Boston Flora

Tag: Nofa

  • August 15 Deadline – NOFA Bulk Order Program

    Don’t miss the opportunity to save money on your fall mineral amendments and fertilizers, cover crop seeds, Vermont compost and potting soils, Nutrient Density Supply drenches and foliar sprays, seed starting supplies, pest controls and BPA-free small and wide mouth canning lids. Just one week left to participate in the biannual NOFA/Mass bulk order.

    Here’s how it works:

    You need stuff for your farm or garden or backyard.  You take a look at the Northeast Organic Farming Association online Bulk Order form and find what you need from all the brand-name suppliers.  You order from NOFA. Whatever you need. One thing – or ten things.  A whole bunch of us do the same thing, and the nice suppliers give us a discount. That’s why it’s called “BULK.” You send in your order and payment.  The stuff is delivered to designated locations across the state. You can check out our website to find a delivery site near you.  You help support NOFA in the process.

    Download an order form at http://www.nofamass.org/programs/bulkorder/index.php or drop off/pick-up an order form at the at the NOFA Summer Conference in Amherst. ORDERS MUST BE POSTMARKED BY AUGUST 15th. All sized growers, from the farm to the backyard, are welcome to participate. Questions? Contact Cathleen O’Keefe, Bulk Order Coordinator, bulkorder@nofamass.org, (413) 584-6786 with any questions.

  • Tuesday, August 16, 6:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Growing Organic Fruit Trees in a Backyard

    Why not grow organic apples in the backyard? This Northeast Organic Farming Association workshop on Tuesday, August 16, from 6 – 8:30 pm, will go over how to plant and care for fruit trees using organic methods. After a pruning demonstration, John Bemis, from Hutchins Farm, will cover materials, varieties, rootstocks, as well as disease and pest management. He will be sure to touch on the likely challenges growers face and variable responses to those challenges. $25 NOFA members/$30 Non-members. The event will take place at City Natives, 30 Edgewater Drive in Boston.

    John Bemis is a partner at Hutchins Farm in Concord, MA. He has been organically growing vegetables for over 35 years and currently oversees nine acres of apple trees. He studied agriculture and construction in Peru through the Peace Corps and has a degree from MIT in Architecture.

    To register for the workshop or for more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org. Ulla Norup Milbrath’s Gravenstein apples below from www.ullam.typepad.com.

  • Tuesday, August 9, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm – Composting: Easy, Cheap, Nutrient Rich

    This NOFA workshop on Tuesday, August 9, from 6 – 8 at the Southwest Corridor Community Garden in Jamaica Plain, explores a variety of compost methods, including: efficient microbes, vermiculture, tumblers, barrels, and plain old piles. Presenter Allison Fastman will talk about what methods are best for different situations, what can and cannot be composted with each system, rat and pest control, nitrogen and carbon balance, and how to collect and use compost tea. Allison will also go over how to make a composter for each method, how to find excellent free materials, and how to use compost to enrich soils. $18 NOFA members/$20 Non-members. About the instructor: Allison Fastman has been gardening since she learned to walk under the tutelage of her parents and grandparents. She’s read and experimented extensively at home and in the classroom both as a student and teacher. To register for the workshop or for more information visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org.  Image below from www.tinyfarmblog.com.

  • Wednesdays, July 13, 27, August 10, and August 24, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm – Preserving the Harvest: Putting Food By

    We all love fresh food grown from the garden. But we live in New England and if we expect to eat as well in January as in August, we need to preserve the summer garden’s abundance for the lean days of winter. Learn about the techniques of putting food by, including water bath canning, pressure canning, dehydrating, root cellaring and lacto-fermenting to create delicacies that will see us through the dark days and remind us of what awaits in the spring. An upcoming series of four classes at the Berkshire Botanical Garden will demystify all aspects of preserving food.

