 Bountiful Cities has had several spring plant sales to support our gardens and (with lots of community participation!) these sales raised much needed money for infrastructure and programming in the gardens! Over $2500 so far! The Bountiful Cities Windfall Collective Nursery is continuing to sell plants throughout the season. Please check out the on-line store on our website for summer and fall plant needs! We appreciate all the help including some wonderful plant donations from Gaia Herbs!
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 Bountiful Cities Nursery is budding with new growth and exciting developments this spring! We're changing the name of this program to Windfall Collective Nursery, one that encompasses the larger vision of the project and efforts towards supporting the growth of a thriving community.
Along with our selection of edible, medicinal, indigenous and pollinator plants, we will be offering a variety of useful plants and handcrafted creations from the Bountiful Cities community. Our new offerings will include natural dyes, block prints, herbal preparations, arts, crafts, and more. Supporting resource sovereignty and local mutual aid efforts will also be a large focus for us, stay tuned to find out how to get involved! Our web store is up and running, we have lots of spring veggies, herbs, and flowers sizing up. Click this link to find out more. Sales start this week, feel free to reach out if you have any questions or specific requests. We look forward to growing with you this season!"  Join the Bountiful Cities Community Garden Network for a free virtual screening and discussion of the documentary "Gather" on Thursday March 11th from 5:30-7:30pm. This documentary looks at the reclamation of land, and how sharing knowledge of growing, harvesting and cooking traditional foods has helped strengthen different indigenous groups in the USA by connecting with their cultural identities. It's a movie about the importance of food sovereignty, the connection between food, land, culture, health and history. The movie will be starting promptly at 5:45, but please be sure to log in to the Zoom link at 5:30, so we can check in and introduce the film, and we will be having the discussion portion over Zoom after. Register in advance for the Zoom meeting here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUrcO-hrTwiEtIWeE3m3XGpdb-XuwwnXx_I Facebook Event Page: https://www.facebook.com/events/421583965814453 This event is presented for the residents of the City of Asheville in partnership with the City of Asheville.   As Spring approaches Bountiful Cities has many opportunities to volunteer in a garden. If you would like to sign up and get regular updates about opportunities to volunteer please fill out this FORM. Here are some upcoming opportunities: Lucy Herring Elementary School Peace Garden 1pm-2:30 every Friday in the winter months (formerly Vance Elementary School) in West Asheville. Please contact cathy@bountifulcities.org or jordan.diamond@acsgmail.net to attend. Fairview Road Resilience Garden 10-1pm on Saturday March 13th. Will be doing some direct seeding, installing drip-irrigation, and spreading woodchips Please sign up to attend at this LINK Burton St. Community Garden 10-noon on Saturdays Root Cause Farm 3-5pm on Sunday March 14th. Sanctuary Space Garden Workdays. Please sign up HERE. Murray Hill Garden Community Garden 12-5pm Sunday March 21st 12-5pm AND Sunday April 18th. Will be fixing and painting raised beds, and preparing beds for spring planting. Please sign up HERE George Washington Carver Edible Park - monthly workdays check the Facebook Page link for updates. Support Community Gardens!
Our goal in the next 3 months is to raise $7,000 to broaden the support for community members and fully fund the Community Garden Network Assistant position for 2021.Find out about this community effort HERE, donate here.  The Organic Growers School 28th Annual Spring Conference is virtual! The new online format offers a unique opportunity to view ALL 33 recorded Track Workshops, 3 Live Keynote sessions, and to interact with all of our speakers in Live Q&A sessions. Your ticket guarantees access to all conference recordings and materials for 3 months after the event! Register Now! https://organicgrowersschool.org/conferences/spring/register/ Do you have a table you can donate? Want to donate a folding table? Maybe you have one in your basement or attic you are not using? As we work with community partners to support distribution of fresh food we need clean and sanitize-able places for food to be placed. If you want to donate please contact cathy@bountifulcities.org Bountiful Cities wants your Black Gold!
