by Katherine Sacks/MEDILL

Rogers Park community sprouts vegetable garden in former victory garden lot from Katherine Sacks on Vimeo.

Waiting in line at Muller Meats, her local butcher, LaManda Joy, had an epiphany- of the gardening kind.

Looking over at the wall of old photographs, she noticed a photo of a victory garden, a topic Joy had recently begun to research. Suddenly, the spark.

The photo was the empty lot at Peterson and Campbell, an intersection a few blocks from her home, a lot she regularly drove by. Joy began to dream up the community garden she would re-create in the space and she immediately contacted Patrick O’Conner, the alderman for the community.

“I told him the story and he was like, absolutely,” she said. “I mean he said, ‘Yes,’ before I was even done.”

Within a matter of weeks, Joy, an award-winning home gardener, started the Peterson Garden Project and soon volunteers, sponsors and donors were on board. People eagerly contacted Joy to donate supplies, their time, space or even a few seedlings for the future garden plots. The group has held fund-raisers, a seed swap and sing-alongs to help build community spirit, excitement, and funds for the project.

The 140 garden plots will be tended by community members ranging from families, the elderly, young children, and singles, who will grow organic vegetables from June through October. Volunteers will tend several of the garden plots to donate produce to local Rogers Park food shelters. Joy even sourced seeds similar to those grown in the original 1940s era victory gardens to grow several plots with historical vegetables. She calls this “history re-eating itself.”

Although many of the participants, both volunteers and gardeners, have no prior gardening experience, the project’s members, like volunteer Jamie Wolfe, are excited to be participating.

“I like the history of the victory garden and the organic gardening,” she said. “It’s great to get back to the basics.”

At the ground-breaking ceremony on Friday, many of the gardeners and volunteers sang the popular depression-era Hank Williams song, “Wait for the Light to Shine,” an example of how the group will combine gardening, community activities and the arts into the project. Joy chose this song because it focuses on neighbors working together and helping each other, which are key for the success of the garden project.

Over the next week, Joy and her team of more than twenty volunteers will prepare the land for gardening.  The lot will be mowed, cleared, and leveled with fill and wood chips. The garden beds will be constructed and a small stage may be built, so the community can gather on the weekends for music. The gardeners should begin planting seeds and seedlings into the finished plots over the Memorial Day weekend, just in time for the summer gardening season.

With support from the alderman’s office, the Peterson Garden Project will be allowed to use the land, which is owned by Asian Human Services, for the following two years. During this time, Joy, the volunteers and gardeners hope to raise the funds to buy the lot and make the garden a permanent setting in the community.

by Katherine Sacks/MEDILL NEWS SERVICE

Shop at the farmers market for produce picked 24 to 48 hours before hand.

From wilted, slimy lettuce to moldy tomatoes, finding spoiled produce in the refrigerator is an unfortunate experience.

Spoilage, a general term defined as the point when food is no longer desired to be consumed, can be caused by bacteria or microbacterial processes that result when a product is exposed to high humidity or temperature, according to Kevin Keener, professor of food science at Purdue University in West LaFayette, Ind.

But making the effort to shop the right way and put your products away correctly takes it the extra mile, said Melissa Graham, founder of Chicago’s non-profit Purple Asparagus, which works with children and families to promote healthy eating.

“If you spend that extra time to put it away properly, you will be able to keep the produce fresher longer, protecting your investment.”

Here are five tips to help you keep your produce fresh and bacteria at bay:

Farm picked
Food is as its freshest when it has just been harvested, and it reduces in quality as time passes. Shopping at the farmers’ market can be the first step in ensuring fresh, quality goods, said Graham.

“If you’re going to the farmers’ market, you’re probably 10 steps ahead of the process,” she said, “because everything has been picked 24 to 48 hours beforehand. If you’ve got farmers’ market produce, it can last in your fridge for weeks.”

Nell Funk, owner of Evanston’s Now We’re Cooking, a culinary center that offers classes and events, suggested buying in bulk at the markets to have fresh products throughout the year.

