The Goat Gaurdian Guild – Sunday April 29th

  

The following invitation comes from Root-Riot friend and partner Carolyn Ioder.   For the last several years she has been building a herd of milking goats that divide their time between Harambee and Garfield Park.  She is inviting people to partipate in the Goat Gaurdian Guild and learn the skill joys of raising milking goats.  It is one of the more novel things you can do in Chicago.

The Goat Guardian Guild serves as a club that allows members to learn and participate in the nurturing of goats for milk in Chicago. To date we have six goats with three bred. Guild members participate in various ways. Some member like milking goats or learning how to milk goats, others just wish to buy milk at a discount. Others enjoy the garden and pasture work of goats.

 

On April 28 we will coordinate with the Root Riot Harambee Community Garden for a Fence Fix day. What is the purpose? To celebrate spring working outdoors, preparing gardens, and in the pasture by the garden, updating the fences. Goats are hard on fences, so we need to fix escape routes.

 

The Root Riot Community Garden and the Goat Pasture are located on the same lot on Waller street between Lake and Race in Chicago. My suggestion is that you park on Midway Park and walk to the garden. My address is 5749 West Midway Park to orient your gps or google map.

 

The schedule is as follows:

 

4-6 p.m. Fence fixing includes moving fences, pounding posts, tightening fence systems, spreading amended hay, seeding grasses, clearing areas of garbage and vegetation. Goats will be available for feeding and petting.

 

6-7 p.m. Goat Gathering provides guild sign up, gardening discussions and answers questions and interest. One note of interest is when the goat babies come. More information will be provided at this time. We have picnic tables to chat and enjoy the evening (I am praying for friendly weather ).

 

Munchies available: Goat cheese, bread, sandwich spreads and ice cream.

 

You are invited to any or all of the activities of the event.

Harambee 2013- The year of the fence.

Hi Everyone,
While the National Weather Service doesn’t seem to know it, we are now officially in Spring. Gardening season is just around the corner and I want to share some news with you. I spoke with Dave Doig earlier this month and he is confident that the garden space will be available for at least one more season and quite possibly more.

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors- Robert Frost
This spring our main project is to add a secure fence to enclose the main garden area and be secured with a locking gate. The fence we will be purchasing will make it very difficult for people to scale and should prevent those who do not belong in the space from entering.
In order to fund the fence, we are inviting gardeners to sign up early and for anyone who is able to sign up for 2 years at $75 (one year is $40). If you are a returning gardener, you get first choice regarding your plots from last year.
We would like to have the fence installed before the end of April and request that you sign up as soon as possible.
Checks can be made out to “Root-Riot Waller” and can be mailed or dropped off at:
5845 W. Race
Chicago, IL 60644

If you would like to pay by credit card, you can go to: Harambee Page
You can download your sign-up form here: Sign Up Form
For anyone who is gardening for the first time, this year you can download the liability release form here: Liability Release

As soon as you sign up and are assigned a plot, you can start any time. In the meantime, I will soon send out information on the dates on meetings, classes, workdays and other events.

If you have any questions- please feel free to comment on this post or call Seamus at 312-213-seven,eight,two,four

The Mending Wall – by Robert Frost

Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
‘Stay where you are until our backs are turned!’
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, ‘Good fences make good neighbors’.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
‘Why do they make good neighbors? Isn’t it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I’d ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.’ I could say ‘Elves’ to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father’s saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, “Good fences make good neighbors.”

Your are invited: WBEZ: “Eating with Understanding and Gratitude: Rethinking our Relationship to Food”

“Eating with Understanding and Gratitude: Rethinking our Relationship to Food”
Poet and essayist Wendell Berry strongly believes “small-scale farming is essential to healthy local economies, and that strong local economies are essential to the survival of the species and the well-being of the planet.” So what can we as city people do to address the decline of American farming and rural life?  As Berry wrote in his essay, The Pleasures of Eating: “When food, in the minds of eaters, is no longer associated with farming and with the land, then the eaters are suffering a kind of cultural amnesia that is misleading and dangerous.”

Join us for a facilitated discussion about how we each think about food and our relationship to what it is and where it comes from. What responsibilities do we have to participate in our own food production & preparation, support local farmers, or learn the origins of the food we buy? How are we supported in these efforts, and what realistic challenges do we face? Co-produced by WBEZ and Fourth Presbyterian Church, in collaboration with the Center for Civic Reflection.

