Community Development Partner's first San Jose housing project

A new 160-unit housing project has been approved in East San Jose by Community Development Partners. All of the units in the five-story building would be designated as low-income.

The units include 15 permanent supportive housing units and 25 units for Veterans. There will be a mix of plans ranging from studios to three-bedroom units. Amenities include a community room, bike and car parking, a community kitchen operated by San Jose's own Veggielution, and a communal outdoor courtyard.

Recently the company was awarded $4M from the California Department of Housing to help move this project along. This will be CDP's first project in Santa Clara County.

Source: Community Development Partners

VeggieFest 2023 in Downtown San Jose Today 🥕

Today from 11am to 5pm in Plaza de Cesar Chavez you can experience a celebration of healthy and sustainable living. There is a lot going on including live music, arts & crafts, and of course fresh veggies to eat. I've posted all of the details below. 

Tickets are free and available here.

🌿 San Jose VeggieFest 2023: A Celebration of Healthy and Sustainable Living 🌿

Join us for a day filled with joy, flavor, and community at San Jose VeggieFest! With an inclusive theme that embraces healthy living, sustainability, community engagement, local economic support, and cultural celebration, we are thrilled to host a day that brings people together for a common cause.

🎶 Featuring Las Cafeteras: Join us for a soul-stirring performance by Las Cafeteras, a band renowned for their infectious blend of Afro-Mexican beats, rhythms, and rhymes. Las Cafeteras' meaningful lyrics tell stories of social justice, community, and celebration, resonating with the core values of VeggieFest. Their music creates connections across cultures and generations, promising an inspiring and unforgettable experience at San Jose VeggieFest 2023!

🥦 What to Expect

Promoting Healthy Living: Explore a variety of mouthwatering plant-based foods and beverages that encourage healthier dietary choices.

Community Engagement: Enjoy live entertainment and connect with individuals from all backgrounds.

Economic Support for Local Businesses: Discover local small businesses that share the event's values.

Cultural Celebration: Engage in multicultural performances and diverse culinary offerings.

🎉 Confirmed Participants:

Food & Beverage : Azalea's Creations, Açaí do Amazonas, Casita Vegana SF, Churros El Guero, Green Flour Bakery, Green Wolf Foods, Jaguar Baker, The Giving Pies, The Lemonade Bar, Souley Vegan Food, Juice Alize, and many more!

Education & Community Services: Evergreen Valley College, Fresh Approach, CAL FIRE, California Highway Patrol, SCC Public Health, Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, Elected Representatives, and more!

Art & Crafts: Art Pocket SJ, Beaux Nails, Bethinketh LLC, Eminence Candle, Harji Naturals LLC, Ivy Indigo, Jellybee Jewelry, Luna Glow, Sacred Source, SuccsLife, The Source Zero, and more!

🎟️ Tickets: FREE ENTRY!! Please register through Eventbrite, will be scanning tickets at entrance.

Free entry for all ages!

📢 Join Us:

Be part of this joyful and meaningful event that brings together our community for a day of fun, learning, and connection. Whether you're a vegan food lover, an environmental enthusiast, or simply someone who enjoys a great gathering, San Jose VeggieFest is the place to be.

For more information, please contact Juan Rodriguez at Juan.Rodriguez@asm.ca.gov

Better Bike Plan Workshop

Tomorrow there will be a public workshop for San Jose's Better Bike Plan 2025 project. Many more bike sharing stations are coming to San Jose, and this is a great opportunity to provide your input on a plan that will make biking "safer, easier, more convenient, and more comfortable to everyone."

The workshop takes placer from 11am to 1pm, December 1st (tomorrow), at Veggielution in Emma Prusch Farm Park (647 South King Road, San Jose).

Veggielution setting up outpost in Downtown San Jose

In 2008, Veggielution setup an impressive 6-acre urban farm at Emma Prusch Farm Park. The project payed homage to San Jose's agricultural roots and taught the community about fresh organic produce and farming (not to mention the results are super delicious).

Veggielution also has a behind-the-scenes operation that includes outreach, volunteer work, sponsorships, and paperwork. To support this side of the organization, they have decided to put down some roots at NextSpace Second Street in Downtown San Jose. This was made possible by the All Good Work Foundation, which places nonprofits into local coworking communities.

To learn more about Veggielution and the All Good Work Foundation, head over here.

