http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ Five Rivers MetroParks staff members share helpful advice for creating a sustainable food supply as well as stories from local farmers and news from the front lines of the local food movement. en-us lbeachdell@metroparks.org 2012-02-11T10:04:28-05:00 hourly 1 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00 http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/02/11/big_news_in_school_gardening.html Schoolyard gardening isn’t new, but it is bearing quite a sensational re-emergence. One of the best, and largest documented cases of schoolyard gardening took place in New York City in the early 1900’s. Fannie Griscom Parsons started the Children’s School... 17404483@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-02-11T10:04:28-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/02/06/your_best_veggie_garden_6_week.html If you have never grown a vegetable garden or are a novice vegetable gardener, here is a class for you! Experienced gardeners that want to hone their skills are welcome as well. Possum Creek MetroPark Farm is offering Your Best... 17404222@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-02-06T09:40:17-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/02/04/grow_a_sponge.html That’s right, I said grow a sponge. Luffa (also spelled loofah) is a plant. Consumer identity has mistakenly grouped this plant-sponge with the animal sponge look alike, the sea-sponge but they are not the same! Luffa = plant; sea sponge... 17404182@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-02-04T09:40:31-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/02/02/sausage_making_for_the_home_go.html Winter time is a good time of year to try some home projects, especially those involving food. Cold weather presents us with the opportunity to experiment in the kitchen. For those of you that are meat lovers, making sausage can... 17404118@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-02-02T15:03:36-05:00 rick.musselman@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/01/28/the_nutrition_of_your_crop.html Brix testing is a method mostly used to measure sugar (or sucrose) levels in wine, honey, sugar, and fruit juice industries. Lately, accompanying the reemergence of the local organic farmer, Brix testing is now being used to asses sugar and... 17403850@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-01-28T09:21:52-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/01/25/whats_liquid_amber_in_color_an.html The Native Americans have given us many gifts such as corn, beans, and squash. Another gift is that of maple syrup. The Eastern Woodland tribes are usually given credit for the discovery that sap from maple trees produces the sweet... 17403703@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-01-25T08:49:24-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/01/21/new_years_resolutionlearn_how.html Even though it may seem like it, no one is born a gardener. We all have to learn somewhere, and like anything else; practice makes you pretty good at it. Follow up on your New Years resolution and learn how... 17403493@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-01-21T12:25:55-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/01/14/which_composting_method_is_bes.html The short answer is; which one do you like the best? So many cool composting methods… so little time. Let’s see, the most common composting methods I see around include; the 3 bin composting system, the tumbler, the worm-bins, the... 17402821@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-01-14T10:50:03-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2012/01/06/my_garlic_sprouted_too_soon.html …Yes, mine too. If you followed the planting recommendations for good ole’ 5a/5b zone you would have planted your garlic cloves in a well-drained bed with high organic matter sometime in late October/ early November. Well, good work, however none... 17402822@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2012-01-06T11:12:23-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/23/food_movement_meeting_success.html The Local Foods Movement meeting was a success this past Sunday. We met in the old Baptist church at 2720 E Third St. from 3:00-5:00 pm and had a great turnout! The meeting attracted gardeners, foodies, farmers, and folks of... 17402374@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-23T13:50:01-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/20/chestnuts_roasting_on_a_open_f.html We are all familiar with the popular “Christmas Song” and its familiar verse of “chestnuts roasting on an open fire”, but have you actually ever tried a chestnut? Chestnuts are popular around the holidays and have become one of our... 17402261@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-20T10:09:04-05:00 rick.musselman@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/16/gifts_for_gardeners.html Stumped on what to give the outdoor-sy/gardener/nature-lover in your lfe? Maybe it’s the person who has all they need but you still want to give something. Make your purchase count by supporting an organization they would like. This season, several... 17402125@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-16T11:23:29-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/13/the_proof_is_in_the_pudding.html There are many different Christmas traditions carried on here in the United States, with many of them being English. The picture of the quaint Victorian Christmas is portrayed in quite a few books and films, most notably A Christmas Carol.... 17401944@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-13T13:45:12-05:00 rick.musselman@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/09/registration_for_ohios_largest.html Registration is now open for the Ohio Ecological Food and Farm Association’s (OEFFA) 33rd annual conference, Sowing the Seeds of Our Food Sovereignty, February 18-19, 2012 in Granville, Ohio (Licking County). You don’t need to be a ‘pro’ for this... 17401802@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-09T16:00:46-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/entries/2011/12/02/lets_make_dayton_awesome.html Yes! I already think Dayton is awesome, I just didn’t want to put ‘awesome-er’ in the title. Besides a stellar parks system (admittedly bias) what are some of the cool things the Dayton area has going for it? Well to... 17401438@http://www.daytondailynews.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/dayton/farmlife/ 2011-12-02T15:49:01-05:00 lbeachdell@metroparks.org