WNFGA News

June/July, 2010

We had a wonderful time at Grand Island, NY. Many friendships were renewed and new friends were formed. We toured, swam in the hotel pool, basked in the sun aboard a river boat and marveled at the Botanical Gardens. Of course, we ate our way through the four days, as Farm & Garden women always seem to need sustenance! The speakers were informative and interesting. Amanda Edmonds showed us the need of community gardens for food and social networking. Her power point presentation brought home the need for fresh, local produce at a time when small markets are closing with the current economy. Paul Lehman took the idea one step further by telling us how to set up a farm market, where to locate it and what to expect as consumers. As usual, there were many questions from our members. Fresh fruits and vegetables form the backbone of a healthy diet for everyone. We can search out our local Farmers’ offerings within the next few weeks.

As President, I welcome every member to send in ideas that will help shape our future. What do you like about your Branch, Division, or the National level of Farm & Garden? Do you have suggestions of projects or books? Did you find something to share with others in your travels this winter? Please tell me, or let your Branch President or Division President know what is on your mind. Communication begins through the sharing of thoughts and ideas. One little notion sparks the next, and soon the brainstorm starts to smolder into a bone fide flame. Our name, Woman’s National Farm and Garden, of one Woman, shows the necessity and individuality of each of you. I have heard from many of you in the past and implemented your ideas for meetings. I promise to listen now, and in the future. Write to me, call or e mail. My ears are open.

A Fall Council Meeting has been scheduled in Columbus, Ohio. The meeting will be held in the City of Easton, north and west of Columbus, near the airport. The date of the meeting is October 1,2,3, 2010.

Please plan to arrive on Friday, October 1. An Executive Committee meeting will be held after dinner, to accommodate late arrivals. Our work session will begin early on Saturday, October 2 and continue throughout the day. We will complete our task and depart on the morning of Sunday, October 3.

Details regarding hotel accommodations and meeting location will be posted on our web site as soon as they are available. All Executive Committee members, Focus Chairmen, Committee Chairmen and Council Members are expected to attend. If you cannot put this meeting into your schedule, please notify Ann Whithaus, Corresponding Secretary or Dee Welsh, Recording Secretary, in writing by September 21, 2010.

                                      Root Allures

            To quote the New York Times “A survey on consumer anxieties over higher foods and fuel prices from the LePold Center for sustainable agriculture at Iowa State University in Ames, a great number of people will raise more of their own vegetables and many are going back to the Root cellars of our Grandmothers Day.”

            There is a 1979 “Root Cellaring” by Mike and Nancy Bubel which is helpful. But there are many others, with hints for cutting of tops of vegetables within one inch of the growth; glazing turnips and rutabagas with paraffin and putting beets into buckets with dry fall leaves. Carrots can be stored in moist sand or peat moss with crowns removed, nor is it necessary to have a dirt floored cellar. Nooks and crannies that are cool and ventilated can be used successfully.

            Meanwhile, our branches continue to work and grow. Rochester Branch will celebrate its 75^th Anniversary and annual meeting on Tuesday May 11, 2010 at Addison Oaks in Leonard, Michigan. Their newsletter is always filled with up coming events and information as in Ohio Newsletter “Daffodil Days” in Detroit, May 27^th with the Claudia Society.

            Audrey Ehrler reports that on April 15^th Janine Thomas of Hartford, NY will be installed as the New York State Division president. Their work on the Bee Project will continue, and we thank Audrey for her inspiring leadership. She and Margaret Latham have managed our interim commitment at the National Arboretum with great success.

            Mayflower Branch is working on herb gardens and eradicating invasive plants while Keystone Branch is attracting community folk to participate in local agriculture, among many other projects at our “Home” Temple – Ambler.

            Another beautiful magazine from Kathy Beveridge, and within is the call for the meeting in Buffalo.

