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Organic Gardening Newsletter #2 - 1/26/2009

 

Organic Gardening Class Newsletter #2
 
A great talk by Bruce Balgooyen.  Thanks Bruce. Bruce provided a handout with information on seeds.
 
Cooking Class: For those of you who signed up for the cooking session with David Guzzetti, it will be this Saturday January 31, from 11-1. Due to the large size of the class, David is not going to demonstrate every stage of the meal preparation, but instead come out and speak to the class at 12 during lunch.  From 11 to 12, we meet in the dining hall and will discuss any questions that you may have about previous talks, and requests and suggestions for the remaining sessions.  One question I am looking for an answer to is:  where is a good place to buy topsoil?
 
The meal will be beet borscht soup, herbed rice salad, tofu stir fry and tossed greens.  Please bring your own soup spoon, fork, bowl, and plate, "slow food style."  There will be about 140 people attending. Please carpool if possible.
 
Lost and Found:  a wrist support strap was left at the Grange.  Contact me at 342-6188 to retrieve it. 
 
Parking:  Some of our cars were parked  across the street from the Grange in front of the neighbors' houses.  The Grange requests that we not park in front of the houses or pumps.
 
Starting time and announcements:  The announcements will be abbreviated, and the class will start more promptly at 1:30 when we resume the Sunday sessions with the talk by Christy Santos on February 8.
 
Weblog to come soon:  we could use some computer savvy help in a one time set up of a blog that would allow class members to ask presenters questions and us all to learn from the dialogue.  Please email me if you want to help on this.
 
Soil Tests:  I called A&L Western Lab and they said ziplock bags are fine for soil samples.  Plant tissue samples need to be in paper bags, but we're not doing those.  So, please write you name and address on your sample with a permanent marking pen.  I will have forms and probably bags on this next Saturday January 31 and we can mail the samples as a group.  I will send them off, and they will be submitted by Carl Rosato.  Please bring a check to Valley Oak Tool Company (preferred) or cash with your sample.  $31 for test with a graphic printout.  Carl will make recommendations to anyone who has the results back by Feb 15 (bring pen and paper on the field grip).  You may also send in the sample yourself, but you will pay postage.
 
Al Vogel's March 8 field trip sign-ups for times:  We will be leaving at the following times from the Chico Farmers Market parking lot (we need to carpool due to very limited parking):
Please email your preference to david@valleyoaktool.com:  8:30 AM   or 10:30  or 12:30 PM  or 3:30.  Al will start the talk half an hour later and we spend an hour and 15 to 30 minutes with him.  So you should arrive back at the Farmers' Market parking lot about 2 hours 30 minutes after your carpool started.  We will wrap up promptly so that Al gets little breaks between groups.
 
Carl Rosato's field trip February 15:  We will all be going as one group.  No need to sign up, but please email to let me know if you will or won't be there, so we can plan for the group size.  Carpooling is essential due to parking limitations. We will be departing from the Chico Farmers' Market parking lot on Sunday February 15 at 12:30.   I will hand out directions.   For mapquesting, the address is 6176 Old Olive Highway,  Oroville CA  95966.
 
Fedco seed ordering:  I requested 100 catalogs today and they said they will send it today so we may have them by Saturday.  I will distribute the catalogs when I get them.  Their prices seem very good, the catalog is entertaining and enlightening.
 
see you in class,
 
David Grau
 
Valley Oak Tool Company
P.O. Box 301
Chico  CA   95927
telephone 530-342-6188

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