Continue reading »]]> This year I challenge not only the front yard food community but the entire community to Squash your Sidewalk! “Squash your sidewalk” is about hunger, providing and sharing in a way that no other initiative has ever been. I expect that this year we could end hunger in Portland even for just a season. Just one harvest.. We can do it! What can you do?

Plant Squash!

Zucchini, Crookneck, Pattypan, Acorn, Hubbard, Spaghetti, Delicata, Kikuza, Sweet Dumpling, Kabocha Sunshine…

Any kind of Squash that you can eat!

Tend your squash!…

Now this step is very important.. LET PEOPLE TAKE your squash!
This really no big deal, because by now you have encouraged your neighbor to plant a squash too! On summer days you find yourselves in your front yard, watering your squash, talking, reconnecting.
If your a really wacky about squash you have a few neighbors out there.. Watering their squash, sharing tips, and sharing harvest.
As people walk by you offer them a squash, and after a few strange looks.. they take one.. When you leave work in the morning. Pick a squash. hand it to the man at the offramp.

Have a front yard squash cook off..

Build your community!

You can do all of this one squash at a time. One seed at a time..

If we all if each house in Portland planted one squash plant.. we could feed everyone in Portland, Everyone who is hungry everyone who is needy everyone who is wanting.

This year in my parking strip, it will be squash! When you walk down my sidewalk.. You will see Squash!
When I walk down your sidewalk….
Well thats up to you..

Joshua D. Patterson
YardSharing.org

Continue reading »]]> As talked about on OPB’s Think Out Loud today Food Buying clubs are a great way to offset your food budget, buying in bulk cannot only reduce our
consumption of needless packaging but also connect us to our community and expand our culinary options.

Food Buying Clubs are a great resource for families and individuals, I recommend to everyone when looking for a food buying club here in Portland to do your research and find one that meets your needs. Or Join many. Food buying clubs offer the opportunity to create or join in community. So much like many of the communities in your world you may find that you or your family “fit” better in one community more than others.

I will work to build a list of these vendors to help you create your own buying club..

Here is a map of Local food buying clubs. Click on any pin for more information about that club.

View Portland Buying Clubs in a larger map

	North Portland Buying Club “Buying together so we buy better” Monthly Azure Standard drop, twice monthly OGC produce and Cafe Mam organic fairly traded coffee, weekly Noris dairy delivery. Occasional Frontier, Bob’s Red Mill, Hummingbird Wholesale and more. Temporarily closed to new members at this time. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/npdxbuyingclub http://mickysgreenguide.com/nopofood/
	Annie Adam’s Porch Azure (G-1 Route, mid-month drop). Open to new members. annieadams1@gmail.com
	Portland Eastside Buying Club Azure Standard drop, monthly. Bulk meat and retail cut buying club: Deck Family Farm. Chicken from Deo Volente Farm. Produce during growing season: Thompson Farms, Hanson Farm. Whole Oregon albacore tuna in late summer/early fall. Open to new members. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/pdxebc
	Green Grocer (Oregon City) Bulk buying is available at a flat $5 fee per order with no minimum. Prices are approximately 10% above wholesale, which is FBC price. You only pay for those orders you receive, no more Azure credits. Azure route G2 every two weeks, arriving Wednesday for Thursday pickup. Email GreenGrocerAzure@yahoo.com by noon Sunday and include your phone number. http://www.thinkgreengrocer.com
	West Vancouver Buying Club Members of the West Vancouver Buying Club have been ordering from Azure since 2004, and are currently on monthly route D@, with weekly orders from Noris Dairy. There is a $10 montly charge as of Janurary 2009 which goes toward equipment and future expenses. Please contact us through the Google group at http://WestVanBuyClub.org or by email to westvanbuyclub+owner@googlegroups.com
	Rose City Coop Focusing on organic and natural foods for folks in and around Beaverton. Open to new members. http://RoseCityCoop.com
	Lents Food Buying Club Azure Standard, OGC, Noris, Wilderness Family Naturals, Vital Choice Seafood, Sweet Earth Organic Chocolate, Cafe Mam, Solomon & Canaans, Hummingbird Wholesale, Surata tofu, Larsen’s Creamery, Charlie’s Soap, Frontier, Freddy Guys, Bee Pure Candles, Bob’s Eggs, Bob’s Red Mill, Busy Bea Soap. Open to new members from the local vicinity. Known to be a semi Private Club / Club of Friends http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Foodbuyingclub
	Simply in Harmony This drop is a distributor drop for Azure, which means customers place their order with the coordinator, she places one large order with Azure, pays for it, sorts it, then calsl customers to pick up their order at their convenience. Customers pay her at pick up time. Open to new members. sih@eburgi.com
	Lents Grocery Coop We are a buying club raising equity for an eventual storefront food co-op in the Lents area. We order from Azure (drop #42112, route G-1), Frontier, Bob’s Red Mill, Earthly Gourmet, Freddy Guy’s Hazelnuts, and many others. http://groups.google.com/group/LentsGroceryBuyingClub
	Montavilla Co-op and Buying Club Open to new members http://montavillacoop.org/ Email: henrybuilt@gmail.com
	Mudville Commons Focusing on Farm Direct foods..Sustainable community and skills sharing, a semi-private group there is a membership process.. but per that process open to new members.. http://www.mudvillecommons.com
	Rose City Coop (Columbia City Drop) http://RoseCityCoop.com
	North Bonneville Co-op An Azure drop on the G-1 route, mid-month delivery. Contact lucia@gorge.net
	Tierra Soul now ordering from: The Mercantile: Tierra Soul Urban Farm/Cottage Industry products Folklore Foods: traditional foods culinary series C’est Naturelle Farm: produce, raw milk, pastured eggs and soon pastured meat Azure Standard: bulk staples, Dharma Trading Co.: fiber, textiles, craft Rose Mountain Herbs: herbs, tea, body & bath Territorial Seeds: seeds, bulbs, plants, garden supplies Coming soon: raw butter & cheese, sourdough bread from un-enriched flour, culinary accoutrements, plastic-free packaging, lazy-lady living, rebozos, cradles, caskets & shrouds, bee hives, swarm list, grain grinders, community library, urban farm stand, plant medicine, community kitchen (fermenting parties, sourdough sharing, Touch the Earth ancestral arts center….. and more) contact: krista@tierrasoulpdx.com visit: http://www.tierrasoulpdx.com/products/buying-club/
	Food and Faith Buying Club A produce buying club at Holy Redeemer. Open to new members. Please contact foodandfaith@emoregon.org
	Know Thy Food We have everything from produce, meat, seafood, dry goods, personal goods etc… Monthly orders from Azure, Hummingbird, Cafe Mam, Frontier, and Thundering Hooves. Weekly from Noris, OGC, eggs, raw milk. Quarterly (appx) from Tropical Traditions, Bob’s Red Mill and Mountain Rose Herbs. Seasonally from local farms for meat, produce, chicken etc and also large canning and preservation quantities. We have everything from produce, meat, seafood, dry goods, personal goods etc… Monthly orders from Azure, Hummingbird, Cafe Mam, Frontier, and Thundering Hooves. Weekly from Noris, OGC, eggs, raw milk. Quarterly (appx) from Tropical Traditions, Bob’s Red Mill and Mountain Rose Herbs. Seasonally from local farms for meat, produce, chicken etc and also large canning and preservation quantities. Open to new members – though it is a for profit business NOT a coop as it states on their website. Know Thy Food 3434 SE Milwaukie Ave 503-544-5196
	Farm to Family Azure and Noris deliveries. Frontier and OGC coming soon…new members welcome: vermit1@yahoo.com.

