banner
CT NOFA eNewsletter
May 2009
CT NOFA is the Connecticut Chapter of the
Northeast Organic Farming Association


CT NOFA is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to strengthening the practices of ecologically sound farming and gardening, and to the development of local sustainable agriculture. Our efforts give consumers increased access to safe and healthy food. CT NOFA is a growing community of farmers, gardeners, land care professionals, businesses and consumers that encourages a healthy relationship to the natural world.

Go to Home Page

Quick Links
Join our list
Join Our Mailing List
 Notes & Reminders


The 2009 Taste! committee has now begun planning this year's expanded event.  If you'd like to participate as a vendor, exhibitor or volunteer at the new location at Manchester Community College, give us a call at 203-888-5146 or contact Danielle at danielle@ctnofa.org

kittens
And welcome the 2 newest (and as yet unnamed) staff members in our office.

Upcoming CT NOFA Events
 
2009 On-Farm Workshops
Suggested topics include meat processing in CT, greenhouse growing, season extenders, cheese making, CSA topics, farm to school & farm to chef topics, pasture management, marketing, community kitchens.  If you would like to host a workshop or have any other suggestions, let us know!

Organic Garden Tour ~ Saturday, June 13, 2009

2009 Gardener Education Workshops
The next in the series begins July 7th - Pruning Vegetables and Flowers.
Online registration is now available.

Organic Farm Tour
Saturday, June 27, 2009 ~ Northeast Connecticut

NOFA Summer Conference - August 7 -9, 2009, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA. Check out their new page for workshops, speakers, registration and more.

Taste! Organic Connecticut
September 20, 2009 ~ Manchester Community College, Manchester, CT

Community Farming Conference
October 31, 2009 ~ New Haven, CT
Other Upcoming Events (*indicates new notice this month)
 
 
*New England Wild Flower Society's Nasami Farm Nursery
- opened its 2009 Spring Season Thursday, April 16 and will remain open Thursdays through Sundays until June 14th. Native plants, workshops and more.

*Webinar: Hoop Houses for Extending Your Growing Season - May 7 at 11 a.m. MDT. More>

*Friends of Cranbury Park Plant Sale -
May 9th,  10 am - 3pm, The Pavilion at Cranbury Park in Norwalk. More>

*Movies "The Story of Stuff" & "Money as Debt" & Potluck -
Co-sponsored by SHARE Haven & Bioregional Group. Sat, May 9th, 6 PM Potluck, 7 PM Movies. Discussion follows UU Society, 608 Whitney Ave, New Haven. Bring some food to share.  It is a great part of the evening sitting around and talking and meeting other interesting people.

*Distance learning courses on urban agriculture -
May 9-August 8, 2009 and September-December, 2009. Details>

Fairfield Earth Day - May 9, 2009, 9:30AM-3:00PM, Fairfield Warde High School, 755 Melville Avenue, Fairfield, CT.  More>

Holbrook Farm Events
-Farm to Table Mother's Day Celebration. Come and join us at Holbrook Farm's 1st Annual Celebration of Local, Sustainable, and Delicious produce, fish, and meat on Sunday, May 10, 2009. For both events, details.

Earthathon 2009 - For you, for Nicaragua, for the Earth*    CT NOFA is co-sponsoring a Earthathon, which invites people to take action from April 10 through May 10, 2009 to help build a sustainable future locally and globally. More>

*Eating Locally: a practical approach to the locovore lifestyle - Wednesdays May 6, 13, 20, 27, June 3, 10. 6:30-8:30 at UU Society 608 Whitney Ave, New Haven. Details>

*Go Greener Greenwich's May Awareness theme "Chemicals in our Environment" events:
Making our Lawns & Gardens Safe for Children and Pets - May 7, 2009, 9 - 10:30 am, Cole Auditorium, Greenwich Library, 101 West Putnam Avenue. Featuring Chip Osborne.
Protecting our Children From the Health Hazards of Common Chemicals - May 12, 2009, 7:00 pm wine reception, 7:30 pm presentation. Cole Auditorium, Greenwich Library. More>

*Exploring Agricultural Marketing Opportunities Bus Tour - May 13, 2009, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. More>

*Massachusetts Nutrient Density Field Trainings - May, July, and September 2009. For details, dates and locations, click here.