“Use some fresh and put some away,” she said. “Make jams and chutneys, herb vinegars and pestos. Utilize bulk product and have it throughout the year.”

Shop Smart
When shopping for produce, whether at the market or at a grocery store, Graham said to look for firm products that don’t have any yellow tints, softness, or wrinkles on them. And make sure to pick products that have no visible damages or bruises on them.

The skin of fruit and vegetables shields it from outside bacteria. There is a “protective layer on the outside of apple,” and other fruits and vegetables, said Keener. “The bacteria are looking for the same things we like, they are looking for sugar and nutrients. Once the outer layer is damaged there is nothing to stop bacteria.”

Ask about safety
Whether at the farmers’ market or grocery store, ask about the food safety program and how the produce was handled during processing and storage. Look for products that are picked fresh and kept under refrigeration methods.

“I ask what their food-safety program is, and many are willing to share information about their programs,” said Keener. “That’s the person I want to buy from. If I’m going to be eating the product, I want to know they are aware of food safety.”

Store it right
Use the crisper the way you should, said Graham. “There is a high humidity and a low humidity. The high humidity is for your greens and your herbs, and the low humidity is where you put your apples and harder vegetables that don’t have as much water content.”

Store fruits and vegetables in airtight containers, especially once produce has been sliced. “If you wanted to preserve the crispness, I would look to get these package containers designed for vegetables and fruit storage, which eliminates high moisture loss,” said Keener.

He emphasized that once produce is sliced, which exposes new areas to bacteria, the items become potentially harmful, and need to be stored properly and in refrigeration.

Crisp it up
Carrots can loose their structure and become soft in the refrigerator due to a loss of moisture, Keener said. “The reason those go soft is because when you harvest them they have a high amount of water. Although the fridge has a high amount of humidity, you have to keep humidity at about 100 percent,” which cannot be done, he said.

He suggested peeling flabby carrots to remove any surface contamination, and then placing the peeled carrots in a container of ice water for several hours. He said they “will reabsorb a certain amount of water and become crisp again.”

Another way to use of ice water is for keeping herbs fresh. “A really great way to store herbs is in a cup full of water,” said Graham. “I like to keep the plastic produce bag over the cup, and that can keep fresh cilantro or parsley up to two weeks.”

Bring on the freeze
To extend shelf life, try freezing said Nell Funk. “It’s great for something like root vegetables,” she said. “They will last all winter, which is a great way of preserving the freshness.”“

“The faster produce is frozen, the more like the fresh produce it’s going to be,” said Keener. To do this at home, he said to place a thin tray near the fan of the fridge until cold, then lay the item out in a think layer and place in the freezer.

If you purchase a large amount of an item, Keener also suggested asking a local restaurant to use their freezers, which may be equipped for quick-freezing, during a slow period.

Pinching your pennies, but still looking for earth-friendly produce? Here’s how to eat responsibly on a budget.

With one out of 10 Americans unemployed, money is tight and grocery store options can seem scarce. Still, 34 percent of Americans say they are more likely to buy environmentally responsible products today than in 2009, according to a recent Cone Survey Report.

Sustainable products may often seem more expensive than the alternatives. But a 2009 Leopold study found otherwise. “When they compared the prices of locally grown produce to those in outside areas, they found it was cheaper to buy locally,” says Melissa Graham, president of Purple Asparagus, a Chicago non-profit that promotes sustainable eating.

Nonetheless,  many Americans struggle with budgeting. Here are ways to fit responsible foods into a tight income.

Head to the market
“One of the first things I recommend is to go to some of the city’s farmers markets,” says Nancy Johnson, who operates the Chicago-based Web site Sustaneity, which promotes sustainable living. She recommends  the Green City Market, which is held at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum during the winter months, among others.

Katherine Sacks

Make a plan
Overwhelmed by all the choices  farmers markets offer, shoppers may impulse buy more expensive convenience products later on. “Go in with a list,” says Graham, who suggests shoppers outline their weekly menu out ahead of time.

