Organizations in Baja Arizona are welcome to list their local food and sustainable agriculture workshops, events and celebrations here. Send information to Calendar Listings.
2012 Calendar of Events
February 4, 2012 - Creating Simple Soups, Bisbee, AZ Join the Bisbee Farmers Market's Choices Booth for an educational demonstration on making simple soups. Time: 11:00 am. Location: Bisbee Farmers Market (Vista Park in the Warren Section).
February 8, 2012 - Straw Bale Gardening
Water Wise teaches how to build a waist-high vegetable garden that will be ready to plant with just a few hours of simple construction. Presenter: Cado Daily. Location: Ecoasis, 54 Brewery Ave, Old Bisbee. Time: 5:30 to 7:00pm. Questions? Contact the Bisbee Water Wise Office at 520-366-8148 or waterwise.arizona.edu
February 11, 2012 - Sprouting Class, Bisbee, AZ Join the Bisbee Farmers Market's Choices Booth for an informal class on sprouting at home. Time: 11:00 am. Location: Bisbee Farmers Market (Vista Park in the Warren Section).
February 11, 2012 - Fermentation Workshop, Bean Tree Farm, Tucson, AZ
Bean Tree Farm offers a fermentation workshop. Learn how to make Kombucha, Kvas, Kimchi, Prickly Pear Borscht and more. Bean Tree Farm is a 20-acre saguaro/ironwood forest conservation area and an ecological community. Cost: $60. See www.beantreefarm.com for more information or to register.
February 12, 2012 – “Deconstructing Supper” Movie Showing, Tucson, AZ
The GMO Free Project of Tucson, in conjunction with the St. Francis Sunday Night at the Movies, will present a free, open-to-the-public Film Screening of “Deconstructing Supper.” The short movie is about an acclaimed chef who learns about the disadvantages of modern industrial food production, including Genetically Modified foods, and investigates the advantages of organic farming, which helps preserve the natural biodiversity of crops. Potluck at 5:30 p.m. with film to begin at 6 p.m. and discussion to follow. Location: St. Francis at the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road. See gmofreetucson.org for more info.
February 17-18, 2012 - New Mexico Organic Farming Conference, Albuquerque, NM
The 2012 New Mexico Organic Farming Conference includes over 30 sessions taught by experienced organic producers and experts in the field, a keynote by Bu Nygrens (co-owner and Purchasing Manager of Veritable Vegetable, located in San Francisco, California), delicious organic and local meals/snacks, and much more. See http://www.farmtotablenm.org/fts/category/conference-workshops-trainings/ for a detailed schedule and further information.
February 18, 2012 - Spring Greens Class, Bisbee, AZ Join the Bisbee Farmers Market's Choices Booth for information on spring greens and how to use them. Time: 11:00 am. Location: Bisbee Farmers Market (Vista Park in the Warren Section). February 21, 2012 - Arizona Farmers' Market Nutrition Program Training, Tucson, AZ The Arizona Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) gives people an opportunity to buy fresh, locally grown fruits/vegetables directly from the growers using special vouchers. Growers who have attended this training and complete an agreement may accept these vouchers as a form of payment and deposit them into the bank. If you grow fruits/vegetables in Arizona and want to participate in the program, you are encouraged to attend. If you have already attended training but your agreement has expired, you must attend the training and complete a new agreement. Please note that every participating Farmers’ Market must have a trained Market Manager. No formal registration is needed for the class, but you must RSVP by contacting Allison at allison.giles@azdhs.gov or 602-542-0389 with your name and the date that you will attend. Time: 1 to 3pm. Location: Community Food Bank, Punch Woods Multi-Service Center, Lew Murphy Conference Room (3003 S Country Club Drive, Tucson 85713).
February 21, 2012 - Companion Planting, Tucson
Master Gardener Kim Nelson will discuss companion planting as part of the February Tucson Organic Gardeners meeting. Meet and greet at 7:00pm, program starts at 7:30pm. Location: St. Marks Presbyterian Church, Geneva Hall, 3809 E 2nd Street. Free. See tucsonorganicgardeners.org for more information.
February 25, 2012 - Seed Starting Class, Bisbee, AZ Join the Bisbee Farmers Market's Choices Booth for an informal class on starting seeds. Time: 11:00 am. Location: Bisbee Farmers Market (Vista Park in the Warren Section).
