popular demand.

Visit www.MilwaukeeRecycles.com or call (414) 286-CITY (2489) for more information.

1. Selection.

Nurseries tend to only stock a small number of tried-and-true varieties that people are familiar with. ‘Big Boy’ hybrids are often the ...]]> We all know how easy it can be to drive down to the local garden center and pick up a few “six packs” of tomatoes and petunias to start a home garden. But for many gardeners, the benefits of starting their own seedlings far outweigh this convenience. If you do not already, below are five reasons to consider starting your own plants this year.

1. Selection.

Nurseries tend to only stock a small number of tried-and-true varieties that people are familiar with. ‘Big Boy’ hybrids are often the only tomatoes to be found on green house shelves vs. the color and flavorful heirloom varieties like “Brandywine’ and ‘Currant gold Rush’ found in seed catalogs. When you start your own seeds the varieties are limitless.

Johnny’s Seed and Seed Savers Exchange are both great seed sources that offer many organic varieties.

2. Earlier Harvests and Blooms

No need to wait for the soil to dry out before playing in the dirt again! By starting your own seeds indoors, you give your garden a head start and can enjoy harvests and blooms earlier in the season.

When should I start my seeds indoors? Seed packets and catalogs will give you seed starting information specific to the variety you have chosen. Typically, tomatoes and peppers should be started 6-8 weeks before the average last frost date, which for Southeastern Wisconsin is around May 20th. This means you still have time to start some this year!

3. Save Money

Even after factoring in the cost of seeds, soil, and trays, growing your own transplants is still cheaper. At the garden center an individual tomato seedling will cost between $1.50 and $3 while a packet of 50 organic, heirloom tomatoes seeds is $2.75

Want to save even more money? Save your own seeds from year to year! (See number five)

4. Organic Growing Practices.

For those of us who grow organically, finding organic seedlings is a significant first step in the process and it is rare to find a nursery that produces organic seedlings. If we place a value on knowing the source of our food, why should the origin of the plants that grow our food be any different?

5. Saving Seeds.

Saving plant seeds from year to year is not only a great way to save money, but it helps save the genetic diversity of our plant crop heritage by developing generations of plants well suited to our specific bio region.

The majority of plants available at nurseries are hybrids; a cross between two parent species, bred for choice characteristics like showy flowers. Due to the hybridization of these plants, their offspring (seeds collected) will not be true to the parent form, as would plants that reproduce through open pollination (bees, insects, wind). By choosing and starting openly pollenated or heirloom seeds, gardeners are able to save seed year to year.

Interested in learning more about seeds, saving your own seed and receiving new varieties to test out?

On April 20th, the experts from Seed Savers Exchange will be leading a seed saving workshop and seed swap at Wellspring Organic Farm and Education Center.

Wet and dry seed saving techniques will be taught in addition to a discussion on the importance of saving seed and preserving our food crop heritage. By the end of the workshop, participants will have the skills to begin saving their own seeds from season to season.

A seed swap will also take place following the workshop. Feel free to bring any untreated seeds to share with the group and expect to go home with some new varieties regardless! This will be a great opportunity to mingle with other local food enthusiasts and gardeners!

For more details and to register, please visit www.wellspringinc.org or call (847) 946-5565.

Want to purchase Ark of Taste Seedlings?

Slow Food WiSE has been working with Weber’s Greenhouses to have grow out six varieties of plants on the Ark of Taste list:

• Amish Paste Tomato
• Aunt Ruby’s Green Tomato,
• Beaver Dam Pepper
• Sheepnose Pimiento Pepper
• Aunt Molly’s Ground Cherry
• Amish Deer Tongue Lettuce

Click here to order your Ark of Taste veggies to plant in your Victory Garden Initiative raised bed!

Four years ago, my family and I were fortunate to relocate to Milwaukee, just as we were beginning the journey of eating more local and seasonal food. As long time amateur chefs, my husband and I always liked to work with ...]]> The Farm Fresh Atlas is a great resource to local and sustainable food in our community.  Slow Food WISE board member, Paula Stone, provides a reflection on her family’s journey to discovering good, clean and fair food in Southeastern Wisconsin…and how you can too!  

Four years ago, my family and I were fortunate to relocate to Milwaukee, just as we were beginning the journey of eating more local and seasonal food. As long time amateur chefs, my husband and I always liked to work with interesting ingredients, but now with young children we felt it was even more important that we expose them to a variety of great food that is produced with minimal chemicals or additives.

