Therapeutic Gardening Group is looking for Master Gardener Support

WELCOME!! If you are new to the group I would like to share why we started this group and what it means to me and other members. I wanted to start with a core group of people, all different backgrounds, cultures and belief systems that felt a little bit or maybe even a lot, stigmatized. I myself suffer from physical and mental disabilities. I wanted it to be a growing experience for all of us and what better way to grow as a person than to grow a garden. I am pretty sure the analogy is obvious, a person starts as a seed just like a plant and it grows allowing for all of the things that it is exposed to in its life time and if it is exposed to love and peace and lots of sunshine it blossoms, if exposed to anger and harsh conditions it withers and eventually it just dries up. As we work towards our goal of a garden of our own I wanted to include everyone who wants to be a part of a therapeutic community. Learning to work together to grow fresh vegetables for people in need and for those that work with us. To volunteer and help our community in ways we are able. We do have a real therapist and we also have a peer mentor. We have plans to hopefully be working with some different master gardeners from UAF during our short growing spring and summer.

In 2015 we are hoping to be volunteering our time to support the Fairbanks Stone Soup Garden Project located at 12th and Lacey.  A Master Gardener Guidance would be greatly appreciated to assist in meeting the goal of harvesting 2,500 lbs of veggies from the local gardens to support the Stone Soup Food Program.

If you are interested please contact Teresa Lyons at anpndsystems@gmail.com or Sarah at stonesoupgardenproject@gmail.com

Thank you for your kind consideration

Teresa Lyons

Calypso Plant Sale

2015 Warrior Garden

Good Afternoon,

I would like to invite ALL Master Gardeners to visit and please
pass on your vast knowledge to and for our 2015 Warrior Garden at the
Warrior Transition Unit on Ft Wainwright this summer. My name is John Knott;
I met Mr. Seefeldt and Taylor Maida back in 2012, they knew me then as
Sergeant Knott, I have since then retired and was blessed to work back with
our Sick Injured and Ill Transitioning service members again.

So, now as Mr. Knott, please free to contact me, if any of you need
time fulfilled on your 40 Hour volunteer commitments, use our garden as
demonstration garden, teaching us beginners!! Please let’s talk.

Respectfully

Mr. John D. Knott III
Social Services Assistant
Warrior Transition Unit
3410 Rhineland Ave
Ft. Wainwright, AK 99703
(907) 353-5271

Asparagus Guacamole!

From Shirley from our May meeting–the recipe for her amazing asparagus guacamole (from a really interesting cookbook, available at Gullivers and through some of the local CSAs in town, the Madison Area Community Supported Agricuture coalition cookbook, From Asparagus to Zucchini:):

2 cups chopped, cooked asparagus

2 Tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream

2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

2 Tablespoons minced green onion

2 Tablespoons tomato salsa

1 Tablespoon minced cilantro

1 teaspoon minced garlic, pressed to a paste with a fork

1/2 teaspoon cumin

salt and pepper to taste

Puree asparagus yogurt, and lime juice in food processor or blender.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Serve with tortilla chips or crackers, or as a sandwich spread.  Makes 1 3/4 cups.

If you missed the May meeting, Shirley also described how she grows her asparagus. It requires a long-term investment of time and space, but as she related, it can pay off big time for many years!

Hospice Plant Sale this Saturday

Plants for Hospice sale

Is everyone else enjoying this fabulous weather?!

I had to take a vacation day from work to get my beds ready for planting, and pot up my extra things for the Hospice Sale. We’ll be dropping off some flats at the Hospice greenhouse tomorrow, with hot and sweet peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, etc. I couldn’t recall where the greenhouse was or when to drop things off, so I asked on our Master Gardener listserv and got plenty of replies – greenhouse is at 20th and Turner, and the sooner the better for dropping things off, 10am-7pm weekdays. Sounds like they prefer getting most of the plants this week so they can get organized next week.

And since I can never remember all the garden event dates this time of year, I’ll get busy this weekend and put a calendar on this blog so that you can all keep track in one place too!

May meeting – Tuesday the 5th at 6:30 – Jim Holm of Holm Town Nursery

It’s really looking a lot like springtime…so come join us for our May meeting:

Tuesday, May 5th

Time: 6:00 p.m. social time, 6:30 pm meeting

Place: Food Bank (725 26th Avenue)

Guest Speaker:  Jim Holm of Holm Town Nursery, talking about perennials (and trees and shrubs).  We’ve finally gotten our schedules to match up, so Jim will be there with lots of information for us.

We’ve got lots to talk about!  We’ve got your membership cards if you’ve renewed, or we’ll have paper forms if you have not yet renewed.  Why should you renew?  ‘Cause we have a discount day at Ann’s Greenhouse, we have a tour planned for Delta Junction, and we need your input for other garden tours!

• renew your memberships  http://goo.gl/forms/RT8jWTSJFJ
• pick up your membership cards
• Share information about garden events and calender items
• Do you have extra plants to share?

Other information items:

1. All the local greenhouses are open and beginning to burst at the seams with greenery.
2. Upcoming plant sales
3. Don’t forget to start some extra plants for Hospice, or plan to shop and support a great local cause.
4. Fairbanks Soil and Water Conservation District tree and shrub sale

See you soon!

Emily