Rhode Island Feeds

At noon this past Tuesday, two dozen high schoolers and volunteers were hard at work at the front of New Battambang, a corner store on Elmwood Avenue in the southside of Providence. Junk food and candy were moved from the front of the store to lower shelves and the back, and replaced by bright colorful displays of fresh corn, cabbage, green beans, summer squash, peppers and tomatoes from Confreda Farms. While volunteers shuffled items around front of the store and labeled healthy items, students set up an art station outside and painted colorful signs featuring messages about healthy foods.

New Battambang’s Market Makeover is part of the Providence Healthy Corner Store Initiative (PHCSI), a new program that unites Rhode Island farmers, corner store owners, and community residents to increase the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grain breads and pastas, low-salt and low-sugar canned goods, and healthier snacks.

Even when stores stock fresh produce, customers’ purchasing habits are very much affected by the way produce is labeled, packaged and its quality, price and placement in the store. A little rearranging – a Market Makeover – goes a long way. The Market Makeovers make healthy food more visible and accessible in the store by physically rearranging products and displays to increase the visibility of healthier options. For example, junk food is removed from the front of the store and replaced with racks of fresh fruit. Healthy food items get branded with the Healthy Corner Store logo. All produce gets clear labels and price tags. In just four hours, students and volunteers had transformed the front of the store into a whole new experience that emphasizes healthy options over the usual! (NBC 10 was there. See the video! Also see Dave Ciplet’s photos, a piece in Providence en Español, in the Projo and the Serious Eats blog.)

The Initiative links in with Farm Fresh RI’s goal of increasing fresh food consumption in neighborhoods like Providence’s Southside disproportionately hit by childhood obesity and diabetes. (Farm Fresh also runs a farmers market on Broad Street.) Many residents here rely on corner stores rather than supermarkets for groceries. Farm Fresh RI provides logistical support for getting/promoting fresh food from farms to the city stores through our Market Mobile program, in collaboration with other PHCSI partners: the Environmental Justice League of RI, Kids First, RI Department of Health and Providence high school students.

This May, the PHCSI kicked off with a Iron Chef competition, in which three teams of high school students from Alvarez, the Met and Feinstein high schools competed to make the healthiest meal using ingredients purchased for just $10 at neighborhood corner stores. (The Met team won with a delicious veggie quesadilla that Sodexo, the food service provider for Providence Public Schools, then put on the lunch menu on June 16th at every school in the district.) Since then, PHCSI partners and volunteers have been hard at work identifying healthy items for stores to stock and preparing the marketing and outreach materials to let customers and community members know about healthy items in their stores. Going forward, the PHCSI will continue to provide outreach and technical support to increase the availability and sales of healthy food options in the stores. Farm Fresh plans to work with corner store owners to purchase fresh produce from local farms every week through Market Mobile.

The next Market Makeover will happen at Mi Quisqueya on Broad Street on Saturday, August 14th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. Come by to help out or to shop!

HerbDoc plays host to a robin family!

It was only a common robin (Turdus migratorius) that built her nest in my clematis trellis, but I learned so much about bird behavior from her.  About five weeks ago, I noticed a pair on robins flying under my deck and from an upstairs window, finally spotted the 5 inch round nest taking shape.

Patiently they added twigs, paper, feathers and coarse grass to their nest, lining the outside with mud and the inside with soft grass clippings.

About four weeks ago she laid three blue eggs which took 10 days to hatch.  The nestlings were naked and blind and received constant care from their mother.  I watched as she fed them soft caterpillars, grubs and worms.

When it was very hot, she would take a trip to the bird bath in my herb garden and submerge herself in the cooling water for several minutes.

Then she would return to the nest, sitting on top of the trellis with her nest a few inches below and spread her wings.  Amazing!  She was shading and cooling the tiny nestlings from the intense sun and summer heat.

They have developed quickly and are now covered with feathers and are almost as large as their mother.  They’re pretty crammed into that little space, and movement has to be restricted or a sibling might fall out.  Their mother only visits to feed them and spend the night.  She’s not ever far away, however, as she swoops and chases any bird or animal in the vicinity that she feels is a threat.

I understand it only takes two weeks from hatch for them to be able to fly and leave the nest.  Even though my clematis has suffered from the constant comings and goings of Mom Robin, I will miss watching this little family group.

Layanee DeMerchant

I debated about posting this, but after consulting with fellow bloggers, I decided to go for it.

Below is the potato I dug in my garden. Mother Nature sure works in mysterious ways.

