Seed swap and farmer open house at UEC

Milwaukee Urban Gardens and Urban Ecology Center plan  seed swap

We’re going to seed! But we’re going to seed in a good way. Imagine a cookie exchange for gardeners, with packets of seeds swapping hands instead of batches of snickerdoodles. It’s nirvana for green thumbs, and the best idea since sliced bread for new and fledging growers.

The Urban Ecology Center and Milwaukee Urban Gardens are joining forces to host their first annual Spring Seed Swap, Saturday March 6, 1 to 2 p.m. at the Urban Ecology Center building at 1500 East Park Place, off Oakland Ave.

Milwaukee gardeners are encouraged to attend, bringing any extra seeds they collected from last year’s growing season to exchange for a bounty of new ones. MUG will provide lots of organic and heirloom seeds. We can only imagine the wealth of knowledge and experience that will be gathered and shared.

Meet your farmer at open house
Milwaukeeans looking to connect with a local farmer to buy vegetables, fruit, dairy, meat and other food directly have an opportunity to meet and learn from 24 area farmers at an open house Saturday, March 13 from noon to 4 p.m. at the Urban Ecology Center.

More and more of us are looking for ways to eat fresher food grown closer to home, due to a growing “buy local” ethos and a heightened concern about the safety of food in globalized production. Many of us look toward co-ops, farmer’s markets and CSA’s. Many of the farmers who operate CSA’s and go to markets are the same farmers who fill shelf space at the Outpost, and this is a wonderful opportunity for you to meet them. You know what they say: Know your farmer, know your food!

Last year, the open house at the UEC drew a crowd of 1,000 visitors. People are given a chance to talk to farmers about their production methods, varieties of food grown, and purchasing options. A guide with questions to ask is provided by the UEC to help the uninitiated.

Speaking of uninitiated… perhaps you haven’t heard of CSA’s before? Many local farmers have CSA operations. Members pay a subscription fee for an regular delivery of vegetables that are picked up at a local meeting point. Meat producers offer weekly deliveries and bulk purchases for those with freezer space. People attending the open house will be able to sign up with a farmer that day or get contact information and make the decision later.

Educating the community about environmentally sustainable food choices is part of the mission of the Urban Ecology Center. The UEC hosts monthly Friends of Real Food potlucks, as well as cooking and gardening classes. During the open house, workshops will be held every hour on eating locally and CSA’s.

If you decide to go, allow some time for children’s activities (there’s even a little sledding hill in back). Parking is available in the lot to the west of the building.

– Liz Setterfield