Seed Swap, Marketmobile, Pruning Workshop and more…
A new Butte County Local Food chapter has started
The Farmers Marketmobile is on the road and marketing away
Magalia! It is a pleasure to have the opportunity to bring you fresh, healthy food in partnership with the Magalia Community Park! Thanks to a very generous donation from the Butte County Non Profit Business Stabilization Program, this past Thursday was our first day and we were very excited to meet all of you with the beautiful food from our treasured farmers. We had an official ribbon cutting with the Paradise Chamber of Commerce and a good, steady flow of folks. A GREAT start to a great relationship if you ask us!
Please come and shop this and every Thursday from 11-2 (until we shift the time…we are in talks) to show us how much you want us to continue coming up there! We appreciate your patience as we learn how much to bring to ensure we don’t have waste. Watch as we grow and expand with new and exciting programs we’ll add on as the weeks go by. I hear rumors of Magalia-made arts and crafts joining us soon! Be sure and tell your friends and family to sign up for emails so you stay in the Marketmobile loop.
We are continuing our deliveries to Concow in the same format that we have been since April 2020. Starting Feb. 6, we will move to the Marketmobile model. We’d love to hear from the community on this transition. Please help us learn how to serve you better by going here and filling out a short survey. (If the link doesn’t work copy and paste: tinyurl.com/yxclmk8h ) We aim to ensure that everyone, no matter what their situation, can get healthy, locally grown food. With your help, we will apply for grants for those who fall through the cracks or need extra help. See our “Farmers Marketmobile Angel Club” below.
Farmers Marketmobile Angel Club
Ever wonder where your donations go when you give them to an organization? Would you want to give more if you knew that people in your community are directly impacted by your generosity?
We are developing a new Angel Club where folks can donate to families who apply to receive a gift card to spend at the Farmers Marketmobile.
We already have TWO very generous angels!! We will have ways to apply directly on our website soon, but if you are interested in this program and want to get started right away, then please reply to this email and we’ll work things out.
Join the Farmers Marketmobile Angel Club and make your donations impact so much in so many cascading ways: Every dollar directly helps a food insecure family, supports our local farmers and creates a stronger, locally based economy for our community. It’s a threefer with one “reply” click to this email!
Seed Swap
Ah…COVID and the ways it impacts our lives. Due to restrictions on public gatherings, the amazing seed swap hosted in the past by Earthshed Solutions, has had to adapt. Sherri Scott from GRUB Grown Nursery has developed a virtual and small scale pick-up and delivery model. So creative!
How does it work?
Join Facebook Group: Chico Seed & Scion Swap — (Not into Facebook?…do not despair…keep reading about other options.)
Virtually swap seeds, scions, plants, pots, gardening advice and make arrangements for pick up/delivery of items.
Reserve a FREE Garden Starter Packet
Receive a packet containing a variety of vegetable and flower seeds to get your garden started
To reserve call (530) 636-0568 and leave a message with your name and phone number OR send an email to chicoseedswap@gmail.com (Until supplies are gone.)
Saturday, January 30 (National Seed Swap Day!) is pick-up day. You will be notified the week prior where your pick-up location is.
Donate Seeds
Leave a voicemail or Text a message to (530) 636-0568 or email at chicoseedswap@gmail.com
The BLITZ is coming, The BLITZ is coming,
The 2021 Garden BLITZ is coming!
This is one of our favorite community events. You inspired us so much, we are back this year with the intention of DOUBLING the gardens we installed last year. Yeah…we don’t play around. This Spring, we’ll be focusing on South County first, then fill in with other places if we have any gardens left. Installations will happen in late March.
Our web guy is in the middle of moving from Texas to Utah, so the page isn’t updated. But keep an eye out! You won’t want to miss getting a garden and/or volunteering to ensure we have more gardens in Butte County…our home where we are creating a community that grows food together!
Pruning workshop
Ken Hodges is back this year to teach us how to keep those fruit trees pruned and high producers. We have limited space so please let me know if you are going to come by so we can keep count on participants. Find out more here. It’ll be at Kentfield Garden, Jan. 25 th at 2PM.
Work day at Vecino and Kentfield
We’ve taken a break and it’s time to get the gardens ready? We’ve been talking with From The Ground UP Farms and are starting a collaborative relationship to get more community garden spaces thriving again. For now, we’re going to focus on Vecino Victory Garden and Kentfield Garden but will expand out more this year.
Come to the year’s first playdays called “Sundays in the Gardens” at both gardens, Jan. 31. We’ll be at Vecino from 9-noon and Kentfield from 10:30 to 12:30. Both gardens need winter cleanup and prepping for Spring crops.
Vecino Victory Garden and Composting Center- 1535 Laburnum Ave.
Kentfield Garden- 1125 Kentfield Rd., Chico
A special note for these special times: We are joining forces this year with a few other organizations to get our community gardens on track and thriving. We humans are tribal critters. Even at a distance, the power of in person, human connection cannot be adequately measured. Our bodies, minds and spirits are in constant PTSD these days between Bugs, crazies going on in the world and our own personal stressors that don’t stop, either. Come and learn the healing power of putting your hands in the soil, out in the sunlight with others even if they are 6 ft. or more away from you and you can’t see their smiles.
That’s it for now and see you on the streets and in the gardens!
Pamm, Toni, Ali, Amy, Donna, Jarrett, Richard and Dan- the Board of the BCLFN
