December Garden Classes

December is the month that all the new seed catalogs come out and I feel like a kid in a candy shop. I hope you can join us this month for our free Saturday morning gardening classes at 10:30am to find some inspiration for your spring garden planning!

Here is what we have coming up in December:

December 1st:  December in the Garden 
This is our monthly first Saturday series where we cover the garden "To Do" list for the month. Learn what is in season, what you can plant from seed or transplant and other garden tasks.   

December 8th : Guest Speaker Workshop: Square Foot Gardening with Master Gardener and Certified Square Foot Gardening Teacher Hank Belopavlovich     
Learn how to grow a lot in a small space using the square foot gardening technique!   

December 15th: Starting Vegetables and Herbs from Seed   
Plant a seed and watch it grow! Class on the 15th will be followed by a Seed Swap. Bring extra seeds that you have saved or have surplus of to share and trade!   

We will not be having class on December 22 or the 29th. Happy Holidays! Join us again in the New Year!   

Garden Class & Cooking Demo this Saturday 11/17

10:30am Garden Class:

Beneficial Insects or "How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bug"

At this Saturday's free gardening class at 10:30 am in the Monument Market we'll be discussing our friends in the garden. Not every bug is bad! Identify, protect, and encourage beneficial insects in your garden and they will help keep pests at bay and pollinate your veggies for increased production.

Lady Bug Larvae munching aphids on Dill in the Monument Garden

12:00pm Cooking Demo: 

Alternative Sides For Thanksgiving or "Green Bean Casserole Deconstructed"

Chef Drew Benham from El Monumento will be joining us again this Saturday to present some ideas for Thanksgiving side dishes utilizing local seasonal produce from the Market and Monument Garden. Join Us!

Garden Guest Speaker, Cooking Demo & Wine Tastings this Saturday at the Market!

Join us in the Market for a day of exciting events this Saturday!

The morning starts off at 10:30am with our weekly free gardening class. This week we are hosting  Leslie Keller who will be presenting his Big Bag of Tips & Tricks to Save Time & Money in your Garden. Leslie is an engineer who was convinced into starting a garden by his vegetable loving wife.  He will share a variety of techniques he has learned through trial and error which will help you build a vibrant garden without breaking the bank or your back!

Chef Drew after last month's cooking demo - Pesto Turkey Burgers

The garden class will be followed by a Cooking Demo at 11:45. Chef Drew Benham from El Monumento will be showing us how to make Sage Chicken - a great dish for a cool fall night!

Starting at 11am, Monument's resident Sommelier Jeremy Corn will be in the Market sampling a selection of the Texas made wines that we feature in the Market. Find out what wines go with Chef Drew's Sage Chicken and your upcoming holiday dinners!

November Garden Classes

Don't miss the Sage Chicken cooking demo on November 10th!

I can't believe it is almost November! We are lucky in Texas that the next couple months are really some of the most delicious of the year. Fall tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, beet and lettuce are just a few of the yummy veggies in season! It is a great time to plant perennial plants, trees and cool weather loving roots and greens. Come out to our free weekly gardening classes to find out more! All Classes are Saturdays at 10:30am and are free with no registration required.

November 3rd - November in the Garden: Our monthly First Saturday series where we cover the garden To Do list for the month. Learn what is in season, what you can plant from seed or transplant, and other garden tasks for the month.

November 10th - Guest Speaker Workshop: Leslie Keller will be presenting his Bag of Tips & Tricks to Save Time & Money in your Garden. Learn how to reuse and re-purpose a number of common items to help build a vibrant garden without breaking the bank or your back!
This class will be followed by a Cooking Demo at 11:45. Chef Drew Benham from El Monumento will be showing us how to make Sage Chicken - a great dish for a cool fall night! The market will also be featuring tastings and a gift basket drawing throughout the afternoon.

November 17th - Beneficial Insects - Learn how to ID and encourage the "good guys" in your garden.

There will be no class on November 24th due to Thanksgiving. Have a Happy Holiday!

All About Weeds Class this Saturday, 10/20

Nutsedge. Boo.

With lovely Fall weather brings a flush of new green weeds.... Join us this Saturday in the Monument Market at 10:30am for a free class about organic weed control. We will ID common fall weeds, discuss their possible uses, and talk about tools and techniques to keep them from eating your garden.

Medicinal Herb Class and More at the Market this Saturday!

I am very proud to be hosting Grace Bryce of Gracies Garden LLC at this Saturday's Monument Garden Class at 10:30am  to talk about the medicinal uses of culinary herbs!.  Grace is a Nemenhah Medicine Woman & Traditional Leader, a Master Herbalist, and a Certified Natural Health Professional. www.gracebrycemh.com

Grace's class will be the kick off to a whole day of events at the market:

Super Sensational Saturday at the Monument Market
What:  Fun day of garden classes, cooking demonstrations, garden tours, tastings and a Scavenger Hunt—oh yeah, and great prizes!!

When:  Saturday, October 13th beginning at 10:30 a.m. and lasting until 1:30 p.m.

Where:  Classes and tastings will be in the Market…tours in the garden.

Why:  We love our loyal customers and Facebook followers and want to provide you with a fun and FREE way to find out more about our fresh, organic concepts and try some really great foods!

Details:   ‘Like’ us on Facebook where we will be posting daily updates about our fun day!!
                          

Look forward to seeing you there!!

Local Food Unites Republicans & Democrats

Especially in campaign season, any news about bipartisanship is refreshing. Leave it to food to be able to bridge the political gap!

Texas is the first state in the union to create a Farm to Table Caucus to focus on developing and supporting the local food movement. Find out more here: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/16/us/championing-a-farm-to-table-movement-in-texas.html?_r=1