Speaking of Growing Power: Urban Farms for Urban Schools

Milwaukee Public Schools Division of School Nutrition recently partnered with Growing Power to provide farm-fresh produce for MPS students throughout the school year.

The Milwaukee Recreation Department recently filmed a video describing the program and illustrating students' responses to this innovative concept.

Check it out!

This isn't the first time that Growing Power has joined forces with MPS. In 2008, the program paired up with Bradley Technical High School to build and urban agricultural training space atop a "green" garage in the Riverwest neighborhood in Milwaukee. Plans for the garage included a year-round roof-top garden. Solar panels on a rooftop shed were planned to provide energy for heating water and soil for winter food production in the rooftop hoop-houses.

True Growing Power: Will Allen and the Good-Food Movement

I absolutely LOVE it that Will Allen and Growing Power made it to the New York Times Magazine last week. And it was no "small potatoes" article either.

Now, this isn't the first time that Will Allen has made the headlines. Last October, I wrote about Growing Power as part of my Blog Action Day article. Allen had just received a $500,000 MacArthur Fellow award to support his work. And the New York Times published an article about his accomplishments. But, judging from the content of the July article, people are really starting to take notice.



If you're not familiar with Growing Power, I'd encourage you to do some reading. And check out their Web site. This humble non-profit organization works 24/7 with the mission of providing equal access to healthy, high-quality, safe and affordable food for people in all communities. GP is part of what's been called the "good-food movement." And their vision has helped countless people across the country to establish systems of growing, marketing, and distributing food in sustainable ways.

Their farm produces produce which is grown and distributed locally ALL YEAR LONG (which means I can buy locally grown lettuce and sprouts even on the coldest February days!). If that's not exciting enough, Growing Power also manages programs like the Market Basket Program, which works similarly to a CSA to supply (affordable) sustainable produce year-round to interested families. They even operate a subset of the program at Marquette University -- ensuring that interested college students can benefit from fresh produce, even while living in college apartments and dorms.

Growing Power has to be, hands down, one of my favorite local organizations. Not only because Will Allen and his staff produce such amazing produce (they do!), but also because they do it with such vigor and incredible passion. These are people who REALLY care about what they're doing. And it shows.

Allen predicts that because of high unemployment and the recent food scares, 10 million people will plant gardens for the first time this year. But two million of them will eventually drop out, he said, when the potato bugs arrive or the rain doesn’t cooperate. Still, he was sanguine. “The experience will introduce those folks to what a tomato really tastes like, so next time they’ll buy one at their greenmarket. And when we talk about farm-worker rights, we’ll have more advocates for them.” (excerpted from NYTM article)

Growing Power isn't about real food for rich people. It's about real food for ALL people. And isn't that the point?

Thankfully, we're not the only ones who are excited. Read what Food Renegade has to say about this article. And check out all the great posts at Real Food Wednesday.

There are MORE than 25 Songs

Sometimes being married is funny.
Just the other day, I posted my 25 songs I "can't live without," (a.k.a. the first 25 of my favorite/most important for one reason or another) on Facebook. I thought I did a pretty good job capturing songs that had real significance in my life. However, when I got home, Peef informed me that my list was pretty incomplete.

Me: "What was wrong with it?"
Peef: "Your list was alright. You just forgot some pretty major stuff, that's all."

I rolled my eyes, but let him talk.
Me: "Like what?"

Peef: "What about Del Amitri?"
Me: "mmm. Good one. I forgot about them."
Peef: "And how about the Borrowers?"
Me: "missed them too. it was pretty hard to keep it to just 25."

And then Ipod joined in on the harassment by playing "Apart" by the Cure. Yeesh. That song shaped the beginnings of our relationship in college.

Peef: "And you TOTALLY forgot about The Cure. I'm totally offended."


Anyhow -- apparently, my list isn't terribly comprehensive. But, if you ask me, it's a decent start. Enjoy!

25 songs:
(post the artist, song & youtube link)

1. "Being Boring" -- Pet Shop Boys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMtPu6QyRzQ

2. "Untouchable Face" -- Ani DiFranco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rc4eYOhNnU8

3. "Rock Me Amadeus" -- Falco
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trOij8SPIAo

4. "All This Useless Beauty" -- Elvis Costello
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhoLqfNjgpE

5. "Close But No Cigar" -- Thomas Dolby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rf_wrz1i34

7. "Birdhouse in Your Soul" -- They Might Be Giants
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWw4azYTTm8

8. "Kitchen" -- Lemonheads
Live performance/Evan Dando http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_UZU8sAxSM
Lyrics: http://www.lyricstime.com/lemonheads-kitchen-lyrics.html

9. "All I Want" --- Toad the Wet Sprocket
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0e_clbyUbc

10. "If Red Were Blue" -- Brenda Kahn
No YouTube, but here are the lyrics: http://tr.im/plwJ
More on Brenda Kahn: http://tr.im/plu1

11. "Wrapped up in Books" -- Belle and Sebastian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBU-MxydbWQ

12. "You Suck" -- The Murmurs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfxvHVtMQ_w

13. "Rock the Casbah" -- The Clash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAkfHShATKY

14. "The Dream Before" -- Laurie Anderson
Another with no YouTube
Lyrics: http://www.lyricstime.com/laurie-anderson-the-dream-before-lyrics.html

15. "Feeling Good" -- Nina Simone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=22kPiPILteQ&feature=related

16. "So Much to Say" -- Dave Matthews Band
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81PfFrl6Ars

17. "A Man is in Love" -- The Waterboys
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bucQqV5OIsg&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoGbbKV0hUU

18. "Cat's in the Cradle" -- Johnny Cash
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=We1BVMmcr2A

19. "Why Should I Cry for You?" --Sting
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHhZKSoePio&feature=related

20. "You Owe Me Nothing In Return" -- Alanis Morissette
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jD6Lo_7HCm0

21. "China" -- Tori Amos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYvslanGwow

22. "Circle" -- Edie Brickell & The New Bohemians
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kpxNXZCLBg

Am trying not to repeat artists -- but if I could pick two, I also love "Love Like We Do":
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Vz-kcBjgNA&feature=channel

23. "Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses" -- U2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lA0krVJeszE

24. "You Will Be My Ain True Love" -- Allison Krauss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xABb5uVL2Jg&feature=related

25. "I Am Eve" - Mediaeval Baebes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLsWTBQexWo

Foodie Mascots: The Way of the Future?

