WELCOME
Our very FIRST newsletter was sent out to those who signed up at the launch of our greenhouse project, attended a local garden workshop or expressed interest in the work we are doing. Email us at foodproducersforum@gmail.com if you want to receive future email newsletters.
INFORMATION HUB
We have established Food Producers Forum, Inc., a provincial non-profit group to support growers, gardeners, farmers, foragers, hunters and fishers in Newfoundland & Labrador. Our website www.foodproducersforum.com will be filled with useful information. We invite you to check it out and send us comments, requests and suggestions.
WHO ARE WE?
Food Producers Forum, Inc. Founding Board Members: Chairperson Dan Rubin (Perfectly Perennial Herbs and Seeds); Vice Chair Jeremy Carter (Mt. Scio Farm); Secretary Alison Snow (MUN IT Support), Treasurer Steve Gullage (Senior Biologist, SEM Consultants), and board members Dr. Atanu Sarkar (MUN Faculty of Medicine), Tim Walsh (MUN Botanical Garden), Viviana Ramirez Luna (Social Justice Cooperative of NL) and Solange Fuekang (Memorial University engineering student.)
EARTH SHELTERED GREENHOUSE
Work is proceeding on the Earth Sheltered Greenhouse at the O’Brien Farm in St. John’s NL. We completed our design work and excavation and concrete and now we are ready for timber framing. We are thankful for the support of Gibbons and Snow Architects, and donations and discounts from E&M Plastics, Hickey’s Timbermart, Newcrete concrete suppliers, the Firewood Factory, Impact Signs, BDP Rentals and the Dobbin Family, among others. This project is funded by Memorial University and the O’Brien Farm Foundation. More details are on our website.
FOOD WASTE & FOOD SURPLUS
We congratulate Barry Fordham and Debbie Wiseman on their successful efforts to enable hunters to donate moose and caribou meat directly to food banks around NL. Through this change in legislation and the Sharing the Harvest initiative, thousands of pounds of nutritious, organic meat will annually reach those who can benefit most. This is a topic on which we are actively working so that healthy food doesn’t end up wasted or in landfills.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOVEMBER 28 & 29
We need a few able volunteers THIS SATURDAY and SUNDAY, November 28 & 29 to help us complete framing of the structure. We have a professional framing carpenter leading the effort, but we need two or three people familiar with tools and a couple more to help move, lift and carry. If you can help, please send an email to foodproducersforum@gmail.com with your contact information, including your phone number.
GUERILLA GARLIC GARDENERS
Three local gardeners have come up with the idea of addressing food security at its source by helping seniors, students, immigrants and families in need create raised bed gardens planted to garlic, across the St. John’s area. The Guerilla Garlic Gardeners are currently raising funds for this project. To donate to support this local effort, visit https://donate.seedmoney.org/5031/guerilla-garlic-gardeners.
THE FORAGER’S DINNER – BOOK LAUNCH
In collaboration with the St. John’s Farmer’s Market and Boulder Publications, we will be sponsoring a talk and book signing by author Shawn Dawson, our eminent local forager, whose book has just been published. The event will be Saturday, December 12th at the Farmer’s Market. To sign up, email foodproducersforum@gmail.com.
Thanks for your interest. This is just the beginning!
