Survey Reveals Double-Digit Increase in Food Gardening for 2009

Wow! This is very interesting data!

National Gardening Association poll finds more American households are starting food gardens to "grow their own groceries"

SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt., Feb. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- Findings from the National Gardening Association's (NGA) new survey, The Impact of Home and Community Gardening in America, indicate food gardening in the United States is on the rise as 7 million more households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs or berries in 2009, up 19 percent from 2008. This anticipated increase is nearly double the 10 percent growth in vegetable gardening activity from 2007 to 2008 as more food gardeners emerge this year.

More Americans are recognizing the benefits of growing their own produce, including improved quality, taste and cost savings. In 2008, gardeners spent a total of $2.5 billion to purchase seeds, plants, fertilizer, tools and other gardening supplies to grow their own food. According to NGA estimates, a well-maintained food garden yields a $500 average return per garden when considering a typical gardener's investment and the market price of produce.

The survey findings were announced yesterday at the 5th Annual Garden Writers Teleconference, co-sponsored by The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company and the Garden Writers Association, which discussed recent trends in Americans' gardening behaviors.

Key highlights from The Impact of Home and Community Gardening Survey include:

• 43 million U.S. households plan to grow their own fruits, vegetables, herbs and berries in 2009, up 19 percent from 36 million households in 2008

• 21 percent of households said they plan to start a food garden in 2009

• 11 percent of households already active in food gardening plan to increase both the amount and variety of vegetables they will grow in 2009; 10 percent also said they will spend more time food gardening this year

"As in previous recessions, we've seen increased participation in and spending on food gardening as people look for ways to economize," explained Bruce Butterfield, research director for the NGA. "That said, these results suggest the interest in food gardening may continue to increase, even after the economy improves."

The economy is believed to be among the leading factors potentially driving Americans away from grocery stores and into their backyards to grow their own fruits and vegetables. However, when asked, only one in three respondents surveyed said they were motivated to grow their own food because of the recession.

Among the other reasons respondents gave as to why their households are growing their own food:

• 58 percent said for better-tasting food

• 54 percent said to save money on food bills

• 51 percent said for better quality food

• 48 percent said to grow food they know is safe

EVENT: Container Gardening Workshop

Upcoming GCG Event for JP Forum:

Tuesday, March 3rd
7:00pm to 9:00pm
First Chruch in Jamaica Plain
6 Eliot st, JP, MA

The first is our Urban Sustainability Series, this hands-on workshop will explore many options for growing your own food in the city. From container gardening to raised-beds, Gabriel Erde-Cohen of Green City Growers will share basic skills and tips to help you grow the most local food possible - directly from your front yard, porch, or windowsill!

We will explore:

Easy raised bed construction
Site selection for containers, pots and raised beds
Choosing between container gardens and raised-bed gardens
Deciding what plants to grow and where
Come with your questions about growing food in a container and/or small garden setting, and share your insights with fellow JP green-thumbs.

Come and check it out!

Market Research (Call to Action!)

So, for those of you in the Boston area (or elsewhere for that matter) that are interested in what Green City Growers is doing and would like to assist in our business development efforts, do we have the job for you! Seriously, some crazy & creative sustainable MBA students at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute in Seattle, WA (there's two members of the team here in the northeast) are working on an entrepreneurship project in tandem with Green City Growers. They've put together a short survey on people's food buying habits, perceptions about food, and even some info on yard-care. So, click here to take the survey, take a few minutes (5-10 to be exact) to let us know what you think. I am certain your insight will be very helpful as we ramp this business up heading into the spring of 2009. Oh, and at the end of the survey, you have the chance to stay connected as well as enter to win some tasty treats from Dancing Deer right here in Boston, MA

Oh, and look what Wegman's is up to with gardening & kids.

In case you missed it, here's the survey link again.

Locavores Represent!

Three of my buddies/fellow souper bowl chefs (Heather, Erik, and Ryan) in the Globe today, talking about being locavores through the winter...

My Epic Soup Journey: Saigon Soup

I had the pleasure of being featured as a local chef this past Sunday for the Boston Localvore's Souper Bowl, a soup-oriented event featuring 6 different soups made of mostly local, and all-natural ingredients at the Haley House in Roxbury. The event was a ton of fun, and as usual with Boston Localvores events, full of amazing food and good company.

