FOOD

Projects

Looking for Community Composting - Check out Lancaster Compost Cooperative - or email us at CollegeParkCAN@gmail.com to join the new Race Ave bin.
Late Season Vegetable Gardening Tips - see below!
The Diet Shift that Makes the Biggest Impact - Bloomberg - Reading

Hearty Winter Veggie Dinner COMPLETED - Sold Out! Lean in to a plant based diet while helping to prepare and enjoy a delicious vegetarian meal. Limited space, $10 per person.

Harvest Pot Luck: a shared meal and community connection - Sept. 15th 3- 5 pm Buchanan Park Pavilion COMPLETED
Cultivating a Plant-based Lifestyle - COMPLETED- Sold Out! - Based on the success and enjoyment of our first class, there may be more - stay tuned!

Composting & Food Waste Workshop - COMPLETED - An informative evening: biggest take-away, keep it simple! See more composting and food waste information and links below.

Food

What we eat impacts our climate! Fossil fuel burning equipment, packing materials, refrigeration, transportation, fertilizers, and the use of nearly half of all agricultural land to support our appetite for meat accounts for 18-20 percent of GHG emissions annually. What we eat and how we handle food waste are top contributors to climate change. An average of 6-25 kg of CO2 eq. are associated with 3.5 oz. of animal protein compared to 0.36-1.6 kg of CO2 eq. to produce 3.5 oz. of plant protein. Buying food produced locally saves transportation and refrigeration emissions. Better yet, support local farmers practicing regenerative agriculture that rebuilds soil health, captures carbon and yields nutrionally dense foods.

FACTS:

Overconsumption of animal protein is ranked as #4 in contributing to the climate crisis
50 grams of beef has 17.7 kilograms GHG impact compared to 50 grams of beans with a 0.4 GHG impact
Food waste is considered to the #3 contributor to carbon emissions
Emissions from global food miles account for about half of the direct emissions from road vehicles

SOLUTIONS:

Eat a plant rich diet
Source meat from farms practicing regenerative agriculture
Plant a vegetable garden
Replace high impact animal protein with low impact plant protein
Cook creatively, use leftovers, and compost
Buy food from local farmers or join a CSA
Buy bulk foods, avoiding disposable and non-recyclable packaging

Used with permission from - RegenAll.org

RESPONSES from LANCASTER VEGFEST ATTENDEES June 2024

LATE SEASON VEGETABLE GARDENING TIPS

by Melissa Snavely and Tom Simpson

Besides being one of the most fervent recyclers I know, Tom Simpson is also serious about his vegetable gardening. When I recently asked Tom about what he’s got growing this late in the season, in true Tom fashion I received a bounty of information from him and resources to back that information up.

Tom’s Late Season Tips & Tricks!

I have planted leaf lettuce, spinach, Swiss Chard, and carrot seeds in the last week, as well as broccoli and cauliflower plants. Not sure how things weathered the storm last night, so I might have to re-plant some seeds! Of course, you can set out purchased plants of lettuce, etc.

I am not planting garlic, but it can be planted soon to overwinter under leaves or mulch. I have not planted beets, Pak Choi, and kale, though I might plant some kale if I can find space.

Potatoes should be dug, but sweet potatoes should remain in the ground for as long as they are growing. I like to trim back the runners to concentrate growth underground.

Making a low tunnel with lightweight row covers and some sort of hoop will allow you to extend the season. These are best peeled back on warm days and covered for cold nights. Later on, replacing the row covers with, gasp, plastic sheeting, will make a sort of greenhouse and really extend the season.

When I anticipate frost or freeze I cover the mature carrot bed with a thick layer of leaves. During the winter I rake the leaves back to dig carrots.
Plus, there is plenty of cleanup to be done.

Diseased plant matter should be disposed of and not left on site. Other materials can be chopped up and composted or buried.

Here is some more information. https://www.almanac.com/how-plant-fall-vegetable-garden We are likely in USDA 7b now.

Tom Simpson is the Sustainability Coordinator/Millport Conservancy Liaison at Franklin and Marshall College. He’s also the Head Cross Country Coach at Lancaster Catholic High School.

