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Help Us Grow and Thrive
Your support is vital and provides essential food
education to over 700 children, support to low-income urban
gardeners at our 330-plot community gardens, continuing restoration
of 5 acres of prairie and forest, further development of our organic
farm, and more. [Donate Today]
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Welcome to our first issue of the year of "The
Troy Gardens Experience," our local email newsletter (formerly
known as "The Buzz").
This is a supplemental publication to our "News
for a More Sustainable World" newsletter which you already
receive. If you do not want to receive this local newsletter
in addition to your national newsletter, you may unsubscribe from
it at the bottom of this newsletter and still be subscribed to our
national newsletter.
For those of you who have been looking forward to
the return of our local newsletter, we hope you enjoy this issue.
Each of our newsletters is published monthly.
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 Please join
us this Sat., Jan. 17 for another Troy Gardens Tree Walk! Led
by Certified Arborist Peter Kasemen-Wold, the topic of this walk
will be "Understanding Tree Defects and Why Trees Fall
Down." This free workshop will cover tree form and
structure, cracks, fungi, root problems, and the "body language"
of trees. The tree walk will take place from 10:30 AM - 12
Noon. We'll meet at the yellow shed on the front of the
land. Contact Christie Ralston at 608-240-0409 or christie@troygardens.org to register if you haven't
already. All are welcome!
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 Claire Strader, farmer at Troy Community Farm in
Madison, has been nominated for White House
Farmer. All nominees are listed on WhiteHouseFarmer.com, and we are asking for
your support. Voting begins online on Tues., Jan. 20 -- next
Tuesday!
In an October NY Times article, Michael Pollan
called for the creation of a White House Farmer position and
suggested turning five acres of land on the White House grounds
into an organic fruit and vegetable garden. In turn, the
website WhiteHouseFarmer.com was conceived by The
Brockmans, a family farm in Illinois.
Claire's nomination says she, "...is just the woman to turn 5
acres of the White House lawn into the nation's premier urban farm.
Claire has worked in small-scale organic agriculture for 15 years,
including her 8 years at Troy Community Farm where she turned a
5-acre parcel of weedy urban landscape into a highly productive and
wonderfully beautiful vegetable farm. Not only does Claire produce
food for CSA, market, and wholesale on this small urban farm, she
also educates college students, high-school youth, and adult
volunteers through the farm's internship programs."
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 The core of our Troy Community Farm is our CSA. In a
time when food travels an average of 1,300 miles to reach our
tables, Troy Community Farm offers Madison residents the
opportunity to enjoy the freshness and flavor of vegetables grown
in their own backyard.
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 The community gardens are at the heart of Troy
Gardens. The gardens provide an entry point for individuals and
households to get involved in the whole project. Community
gardeners use the land to grow their own food, which has a positive
impact on their household food security.
The 2009 Plot Application will be available on our
website Feb. 4, 2009. If you were a gardener in 2008, you will
be contacted when the 2009 application is available. Please keep us
informed if you have a new address, email or phone number. These
updates can be sent to Christie Ralston in the Community
GroundWorks office (608-240-0409 or christie@troygardens.org).
If you were not a gardener with us in 2008 and would like to be
placed on a waiting list to be contacted when 2009 plot
applications are available, please contact Christie
Ralston at the Community GroundWorks office. [2009 Gardens Calendar]
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 A portion of the proceeds from the Madison Hours
Pancake Breakfast on Sun., Feb. 8 will go to
Community GroundWorks! Come support our organization by
eating a delicious organic, vegan and local breakfast. It's
from 8:30-11:00 AM at the Wil-Mar Center at 953 Jenifer St. in
Madison, WI. Cost is $8.50 for adults; kids are free! There's
oven-roasted potatoes, organic fair trade coffee, OJ, friends, and
neighbors. We still need one volunteer to help staff the event, so
let Christie in our office know if you are willing
to help out!
The Troy
Gardens Winter Gathering Potluck will be held at
6:30 PM on Wed., Feb. 11 at Lakeview Lutheran Church (4001 Mandrake
Rd., Madison, WI). Come to share some warmth, friendship, good
conversation and good eats (bring a dish to share) with your Troy
Gardens friends and colleagues. Enjoy music, stories and an update
on Community GroundWorks at Terra Madre in Turin, Italy.
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 Community Groundworks at Troy Gardens seeks students
and community members to assist with work in sustainable
agriculture, environmental education, and natural areas
restoration. We offer a limited number of paid and volunteer
internships during the spring, summer, and fall.
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 Publication Date: Aug. 2008
Contributors: Staff, board members and volunteers
from Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens and members of the Troy
Gardens community -- gardeners, volunteer stewards, dog walkers,
neighbors and friends -- from the Northside of Madison, Wisconsin. [More Info]
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Thank you for your interest in our programs and our
organization.
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Bob Gragson, Executive Director
Community GroundWorks at Troy Gardens
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