Tomorrow is the second to last farmstand for the season. If you are able to assist with opening, customer service, or closing, contact Maryam at maryamsabur@gmail.com.

Bertie Backus Farmstand
November 9, 2019
10:00 am-2:00 pm
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE

The farmstand at the Bertie Backus Food Hub (UDC-CC Bertie Backus, 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE) continues to operate for a few more weeks. Pick up fresh vegetables Saturday, October 26, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Dates
October 26
November 9
November 23

The University of the District of Columbia (UDC) is holding focus group sessions for its Bertie Backus farmstand and Bertie Backus Food Hub operations. The food hub is located in the neighborhood on the campus of UDC-CC Backus at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. It has several components, including a farmstand, aquaponics and hydroponics system, community garden, compost collection, native plant nursery, and demonstration kitchen.

The farmstand is looking for farmstand shoppers, non-shoppers, and policymakers to participate in in a farmstand focus group. If you are interested in participating please complete and return the application to Eric Horner at eric.horner@udc.edu. Refreshments will be provided.

Farmstand focus group dates: 
July 25, 2019
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
UDC Bertie Backus Campus (5171 South Dakota Avenue NE)

July 27, 2019
9:30 am-11:30 am
Lamond Riggs Library (5401 South Dakota Avenue NE)

If you are interested in sharing ideas about the Bertie Backus Food Hub in general, please register for the focus group being held on July 26.

Bertie Backus Food Hub Focus Group
July 26, 2019
6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Lamond-Riggs Library (5401 South Dakota Avenue NE)

Bertie Backus Community Garden Plots

There are still plots available to Ward 5 residents at the Bertie Backus Community Garden located at the Bertie Backus Food Hub. Please contact Renee Belis at renee.bellis@udc.edu for more information.

Volunteer at the Bertie Backus Native Plant Nursery

Volunteers are being accepted to help out at the native plant nursery at the Bertie Backus Food Hub on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Please contact Renee Belis at renee.bellis@udc.edu for more information.

Bertie Backus Food Hub Listening Session
Friday, July 26, 2019 
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Bertie Backus Campus (Room 202)
5171 South Dakota Avenue, NE
Washington, D.C. 20017

RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/urban-food-hubs-community-listening-sessions-tickets-64314478336

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES) at the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) welcomes you to share your comments, concerns, and suggestions about our Urban Food Hubs as we look to improve our programs. We are holding community listening sessions at each of our Urban Food Hubs in Wards 3, 5, 7, and 8 on July 24, 26, 29, and 31.

Each listening session is an open forum and we welcome all stakeholders – including ANC members, government agencies, non-profit organizations, volunteers, and workshop participants – to provide feedback about programming at each site and how we can improve to better serve our communities. Please register for a listening session at the urban food hub(s) you frequent the most. CAUSES looks forward to these sessions, the opportunity to listen, and bring our communities together.

Be sure to visit the Bertie Backus farmstand tomorrow. The farm stand appears at UDC-CC Backus (5171) 10:00 am to 2:00 pm every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, June through November.

Guest post by David Kosub

On Saturday morning June 8, the Bertie Backus Urban Farm Stand returns to Riggs Park! Come out from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm to the UDC-CC Backus campus at 5171 South Dakota Ave NE every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month and purchase some yummy veggies and meet some neighbors too. In this installment of the Next Stop Neighbors podcast, we meet the people behind the project, Dr. Kamran Zendehdel and Maryam Sabur. They will describe to us exactly what is going on in those big greenhouses, describe the College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability, and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), hear the history of the Urban Food Hub, goals for the farm stand, and what to expect in farm stand’s second year. We even get to go inside the hydroponic greenhouse! How cool is that? We hope you enjoy the conversation and have your collard green recipes ready to go. 

Click here to listen to the conversation  (running time: 13 minutes)

Background on Next Stop Neighbors:

Welcome to Next Stop Neighbors where we get an opportunity to hear the voices behind the faces and places in Lamond-Riggs and the surrounding communities. Through this podcast series, you will meet some friendly neighbors and hear their perspectives on the community through civil, casual conversations. From the small business owner who just opened up, to the non-profit organization trying to make a difference, to the community leader describing their vision for the neighborhood, and the resident around the corner who has lived here for 50 years, we all have a story to tell.

Like the Next Stop Neighbors podcast and want to tell the story of someone in the community? Well, we welcome recommendations and, better yet, your own 10-minute interviews too!

Can’t get enough Next Stop Neighbors? Check out these past conversations:

LRCA Forward Team  (April 2019)
Ramdass Pharmacy (March 2019)

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), is starting a compost training class. Do you want to learn how to turn your food and yard waste into valuable soil, a process called composting? If yes, please join the compost training class. 

The class will meet seven times for two and a half hours. Participants must attend all seven classes to complete this training. Upon the successful completion of all training classes and the passing of the final exam, a certificate will be issued.

What is compost?
Compost is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Making compost keeps your yard and food waste materials out of landfills where they take up space and release methane, a greenhouse gas.

Compost loosens clay soils and helps sandy soils retain water. Adding compost to soil improves its fertility and stimulates healthy root development in plants. The organic matter provided in compost provides food for microorganisms, which keeps the soil in a healthy, balanced condition. 

EVENT DETAILS
Every Thursday 
May 30 – July 18, 2019 (Except July 4th)
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

LOCATION
Bertie Backus Urban Food Hub
5171 South Dakota Avenue, NE
Washington, D.C. 20017

CONTACT
Paula Avellan
paula.avellan@udc.edu
(202) 274-7128

REGISTER HERE

PAYMENT
The cost of the compost training class is $100 now $50. Payment can be made before or at the time of the first class, by check or money order, made payable to the “University of the District of Columbia.” Please put “3901J” in the memo line. Limited fee waivers are available for qualifying registrants.

