Hello and welcome to the third edition of Harvest news. Please read on to find out the latest Harvest news, plus local events, funding opportunities, a vacancy at the Food Partnership, and the opening of a new shop and cafe specialising in local food.

Harvest update

The first course in the Harvest Training programme will take place in December. This course, run by the Whitehawk Community Food Project, will cover all you need to know about composting and improving soil fertility with things like leaf mould. The cost is £25 waged and £10 unwaged. To register your interest please email harvest@bhfood.org.uk.

We will soon be launching a mentoring programme for new growing projects or those who need a bit of help to increase their productivity. We will match you up with an experienced grower to answer some of your questions and point you in the right direction. More information to follow in the next newsletter...

The Harvest team is looking for volunteers to help us with graphic design and a research project. Please contact Jess for more information on 01273 431714 or email jess@bhfood.org.uk.

Funding opportunity

The 2010-11 round of the Food Partnership’s Good Food Grants and the Community Kitchen Equipment Grants opens today! Funding of up to £1000 is available for projects that promote healthy eating and / or sustainable food (including food growing). Funding is also available for equipment to enhance kitchens across the city where people can increase their cookery skills, including equipment for outdoor cookery. Click here for more information and to download guidance notes and application forms for both programmes.

What's on

The Harvest Team will be at Get Involved Day tomorrow, Saturday 21 November. This is the launch of the council’s Get Involved campaign and a chance to find out how you can get involved in your local community. For more information click here.

Christmas market, 19 December 2009. We’re joining forces with the Fair Trade Market at the Friends Meeting House on Ship Street on Saturday 19 December to hold a Christmas market. There will be locally produced foods to buy, plus cookery demonstrations to give you some new ideas and inspiration for cooking with winter local veg. Please let us know if there’s a particular winter vegetable that fills you with dread when it turns up in your veg box, or one that you want to try but have no idea what to do with.

More on training...The Friends Centre is running a 5-week course called ‘Grow your own year-round veg’, starting 24 February 2010. Click here for more information.

Job opportunity 

Are you passionate about cooking and want to inspire Brighton & Hove residents to increase their cooking skills? The Food Partnership is recruiting a Cookery Development Worker to deliver cookery training, support the development of new cookery groups across the city, and work with people of all ages to increase cookery skills and improve knowledge on healthy eating and food hygiene in the community. Please click here for more information and to download an application pack.

Eat local

Farm, a new shop and cafe where you can buy and eat local produce, has just opened at 99 North Road in the North Laine. Why not stop in and check it out?

To find out more and keep in touch with Harvest, you can find us at www.harvest-bh.org.uk or become a fan of Harvest on Facebook.

Harvest is a city-wide project, delivered by a wide range of partners and led by Brighton & Hove Food Partnership and Food Matters. The Food Partnership is a membership organisation, and membership is free to anyone who lives or works in Brighton & Hove. For benefits of membership and to join go to: www.bhfood.org.uk

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