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We are launching our Growing Community Campaign and our goal in the next 3 months is to raise $7,000 to broaden the support for community members and fully fund the Community Garden Network Assistant position for 2021. This will allow us to:
Bountiful Cities centers equity in the work we do. For many years we have prioritized supporting communities working to build their own systems of food production and distribution, moving toward food sovereignty and away from reliance on a system which marginalizes black and brown people. Growing Community will support local food sovereignty efforts to sprout, grow, and thrive. Know a friend who needs to get this newsletter?
 Root Cause Farm will be hosting once-a-month Sanctuary Space work days throughout winter. People can use this sign-up sheet to volunteer! Sanctuary Space Work Days: March 14th 2021 3 - 5 pm Dr. George Washington Carver Community Workday WHEN: Friday, February 26th from 2:30-5:30pm WHERE: The park is located at 30 George Washington Carver Ave, next to Stephens-Lee We will be focusing on mulching pathways, light tree pruning, and clearing invasive plants. There will be a hands on demo of each pruning technique as well as a tour of the park. This will be a recurring event every fourth Friday of the month. Please wear a mask to this event and maintain social distance practices. Stephens-Lee is not open to the public so we won’t be able to use the bathrooms there. You might see children in and out of the facility, but they are only open for the learning pods program for right now due to Covid-19. We will have some extra tools for folks to use as well as hand sanitizer, but any gloves, loppers, pruners or weeding tools you can bring are much appreciated. These community workdays are being presented in partnership with the City of Asheville. For the most up-to-date information, please visit the Dr. George Washington Carver Edible Park Facebook page Come give your time and support to Asheville's first edible forest ecosystem! We look forward to seeing you!" Vance Elementary Peace Garden (Now Lucy S. Herring Elementary Peace Garden) FEAST @ Home Cooking Videos: Jordan Diamond, the FEAST Garden Coordinator at Lucy S. Herring Elementary, has launched FEAST @ Home: a series of cooking videos that teach kids how to make yummy, easy snacks using a new veggie every week. Each week for the next 6 weeks, Jordan will upload a new video to the FEAST Peace Garden YouTube Channel. Videos and a recipe will be shared with teachers every week so they can incorporate them into their weekly lessons and share with families. Students are encouraged to follow along and make the recipes at home (with adult supervision!). If you have a child that doesn't attend Lucy S. Herring Elementary but you would like to use these videos for your Home School routine, contact Jordan.Diamond@acsgmail.net to be added to the email list. Herring Peace Garden Workdays: Fridays from 1:00- 2:30 pm Join us for socially distant garden workdays! BYO mask and gardening/work gloves and RSVP to cathy@bountifulcities.org or jordan.diamond@acsgmail.net Produce Sharing: Know someone who needs access to fresh produce? Visit the Lucy S. Herring Elementary Peace Garden or Hall Fletcher FEAST Garden on Tuesday afternoons and check out the produce sharing tables! Thanks to a generous, weekly donation from Mother Earth Food, we are able to share produce with the community through our school gardens. Join each garden's Facebook page to see updates each week.  Soul and Soil Project's farm in Fairview is in need of helping hands! Get down in the regenerative-market-farm and help us prepare for autumn and winter. Their farm helps support their nonprofit's Resilience curriculum and outreach efforts. Register to volunteer on Eventbrite via soulandsoilproject.org. Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-2pm.  The Seed Library & Tool Library The Seed Library and Tool Library are free resources for our community and garden members to utilize, and also will accept reciprocity if you find yourself in the position of having extras. Normally, the seed library is located at the Burton Street Recreation Center at the end of the hallway to the left near the exit sign, but due to recent restrictions we have limited access to our library. If you’re in need of seeds for the growing season please reach out to isa@bountifulcities.org. The tool library is located at the Bountiful Cities Pearson Community Garden location (located at 408 Pearson Dr.) For those interested in borrowing items from the Tool Library contact Isa Whitaker directly prior to getting the item/s out of the library. You can reach Isa by email: isa@bountifulcities.org   Solar PanelsBountiful Cities is very excited to be moving towards renewable energy at the Pearson Garden this coming season! The Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy has donated solar panels and is working with us to get the garden on solar power, which will provide electricity for all of the shared community spaces, walk-in cooler, pavilion, and greenhouses. While we have been able to get some of the resources donated for this project, there is still a lot to do. If you'd be interested in joining us for an educational community workday or donating funds/materials towards this project, FILL OUT THIS FORM or reach out to us directly. Looking forward to working with you on making Pearson gardens more of a sustainable community resource this season!  