Many years ago I enjoyed growing different types of culinary salvias (sage is salvia officinalis), primarily for ornamental purpose. I never harvested the leaves for cooking. 6.27.02 Now I only grow the flowering ones. Salvia flowers come in many colors...

A few photos from Wisley









42 members recently enjoyed a lovely weekend in the south east of England. We stayed two nights in a hotel at Shepperton and visited three completely different gardens.

An early departure from the coach station on the first day and a straight forward no delay journey meant we got to our first destination early. RHS Garden Wisley. A dry pleasant afternoon with sunny intervals greeted us in the south east.

The second day allowed us a full day at Hampton Court Palace.

Finally after breakfast on the final day we arrived at Kew Gardens at 10 o'clock and were there for six hours to wander freely.

A surprise meal on the way home ended a fabulous three days.

Pictures to follow from Kew and Hampton Court.

Baby's Tears became part of my indoor plants several months ago after I happened to see one at a supermarket. The tiny, delicate, round, light green leaves immediately attracted my attention. I knew I had to try growing it as...

Herbdoc has seen some interesting insects around her garden this summer:

It certainly has been a banner year for insects here in Rhode Island!

Here are three I recently found in my yard.

Black Swallowtail caterpillar

Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar (Papilio polyxenes) – found happily munching the parsley in my gigantic herb basket on the back deck.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth (Hemaris thysbe) – spotted enjoying the nectar of the Verbena bonariensis. (This plant has attracted a lot of wildlife this summer including hummingbirds who sip the nectar and goldfinches who love the seeds!  I will definitely plant more of these verbenas next year.)

Bella Moth Caterpillar

Bella Moth caterpillar (Utetheisa bella) – I had to do a lot of research to identify this one.  Three of them were snacking on my licorice plant (Helichrysum petiolatum) on the front deck.  I plan to keep watching them to be sure they are Bellas.  Let us know if you think they may be something else!

Editor’s note: Herbdoc wrote about a week later to say that the caterpillar had emerged from its cocoon, and it was indeed a Bella Moth.

I have looked at these gardens so much that even though they change everyday I can hardly see them anymore. It’s not that I’m tired of the garden – far from it. I still want to witness every little change. But it’s August and my eyes have grown accustomed. – It’s just like not being [...]

The garden in August needs tidying. There is no way around it, the Lady's Mantle or Alchemilla mollis, is ragged and the flower heads are brown. Some of the daylilies are well past bloom and yellowing foliage is showing along... Layanee DeMerchant

In one of my “daring gardening experiments,” I decided to try Greasy Beans. Greasies are called greasy because they don’t have the fine hairs on their pods like regular pole beans. You can see my previous post about Greasies here.

They grew just like regular pole beans here in my southeastern Connecticut garden. I had them on posts growing with Scarlet Runner Beans (because I like the flowers) and cukes.

Greasies on the vine.

And they are delicious. This is one garden experiment that I will definitely repeat. Here’s one way I prepare them.

Greasies on the counter, ready to cook. Mmmm.

Greasy Beans with Onion and Bacon
Servings: 2

1 lb. greasy beans, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 slices bacon, chopped
1/2 medium onion, slivered

Trim and rinse beans and place in a pot of boiling salted water. Have an ice-water bath ready. Blanch beans in boiling water until crisp-tender, cool off in ice water and set into colander to drain.

Cook chopped bacon in a skillet until it releases some of its fat, then add onion slivers. Cook bacon and onion until onions are just beginning to brown and bacon is crisp. Add drained beans and cook until rewarmed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Nutrition information per serving: Calories 220, Total Fat 10.2g, Cholesterol 28mg, Sodium 645mg, Total Carb. 18.7g, Fiber 8.2g, Sugars 4.3g, Protein 14.4g

Sunday, August 8 @ 2:00 PM
Carolyn Fluehr-Lobban 23 Fort Avenue Cranston (Pawtuxet village) 401-467-2857

The program will include: 1) Announcements and business: Mark Robar, the Langstroth Memorial in  Philadelphia, other items  2) report from those just returned from the EAS meeting in Boone, NC, Ed, Celeste, Tony, Everett; next year in RI  3) a presentation on honey judging by RIBA webmaster Jason Kerr  4) Hive demonstration (I have one boomer and one failing colony I just discovered has wax moth infestation) by Everett Zurlinden (bring your veils)
Please remember to bring chairs and food & drink are always appreciated.
Directions: Take I-95 North or South to Thurbers Ave. Exit (exit 18); exit onto Allens Ave. heading south, past Johnson and Wales Harborside campus and dormitory (Providence river/Narragansett bay should be on your left), past Norwood Ave in Cranston where Allens Ave becomes Narragansett Blvd., continue to the end where you will see the RI Yacht Club on the left; at Ocean Avenue Stop sign turn left, then immediate first right onto Fort Avenue.
NOTE on PARKING: Due to the Sunday sailors at the Yacht Club, on street parking may be limited. Turn right onto Sheldon and first right onto Commercial where city of Cranston parking lot on same side as the Firehouse is available for RIBA’s use by permission of the City of Cranston. 