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Ruth Stout’ s System.

This is a great Article! Nothing Like Good Mulch….

Continue reading »]]> Happy to hear we got noted in the Green Living Journal..  Yay us!

Portland Yard Sharing: An Urban Twist on Gardening

Imagine a world where everyone has access to plenty of healthy, local, organic food. The goal of the Portland yard sharing program is to further that goal by making sure that anyone who wants to garden and grow food for themselves can. One of the biggest barriers to growing food in the city is access to land – despite the fact that many yards, lawns, and backyards have plenty of room to spare. In Portland even the parking strips are often used for raised garden beds. Portland Yard Sharing encourages urban gardening by connecting those who have space to garden and are willing to share with those who would like to grow a garden but lack an appropriate space. The program makes maximum use of city and private space by making sure that even those who dwell in apartments, condos, and shared housing have ample place to garden. It connects neighbors of different socio-economic conditions together in an atmosphere of trust and self-sufficiency doing something that beautifies the homeowner’s yard and provides food for everyone. For more info go to: http://www.yardsharing.org 

Green Living Journal Columbia River PDX #12 Spring 2011-12.

Continue reading »]]> A nice writeup from Katy at US News

The practice isn’t just about swapping produce for space and the chance to eat fresh fruits and vegetables, says Joshua Patterson, director of Yardsharing.org, which he describes as “Craigs­list for garden space” in the Portland, Ore., area. It’s also a way to put down those other roots in or near your neighborhood. “You get food and a great garden, but you also create a wonderful community,” he says. The site features classifieds for members to find or advertise yard space, with maps pinpointing available shares so people can find plots within walking distance.

If gardening isn’t your forte (or if you’d like to expand), get ready for the next big thing in food bartering: cow, chicken, goat, and lamb shares. You rent farm space and care for your animals, then split the meat, milk, and eggs.

Read the rest of the article via Plant a Plot in Someone Else’s Lawn – US News and World Report.

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http://www.oregonlive.com/environment/index.ssf/2009/06/like_an_eager_vine_urban_garde.html

“For information and events, check out www.thedirt.org, or to chat with garden-sharing supporters, join the Facebook page Portland Yard Sharing, which has a slew of members, including Mayor Adams and Multnomah County Commissioner Jeff Cogen.”

I remember the night I got Mayor Adams friend request I was so excited.. then I found out that our website was down.. arrrrrr – JP PYS