Check out this video created by Jay Hill they made with the Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy and the Burton Street Peace Gardens during their solar installation last year:
https://youtu.be/FRJAqVsurB8
Systems Need to Change...As we welcome 2021 we see even more evidence of the need for systems change! Last year brought us many reveals of the reckoning needed for moving toward reparations centering racial equity. Bountiful Cities work will continue to nourish our relations alongside communities creating access and pathways to resources for thriving local food abundance centered in racial equity. Looking to Spring |
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Bountiful Cities Nursery is looking ahead and getting ready as the growing season approaches. While we'll be growing a wide variety of edible, medicinal, pollinator, and craft plants, we're also taking requests and pre-orders for anything you might be interested in. If you know exactly what you'd like to be growing in the coming season we're happy to start all of it in our greenhouse to help you get a head start on the Spring. Reach out to Alex at alex@bountifulcities.org with any pre-orders or questions.
Solar Panels
Bountiful Cities is very excited to be moving towards renewable energy at the Pearson Garden this coming season! The Appalachian Institute for Renewable Energy has donated solar panels and is working with us to get the garden on solar power, which will provide electricity for all of the shared community spaces, walk-in cooler, pavilion, and greenhouses. While we have been able to get some of the resources donated for this project, there is still a lot to do. If you'd be interested in joining us for an educational community workday or donating funds/materials towards this project, FILL OUT THIS FORM or reach out to us directly. Looking forward to working with you on making Pearson gardens more of a sustainable community resource this season!
Have a Folding Table? Or a Cooler?
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Ms. Jordan is continuing to create virtual content, and has begun a series of cooking classes for elementary kids! Check out her YouTube channel HERE for some kid-friendly gardening a cooking education.
Upcoming Community Garden Workdays
Vance Elementary
Workdays are now from 1- 2:30 pm on Fridays- weather permitting. Please get in touch with jordan.diamond@acsgmail.net for more information.
Winter projects include:
January- February: Installing a paving stone floor in the greenhouse
February- March: Building outdoor seedling tables and starting seeds for spring plant sale/ garden
Fairview Road Resilience Garden
The Resilience Garden is hosting a volunteer day on Sunday the 17th from noon to 3. Please email Michael Stratton to rsvp, as they are capping capacity at 10 people fairviewroadresiliencegarden@gmail.com
Workdays are now from 1- 2:30 pm on Fridays- weather permitting. Please get in touch with jordan.diamond@acsgmail.net for more information.
Winter projects include:
January- February: Installing a paving stone floor in the greenhouse
February- March: Building outdoor seedling tables and starting seeds for spring plant sale/ garden
Fairview Road Resilience Garden
The Resilience Garden is hosting a volunteer day on Sunday the 17th from noon to 3. Please email Michael Stratton to rsvp, as they are capping capacity at 10 people fairviewroadresiliencegarden@gmail.com
 | We need help to keep these important workshops and programs going! Suppling tools, seeds, education, and on-going support are long term solutions to some of the systemic injustices that cause food insecurity. Now more than ever, systems need to change so that all people have access to food and resources. Bountiful Cities envisions abundant, food secure communities and works to make that vision a reality. |
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We hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season and we are eager to see what the New Year brings!
If you’re looking to catch up on any of the workshops we had this year you can find them HERE
We are so thankful for you all, check out our gratitude video HERE
Community Garden Network Events
Root Cause Farm will be hosting once-a-month Sanctuary Space work days throughout winter.
