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Fall vegetables bountiful at Southeast Area Farmers’ Market

Oct27

Taking place Friday Nov. 4 and Saturday Nov. 5 at the Southeast Area Farmer’s Market! Register today,OKTable1@gmail.com or 616-570-0218.

Fall is in the air but what is in your pantry? Hopefully, lots of healthy, delicious produce courtesy of autumn’s bountiful harvest. This week at the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market, you can expect to find crisp, delicious Michigan apples—so much tastier than those at the supermarket (Did you know they can be stored up to three years before they get to the store?). You’ll also find tasty pears.

The chemical free produce from the Farmers’ Market may be somewhat smaller than the produce you find at the supermarket, but it has three to four times the nutritional value and no harmful pesticides. Do you know what gives the fruit at the super market its glossy shine? Wax! Wax puts a nice shine on your automobile, but do you really want to eat it?

Winter squash are in season, too: Hubbard, acorn and butternut. These are so easy to prepare. Simply cut in half, scoop out the seeds, place skin-side up on a baking sheet and roast at 350 degrees until tender. Scoop out the tender flesh and mash it with a little butter and Michigan honey—from the Farmers’ Market.

Both market locations still have greens, as well. Did you know that collards and kale can grow through most of the Michigan winter? If you’re interested in growing your own, ask the women from Our Kitchen Table who are managing the Farmers’ Market. They can help you get started.

Both Southeast Area Farmers’ Market locations accept EBT, Double Up Food Bucks, Kent County Health Department coupons and Project Fresh coupons. If you have coupons or Double Up Food Bucks tokens left, use them up before they expire!

Please note! Friday’s market at Gerald R Ford Middle School has moved inside. It’s now open from 5 to 7 p.m. The Garfield Park Saturday market location remains open from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. as usual. Hope to see you there!

“We are feeding our landfills as much as we are feeding our country.”

Oct19

Timmy Vatterott of the film DIVE! talks to OKT's Yvonne Woodard about her work before the film

On Monday Oct. 17, Grand Valley State University screened the documentary film Dive! Living Off America’s Waste as part of its Sustainability Week activities. The film opens with a group of young adults helping themselves to gourmet cheeses, choice meat cuts, organic produce and brown eggs from their local Trader Joe’s dumpster. One dumpster diver quipped, “We have so much food that it’s a chore to take care of it the next day.”

In fact, with the help of a donated chest freezer, one family featured was able to amass enough meat to last a year within one week of dumpster diving.

The documentary goes on to illustrate just how much food is wasted by the current agriculture and food distribution systems. Here are some fast facts shared during the film:

  • Food makes up 20% of landfill waste.
  • 50% of food harvested never makes it into anyone’s stomach
  • 96 billion pounds of food is wasted in the US annually… enough to fill 453,257 box cars (a train that would stretch from LA to New York City and back again).
  • The US wastes 40 million acres of wheat every year – enough wheat to cover the whole state of Oklahoma.
  • The food wasted in the US could feed all of Haiti for five years
  • 35.5 million people in the US don’t know where their next meals coming from. 11 million are hungry. They simply aren’t going to eat today.

The film narrates the tale of the dumpster divers’ efforts to get Trader Joe’s to donate edible food waste to local food pantries. After Trader Joe’s refuses to engage in conversation about the matter, the dumpster divers organize to deliver truckloads of dumpstered food to a very appreciative LA food pantry on New Year’s Eve.

While Trader Joe’s and other chain supermarkets do donate some “waste” foods to food pantries, it seems these items are usually breads or packaged dry goods that are simply past their stamped expiration dates. Most produce, meat, eggs and the other nutritious components of a healthy diet are simply trashed. Reasons cited were logistics and cost.

Our current system of food delivery lives for profits, not people – wasting food is simply more profitable than feeding the hungry. One of the dumpster divers in the film made the astute observation, “We weren’t always like this. There was a time when food was much more than a commodity. Food was life itself. Food was community.”

