GreenDorchester (Dorchester Environmental Health Coalition)

Update: The festival was a blast! DEHC attended, munched on good, green grub and spoke to both novice and expert gardeners. Check out our photos on Facebook:

• Gardeners Enjoy Plants, Potluck and Fun
• Healthy Champions from Bowdoin St. Health Center lead a Pickling Workshop
• Exercise Session led by Percess Williamson of Healthworks Community Fitness

Old Post: Come out and celebrate the first annual Nightingale fall harvest festival. Nightingale gardeners invite everyone to join and enjoy the bounty of Dorchester’s largest community garden! Bring your appetite – the focus of this event is dishes inspired by this season’s harvest. This is a great opportunity to find out more about what is going on in your community gardens, how you can get involved, and what they can do for you and the community! For more information, email Boston Natural Areas Network, or call 617.542.7696. The event will take place on October 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., at the Nightingale Community Garden, 512 Park Street, Dorchester. Click here to view the location on a map! View a flyer here.

The Dorchester Community Food Co-op has some exciting updates:

The $5 Food Challenge is on! Everyone is invited to bring a $5 dish to the Potluck Dinner! Cook a healthy dish for 2-4 people using only $5 of ingredients, and bring it to share with your friends and neighbors. Prizes for the best dishes! Sunday, October 23rd, from 5 to 7 p.m., at the Second Church in Dorchester, Codman Square, 600 Washington Street. Admission is free, just bring a dish to share or enter into the contest!  For more information, or to sign up for the contest, visit http://dotcommcoop.wordpress.com/ or contact sarah.cadorette@gmail.com. You can RSVP on Facebook here.

More information about the Winter Farmers’ Market is now available! The market, which will feature farm fresh produce, entertainment by area artists, and local meat, bread, cheese will run on Sundays, from 12 to 3 p.m., during the months of January through March. It will take place in the Great Hall of the Codman Square Health Center (corner of Washington & Norfolk). Grand Opening January 8! Follow the link for a Winter Farmers’ Market flyer.

• Do you travel outside of your neighborhood to buy healthy, affordable food?
• Is it challenging to get high quality fruits and vegetables for your family?
• Do you have an EBT card and want to save 50% on fresh bread, fruits, and vegetables?
DO YOUR SHOPPING AT THE BOWDOIN GENEVA FARMERS’ MARKET! Every Thursday from 3:00 to 6:30 p.m., from July 7th – October 27th, 2011 at the Bowdoin Street Health Center, 230 Bowdoin Street, Dorchester. Fresh vegetables, fruits and baked breads are available from local farms and bakeries, including Land’s Sake, City Harvest and Ward’s Berry Farm. Cash, EBT, WIC and Senior Coupons accepted. Get 50% off when you use your EBT card! For more information about the farmers’ market email Cathy Wirth or call 617-754-0026.

Farmers market season has begun! Below is information on opening dates, times, locations, etc. for local markets.  And a guide to public transit options for getting to the markets.

TUESDAY

Dorchester House Farmers Market (1353 Dorchester Ave.). 11:00 – 1:30 p.m., opens 6/28. Vendors: Serving Ourselves Farm, Revision Urban Farm, and Flats Mentor Farm.*EBT/SNAP & Bounty Bucks accepted!

Grove Hall Farmers Market (469 Blue Hill Ave.). 3:00-7:00, opens 7/12. UPDATE 7/11 – As several vendors have dropped, this market has been delayed until further notice and may change its schedule. Vendors: Land’s Sake Farm, The Trustees of Reservations City Harvest Program Map. *EBT/SNAP & Bounty Bucks accepted!

THURSDAY

Codman Square Farmers Market (Talbot & Washington St.). 1:00 – 6:00 p.m., opens 6/23. Vendors: Silverbrook Farm. Organizer: Codman Square Health Council.*EBT/SNAP & Bounty Bucks accepted!

Bowdoin-Geneva Farmers Market (230 Bowdoin St.) 3:00 – 6:30 p.m., opens 7/7. Vendors: Land’s Sake Farm, City Harvest (The Trustees of Reservations). Organizers: Bowdoin St. Health Center. *EBT/SNAP, WIC, and Senior Farmers’ Market coupons accepted. Get half off when you pay with your EBT card through the Bounty Bucks program!

