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'Women in Agriculture' share insights into sustainable farming

Sacramento Speakers Series supports scholarships for future farmers and more

Matchbook Wine Co. uses sheep as natural weed-eaters between its vines. Hear Lane Giguiere, owner of the Yolo winery, and other woman in agriculture talk about their work.

Matchbook Wine Co. uses sheep as natural weed-eaters between its vines. Hear Lane Giguiere, owner of the Yolo winery, and other woman in agriculture talk about their work. Courtesy Matchbook Wine Co.

What local gardener hasn’t daydreamed about farming? But what does it take to be a sustainable farmer in the Farm-to-Fork Capital?

How do you grow wine with less waste? What about raising happy cows in healthy pastures? Where can you study to be a sustainable farmer and get some hands-on practice?

Find out at this special event – “Women in Agriculture: Celebrating Sustainable Production.” Set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 21, this scholarship fundraiser will be held at the Event Center by Bella Bru at the Milagro Centre, 6241 Fair Oaks Blvd., