La Ofrendra at L.A.'s Farm Lab

From La Ofrenda cooridinator Olivia Chumaceo:

"In every culture that exists in the world, people acknowledge and memorialize their dead. While some cultures are very private and don’t even speak the deceased’s name ever again, in the Indigenous culture of Mesoamerica it was and is observed in a manner that celebrates life.

"For the second year now Farmlab will honor the ancestors by transforming the Under Spring area into a celebration of life, with hundreds of marigolds, candles, music, art, the beauty reflected in our cultural diversity. We designate this time as the day of La Ofrenda, which translates to The Offering. In collaboration with the, 50/500 Indigenous Elders, the Chinese youth dance ensemble, the Andean song and dance troupe from Bolivia, the Tongva people with their Ancestor Pole ceremony, the Japanese sacred flute music and many other groups from the surrounding, Farmlab invites you to partake of this heartfelt and magical Ofrenda day."

You are welcome to set up your own offering here at UnderSpring. Farmlab will gift you with marigolds, candles and a space for your offering. Please contact us with plenty of lead time. Or, come to the event at sunrise Friday, November 2 to participate with the Tonvga people as they honor with their Ancestoral Pole ceremony at the Yangna village site commonly known as the California State Historic Park. Otherwise join us for a full evening of La Ofrenda, on Saturday, November 3 from 7:30 p.m. to midnight in the Under Spring area."

Photos from the 2006 La Ofrenda. Farmlab Photos by Sarah McCabe.

Alice Waters Comes to Town

Alice Waters - of Chez Panisse and Edible Schoolyard fame - will be speaking at All Saints Church on Thursday, October 25 on The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution. So that we may all enjoy Alice's visit, the action team will not meet this Thursday.

The free event begins at 7pm; doors open at 6pm. Call Vromans for more information: 626.449.5320.

Buckets and Trowels and Water Bottles, Oh My!

The Besser Family has kindly donated a wonderful assortment of trowels, water bottles - for spritzing seedlings - and buckets for our K-2 gardeners!

Thank you Besser Family for your generous donation.

Team Meeting 18 October

With our Orcaboard order underway and the rest of our CDE funds earmarked for soil, hardware cloth, irrigation, hay bales and the Common Vision Fruit Tree Tour, we spent last night discussing the source of future funds to spur our growth.

In anticipation of the upcoming holiday season, we will be offering garden shares or garden bonds as holiday gifts. Each share will go towards the realization of our outdoor classroom. Share purchases will be commemorated with a card for the gift recipient - a perfect way to share the spirit of Aveson with Grandparents, Aunties, Uncles and friends.

We also identified the 18th of November - Sunday afternoon - as our first all hands work day. On the 18th we will assemble the Orcaboard raised beds, lay the hardware cloth, transfer the soil, place hay bales, arrange the compost station and weed the upper terrace. Bring a picnic lunch! Water, and cold cider will be provided.

We will make school wide announcements regarding both the shares and the volunteer day by the end of October.

In the meantime we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Cast Your Vote!

Dear Gardening Team,

We have reached a stall with our raised beds and need your vote to move forward.

Please cast your ballot via email by Friday October 12th. To archive our decision making process for Aveson students and community members, responses will be posted as comments under the entry "Cast Your Vote" on www.avesongrows.blogspot.com.

After much research and discussion the Team has identified the following materials for use in the construction of our raised beds – both choices recommended by Organic Gardening. Please identify your material choice via email.

Thank you in advance for your input.

CHOICE A)
Construction Heart Redwood - Rot resistant hardwood; natural material; degrades over time – supplementing the soil and returning to the earth; aesthetically pleasing; harvest results in long term impact on forest ecosystem; lack of demand has made FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certified redwood unavailable; next day delivery; $2950 + hardware.

CHOICE B)
Orcaboard – inert thermal-form plastic made from recycled milk jugs. 50 year product guarantee; used in public and commercial settings; can be recycled at the end of its useful life; no known leaching; fits together with tongue and groove design; not as aesthetically pleasing; fossil fuel inputs required for manufacture; identified as Most Environmentally Preferable among plastic lumber products by the Healthy Building Network; 99% post consumer recycled content - baking powder and a coloring agent are added; delivered in 2-3 weeks; $3674.00

For more information about our decision making process we offer you the following resources:

Organic Gardening Review of Raised Bed Materials
The Healthy Building Network Review of Plastic Lumber
Orcaboard
Forest Stewardship Council

Guest Speaker Thursday 4 October

Thursday's Garden Action Team Meeting is happy to host Australian Permaculturalist Steve Burns.

Steve will discuss the principles of permaculture and offer imaginative suggestions for integrating the principles in our garden design and curriculum.

Join us from 6:00-7:00pm outside the Flex Room/ Library.