Revision Farm Stand (1062 Blue Hill Ave.) 2:30 – 6:30 p.m., opens 7/7 *Half off all produce with SNAP/EBT

FRIDAY

Ashmont Farmers Market (1900 Dorchester Ave., in front of station). 3:00 – 7:00 p.m., opens 7/8. Vendors: Langwater Farm, Springbrook Farm. *EBT/SNAP, WIC coupons, and Senior Farmers’ Market Nutrition coupons accepted. Get half off when you pay with your EBT card through the Bounty Bucks program!

Revision Farm Stand (1062 Blue Hill Ave.) 2:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m., opens 7/7 *Half off all produce with SNAP/EBT

SATURDAY

Fields Corner Farmers Market (Dot Ave. & Park St.). 9am-12pm, opens 7/9. Vendors: Flats Mentor Farm, Berberian Farm.

Mattapan Farmers Market (525 River St.). 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., opens 7/9. Vendors: Clark-Cooper Community Gardens, Inc., The Trustees of Reservations. 0rganizers: Boston Medical Center.

Revision Farm Stand (1062 Blue Hill Ave.). 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., opens 7/7 *Half off all produce with SNAP/EBT.

Pilot Urban Agriculture Project in Dorchester: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Pilot Urban Agriculture Project?
The Pilot Urban Agriculture Project proposes to put four (4) vacant, City of Boston owned properties in Dorchester to productive use for farming, with the goal of producing fresh, healthy food for sale in the Boston community. Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, the City will seek proposals from qualified individuals, businesses, and/or organizations to farm these properties, either as for profit or not‐for‐profit enterprises. (The RFP is now out, with a deadline of Aug 15, 2011 – please see bottom of this post for an update!) Local community members will be encouraged to submit Continue Reading »

The Boston Redevelopment Authority and Department of Neighborhood Development have begun a re-zoning initiative to look at using vacant city-owned parcels in Boston neighborhoods for urban agriculture to create opportunities for affordable, healthy, locally-grown food. There will be meetings coming up very soon (first one November 16th) about several parcels in Dorchester and Mattapan.  DEHC is part of this initiative, stay tuned for more!

The 15th Annual Boston Vegetarian Food Festival will fill the Reggie Lewis Center with foods, products, and information promoting veggie living and helping to make it fun, delicious, and easy to live a healthy, eco- and animal-friendly life. Expanded to 2 days:
Saturday, October 30, 2010, 10 AM – 6 PM
and
Sunday, October 31, 2010, 10 AM – 4 PM
Reggie Lewis Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street

The Boston Vegetarian Society’s annual Festival brings together vegetarian natural food providers, top national speakers and chefs, and educational exhibitors in a fun and welcoming environment. It is a chance to talk directly to food producers, learn the Continue Reading »

Come to the last Ashmont/Peabody Square Farmers Market, its our end of season celebration, at the intersection of Dorchester Ave. and Talbot Ave., on the Ashmont T station plaza, today starting 3-6:30 PM. Hot cider!

Two local farmers’ markets celebrate the end of the season today!  This afternoon, from 1-6 PM, Codman Square Farmers’ Market will have pumpkin carving, fun costumes, and special treats. Visit their website.

And from 3-6 PM, Bowdoin Street Health Center hosts a Harvest Festival, featuring free pumpkins & pumpkin decorating, free hot apple cider, face painting, and healthy Halloween prizes. Location: 230 Bowdoin Street. For more information, please call 617-754-0026, or email bgfarmersmkt@gmail.com.

As always you can buy fresh local produce at both of these markets with: Cash, SNAP / EBT, (WIC farmers’ market coupons – expire 10/31!), Seniors’ Coupons.  Use your EBT card and receive half off your purchases, up to $20!

There are plenty of plots still available in Dorchester’s community  gardens. Contact the garden coordinator for more information about tending your own plot!  Gardens with available plots are listed below.

29 Josephine Street Garden
Contact Nolan Smith, 617-282-5994

33 Bullard Street Garden
Contact Karen Chaffee, 617-542-7696 x19
info@bostonnatural.org

39 Barry Street Garden
Contact Karen Chaffee, 617-542-7696 x19
info@bostonnatural.org

Julian, Judson & Dean Streets Garden
36 Dean Street
Contact Domingos Ramos, dramos@bidmc.harvard.edu

Leyland Street Garden Extension
20 Leyland Street
Contact Pansy Carlton, 617-445-0088

74-76 Lucerne Street, Corner of Balsam
Contact Mary Bleach, 617-436-0282

96 Spencer Street Garden
Contact Eulie Fair, 617-288-4432

To find another community garden in Dorchester, visit BNAN or see the full list after the break. Continue Reading »