Vallejo People's Garden 

On Wednesday, we went to Touro University's 'Club Day' to inform students about the Vallejo People's Garden. 'Club Day' is where students can find out about the various clubs offered at Touro and sign up and become involved. Here's Stacie at the VPG table talking about our programs to one of the students.

The Vallejo People's Garden is starting a new program called the Harvest Sharing Program. Your participation and generosity in donating your excess fresh produce will help to reduce food waste in Vallejo and will provide nutrition for your neighbors who need it. Here's what it's all about: What: People in the community donating their excess produce of fruits and vegetables from their garden to benefit the homeless, low income people, senior citizens, and working poor. When: Drop off Monday through Saturday, 9am-5pm. Where: Vallejo People’s Garden , 1055 Azuar Drive, Mare Island, CA 94592 Why: To share what you have with people who are most in need and to reduce food waste. For more information, call or e-mail Vallejo People’s Garden at (707) 733-3874 or info@vallejopeoplesgarden.org Vegetables and fruits collected will be bagged for distribution among different shelters and community organizations serving the elderly, the poor and

On Friday, we had the young members of the Vallejo People's Garden harvest and taste--some for the very first time--like Baby Michael, the sugar snap peas we're growing at the garden. Julie reaching for more sugar snap peas. She couldn't eat just one. Julie caught with a mouthful of sugar snap peas.

Coffee grounds are a great source of slow-release nitrogen. And it's organic! If your plants are lacking in the element N, apply coffee grounds around the base of your plants. For a fast-acting liquid fertilizer, dilute the grounds with water. Use about a half-pound can of wet grounds in a five-gallon bucket of water . Today was Nick's last day with us before moving to West Virginia. He's been with us since the garden's inception and we're going to miss his constant presence at the garden. Nick (in white shirt) and Cesar building a hoop house where we'll put our starts and seeds in. Thanks Nick for all your help! We'll miss you! Harry presenting his 'unusual' vegetable during our Board Meeting: sin qua, which means “silk gourd”. One of the many uses of the sin qua can be as a sponge when you peel the outer layer of the vegetable. Here's the dish that Harry made using sin qua.

Touro University intern, Brittney Dautremont, conducting her first Health and Wellness workshop at the Vallejo People's Garden. The topic was "Cost-Benefit Analysis: Eating Healthy at Home versus Eating 'Cheap' Fast Food." Participants of the workshop said that the class was very informative and Brittney very knowledgeable. All said they would take her next Health and Wellness workshop, which will be Wednesday, August 17th from 10:30-11:30am.