            Before I forget, we are still looking for stories. Does anyone remember Spirella Corset Company of Buffalo [and world wide] which gave Real career opportunities to woman at the turn of the century and for decades afterwards? This company changed woman’s mental and physical states for the better and yet today is nearly forgotten. Let me know.

            We must not forget Mary Bertolini, either, and safely, happily and economically to Niagara Falls, where you just might get to see the two legged vegetables welcoming you with open foliage.

                                    Best

                                                Faith

“What to do with 500 million dollars!”

    How many of us have thought about the seeds we plant? It is so easy to buy a colorful packet of seeds and at least in my case, it has never occurred to me to question how a seed is saved, gathered and merchandised.  It has never occurred to me to think about breeding traits, about lost plants or about seed banks.  But in an important new book, THE VIKING IN THE WHEAT FIELD,  by Susan Dworkin, we learn that it would take only 500 million dollars, worldwide, to keep every seed safe for the future.  Scientists who work as guardians in seed banks are spread out so that only one “seed guardian” has to safeguard one million people.  It is thought that in the near future the population will reach 9 billion and worldwide starvation could happen.  As the big companies like Monsanto take over genetic engineering of our major crops like wheat and rice, we are losing fundamental agricultural material.

   We have spoken of the basic needs in Haiti….(1) a need for simple soil improvement; AND (2) simple agriculture.  At last a few articles have appeared suggesting this long lasting aid.  We members of WNF&G should support this approach as I mentioned last month.

   The Rochester Branch continues with great ideas and programs…..I loved the idea of a “potato” bar at its recent luncheon.  New York, under Audrey Ehrler is moving forward and sends out a beautiful newsletter by D. Brown, while the Keystone Branch at Ambler is having an all day symposium which I plan to attend and will report to you.

   In the meantime keep in mind our forthcoming meeting in June which Mary Bertolini is creating for your pleasure, friendship and instruction.

Faith

The Spring 2010 newsletter from the New York Division is now available online. It includes lots of fun photos and a delicious looking recipe for Tomato Basil Soup (I’ve been looking for one – thanks ladies!). This division looks to be having a really good time!

Click Here to download your copy.

Kathy

                                     “Haiti is not a terminal illness”

        Dr. Paul Farmer, quoted at Harvard Medical School Conference, February 12, 2010

          Although Dr. Farmer’s remarks had to do with medical relief in his over-all assessment of the situation in Haiti, he expressed hope for this island and this hope is something which we in the WNF&G can partake. In the long term, the people of Haiti must be helped to advance their agriculture. Their soil is exhausted and needs fertilizer; they need seeds and people to teach them how to successfully plant and harvest crops, rather then depending on gift of grain and produce from other countries. We should look to our own Agriculture agencies for guidance in sending and money for fertilizer and tools. With this kind of aid, a generation from now things in Haiti would be much, much better.

          In the coming months, [and I know you all planning this] we must truly move in the direction of LOCAL. Our health and survival of farmers and agricultural land depend on it. More and more community garden plots, school programs and farmers market will materialize and we must support them and be fully engaged with the process.

          And just a word about root cellars and winter storage. Next month we will touch on this so that if you haven’t planned this kind of future for your cabbages, carrots, beets and potatoes next fall. There will be a few hints. Hint one: Don’t fall down the cellar steps.

          We are looking forward to being with you in June, sharing friendship knowledge, fun and —

          Oh yes, WNF&G, unlike the soil of Haiti, is rich, nurturing and comforting to the inner soul. Lets us plant generously grounds for our children and grandchildren.

                                      FAITH

The information to make your room reservations for the Spring National Meeting in June. You’ll find the links and instructions on the main web site. Please pay careful attention to the instructions so that you can successfully complete your room registration.

Click Here to go there now.

“And when I went to sleep, I dreamed a dream but the dream was not in my
head: it seemed to come through my open bedroom door and settled on my
comforter for me to watch”
Angalina Luongo

Our Dreams sometimes elude us yet they linger some where in the backs of our busy minds …
Little snippets of memory that tend to color our thinking and actions, even though we aren’t consciously aware of it. You, as leaders in our organization, should take pride in the dreams of Woman’s Farm and Garden, for our dreams have fared well in 2009.