People can use this sign-up sheet to volunteer!
Sanctuary Space Work Days:
December 13th 2020 3- 5 pm, January 17th 2021 3 - 5 pm
February 21st 2021 3 - 5 pm, March 14th 2021 3 - 5 pm
Vance Elementary Peace Garden
The cold weather has slowed things down in the garden! We have a few beds of greens and root crops under row covers, and continue to share produce from Mother Earth Food on Tuesday afternoons. Now is a season of working on garden infrastructure and looking ahead to the spring! We were able to purchase season extension equipment to improve the grow light system that we use to start seedlings for the spring plant sale and summer garden thanks to a grant from the WNC Bridge Foundation.
Workdays are now from 1- 2:30 pm on Fridays- weather permitting and excluding 12/25 and 1/1
Winter projects include:
December - laying black tarps to solarize a garden bed, mulching paths, mending garden borders
January - February: Installing a paving stone floor in the greenhouse
February - March: Building outdoor seedling tables and starting seeds for spring plant sale/ garden
Other Community Resources/Events :
Soul and Soil Project's farm in Fairview is in need of helping hands! Get down in the regenerative-market-farm and help us prepare for autumn and winter. Their farm helps support their nonprofit's Resilience curriculum and outreach efforts.
Register to volunteer on Eventbrite via soulandsoilproject.org. Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-2pm.
Visit soulandsoilproject.org for more info.
Services
Asheville Edibles: The City is now accepting applications for their Asheville Edibles program. As of 2018, Bountiful Cities has contracted with the City to manage this program. The program allows citizens to start edible gardens on parcels of City land located in various areas of town. There is no cost to lease the land. All you need is helping hands. More info/Applications available here.
Please contact Isa Whitaker by email: isa@bountifulcities.org for more information on how to participate.
If you’re looking to catch up on any of the workshops we had this year you can find them HERE
We are so thankful for you all, check out our gratitude video HERE
Community Garden Network Events
Root Cause Farm will be hosting once-a-month Sanctuary Space work days throughout winter.
People can use this sign-up sheet to volunteer!
Sanctuary Space Work Days:
December 13th 2020 3- 5 pm, January 17th 2021 3 - 5 pm
February 21st 2021 3 - 5 pm, March 14th 2021 3 - 5 pm
Vance Elementary Peace Garden
The cold weather has slowed things down in the garden! We have a few beds of greens and root crops under row covers, and continue to share produce from Mother Earth Food on Tuesday afternoons. Now is a season of working on garden infrastructure and looking ahead to the spring! We were able to purchase season extension equipment to improve the grow light system that we use to start seedlings for the spring plant sale and summer garden thanks to a grant from the WNC Bridge Foundation.
Workdays are now from 1- 2:30 pm on Fridays- weather permitting and excluding 12/25 and 1/1
Winter projects include:
December - laying black tarps to solarize a garden bed, mulching paths, mending garden borders
January - February: Installing a paving stone floor in the greenhouse
February - March: Building outdoor seedling tables and starting seeds for spring plant sale/ garden
Other Community Resources/Events :
Soul and Soil Project's farm in Fairview is in need of helping hands! Get down in the regenerative-market-farm and help us prepare for autumn and winter. Their farm helps support their nonprofit's Resilience curriculum and outreach efforts.
Register to volunteer on Eventbrite via soulandsoilproject.org. Mon, Tues, Fri 9am-2pm.
Visit soulandsoilproject.org for more info.
Services
Asheville Edibles: The City is now accepting applications for their Asheville Edibles program. As of 2018, Bountiful Cities has contracted with the City to manage this program. The program allows citizens to start edible gardens on parcels of City land located in various areas of town. There is no cost to lease the land. All you need is helping hands. More info/Applications available here.
Please contact Isa Whitaker by email: isa@bountifulcities.org for more information on how to participate.
