February 2022
"Wool you be my Valentine?", 8 O'Clock Ranch, DeKalb Junction, NY.
Image courtesy of the Farm-to-Table Initiative led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County..
We Want YOU to Design on Our Local Food Guide Cover!
GardenShare produces an annual Local Food Guide that includes listings of St. Lawrence County farm stands, u-picks, farmers markets, restaurants and other outlets that offer locally grown food. Each year this guide has a unique cover. We are calling all artists to submit original pieces that illustrate the variety of local food available in the region for the cover of the guide.

Artwork may include photography or any two-dimensional piece that can be reprinted. Participants are encouraged to use images of the Farm-to-Table Initiative led by Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County. In order to access the photos, click here.

Remember submission should illustrate the variety of local food available in the region. To enter, send a high resolution file to info@gardenshare.org by March 9, 2022.
National CSA Week is February 20-26, 2022!
Think of it as the freshest, most local subscription box around! CSA is a farm membership system that allows consumers to sign up for a share and receive a season’s worth of a farm’s products. From February 20-26, we are joining with farmers from across the country to celebrate CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Week... You should join us!

Why is there a CSA week in February?
According to national CSA research, the last week of February is the most popular week of the year to sign up for a CSA farm membership. While you don't have to make a decision in February, you do need to sign up for a share ahead of the growing season so your farmer(s) have time to plan how much of each crop they need to grow.

Check out GardenShare's Facebook and Instagram all through CSA week to learn more about some of the CSA farms right here in St. Lawrence County (and featured in our Local Food Guide), and make sure you sign up!
Seed to Supper Is Back
Want to grow healthy food for your household? Seed to Supper is a series of six FREE gardening classes, tailored to low-income adults who are motivated to learn to grow food on a limited budget. Participants who complete the course will receive gardening kits! From planning to planting, cultivating to harvesting, this class will cover the basics for increasing your food security by growing your own healthy produce. Check out bit.ly/S2S-SLC for more information, and contact Erica at ENL2@cornell.edu with questions!
Opportunities for Local Farmers
Get in the Guide!
In the coming week, local producers and restaurants will be hearing from us! Why? Because it's almost time to "Get in the Guide"!

GardenShare's Local Food Guide is open to all farmers in St. Lawrence County* (SLC) and any SLC restaurants and retail locations that showcase food produced in SLC.

Paper listing request forms will be arriving in your mailboxes soon, but if you're eager to reserve your spot, keep an eye out for the information and online forms on our website!

*Again this year, we're reaching outside St. Lawrence County (SLC) for the Local Food Guide. SLC residents shop beyond the county line when it is closer for them. Local food products that are grown or produced within 15 miles of the SLC border are invited to be part of our the Local Food Guide.
Hey CSA Farms... Sign Up for Bonus Bucks!
Have you heard of GardenShare's Bonus Bucks program? It offers a cost sharing arrangement as a partnership with income-eligible SLC residents to participate in a CSA Share or to purchase local food at one of the SLC farmers markets.

The 2022 Bonus Bucks application will be launching soon and we want to make sure that we're partnering with any CSA farm that may be interested! We work directly with farmers to make sure they are paid in full for the shares and help connect program participants choose the share that is best for them.

If you are a CSA farm that was not part of the Bonus Bucks program in 2021 but are interested in joining, send us an email at info@gardenshare.org. Contact us by Friday, February 11, 2022.
Growing Our Minds
Daryl Minton 45 Triple J Farm in Windsor NY Courtesy of NCPR
In honor of Black History Month, this month's recommended listen is a piece from NCPR called "'Make Farmers Black Again': African Americans Fight Discrimination To Own Farmland". This interview sheds light on why rates of farm ownership among people of color has decreased, and what some Black leaders are doing to reverse the trend.

Excerpt: "At the start of the 20th century, one in seven farmers in the United States was Black. In the decades that followed, however, Black Americans were dispossessed of an estimated 13 million acres of land. Many descendants of Black farmers moved north to seek jobs in other industries, removed from familial agricultural backgrounds."

We hope that this powerful and thought provoking piece will help us all think about how we can transform our food system right here in St. Lawrence County.
Meet GardenShare's Interns!
Name: Emily Hinkell
Hometown: Latham, NY

Role at GardenShare: My role at GardenShare is to help with everyday tasks given to me and to help organize and plan annual events GardenShare holds.

Why I do what I do (at GardenShare): I do what I do at GardenShare because I want to help educate others on how to live healthy lifestyles.

What one word would you use to describe yourself: Encouraging!

What are you most proud of: I am most proud of all the hard work I put into finishing up my undergraduate degree.

What would I find in your refrigerator right now: Always Ketchup.
Name: Landon Urzetta
Hometown: Victor, New York
 
Role at GardenShare: I am a seasonal intern at GardenShare learning more about how to support the local food system in the non-growing months!
 
Why I do what I do (at GardenShare): I am super excited to continue developing my own knowledge and passion for sustainable consumption while supporting the local food system and the goals of GardenShare in the winter months!
 
Role outside of GardenShare: I am a senior at St. Lawrence University studying Environmental Studies and Biology.
 
Most recent accomplishment: My most recent accomplishment was working to grow food for families experiencing food insecurity and health risks across the state of Vermont!