The Grain Project

Learn how to safely ferment your garden goodies in this upcoming public class! Hosted by the UCCE Master Food Preserver OC

You can grow an incredible amount of food in small spaces like neglected vacant lots, patios, plazas, planters, and rooftops. With so many individuals and families in Santa Ana (and across Orange County) who are considered 'food-insecure,' many with diabetes and other nutrition-related illnesses, and with many underutilized or entirely unused properties around, it makes so much sense for city and county officials to embrace and promote the establishment of micro-farms throughout. There are *many* successful models across the nation (and world) to draw from. Just a few of our favorites include the work of Boston area's The Food Project, the New Roots Community Farm organized by the International Rescue Committee in San Diego and Santa Cruz's Homeless Garden Project. Yes to communities growing food together, for each other. Yes to micro-farms!

Can Micro-Farms Take Root in Santa Ana? Santa Ana’s leaders have pledged to make micro-farms a larger part of the city’s landscape. But little has been done so far, and the experiences of other cities show it takes targeted support for urban agriculture to grow.

Get involved and become informed! See postings on community news and share other news related to community health, wellness, sustainability, and peace-building.

Are you curious about what is going on with the Salton Sea? There is a workshop being held in Irvine THIS THURSDAY hosted by the Salton Sea Initiative to discuss these issues and gather public comment.
The Salton Sea is shrinking, and in desperate need of a management solution. If no action is taken, there will be: large increases in wind-blown dust and “rotten-egg” smells, increases in respiratory disease and associated concerns, and significant impacts to migratory birds and other species.
This is a Southern California regional issue. Public outreach meetings are being held in Imperial, Coachella, Riverside, Orange, and Los Angeles Counties to provide information and receive community feedback. Come participate to learn how Salton Sea Management impacts Orange County.

Salton Sea Management Program Community Outreach Workshop
For members of the general public
Thursday, June 23rd, 5:30pm – 8pm
University Hills Community Center
1083 California Ave, Irvine, CA 92617
Speaker: Bruce Wilcox, Assistant Secretary for Salton Sea Policy
Introduced by Professor Tim Bradley, UC Irvine Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Event link: https://www.facebook.com/events/297377080602628/

Job Opportunity: Help advance an environmental justice agenda in our region as the Project Director of the newly formed Orange County Environmental Justice Project (OCEJP).
Application deadline: June 24, 2016
Women and people of color are especially encouraged to apply.

The Lemon Street Community Farm in Orange makes its debut! It's wonderful to see another community growing space sprouting up in OC, thanks to the collaboration between community members, our friends and organizers of Orange Home Grown Farmers & Artisans Market, and Chapman University! Read details and learn how you can support the efforts from the OCRegister article below.

Work begins on Orange Home Grown's Lemon Street Community Farm

"You can’t have a great or good city without a great or good park system." We agree!

From the Voice of OC: OC Remains a Place of Park Haves and Have Nots

"Irvine, the renowned master-planned community, ranked eighth among the nation’s 100 largest cities for the quantity and quality of its parkland according to the 2016 ParkScore Index, a report put out by The Trust for Public Land.

Meanwhile, notoriously park-poor Santa Ana came in at 83rd, and Anaheim ranked 65th, according to the report. No other Orange County city is among the top 100 nationwide in terms of population.

“You can’t have a great or good city without a great or good park system,” said Adrian Bonepe, the Senior Vice President of The Trust for Public Land."

Read more by clicking link below:

New Study Shows How OC Is a Place of Park Haves and Have Nots Irvine ranked eighth out of 100 big cities nationwide for the quality of its parkland, according to a study by The Trust for Public Land. Meanwhile, Anaheim and Santa Ana ranked 65th and 83rd, respectively.

Do you want to become a Master Food Preserver?

From UCCE Master Food Preserver OC:
New Certification Classes Begin September 2016

The next Master Food Preservation/Food Safety (MFP) certification class in Orange County is scheduled to begin Tuesday, September 6, 2016. Certification in the program requires completion of a 10 week food preservation/food safety training class with hands-on training, a weekly test, an oral presentation with demonstration and a final written exam. The class will be held on Tuesdays from 10:00 pm to 2:00 pm at the South Coast Research & Extension Center in Irvine.

The link to the application for the upcoming MFP class will be emailed out after the fourth of the four MFP Information Days (August 9). You must attend one of these Information Days in order to apply for the class. No exceptions. The MFP Information Days are scheduled for:

Tuesday, June 14th
Tuesday, July 19th
Tuesday, August 9th

The time for all three sessions is 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the South Coast Research & Extension Center. The address is 7601 Irvine Blvd, Irvine, CA 92618. Applications will need to be received in our office no later than August 11, 2016. Notifications will be made the week of August 15th.

Questions? Contact us at [email protected].

Master Food Preserver website: http://ucanr.edu/sites/MFPOC/

Download and view the newsletter here: http://mgorange.ucanr.edu/?newsitem=63478