Veggielution's 1st Saturday

This Saturday, May 5th, Veggielution is co-hosting their 1st Saturday event with the Open Space Authority. Veggielution is a great organization that is taking us back to the roots of the Valley of Heart's Delight by farming right here in San Jose. The event is kid-friendly and free.

You can find the schedule below. For more info head over to the Veggielution FB page.

Schedule:

9:00am - 10:00am YOGA by Jovanna at Vida Lifestyle Yoga in collaboration with Be The Change Yoga & Wellness (Bilingual English & Spanish/donation based)

10:00am - 11:00am Gardening 101 Workshops by La Mesa Verde (English & Spanish)

10:00am - 2:00pm Farm Stand

10:00am - 12:30pm Farm Volunteering

10:00am - 12:30pm Neighborhood Harvest (fruit gleaning off site)

10:00am - 12:30pm Youth Garden Volunteering & Activities

10:00am - 12:30pm Our Community Kitchen Food Truck will be serving FREE samples prepared by a Community Chef alongside the volunteer food truck team

10:00am - 12:30pm Cocina Cooking Class - Spanish Language Cooking Class - Contact Rosa Contreras at 408-753-6705 ext 7 to sign up (25 max capacity)

12:30pm - 1:30pm Community Lunch (food offered and potluck encouraged)

12:30pm - 3:30pm Live Music

1:30pm - 3:30pm Art in the Garden

Veggielution: Bounty of Heart's Delight

Each year, Veggielution throws the premier gourmet dining event for vegetarians and veggie lovers--Bounty of Heart's Delight. This year, Matthias Froeschl from Nashmarkt is preparing a five course feast. If you haven't been to Nashmarkt before, it is easily the best restaurant in Campbell and I'm sure Matthias will do an amazing job.

This event includes a tour of the farm, appetizers, the feast (featuring San Jose grown veggies), local beers and wines, hay rides, a silent auction, and even a barn dance. Tickets are not cheap, but you will get what you pay for and the proceeds go towards supporting San Jose's urban farm and their numerous community programs.

Bounty of Heart's Delight takes place on Saturday, August 22nd at Emma Prusch Park. Click here to buy your tickets!

Veggielution Article

There was a great article in the Merc last week about Veggielution, San Jose's largest urban farm. Located at Emma Prusch (where Highways 101, 280, and 680 all meet), Veggielution volunteers grow a diverse range of organic veggies as well as eggs and honey. They also distributed more than 20,500 pounds of free produce in 2013 to serve the local homeless population. To read the article, head over here.

Veggielution's Annual Farm Dinner is on Auguest 23rd

Veggielution is an awesome community farm located in the middle of San Jose. Their annual event--Bounty of Heart's Delight--takes place August 23rd. The highlight is a five-course meal featuring local produce and wine, sourced and prepared by chef Affie Mahini from Cafe Pomegranate (great restaurant across from SJSU).

The even also includes live music, a decadent dessert, and even a Barn dance. Have a great time while supporting Veggielution's community programs! Full details of the dinner and ticket sales can be found on the website at www.veggielution.org/bohd (FYI, tickets are 60% tax-deductible).

Veggielution Avant Garden - Food and Art Fundraiser

The renegade urban farmers at Veggielution are teaming up with SJMADE to "indulge your senses with farm-fresh food, captivating art, and hand crafted goods prepared by visionary local chefs, artists, and craftspeople." It all goes down this Friday at The Armory and all of the important info and links are below. You can also go to the event page over here.

SJMADE Mini Mart at Avant Garden

The Armory
240 North 2nd Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Friday, April 19th, 7p-10p

Admission:
$10.00 Single Admission
$15.00 Single Admission Ticket +1 Raffle Ticket
$30.00 Single Admission Ticket + 5 Raffle Tickets
$50.00 Single Admission Ticket + 10 Raffle Tickets
Purchase tickets here >

SJMADE Mini Mart is a smaller version of our typical SJMADE events. This format allows for us to partner with other organizations who also seek to activate vacant spaces throughout San Jose. Smaller-scale vendor shows in inactive San Jose spaces brings life to these places and encourages local business at the same time.

Veggielution, in partnership with SJMADE, invites you to indulge your senses with farm-fresh food, captivating art, and hand crafted goods prepared by visionary local chefs, artists, and craftspeople.

Avant Garden harnesses San Jose’s creative talent to support Veggielution’s growing Community Farm. Veggielution is pushing the boundaries of food justice by redefining their relationship with land, food, and each other. Come experience a new way to think about food in our community, through the taste of our Spring harvest and captivating visual artistry.

