Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

This morning when I dragged myself downstairs for my birthday cup of coffee, I was surprised to find a new set of wheels. Yay, a new bike to replace the one I’ve had since my 18th birthday some XX years ago today. That old Scwhinn mountain bike held up like a dream. But I haveContinue reading “Looking for the Perfect Bike Basket for the Perfect Bike”

Basically, I can’t love my community any more than I do right now. I went to the Oak Park Farmers Market volunteer info meeting tonight at the OP library. No surprise, it’s practically a competition to even get a chance to man the info desk. My debut as a volunteer doesn’t come until mid-June. I’mContinue reading “OP Farmers' Market is Flush With Volunteers”

Thanks to The iFarmer and and Oak Park insert in the Tribune, I learned that the Friends of the Oak Park Farmers’ Market will host a volunteer recruitment reception on Tuesday This is something I’d really like to do. But the prospect of getting up early on a Saturday isn’t all that alluring. I doContinue reading “OP Farmers' Market is Looking for Volunteers”

Farmers who are ready to get on the organic bandwagon have just a couple short weeks to make some important decisions. May 29 is the deadline to apply for a piece of $50 million in incentives as part of EQIP, the USDA’s Environmental Quality Incentive Program. Farmers can receive up to $20,000 a year orContinue reading “Ready to Take the Organic Plunge? Better Hurry”

It’s heartening to hear that loyalty still exists and that there’s real community in this urban jungle: Next week, on my b-day, a bunch of all-star Windy City chefs are coming together to hold a benefit dinner for farmer George Rasmussen, of Swan Creek Farms in Michigan. According to the Restaurant Intelligence Agency blog, RasmussenContinue reading “Chefs Rally to Aid Farmer Who Lost Food & Truck in Fire”

Am loving this The Dragonfly Vertical Farm design concept for New York City. The concept, from Paris-based Vincent Callebaut Architects, is an architectural response to the growing need for food in urban spaces, according to GreenMuze. The farm is meant to house feed and produce renewable energy for occupants. In addition to providing space forContinue reading “Would You Live, Work & Eat Here?”

I think this was my favorite Mother’s Day ever. I wasn’t sure it was going to get better than breakfast in bed, especially after the kids joined me. [The iFarmer is too good to me.] But I was pleasantly surprised that Future Farmgirl showed her true colors and green thumb today. She was more thanContinue reading “Getting Down & Dirty on Mother's Day”

Have you ever looked at an overgrown lot or unkempt median in your neighborhood and thought about taking matters into your own hands? Meet London’s Guerrilla Gardener Richard Reynolds. I realize this site has been around since 2004, but I visited it for the first time tonight. I’m not sure I’m ready to join aContinue reading “Is Guerrilla Gardening for You?”

If you’re looking for something a little different or something to get the mom who has everything, consider a couple farm-friendly options. For a $50 donation to American Farmland Trust, you can get an autographed copy of Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers Markets. With the donation comes a year-long membership to ATF,Continue reading “Need a Last-Minute Mother's Day Gift? Think Farm Fresh”

The News & Observer has an interesting piece on how H1N1, aka swine flu, and like viruses mutate and spread. When examining the segments of the virus, scientists traced: Two of the segments from Eurasia. The other six were traced to a 1998 North American pig outbreak, which included avian, swine and human flu. DownContinue reading “Mapping a Virus: Swine Flu Traced to NC Farm”