February 28, 2012 - Investing as if Food, Farms and Fertility Mattered Workshop, Elgin, AZ
Cultivate Santa Cruz announces an upcoming seminar featuring Woody Tasch of Slow Money and a panel of Santa Cruz food producers. The workshop will address the following questions: Could there ever be an alternative stock exchange dedicated to slow, small, and local? Could a million American families get their food from CSAs? What if you had to invest 50 percent of your assets within 50 miles of where you live? Such questions—at the heart of slow money—represent the first steps on our path to a new economy. Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money presents an essential new strategy for investing in local food systems and introduces a group of fiduciary activists who are exploring what should come after industrial finance and industrial agriculture. Leading the charge is Woody Tasch—whose decades of work as a venture capitalist, foundation treasurer, and entrepreneur now shed new light on a truer, more beautiful, more prudent kind of fiduciary responsibility. Cost: $30. More information can be found and tickets can be purchased at www.investlocallyaz.eventbrite.com.
February 29, 2012 - Producer Conference
Join the Pima County Food Systems Alliance and the Community Food Bank for a conference geared toward regional agriculture producers leaping toward the vision of a ‘community-based food systemʼ. The day at Tanque Verde Ranch includes breakfast and lunch and the following sessions:
• Learning from noted national food systems analyst Ken Meter's revealing study of our region.
• Funding possibilities, including Slow Money innovator Woody Tasch
• Ideas and examples of collaboration, including cooperative experts Luis Sierra & Robin Seldyn
• Building your practices, including the latest in arid lands seeds, soil and resource management
• Potential challenges and opportunities, including policy landscape and market
March 3, 2012 - Spring Tucson Organic Gardening Fair, Tucson
10:30am to 3:30pm, St. Marks Presbyterian Church's Community Garden, 3809 E 2nd Street
Multiple vendors will offer a wide selection of organically grown vegetable and herb starts, native flowering plants, organic gardening amendments and supplies, compost bins and cranks. The event will also include information on gardening and composting and a trade show of local, environmentally conscious businesses. See tucsonorganicgardeners.org for more information.
March 6, 2012 - Farm to Market Meeting, Sierra Vista, AZ Learn how to connect to distribution hubs and market your products to larger distributors who sell locally, regionally, and nationally. There will representatives from the USDA to discuss current funding opportunities, the AZ Farm Bureau, and Whole Foods, among others. Tailored specifically for Cochise County growers. Sponsored by Cochise College, the US Small Business Administration, and the Arizona Small Business Development Center. Time: 9am to 11am. Location: Cochise College Community Room, Sierra Vista. To register, or for more information, please contact Rachel Norton at (520) 515-5478 or nortonr@cohcise.edu.
March 10 - Composting Class, Tucson
10am to noon, St. Marks Presbyterian Church's Community Garden, 3809 E 2nd Street
Learn how to turn your food and yard waste into a rich garden amendment. Sponsored by the Tucson Organic Gardeners. See tucsonorganicgardeners.org for more information.
March 17 - Beginning Gardening Class, Tucson
10am to noon, St. Marks Presbyterian Church's Community Garden, 3809 E 2nd Street
Tucson Organic Gardeners teachs a beginning gardening class covering topics such as choosing the best garden site, checking soil drainage and pH, preparing soil and adding amendments, deciding which plants to grow, selecting plant starts or growing from seed, mulching, watering, and what garden maintenance to expect. TOG members attending the class and new members joining at the class will receive a 10% discount off gardening supplies (compost bins, cranks, soil amendments). Please call 670-9158 if you plan to come.
March 20 - Placing Your Garden in the Landscape, Tucson
Dan Dorsey of hte Sonoran Permaculture Guild will discuss how to locate your garden by observing the natural and human patterns and processes in your yard. This program is part of the January Tucson Organic Gardeners meeting. Meet and greet at 7:00pm, program starts at 7:30pm. Location: St. Marks Presbyterian Church, Geneva Hall, 3809 E 2nd Street. Free. See tucsonorganicgardeners.org for more information.
April 18, 2012 - Introduction to Sprouting Class, Tucson, AZ (6:00 to 7:00pm)
Join Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture and Wanda Poindexter to learn Sprouting: The Art of Gardening in a Jar. Taste various types of sprouts, learn how economical it is to grow organic sprouts right in your own kitchen, and leave with all the materials you need to get started (please bring two clean 16-32 ounce glass jars). Taught by Wanda Poindexter, who has been sprouting for many years. Location: The Tasteful Kitchen, 722 North Stone Avenue (south of University Avenue and just north of Economy Restaurant Supply). Time: 6:00 to 7:00pm (please arrive by 5:45pm). Cost: $5 for BASA members, $10 for non-members (or $25 for the class and a one-year BASA membership). Advance registration required. Contact Meghan at meghan.mix[at]bajaaz.org or 520-331-9821 for further information or to register.
