E-News: The SEEDS Sampler

SEEDS Sampler

May 16, 2008

Volume 4, Issue 2

Featured in this issue:

Art Grows in Durham * Summer SEEDlings * Why Durham Needs Backyard Chickens

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Mark your calendar for Art Grows in Durham

Saturday, June 7, 1 - 5 pm in the SEEDS garden

SEEDS’ annual garden party will feature arts, entertainment, kid-friendly activities and more.  

TABLES/ACTIVITIES                                                                                       

SEEDS Plant Sale

Natural Dyed Eggs

Garden Tours by the DIG Crew

Hand-made/Watercolor Postcards

Birdhouse Building

ART VENDORS

Jewelry, etc. - Panzola McMillan

Pottery - Sarah Hower

Nature Art - Pat Merriman

Alicia McKinnis

Carnevale Creations - Judith Greene

Painting - Cornelio Compos

PERFORMERS

1:00-1:25    RN Harris Suzuki Violin Players

1:30-2:00   SEEDlings Martial Artists

2:05-2:30   Harp Studio Youngin’s

2:35-3:00    Mexican Dancers

3:15-3:45   Members of In the Pocket, a Durham Academy band

4:00-5:00   Latino Quartet

FOOD , etc

SEEDS Bake Sale

LocoPops

Frankly Eliza & veggie hotdogs

Volunteers are also needed for Art Grows in Durham .

We need 5 to 6 people the week before to help prepare the garden and make and post signs.

On June 7, we need

• 5 people to help set up from 10 am – 12 pm .

• 3 – 5 people to help during the event from 1 – 5 pm .

• 5 people to help with clean up from 5 – 6 pm .

Please call Jessamine at 683-1197 or email her at jessamine@seedsnc.org to sign up for a volunteer shift.

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Put in your reservation for summer SEEDlings!

Kids, Parents, Volunteers….this is for all of you!

Ready or not, summer is coming!  That means it’s time to sign up for this year’s fabulous line-up of Summer SEEDlings half-day camps.  SEEDS’ summer camps are a fun-filled time of learning about natural history, other species, other cultures, gardening and creative ways to take care of Earth and some of our needs at the same time. 

Here is the schedule of this summer’s camps:

• June 16 – 20:  “Pond Life.”   Campers become freshwater biologists as they explore the flora and fauna of area ponds.

• June 23 – 27:  “Food for Everyone.”   What do kids in other countries eat?  Do kids everywhere have enough to eat?  Find out how people get their food here and around the world, learn how to make your own food and see what you can do to help get rid of hunger.

• July 7 – 11:  “Prehistoric Garden.”   What is a Dinosaur plant? What did prehistoric animals eat?  Campers unravel the mysteries of prehistoric plants and animals as they act out duties of a junior paleontologist.

• July 14 – 18:  “Earth Wizards.”   How can we love the Earth so that it loves us back?  Learn how to be an Earth Protection Wizard, taste some wild foods and try out creative ways to make things out of plants.

Each week of camp will run daily from 8 am to noon.  The camp is open to all kids completing 1st through 5th grades, not just to those enrolled in the school-year SEEDlings program.  Due to a very successful fundraising effort through The Great Human Race, we are able to provide a 90% scholarship to each child.  The remaining fee is $10 per child per week.  

Kids & Parents! 

We are looking for curious, energetic kids completing grades 1-5 to participate in our Summer Camp!  If that describes you or your child, please register soon!  Spaces are filling up, and we only have room for 14 kids per session. 

Volunteers!  Do you love kids and care about the earth?  Summer SEEDlings half-day camp needs you to assist the SEEDS coordinators in camp activities.  We are looking for volunteers who are available every morning for one or more weeks of camp.

To request an application for your child, or if you’re interested in volunteering, please call Jessamine Hyatt or Thad Bennett at 683-1197 or email them at jessamine@seednc.org or tbennett@seedsnc.org.  You can also find applications for both campers and volunteers on our website at www.seedsnc.org

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Durham residents: are you tired of being “empty nesters?” Support durham hens and help fill our empty nests with fresh eggs!

Did you know that Durham is the only city in North Carolina that does not permit its citizens to raise backyard chickens?  Durham Hens, a SEEDS initiative, was created to advocate for a change in Durham ’s zoning laws to allow us to raise hens as pets and for fresh eggs.  Here are a few reasons why we believe backyard chickens belong in Durham :

• Hens (as opposed to roosters) are quieter than dogs, don’t smell when well cared for and don’t roam into neighbors yards when kept in coops.

• Fresh organic eggs are healthier for you and for the environment because there’s no fuel used to truck them to stores.

• Backyard chickens kept in clean coops lead happier, healthier lives than commercially raised ones.

• Composted chicken droppings make incredible garden fertilizer.

To sign the online petition to the Durham City Council, go to http://www.petitiononline.com/backyard/

To learn more about backyard chickens, check out http://www.seedsnc.org/chickens.htm

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Join us on raleigh ’s tour d’coop

Saturday, May 17^th, 10 am - 4 pm

Visit backyard chicken coops in Five Points, Oakwood, Avenue West and other Raleigh neighborhoods and support a good cause.  Please bring non-perishable food or a cash donation for Urban Ministries of Wake County, a non-profit organization that provides emergency and transitional housing, medical care, food assistance and other support services to those in need.  100% of food and money collected will go to Urban Ministries.  For more information about the Tour D’Coop, visit http://www.kalmialandscapedesign.com/tourdcoop.htm

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Featured recipe: mulberry-rhubarb pie

Mulberry season is almost here, and the tree in front of the SEEDS building is covered with ripening fruit.  Enjoy these delicious berries by combining them with rhubarb in a pie.

Ingredients

2 c. mulberries, washed and cleaned
1 1/2 c. rhubarb, cut up
1 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 c. flour
2 Tbsp. butter
Pastry for 9 inch 2 crust pie

Directions

Combine mulberries and rhubarb in a bowl.  In a smaller bowl, combine sugar, nutmeg and flour.  Add dry ingredients to fruit.  Spoon fruit mixture into a pastry-lined 9 inch pie plate, dot with butter and cover with top crust.  Seal edges and cut steam vents.  Bake in preheated 425 degree oven for 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden and juice bubbles.  Yields 6 to 8 servings.

Recipe from COOKS.COM

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SEEDS Wish List

These items would be especially helpful for work in our garden and with Summer SEEDlings.

• Wheelbarrows

• Pruners

• Pitchforks

• Acrylic Paint

• World Globe

• Fishing Poles

• Paper-making Frames 

Thank you for supporting SEEDS!

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Our mission: SEEDS encourages respect for life, for earth and for each other.  We help individuals, neighborhoods and communities grow together through gardening, gathering and education.