When Vatterott heard Grand Rapids prohibited laying hens, he exclaimed, "There's an ordinance against chickens here? Down with the chicken laws!"

In conclusion, the film asks its audience to join its Eat Trash Campaign, a project aimed at convincing more supermarkets to donate edible foods to pantries rather than dumping them.

Panel reacts
After the film, two women from Our Kitchen Table, executive director Lisa Oliver King and evaluater Inez Adams, were part of a panel that discussed the film. The panel also included Elianna Bootzin of Feeding America West Michigan,Emma Rosauer of Access of West Michigan and Timothy Vatterott, Dive’s producer and composer. Cynthia Price, the panel moderator, asked the panel about their reactions to the film and their thoughts on our “insane, corporate controlled food system.”

Rosauer shared that the film resonated with her and her agency’s work, especially these days in West Michigan when more and more families are turning to food pantries to stave off hunger. She shared that one in four Kent County children experiences hunger,  “People who used to give to food pantries now they are receiving from them.”

Good Samaritan legislation initiated under the Clinton administration legally protects businesses that donate food, but that many in the food industry are not aware of the legislation. Rosauer made a call out for volunteers to build relationships with their local grocer and arrange pick up and distribution of dumpster-destined food to local food pantries.

Bootzin explained the work of Feeding America and went on to say that the amount of food waste is increasing, raising from 30% in 1974 to 40% 2009.

In her reaction to the film, Inez Adams, OKT, commented, “The movie said we don’t value food. I think we do value it but we value it as a commodity and not as a right. Lots of Americans think only certain people are entitled to food. ‘They don’t have a job so they don’t deserve food.’ ‘I work hard so I can feed my family.’ The discussion needs to change from ‘food is an entitlement if you are a productive citizen’ to food is a human right.”

Lisa Oliver King talked about OKT’s work in providing resources to people who wanted to build their own food system and food security through growing and sharing food and foraging within their own neighborhoods.  She encouraged the audience to approach the city and demand that fruit and nut trees be planted ion the parks and greenways.

“We are talking about preserving nature so that it not only pleases us aesthetically but provides for us nutritionally,” she said.  She also asked, “How do people define hunger?” Much emphasis is put on feeding belies rather than preventing malnutrition through providing people nutritious foods. “ People in Grand Rapids have access to food pantries that provide substandard, high calorie, high fat, high sugar, high sodium and nutrient deficient food.”

Oliver King also mentioned the media-driven mindset that makes people crave meat at every meal when a vegetable and grain based diet could feed them just as adequately, at a lower cost and with less impact upon the environment. She called for citizens to demand local policy changes that would not only encourage sharing dumpster-destined foods but also make it easier for people to grow their own food, compost food scraps and keep laying hens.

Vatterott agreed heartily. “That really empowers people to understand where food comes from. That places a value on it and strengthens community bonds,” he said. “I really admire the work you do. That kinds of thing really needs to happen, people taking ownership of their food.”

In all, the message of the film Dive! and the campaign that it promotes are good steps towards recognizing the prevalence of food waste here in the US and in other wealthy nations. However, there was no critical conversation about the economic system that perpetuates this kind of waste and injustice—the same economic system that fails working class and lower class people when it comes to health care, housing, education and in the courts.

Bicycle Tour of Fruit and Nut Trees a fun and informative ride

Oct18

Though far from perfect in appearance, apples foraged from untended urban trees have a delightful flavor unmatched by most store-bought fruit.

Last Saturday, a dozen or so folks met in Eastown for OKT’s Bicycle Tour of Fruit and Nut Trees. Sunny skies, comfortable temperatures and a brisk breeze made for a lively, enjoyable ride.

Seasoned cyclist, Josh McBryde, planned the route and led the tour across Wealthy Street and over to Cherry Park. On the way there, tree expert, Laura Cassaletto, pointed out various trees and their edible uses, bringing the group to its first stop alongside an old apple tree, full of ripe fruit, outside of a two-flat apartment house.