The Seed Library & Tool Library: Free resources for our community and garden members to utilize, and also will accept reciprocity if you find yourself in the position of having extras.Normally, the seed library is located at the Burton Street Recreation Center at the end of the hallway to the left near the exit sign, but due to recent restrictions we have limited access to our library. If you’re in need of seeds for the growing season please reach out to isa@bountifulcities.org.
The tool library is located at 408 Pearson Dr. For those interested in borrowing items from the Tool Library contact Isa Whitaker directly prior to getting the item/s out of the library. isa@bountifulcities.org
All workshops being presented through the Community Garden Network are in partnership with the City of Asheville.
Resilience is Something We can GROW!
Community Garden Spotlight...
Michael Stratton and his community started the Fairview Road Resilience Garden this spring in response to Covid-19 with the goal of growing as much food as possible for donation. At the end of this growing season they had donated over 400 pounds of veggies to Bounty and Soul to distribute. Sweet potatoes, peppers, melons, cabbage, broccoli and beans were some of the many fresh vegetables produced and shared from their gardens. That amount of production could only happen in a brand new garden with lots of collaboration, "We built a steering committee who contributed money and labor to keep the garden going" Stratton says. Regular meetings and workdays (with masks!) in the garden helped the group stay in communication. It is not an easy task to keep a group of people focused on garden maintenance in the midst of a pandemic, Stratton and his group hope to double or triple their yield next year and their efforts will bring increased resilience to their Oakley community in more ways than one. Follow them on Facebook to find out more about their Fairview Road Resilience Garden.
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FEAST Updates
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Social Distance Garden Workdays at Vance Elementary:
Tuesdays 1pm- 4pm and Fridays 10am- 11:30 am
** Will continue until at least Thanksgiving and likely into December depending on tasks and weather. BYO face covering, garden gloves, and weeding tools and RSVP to Jordan.Diamond@acsgmail.net or Cathy@bountifulcities.org
- Donate your bagged leaves and veggie scraps to the Vance Peace Garden compost project!
- Seeking volunteers skilled in laying paving stones to help re-do the Greenhouse floor this winter!
Contact Jordan.Diamond@acsgmail.net for more info. Also check out this blog post Jordan recently wrote for Asheville Greenworks/ Bee CityUSA about her monarch project at Vance.
Tuesdays 1pm- 4pm and Fridays 10am- 11:30 am
** Will continue until at least Thanksgiving and likely into December depending on tasks and weather. BYO face covering, garden gloves, and weeding tools and RSVP to Jordan.Diamond@acsgmail.net or Cathy@bountifulcities.org
- Donate your bagged leaves and veggie scraps to the Vance Peace Garden compost project!
- Seeking volunteers skilled in laying paving stones to help re-do the Greenhouse floor this winter!
Contact Jordan.Diamond@acsgmail.net for more info. Also check out this blog post Jordan recently wrote for Asheville Greenworks/ Bee CityUSA about her monarch project at Vance.
Before the first frost last week, a few families came to the Tuesday afternoon Vance Garden workday to dig up sweet potatoes and harvested a whopping 26 lbs!! The kids were so excited and proud, and each took a few potatoes home.
Free Food Pantries Building Community Resilience
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Two Asheville neighborhoods, Shiloh and East End, received free food pantries at the end of October which will be stocked by an initial donation from Buncombe County and on-going donations from local residents. So many collaborations made these pantries happen! Bountiful Cities, Asheville Buncombe Food Policy Council, Green Opportunities, The City of Asheville, St. James AME Church, Shiloh Community Garden, and Town and Mountain Realty, came together with individuals and volunteers to design, create, install and paint. Donations of shelf stable food and supplies are accepted!
Shiloh Community Resource Center Fundraiser
Help raise funds for The Shiloh Community Association to open a SCA Community Resource Center in the neighborhood! The Shiloh Community is one of the oldest and most historic African American communities in Asheville, NC. The funds raised here will go towards a resources center, with office space for the SCA , residential business incubation, classroom and community meeting space, a certified kitchen and more resources for neighborhood. This has been a goal of the SCA since the writing of the 2025 plan back in 2010.