Our bee project has been successful. The Greenhouse Welcome Center is almost complete and in the next few weeks we will be working on our book and on plans for our June Meeting. Kathy Beveridge, our Sparkling editor, not only is helping with the book but working on a new branch in the Amber area.

On a personal note; if any of your have before worked in the postal system and the telephone system, relying on e-mail, I have to report to you that I have received no e-mails since November first.

The Chief Financial officer of our company, Edward Huppi has been in hospital and is only now, on Jan 6th at home under care, due to a very grave complication resulting from his cancer chemotherapy. This has been a most serious time for us; he is our nephew, and at Thanksgiving his step-father died so along with unremitting pressure at our plant for delivery of electronics to our troops in Afghanistan, sometimes over-night, you can imagine that our normal 8-5 lives are expanded and stressful. If you need to communicate with me, please write or telephone.

My dream for us at Farm and Garden in 2010 will be our finished greenhouse project, ready for the big, historic anniversary ahead, our book and a new emphasis on doing things locally. Next time I will be writing about the new trend in the United States, and we will want to be ahead of, or on the curve of this trend as were with the bee project, as we deftly close the door on our 2009 dreams.

Faith

“AN INSIDE LOOK AT WNF&GA:  IT’S HISTORY AND LEGACY”
 
Founder’s Day was celebrated by neighboring branches Juliet, Troy and Warren having combined their meetings to share in the significance of the day.
 
Opening remarks to the 76 in attendance were made by Michigan Division President, Carroll Thomson and a defining letter was sent by National President, Faith Tiberio:
 
“Our founders certainly knew the importance of a system of independent Branches which are connected with each other and become one under a unifying umbrella known to us as “National.”
 
“National” provides legal protection, guidance and goals. Branches by themselves do wonderful, important work within a limited circumference of service.  Together, the Branches multiply and extend service and influence.
 
Consider National’s “Bee Project”.  Each Branch succeeded in doing what it could to ease this terrible nation-wide agricultural crisis; together all the Branches, all the members communicating, exchanging ideas and plans of action under the leadership of National truly made a difference.
 
I congratulate you.  I thank you and cheer you on.  Your founders knew that your combined Branches truly made a “Tree of Life.”

My name is Kathy Maestas of Techkat Web Services and I’ve been your webmaster for the past couple of years. I want to take this opportunity at the Holidays to thank you for the opportunity of serving your excellent organization.  It has been a joy to redesign your site and “meet” some of your members.

I also want to thank you for including me in the distribution of the Farm & Garden Magazine. It is lovely and I always enjoy reading up on what the branches are doing and seeing who has won an award. I’m starting to feel like I know many of you. The recipes, stories and poems are fun as well.

I noticed in the last issue of Farm & Garden that you are looking for someone from within the membership to take over the web site. I thought it would be appropriate for me to give a bit more detail about the technical requirements for working on the site for anyone who is interested in taking over the position.

The following are the basic skills that are required to maintain the site:

• Ability to read and manipulate basic HTML code
• Ability to read and write CSS code
• Understanding of the use of templates
• Ability to read and write JavaScript
• Understanding of FTP and the ability to transfer files from your local computer to the web server
• Familiarity with the administrative functions of WordPress including regular software updates as they are released, updates to and configuration of the plugins and monitoring and deleting comment spam
• Familiarity with AWeber email list management software (this is how the blog updates get automatically emailed to the subscribed members)

Much of the site can be maintained using a graphical HTML editor like Dreamweaver or Kompozer, but knowing HTML will come in handy in seeing where the JavaScript elements are and also for editing the JavaScript.

I wish everyone a beautiful and happy holiday season and a prosperous New Year.
Kathy Maestas
Webmaster