UDC is seeking volunteers to assist with cleanup of its native plant nursery located at the Bertie Backus Food Hub at UDC-CC Backus, 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE.

Two dates are available:
May 23, 3:00 pm-7:00 pm and
May 28, 3:00pm-7:00 pm

Register at the link. Some supplies provided, but bring gloves and wear closed-toe shoes. For questions, please contact Laura at (202) 274-7159.

UDC is seeking volunteers to assist with cleanup of its native plant nursery located at the Bertie Backus Food Hub at UDC-CC Backus, 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE.

Two dates are available:
May 23, 3:00 pm-7:00 pm and
May 28, 3:00pm-7:00 pm

Some supplies provided, but bring gloves and wear closed-toe shoes. For questions, please contact Laura at (202) 274-7159.

Today is the last day to sign up for the lottery to receive a garden plot at the Bertie Backus community garden, located at the Bertie Backus Food Hub at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. Apply at the link.

UDC is accepting applications for community garden plots at the Bertie Backus community garden. The community garden is part of the Bertie Backus food hub located at the UDC-CC Backus campus at 5171 South Dakota Avenue NE. The deadline to apply is May 10.

The Bertie Backus farmstand is returning this season! Last summer’s inaugural farmstand held monthly at UDC-CC Backus (5171 South Dakota Avenue NE) was a big success so UDC is seeking to expand the offerings and frequency. This year, the farmstand will be held twice per month on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month June through November.

Vendors sought:
Handmade Crafts
Speciality Prepared Foods
Musicians
Artists
Nursery plants
Fruits and Vegetables
Community Health
Educational
Baked Goods
Beverages
Children’s Activities
If you are interested in vending, please contact Maryam Sabur at
maryam.abdussabur@udc.edu.

For those unfamiliar with the farmstand, it is one component of UDC’s Bertie Backus Food Hub located at the UDC-CC Backus campus on South Dakota Avenue and Galloway Street NE. The food hub has a compost sytem, hydroponics and aquaponics garden, community garden, incubator commercial kitchen, and native plant nursery. Click here to read an article about the food hub.

Last farm stand of the season takes place tomorrow. Check it out!

Bertie Backus Farmstand
November 10, 2018
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
9:00 am-12:00 pm

Menu
Collard greens
Red Russian Kale
Siberian Kale
Swiss chard
Hakurei turnips
Radishes
Sweet potatoes
Mizuna
Green Tomatoes
Lettuce
Peppers
Kohlrabi

Bertie Backus Farm Stand
October 6, 2018
UDC-CC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE
9:00 am-12:00 pm

This Saturday, check out the UDC Bertie Backus Farm Stand where seasonal, local and organically grown produce will be available for sale. Even if you do not plan to make a purchase, please stop by to sign in to show your support for having the farm stand continue in the future.

Menu

Collard greens
Red Russian kale
Bok Choy
Beets
cucumbers
Holy basil
Winter squash
Kohlrabi
Peppers
Swiss Chard
Lettuce
Hibiscus Leaves

The farm stand is still on this Saturday! Weather forecast shows spotty showers, so come on out and support the farm stand.

Bertie Backus Farm Stand
September 15, 2018
9:00 am-12:00 pm
UDC Backus
5171 South Dakota Avenue NE

Vegetable list
Butternut Squash
Eggplant
Beets
Delicata Squash
Acton Squash
Hot Peppers
Kohlrabi
Collard Greens
Kale
Swiss Chard
Hot Peppers
Basil
Bell Peppers
Tomatoes
Hibiscus Leaves*

* Hibiscus leaves are a part of the ethnic crops initiative. They are eaten in parts of Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. They have a lemony tang and are delicious cooked down like kale or eaten raw as part of a salad.

Be sure to register for the 9/11 Day of Service at the Bertie Backus Food Hub on September 8. Lots of volunteers are needed to make this day a big success. The Bertie Backus Food Hub is a valuable amenity in the neighborhood. Please consider joining your neighbors and local veterans in making upgrades to the food hub.

From UDC:

The College of Agriculture, Urban Sustainability and Environmental Sciences (CAUSES), of the University of the District of Columbia (UDC), is partnering with The Mission Continues for the 2nd Annual 9/11 Day of Service. This year’s service day will take place on September 8th at UDC’s Bertie Backus Urban Food Hub, located in Ward 5. The food hub has aquaponic and hydroponic systems, a native plant nursery and garden beds for the community.

Join us as we work together to beautify the food hub to better serve the Ward 5 community. We will upgrade some of the site’s current amenities and build additional ones. Some of the upgrades scheduled to take place include:

• A painted mural
• Handicap raised beds
• Wood fence
• Trench drains for the hoop houses
• Additional grow space for the native plant nursery
• Café tables and chairs for the outdoors kitchen

EVENT DETAILS
September 8, 2018
Bertie Backus Urban Food Hub
5171 South Dakota Avenue, NE
Washington, D.C. 20017
9:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

This volunteer event is FREE and open to the public.

REGISTER HERE

CONTACT
Amanda Tai
amanda.tai@udc.edu
(202) 274-7193

UDC hosts its monthly Bertie Backus farm stand this Saturday, 9:00 am-12:00 pm, at UDC Backus (5171 South Dakota Avenue NE). Seasonal, local, and organically grown produce will be available for sale. Expected produce includes watermelon, tomatoes, eggplant, sweet peppers, beets, okra, string beans, summer squash, radishes, basil, Swiss chard, sage, oregeno, mustard greens, peppers, cucumbers and lettuce. Check it out!