Print one out and bring it with you for a 10% discount at Eat Local.

Progressive Vegetable Garden Tour

Hello garden friends,

Catch your neighbors dirty-handed at a delectable garden tour to inspire the farmer in you. Get great ideas for supporting peas, protecting heirloom tomatoes and starting from the ground up. There is no greater satisfaction than shopping for dinner in your own front yard.

We will start at 2603 2nd Ave N. at 10am to carpool from garden to garden and meet the farmers. A basket of maps will be on the front porch for latecomers. When we return, join us for refreshments and a question and answer session with two of GNGP’s founders, Nancie Kosnoff and Sarah Holt. Starts for sale, and while supplies last, free Trex lumber from last year’s display gardens if you promise to build a raised bed of your own!

10am–1pm

2603 2nd Ave N.

Questions? Sarah Holt 206 282-4269

We need a hallelujah chorus for this press release. Can you believe it? THANK you to Councilman Richard Conlin and Mayor Nickels for doing the right thing.

May 11, 2009

Mayor Nickels Announces New Rules for Gardening in Planting Strips
New procedures to encourage more gardening citywide

SEATTLE - Mayor Greg Nickels today announced improvements to make
gardening in planting strips easier for Seattle’s residents. The new
planting strip policy, issued by the Seattle Department of
Transportation (SDOT), eliminates any permit requirements for gardens
and ends fees previously required for hardscape improvements, such as
planter boxes or pavers.

“This change makes it easier to plant flowers and vegetables in the
strip between the sidewalk and the street. For many gardeners, that’s
prime space,” said Nickels. “It’s one of the things that makes
Seattle special, and, with planting season upon us, it’s time to get
those green thumbs going.”

Under the new rules announced today, residents no longer need to obtain
a $225 permit for hardscape improvements, such as raised gardens or
stepping stones. Instead, they can obtain a free online permit for these
improvements and to plant a tree at:
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/stuse_permits_online.htm

SDOT has updated its Web site with information explaining the rules:
http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/stuse_docs.htm

To ensure public safety and protect city infrastructure, they also
provide guidelines for making planting strip improvements.

Good news! With a lot of work and a little help, we ARE going to make the market happen this year. I will be stepping down as chair of the garden project to devote my energies full time to the market. I hope to see you all every Saturday this summer!

The 2009 Queen Anne Farmer’s Market will be open Saturdays from 11 am to 3 pm, June 20th through October 3rd in the heart of upper Queen Anne on West Crockett Street. The market, hosted and managed this year by the Queen Anne Farmers Market Association, will feature locally-grown fruits and vegetables as well as honeys, breads, free-range eggs, meats, fish, and offerings from local artisans. For more information, visit www.qafma.org

Here are the results of the neighborhood survey, with 379 responses:

What size market is best for Queen Anne?
About 30-40 stalls 22.2%
About 40-50 stalls 54.2%
About 50-60 stalls 23.6%

2. Which location do you believe best meets the needs of the community?
Coe 30.3%
Crockett 45.6%
Either 19.8%
Undecided 4.2%

3. At which location would you be most likely to shop?
Coe 29.2%
Crockett 42.2%
Either 26.8%
Undecided 1.9%

For more market news, go to the Queen Anne Farmers Market website, www.qafma.org

Our parent organization, Queen Anne Neighbors for Responsible Growth, is seeking your input to help site and support a market that best serves our neighborhood.

Click Here to take survey

First, a little background:

For the past two years, the market has been located at the McClure Middle School parking lot. This year, due to construction, another site must be found. Among the many factors considered when determining the best location are:

size/scale
accessibility (e.g., walkability, parking, proximity to public transit)
proximity to other retail
“neighborhood” market versus “destination” market

Two sites are being explored: West Crockett (between Queen Anne Avenue and First Avenue West) and the Coe Elementary playground (near 6th West and McGraw).

For the past two years, the market has ranged in size from about 30 to 40 stalls. A Crockett location would allow up to 48 stalls. A Coe location would allow 60 or more stalls.

The 2009 market is proposed for summer Saturdays from 10am-2pm (previously, the market was on Thursdays from 3pm-7pm). Whatever the location, the site must be available on market days 2 hours before and 2 hours after the market (8am-4pm) to allow for loading and unloading.

The QA Farmers Market Association and the city’s Office of Economic Development have stated a preference for a market located in the central retail core. The market managers, Seattle Markets, would prefer a location that allows for growth.

Please consider the above factors as well as your personal preferences, and give us feedback!
Click Here to take survey

When this sign was created, there wasn’t a hint of the snow to come . . . but here it is, and how glorious!

The snow means some of us will be doing some very, very local shopping for last-minute gifts. Our canvas tote bags make colorful gifts or wrapping, and you can show your support for the QA Farmers Market and GNG while you’re at it. They are now available for only $15 at Eat Local.

Think green, stay warm, and have very happy holidays!

This week when our CSA box contained a huge bouquet of collard greens, I knew it was time to find a new recipe. My past efforts at braising greens have been less than successful (algae, anyone?) So I bypassed my trusted cookbooks and went to epicurious.com. (I wonder if cookbooks are still the best selling genre in this internet-age. I use mine less and less.)

With a quick search, I found this recipe and decided to give it a whirl, as I had all the ingredients on hand except the linguine, for which I substituted some little spiraled stuff (spiralini?) that I found in the cupboard. I am always running out of pasta, and have been known to rip open the kids’ Amy Mac and Cheese box for the little noodles

Let me tell you, THESE. GREENS. ROCK.

Although honestly, you could cook shoe leather with these ingredients.

Savory and nutty and tangy and of course, bacony. Really scrumptious. I didn’t use as much bacon grease as it called for, or any of the olive oil, and it still worked.

LInguine with Bacon and Collard Greens

Cook bacon in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 3 tablespoons bacon fat from pot. Add pine nuts to pot and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer nuts with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

The garden is put to bed for the winter, and the steering committee won’t meet again until January, when we’ll strategize for the new year (can we move the beds to a sunnier locale?).

The economy is forcing a lot of folks to stop buying organic. Come spring, many of them will be growing their own, many for the first time. Our project is more relevant than ever. We look forward to developing our outreach program to demonstrate just how easy, and rewarding, urban food gardening can be.

Toward that end, please consider wrapping your presents this holiday in one of our tote bags. They make lovely, reusable, waste-free packaging!

The totes are available for a minimum $15 donation (down from $25!) at Eat Local, located at Queen Anne Avenue North and McGraw Street. If you don’t see the totes at the counter, please ask. And help us say thank you to owner Greg Connor and all the staff at Eat Local for supporting our project, and for their contributions to a healthier planet.

(PS, their cheesy greens are to die for).