It's sprouting up all over the place!

It's been quite a week out promoting the Portland Urban Farming 2009 event at People's Co-op next week. It's been so exciting to be in places like the People's Farmer's Market last week handing out flyers and seeing this spark in people's eyes when they realize what I'm talking about. So many of you get it about this local agriculture thing and growing food in the city. Yes!

As our own Farmer K said recently, urban farming is sprouting up everywhere.

I want to thank some of the wonderful businesses and business owners I ran into last week that really get what this is about, and were so helpful and encouraging about making this event happen. Most of them need no introduction, like the people at People's Co-op, who greenlighted this event and made it happen in the course of about two weeks when they learned what we are trying to do.

But then there are some others you may not have heard of yet. These are people that are trying to do something a little different in a humble way, and deserve your patronage.

First of all, the amazing folks at Camera Graphics who whipped out the flyers for the event at light speed. Thank you!!

My friends at Steiner Storehouse on SE Division where you'll find the most amazing collection of Biodynamic agriculture books anywhere.

Also my friends at Blackrose Infoshop on Mississippi where they are having a 50% off sale this week. Blackrose is a collective that runs a lending library, resale book and other cool stuff store.

The folks at Mirador Community Store at SE Division and 21st where you will find all kinds of cool things from kitchenware to prayer flags.

And the guys at A Better Cycle a block east on Division, who are a worker owned and collectively run used bicycle shop.

I have also run into so many friends and people I know that I have missed so much while traveling around Oregon in search of agricultural enlightenment these last two years. It is so good to be back in the City of Roses.

I have just put a link on the CSA page of the website that has the 2009 CSA Summer Share Info that I have been sending out individually to some of you. If you know anyone that you think would be a good fit for what I'm trying to do with my CSA, please pass it on to them. It's looking like I will likely be full for the Summer season in 2-3 weeks. If you feel like Calliope's Table is just the flavor of CSA that you're looking for and you have a challenge with that timing, please get in touch with me anyway. To the extent I am able, I am more interested in finding the right people who get what I'm doing, than any rigid dates, etc.

If you're planning on attending the urban farming event at People's next week, I encourage you to get there a bit early. It's likely we will have more people than room based on the response we've been getting. I hope to see you there!

Peace and peas,
Calliope