from elaine
PRESIDENT of LEAF
Your Community-Powered Volunteer Organization
I have some great news to share. We have a new Community Coordinator at the LEAF Center. YAY!
Lacy, whom you’ll get to know in a moment, began working with us in February. She has come up to speed very quickly and has already reached out to many of you who were interested in renting a planter at the LEAF Center. If we missed you, please contact Lacy at LEAFCenter@fremontleaf.org.
LEAF Center will be open to the general public the first and third Sunday of each month from 11am to 2pm. Come meet Lacy and the LEAF Center Team as they show you around our new community garden. For March, our open garden dates fall on March 5th and March 19th.
Thanks to all of you who waited patiently for the new planters to become available. It took much longer than we anticipated to transition from our old LEAF Center location to this amazing new facility. We had to get the irrigation system working, the soil tested and screened, and our customer management system in place. Most importantly, we needed to hire someone who shares our enthusiasm and vision for the LEAF Center. Checklist complete! Today, gardens are growing and we couldn't be happier!
LEAF Center inside California Nursery Historical Park, Fremont, CA.
Meet
Lacy
COMMUNITY
COORDINATOR
How did you find out about LEAF?
My parent’s have been volunteering at LEAF for several years now and I have always wanted to join in on the fun.
Syndee, our Beekeeper and Worm/Cold Composter at Stone Garden, is Lacy's mom. Jerry, who serves on our board of directors as Infrastructure/Project Manager, is Lacy's dad.
Tell the community about your new role at LEAF.
I am the Community Coordinator for the new LEAF Center. I am here to assist our gardeners and maintain the day-to-day operations. I will also be hosting "open garden” hours at LEAF Center. We're still experimenting with dates and times that will be the best for our renters and the public. But, for now, we decided on the 1st and 3rd Sunday of every month from 11am to 2pm.
What excites you the most about working with LEAF?
I’m excited to develop the LEAF Center into an active vibrant community garden. I can’t wait to see every planter flourishing with organically grown greens, pollinator foods, and herbs. I'm also looking forward to introducing new garden activities like produce exchanges as well as arts and community events.
Tell us about your educational and/or professional background.
I have dabbled in a bit of everything. I started as an Art Teacher for the City of Fremont, then was a Pre- School Teacher for 10 years. I love the outdoors, so I worked at Any Mountain as a Merchandising Manager. I am currently a practicing artist and work at a t-shirt print and embroidery shop.
What are some of your favorite activities?
I love plants and playing in the dirt. I enjoy hiking on the beach as well as camping and waterfalls! I like to do all types of painting from portraits to murals, and making crafts from sewing to bird houses.
What types of gardening do you enjoy?
I love to work with all types of plants from miniature gardens to larger flower gardens. In the past, I had a 10’ x 20’ garden full of veggies, flowers, and even a miniature pumpkin patch.
Any upcoming gardening projects?
I would like to plant a pollinator friendly garden and look forward to doing some partner planting to experiment with natural methods of pest control.
Lastly, If you could have the whole world's attention, what might you say?
We need to work together!
We're glad you asked!
Our planters are available to our community via a special Community Gardener Membership that includes year-long access to a wonderful gardening experience! Just imagine preparing salads and meals using produce that you planted and harvested yourself! Trust us. It's a wonderful experience and we're excited to share it with you. We'll even help you choose just the right fruits, vegetables, and herbs that thrive in each of our growing seasons.
While our planters are limited in number, we want to make sure you get just the one you want. To get started, head on over to our Planter Inquiry page. Here, you can express your interest in a planter by completing a short questionnaire. When you're done, just submit it and we'll get back to you very soon.
How Well Do You Know Your Produce?
Q&A Courtesy of New York Times
Q: Is it healthier to eat onions cooked or raw?
A: Onions supply more beneficial compounds called thiosulfinates when raw, said Alexander Michels, a research associate at the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University who studies micronutrients. One 2012 study showed that the heat from cooking broke down those compounds, especially when the onions were crushed or chopped beforehand. And a 2016 review found that boiling onions led to a decrease in antioxidants compared with other methods.
On the other hand, the 2016 review noted that most cooking methods, including sautéing and baking, increased the flavonoid — or antioxidant — levels in onions, especially if they were cooked with lower heat, and for just five minutes or less. But because raw onions also contain antioxidants, Dr. Michels said, eating them raw seems to give you a slight nutritional edge.
We know your dirty little secret.
You love gardening!
At Talkin' DIRT, we've created a safe space for you to talk openly about your passion for gardening—things your friends just wouldn't understand. We get you. And we're hear to help!
Join our online gathering of gardeners on the first Wednesday
of each month from 7PM to 8PM. You can talk about soil, compost, cover crops . . . whatever you'd like. Don't worry.
We won't tell anyone.
Our next meetings are . . .
WEDNESDAYs Mar 1 & Apr 5
MORE INFO at fremontleaf.org/talkindirt
REGISTER AT fremontleaf.org/EVENTS
Lazy Saturdays?
Get BUSY as a LEAF volunteer! On the 2nd Saturday of every month from 9am to noon, your help is needed to help us tackle projects that benefit from a group effort. Be a part of a community helping a community.
More info at fremontleaf.org/volunteer.
Sign up info at fremontleaf.org/events.
Our next volunteer works day are . . .
SATURDAY MAR 11 & APR 8 and
Every Monday and Thursday morning from 9am to 10:30am, you are invited to bring us donations of fresh fruit from your trees to the LEAF C.R. Stone Garden. Your donations will be added to the volumes of produce we grow and deliver to our food banks to help out our friends and neighbors.
Your donations in 2023: 166 lbs
Here's what's growing in the neighborhood!
LEAF CR Stone Garden is located behind the Mission Valley Veterinary Clinic at 55 Mowry Ave. More info at at fremontleaf.org/glean.
On January 1st, our carrot meter was reset. Our efforts to fill the shelves of our local food banks are still going strong. As you read this, our produce is being planted, nurtured, and harvested. If you'd like to be a part of our volunteer gardening team, contact us at volunteer@fremontleaf.org.
DONATIONS YTD: 219 lbs.
Food Bank Donations