David Rand, a farm forager for Green City Market, prefers to plan a few weekly shopping trips, doing his staple shopping at the farmers market and then purchasing “feature ingredients” a few times a week.  “That way you don’t waste as much money and you end up spending less,” he says.

Arrive late
“The best time for someone on a budget to go is a half an hour before the market ends,” Graham recommends. Farmers are often willing to offer last-minute deals on items they don’t want to bring back home. She also says to buy in bulk for a better value.

Stretch your food
Think about how to use all the parts of your foods, says Graham. She suggests roasting whole chickens and using the bones for soup, and using vegetable stems and scraps for stocks. “When buying only the chicken breast, there is a lot of waste involved,” she says, with added expense for the shopper.

“A lot of people aren’t aware of the best ways to make the food last,” Rand agrees, “or how to preserve its shelf life.” He suggests wrapping fresh herbs in paper towels and then placing them in plastics bags, which will increase shelf life up to a week.

Stick with the seasons
The most cost-effective tip is buying what’s in season, says Johnson, who adapted a sustainable lifestyle more than 15 years ago. “If you buy what’s locally produced, it’s less expensive, and if you buy what’s in season, it’s less expensive,” she says.

“To be really sustainable, you have to be willing to adapt to the seasons,” she says.

Fresh Pick Box from Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks

A week into 2010 are you still undecided on your resolution to start the next year? Why not take a step towards the greener side of life and order this week’s groceries from a CSA(community supported agriculture) program. It may be winter and, unless you live in a warm weather climate, finding produce seems a bit out there. Don’t fret though, in warmer cities you can find CSA’s offering limited boxes this time of year and in chilly areas their are produce deliveries that source local and organic goods.

The traditional CSA involves purchasing a share in a farm in the form of a subscription, which can range from a month of weekly deliveries to a year’s worth of goods. By paying the farmers in advance, the purchaser helps offset the overhead costs of farming and develops a personal relationship with the food they are eating, becoming exposed to fresh, local goods and possibly new items. Many CSAs offer their subscribers the option of visiting the farms directly, door-to-door delivery or convenient pick-up locations, and an assorted variety of produce which can include everything from meat to eggs to fresh flowers. By pre-purchasing your produce in advance, you are also locking in your budget for that time period and guaranteeing you’ll be eating food at its peak flavor.

Most traditional CSAs offer subscriptions for the spring, summer and fall, as the winter provides too small a harvest. However, in many cities there are organizations that put together baskets of local, organic produce from a variety of farmers, even in the cold months. Many also offer similar produce sourced outside your local area when the product is not available there. In chilly Chicago, I managed to find a fresh produce delivery organization that supports local, independent farmers and promotes these items in their produce baskets. My first delivery from Irv and Shelly’s Fresh Picks arrived packed full of eggs and red oak lettuce from Illinois and red onions, potatoes, gold turnips, carrots and celery root from Wisconsin. While I no longer can frequent the farmers market several times a week as I did in Los Angeles, the bounty of crisp produce from my Fresh Picks box made me feel as though I had. Although it’s not a traditional CSA, choosing a produce delivery system like this still supports local, sustainable farmers. And as the seasons change, you can sign up with a more traditional CSA or pick more local produce from these delivery systems.

Many areas also offer the option of a CSA focused on farm raising animals with no hormones in a sustainable manner, such as Chicago area Cedar Valley Sustainable Farm. These organizations are more likely to offer year-round subscriptions and can provide various cuts of chicken, beef, and pork, eggs, and possibly milk or cheese. Supplemented with a produce CSA or order from a delivery system, you can almost cut out a trip to the supermarket entirely.

You may not be ready to purchase nine months of produce by subscribing to a CSA, but most organizations offer smaller commitments, and in the end you can save money buying organic produce directly from the farmers than through large grocery stores. If you aren’t ready to go full swing and sign up with a traditional CSA for your New Years resolution, start out small and order a week’s worth of goods from a service that offers produce baskets sourced from local growers. You’ll taste the difference and that will be all you’ll need to make the change, for this year and the rest to come.

Search your area for CSA’s and other fresh produce delivery options at Local Harvest.