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Neighborhood Food Party

Raw milk? Homemade yogurt? Homemade sauerkraut? These and more local treats were on the menu last night at the inaugural meeting of the 1000 year old food club.

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Asides

• Local C-U activist (C-U Citizens for Peace & Justice) and gardner, Aaron Ammons is covered in a new community initiative's blog (C-U Fit) for his efforts gardening for justice in Champaign-Urbana! #
• Vegetable gardeners with big dreams and small yards caught a break Monday when Mayor Greg Nickels announced that residents are free to plant vegetable gardens in planting strips without pricey permits or fees. “This change makes it easier to plant flowers and vegetables in the strip between the sidewalk and the street. For many gardeners, that’s prime space,” said Nickels. “It’s one of the things that makes Seattle special, and, with planting season upon us, it’s time to get those green thumbs going.” Marty Wingate, Seattle Post Globe's gardening writer, reported a couple of weeks ago on the sky-high fees for planting peas in the strip between street and sidewalk. Under the new rules, gardeners no longer will be required to purchase a $225 permit. The new rules are posted here on the city's website. To ensure public safety and protect city infrastructure, there are also guidelines for making planting strip improvements. The idea of eliminating fees for parking-strip gardens came up during City Council budget discussions last fall. Council President Richard Conlin's office led the effort. “I oppose the fees that the Mayor and SDOT want to impose on gardens in the planting strip,” Conlin told the Post Globe last month.   “I have asked SDOT to change their proposal to make all food gardening in planting strips free of charge.” From Seattle Post Globe #
• Scientific American Magazine -  March 10, 2009 Invasive Earthworms Denude Forests in U.S. Great Lakes Region Worms, such as the night crawler, eat leaf litter which acts as a rooting medium for new growth By Michael Tennesen http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=invasive-earthworms-denude-forests #