MOSAIC GARDEN NEWS AND UPDATES

Happy Earth Day to all of our supporters, gardeners, volunteers and to those who care about gardens (and our planet)!

 

Memberships are NOW Due!

 

If you have not done so already, please take a few moments to fill out a membership packet and send your membership fee sooner than later so you can start growing at the gardens on Opening Day(s)!   2016-garden-plot-registration, 2016-mosaic-membership-application, clt-demographic-survey-individuals-1-19-16 (1)

 

…Already Completed Your Paperwork?…

 

To those who have completed all of the necessary documents and paid the membership fees, WE THANK YOU!  Garden bed location and plot assignments will be sent out no later than Thursday, May 12, 2016.  This will allow for our “later-bloomers” to sign up and be added to the plot assignment list. Please be patient as we want as many families as possible to be a part of the gardens and the beginning process of growing great garden goodies…mmmm, we can almost taste the tomatoes!

 

Additional Community Garden Details and Opening Dates

 

A “blueprint” of the garden will be sent to every gardener providing a layout of the land and the location of everyone’s specific garden plot(s).  Each plot will be numbered and last name written on the assigned plot accordingly.  A gardener’s guide will be included in the email for your review in order to learn more about the gardens prior to opening day.

 

Speaking of opening day…

 

Our first planting days are Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Yippee! 

 

Each day, we will provide a brief tour at each garden location, learn how to open and close the gardens each visit, discuss the importance of your log entries each time you visit the garden and harvest vegetables, resolve any incomplete membership packets and answer any questions you may have about gardening.  At that point, it will be TIME TO PLANT!

 

Plants and seeds will be provided to each gardener and support will be offered in order for you and your neighbors to have your best growing season yet!

 

Composting Workshop Rescheduled

 

Our next garden workshop, “Breaking Down: Composting Basics” scheduled for Tuesday, April 26, has been RESCHEDULED – Wednesday, May 11, 2016 at the 615 Chestnut Street Community Gardens from 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM.

 

Our Home Garden Contest is Also Near – Enter Today!

 

Home Garden Contest

Mosaic’s Annual Home Garden Contest is underway!  Contest details, categories and a list of awesome prizes can be viewed athttp://www.homegardencontest.com/. This year, you can enter the contest online!  Kudos, to The Pottstown Mercury Fit for Life, the Pottstown Health and Wellness Foundation, Colonial Garden, Pine Hill Tree Farms, Achin’ Bank, the Pottstown Garden Club and others for your support!

Another Note of Thanks!

Mosaic wants to also thank Genesis Housing, Pottstown School District, XL Insurance, our private supporters and other volunteers for your continued support of our community garden and land trust initiatives!

Donating Made Easy – Use AmazonSmile

Don’t forget, 

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.  Preservation Pottstown (our 501c3 registered name, also known as Mosaic CLT) is now available as your charitable organization on Amazon Smile!  The AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from your eligible AmazonSmile purchases. The purchase price is the amount paid for the item minus any rebates and excluding shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes, or service charges. Use smile.amazon.com and choose Preservation Pottstown as your designated non-profit organization you wish to donate to!

 

‘Nough Said…for now.  Visit our Facebook page to take a look at all of our recent activity buzzin’ around our community gardens over the past few weeks!  Share your love of the gardens by sharing our posts on Facebook with all of your friends and family!

 

HAPPY EARTH DAY! – now get out there and plant a tree, or a bean plant, or an herb, or a vegetable, or a…..you get the idea! 🙂

MOSAIC Community Gardens Upcoming Workshops

Tuesday, April 12 6-7 PM at the 423 Garden location 

Mulch, No Till, Just Thrill Gardening – Learn how to use everyday household items such as newspaper or cardboard as mulch and the great benefits in doing so.

 

Tuesday, April 26 6-7 PM at the 615 Garden location

Breaking Down Composting Basics – Learn how to compost on a large and small scale and learn how to tell when the compost is ready to use.

Please reply to wash5000@msn.com if you are planning to attend either of the two absolutely-FREE workshops.  Bring the kids and other family members, you are sure to have a fun, informative time! 

iCreate Cafe – The People Chronicles

iCreate Cafe
Ashraf Khalil’s journey brought him, not just from Syria, but through a battle with cancer to wellness and a vegan lifestyle. He has his career and shares not just recipes but his technical skills.

