The question wasn’t about whether urban agriculture should be allowed, but under what regulation, and specifically whether to allow on-site sales and volunteers / employees, and some details about aesthetics (apparently some people think greenhouses are ugly – go figure).

It was a packed room again. Conscientious, intelligent and forward-thinking individuals eloquently presented compelling case after case for updating our current ordinances. Among them were civil engineers, urban planners, community organizers, food bank representatives, “green” real estate agents and residents from all parts of the city – north, south, east and west.

Myths and common misconceptions about urban farming were put to rest.

• Fear: An urban farm would harm residents and the water supply with an additional overload of pesticides and herbicides in a neighborhood. Nope: Most urban farmers utilize organic growing methods.
• Fear: A market garden would bring too much additional traffic to a quiet street. Nope: A single garden would feed a relatively small number of people over the course of a single week, many of them already residents of the neighborhood, so additional traffic would be almost imperceptible.
• Fear: Urban farms, and especially “hoop houses” would drive property values down. Nope again: The research presented showed just the opposite – that property values increase when farms are visible in urban neighborhoods. They’re marketed as amenities (if your real estate agent has a clue!) and are a visible sign of strong community, green consciousness and employment opportunities for youth.

What may have been viewed by some as a fringe issue when first brought to the table, is now seen by the Committee as an already vibrant and rapidly growing movement with overwhelming support. The Committee understands that the proposal to update our current codes is a vitally important and very necessary undertaking. They acknowledged that everyone – supporters AND opposition of the ordinance changes – heartily support urban agriculture, and that both sides are not so far apart on what they want to achieve. “[Kansas City is] WAY behind the curve on this…”, they said and “an acceptable agreement is not far off”. They will meet again in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion…!

I’ve heard and read comments like this a lot lately. Here in Kansas City, as with many cities around the US, urban agriculture is taking off. More people are growing and more people are noticing.

With the increased attention comes challenges. Some fear that if current laws are updated to allow on-site sales of produce, it’s just a matter of time before everyone’s selling everything in the front yard, and Kansas City’s going to hell in a fruit basket.

Ridiculous!

No matter what city you’re in, this is important: The Kansas City Missouri City Council’s Planning and Zoning Committee is currently being asked to update the city ordinances to be keep up with the times – people want/need good food inside the city limits and there are plenty of people ready to grow it and sell it and hope to do so legally.

The updates have nothing to do with selling other things in your yard, just produce and agriculture products. And if the new ordinance passes, our city may be used as a model for other cities looking at modernizing their ordinances to support the “growing trend of growing food” inside the city limits.

In Kansas City, Missouri, growing food in your yard or in a community garden has been been legal in all districts and in all zones – residential, commercial, etc. But, selling that food on-site is not. Additionally, Community Supported Agriculture is undefined within the current codes and has been lumped in with general agriculture ordinances.

So, the problem is that unless you are in an area zoned agricultural,

• you cannot sell your produce on your property,
• you cannot operate a CSA on your property because your shareholders, if volunteering in your garden, would be considered employees, and
• distributing your produce among your shareholders is considered “on-site sales”.

None of these activities are currently permitted in residential zones.

It’s time to legalize the sale of fresh produce in residential neighborhoods, so the lettuce we buy from next door won’t be considered contraban.

The proposed changes clearly define all three of three specific aspects of urban agriculture – Home Gardens, Community Gardens, and Community Support Agriculture – without any re-zoning needed. As I understand it, if you’re selling on-site, operating a CSA you will be able to apply for a “special use” or “temporary use” permit to sell on-site. This does not apply, as I read it, to Home Gardens or Community Gardens – no permit would be required for on-site sales. Frankly, I’m still not clear on the distinction between CSA’s and Home Gardens, as I see a lot of overlap between the two. There are a number of CSA programs popping up in home gardens – gardens that are tended by the resident(s) actually living on the property. Perhaps someone can set me straight on that? (You can read the entire proposal here.)

Community Gardens with a CSA program, are to be considered Community Supported Agriculture and not Community Gardens and must apply for a permit for on-site sales – as mentioned above. I am assuming that a Home Garden with a CSA program will get treated the same way, being defined instead as a CSA and subject to applying for a permit for on-site sales. Again, I’m still looking for clarification on that.