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Coral drops are summer flowers from spring-planted bulbs. Six bulbs were planted along my front walk in full sun, but only one plant came up, producing long slender leaves and a very tall flower stem (about 2 feet) with 11...

Recently, I told you about the monarch caterpillar that had pupated among my string beans. I considered myself lucky to have found the chrysalis, but did not dare hope to catch the emergence of the butterfly.

I was away for a few days, and one of the first things I did when I got home was run and check the chrysalis. This is what I found last evening. It was much, much darker, and I could see orange wings inside. This morning, the chrysalis was still there, but it looked ready to pop at any minute.

See the wings?

I reluctantly went out for a while, and when I returned, there was the empty chrysalis with the newly-emerged butterfly beside it. It was just hanging out drying its wings, so I snapped a couple of photos and let it be.

I didn’t catch the actual event, but this came close. I’m so glad I left that milkweed!

Our 1st Family Fun Day in conjuction with our Farmers’ Market will be held this Sunday, August 1 from 11am-2pm at Davis Park.  The YMCA will be there with their ‘Y on the Move’, a 35′ inflatable obstacle course.  There is a new playground and basketball court for the kids and we will also have face painting.   

While at the Park, shop for your fresh, local produce, herbs, flowers and plants!

The Farmers’ Market will be running every Sunday from 11-2pm through Halloween and we will have a Family Fun Day once a month with activities for the kids.  Come out and support our local farmers! 

If you’d like to be added to our email distribution list for updates on our organization, or you’d like to volunteer at a Market, Family Fun Day or for one of our other projects, please ‘Contact Us’. 

Hope to see you on Sunday at Davis Park!

lamb's quarters

Here’s Herbdoc with another edible wild plant:

Here’s an edible weed that I routinely yanked out of my vegetable garden until I met a mother of ten who cultivated a row!  She insisted it was edible and nutritious with a distinctive flavor, so I just had to try it.

Lamb’s Quarters (Chenopodium album), sometimes called “goosefoot,” can be found growing in disturbed soil, vegetable gardens or at the edges of fields.  It can reach four feet in height with multiple branching stems off its squared main stem. Both leaves and stems have an earthy spinach/chard flavor.  The easiest way to cook it involves putting the leaves and stems in a bamboo steamer; they will turn a deep green and reduce as they cook.  Small, raw young leaves are a wonderful addition to salads.

As with all edible wild plants, make a positive identification through the use of a good field guide or by working with a person who collects them regularly.  Be sure they have not been exposed to pollution or chemical sprays before harvesting for consumption.  If you choose not to harvest wild plants, there is a cultivated variety called “Magentaspreen” which carried by a few seed houses.

SCLT’s 250+ community gardeners don’t just work hard to keep their individual plots beautiful and productive.  They also join together 3 times each year to improve the gardens as a whole. Each Spring, Summer, and Fall, gardeners work together on a Saturday to clean up trash and weeds, improve garden infastructures, and take care of any other tasks needed in the garden.

On Saturday, July 24th, each of SCLT’s community gardens hosted their summer workday. There were lots of projects to take care of at each garden. At Somerset Community Garden, gardeners made improvements on a shade structure and picnic table in the middle of the garden. Take a look at the photos below.

Many thanks goes to the New England Grassroots Environmental Fund for supporting the Somerset Community Garden Improvements.

Click here to see more photos below:

Amid the drone of the cicadas and the zipping of the dragonflies, the lazy, humid, languid days of July are coming to an end. The heavy air can keep one out of the garden just a bit too long. The... Layanee DeMerchant

Like everything else, the garden air show seems to be happening a little earlier this year than last and I think it’s more entertaining than TV. I wish I had moving pictures to show you the swallows scooping mosquitoes off the Great Lawn and hummingbirds feeding on monarda, gladiolus and crocosmia. There are dragonflies and [...]

Two Lobelia cardinalis plants with vivid red flowers in my front garden seemingly appeared out of no where. 7.28.10 I have not seen nor planted one for 3 or 4 years. 8.17.07 Lobelia cardinalis was first planted in my front...