Darry and Kristi (the localvore's team) are friends of mine, and without second thought I agreed to cooking for the event...I didn't realize until later HOW MUCH soup 40 people's worth adds up to. It is also pretty complicated to collect enough local ingredients dead of winter to do the exact soup you want to, and I ambitiously chose Saigon Soup, which is a Vietnamese Breakfast soup including pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, crab, and vegetables. I have eaten Saigon soup many times, and it seemed natural to cook it for an event. Little did I know what I was getting myself into....

THE STOCK:

So, to make enough stock for 40 people (20 quarts, about), I got 15lbs of chicken backs and legs for the stock. They are admittedly from Whole Foods, but Lionette's was out of parts and I was running out of time. There is a whole debate about Whole Foods and their creditability in terms of quality of meat and treatment of animals at their farms, but it was either get natural meat from Whole Foods or put myself in the open arms of the industrial food chain (Star Market, Stop and Shop, or the Super 88 Market, which I love, but their meat? I don't think anyone knows where it is from, not to mention what part of the animal it came from). Whole Foods, for the most part, stays relatively local in terms of supplying their markets from farms on the same coast, at least, and my chicken parts came from one of their farms in PA, which is better than coming from Taiwan, or even California.

Local food eating is hard if you have what you want in mind before you approach the shopping. It is always better/easier to plan your meal around what is available, instead of seeking out your pre-decided grocery list. Go to the farmer's market or Co-op with an open mind, see what is available from local sources, and let your imagination take over. You might have to re-adjust your eating to be more seasonal, but that's how humans used to eat before preservatives and refrigeration anyway.

I threw in some carrots, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Garlic, and Tomato skins/seeds from Verrill farms in Concord. I had 3 pots of meat and veggies simmering all day Saturday, for 5 hours. I then removed all the parts, sieved the broth, and let it cool overnight on the porch.


THE MEAT:

I have to say, after buying in bulk and calling and haggling with a few different butchers and fishmongers, I was feeling pretty pro-chef. I managed to get my Pork Butt from Lionette's on Tremont st in Boston, shrimp and crab from Maine (bought at Whole Foods), and chicken and beef were Whole Foods brand.

I chopped and prepped all the meats with some salt, pepper, and Nok Chaam (sp?), which is a Vietnamese fish/garlic sauce that is amazing on almost anything.

I then sliced and chopped a ton of Shallots (from Verrill) for both the crab and the meats, and prepped for cooking. I cooked the chicken, pork, shrimp and beef with shallots and garlic, and cooked the crab separately with garlic as well, frying up some sliced shallots and tossed them on top of the crab.

I also sliced some celery and got some watercress, putting them aside for garnishes.

THE NOODLES:

were from Chao Chow noodle factory on Essex St in Boston. I bought them fresh at the Super 88 market. I boiled up 3 pounds of rice noodles for about 10 minutes and put them aside to add to the soup later.

I put everything in separate containers for transport. I left the meats and noodles out of the broth since if I had thrown them all together, it seemed likely the noodles would get too mushy and the meat over cooked.

THE SOUPER BOWL (The Main Event):

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday. I was one of six soups at the event, with choices like rutabaga soup, potato and kale, bean chili, vegan mushroom, and jota (which was an amazing pork and bean soup). The full menu is available here.

I stuck to my post, and served the Saigon soup ingredient after ingredient, as it is meant to be served. The event was a success, and my local meats journey came to an end.

Here are some pics from the event:

The veggie soup table

Haley House

The Saigon Soup assembly line

Paul Stamets: 6 ways mushrooms can save the world

Edible Boston!

GCG is going to be featured in the 2009 Spring issue! I will keep you updated...

Green Drinks Tomorrow

Green Drinks is tomorrow night at Lir on Boylston Street. Here is the blurb from the Green Drinks people:

"This is your friendly reminder that we're meeting tomorrow night, Feb.3, from 6:30 onward, upstairs at Lir, 905 Boylston St. At 7, we'llhear from group member Jason Delambre, a carbon consultant, on whatcarbon consulting is, and what he's working on currently. After a 15-minute presentation, he'll entertain questions for another 15 minutesor so."

Its a great meet-up, Check it out!