Lancaster City Council Approves Vegan Bar

Come mid-May, Lancaster city should have its first vegan bar and restaurant.

City council on Tuesday unanimously approved a liquor license transfer that paves the way for restaurateur Rob Garpstas to open root (The “r” is lower case) at 223 West Walnut Street.

Council approved the transfer following a brief public hearing that included a recommendation from Mayor Rick Gray for approval. No one opposed the transfer, which had been in Ruby Tuesday Inc.’s name, but was being held in safekeeping by the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board.

Gray wondered if there were many vegan bars around. Vegans do not eat or use animal products.

Read more:

http://lancasteronline.com/news/local/lancaster-city-council-approves-vegan-bar/article_82e16b44-d288-11e4-81c1-3fe7a453c3cd.html

iCreate Café Draws People To Pottstown With Healthy, Plant-Based Meals

Pottstown, PA – “Vegiterranean” might not be an official word in the dictionary but it’s the word iCreate Café owner Ashraf Khalil uses to describe his dishes that are a combination of vegetarian and Mediterranean food.

The café at 130 King St. may seem like just another building from the outside but once customers walk in, they are greeted with a variety of colors, comfortable couches and plenty of seating. The small café does a lot with a little including also being a computer training center. But in recent years, it’s been the vegetarian fare that keeps people coming back.

Khalil, or Ash as most customers know him, said Mediterranean fare uses a lot of legumes such as chickpeas, fava beans and lentils. As a native of Syria, he grew up on dishes that included more plant-based foods than meat. He said there were very little animal sources in meals, partly because it’s very expensive to buy overseas.

“That’s one of the reasons we love hummus. We grew up eating it back in Syria, not knowing it has all this protein but because it’s cheap and affordable,” he said during a recent cooking demonstration at the café.

Read more:

http://www.pottsmerc.com/lifestyle/20150323/icreate-cafxe9-draws-people-to-pottstown-with-healthy-plant-based-meals

Naturi Startup Of Pittsburgh Created Out Of Desire For Better Yogurt

Aditya Dhere and Anes Dracic got their idea for a yogurt company when they couldn’t find what they wanted on supermarket shelves.

The recent MBA graduates of Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business ate a lot of yogurt and enjoyed making up recipes with fruit and nuts, but they wanted an organic, high-protein option.

“By being both active and engaged in physical activities … (we) thought, ‘Hey, why not give food a try and change the landscape a bit?’ ” Dracic said. “So we came up with our own brand.”

Naturi, based in the Strip District, was incorporated in February. The pair envision their yogurt as an artisanal alternative to Stonyfield, Chobani, Fage and Yoplait Greek yogurts filling grocery shelves. It tastes better, they said, because it is made with milk from grass-fed cows.

Read more: http://triblive.com/news/adminpage/7894091-74/yogurt-naturi-company#ixzz3UfoQBUi1
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

Valentine’s Day At iCreate Cafe In Pottstown

This Saturday at 7:00pm
Originals with Michael Reddy
Make it a Special Valentine’s Day

For more information: http://www.icreatecafe.org   

Call for reservations (484) 312-0404

York Schools Get Creative With Cafeteria Food

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting York County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  How refreshing to see that there are efforts being made to introduce children to foods other than chicken nuggets and pizza. Great step toward changing a culture that has spawned a childhood obesity epidemic.

Second-grader Tyler Keely thought the pomegranate seeds he popped into his mouth tasted like another fruit altogether.

“It tastes like apple juice but in a gummy,” he said.

Tyler and his classmates at Mount Wolf Elementary School paused their normal classroom lessons this week for a visit from cafeteria manager Wendy Garman, bearing sample-size cups of pomegranate seeds, which she described as looking like “ruby red kernels of corn.”

Before trying the arils, or seeds, the students saw pictures of where the fruit grows in Arizona and California, and passed around a whole fruit and one that was already sliced to see the inside.

Read more: http://www.yorkdispatch.com/breaking/ci_26655979/york-schools-get-creative-cafeteria-veggies

Eat Fresh At Saturday’s MOSAIC Community Garden Party In Pottstown

POTTSTOWN, PA — The local community garden will show how easy vegetable crops can go from the ground to the dining table.

The MOSAIC Land Trust is hosting a garden party at their new 615 Chestnut St. community garden on Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m.