*CT Forum - Food for Thought with Alice Waters, The Ace of Cakes and Anthony Bourdain -  May 14, 2009, 8 pm, Bushnell Theater, Hartford, CT. Details>

*Back to Nature in the City - presented by Alchemy Café & The Growing Green Co-op
May 15, 2009: Hunt for Wild Foods with "Wildman" Steve Brill, leading a wild food and ecology tour. The 2-hour walking tour begins at 4 PM at 203 New Britain Ave., in Hartford, CT. It will be followed by a book signing and an airing of his Wild Edible Basics DVD.
May 16th: Organic Gardening & Landscape Expo, 203 New Britain Ave., Hartford CT, 860.246.5700. Details to follow on their website: www.growinggreencoop.com

*UConn Grazing School - Saturday May 16, 2009, 8:00 am - Noon, Litchfield County Extension Center, 843 University Drive, Torrington. Includes sessions on Grazing 101, SARE farmer grants, Mobile Abattoir and more.

Norwalk/Wilton Tree Festival -  May 16, 2009, Cranberry Park. Additional information about the festival is available by calling the City of Norwalk Customer Service Center at (205) 854-3200 or via e-mail at customerservice@norwalkct.org. Details>


*Northeast Farm to School Conference - May 17-18, 2009. Champlain College, Burlington, VT.  Registration extended to May 4th.  More>

*Sun One Organic Farm's Annual Planting Party & Spring Gathering - May 22-25 Bethlehem, CT. Help get the farm going & growing Great People, Awesome Food, Bon
Fire, Extra Plants for helpers, a great place to stay in the Litchfield Hills.  Accessible by Train or Bus - email us for details. Details/RSVP to: GreenRob@aol.com, 203-266-7973

Container Gardening for Color - Tuesday, May 26th, 6:00 - 7:00. Learn the basics on how to create and care for your own container garden using creative styles and color combinations. Led by Kristin Grivois, FRESH Community Garden Intern. For more information call FRESH at: (860) 444 - 8050 ext 14. www.freshnewlondon.org

Organic Insect & Disease Control - Saturday, May 30th, 4:00 - 6:00. Get all your questions answered about how to keep your plants healthy and safe from insect pests and diseases. Led by Kimberly Stoner of the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. For more information call FRESH at: (860) 444 - 8050 ext 14. www.freshnewlondon.org

*Mysterious Mosses - May 30, 2009 at New Pond Farm in Redding, CT. Walk times: 10:00 am - 12:00 pm or 1:30 - 3:30 pm. Reservations Required; please call New Pond Farm at 203-938-2117. Fee: $20/member of New Pond Farm, $30/non-member. More about New Pond.

*Plow to Plate Explores the Mediterranean Diet - May 30, 2009 at The Silo/Hunt Hill Farm,  44 Upland Road, New Milford, CT. This class emphasizes the use of organic & local Connecticut products. More>

*Organic Summit - June 3-5, 2009, Stevenson, WA. More>

*Art-eco Fair - June 6, 2009, from l0 to 4 on the Chester Town Green.

HerbFest 2009 - Sponsored by Connecticut Herb Association, Inc. Saturday, June 6, 2009, 9 am to 4 pm, rain or shine. Pleasant View Farms, 452 South Road, Route 83, Somers, CT. A day of celebration and education honoring the many gifts provided by herbs. Workshops and weedwalks, activities for children, demonstrations, information tables, bake sale, food vendors, over 30 craft and herbal vendors. For more information see www.ctherb.org  or www.herbfestct.com  Phone: 860-763-5206

*Tomato To-mah-to Heirloom Tasting Feast - Sunday, August 23rd, 2:00 - 4:00 pm, Upper Forty Farm, Cromwell. Delicious details to follow (in July or so)

Community Board


Looking for summer internship - Twenty year old college junior.  Home from school and ready to work immediately. Two summers of experience working on organic farms.  Hard worker, good with animals.  Experienced @ Farmers markets.  Ten years experience as a horsewoman.  Call 1-203-979-9506 or goldfishphins@optonline.net

Position available
- Sustainable Food Systems, LLC in Wallingford, CT (www.sustainablefoodsystems.com)is looking to hire a part time The Administrative Coordinator.  This position is responsible for all general office duties and reports directly to the President.  The skills and traits should include:  Some flexibility in schedule; ability to take and give direction; ability to act on behalf of SFS in aspects of scheduling, organizing and facilitating President's commitments; fluency in PC applications such as MS Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and other software; strong communication, organization and time management skills; culinary knowledge; an understanding and commitment to sustainability and the relevance that food plays in our world.  Please contact John Turenne at 203-294-9683 or at sfs@sustainablefoodsystems.com

 Position available - Unusual living situation available for single person with interest in gardening, chickens, bees, and some basic maintenance skills.  Deal with landscaping on property, "livestock" above, simple repairs, very small pond, and snow in winter, in return for very minimal rent (just to cover utilities).  (203) 230-1080

For Sale:
Certified Organic standing hay, new seeding, can be custom baled. 860-651-8928

Farm and Office Workers Wanted
- at Urban Oaks Organic Farm in New Britain.  For more information please call Terri Reid at 617-470-8985 or email treid007@aol.com
 
Paw paw pollen wanted
- please contact Dinah at 203-457-0320 or email at dinahwells@hotmail.com.

