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Friday February 4, 2011
Update
Be a local food champion
Are you passionate about local food and / or food growing and want to help spread the word? Harvest is recruiting local food champions to encourage more people in communities around Brighton & Hove to grow their own, eat local or get involved in community food projects. Read more about the role, or contact Jess on 01273 431714 / jess@bhfood.org.uk with queries.
Hands-on help for your gardening project
Would your community or school food growing project benefit from some practical advice from an experienced grower? Whether it's help with making compost or developing your garden, Harvest can team you up with a gardener who can help you make the most of your plot. Apply by 18 March to get gardening help this Spring! Find out more.
New page for schools on Harvest website
This new section of the Harvest website is for schools who want to start or improve their vegetable gardens. It includes information about what some schools around the city are doing, who can help with school gardens, resources for linking gardens to the school curriculum and more. Read more.
Brighton & Hove gets seedy this Sunday
Don't forget that Seedy Sunday is this weekend! This is an unmissable event for anyone who's interested in gardening - whether you're just starting out or a green-fongered pro. You can swap or buy seeds, or visit stalls with plants, books, information, a cafe, cookery demonstrations, and a great programme of talks. Harvest has invited Natural England to speak about how the new natural park will provide opportunities for local biodiversity and food production (2:30). Hope to see you there!
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This months growing & eating tips
In the kitchen... Brussels sprouts are probably one of the most under-rated and under-loved vegetables. They're in season now and at their best so if you're a hater now is the time to convert! Ruth, a box scheme customer at Ashurst Organics, has kindly shared four delightful sprouts recipes with us - surely one of them will have you singing their praises. Have a look at our Winter recipes and start your new relationship with Brussels sprouts!
In the garden... Potatoes are a rewarding and easy crop to grow and now is the time to get started. ‘Chitting’ or sprouting your potatoes before they go in the ground will give them a good start and produce strong, healthy plants. Stand the potatoes in an upright position, egg cartoons are good for this, and put in a cool light place such as a kitchen windowsill. After a few weeks the potatoes will start to grow green small sprouts, when these are about 2cm long they are ready for planting. Pick up some lovely and unusual varieties at Seedy Sunday on 6 February. Read more February gardening tips.
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Funding & Project Support
Mini seed fund
The Growing Local Food Communities project at the University of Brighton is offering 2 to 4 small grants to support local groups and projects which are a 'neighbour' to the University of Brighton's Moulsecoomb campus - this includes projects in Bevendean, Moulsecoomb and Coldean. Projects must have a bank account of their own or contact with another community group that can receive the funds for them; and be about bringing people together around food, whether producing, preparing or consuming it.
Groups can apply for between £50 - £250, deadline for applications is 28 February. For more information or to apply contact Elona Hoover on on 01273 644707 or e.hoover@brighton.ac.uk.
Design help wanted!
The Bevendean Community Garden group urgently needs help to produce architectural design plans for a timber shed with full details of materials and supply floor plans and elevational drawings. If you have knowledge of producing plans of this nature please contact Jeanette asap on jeanette@generalimprovement.co.uk - students welcome!
Interested in local food?
Lewes Local CIC, a non-profit organisation that runs the Lewes Food Market, is looking to expend their Board of Directors. In particular, they're looking for people with administrative experience and skills in other areas such as outreach, fundraising, publicity, and web-based IT. For more info about the roles or to apply, please contact Ann Link on 01273 477 870 or ann@sharedenergy.org.uk.More info about the market.
For more funding ideas, check out the Groups section of the Harvest website.
Have a great weekend
The Harvest Team
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Training
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Upcoming courses
Spring is in the air! Come on a Harvest training course to help you get your garden or allotment ready for the growing year ahead:
5 February and 5 March: New plot now what: a monthly session for new allotment plot holders with lots of helpful Q&A.
12 February, Planning your plot: a course to help you get to grips with how to plan and structure your garden or allotment.
12 February, Clearing your plot: all you need to know about clearing even the most challenging of plots to get your garden off to the right start. Great for new allotment holders.
19 February, Fruit in a nutshell: learn about the fruits that can be grown in our climate and how to look after them.
27 February, Introduction to growing your own veg: a practical course for people who want to start growing their own.
5 March, Successful composting: learn a variety of composting methods, the benefits of composting, what makes good compost and what doesn't.
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What's On
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Seedy Sunday
6 February, 10:00 - 4:30, Hove Centre, Norton Road, Hove: Brighton's community seed swap celebrates its 10th year in 2011! More info including a list of stalls.
Love food, hate waste - lunchtime workshop
9 February, 1:00 - 2:30, Falmer Campus. University of Brighton students and staff are invited to take part in a Love Food Hate Waste workshop. You'll get simple food-saving tips; lots of easy, tasty recipes; free kitchen gadgets; and a delicious Egg-Fried Rice recipe demo with tasters for all. Save your food, save your money, save your planet - one meal at a time! For more info or to RSVP contact Elona - e.hoover@brighton.ac.uk.
Community cafe - call for tenders
11 February (deadline for applications): Interested in running a community cafe? An opportunity is available at the Hollingdean Children's Centre. Find out more.
First time cook
A five week cookery course for beginners. Practice basic kitchen skills and simple cooking techniques while you transform raw ingredients into delicious meals to take home and eat. Course cost is £10. Upcoming courses are 9 March - 6 April (evenings) and 10 March - 7 April (mornings). Contact Erika or Anna on 01273 431700 for more info or to book.
Funding workshop for food projects
18 March, 9:30 - 1:30, Bridge Community Education Centre. A practical workshop for people involved in community or school food projects who wish to improve their fundraising skills. Participants will get lots of handy tips for writing bids, including practice with funding forms, and useful info to take away to help strengthen your bids. More info.
Practical permaculture gardening
2-3 April, 10am-5pm. A course that explores how permaculture can be used to design beautiful, productive, wildlife-friendly gardens. Click herefor more details of this and other courses run by Brighton Permaculture Trust.
Food for Life Partnership training courses
Free courses for people involved in developing and maintaining school vegetable gardens. The courses are being run all year, across the country, with a range of courses in the South East. Click here for a list of courses, such as From Plot to Plot: Planning what to grow on 20 June.
More upcoming events
You'll find more local events and training courses here.
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