April 26, 2012 - Cholla Bud and Nopalito Harvesting Workshop, Tucson, AZ
Join Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture and Flor de Mayo to learn how to harvest, process, and cook with cholla buds and nopalitos, both traditional foods of the native peoples of the Sonoran desert. Cholla buds are a superfood with high available calcium and complex carbohydrates that help balance blood sugar levels and provide sustained energy. Nopalitos (prickly pear pads) are high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and calcium, and also help balance blood sugar levels (great for diabetics!). Taught by Martha Burgess, ethnobotanist and herbalist. Location: TBD. Time: 7:30 to 10:30am. Cost: $35 for BASA members, $40 for non-members (or $55 for the workshop and a one-year BASA membership). Advance registration required. Contact Meghan at meghan.mix[at]bajaaz.org or 520-331-9821 for further information or to register.
Thursdays, May 3 to June 7, 2012 - Menu for the Future Discussion Course, Tucson, AZ
Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture offers the Northwest Earth Institute's Menu for the Future Class, a 6-session discussion course that analyzes the connection between food and sustainability. The goals of the course are to explore food systems and their impact on culture, society, and ecology; to gain insight into agricultural and individual practices that promote personal and ecological well-being; and to consider your role in creating or supporting sustainable food systems. Topics covered include:
• What's Eating America (explores the effects of modern industrial eating habits on culture, society and ecological systems).
• Anonymous Food (considers the ecological and economic impacts that have accompanied the changes in how we grow and prepare food).
• Farming for the Future (examines emerging food system alternatives, highlighting sustainable growing practices, the benefits of small
farms and urban food production, and how individuals can make choices that lead to a more sustainable food supply).
• You Are What You Eat (considers the influences that shape our choices and food policies from the fields to Capitol Hill, and the implications for our health and well-being).
• Toward a Just Food System (explores the role that governments, communities and individuals can play in addressing hunger, equity, and Fair Trade to create a more just food system).
• Choices for Change (offers inspiration and practical advice in taking steps to create more sustainable food systems).
How it Works: Prior to each meeting, participants read short selections from the course book relating to one of the topics listed above (book is provided as part of class fee). Each gathering consists of open conversation regarding the readings. Dialogue from a wide range of perspectives and learning through self-discovery are encouraged. While each session is facilitated by one of the course participants, there is no formal teacher.
The Details:
• Dates/Time: Weekly meetings occur each Thursday, May 3 to June 7, from 6:30 to 8pm. Participants must attend all sessions.
• Location: central Tucson.
• Cost (for course book): $25 BASA members, $30 non-members (or $45 for course and a one-year BASA membership).
• Registration: Advance registration is required. Contact Meghan at meghan.mix[at]bajaaz.org or 520-331-9821 for additional information or to register.
June 2, 2012 - Solar Cookoff, Bisbee, AZ
Join Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture and the Bisbee Farmers Market for their annual Solar Cookoff event. Activities will include solar cooking demonstrations and sampling as well as solar ovens and accessories for sale. Stay tuned for further information! Location: Bisbee Farmers Market (in Vista Park in the Warren District). Hours: 10am to 1pm.
June 16, 2012 - Bean Tree Workshop, Bean Tree Farm, Tucson, AZ
Bean Tree Farm teaches how to harvest, sprout, cook, & store palo verde, ironwood, and mesquite beans. Bean Tree Farm is a 20-acre saguaro/ironwood forest conservation area and an ecological community. Cost: $50. See www.beantreefarm.com for more information or to register.
July 14, 2012- Saguaro Workshop, Bean Tree Farm, Tucson, AZ
Learn how to harvest Saguaro fruit and make syrup, tequila liqueur, and dried fruit with Bean Tree Farm. Bean Tree Farm is a 20-acre saguaro/ironwood forest conservation area and an ecological community. Cost: $50. See www.beantreefarm.com for more information or to register.
August 18 - Prickly Pear Workshop, Bean Tree Farm, Tucson, AZ
Learn how to harvest, prepare prickly pear fruit and nopales (pads) and make ferments and concentrates with Bean Tree Farm, a 20-acre saguaro/ironwood forest conservation area and an ecological community. Cost: $50. See www.beantreefarm.com for more information or to register.
Baja Arizona Sustainable Agriculture
520.331.9821 | PO Box 40935, Tucson AZ 85717
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