Work Position wanted/Assistant Farm Manager
- Organic and  sustainable practices concerned and experienced. Realistic inquirers  accepted. Many skills besides farming. Please call Fred Weik 203-233-3126

Cedar posts
- Ten recently cut cedar trees - 30-foot trunks available to be cut to specifications as needed.  Boughs also available for chipping.  Located in central CT.  Inquire with Ellen Falbowski at efalbowski@comcast.net.

High Ledge Farm Fire -  a well-known organic farm in Woodbury, Vermont suffered a devastating fire in mid-April.  NOFA-VT and High Mowing Seeds are helping coordinate donations and relief efforts. To learn more>

Vendors sought
- vendors for our Farmer's Market in New  London. Fiddleheads has a market on Saturday's from 9-4 and on Wed,  Thur, Fri from 11:30-6;30. We are especially interested in adding vendors to our Saturday market. Contact Sheila Herbert at sile.herbert@snet.net or 860-701-0678.

Natural grocery store sought
- Developer of a green building with 500 apartments in downtown New Haven seeks a natural grocery store to occupy the first floor in summer 2010. It has been designed to achieve a LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.  Please contact John Renner at (203) 292-4931 or  jrenner@beckerandbecker.com.  More>

Native Red Cedar -
boards, squared or round posts and poles to 25'.  Decay resistant without chemicals.  Call for prices and availability.  Eastern CT. 860-376-2473

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOFA Website hosts NOFA Interstate Farmer to Farmer Exchange - A free forum for the exchange of information, products and services. Go to www.nofa.org/exchange/index.php to see job postings and follow the links at the bottom to post your own job announcement.

Organic Gardening Workshops, Talks and Courses


peas & greens


If you are taking, teaching or know of an organic gardening talk, workshop or course, let us know!  We will post them here and on our
website.





Manchester Community College - Bettylou Sandy, a CT NOFA Board member, is teaching a series of classes covering topics such as "Preparing Your Lawn and Garden for Spring", "Organic Vegetable Gardening", "Shade gardening", and many more. See page 42 of this linked course brochure and click here for a link to Manchester Community College.

Old Style Life-Skills workshops - Organic Gardening , May 9, 2009.  Sponsored by Motherhouse at Local Farm in Cornwall, CT.  Other upcoming topics include wool gathering, sourdough starter course, chickens and many more.  Details>

Town of Mansfield Organic Land Care Series Workshops - Next in the series is Backyard Composting - Saturday, May 16, 2009, 10 am - 11 am. Free. More>

Garden workshop series - held at Roots Natural Foods, in Leominster, MA. Details>

Members in the News

Boulder Knoll Community Farm in Cheshire. More>

Mike Papa, owner of Artscape Organic-Care in the news

Bill Duesing in the news: mulched leaves, soil testing, landscaper's cloth.
Legislative & Support News
Connecticut raw milk - the CT Farmstead Dairy Alliance has been formed, a coalition of retailers, consumers and licensed producers of raw and pasteurized farmstead dairy
products. More>

*NAIS (National Animal Identification System) Listening Sessions - May 27, 2009.  Storrs, CT. Details>

Food Safety Issues - Responses from area NOFA Chapters and organizations:
NOFA Interstate Council
NOFA/Mass
MOFGA
Other Items of Interest

Vegetable & Strawberry IPM Travel Grants - Apply now for travel before March 10, 2010. More>

Rooftop Garden Project publication

Yardshare - another twist on community gardening.

A British take on local food issues. More>

USDA to conduct first wide-scale survery of organic agriculture. More>

Crop Rotation Planning Manual Now Available for Pre-Sale - SARE Outreach/NRAES


If you have any stories, articles, notices or suggestions for this  newsletter, please let us know!
203-888-5146
ctnofa@ctnofa.org
Safe Unsubscribe
This email was sent to deb@ctnofa.org by deb@ctnofa.org.
CT NOFA | PO Box 164 | Stevenson | CT | 06491