I am very clear on one thing: I’m quite sure the updates do NOT include front-yard sales of guns, car parts, human organs or anything else that some are so worried about. This is about providing as many community members with access to fresh food, no matter what part of the city they’re in.

The next public hearing to discuss the proposed changes is TODAY, Wednesday, May 12, 2010 – 1:30 PM – City Hall, 414 E. 12th Street 10th Floor.

If you live in Kansas City, please ask your City Council member to support the proposed changes specific to urban agriculture. What we do here may pave the way for other cities wanting to be more urban farm-friendly.

Last week (or so):

• Three 5 x 15 beds have been lengthened and some widened.
• The paths have been narrowed.
• Perennial “pretty” plants have been moved to the ends of the beds.
• The existing beds have been planted with radishes, tatsoi, beets, spinach, cabbage, basil, chard, zucchini and cucumbers.

This week’s to do list:

• Another bed will be expanded this week and several more beds put in where sod currently resides. I think I’m done proving I’m woman enough to dig up sod and will use the layering method from here on out. (Although, removing sod makes me happy. I’m crazzzy that way.)
• Plant tomatoes and peppers.
• Harvest the ABUNDANT amount of mint and figure out what the heck to do with it all.
• Remove the blueberry bushes that refuse to grow after 6 years. No more baby’ing those things, I am finally ready to admit that my soil is not acidic enough and move on. (*Sniff*). I need the space. They’re hoarding the sunniest spot for Beet’s sake!

The planting chart is based on experience in Zone 5 / 6. Planting dates may vary by zone, altitude, and soil condition, among other factors, so check the temperature of the soil when planting. Seeds will struggle to germinate outside their recommended soil temperature range.

You’re 10 simple steps away from kicking the mangoes-in-maine supermarket habit.

7. Join a CSA and/or a Food Co-op. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Many farms have CSA programs whereby you purchase a “share” in the farm. By paying an annual membership fee, you are helping the farmer cover the cost of growing the produce (seeds, tools, etc ) in exchange for a weekly ( or semi-weekly, or monthly ) share of the harvest during the growing season. Each farm has a limited number of CSA memberships available each year according to the amount of food they can produce, and they fill up early! Be prepared to sign up 6 months or so in advance of the next growing season, or be put on a waiting list for the next year. To find CSAs in your area, ask around at your farmers markets. Many farmers there will also have CSA programs or certainly know of some. Food co-ops are also membership-based and allow members to buy from many different farms, but in bulk, so pricing is often reasonable. Food co-ops allow you to see what a number of farms have available, order from as many as you like, and pick everything up in one designated spot ( some food co-ops will even deliver to your door ). Some CSAs and co-ops require that you volunteer a bit of your time actually working on the farm or in the co-op. This is a great way to meet like-minded people, get a little exercise and get your hands dirty side by side with the folks that work hard every day to feed us.

 

8. Identify restaurants that specialize in or use lots of locally grown ingredients. Eating local doesn’t have to mean giving up a night out on the town. Nor does it mean you have to abandon your ideals when you eat out. More and more restaurants and chefs are joining the local food movement. Some farmers specialize in growing food exclusively for local restaurants. Eating at a local-food-friendly joint is also a great way to get new recipe ideas. Depending on where you live, finding these restaurants may be challenge. Ask your local farmers (because you know many of them by now, right? Right??) and Google restaurant local food [your town/city here] for starters.