    On Wednesday, July 13, the class is entitled You CAN Do It! Hot water bath and pressure cooker canning is not just for jams and jellies (although it’s really good for those too). Learn how to put up your own salsa, chutneys and condiments. We will explore the many ways a canner can be put to use creating wonderful and unique gifts as well as enhancing your own food pantry. This class will also cover pressure canning and will demystify this useful method for insuring food safety. On Wednesday, July 27, enjoy Dry it – You’ll Like It & Baby It’s Cold Inside. Dehydrating and freezing as methods for preserving foods are perhaps the easiest for beginners. Learn how to use a dehydrator to make soup, snacks and delicacies to give as gifts or enjoy at home. Home-dried food has less salt and sugar, is far less expensive than the commercial counterparts and fabulous taste. Freezing summers bounty is another fool proof method for putting food by. Once mastered, the basics of blanching, chilling, air tight wrapping and freezing will provide a taste of summer in the depths of winter. These tried and true, simple techniques will be just like having Guido’s right in your house. Wednesday, August 10 brings We’re in a Pickle Now. Lacto-fermentation is one of the only food preservation techniques that actually enhances the flavor and nutrition of a food. Well learn about the chemistry and techniques of fermenting food on a small scale. Make every meal better with some kimchi. Finally, on Wednesday, August 24, we’ll learn What Lies Beneath. Think you can’t eat garden fresh food in the middle of winter? Think again! With a root cellar, you can enjoy carrots, beets, turnips, onions, potatoes, leeks and fruits like apples and pears all winter long. A well-made root cellar acts like a second refrigerator but needs no electricity. Use it to store wine, cider, lard and all those tasty lacto-fermented vegetables. We will explore what it takes to create a root cellar, how to prepare vegetables for their winter home and how to use the produce you store there.

    All classes are led by Kathy Harrison, who has been preserving food for over 30 years. She teaches classes on all manner of food preservation for many organizations and has presented trainings for NOFA and Mother Earth News. She is the author of several books. Her latest is  Just In Case: How to Be Self Sufficient When the Unexpected Happens. Kathy and her husband, Bruce run Barefoot Farm, where they raise bees, organic fruits and vegetables.

    Register on line (www.berkshirebotanical.org) for all four classes (BBG members $75, nonmembers $85), or register for any individual class ($22 for all.)

  • Friday, August 12 – Sunday, August 14 – NOFA 2011 Summer Conference

    Join the Northeast Organic Farming Association on Friday, August 12 through Sunday August 14 on the campus of UMass/Amherst, and attend over 200 workshops on organic gardening, farming, food politics, permaculture, homesteading, landscaping, draft-animal power, alternative energy, livestock, cooking, and more! Hundreds of vendors and exhibitors will be on hand, along with live entertainment, childrens and teen conferences, country fair and farmers market, plus silent auction. This year NOFA is proud to feature the Northeast Animal-Power Field Days. Spend the weekend or come for the day. Activities for all ages.

    Sponsored by: Whole Foods, Stonyfield Farm, Farm Family, Jeff Clements Law Office, Greenleaf Foundation, Vermont Compost, Franklin Community Cooperative, Boston Organics, Groton Wellness, Neighboring Food Coop Association, Bejo Seeds, Chelsea Green Publishing, Northeast Animal-Power Field Days, River Valley Market, RMA, UMass Amherst, North County Organics, and Harris Seeds. Keynote speakers will be Eric Toensmeier, a perennial edibles expert (pictured below, courtesy of www.gazettenet.com,) and Dr. Ignacio Chapela of University of California/Berkeley, a GMO activist. Register now at www.nofasummerconference.org, email info@nofasummerconference.org, or call 413-230-7835.

  • Thursday, April 7 and Saturday, April 9 – NOFA Statewide Organic Lawn Days

    Join a NOFA Accredited Organic Land Care Professional at one of 12 locations across the state to learn about how you can take care of your own lawn or property organically. These three-hour intensive workshops will cover site analysis, transitioning from conventional to organic management, compost, amendments, mowing and watering practices you can implement to have a beautiful, low-cost, synthetic chemical-free lawn. Hands-on component and handouts included. Workshops to be held in Monterey, Northampton, Amherst, Boylston, Salem, Newburyport, Natick, Barnstable, Dartmouth, Arlington, Stoneham and Ayer. For more info: Kathy@nofamass.org or call (413) 773-3830.  Graphic  below from www.chemicalfreegrass.com.

