Gardeners for Peace!

Please speak out on Wednesday, March 19th- the 5 year marker of the U. S. Invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan

No More War! Let's plant the Seeds of Peace together!

Today in the garden we talked about how each of us can bring Peace to the world. Our personal choices and actions make a difference, and when we choose to work together and care for each other, we can make enormous change in the world.

Students from Ms. Hale's class at John Muir Elementary share what they will do to create Peace:

Be respectful, show love to your family and enemies.
- Rakeya Raspberry

I will always recycle and use less water.
- Francisco Firefly

I will try to grow plants!
- Bernard Blueberry

Not to be in violence or not to be in any trouble.
- Tariq Tulip

Email the president and tell him to stop the war if it was possible.
- Kristina Kiwi

Try to stop fighting.
- Dashiahnae Dandelion

I will start doing good things. I will change.
- Demerious Dragonfly

Week of 3/9/08

This was a great week- we even got a bit of rain to celebrate!

On Sunday, Arif and Lindsay came by, and together we all worked on laying the foundation for the new cob herb bed. We are planning on getting a cob workday open to everyone once we work out the details of how to cob in Koshland Garden. For those of you new to it, cob is a natural building technique using sand, clay, and straw to make structures. It is a free-form material similar to adobe. It's a lot of fun, and can be a super mess, so we still need to figure out the best way to do it without taking up too much space in the garden. It is gonna be a blast though, and we will keep you posted!

During the week, John Muir students planted some flowers for spring- these included Nasturtiums, Blue Cornflower, California Poppy, Cosmos, and marigold. We talked about how flowers are important for attracting pollinators to the garden, and the students explained how that process works. They are very excited about bees, and we hope to start a hive this summer.

In other news, folks from the Chrissy Field Center came to photograph us because we won a Community Heroes award, and we will have information about Koshland up in their exhibit at the Chrissy Field Center! It's all very exciting. We will keep you posted about the upcoming celebration!

We hope to see you out in the garden at one of our workdays- Wednesday afternoons from 2-5pm. We will be around to answer your garden questions, and if you stick around to help out you can take home some veggies from the garden! Please be in touch if you have any questions, enjoy the weekend!

gardenkids@gmail.com

Post- March 8th

More Like A Work Party!

What fun! Thanks to the help of many fabulous folks from One Brick
the park looks fantastic! The giant, never-ending pile of mulch is finally gone- it was a day to celebrate. The morning was full of high-energy weeding, and we pulled out all the tools to tackle the task before us: hula hoes, mini-hoes, shovels, forks, trowels, hands- you name it. We did everything we could to take the weeds away, and the hard work paid off- the park looks great, it really does. What a difference a bunch of hard working folks can make, in just a few hours!

A Bit About Mulch:
For those of you new to gardening, the idea behind mulching after weeding is to create a layer of material that is hard for weeds to come up through. The mulch is beneficial because it smothers the weeds below, covers bare soil, and as it slowly breaks down it adds some nutrients to the soil. I have seen whole micro-ecosystems under my mulch: mushrooms, worms, and other little critters living happily under the woodchips. It's best to pull the weeds out first before you mulch, because they could grow back easier, even through the mulch, if you leave them in.

Future Events:
Come out and join us for our next big event- Spring Festival! We will be working and playing in the garden on May 19th, with a workparty from 10am-1pm, and a festival with music, crafts and potluck lunch from 1pm-4pm! We look forward to seeing you there! Also, you are welcome at any regular Wednesday workday, from 2pm-5pm.
Koshland Garden , corner of Page and Buchannan.

March Workparty!

One Brick and SF Rec and Park made a great impact on our park and garden today. We were able to finally weed and mulch the tree wells on the South end of Page Street, which looks incredible now. For a while it was looking pretty desolate down there!

There was a lot of great enthusiasm which allowed us to really get down to business and pull out the bulk of winter weeds that the rain had brought, and spread most of our endless mulch pile of woodchips in their place. A thick blanket of those woodships should keep the weeds at bay until maybe even next winter?! One can hope...

During the day our hardworking volunteers were filmed and photographed by the Chrissy Field Center media team, who is collecting footage for an installation featuring us! We have won the title of Chrissy Field Heroes for 2008, and soon everyone will be able to see Koshland Garden and Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group on display at the Chrissy Field Center!

Thank you to One Brick volunteers, SF Rec and Parks, John Muir Elementary youth, Everett Middle Schooler Karen Tran, and French International High School students for coming out to support with hard work and smiles!

March 8th Community Clean Team Work Day in the Garden!

COMMUNITY CLEAN TEAM WORKDAY

Time: Saturday, March 8th 9AM-12PM
Place: Koshland Park, at the corner of Page and Buchanan

Come help out at Koshland Garden and Park on Saturday, March 8th!
We will be mulching, weeding, snacking, harvesting and more!
This event is part of Community Clean Team, and we will be joined in
the garden by Street Parks Youth, a project of SF Parks Trust working
to connect San Francisco Youth with the environment. Come out and meet
the folks involved in these great programs, and enjoy some time
helping out the garden! We will cancel if it rains, so let's hope for
blue skies!