The party will include music, resources on healthy living and fresh vegetables from the garden.

“We are going to do a healthy garden to grill event,” said Laura Washington, garden manager.

Read more: http://www.pottsmerc.com/lifestyle/20140716/eat-fresh-at-saturdays-community-garden-party-in-pottstown

Upcoming Mosaic Community Land Trust Events

These events are listed on the monthly activity calendars found on the Calendars/Documents/Forms page on their website. This post is providing detailed information on each event.

Wednesday, March 12, 2014 – 5:15 – 8:00 PM

Brookside County Club

850 N. Adams Street

Pottstown, PA 19464

“March into Healthy Eating” Event

The Healthy Woman program at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center will hold a “March into Healthy Eating” event on Wednesday, March 12th at Brookside Country Club from 5:15 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. This event will feature an informative evening of food, facts, and fun ways to eat green. Tickets are priced at $15 per person.

Scott Bailey, Director of Food and Nutritional Services at Pottstown Memorial Medical Center will present “30 Days to Green Your Diet,” and the benefits of adding something green to every meal. In addition, Laura Washington who represents the MOSAIC Community Land Trust Gardens in Pottstown, will present the benefits of buying local and green.

For more information or to register, visit the HEALTHY WOMAN EVENTS page or call (610) 327-7699.

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Thursday, March 27, 2014 – 6:00 – 7:30 PM

MOSAIC Community Land Trust

10 S Hanover Street

Pottstown, PA 19464

Board Meeting

Open to those who wish to learn more or share ideas regarding the MOSAIC Community Land Trust and the Community Gardens in our area.

Please send an email using the “contact us” page on our website to let us know of your plans to attend the meeting: mosaicclt.org

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Saturday, March 29, 2014 – 5:00 – 8:00 PM

MOSAIC Community Land Trust

10 S Hanover Street

Pottstown, PA 19464

Community Garden Social

Please plan to attend this fun and educational event! We will uncover what it is like to be on the land trust board, or a member of one of the MOSAIC’s productive committees!  If you have ever considered volunteering for a non-profit now is the time! There are great things happening (large and small) by way of the land trust that have long-lasting, positive impacts in our community!

Make plans to attend the Social to find out more about the amazing opportunities!

Please send an email using the “contact us” page on our website to let us know of your plans to attend the social: mosaicclt.org

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Friday, April 22, 2014 – 6:00 PM

Pottstown Public Library

500 E High Street

Pottstown, PA 19464

Small Space Gardening Workshop

Learn the basics in household gardening and fresh ideas on how to maximize your small garden space to reap a hearty and healthy harvest through this interactive workshop!

Make plans to ATTEND this FREE event!

Please send an email using the “contact us” page on our website to let us know of your plans to attend the social: mosaicclt.org

Open Buffet At iCreate Cafe October 23rd

Mark this date in your calendar:  5 pm Wednesday 10/23

Come celebrate with Ash on his Birthday

Open Buffet Dinner for the first time in iCreate Cafe

15$ tickets – 5-8 pm 

Menu and Off-Menu items, deserts & drinks.. 

Reservation Only to minimize the waste .. 

Meet new Friends and enjoy the evening !! 

Website:  http://www.icreatecafe.org/

Thanks for supporting our cafe by sharing this special event ..

iCreate Café, Pottstown’s Healthy Oasis

I had the pleasure of dining at iCreate Café last night with two very good friends.  It was my first visit, but certainly not my last!

The café is at 130 King Street, Pottstown.  It’s the block between Hanover and York Streets.  iCreate is diagonally across the street from the Salvation Army, so it is very easy to find.

My friends were anxious for me to experience iCreate and to meet the owner, Ashraf (Ash) Khalil.  Walking in I immediately knew I would like this place.  The vibe is definitely chill.  It’s decorated colorfully and casually, making one feel right at home.  The owner, Ash, is very friendly and gave me a tour of the café and computer training center before we were seated.

We brought along a nice bottle of wine, which Ash opened up for us and poured into glasses while we looked over the menu.  The cuisine is vegetarian/vegan and a number of gluten-free items are on the menu as well.

My friends recommended getting a sampler platter on the first visit, which I did.  They have eaten there many times and already have their favorites.  There are several sample platters to choose from.  Mine came with Hummus, Baba Ghannoj, fava bean salad, Debes and pita bread.  My friends ordered several things to share including stuffed grape leaves, Baba Ghannoj and Fattah.  Everything was fantastic.  The entire meal was expertly prepared, delicious and HEALTHY!