Donate here: https://gf.me/u/y67667
Donate here: https://gf.me/u/y67667
Bountiful Cities is so pleased to have two new
Business Sponsors!
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Leonetti is a Town and Mountain Realty Group. They believe strongly in giving back and getting involved. Luiz, Jessi and Nan spent many years working for non-profit organizations striving to make significant contributions to causes they are passionate about. Leonetti values healthy choices, empowerment by experience, and plain old getting outside!
Gaia Herbs is proud to be a Certified B Corporation®, actively working to build a more inclusive and sustainable economy. The Gaia Farm is nestled in the Pisgah Forest area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and herbs are grown organically, sustainably, and intentionally. Since Gaia Herbs was just a seedling in 1987, they have remained true to our purpose: Connecting people, plants & planet to create healing.
Cooking with Summer Garden Bounty - Virtual WorkshopCathy Cleary, author of The Southern Harvest Cookbook will teach a FREE virtual cooking class for Bountiful Cities on Wednesday July 29th from 4pm-5pm. She will demonstrate techniques and recipes for making delicious dishes, and preserving veggies that are plentiful this time of year. There will be time for questions, but unfortunately, no tasting will be possible! BUT the recipes will be shared so you can replicate your own versions of the dishes at home.
Please fill out THIS FORM to register for the class by Tuesday July 28th. You will be sent a zoom link after you register. If you have any questions email cathy@bountifulcities.org
Facebook event page
Please fill out THIS FORM to register for the class by Tuesday July 28th. You will be sent a zoom link after you register. If you have any questions email cathy@bountifulcities.org
Facebook event page
Purchase your plants from Bountiful Cities Nursery!
It's mid-summer, time to start thinking about a fall garden! If you need plants consider supporting our programs by purchasing them from our Pearson Garden Plant Nursery. You can order them from our website HERE.
It's mid-summer, time to start thinking about a fall garden! If you need plants consider supporting our programs by purchasing them from our Pearson Garden Plant Nursery. You can order them from our website HERE.
Other Community Resources/Events
The NC State Extension garden guide describes a community garden, its benefits, how to find or start a garden and tips for growing, storing, preparing and enjoying fruits and vegetables. In addition it highlights state and national gardening resources.
Organic Growers School resource list for gardeners and farmers regarding COVID-19. They are updating this list regularly.
Have gardening questions? Send them to YummyYards!
Check out the Asheville Online Farmers' Market if you haven’t already
Ask a Sista Farmer
“Are you ready to grow your own food and medicine for self-reliance and community resilience? Every Friday, experienced Black womxn* farmers answer your call-in questions about gardening, livestock, agroforestry, plant medicine, and food preservation.
This show centers the voices of Black, Indigenous, People-of-Color, Queer, Trans*, Disabled, Immigrant, and Poor communities. Everyone is welcome to watch and listen, but please make space for centered folks to speak. Thank you. *Sista and womxn includes trans* and nonbinary folks”
For more info, and to see the full line up and schedule: https://www.facebook.com/events/539087153384648/
The NC State Extension garden guide describes a community garden, its benefits, how to find or start a garden and tips for growing, storing, preparing and enjoying fruits and vegetables. In addition it highlights state and national gardening resources.
Organic Growers School resource list for gardeners and farmers regarding COVID-19. They are updating this list regularly.
Have gardening questions? Send them to YummyYards!
Check out the Asheville Online Farmers' Market if you haven’t already
Ask a Sista Farmer
“Are you ready to grow your own food and medicine for self-reliance and community resilience? Every Friday, experienced Black womxn* farmers answer your call-in questions about gardening, livestock, agroforestry, plant medicine, and food preservation.
This show centers the voices of Black, Indigenous, People-of-Color, Queer, Trans*, Disabled, Immigrant, and Poor communities. Everyone is welcome to watch and listen, but please make space for centered folks to speak. Thank you. *Sista and womxn includes trans* and nonbinary folks”
For more info, and to see the full line up and schedule: https://www.facebook.com/events/539087153384648/
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