After assuring us that she had gotten permission from the property’s owner, Laura invited everyone in the group to pick and enjoy an apple. She mentioned that the tree’s owner had told her that the apples were not good for eating as they had not been sprayed with pesticides. The group broke into laughter. And, with a close eye for worms,we took bites of the “imperfect” fruit. All were amazed at the incredible flavor these small, old fashioned, untended apples offered.

Laura recommended foraging such untended apple trees around the city. She likes to use them for applesauce. When the apples are put through the food mill, it’s easy to pick out any critters that might have eaten their way inside the fruit.

In Cherry Park, the group identified different varieties of nut trees, scavenged nuts from off the ground and even cracked and ate a few. Heading back across the neighborhood, a stop near Diamond and Cherry yielded a look at mulberry trees (already done fruiting) as well as locust trees. Seasoned urban forager, Richa, shared that the spring flowers from the locust tree are delicious. (At the conclusion of the tour, he shared a loaf of his homemade acorn bread).

Crab apples, yes.

Along the route, Laura pointed out that ornamental crab apple trees have edible fruit. She explained that crab apple trees are related to the rose, and like the rose, are edible. High in vitamin C, their edible fruit can be identified by the “crown” at the bottom of the fruit. While fruit with a crown is edible, she warned not to forage white fruit and berries, “White is the color of death.”

She also advised us to try new foraged fruits and nuts in small quantities to see how our own body reacts to it. Because trees, like people, are individuals, the fruits and berries eaten from them have differences in flavor and in how they align with each individual person’s digestive system.

Bittersweet, no.

In Wilcox Park, the group snacked on plump wild grapes and tried edible, though bitter, viburnum berries. We also learned that the colorful bittersweet nearby was just for decoration and not an edible.  The group ended its tour at Aquinas College, where Josh handed out tree identification maps the college provides to visitors. We stopped to gather, crack and snack on beech nuts beneath an elephantine beech tree.

A 16-year-old on the tour remarked, “It was so cool to learn that if I had to, I could get enough to eat from nature.” Cool indeed. Food is growing all around us. Let’s learn to appreciate it!

“Greens Cook-off and Fried Green Tomato Festival” to showcase best greens and green tomato dishes

Oct14

The first weekend of November, both Southeast Area Farmer’s Market locations will host a “Greens Cook-off and Fried Green Tomato Festival” Do you have a family collard or turnip greens recipe that beats all? Are your fried green tomatoes to die for? Then come on down and get the recognition you deserve.

The event sponsor, Our Kitchen Table, will take place: either November during regular market hours:

  • 5 – 7 p.m. Friday November 4 at Gerald R. Ford Middle School market.
  •  9 a.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday November 5 at Garfield Park market.

Chef Nancy Rutledge will be our volunteer in charge. You may have met Nancy last summer at the Gerald R. Ford Middle School market when she shared samples of a tasty, healthy veggie stir fry, coleslaw and fruit.

OKT will ask all Greens Cook-off entries to bring along their recipes so we can compile and share them with our neighbors who shop at the Southeast Area Farmers Markets next season. For information on registering the Greens’ Cook-off, email oktable1@gmail.com or call 616-570-0218.

Are the recent cuts to welfare and food stamps impacting your family, friends or neighbors? You can still use up your Project Fresh, Senior Project Fresh, WIC or Kent County Health Department coupons for produce at either Southeast Area Farmers’ Market location. We also accept EBT/Bridge Cards and participate in the Double Up Food Bucks program.

If you grow your own food or would like to learn how, talk to one of the women from OKT at the market. We are recruiting home growers to sell their produce at both market locations. And, we have resources for neighbors who want to start growing their own food.

Both markets are open through November 12, so come on down!