Thursday, March 21 from 6-7pm
WBEZ West Side Bureau (2531 W. Division Street)
RSVP at: http://www.wbez.org/eating-understanding-and-gratitude-rethinking-our-relationship-food-west-side-bureau-105851

Monday, March 25 from 6-7pm
WBEZ South Side Bureau (6957 S. Halsted Street)
RSVP at: http://www.wbez.org/eating-understanding-and-gratitude-rethinking-our-relationship-food-south-side-bureau-105852

Thursday, March 28 from 6-7pm
WBEZ North Side Bureau (2913 W. Devon Avenue)
RSVP at: http://www.wbez.org/eating-understanding-and-gratitude-rethinking-our-relationship-food-north-side-bureau-105853

Harambee Goats featured on WBEZ

Carolyn Ioder was recently covered by WBEZ in a story about her backyard farm and inspiring vision for urban agriculture. Also featured in the story was Urban Chicken Jennifer Murtoff.

You can read the extensive story on the WBEZ website.

Congratulations to Carolyn, Jennifer and the wider Root-Riot community for helping to inspire this wonderful story.

Goats in the City

Get a firsthand experience of the famous Harambee Goats. One of the earliest domesticated animals, goats have been providing for human beings for thousands of years. Join us for a chance to participate in a unique project that is exploring the role goats can play in both vacant lots and your own back yard. You will also have a chance to try goat cheese, milk and ice cream that is made right here on Chicago’s west side.

Time: June 28th Thursday 6-9pm

Location: Root-Riot Harambee 500 N. Waller, Chicago

Get a firsthand experience of the famous Harambee Goats. One of the earliest domesticated animals, goats have been providing for human beings for thousands of years. Join us for a chance to participate in a unique project that is exploring the role goats can play in both vacant lots and your own back yard. You will also have a chance to try goat, cheese, milk and ice cream that is made right here on Chicago’s west side. (learn more about the project here)

Here is a message from Carolyn with more details.

Goat Guardian Event Thursday June 28^th 6pm.

Dear Friends:

You are invited to the Root Riot Garden on Thursday June 28 to taste goat products: milk, cheese, and later ice cream. The goat sweeties will be in the pasture by the garden with their four kids.

The topics of discussion are available to any of you with interest in these areas related to the goats. They do not have to be tackled and solved; however I would like to put the ideas out there.

Why to become a Goat Guardian? So that we can influence your future community, by finding our food where we live. Goats provide a lot of opportunities to do this. However Goats in the city or country require land and care. While I have been able to set a system for these animals to be established in the city, my original purpose was that the effort was to be more of a community effort. Several of you have helped in the past or benefited in the process by visiting and enjoying these animals. Here are some topics for consideration which you may have been involved in or are interested:

1. Goat Grazers and Fencing. Without fencing goats are a menace. My neighbors have survived two Goat escapes in the last year. I spend a LOT of time moving fencing or seeking empty lots and overgrown yards for the goats to graze.

2. Milk Share and Milking. Many people remain fascinated by the milking process and goat Milk has been scientifically proven to aid in health and growth for good nutrition. Yet the processing of goat milk to cheese and ice cream or just keeping it raw in the frig has a set of very specific procedures.

3. Feed. Goats , especially milk goats, require a good mix of local vegetation and dry hay. At this time I am still seeking good alfalfa from a farmer friend in Grant Park, barring the lack of rain. We also purchase goat feed for nutrition supplement of the lactating mothers. Hauling Dry hay or finding a truck would be useful.

4. Composting. We process over 100 pounds of soiled hay and manure each week. In the next few years, our soil production will become more useful for gardens as the composting process becomes more regular. I also produce worms to set into the compost. (We have a good amount of chicken manure as well). Meanwhile we pay an unemployed youth to work with us. We would like to provide more short term jobs for these high school graduates who have little training in the work world. This area could prove to be the most viable; yet it needs to be developed. Soil production in the city of Chicago is not a common goal; yet with goats, the results for gardens could be cost saving or perhaps income generating.

5. Shelter. WIth six goats and decisions on which one to keep or sell, the availability of shelter is vital.

6. Public Relations: My priority remains high to seek out my neighbors on the west side, and obtain their help and be inspired by them as well. Last week a neighbor stopped by to tell me she now has chickens and rabbits and has begun to plant in her yard. She mentioned my model. It is humbling to see this influence. Yet many calls come from other sources and groups are also interested. While I rejoice in the interest, my time is stretched already. I could use some help and perspective on how to organize this area.

As a part of public relations, I am inviting the parents of the kids who attend St. John’s Church preschool program at 8:00-9 p.m. this night Thursday June 28 to come and enjoy goat ice cream with us. Goat cheese and crackers as well as veggies are provided at 6:30 p.m. Ice Cream share at 8 – 9 p.m.

Thank you again for your interest in goats in Chicago. Perhaps we are creating a new paradigm for local food efforts.