 

9. Find U-Pick farms in your area. Besides being able to stock up on blueberries (asparagus, strawberries, you name it) very inexpensively, a U-Pick adventure makes for a great day trip. Roll down the car windows, turn up the stereo and road trip it for a bit. Once there, you’ll enjoy the mild exercise while you wander, pick, socialize and fill up your basket / bucket / wheelbarrow with yummy treats. Some U-Pick farms will also pick FOR you,so you can just call ahead and swing by to pick up your 10 pounds of rhubarb.
10. Winterize your diet. “But, it’s winter and I live in Washington”. All is not lost! In fact, more and more farmers markets are open year ’round – yes, even in cold climates. Our Facebook inbox is full of invites to winter farmers markets – all here in Missouri, in January. The markets themselves may move indoors, but savvy farmers are still picking lettuce, carrots, garlic greens, and a variety of produce that you may never have thought possible. Remember, before there were supermarkets, our pioneering ancestors still managed to feed themselves in the winter. Some produce is perfect for long storage – apples, potatoes, onions, beets – just to name a few – and can still be found at the markets. You’ll find canned food of every variety, too, as farmers have been busy “putting up” their produce in the fall to last through the winter. Cows and chickens still produce milk and eggs all winter, so you’ll still find milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt. And remember the wheelbarrow full of strawberries you picked in June? ( Psst… they’re in the freezer!)

Here’s hoping this year brings you lots of fresh, wonderful eating and many new friends!

You’re 10 simple steps away from kicking the mangoes-in-maine supermarket habit.

4. Identify and visit 3 nearby farmers markets. Farmers markets are gaining in popularity at amazing speed these days and you’ll be surprised how many you find close by once you start looking. Google “farmers market [your town/city here]. Chances are, you’ll have a number of choices. Visit them all! No two markets are alike. Shopping at farmers markets is much different than shopping at a supermarket. This is a GOOD thing! The first thing you may notice is the lack of some foods that you’re used to seeing in the supermarket. Remember, you’ve been accustomed to having access to food from all over the world at your fingertips – regardless of the cost to get it there. Much of this supermarket produce is neither fresh nor tasty, having been bred for longevity instead of taste, and having been long before the peak of ripeness in order to be almost ripe by the time it gets to you. Which brings us to one of the next things you’ll notice at the farmers market – the food tastes so much better. Most of the fruit and veggies will have been picked that very day just as they were reaching their ripest potential. But there are other things that are different about shopping at farmers markets. One of my “whys” for eating local is that I have always had an aversion to grocery stores. I dreaded the weekly trip to find a parking space, push a cart through crowded aisles, and stand in line to checkout. Grocery shopping was the chore I disliked the most and I’d do just about anything to postpone it. My children can attest to my ability to put together countless meals looooong after any reasonable person would have announced “we have no food in the house!” Shopping at farmers markets is so much more enjoyable – the outdoors, the leisurely pace, chatting with the farmers, finding a “new” food, running into a friend and having the time and space to visit with them. Farmers markets have taken the chore out of food shopping and now it’s an activity that I look forward to.

 

5. Have a local food potluck dinner. Once you’ve started to get a feel for what’s in season in your area right now, you’ll want to start cooking in season. A great way to get ideas for seasonally appropriate meals is to invite some friends over for a local food potluck. You’ll be amazed at the variety of dishes that will show up. Be prepared to swap recipes (ask everyone to bring the recipe along with the dish). This is also a great way to find out about new farmers markets and other places to buy local produce. “Where did you find those zebra tomatoes, John?”

 

6. Plan ahead. If you’re accustomed to running to the supermarket several times a week for staples, like milk and bread, you’ll need some advance planning. Growing up in the age of 24-hour supermarkets, the open hours of your local farmers markets may seem quaint or downright inconvenient at times. But persevere and you will be rewarded. Our solution is to make up a weekly menu so we know what we will need for the whole week. This eliminates the possibility of waking up Sunday morning and thinking “Oh, I’m feeling like French Toast this morning. I think I’ll run to the store and get more bread”. If you’ve planned ahead, you already knew you would be having French Toast Sunday morning and you would have bought homemade cinnamon raisin bread from the Amish couple on Saturday afternoon. A little planning makes the French Toast sooo much tastier! AND you don’t have to swap your Sunday slippers for your shopping sneakers and drag yourself to the store just to make breakfast. Once you get into the planning habit, you’re ready for the next step…

You’re 10 simple steps away from kicking the mangoes-in-maine supermarket habit.