  • Saturday, April 9, 4:30 pm – 6:00 pm – Hive Installation and Spring Management

    This introductory workshop on Saturday, April 9,  from 4:30 – 6 pm at the Boston Nature Center, 500 Walk Hill Street in Mattapan, will cover honeybee hive installation as well as springtime management for a newly installed hive. There will be a live demonstation of installing a package of honeybees. Feeding, life cycle of the colony, hive expansion will also be covered. Cost: $25 NOFA members/ $30 Non-members. *PLEASE NOTE: To provide participants with a live hive installation demonstration, the workshop date might change depending on hive package delivery. Because of flexible date, payment will be collected at the event. Pre-registration still required.  Also please be aware that this event was also listed as taking place from 12:30 – 2 pm, so checking again with nnacamuli@gmail.com is highly recommended.   And we couldn’t resist Amy Winehouse’s beehive hairdo.  Thank you www.dailymail.co.uk.

  • Sunday, March 27, 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm – Soil Remediation Workshop

    Soil health plays a critical role in both the quality and quantity of the food we produce. Unfortunately, many of us are faced with the reality of toxins in our soil, which limit our soil’s health and expose gardeners and consumers to risk. In this Sunday, March 27 workshop, beginning at 2 pm at the Codman Community Farms, 58 Codman Road in Lincoln,  you will learn about the possible contaminants gardeners face (from lead to residual herbicides and pesticides) and how to accurately test soil to assess potential risks. Instructor Derek Christianson (below) will then go over strategies on how to exclude, mitigate, and/or remediate compromised soils. Underlying his conversation will be discussions and hands-on activity designed to help you understand the basics of soil chemistry and build an understanding of soil amendments used to correct mineral deficiencies in our soils. Cost: $30.  Derek Christianson is a farmer and community educator at Brix Bounty Farm in Dartmouth, MA (www.brixbounty.com).

    To register for the workshop or for more information please visit www.nofamass.org or contact Laura Eppstein at (617) 913-0538, or by email at laura@nofamass.org.

  • Thursday, March 3, 8:00 am – 8:30 pm – 17th Annual ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace

    ELA brings together all of the essential information on rain gardens that really work, healthy soils for healthy trees, plant choices for food productive landscapes, and more at the 17th Annual ELA Conference and Eco-Marketplace on Thursday, March 3 from 8 am – 8:30 pm. Co-hosted by the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, New England Wild Flower Society, NOFA Organic Land Care Program, Society for Ecological Restoration, New England Chapter, and the Ecological Landscaping Association. Panelists include William Cullina, Dr. Peter Del Tredici, and Jono Neiger, three leading experts in the field of plant selection, who will share their unique perspectives on Native, Introduced, Invasive, and Endangered Plants in the Landscape: Untangling the Roots of the Problem. Visit www.ecolandscaping.org for online registration, or call Penny Lewis at 617-436-5838. The conference will take place at the MassMutual Center in Springfield. Rooms at the Sheraton Springfield Monarch Place Hotel are available to participants for $109/night. Complete package (not including hotel) for members of one of the sponsors is $170 before 2/15, $225 after 2/15; non members $190/$245.

  • Wednesday, January 12 – Friday, January 14, and Tuesday, January 18 – Wednesday, January 19 – NOFA 2011 Organic Land Care Course

    NOFA will sponsor a five day course January 12 – 14, continuing January 18 – 19, at the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge in Newburyport, Massachusetts.  This course covers all aspects of organic landscaping from soil health and amendments to weeds, pest and invasives management.  There will be a Client Relations Panel with NOFA Accredited Professionals practicing in the field and a special “Running a Business” section.  Accreditation exam (optional) is available for all participants.  Registration is $550 (exam is an additional $150).  For more information, contact Kathy Litchfield, Organic Land Care Coordinator at 413-773-3830, or email her at kathy@nofamass.org.  This course is generously sponsored by Groundscapes Express, Inc.  You may register online at www.organiclandcare.net.