Soular Saturday at the Soular Foods Garden & Trailer!
February 4th, 2012
(click the picture to expand to FULL SIZE – easier to read)
(click the picture to expand to FULL SIZE – easier to read)
Join us for a fun, good time for the whole family, this Saturday at our Soular Foods Garden & Trailer (12th & Waller – 2 blocks east of IH-35).
SATURDAY (Jan 14th) is for Soular Food Sampling, Songs, Volleyball, Horseshoes and MORE! Come by Soular Food trailer & garden this Sat 2- 5 pm 1110 E. 12th St., 2 blocks east of IH 35. Sing-a-long, Play-a-long, test-taste some “Que”. Osmo’s will be serving up some seriously good Cajun-Italian food like po’boys, Hoover’s will also be serving up some new items like Collard Green Blackeye Pea wraps, agua frescas, and something for your sweet tooth.
Join me at 9am for a neighborhood walk on New Years Day. We will start at the Soular Food Trailer at 1110 E. 12th St, 2 blocks east of IH 35. We will commence from that garden to the GMZ community garden and onward to Yellow Jacket Field at the old Anderson H.S. and back to the Soular Food Trailer.
So, I invite you to walk, run, or drive to the Soular Food Trailer on New Years Day. After our walk, we will open the trailer at 11 am. Start your year off w/ some healthy veggie-centric comfort food : rawBella Platter, Black Eyed Pea-Collard Green Wraps, Smoked Chicken Wraps, Split Pea w/ Jerk Chicken Soup, Marinaded Beets. Hang overs? We got you covered. Try an agua fresca, including one made w/ beets, or hot coffee w/ a double shot of espresso.
Or, stop by the restaurant for a Chicken Fried Steak. Either way, we will have your New Years BLACK EYED PEAS at both our Soular Foods Trailer and Hoover’s Cooking Restaurant.
See ya there and Happy New Years!
Even if it’s just starting to cool down from the record heat and dryness, it isn’t too early to remind ourselves about how to take care when working outdoors.
We need to stay hydrated. Not liking to drink water runs in my family. And my 28 years running a landscape company should mean that I’d know better. But it just goes to show that we all need to keep our wits about us. Drinking a tall glass of cool, but not too cold water a half hour or so beforehand, nursing one while working, with at least a little more during breaks and some more when we knock off–something like that–is the ticket. Once we’re dehydrated, it could lead to trouble. And at the very least, it might take upwards of an hour or more to get that fluid level back within the healthy range. Caffeinated, processed sugar and high-salt drinks of most any kind, all can take water out of us.
What follows derives in part from an article written by local physical therapist, Terrill Jerkenson, and published in Vol. 1, 1992-3 of Cecelia Nasti’s fine Austin gardening newsletter, “The Dirt.”
Stretch! Only 5 minutes before starting to dig, and 2-3 minutes during breaks, can go a long way. Special areas to tend to are the neck, shoulders, the lower back, the fingers, the hands, and the forearms. Rotating the shoulders, turning side to sidefrom the hips, and bending down and raising back up from the waist are good, too.
Take frequent breaks. When we’re fatigued, it’s time to rest in the shade. Pushing ourselves to more when we’re sore, tired, or otherwise out of sorts may influence us to like our gardening less, which can get in the way of enjoying growing our own food; not to mention setting us up for possible injury.
Wear a hat and use sunscreen. According to The American Cancer Society, most skin cancers are caused by overexposure to the sun. And cloudy skies and natural skin pigmentation do not provide protection enough. A water- based cream or lotion, rather than an oil or synthetic chemically-based one, works better for some people. Each of us needs to find out for ourselves. Also, there’s new research out cautioning about the additive, PABA.
I usually wear either a broad brimmed, light colored straw hat, or one of those floppy ones, also broad brimmed and light colored. If your shirt doesn’t have a collar that you can flip up, put a light colored, cotton handkerchief or cloth under the hat and have it hang down over your shoulders for extra protection. Hats are pretty much a given around here, even for those of us with full heads of hair. A hat may take some getting used to, but most experts think it’s worth it in the long run.