1. Identify the WHY. With all new undertakings, it’s important to know and remember WHY you’re taking this new step. Are you primarily concerned with eating as healthy as you can? (Note: Remember that local doesn’t necessarily mean organic, so pay attention. But often organic items produced locally are fresher and less expensive than those from afar.) Are you hoping to benefit your neighbors and the local economy? Are you concerned about the fate of small farmers? Are you wanting to lighten your footstep on the planet? All of these are valid whys and yours may be a combination of several or all of them. Your why may be something else entirely. Just keep your why(s) in mind as you embark on all of the subsequent steps.

 

2. Start a garden. There’s nothing more local than your own backyard. Dorothy’s enlightenment that “There’s no place like home” applies to food as much to anything else. No matter where you live you can grow at least some food. If you don’t already have a garden, there’s no shortage of information on how to start one and you don’t know what you’re missing until you try it. Maybe you’re just into growing tomatoes and leaving the rest to someone with more time or inclination. That’s ok. Grow something. This allows you to be part of the local food chain in the most personal way. If you’re a complete gardening newbie or convinced you have a black thumb, start with a pot of herbs in a sunny window. Your first leaf of homegrown basil can be such a simple and profound pleasure it may inspire to rethink food altogether. I recommend starting the seeds yourself so that you can experience the entire life cycle of your plant(s) and begin to gain an understanding of what goes into producing food on a larger scale for the planet. This is also a great activity to do with kids.

 

3. Identify your gardening neighbors. Does anyone in your ‘hood have a garden? Chat them up. Let them know you’re embarking on eating as locally as possible. Discuss your why(s). Finding out who grows what can give you a sense of the variety of food that’s being grown – literally – all around you! This step is important because you’ll discover a whole community of like-minded folks you may not have been aware of. Don’t overlook community gardens. Many schools, for example, now have food gardens. Go take a peek at what’s growing.

( retweeted by @alisonkerr, @iamrrm, @lifeledlearning, @funny_vid, @xmarksthestott2 )

“Not long ago in a supermarket not so far away…”

Freedom Tree Farms

Freedom Tree sells several types of multi-fruit trees Check them out. They also have a great video about grafting your own.

Two things you should know before you purchase a fruit cocktail (or graft your own):

1. Make sure the varieties are right for your specific area. Check with your local agriculture extension office and/or master gardeners’ hotline to find out which peaches, for instance, are best for your zone
2. Be aware that some fruit will out-produce others and may also take over the tree. In my case, it’s likely that I’ll have nothing but plums in a few short years, unless I prune carefully, diligently and often. A fruit cocktail tree, while all the fruit is one place, is not necessarily easier to care for than 4 (or more) separate fruit trees. You’ll likely choose a fruit cocktail because of limited space, NOT limited time.

Plums from the Fruit Cocktail Tree

This is year 5 of the fruit cocktail tree experiment. The tree is a dwarf, standing about 15 feet high. It’s supposed to have peaches, plums, apricots and nectarines. I have yet to see any apricots, but this year, I had a couple of nectarines and lots of plums – all dropped before maturity, but each year a little more happens. Last year, a couple of peaches appeared and then disappeared (probably taken captive by the guerilla squirrel brigade.) All is not lost, though, It’s been exciting and the tree is lovely all abloom in the spring.

The plums, though abundant this year, are all on the ground now and never fully matured. They look like giant blueberries. I’ve been pickling them so as not to waste anything. I’ve been waiting so long for this tree to produce… something!

The first couple of years, I wondered if the tree would really produce 4 different kinds of fruit, or if it would make some kind of new, alien fruit like a peachaplumacotarine. I would have been ok with that, but I’m glad to see that it’s trying to live up to it’s advertisement.

Yummy Ground Cherries

Several years ago, a wonderful farmer at the Brookside Farmers’ Market had a few small containers of ground cherries. I’d never heard of a ground cherry, but he was giving samples. One bite and I was in love. I bought a pint.

But, they didn’t last the 2-mile drive back home before I’d eaten them all and returned to the market to buy more. Much to my disappointment, he had none left. And I’ve never found them for sale again.

Since then, I’ve tried several times, unsuccessfully, to grow them. But this year, my experiment is a smashing success!