The Community Clean Team is a citywide volunteer program that partners
city agencies with residents, merchants and students to clean and
beautify San Francisco neighborhoods. – Department of Public Works


Street Parks Youth


For more info: gardenkids@gmail.com, (415) 643-3638

Koshland Garden March Newsletter!

KOSHLAND GARDEN NEWSLETTER
A Project of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood PARKS Group

MARCH 2008 Newsletter

CONTENT:
1. Community Clean Team Workday, March 8th
2. NEW! Regular Wednesday Workdays!
3. BEET Rangers Update
4. Garden Update: New Herb Garden Coming Soon!
5. Spring Garden Tips!
------------------------------

-----------------------------------------

1. COMMUNITY CLEAN TEAM WORKDAY
Time: Saturday, March 8th 9AM-12PM
Place: Koshland Park, at the corner of Page and Buchanan

Come help out at Koshland Garden and Park on Saturday, March 8th!
We will be mulching, weeding, snacking, harvesting and more!
This event is part of Community Clean Team, and we will be joined in
the garden by Street Parks Youth, a project of SF Parks Trust working
to connect San Francisco Youth with the environment. Come out and meet
the folks involved in these great programs, and enjoy some time
helping out the garden! We will cancel if it rains, so let's hope for
blue skies!

The Community Clean Team is a citywide volunteer program that partners
city agencies with residents, merchants and students to clean and
beautify San Francisco neighborhoods. – Department of Public Works

For more info: gardenkids@gmail.com, (415) 643-3638

2. NEW! REGULAR WEDNESDAY WORK PARTIES
Time: Every Wednesday 2PM-5PM
Place: Koshland Garden, at the corner of Page and Buchanan

Wednesday afternoons are now the official time to come out and get
involved in Koshland Garden! We will be there every Wednesday
afternoon from 2-5pm, running activities and available to answer your
garden questions! Come get your hands in the dirt, and join us
anytime for fun with planting, cultivating, and harvesting of veggies
in Koshland Garden.

For more info, contact Community Garden Coordinator:
Nora Brereton (415) 424-5770 noraborealis@juno.com

3. BEET RANGER UPDATE

The BEET Ranger program is a green job training internship we are
offering to Western Addition teens. The youth will be paid a stipend
to get training in Park Maintenance, Recycling, Composting, Nutrition,
Organic Gardening and more. They will participate in park clean-ups,
help out with our Lettuce Grow summer camp, and lead a community event
to share the knowledge they gain with their peers. In turn, we will be
helping them find job opportunities in the growing field of green
jobs, to help make environmentalism more than just a cause, but a
potential way of life that can support them financially.

At this point we have received applications, and begun
interviewing potential youth. The program starts next
month, and we are very excited!

For more info, contact BEET Ranger Program Coordinator:
Elokin gardenkids@gmail.com, (415) 643-3638

4. GARDEN UPDATE! herb garden coming soon

Current garden volunteer and future community gardener (join our waitlist if
you want a plot with us!) Arif Husain is planning a renovation of
the herb garden at Koshland. Arif works with the San Francisco
Botanical Medicine Clinic (www.sfbmc.org) , selling home-made tea blends at the
Berkeley Farmer's Market on Saturdays- they are delicious! He is putting his
skills as an herbalist-in-training and plant fanatic to work in shaping the new
herb garden, which will begin to sprout up this spring!

In other garden news, the plum tree is blooming, be sure to stop by
and check it out, blossom season is a wonderful time! The red-tailed
hawks have returned after the rainy spell, and there are lots of crows
and hummingbirds zooming about in the afternoon. We've got flowers on
the fava beans and strawberries -- a great sign that soon we will have
lots of yummy garden treats!

To get on the waiting list for a garden plot, contact Community Garden
Coordinator: Nora Brereton (415) 424-5770 noraborealis@juno.com

5. SPRING GARDEN TIPS

It's time to focus on weeds! The rain has been wonderful for the
garden, and has also been wonderful for the weeds. If you haven't
already, start pulling out weeds to make room for new spring gardens,
and choose from the many following options of what to plant:

March is your last chance to plant:
Artichoke (rootstock), Asparagus, Chayote, Fava beans, Mustard, Onion(sets)

Start planting these delicious veggies now:
Beets, Broccoli (starts), Cabbage (starts), Carrots, Celery, Chives, Collards,
Leeks, Lettuce, Peas, Potatoes, Radish, Spinach, Sunchokes
------------------------------------------------------------------------