Wear comfortable protective clothing. For the most part, cotton products, whether in a hat, shirt or pants, help our skin breathe better than synthetics. Long sleeved shirts, even loosely fitting ones, may seem like they’d be too hot in the heat. Actually, though, the more they absorb sweat, the more they provide a cooling space between our skin and the outside. One thing more to consider wearing is a t-shirt (again, a light colored cotton one) under the long sleeve, for added cooling by the same principle as with the shirt. Again, it may take some time to get the hang of it.
Wear comfortable, inclosed shoes or boots which can stretch well with movement. They ought to have a firm enough sole to take the rigors, say, of shovel work. Any of us who has dropped something on an exposed toe or two knows the value of wearing something firm over them.
Gloves help a lot, too. There are lots of good kinds, either of heavy cotton or leather. I like them to be snug enough to get a good grip, but not too tighly binding.
Consider using kneepads or a short stool if that might be helpful for weeding, planting and other garden chores at ground level. Sore knees, hips and backs are common complaints among gardeners. Wearing pads or sitting can help keep these problems at bay.
Change gardening tasks at least once in a while. By changing up how we use our bodies, we can further prevent possible short and long-term overuse and injury.
My next blog will offer some tips on more safely and effectively handling garden tools. Features after that hopefully will include soil health and fertility, particular vegetables and herbs, their growth habits and conditions, seasons, “companion plants” ( which are ones that are mutually beneficial to have nearby in the garden), nutritional values of what we grow, and maybe a simple and healthy recipe or two, maybe from me or maybe from you all. Hoover likes the idea of calling the column, “From Garden to Table.”
Take care of yourselves, one another, and Mother Earth.
Wayne Kamin
Troubadour Landscape
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Citizen Gardener #27 with Alex Wright
This class will teach you how to turn your bare ground or Bermuda Grass lawn into raised-garden beds that are small enough to manage, but big enough to provide real food. This hands-on course covers Central Texas specific topics and addresses the challenges and benefits to growing in our climate. Learn about composting, rainwater harvesting, mulching components, bio-intensive gardening, bed-building and more in a series of 3 classes. After completing the classes, students complete 10 hours of volunteer work in any one of our partner gardens in order to gain the designation of “Citizen Gardener”. The hours spent as a volunteer enhance students gardening knowledge and build awareness in their communities about the benefits of gardening.
Details
Course fee is $30 for two hands-on classes and one evening discussion. SFC volunteers may take the class for $20. $10 is used to process a Criminal Background check, necessary for volunteering under any Sustainable Food Center program. If you fee uncomfortable completing a CBC, please contact SFC as soon as possible.
When/Where
Saturday, Oct 1st from 8:30am – 12:30pm at Hoover’s Soular Garden 1110 E 12th St Austin, TX 78702 (2 blocks East of I-35)
Wednesday, Oct 5th from 7:00pm – 8:30pm at Hoover’s Cooking 2002 Manor Rd
Saturday, Oct 8th from 8:30am – 12:30pm at Hoover’s Soular Garden 1110 E 12th St Austin, TX 78702 (2 blocks East of I-35)
to register for this class please visit:
https://sustainablefoodcenter.worldsecuresystems.com/grow-local/registration27
“The 19th Annual Dining for Life is Monday, September 12 and Tuesday, September 13.
Please join us as restaurants all over Austin unite in the fight against HIV and AIDS. As thousands of patrons fill their plates in support, these restaurants will be graciously donating a substantial portion of each diner’s check to AIDS Services of Austin. Their generosity – coupled with your appetite – will make a very real difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and families throughout the Austin community.
Just dine at any of the participating restaurants on one (or both) of those evenings and a percentage of your check will be donated to ASA!”
