By Kristin Blood, OKT

The end of the school year is here, which means my house is crazy.  To make things even more crazy we had a family funeral this past week.  I needed something quick, easy and cheap to make for dinner that used up my lettuce that is GROWING galore in my container.  I didn’t want to turn on the oven, but I couldn’t come home and cook so I turned to my faithful friend – the crock pot.  I have a new cookbook my aunt got me for Christmas that I wanted to try out, a few minutes of searching…  BAM I found my simple recipe!!

Easy Family Burritos
1-2 lb roast (pork or beef – we used beef)
1 jar 16oz salsa
Crock pot
Lettuce – optional to use in your burrito/tacos/or in place of a tortilla
Sour cream – optional to top your burrito/salad/taco
Cheese – optional to top your burro/salad/taco
Tortillas – optional to form your burritos/tacos

… as you can see there are many ways you can do this, lots of add on options.

1.  place your roast into the crock pot
2. pour salsa on top and place on low heat for 8-10 hours
3. shred meat (it says to take it out of the crock pot to do this, but I did it inside with plastic forks and it worked great and LESS dishes, always a plus)
4. continue cooking on low for another 1-2 hours
5. serve as you see fit

**adapted from Favorite Brand Name Slow Cooker Recipes – page 150

So there are a few ways you can do this… serve on tortillas, serve on lettuce as wraps, eat plain (I did this and it was good), drain and let cool and serve on top of  a salad (I also did this, but I didn’t drain mine – hence my recommendation of draining)… endless opportunities.  Make sure to set this recipe aside for your when your tomatoes, hot peppers, green peppers, etc are ready for harvest so you can make your OWN salsa and give it another go!

lettuce from my container garden

With it still being cooler out your lettuce might not have bolted yet.  You can extend the life of your lettuce by making sure on hot days it has some shade.  Containers is the best way to do that – they move!!  Check out some helpful tips and great heirloom lettuce varieties to think about in your future: http://suite101.com/article/heat-tolerant-lettuce-varieties-a91032

*You can also find more recipes @ Kristin’s Blog: http://mealsfromthemarket.wordpress.com/

When the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market opens Saturday June 1 at Gerald R Ford Middle School, a new market manager will be on site. However, market patrons will recognize OKT’s Roni VanBuren. She has been helping with set up, special events, operations and just about every other task associated with running the market for the past two tears.

VanBuren received her Farmers’ Market manager certification in 2012 from The Michigan Farmers Market Association(MIFMA). She completed their comprehensive Farmers’ Market Training Program in Lansing over the course of eight, day-long sessions covering Business Planning and Market Growth Management; Human Relations and Conflict Management; Market Governance, Rules and Enforcement; Fundraising; and Marketing and Outreach. A final manager-to-manager education and networking opportunity completed the program focusing on sharing experiences and lessons learned.

Former market manager, Yvonne Woodard (also MIFMA certified), is also stepping into a new role with OKT. While she will continue at the farmers’ market as a vendor and peer educator, Woodard has also taken on the role of garden coach with OKT’s yard gardening program.

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On Saturday May 4, OKT yard gardeners came to Blandford Farm to pick up  mustard greens, bok choy, broccoli, cabbage, kale, Swiss chard, herbs and three varieties of lettuces. More food plants will be distributed as the growing season commences. Our garden coaches look forward to working with these gardeners as they grow their own healthy food.

Saturday May 4, 2013 was a beautiful morning for the ACCESS of West Michigan Hunger Walk.  OKT members volunteered as route monitors and walkers.

According to www.worldhunger.org, an estimated 925 million people live with hunger day after day.  In Grand Rapids, more than 27% of our children are food insecure.  While OKT recognizes that only a systemic change to the corporate controlled food system will eliminate this injustice, efforts like the Hunger Walk do help fill the gap, here and now. We especially appreciate that some of the Hunger Walk funds will help support the Southeast Area Farmers’ Market.

OKT staff Roni VanBuren, Yvonne Woodard, Lisa Oliver King, Kristen Blood and Laura Casaletto treated students at Gerald R Ford Middle School and Martin Luther King Leadership Academy to  special Earth Day celebrations. The kids smelled and tasted culinary herb plants, made “cootie catchers” that taught them about common edible native plants and watched the short film, “What’s On My Plate.” After planting their own herb plants from seed, everyone enjoyed a healthy snack.

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LaDonna Redmond will be at At Sherman Street Church, 1000 Sherman SE, in Grand Rapids on Saturday April 27, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Her program is entitled,”Historical Trauma and Food Justice. Lunch will be provided. RSVP.

OKT: What is food justice?

Redmond: This is an interesting question. It presupposes that we don’t grasp the idea of justice. Food justice is the right to food, the right to feed oneself and the right to know what’s in your food …  If I want to feed myself and cannot, how do I remove the obstacles? (One way) is through one’s own labor, the tools and the means to grow your own food.

OKT: How does the challenge the charity paradigm?