DONATE to the GARDEN!!
Would you like to make a donations to Koshland Garden to support all
of our great programs? You can send a check (tax-detuctible) (TAX ID #:
94-3213100) to:
HVNPG/TIDES
c/o Barbara Wenger, Director
300 Page St.
San Francisco, CA 94102-5649
Checks can be made out to the HVNPG/TIDES

CONTACT us at the GARDEN:
Nora Brereton, Garden Educator and Community Garden Coordinator
noraborealis@juno.com (415) 424-5770
Elokin Orton, Garden Educator and BEET Ranger Coordinator
gardenkids@gmail.com, (415) 643-3638
Barbara Wenger, Executive Director, Hayes Valley Neighborhood PARKS Group
hvnparks@hotmail.com, (415) 431-8112
General Email: gardenkids@gmail.com
Blog: www.koshlandgarden.blopspot.com

Koshland Garden is a Project of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood PARKS Group-
Creating Programs that enhance the resiliance, safety, and
sustainability of the community
http://www.hvnparks.com, (re-launching in April)

VISIT the GARDEN:
Koshland Park and Garden
Corner of Page and Buchanan, San Francisco, CA 94102

Our Office:
John Muir Elementary School, Rm 6
380 Webster St.
San Francisco, California 94117

About This Newsletter:
This is the Koshland Garden Newsletter, a project of the Hayes Valley
Neighborhood Parks Group. You are receiving this Newsletter because
you either signed-up at an event or expressed an interest to us. If
you would like to unsubscribe, send an email to gardenkids@gmail.com

Koshland Garden Work Day 2/10!

Today was a fabulous day- the skies were blue and the weather was lovely!

A bunch of folks made it out to the garden today to help out- community gardeners, students from John Muir Elementary, Everett Middle School, neighbors and our fabulous new Garden for the Environment volunteers, Katie and Lisa!

We did a whole bunch of winter weeding, spread a new layer of mulch through the garden and the park, did some pruning and got the garden looking really great for the new semester of classes. Thank you to everyone who came out, and we look forward to seeing folks on Wednesday afternoons, 2:30-5pm, when we will begin our regular work and play time in the garden.

February Work Party!

Thanks to all of our awesome volunteers who came out to make the garden shine on February 9th! We did a lot of much needed weeding, dug around in the compost, planted and mulched.

All of this hard work makes a huge difference in the health and beauty of the garden, making it more enjoyable for everyone who comes to visit! It is always so rewarding to get to spend time with community who come out to participate in the workdays, we always have a lot of fun, and this time it was great to have dogs and babies keeping us company!

Gonzo Burgers!

Gonzo Burgers

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups garbanzo bean sprouts (or canned)
4 large eggs
grated zest of one large lemon
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 onion chopped
1 cup toasted breadcrumbs
1 cup other sprouts (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Steps:
1. If using garbanzo bean sprouts, steam them until just tender, about 10 minutes. If using canned garbanzos, drain them before measuring.
2. Saute the onion and cilantro (and herbs if you like) until translucent, adding a little of the salt while they cook. Set aside to cool.
3. Toast the bread crumbs and set aside too.
4. Combine garbanzos, eggs, & remaining salt in a food processor or blender. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of very thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and add the cilantro onion mixture, lemon zest, sprouts, and bread crumbs. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes for the breadcrumbs to absorb some of the moisture. Stay on the moister side of things, you can still sprinkle some breadcrumbs in as you go. If too dry, a bit of water or egg can be used to moisten the batter.
5. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover and cook for 7-10 minutes, until the bottoms begin to brown. Turn up the heat if there is no browning at this point. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes until golden.
6. Remove & cool on a wire rack. TO serve, carefully cut each patty in half, insert your favorite fillings: sauteed chard with garlic, cheese & tomatoes, avocados, etc.

Adapted from Heidi Swanson, 101 Cookbooks

Modern Tea
602 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-626-5406

Home Made Pasta or Ravioli

Makes 8 oz. of dough, enough for 4-5 nice sized ravioli

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 cup flour
1 egg
3-4 teaspoons water

Mix the flour and olive oil in a bowl or a mixer for one minute.

Whisk the egg in a separate bowl until it is no longer lumpy.
While stirring the flour oil mixture, slowly add the egg. Still stirring, sprinkle in the water a teaspoon at a time, waiting of it all to gather into a ball that rocks around the mixing bowl.

Pull out the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If you are making ravioli, this is a good time to create the filling, which could be mushrooms, cabbage, cheese, tomatoes, or zucchini- get creative! You can even use leftovers you mihgt have in the fridge and make a completely new meal!

When you are ready, roll out the dough thinly, using just a little flour if it sticks, and cut into noodles or fill for ravioli.

To make ravioli, put a teaspoon of filling down in rows, trace a circle of water around the filling and fold the pasta dough over to seal. Cut with a big enough cooki-cutter to seal the edges completely with pasta dough.

Cook in boiling salted water for 5 minutes or less. Enjoy!

Modern Tea
602 Hayes Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
(415) 626-5406