A Community Garden video

Given what that iCreate and local community garden updates can get thin on the ground and even I tire of emailing reminders, I am always happy to see notice from Yvonne Savio, Common Ground Garden Program Manager, UC Cooperative Extension. There's something in the mail from iCreate's 'burque pardner, to cover the rest of update obligations. So extra thanks Yvonne from this weary blogger for sharing and thanks to original sharer, LA County community gardener Melissa Hauck, who writes... 

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I'm a gardener at of one of the newest LA County Community Gardens here in Azusa which has just opened in April of this year.

Underdog Mural Program at Sierra High School, Azusa.

Elaine Stricklin, Art Teacher.

Rohit Kumar (of Local Blu & The Growing Home in Diamond Bar) interviewed local gardeners this past Sunday and made a short video of our own garden and gardeners which is the featured post on Local Blu right now. I thought other community gardeners would enjoy seeing what we've got growing on here in Azusa in such a short amount of time, and that we still have some plots available for rent. The video can be viewed online. Please visit the Azusa Community Garden webiste too. Thanks! Melissa Hauck

Must-Try Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Too much zucchini in the garden? Neighbors bring back the zucchini you leave on their porches in the middle the night? Tired of zucchini bread and frittatas? Try this. Everything goes better with chocolate....

Must-Try Chocolate Zucchini Cake

You have heard of carrot cake, but have you ever tasted zucchini cake? Fresh shreds of zucchini are mixed in a chocolate cake batter for a delicious and light dessert. You can pour the batter into a bundt cake mold or a cupcake pan for individual portions. I like to top mine with a chocolate glaze but it is also yummy with cinnamon cream cheese frosting. This zucchini cake is a sweet way to eat your veggies.

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

3 cups organic unbleached flour

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup best quality unsweetened premium cocoa powder (i like scharffen berger)

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups cold water

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons pure balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (I use a box grater)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt cake pan using extra virgin olive oil. add the first 6 ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer. Stir with a wooden spoon to mix. add rest of ingredients and stir, using the paddle attachment, until just incorporated. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake 45 min to 1 hour.

Test for doneness by sticking a skewer, chopstick or knife into center of cake. If your tester is clean when you remove, the cake is ready. Rest on a rack for 30 minutes. Invert onto cake plate and allow to cool completely. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Why Can’t We Recycle All Plastics Together?

iCreate's sustainability mission takes in more than food sovereignty and community gardening. Blogging about recycling combines "sustainability" and "education," another important mission. Watch for regular reycling features ~ from compost to plastics and beyond. Additionally, creating art, whether functional, wearable or for arts sake, from recycleables connects both sustainability with the creativity mission inscribed in our very name. Recycling, reusing, upcycling, repurposing .... economic and environmental virtues by any name.

Dear EarthTalk: Why can’t plastics of all types, instead of being initially sorted, simply be melted together to be separated later? It must be a monumental and error-prone task to separate truckloads of plastics.
The reason plastics aren’t typically melted together and then separated later is a matter of both physics and economics. When any of the seven common types of plastic resins are melted together, they tend to separate and then set in layers. The resulting blended plastic is structurally weak and difficult to manipulate. While the layered plastic could in theory be melted again and separated into its constituent resins, the energy inputs required to do so would make such a process cost prohibitive.
As a result, recycling facilities sort their plastics first and then melt them down only with other items made of the same type of resin. While this process is labor-intensive, the recycling numbers on the bottom of many plastic items make for quicker sorting. Many recycling operations are not only reducing sizable amounts of waste from going into landfills but are also profitable if managed correctly.... (See What do recycling numbers mean)

#Mountainair #CommunityGarden: Sustainable Gardening & Agriculture Links

Selected links from Yvonne Savio's community gardening mailing list. The first is an international magazine published from the UK. The article on mobile gardening looks especially interesting. Others open doors onto community gardening around the world. As obvious from the titles, the next two are domestic. The American Community Garden newsletter lists many practical, how-to articles and gardening tips.

• Soiled and Seeded: Issue 4

Contributors represent an interdisciplinary group of writers, artists, educators, scientists and photographers - from around the world.

• California Agriculture! View entire contents and subscribe online.

• e-newsletter from the American Community Gardening Association

OFFCenter Community Arts , August 5-12

iCreate's Albuquerque music outreach partner offers art and folk art history exhibits, workshops, classes, music and more ....

LAST CHANCE TO SUBMIT ARTWORK FOR AUGUST EXHIBIT.... "It's About Time…" Visual Exhibit of Time and Clock Art Submit your artistic notions of time from seconds to epochs or put your spin on your own clock. CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS Wed., July 27 through Wed., Aug 3rd Drop off art during our regular open studio hours. Limit 2 pieces per artist, any medium. Artists are encouraged to submit artist statements or statements about their work, preferably typewritten. OPENS -- Fri., Aug. 5th, 5 - 8 pm CoffeeHouse FREE Musical Performance Friday, Aug. 19th, 5 - 8 pm Come enjoy the "It's About Time" exhibit of clock art and visual notions of time and then jive to the passing beat with a special "Pass the Hat" Coffee House musical performance by the homegrown New Mexican rhythm and blues sounds of Sherri and The Impalas. Donate funky, artsy, unique items to our Fundraising White Elephant Yard Sale  Bring in your items to OFFCenter...(or buy cool things with 100% proceeds going to support OFFCenter). Sale going on now at OFFCenter up through the Folk Art Festival on Sept. 11th.