Hoophouse and Greenhouse Workshop shared practical, DIY instruction

Oct5

The OKT Team and friends with workshop presenter, Taylor Voss

On Saturday October 1, Our Kitchen Table held a DIY Greenhouse and Hoop house workshop in the Eastown neighborhood, one of the four target neighborhoods of our Food Diversity Project. Urban gardener, Taylor Voss, led the workshop in his own backyard, where he has a small greenhouse, hoophouse and cold frame unit extending his growing season.

The greenhouse was constructed of cast-off storm windows that Voss foraged from area garage sales. He used hinges to fasten them together and calked the seams between the windows. In the rear, an open space keeps the greenhouse ventilated. He fashioned the front window of the unit as a sliding door so he has easy access inside and out.

Approximately six feet long, three feet high and four feet wide, the hoophouse was of even simpler construction. Voss used PVC plumbing pipe to form a frame, which he bowed by tying cords to hold the tension. Over this, he laid plastic sheeting, they type used to cover windows in winter. Both of these inexpensive materials were from the big-box hardware store. Because of its light weight and simple construction, Voss can move it on and off the garden bed when he needs to water or pick produce. He did say that once it snows, this small hoop house would cave in. He plans on using it to extend the fall growing season for his collards. In the spring, he will set it back up to get starter plants going earlier.

Voss’ cold frame was also built from a cast-off storm window. He attached the window with hinges to a wood board base with slanted sides that welcomed in more sunlight. His cold frame is sunk about six inches in the ground. Cold frames can also be easily placed atop raised beds.

To prevent plants from freezing when temperatures drop, Voss places plastic jugs filled with water in particularly sunny spots within the cold frame and greenhouse. These absorb heat during the day and keep the structures warmer through the night.

With a few tools, a wee bit of instruction and very little cost, any urban gardeners can construct similar greenhouses, hoophouses and cold frames to extend their food growing season. Even so, these projects might seem a bit intimidating. The OKT team hopes to provide the resources and support to encourage qualified urban gardeners in our target areas to engage in these types of projects. If you live in Eastown, SECA, Baxter or Garfield Park neighborhood or if you have small children, are pregnant, have economic or health challenges that can be addressed by growing your own food, drop OKT an email, oktable1@gmail.com, or give us a call, 616-570-0218!

Baxter Community Center’s new greenhouse will sprout healthy food options for Grand Rapids neighbors

Sep22

This post is from Rapid Growth Media’s 9-22-2011 edition

OUR KITCHEN TABLE IN THE NEWS

About the time their summer vegetable gardens are just a fond memory to most Grand Rapids gardeners, the Baxter Community Center will be setting up its first year-round gardening environment in its new heated greenhouse.

The 1,060-square-foot greenhouse is the latest addition to Baxter Community Center’s ongoing efforts to bring fresh produce and budget-friendly foods to a neighborhood classified by the Public Health Department as a “food desert,” a place lacking sources of easily accessible foods and fresh produce. Construction began Sept. 6 and the greenhouse will be completed by the end of November.

“We’re working to set up holistic support for our neighbors, and the greenhouse will be a learning space to teach people how to garden and to provide starter plants for them to use,” says Melanie Beelen, executive director. “Our partners in the program are the YMCA and Our Kitchen Table — the Y will focus on teaching nutrition, youth gardening and exercise; Our Kitchen Table will work with neighbors to provide one-on-one support for their home gardens.”*

The greenhouse learning experience ties in with Baxter’s onsite community garden where neighbors plant and grow food for their families. And it will have a direct connection with Around the Table, a program that teaches people how to cook fresh produce now and preserve some of it for later use through canning. That program, in turn, works hand-in-hand with Double Up Food Bucks, which teaches people how to get more for their grocery dollar.

*Note from OKT: OKT is also planning on using the greenhouse to plant starter plants for home gardeners, community gardens and communal gardens in our four target neighborhoods: SECA, Eastown, Garfield Park and Baxter. Last year, we grew 20,000 starter plants for distribution in donated space within two private greenhouses.

. . .
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor

Southeast Area Farmers’ Market looking forward to busy fall

Sep21

Now that school is back in session, the Southeast Area Farmer’s Market Gerald R Ford Middle School location  will remain open–but for fewer hours.  Beginning Sept. 9, this location will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., so as not to interfere with school traffic and activities.

