April 2020 Newsletter

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Greetings volunteers and community members!
We are very excited at the Food Bank Farm & Gardens to present you with our very first monthly newsletter! Here we will clue you in to the accomplishments of the past months, as well as upcoming volunteer and community events. 

First, I would like to thank all of the volunteers that have been participating in the gardens during this time of local, national and global crisis. Now, more than ever, food security is necessary in our community! Food production has been considered an essential service by Governor Jay Inslee, and it is projected that Food Pantries across the country will be facing food shortages in the months to come. We are doing everything in our power to ensure food security for our community as well as assure the safety of our volunteers. This means smaller numbers of volunteers working at any given time, maintaining proper social distancing, and disinfecting shared tools. In addition, if anyone has a sewing machine and would be interested in sewing masks for our volunteers, that will be integral in keeping our volunteers safe. We appreciate all the help we’ve been receiving from volunteers and hope that we can continue to grow our gardens and community during this uncertain time.

Here is a link to a local information guide regarding community resources during the Covid-19 outbreak:

https://l2020.org/covid-19/

Thanks all and be well!Interested in volunteering?? Want to learn how to grow vegetables?? And become a contributing member of your community?? Volunteer with us! We have so many opportunities available to you. Also, if you are interested in a weekly gardening gig, click the button below and let our volunteer coordinator, Rachel, know what your needs are, and she can get you set up with a garden that works with your schedule.
APRIL VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Swan Farms
Every Tuesday from 10-2! Located behind the Thrift Store  at 10632 Rhody Drive in Port Hadlock. Right across the street from Carl’s Building Supply.

RainCoast
A brand new Food Bank Garden generously donated to the organization by RainCoast Farms! Will meet every Thursday from 10-2. Located at 12224 Airport Cutoff Road. Super close to the San Juan Taqueria by the Airport.

Birchyville

Meets every Friday from 10-12. We are currently expanding this garden to increase production for the upcoming season! Located down the street from Mt. Townsend Creamery, gardener parking is at the dead end of Sherman Street.Please be aware that the safety of our volunteers is of paramount importance!! During the Covid-19 outbreak, please bring your own tools to volunteer parties, wear a mask if you have one, and comply by social distancing guidelines. Thanks all!FARMS REACH WORK PARTIES
 Farms Reach Farm has had two super successful work parties in the last few weeks! Multiple volunteers and community members donated their time to cleaning up the herb garden and ornamental pathway, as well as planting a new spinach bed. We complied by social distancing guidelines, and everybody had an incredible time. Remember, exercising outside is healthy and uplifting!

BRAND NEW FARM ALERT!!!!!
RainCoast Farms has generously donated 13 raised garden beds to the Food Bank Farm and Gardens. One small volunteer work party has already occurred to clean the beds up and prep them for planting. We are looking for a garden manager to run the 13 beds. There will be a weekly gardening event every Thursday from 10-2 to get this new garden up and running. Click below to send an email to our volunteer coordinator if you are interested in managing this farm, or volunteering!


RainCoast farms: Before work partyRainCoast farms: After work party

Seasonal RecipeApril Gardening
It’s the season for leafy greens! All sorts of lettuces, kale, bok choi, and cabbages are growing now. After a long winter of root vegetables, it feels so good to make delicious salads and lettuce wraps! Here is a family recipe of Rachel’s for a delicious herb vinaigrette dressing:

1 egg yolk
1 crushed garlic clove
1/2 tsp dijon mustard
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Mix egg yolk, garlic, dijon and vinegar together in a mason jar. Gradually whisk in oil. Add the herbs, salt and pepper. Shake jar before drizzling over a fresh salad!April is a wet, yet busy month. Start hardening off your seed starts by setting them outside during the day.Now is the time to get your garden ready for growth! Set up your trellises and vertical garden supportsNettles, comfrey and horsetails all supply an amazing nutritional boost to your compost. Harvest up a bunch of these “weeds” and throw them into the pile.Get your hot weather seeds (such as melons, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes and sunflowers), started indoors once you’ve planted your early season startsHot Tip
Too many greens?? No problem! Blanch your excess greens in some hot water, then package them in bags and freeze them. This will ensure that you never need to throw rotting greens away, and that you have a fast and easy supply of greens if you run low.Copyright © *|2020|* *|Food Bank Farm and Gardens of Jefferson County|*, All rights reserved.

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