Sincerely

Caroly Ioder

Root Riot- Harambee

Harambee Barter Day!! July 31, 4-7pm

I want to invite you to spread the word about a unique Barter event that Root-Riot is going to be hosting at Harambee Garden.  “Harambee Barter Day” will bring people together to discover the unique resources possessed by the community around them. 

The Event will be held on Sunday July 31st from 4-7PM.  We are inviting anyone from the community to come out that day and join us.  The only thing people need to bring is pot luck dish and an idea of what kind of product or service they can trade with another person.   Here are just a few of the kinds of things that people might barter.

Child Care-Music lessons-gardening-house cleaning-drawing a picture-self defense-peas-VCR programing-canning-preserving-drywall-raising goats-raising chickens-eggs-fermenting-squash-compost-handyman–job search coaching-fung shui-Senior Care-airport pickup-bike repair- security consulting-baking cookies-plant identification-furniture moving-organizing-computer repair-dog walking-snow removal-story telling-reading a book to children-resume writing-kayaking lessons-tomato recipes-grocery shopping-building a website-exercise buddy-meal cooking-carpet installation-flying a kite-

When it comes to the people around us, there is no shortage of talent, knowledge and connections.  This event is designed to celebrate and expand that.  (The attached files below can be downloaded and shared.)

  We would appreciate anything you can do to help expand awareness of both this event and the community spirit we intend to foster.

Barter Day Trading Form       Barter Day Flyer

What’s on Your Plate?

A screening of the film “What’s on Your Plate” will be shown at the Austin Town Hall Auditorium, 5610 W. Lake St., Chicago, at 12pm on June 18th, 2011. Here’s a link to the trailer, http://www.whatsonyourplateproject.org/about/watch. This event is open to anyone, but is especially a great opportunity for parents and their children. It is being hosted by Dr. Bill’s Learning Center inside of a committment to bring nutrition education to the West Side.

The Hosta Happening; A Heifer Foundation Event

The Hosta Happening

Rich’s Foxwillow Pines
11618 McConnell Rd., Woodstock, IL 60098
815-338-7442 or coniflora@aol.com
Saturday, June 11, 2011
9:00 am to 4:00 pm

The Hosta Happening has hundreds of varieties of hostas for sale to benefit Heifer Foundation. All hostas one gallon or smaller are $5.00!  Heifer International (HI) is a non-profit, humanitarian organization dedicated to ending world hunger and poverty and caring for the earth.  HI provides livestock, trees, training, and other resources to help struggling families build sustainable futures. The recipients of the animals must ‘pass on the gift’ of the first female offspring and training in environmentally sound agriculture to another family in need. In this manner, an endless cycle of transformation is set in motion as recipients become equal partners in ending poverty and hunger. Heifer International has provided food and income producing animals to more than 8.5 million impoverished families in 125 countries in the last 67 years. 

Volunteers and staff will be available to answer any questions about Heifer International and Heifer Foundation on the day of the sale. They hope to sell out on the 11th, but if not, they’ll be selling the rest all summer.  They need volunteers between now and then. Refreshments will be served. 

All proceeds benefit Heifer Foundation
Sponsored by:  Rich Eyre, Susan Eyre, and Margaret Eyre (93 year old ‘Hosta Queen’)

Rich Eyre worked with this organization in the Peace Corps 43 years ago in Bolivia and he can give testimony to its positive effects in those communities. Rich and Susan Eyre served 6 years on the Board of Trustees of the Heifer Foundation.  Margaret Eyre, the Hosta Queen, coordinates volunteers to help divide and sell the hostas.

Spring Clean-Up; Austin Community

Spring Clean-Up

Austin Community

Saturday, May 14, 2011

10am – 5pm

Community Activist Roman  Morrow is organizing this effort to clean vacant lots and alleys in the Austin neighborhood.  To volunteer or for more information please contact Roman Morrow at 312-618-5664 or RomanMorrow@yahoo.com.

Health Check-up on Lake Michigan

Are Asian Carp in Lake Michigan? Will Alberta Tar Sands Refining impact the Lake?

Come Hear the Head of Lake Michigan EPA speak at
Oak Park Main Library
May 4 at 7pm

Judy Beck has managed the United States Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 Lake Michigan Team since October 1995. In this capacity she chairs the multi-agency lakewide management planning process called for
in the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement signed by the United States and Canada.

She is a past President of the Glenview LWV, a past Vice -President of the League of Women Voters of Illinois, and has been a Park Commissioner in Glenview for 31 years.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Oak Park River Forest

For more info contact Amy Little at amyelittle@yahoo.com or 708-660-1669