Are you proud of your home grown veges?

Ponsonby News has launched its inaugural vegetable competition to be held at the Grey Lynn Community Centre, home of the Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market on Sunday 19 February.

Yates Garden Guide suggests some vegetable varieties which will be ready for harvest in February includes: beans, beetroot, brocolli, cabbage, carrots, courgettes, cucumber, garlic, leeks, lettuce, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes. The Ponsonby News team hope to have enough entries of these to have prize certificates for the best plate of each vegetable (perhaps 4-6 per plate), followed by a reserve champion and grand champion vegetable.

Vegetables will be grouped together where there are not sufficient entries for a separate category.Prizes will be awarded for: Best children’s grown vegetables; Best plate of salad greens; Traffic light trio (perhaps a yellow capsicum, a cucumber and a carrot); Most unusual vegetable (type, shape or colour).

Entries must be brought to the Grey Lynn Community Centre before 10am on Sunday 19 February, the third Sunday in February. (the same morning as the Farmers Market.  Judging  will be at 12 noon).

Local chef Sid Saharawat of Sidart, Ponsonby is one of at least two judges, who will assess the merits of entries for suitable gourmet dishes.We know lots of locals have vegie gardens – don’t be shy -your vegetables don’t have to be the biggest (those have probably had poisonous sprays all over them!), but it is an opportunity to promote healthy home produce, fresh, cut straight for the salad,  with no food miles necessary and good healthy exercise for all family members.It’s all about the participation and we’re certain many of you would love to have  a winning certificate to show the grandchildren.

To enter please email info@ponsonbynews.co.nz by 8 February. To cover hall costs, there will be an entry fee of $2 per family.

With nutritionally-depleted foods, chemical additives and our tendency to rely upon pharmaceutical drugs to treat what’s wrong with our malnourished bodies, it’s no wonder that modern society is getting sicker. Food Matters sets about uncovering the trillion dollar worldwide ’sickness industry’ and gives people some scientifically verifiable solutions for overcoming illness naturally.

Sunday August 28th, 7.30pm in the Garden Room, Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Road,
$2 entry.
http://www.foodmatters.tv/

Future Green Screens:

Black Gold Sunday 25th September, 7.30pm
The Vanishing of the Bees, Sunday 30th October 7.30pm
Heart and Soil, Sunday 27th November, 7.30pm.

How to Grow Microgreens, Natures Own Superfood by Grey Lynner and Grey Lynn Farmers market member, Fionna Hill
will be launched at boutique garden store Tully & Gardener, 139 Richmond Road, Grey Lynn, on Saturday 21st August between 10 AM and 4 PM.

No space for home-grown food? Think again.
Microgreens can be grown on your windowsill.
Here’s a book that could revolutionise your household meals, keep away those winter chills and get your green thumb working…
Fionna will do a ‘show, tell and taste’ about Microgreens – the tiny seedlings of herbs and vegetables. Larger than sprouts and smaller than ‘baby’ salad greens, they nutritionally contain higher levels of active plant compounds than mature plants or seeds and  can easily be grown in containers on a terrace or windowsill but if you’ve got a ‘quarter acre pavlova paradise’ they’re for you too.

With Microgreens, you don’t wait weeks or months for them to come to maturity; most varieties are ready in a week or two and you can grow them right through winter. Microgreens are the new big thing in growing your own food globally.
Signed books $29.99 available on the day with a complimentary pack of
‘Fionna’s Blend Microgreen Seeds’ (seeds while stocks last)   www.fionnahill.com

Come along to our Annual General Meeting and Special General Meeting

Date: 28th of October

Where: Grey Lynn Community Centre, 510 Richmond Rd. Same venue as the market
Time: 07:30 – 09:00pm

It’s a great chance to get to know other members and join in on a night of music, organic wine and kokako catering. Gardening personality Linda Hallinan is speaking, and there’s a couple of short films from The Outlook for Someday sustainability film challenge.

Not to mention lots of spot prizes from stallholders and local businesses, including wine giveaways, Yoga Ground and il buco vouchers and Weatherfield organic seedlings.

It’s also a chance to be involved in electing the Market’s official management committee (see below). To date the market has been run by an interim management team. We’re in need of keen beans to help keep the momentum of the Market going, particularly people with marketing and organizational experience.

We are now calling for Management Committee nominations

What is the Management Committee?

A small group of up to nine un-paid individuals who are passionate about the Grey Lynn Community and prepared to give up to three hours per week for the cause in addition to attending meetings as required.

How do I get involved?

Write a half page brief about yourself addressing the following:

1. What you can offer as a member of the GLFM  Management Committee.
2. Why you want to be involved.
3. What your vision is for the market.
4. How much time per week can you commit?

You can format your own submission or simply complete the attached template. Please submit all nominations to greylynnfarmersmarket@gmail.com by the 21st of October. These nominations, along with the AGM agenda, will then be circulated to all members for consideration before the AGM.

Thank you for your continued support – See you at the Market on Sunday.

The Interim Management Committee

Grey Lynn Farmers’ Market

Big thanks to The Little Grocer our local food store on the corner of Richmond Road and Peel St.

The Little Grocer have been fab at putting up our posters for both our movie nights. This is very generous as the posters are big and take up a lot of their window!

The Little Grocer have also agreed to supply some nibbles for us before our Food Inc movie night.

I hope you will support them. Here is a little more about The Little Grocer from the owner Alia de Jaltasyrras.

“The Little Grocer provides a seasonal deli menu of breakfast, lunch and dinner fare.

• Wild Wheat supplies us with fantastic sourdough breads and we make a range of pesto, hummus and tapenades.
• We also sell carefully selected fresh fruit and veges and stock organic Coromandel produce when available.
• Our vegan chef creates delightful sweets that are not only vegan but also gluten free and we always have vegan and gluten free savoury options available for those with specific dietary needs.
• For the sweet toothed amongst us, Super Sweet Sunday is our baking day when we fill the shop with delightful baked goods.
• We serve organic Volcano coffee roasted by a small scale boutique roastery located near Ouakune.

The Little Grocer, it’s your local!

Dear all,

“Try to get people from the community to show their support for the project by leaving comments – this will show the selection committee that  your project is widely supported.