William and Mary, known as "The Tribe" since the 1980's, will be changing their school mascot. According to the NCAA, their current feathered logo has to go -- and so they're looking for nominations.

Among the 375 suggestions so far, one suggestion (according to WISN) is an asparagus stalk. Or maybe, as I would suggest, an asparagus "spear."

Could this be a sign of a new foodie mascot trend?

I quote: "The asparagus stalk supporter notes that if served with cheese, the vegetable represents the school colors."

For more information about the mascot search, visit the William & Mary Web site.

The Job Brought Me Home

As most of you know, my last job was probably the most "dream job" I could have ever imagined. However, it's possible that I should have been more aware of the fact that "dream jobs" are just that. When you hear or see something that is too good to be true... ya know?

My new job is a whole new ball of wax. Rather than focusing my energy on selling, I get to really get inside the heads of area business owners to see what makes them tick. They give me information on what works... and what doesn't work. I also spend more of my time attending meetings, events, conferences, and programs than you can imagine.

Yeah, even more than that.
Keep going... keep going...
Yeah, about THAT many... and now add a couple more for good measure.

What I like MOST about this job is that I work Downtown.
When I drive in to work in the morning, the first thing I do is find a spot in the cement jungle. I secure my car in the parking structure, take the elevator down to street level, and that's when it hits me. As I walk the 1/2 block to the office, I catch a whiff of the city.

Most days, it's that wet, fishy smell that reminds you that you're just a few blocks away from Lake Michigan. But, on other days, my nostrils fill with the odor of a freshly fired wood-burning oven that emanates from one of the local eateries. On days like that, I find myself feeling almost nostalgic. My scent memories take over -- and suddenly, I'm pulled back to those cool spring days I spent on my travels to Seattle. The days when I woke up, first thing, and enjoyed my eggs with a side of tender wine-braised octopus. The days when I didn't need coffee to get me going... but, coffee was EVERYWHERE if I wanted it.

As I walk, I realize that there's a lot I love about this city that smells of beer and ale wives. Cuz it's not just beer and ale wives.
My job has opened me up to a new way of looking at Milwaukee. I'm meeting new people. Seeing old places with new eyes. Getting around to all the hidden little spots I'd typically overlook because I've lived here too long. I've become a tourist (of sorts) in my own city. And that's pretty kewl.

So far, that's what the new job is like. It's new. It's good. And it's fun.
It's the best of the past... and the promise of the future. All rolled into one. And it's made me genuinely appreciate this city that I call home.

Srsly. What could be better than that?

My Soul to Keep

This past weekend we buried my uncle. And I found myself getting into that thoughtful mode that occurs when someone close to me has passed on.

The fact is, death make me pensive.
Not sad.
Not morose.
Pensive.

Certainly, there was much to consider. My uncle was well loved by those who knew him. Those who cracked his crusty exterior found him a bit gooey inside -- and anyone who took the time, found him to possess an exceedingly big heart. In addition to being a worthwhile human being, he served his country well in the armed forces. And he had a great faith that saw him through the tragic journey we call life.

We respected his wishes and buried him as he saw fit.
We celebrated a life well-lived, and we cried for the loss of it.
And then, I got to thinking about my own mortality. And what I might want when my time comes... and I pass along into the ether. And I began to wonder if my vision is anything like what people might expect.

Most people who know me realize that I'm a hopeless food geek, so I'm fairly sure everyone would expect me to dream up some stuffy food-filled affair. But the truth is, when I imagine my farewell, I don't imagine anything stuffy.

I want people to eat thoughtless things at my funeral. And I want them to enjoy them -- without care for cholesterol or calories or trans-fats. Let all of that be set aside in favor of celebration.

I want hot dogs wrapped in crescent roll dough.
And mini cheesecakes made in muffin tins.
And peanut butter right from the jar -- eaten with abandon from teaspoons.
I want chai flavored chocolate.

I want giggling.
I know that you can't keep loved ones from crying (if, indeed, they did love) -- but I want mischievous laughter for all the times we spent creating. And scheming. And frolicking in our silly underpants.

You need not have a viewing. Or a burial.
My cremains can be scattered in some lovely place. Like in the tulip gardens that surrounded that football field in Mt. Vernon, Iowa... remember the one? We picked tulips there at midnight and filled our dorms with their lipstick red.

And the memories?
I want people to remember the whimsy. To pick up that box of collected shells and think about the oceans I dared dip my toes into. To read the dusty books from my library and dream the dreams I once wrote about. The ones I lived. The ones I didn't.

I want everyone to return home with a smirk -- and dare to be more than they imagined possible. To dance. To sing. To write. To remember.

To Live.

I know...

You want to hear all about the new job. Well...it's going really well. More on that in a bit. I just stumbled across something amazing and I thought I should share. This is srsly cool.

You can find the collection here.

I'll be back in a little bit to tell you all about what I have been up to in the past couple of months.