The prices are VERY reasonable.  The most expensive menu items are $12.00.  We also had dessert, which was very good.

The website is very well done so you can get a good sense of what to expect before you get there.  The menu is online.  Looking over it again I started a mental list of things I want to try on future visits.

This locally owned and operated business is a refreshing change of pace for Pottstown diners who are drowning in a sea of chain restaurants, pizza and Chinese food.  There is nothing like this place in the Greater Pottstown area, that I am aware of.  The owner also owns a home in Pottstown which in my book makes him somebody who walks the talk.  Give iCreate a try, you won’t be sorry!  We give two Roy’s Rant’s thumbs up!

Address:  130 King Street, Pottstown PA

Phone:      484 312 0404

Internet:   http://www.icreatecafe.org/

Hours of operation are:

Monday: Closed 

Tue, Wed, Thu: 10am – 9 pm​

Fri & Sat: 10 am – 9pm ​

Sun: 10 am – 6 pm

Art Blossoms In MOSAIC Community Garden Summer Program

Pottstown, Pa – Campers at the Pottstown branch of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club are learning about fresh, organic vegetables while keeping their creativity humming in a unique summer program at the MOSAIC Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown.

About twenty campers, aged 10-12 years old, are participating in the six-week program.  One morning each week they walk from the Ricketts Center to the garden, where they spend a couple of hours working on an art project and caring for their organization’s two plots as well as the communal plots around the perimeter of the garden.  So far the children have painted benches in whimsical colors, learned how to use binoculars from a birding expert, and painted birdhouses to take home.  They have also taken home collard greens and had the chance to sample blueberries and cherry tomatoes while watering the many plants being grown around the perimeter of the garden.

Funding for the program, which was designed by Pottstown resident Hannah Davis, is being provided by Susquehanna Bank through Genesis Housing Corporation.  Ms. Davis is teaching the art classes along with Natalie Cyphers.

“We’re grateful to Susquehanna and Judy Memberg of Genesis for making it possible for us to offer programming in our first year of operating the garden,” said David Jackson, president of MOSAIC.  “We want young people especially to experience the benefits of gardening and the arts.”

The remaining three workshops will focus on the life cycle of butterflies and making butterfly mobiles, creating mosaic tile stepping-stones for the garden, and making pizzas at the Ricketts Center with ingredients picked fresh from the garden.

The MOSAIC Community Garden is owned and operated by MOSAIC Community Land Trust, which is seeking additional community garden sites for 2013 in order to expand the supply of fresh vegetables and healthy lifestyle choices for Pottstown residents.  Support for acquisition and construction of the garden came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust (CLT) has an office and art gallery at 10 S. Hanover Street in downtown Pottstown.  They welcome donations in support of their mission to increase homeownership, develop community gardens, and support the arts in Pottstown.  Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust, Pottstown – Registration April 28, May 5, May 12

Pottstown, PA, 4/23/2012 — Mosaic Community Land Trust is holding registration and orientation for new members of its community garden at 423 Chestnut Street on the following Saturdays: April 28, May 5, and May 12 from 9 AM to 12 PM at the garden.  On May 5th gardeners will be able to choose the plants they would like in their own plot, and the plants will be delivered to the garden on May 12, which will be a day for planting.

There are plots still available for this season.  Plot rates are $25 for households with incomes below $30,000; those with incomes above this level will pay $50.  Groups and organizations can plant a plot for a flat $100.00 season fee.  In addition to offering families a safe place to grow healthy, organic food, this fee includes the choice of plants, water on-site, the use of Mosaic tools, workshops, and advice from experienced gardeners.  Children are welcome and the garden is available for field trips for students.

To apply and register for your plot or to set up a field trip, please contact Sue Repko at 609-658-9043 or srepko@mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or Mary-Beth Bacallao Lydon at flyeredup8831@gmail.com.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust was established in 2011 and is a registered 501 (c) 3 Non-Profit organization. MOSAIC Community Land Trust provides permanently affordable housing and healthy living choices to people of modest means, and through education and participation, creates a vital community with a focus on arts and culture to stabilize neighborhoods and improve the quality of life in Pottstown.