Our journey to “slow food”

So what is so lucky about being in Milwaukee then? The secret is in the Farm Fresh Atlas! A couple of weeks after we moved to Milwaukee, I stumbled on the link through the Slow Food WISE website and couldn’t believe the amazing range of meat and produce being raised so near by—practically on our doorstep. CSA’s! Farmer’s Markets! Farms selling directly to consumers! Wow!

We signed up for our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) that spring and connected with a local farm to buy heritage pork, free-range chickens and grass fed beef. In the last four years, through the resources we found in the Farm Fresh Atlas, we’ve cooked lamb, bison, duck and goat; we’ve made elderberry and strawberry jam; we’ve been introduced to (and learned to cook) kohlrabi, sorrel, nettles, ramps, romanesco broccoli and escarole. Only the nettles didn’t earn a repeat appearance at the table (but that was probably my fault).

Exploring farms in Southeastern Wisconsin

Like gardeners who read seed catalogues in the winter, dreaming of the next growing season, we look forward to the arrival of the new Atlas each spring, looking for the farms and markets that have become like old friends, checking out new listings, and planning new ways to prepare the incredible variety of food Southeastern Wisconsin has to offer. The farms are listed by county with a description of what they produce, the seasons in which it is available, as well as their philosophy on farming. Most include contact information if you have questions or want to get on their email list.

Farmer’s market listings will let you know when they open for the season, the hours of operation and the types of produce you might expect to find. We’ve found that each market has its own personality, so consider market hopping to check them all out and find your favorite.

The 2013 Farm Fresh Atlas

The 2013 Fresh Farm Atlas comes out in the next few weeks! Slow Food WISE coordinates the distribution in Milwaukee County, getting the Atlas to as many locations as possible! Look for it at Outpost Natural Foods Co-op, other local markets, or your library or coffee shop.

If you’re looking for a way to get involved with Slow Food WISE, distributing the Atlas is a great way to help out and get to know your community at the same time. Contact Paula at pstone@slowfoodwise.org to volunteer.

Stay tuned for the 2013 Farm Fresh Atlas—grab a copy or check it out online at www.farmfreshatlas.org/southeast.

Happy reading…and eating!

Preserve this endangered fruit by adopting your own Milwaukee Apple tree!  Click here for details.

For Current MKE Apple Tree Growers:

Did you adopt a bench grafted tree last year?  If so—it’s time to get pruning! Some orchardists prune year round (if you have hundreds of trees  it’s a year round job!) but our experts tell us that we are approaching the best time of year to prune: during the dormant season when the weather is mild (above freezing.)  Here are some resources ...]]> Grow it to save it!

Preserve this endangered fruit by adopting your own Milwaukee Apple tree!  Click here for details.

For Current MKE Apple Tree Growers:

Did you adopt a bench grafted tree last year?  If so—it’s time to get pruning! Some orchardists prune year round (if you have hundreds of trees  it’s a year round job!) but our experts tell us that we are approaching the best time of year to prune: during the dormant season when the weather is mild (above freezing.)  Here are some resources to help you establish a central leader and keep your tree strong.

How to Prune Apple Trees

Growing Apples in Wisconsin

Volunteer opportunities! Would you like to tend to MKE apple trees planted in community lcations?  Would you like to help create a digital map of all known MKE Apple trees in the region?  Contact jcasey@slowfoodwise.org

Manoomin, the “good grain” in Anishinaabeg, the only grain native to Northern America, the richly delicious and nutritious aquatic seed that is a keystone traditional food of Anishinaabeg (Chippewa) people has yet another threat to its existence. Unique to the Upper Great Lakes’ region, Manoomin, which is on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste (and one of only seven US Presidia) for its amazing depth and diversity of flavors and its rich cultural heritage, is respected around the ...]]> Real wild rice is at risk of disappearing.   

Manoomin, the “good grain” in Anishinaabeg, the only grain native to Northern America, the richly delicious and nutritious aquatic seed that is a keystone traditional food of Anishinaabeg (Chippewa) people has yet another threat to its existence. Unique to the Upper Great Lakes’ region, Manoomin, which is on Slow Food USA’s Ark of Taste (and one of only seven US Presidia) for its amazing depth and diversity of flavors and its rich cultural heritage, is respected around the world as a true American food.