August was a grand month for this location. During the four dates the market was open, we counted a total of 310 customer visits.  That means a lot of healthy food is making it into our neighborhoods’ kitchens. A big thank you to all those who came to the market! Thanks for telling  your friends and neighbors. Another big thank you to The Grand Rapids Times!  The column they have been running about the market has been instrumental in spreading the word.

The Southeast Area Farmer’s Market’s two locations distributed 137 Double Up Food Bucks tokens to our customers. These customers doubled the amount of produce they received for the amount they spent. It’s not too late to take advantage of this program. If you shop with an EBT card, you will receive a $2 token for every two dollars you spend—up to $20 in tokens each time you visit.

The markets also honored $225 worth of Kent County Health Department and Project Fresh coupons. If you have any of these coupons, bring them in before it’s too late!

The Southeast Area Farmer’s Market Garfield Park location is open Saturdays 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Both farmers’ market locations will be open through November 6.

Urban Foraging Workshop Saturday

Sep14

This post first appeared on GRIID.org Indy News

Urban Foraging Workshop
10 a.m. to noon
Sat. Sept. 17
Garfield Park,
Madison & Burton SE
Look for the Farmers’ Market Tents!

Our Kitchen Table and The Bloom Collective are sponsoring an Urban Foraging Workshop from 10 a.m. to noon this coming Saturday, Sept. 17, during the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market at Garfield Park.  Just like the grocery stores have helped us forget that food comes from farms, cultivation of domestic crops has helped us forget that many of the native species we see around us (and label as weeds) once were a prize source of both food and medicine.

The Southeast Area Farmers’ Market has already held two presentations with two area master gardeners who shared which common plants growing in our yards, parkways and abandoned lots can be used as food. One of these presenters, OKT’s Yvonne Woodard, who is also the market master for this farmers’ market, will share again this Saturday. In addition, anyone who comes to the workshop with knowledge of foraging will be invited to share their skills with the rest of those attending.

The economic climate continues to push working class people into poverty. In addition, Gov. Snyder’s  so-called “austerity” measures like the 48-month cap on welfare eligibility will push many of our neighbors who are already poor to the point of starvation.  Did you know that on October 1, an estimated 40,000 Michigan residents will be cut from the welfare rolls by this measure? In addition, on average, each of these people support two children in thier households. In other words, an additional 80,00o Michigan children may soon be going hungry.

While organizations like Our Kitchen Table continue the good fight for food justice and food security in our urban neighborhoods, the fight will not be won in time. So, let’s learn how to grow and share our own food and take advantage of the free foods growing all around us.

The South East Area Farmers’ Market is open for the 2011 season!

May23

The South East Area Farmers’ Market is open for the 2011 season!
On Wednesday, the South East Area Farmers’ Market began at the Gerald R Ford Middle School from 5pm to 7pm.  Vendors sold herbs, greens, homemade crafts, and vegetable plants!  Community folks danced line dances and it was a festive atmosphere!

Come join us this Wednesday, May 25th, for more transplants for your garden, more spring greens to eat, and more dancing with your neighbors!

Saturday opened the market at Garfield Park from 9am to 1pm.  It was a beautiful day to stroll the park and shop with neighborhood vendors.  There were mustard greens, kale, herbs, lettuce, spinach, and homemade salves, and soaps for sale!  Many plants were donated to neighborhood families!  Join us on June 4th for the second Garfield Park market!

Please check out the “Farmers Market” tap under “Food Diversity” for a full list of farmers market days. or follow this link Farmers Markets

For more pictures please follow this link https://oktjustice.org/2011/05/21/the-southeast-farmers-market-opening-day-pictures/

[The 2011 Southeast Farmers Market is sponsored by a partnership between Greater Grand Rapids Food Systems Council, Kent County Health Department and Our Kitchen Table]