Sample farm fresh small plates prepared by talented local chefs, take home food and farm related art by local artists, browse a variety of SJMADE vendors, enjoy live performances and craft brews!

RSVP for this year's Avant Garden on Facebook >

Last Call for Veggielution's Avant Garden Event!

from Veggielution by julia

This unforgettable event is just around the corner, have you bought your tickets?

April 13th, 2012 7pm – 10pm

$10 + 1  free food ticket online, $12 at the door

The evening will unfold at The Armory

240 N 2nd St

San Jose, CA 95112

a·vant-garde

1. a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo
2. innovative and ahead of the majority
3. a group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts

Ignite your senses for a night of visualizing food and feasting upon art…

Devour a variety of farm fresh treats prepared by talented local chefs, and enjoy a silent art auction featuring farm-inspired art produced by visionary local artists. Avant Garden harnesses San Jose’s creative talent to support Veggielution’s growing Community Farm. We are pushing the boundaries of food justice by redefining our relationship with our land, our food, and each other.
Come experience a new way to think about food in our community, through the taste of our Spring harvest, and captivating visual artistry!
Kids ages 12 and under get in free! If you buy your ticket online we will add 1 free Food Ticket to get you started. Additional Food Tickets can be purchased for $3 each at the event. Event Tickets also available for $12 at the door.

Veggielution Expansion!

Over the weekend Veggielution announced that they are tripling their acreage over at Emma Prusch Farm! This will allow them to greatly increase production of their fresh San Jose-grown fruits and vegetables as well as create a fruit orchard, outdoor kitchen, and a permanent farm stand. For all the details, read the press release below.

**********************************************************

Veggielution was founded in 2008 to change the way we think about food and create a sustainable food system in San José. The nonprofit farm has expanded every year thanks to the energy of thousands of volunteers, extensive support from the City of San José, and generous funding from hundreds of donors and foundations.

The expansion to six acres, from just under two acres previously, will allow Veggielution to substantially increase its production of fresh vegetables and fruits in order to increase access to these healthy foods for all San José and Santa Clara County residents. Over the next several years, Veggielution will need three times as many volunteers and greatly expanded funding in order to expand the farm operations and Veggielution’s many educational community programs.

“This is an extremely exciting time for Veggielution,” said Amie Frisch, Veggielution co-founder and Executive Director. “We could not have reached this point without help from the strong and growing network in this community that cares about our local food system. We will be counting on that network and on our supporters’ help more than ever in the years to come. Together we can make a tremendous impact.”

In 2010 and 2011 alone, Veggielution grew more than 35,000 pounds of vegetables, following sustainable farming principles and without the use of synthetic fertilizers or chemicals. The produce is given for free to volunteers after their labor during the farm’s near-daily workdays, sold at low prices at the Saturday farm stand at Emma Prusch Park, donated to soup kitchens, and sold at local farmers markets and restaurants to support farm operations.

“Veggielution helps people connect with the food they eat, and helps foster a sense of community and environmental stewardship in those who participate,” said Mark Anthony Medeiros, Veggielution co-founder and Farm Director. “At the farm, anyone can come and get dirty growing veggies, make friends with cool new people from their community, and buy produce at affordable prices. We’re very excited that the City of San José is supporting us by allowing us to expand our farm to include even more people.”

Expansion Plans
The proposed design for the expanded farm, prepared by local landscape architect Bruce Hill in consultation with Veggielution staff, incorporates elements of Prusch Farm Park's original 1972 Master Plan and input that Veggielution gathered from the community. The plan includes fruit orchards, an outdoor kitchen for cooking and nutrition classes, a permanent farm stand, a packing and cooling shed, an expanded greenhouse and shadehouse complex, and a mobile office. Veggielution will work with City staff on every step of implementation.

The design preserves and deepens the volunteers’ and visitors’ educational experience with signage and nods to the agricultural history of the Valley of Heart’s Delight. The increase in farmed land dramatically increases the number of volunteer opportunities for people of all walks of life and skill levels, while also allowing Veggielution to add to its existing offering of cooking and nutrition classes, Dig Crew high school youth program, off-site school gardens, and workshops.

About Veggielution

Veggielution empowers youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. Our urban farm engages the community by providing access to healthy and local food, creating youth leadership opportunities, and developing creative solutions to social and environmental justice issues.