But can we protect it here in Wisconsin?

A proposed mining bill in the state legislature would roll back regulatory and environmental protections; paving the way for large scale open pit mining in the pristine Penokee Hills of Northern Wisconsin. A proposed iron mine would impact the Bad River watershed–home to the Bad River Tribe of Wisconsin and the extraordinarily sensitive ecosystem that supports wild rice beds, rare flora and fauna, and is the primary source of fresh drinking water for that region.

Concerned?  Slow Food WiSE members and friends can support the tribe in the following ways:

• Contact your legislators (the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters makes it easy here)
• Read this press release from Bad River Tribal Chairman, Mike Wiggins
• Help spread the word
• Write a letter to the editor
• Attend a hearing in Madison this Wednesday, January 23rd from 9am-9pm in Room 411 South, State Capitol. If you can’t make it email both Senator Tom Tiffany Sen.Tiffany@legis.wi.gov  and Representative Mary Williams Rep.WilliamsM@legis.wisconsin.gov to let them know your thoughts.

Our community can help preserve wild rice, the good grain.

About 7 years ago, my wife Dara and I started getting a locally raised heritage turkey for Thanksgiving dinner every year. After a number of years of eating vegetarian, and an unfamiliarity with cooking any kind of meat, we found ourselves bewildered as to where the gizzard and such were until we realized we were looking in the ...]]> It’s been a couple weeks now since many of us carved up a Thanksgiving turkey. Was it cooked right, juicy and tasty? Or was it a little lacking?

About 7 years ago, my wife Dara and I started getting a locally raised heritage turkey for Thanksgiving dinner every year. After a number of years of eating vegetarian, and an unfamiliarity with cooking any kind of meat, we found ourselves bewildered as to where the gizzard and such were until we realized we were looking in the neck end of the bird. We also unintentionally cooked it upside down. It took Grandma to tell us the breast was on the bottom. Turns out, that is a great way to cook the bird because the juices settle down into the breast making it very moist.

My point is that just about anyone can cook a delightful turkey. It certainly helps to start with a locally raised heritage breed, such as Naragansett, American Bronze, or a Bourbon Red. Then find a recipe to brine the turkey for 24-48 hours before cooking. This year we had a 16 pound Bourbon Red which fit nicely into our large stock pot.

We created the brine by gently heating 2 gallons of water, a cup of sea salt, a cup of honey, a couple bunches of thyme, a tablespoon of garlic powder, and juice from a couple lemons. Once the salt and honey was dissolved, we chilled the brine in the refrigerator. After the brine was cold, we submerged the turkey and left it in the fridge for a day or two.

Here’s our 2012 list of local farms offering heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving. We realize this is an incomplete list–please let us know ...]]> Its time to get your heritage turkey for Thanksgiving! Slow Food WiSE’s Heritage Turkey Project promotes the restoration of heritage breed turkeys in our region by pairing farmers with eaters.  As opposed to the Broad Breasted White turkey that dominates our industrial food system and tables, heritage breeds such as the Narragansett, Bourbon Red, and Blue Slate have varying foraging, tending and flavor characteristics.

Here’s our 2012 list of local farms offering heritage turkeys for Thanksgiving. We realize this is an incomplete list–please let us know if you, or someone you know is raising heritage breeds!

As these turkeys tend to be highly enjoyed around Thanksgiving tables, they tend to sell out rather quickly.  Please contact the farms directly for ordering and pricing information.The

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy defines true heritage turkeys with the following criteria: 1) Naturally mating; 2) Long productive outdoor lifespan; 3) Slow growth rate.

Consider compost–adding a little compost around the trees is a good idea. If you don’t have your own, we can recommend Purple Cow Organic.

Protect--your trees need protection from nibbling mice, voles, and even hungry cats.  If you still have the hardware cloth the trees came with, keep it on. ...]]> For those of you who took home heritage trees this spring, you may be wondering if there’s anything special to do now that winter is approaching.  Here are some tips for the novices out there:

Consider compost–adding a little compost around the trees is a good idea. If you don’t have your own, we can recommend Purple Cow Organic.

Protect--your trees need protection from nibbling mice, voles, and even hungry cats.  If you still have the hardware cloth the trees came with, keep it on. If not, you can purchase some at any hardware store to protect your little trees from damage.

Slow watering–as they grow dormant, water less frequently until its once a month (if no rain/snow falls.)