COVER CROPS for VEGETABLE GARDENS

& RAISED BEDS

Cover cropping maintains live roots in the soil during periods when no other plants are growing, providing a crucial habitat for soil microbes that convert organic matter into nutrients. These roots offer a “home” for microbes in the absence of edible or floral plants, enhancing microbial and plant diversity. This increased diversity benefits soil health by improving nutrient, energy, and water cycling, while also suppressing harmful pathogens. Additionally, cover crops protect the soil by regulating temperature and moisture, supporting a range of soil organisms, and aiding in weed control. They also reduce soil erosion by intercepting raindrops, promoting water infiltration. Cover crops are versatile and can be utilized in various growing environments, including mounded beds, raised beds, and window boxes.

https://hgic.clemson.edu/cover-crops-in-raised beds/#:~:text=Cover%20crops%20keep%20the%20soil,%2C%20insects%2C%20and%20microbes)

COMPOSTING & FOOD WASTE WORKSHOP RECAP

COMPOSTING - Why do it?

Compost can be as easy as throwing things in a pile on the ground! (And like lots of things, you can get fancier as you learn more).
Keeping food waste out of your garbage can keeps it from smelling bad (Annalisa’s trashcan sits in her basement for months at a time, and doesn’t smell at all)
Organic material in landfills produce methane, so keeping food waste out of landfills reduces methane production (many experts agree that slashing methane emissions is the fastest way to slow down global warming) – avoid a climate negative!
Composting is a carbon sink, pulling carbon from the atmosphere – and a climate positive!
Recovers organic material and keeps it local, avoiding transportation-related pollution
Active compost encourages beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, enhancing soil health where you compost

Finished compost helps enrich soil by retaining moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests, becomes humus, a rich nutrient-filled material, as well as lowering the demand for chemical fertilizers in the garden

Food Waste: Statistics from Earth.Org

America Generates Nearly 103 Million Tons of Food Waste A Year
Food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the United States, comprising 24 and 22% of landfilled and combusted municipal solid waste,
All this wasted food would be enough to provide nearly 130 billion meals.
Food waste in America has skyrocketed in recent years, tripling in just five decades, and it is now estimated to be 30-40% of its entire food supply. On a daily basis, each American discards on average 0.5kg (one pound) of food.
The average American family-of-four wastes USD$1,500 of food yearly
Growing crops requires extensive amounts of water, which will just be wasted if the food is not consumed. In the US, agriculture alone is responsible for 80% of all water consumed, and between 21% and 33% of it is wasted every year.
Food Waste in the US Is Equivalent to the Greenhouse Emissions of 37 Million Cars
The most wasted food type in the US is bread, with 38% of all grain products lost every year across the country. It is followed by milk – with 5.9 million glasses, or nearly 20% of the total amount produced, poured down the sink – and potatoes, 5.8 million of which are discarded each year.
Americans throw away huge amounts of fresh produce as well: more than half of all fruit and vegetables grown in the country are wasted. They are mostly lost during production, while 12% are thrown away at the retail level due to aesthetic standards – emphasising appearance over their functionality – and 28% at the consumer level. Half of all produce is thrown away by consumers because it is deemed too “ugly” to eat, amounting to 60 million tons of fruit and vegetables every year.
While almost 40% of the country’s food is thrown away each year, more than 54 million Americans – 18 million of which are children – were food insecure in 2020
More Than 80% of Americans Throw Away Food Because They Misunderstand Expiration Labels

Personal Change Opportiunities: https://www.epa.gov/recycle/preventing-wasted-food-home

Ensure a well stocked pantry of essentials, use your freezer, keep spices on hand and KNOW what’s in your refrigerator
Shop with purpose
Plan your meals for the week before you go shopping
Use the food you have and food about to expire
Learn to Love your leftovers.
The freezer is your friend
Properly store fruits and vegetables
Make sure you are properly storing food in your refrigerator
The ONE Pot Meal and ZERO Waste Day, usually before you go shopping (Think Fried Rice, Pasta Primavera, Stir Fry, Mediterranean Beans & Veges, Curry’s, etc

Local composting resources:

Lancaster Compost Collective (https://www.lancastercompost.com/)
Penn State extension (https://extension.psu.edu/home-composting-a-guide-for-home-gardeners)

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