Veggielution is a 2 acre non-profit community farm dedicated to creating a more sustainable food system in San Jose. We empower people to change the way they think about food by getting their hands in the soil, connecting with the land, and tasting the fruits of their labor. For more information visitwww.veggielution.org.

Avant Garden 2012: Veggielution’s Food and Art Fundraiser

from Veggielution by julia

April 13th, 2012 7pm – 10pm

$10 online, $12 at the door

The evening will unfold at The Armory

240 N 2nd St

San Jose, CA 95112

 

Click Here to Purchase Tickets!

a·vant-garde

1. a pushing of the boundaries of what is accepted as the norm or the status quo
2. innovative and ahead of the majority
3. a group of people who invent or promote new techniques or concepts

Ignite your senses for a night of visualizing food and feasting upon art…

Devour a variety of farm fresh treats prepared by talented local chefs, and enjoy a silent art auction featuring farm-inspired art produced by visionary local artists. Avant Garden harnesses San Jose’s creative talent to support Veggielution’s growing Community Farm. We are pushing the boundaries of food justice by redefining our relationship with our land, our food, and each other.

Come experience a new way to think about food in our community, through the taste of our Spring harvest, and captivating visual artistry!


Kids ages 12 and under get in free! If you buy your ticket online we will add 1 free Food Ticket to get you started. Additional Food Tickets can be purchased for $3 each at the event. Event Tickets also available at the door.

Click Here to Purchase Tickets!

Veggielution's Annual Fundraiser Dinner

PRESS RELEASE
Bounty of Heart's Delight
www.bountyofheartsdelight.org

Saturday, September 10, 2011, 4 to 9:30 p.m.
Emma Prusch Park
647 South King Road
San Jose CA 95116

——Sumptuous, four-course feast features Veggielution's local produce——

A benefit to support our community programs

Veggielution's Bounty of Heart's Delight fundraiser dinner will be an evening of fine dining focused on the fresh and the local, with a menu crafted by San Jose native Chef Jess Krause. It will be a delightful evening on the farm, dining among the crops that grew our dinner, then kicking up our heels to live music at a barn dance under the stars.

Please help us get the word out that dinner tickets are on sale now at www.bountyofheartsdelight.org for $100. We hope you'll introduce your readers to our mission and programs, and give them a chance to support this truly unique gem of sustainable agriculture in the heart of Silicon Valley.

We can arrange interviews with Amie Frisch, Executive Director, and Jess Krause, the Chef who will be cooking the dinner.

About Veggielution
In the low-income communities of San Jose, families simply cannot afford the fresh, healthy vegetables that enable a healthy diet. Tight budgets lead many to fast food, where calories are abundant but nutrients are not. Veggielution changes the game by operating a community farm embedded in the neighborhoods that need it the most. Elementary school youth learn in the school gardens we are building at 2 local elementary schools, high school students learn farming and leadership in paid jobs in our Dig Crew program, parents learn cooking and nutrition our Cooking Matters classes, and volunteers from all walks of life work together to grow food at our workdays. This year so far we have grown over 10,000 lbs of food, most of which we have sold at low cost or given away. Here in the Valley of Heart's Delight, or wherever we are from, our agricultural roots run deep. We are honoring the skills and knowledge of the past by bringing them into the future as we build the world we want to live in for ourselves and our children.

Veggielution is a nonprofit community farm seeking to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. We currently farm 2.5 acres at Emma Prusch Park in East San Jose. Our volunteer workdays, youth programs, low-cost Farmstand, and free workshops give people a chance to get their hands dirty growing veggies, and learn the importance of eating healthy food and knowing where it came from.

About the Chef: Jess Krause
Jess was born into the kitchen. Her father and grandfather were both cooks, and she fell in love with the craft at an early age. A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, Jess loves to bring out the beauty and simplicity of food in her cooking. She has worked in Cleveland, Aspen, and locally as the Pastry Chef at Restaurant James Randall in Los Gatos.  She is currently in charge of the charcuterie program at Alexander’s Steak House in Cupertino.

Jess prides herself on using local and sustainable ingredients in her cooking, which is what drew her to working with Veggielution. “The freshest ingredients always taste best, but knowing and respecting where the food came from is that extra spark,” she says.

Veggielution Olympics

Coming August 6th, replacing our workday that Saturday.