What’s a ground cherry, you ask? Also called a husk tomato (latin name: physalis pruinosa ), a ground cherry is a small orange fruit similar in size and shape to a cherry tomato. The fruit is covered in papery husk and tastes a bit like pineapple. The plants grow only 1 to 3 feet high and spread about 3 feet.

The secret to my success was ordering them as live plants from Seedsavers.org. I’ve mentioned them before – and probably will many times again – because they are my favorite place to buy seeds, and now live plants.

I ordered 10 plants and they are absolutely thriving, with an average of 20 fruit per plants. So far, that it is.

I’m not going to worry about recipes this year, I just can’t wait to eat them right in the garden, although I understand they are quite tasty dipped in chocolate!

Amaranth is one of my favorite grains and, lucky for me, grows like a weed in my backyard

Amaranth is an ancient plant, very high in protein, from South America. It was sacred to the Inca and Aztec cultures. Growing amaranth is easy, it’s adaptable to harsh garden conditions, and reseeds readily. You don’t see it much at farmers’ markets, at least not in my neck of the woods, but I don’t know why. It’s a great candidate self-sustaining gardens in a variety of climates. Amaranth grows as easily as its relative, lamb’s-quarters, and is nutritionally far superior to many other grains. No threshing is needed, so you can harvest large amounts easily by hand. And amaranth has no saponin and no hulls, so can be cooked without additional preparation.

The seeds are high in the amino acid lysine, which most other cereal grains do not have. It contains more genuine protein than even the venerable soybean.

In addition to the abundant edible seeds it produces, the leaves are delicious either steamed or raw.

Check out SeedSavers.org for amaranth seeds – Or just ask me, I have plenty!

Green plums, 5 lbs

Sugar, 5 2/3 c

Vinegar, 1 qt

Cloth bag containing 1 ounce whole cloves, 1 ounce allspice berries, 1 ounce mace and 2 ounces stick cinnamon

Wipe plums with damp cloth and prick several times with large needle.

Drop cloth spice bag into sugar and vinegar and bring to a boil

Pour boiling liquid over plums and let stand overnight.

Remove spice bag, pack in clean hot jars and seal at once.

1 cup amaranth

1 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup scallions, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

garlic cloves, pressed

1/4 cup olives, sliced

lettuce or lamb’s quarters leaves, whole

Simmer amaranth in an equal volume of water for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool.

Place all ingredients except lettuce and olives in a mixing bowl and toss together lightly. Chill for an hour or more to allow flavors to blend.

Wash and dry lettuce leaves and use them to line a salad bowl. Add tabouli and garnish with olives.

Not that I minded terribly when I discovered this, but it would have been nice to know that mint should be contained when you plant it. I have such a large mint patch now that I’ve often joked that I should just start a mint farm, but the joke is: I already had, unintentionally.

So, what to do with all the mint? Here’s my list so far. Some I’ve done, some I’ve yet to do.

Make mint ice cream

Sell plants (with instructions on keeping it from getting out of hand)

Make mint jelly

Make mint gum (that was FUN and the kids loved it!)

Sell fresh mint in bunches

Have a mint julep and mojito cocktail party

Make Pond Water (this is a family recipe: sprite, lemonade and mint leaves in a blender – looks like pond water, but wayyy yummy)

Make Mint tea

Make Tabouli (cracked wheat salad)

For 1 serving:

2 oz Smirnoff® Cranberry Twist vodka
2 oz triple sec
2 oz blueberry juice
1 dash Sprite® soda

The blueberry juice is best made from fresh, LOCAL blueberries, of course. I mean, half the fun of this recipe is picking the berries yourself. The other half is, well, drinking the martini in the garden at dusk.

Combine the Smirnoff blueberry vodka, triple sec and blueberry juice in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Top with Sprite, garnish with fresh blueberries, and serve.

Great served over pasta or rice:

* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 onion, chopped
* 3 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 cup bread or cracker crumbs
* 3 bunches kale, de-stemmed
* optional arugula, mustard greens, edible flowers

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. Add onions and garlic; cook and stir until soft.

2. Mix in breadcrumbs, and cook and stir until brown.

3. Stir in kale & greens, and cook until wilted.

4. Serve hot or warm.

Yummy!