Redmond: Food justice has nothing to do with charity and everything to do with the food system. (It challenges) the notion that people don’t have the intellect or moral capacity to feed themselves–the injustice is that they are denied the right to choose (healthy foods) for themselves. Not a judgment against charity but a challenge to any system to oppression. If we really want to have a substantive conversation, we are going to have to address the mechanism that keeps people in poverty. The economic systems in place require people to be in poverty in order that others can thrive. Charity fills the gap. How do we address a system? We encourage the community to organize.

OKT: What made you decide to come to Grand Rapids?

Redmond: My quest is to really help communities around the country to organize themselves as to address this broader problem, which is increased corporate control of our food system. (We must) politicize the issue of food justice … address the symptoms of food injustice.

OKT: How can we get our neighbors to engage in the work?

Redmond: We marginalize ourselves by suggesting that they start a garden. You can’t expect everyone to grow food. They are not going back to a time where people are forced to work the land so others have the luxury. The onus is on us to have the proper conversation with people.

OKT: How does a substandard school meals program add to the problem of under-nutrition?

Redmond: It’s the same model that keeps our communities without access to the healthiest kinds of food. (The) notion in our food system that our food has to be cheap is part of the problem … Why do we struggle to make sure schools have optimal education levels? We need the same programs to make sure our food is at absolute optimal levels. The target of the intervention is the people who run the system (school board). They have the power to change that. Organize that political voice. It’s up to us to put it on their agenda.

We’ve got to get into the political arena and begin our journey to policy, not just programs and projects. Did you know that Debbie Stabenow was in on the new Monsanto Act? This woman is undoing any potential impact of those projects. We have to stop people like her … We’ve got to find our courage to challenge these oppressive systems.

Redmond is launching a new organization, A Campaign for Food Justice Now. A membership based organization, it will not depend on foundation support, but on members sharing what they can,  be it 50 cents or $5,000.  “The nonprofit industrial complex is not the path to equity. The path is being able to access democracy. I’m ready to pick the big fight and tired of working in an ineffective non-profit organization. It’s time to get the people involved,” Redmond says. “We have to be encouraged now more than ever. The work on the ground is hard. Our communities have the right to feed themselves.”

For information on joining, visit http://www.cfjn.org/.

OKT is proud to release its 2012 Annual Report. We hope you will take a few minutes to review the work we accomplished this past year.

In March, the Friends of Grand Rapids Parks launched its Citizen Forester program. Since then, we’ve held two separate Tree Planting 101 classes and trained over 40 Citizen Planters. On May 9th, we’ll host our first Tree Maintenance and Pruning Workshop. In June, we’ll be hosting our first Tree ID class. We’re continuing to develop additional curricula, so keep your eyes open for a variety of approaching classes. 

Vitamin D is important vitamin that is responsible for the absorption of calcium and phosphate. Remarkably, Vitamin D is produced in human skin with the stimulation of sunlight. Feel like you’ve been having trouble synthesizing your Vitamin D quota? We’ve got the cure. On April 26th and 27th, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks will be hosting a monster Arbor Day Planting in Riverside Park. Come out and help us plant over 150 trees (Sunlight is preferred and welcome, but not required. Trees get planted rain or shine).

Build a Better Block, a group of active, local, urban-minded volunteers are taking over State St from Jefferson to Cherry and turning it into a vibrant city block on May 18th and 19th. This project seeks to demonstrate new urban design ideas and promote discourse around roads, planning, zoning, businesses, and community-building. As part of this project Friends of Grand Rapids Parks will host the outdoor portion of their Tree Maintenance Pruning Class on the morning of both dates. This is an opportunity for newly trained volunteers to use their skills to directly improve City trees.

At it’s launch in August 2012, the Grand Rapids Tree Map contained thousands of trees contributed by earlier inventory efforts. As of April, the Tree Map has topped 18,000 trees. The tree map is a wonderful tool to understand the value and contribution of trees to our community. We’re happy that citizens have made good use of this tool in advocating for trees, tracking records, and communicating the value of the urban forest to their neighbors. Map on!

We’ve still got trees and cash available for a variety of community-based tree projects. We’re happy to work with community leaders and develop neat programs around trees in your neighborhood. So, if you have an idea for a tree project, event, outreach, or education effort, basically anything tree-related we encourage you to apply for a mini-grant!

This Spring and Summer, we’ll be working on putting together “Community Tree Maintenance Days”. In other words, we want to help neighborhoods, business districts, or community organizations manage their recently planted trees. If you’ve got a bunch of small trees that need a bit of pruning, weeding, and general care we can help by providing the tools and training to get it done! Contact us if your neighborhood is in need of early tree care.

Finally, we’re always interested in helping you grow trees in your neighborhood. If you’ve got planting ideas, you’re concerned about trees, or you want help advocating for the trees in your community, let us know. We’re happy to provide you with guidance and information. We’re your community resource.For information, contact Lee Mueller, Program Coordinator, Friends of Grand Rapids Parks at lee.mueller@friendsofgrparks.org or 616 389 4687