Have some fun, win prizes, and support our youth program Dig Crew (and help our summer youth leader Alyssa Quinonez represent us at the National Rooted in Community Conference in Philadelphia, P.A.
Our summer youth leader Alyssa Quinonez will be representing Veggielution and the Dig Crew this summer at the national Rooted In Community conference held in Philadelphia, PA.  Rooted In Community is a national grassroots network of diverse youth and adults working together and committed to fostering healthy communities and food justice through urban and rural agriculture, community gardening, food security, and related environmental justice work.  Alyssa and fellow youth will work to create the Youth Food Bill of Rights to be presented to congress at the conference.  There is even word of presenting it to the First Lady!  For more information, please visit rootedincommunity.org
Alyssa has been working hard to plan and coordinate the Farm Olympics as a way to support her trip to Philadelphia.  She will be participating in the events and gathering donations for her trip.

Sponsor Alyssa

Prizes and Games!

Family-fun, including corn shucking, watermelon seed-spitting, giant vegetable toss, cherry tomato chubby-bunny, relay races, and a corn-on-the-cob eating contest. All this will lead up to our main event, the Weed-a-Thon, with contestants scouring the farm for our Most Wanted weeds and weighing in their bounty at the end to win one of many exciting prizes donated by local businesses.
REGISTER BY AUGUST 2nd!

History of Veggielution Video

Great video detailing the history of Emma Prusch Park and the Veggielution community. It's crazy to think we have an organic farm in the middle of San Jose. This is as local as you can possibly get with your produce!

Veggielution Avant Garden food and art fundraiser at KALEID gallery

Experience food, wine and art in the downtown San Jose to raise money for local artists and Veggielution!

What: Avant Garden 2011

When: April 15, 2011 7-10 pm

Where: KALEID Gallery 88 South 4th St. Downtown San José

Cost: Purchase pre-sale admission tickets $10 at http://www.veggielution.org/donate/Tickets at the door will be $10 

San Jose, Calif.--Avant Garden pushes the boundaries of food and art with innovative artists and chefs who will feature their creative artwork and appetizers to the public to raise money for Veggielution Community Farm. "We're really excited to see the outpouring of support for Veggielution's mission from the local artist community, and to build this bridge between healthy food and beautiful art,” says Amie Frisch, co-founder of Veggielution.  

Laura Stec, a local chef and author, Mike Borkenhagen, and other chefs will prepare appetizers and small plates in a live demo for guests.The sustainably grown, farm-fresh ingredients will be provided by Veggielution and other local growers. 

Avant-garde local artists will create Veggielution-inspired artwork available for purchase at the silent art auction. Pieces donated by artists explore food, urban and rural farming,  land, environmental, social, and health issues. Artists keep 0% to 40% of the final sale price of their artwork. The remaining proceeds support Veggielution.

Pre-sale admission tickets are $10 and come with 2 food tickets. Tickets at the door will be $10. Additional food tokens can be purchased for $3 each at the event. Purchase pre-sale admission tickets at http://www.veggielution.org/donate/

About Veggielution

Veggielution empowers youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. Our urban farm located at Emma Prusch Park in East San Jose engages the community by providing access to healthy and local food, creating youth leadership opportunities, and developing creative solutions to social and environmental justice issues. Our volunteer workdays, youth programs, sliding scale farm stand, and free community workshops give people a chance to get their hands dirty growing veggies. For details visit our website at www.veggielution.org.

---
Amie Frisch
Director, Veggielution
408.905.7327
amie@veggielution.org
www.veggielution.org

Veggielution Backyard Chickens Workshop

Sign up now for Veggielution’s Backyard Chickens workshop—it will fill up soon because raising chickens is more and more popular and this is a great deal for a workshop to get you started.

The workshop is Saturday, March 26, from 1:30 to 3:30 pm in the LeFevre Barn Classroom. The $20 fee for this class covers materials costs, and also allows Veggielution to put on free and bilingual workshops throughout the year. Click here to register.

Raising chickens at home comes with many rewards, and is a great way to be more connected with where our food comes from. A few hens can keep your family supplied with fresh eggs that can come in a beautiful range of colors, with thick sturdy shells, and vibrant yolks that stand up tall. We’ll go over selecting breeds and where to buy chicks, designing a coop and run, raising your chicks, and keeping your chickens safe, healthy and happy.

This will be a hands-on workshop that includes a visit to Veggielution’s chicken coop to hold hens, gather eggs, see an example of coop design, and participate in some chicken care. If you’re interested, we can also arrange to order and raise some chicks for you too. This workshop will be led by Jessie Nichols, Veggielution Youth Program Coordinator and mother hen to our flock of 36 chickens since they were chicks.

