Posts Tagged: sharing
Thanksgiving: It's All About Sharing
Thanksgiving isn't about selecting the largest turkey in the store, engaging in road rage or aisle...
A Gulf Fritillary butterfly, Agraulis vanillae, shares the nectar of a passionflower (Passiflora) with three honey bees. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Finding the Heart of Community through its Gardens: Spotlight on Master Gardener, Christy L. Gray
Like many Master Gardeners, Christy Gray came to the program with a range of experiences and a...
Community Gardens of San Bernardino County, 2019
Crop Swap! Sharing the Abundance with One Another
Produce sharing among friends is not a new thing (remember those giant zucchinis your neighbor would try to pawn off on your mom?) With the advent of the new sharing culture (think Freecycle, Craigslist, etc.), folks are taking this a step further. A bevy of crop swaps are sprouting up all over the U.S., including many in the Bay Area.
How exactly does a crop swap work? Think farmers market without the financial element. Every crop swap is unique but the basic idea is, you show up with something you have too much of, other attendees do the same, you swap all those goodies, and leave with a basketful of delicious, free produce.
At a recent crop swap I attended, I showed up with a bucket of navel oranges. Blessed with a prolific tree, I always have more than I can eat. My oranges were a hit and I left the swap with kale, collards, fresh dill, lemons, some plant starts, and three apricots. I feel like I got the best end of that deal, yet I think the folks I traded with felt the same.
Where are crop swaps held? Many informal swaps are held in the driveway or yard of a willing host. Churches and other organizations will often hold them in their parking lot. Community groups, particularly those with a gardening or environmental bent, will hold them at their facilities. There are a few nascent websites popping up, attempting to provide publicity for crop swaps, however I am not aware of any significant clearinghouse of crop swap information. If you know of one, please let us know!
To find a crop swap near you:
- Ask a friend or neighbor if they know of one (word of mouth works great!)
- Contact a local gardening group
- Contact an organization (such as Transition Berkeley) involved in food justice, sustainability, or environmental initiatives
- Review the calendar section of your local paper
- Ask your local library
- Check with your city or county representative or your local cooperative extension office
- Check with local email newsletters and event listing groups, such as nextdoor.com, and eventful.com
Or, start a crop swap of your own! Shareable.net has a great article on How to Start a Crop Swap, with practical steps for getting your event off the ground.
Do you already participate in a crop swap? Tell us what you think. We'd love to hear from you.
New County Director Shares his Vision for Local Agriculture
Dr. Smith earned his B.S. in genetics at UC Davis while performing biochemical research on herbicide tolerance in glyphosate-resistant tomato cells, and subsequently received an M.S. in Biology for his work on Citrus Tristeza Virus at Long Beach State University. At the University of Nebraska, his research encompassed biochemical characterization of regulatory proteins ("kinases/phosphatases") involved in carbon-fixation, and wound-induced systemic signaling and gene expression in plants, culminating in a Ph.D. in biological sciences.
After completing his doctorate, he did postdoctoral research in sequence-structure computational analyses of protein kinases ("molecular switches"), and development of database resources for protein kinase information, at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, University of California San Diego. He spent the next 14 years serving as the executive director for the National Biomedical Computation Resource, and the Center for Theoretical Biological Physics at UCSD. Prior to joining UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR), Dr. Smith served as the associate vice provost for research at Rice University.
Ventura County possesses a moderate climate and prime agricultural land that allows it to be one of the more versatile growing environments in the state. The county is not only the number one producer of strawberries and has significant acreage in citrus, avocado and vegetable crops, but also provides a viable testing ground for specialty crops that can serve profitable niche markets. Through collaboration Dr. Smith envisions a stronger commitment to the success and promotion of county agriculture for now and future generations.
The Spring 2014 issue of "Central Coast Farm & Ranch" magazine has an article that focuses on Chris Smith and his aspirations for UCCE Ventura and the Hansen Agricultural Center. The article is entitled "On the Ground" and is published by the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. If you are interested in subscribing to "Central Coast Farm & Ranch" please contact them at (805) 289-0155 or info@farmbureauvc.com.
Dr. Smith encourages an active and responsive dialogue with the public and the county's agricultural community. He can be reached at 805-662-6943.
New UCCE Ventura Published Article - Management of Lewis Spider Mite in Strawberry
The article focuses on experiments performed in the laboratory and the field on the Lewis spider mite and the two-spotted spider mite. Tests were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of four types of predatory mites in controlling both kinds of spider mite. Miticide efficacy was also tested on the Lewis spider mite in bioassays.
These mites can cause serious damage to strawberry and other agricultural crops with subsequent financial loss to growers. Spider mite research is particularly relevant to Ventura County where strawberry production is the top crop grown and spider mite infestations have been on the rise.
Anna Howell is an experienced entomologist who has contributed her efforts to many research projects here at UCCE Ventura. Dr. Daugovish is UCCE's strawberry and vegetable crop adviser whose applied research benefits county growers and is an active contributor to "Strawberry Disorders: Identification and Management" website, a resource for assisting in diagnosing problems in strawberry.
You can view the entire article here.