-- 

Cody Kraatz
Veggielution Outreach and Communications Coordinator
mobile 408.218.5738
www.veggielution.org

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More Veggielution News

Farm Stand re-opens!

Posted By Cody Kraatz, on February 11th, 2011

Veggielution’s affordable Farm Stand is now open every Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm at the main entrance to Emma Prusch Park in East San José. Our prices are set to be affordable—basically people pay what they can afford, and no one goes away empty handed. These are high quality organic veggies fresh from our farm at the park: kale, lettuce, carrots, broccoli, peas, green onions, baby beets, and more.

And, for the first time ever, Veggielution will be selling fresh eggs from our flock of pastured poultry! They will be 6 for $4, a price that reflects the true cost of raising chickens on organic feed and with plenty of space to live like chickens should. Our hens are currently munching away on plants and bugs in a big paddock of dense cover crop and seem very happy. Their yolks are rich and bright yellow, and their shells are thick and multicolored. Get them while they last! And if you’re interested come on back to the farm and visit the chickens. How often do you get a chance to buy eggs and see with your own eyes where they came from?

Cheese Making with Veggielution Community Farm

Saturday, February 19, 2011, 10 am to 12 pm, in the Meeting Hall at Emma Prusch Park. Visit www.veggielution.org/workshops#cheese, email workshops@veggielution.org or call 408.634.FARM (3276) to register for this workshop. The $15 fee for this workshop covers the cost of the materials we will provide and enables Veggielution to put on free workshops and other programs throughout the year.

Unlock the mysteries of cheese and start making your own at home! It’s easier than you’d think. In this hands-on workshop you will learn how simple kinds of cheese are made, and you’ll even start a fresh batch of mozzarella that you can taste during the class. We’ll explore the many kinds of cheeses that you could make as you learn new recipes in the future, as well as how to get the materials you’ll need to start making your own cheese at home. After we finish the mozzarella and taste it on freshly made pita pizzas, we’ll also taste some delicious goat cheese, which has a flavor uniquely its own. This class is open to anyone age 6 and up, so please sign up your children as well and make it a family experience!


-- 

Cody Kraatz
Veggielution Outreach and Communications Coordinator
mobile 408.218.5738
www.veggielution.org

Join our newsletter email list
'Like' us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
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Friend us on MySpace

Veggielution Mushroom Growing Workshop on Dec 11

Veggielution--San Jose's own urban farm--is putting together a series of workshops. Some are going to be free and others are going to have a small fee for materials. This weekend they're hosting one that teaches you how to grow your own Oyster mushrooms at home, details below! I should also have the complete schedule of 2011 workshops soon.

Veggielution announces new workshop

Grow your own edible Oyster Mushrooms at home!

Saturday Dec 11, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

at Veggielution Community Farm

647 South King Road
San Jose CA 95116

more info: www.veggielution.org/workshops

contact: workshops@veggielution.org

Veggielution Community Farm is offering an incredible, affordable workshop—an amazing deal at $30! Workshops like this, which are rare in the first place, often cost twice as much. Register now or learn more:www.veggielution.org/workshops.

Workshop Description

Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow at home!! We will teach you the basics of mushroom cultivation, tell you how to gather the necessary supplies like mushroom spawn, and send you home with your own bag of Oyster spawn in straw that will produce beautiful blooms of Oyster mushrooms in your kitchen.

These mushrooms have a mild flavor and are delicious in a stir-fry or soup. This workshop is a great value, and will set you on the path to harvesting mushrooms year-round in your own home!

Instructor Raymond Gallardo has specialized in home mushroom cultivation for more than 12 years. He learned tips and techniques from master growers to develop a tried and true method for growing in a home environment. He and his wife, Sarah, developed the first home cultivation workshop of its kind in the Bay Area, which they have now taught at several local farms (including last year at Veggielution) with wildly successful results.

About Veggielution

Veggielution empowers youth and adults from diverse backgrounds to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. Our one-acre urban farm engages the community by providing access to healthy and local food, creating youth leadership opportunities, and developing creative solutions to social and environmental justice issues.

We are a nonprofit community farm seeking to create a sustainable food system in San Jose. We currently farm about 1 acre at Emma Prusch Park in East San Jose, with the possibility of expanding to up to 10 acres at the park. Our volunteer workdays, youth programs, sliding scale farmstand, and community workshops give people a chance to get their hands dirty growing veggies, and learn the importance of eating healthy food and knowing where it came from.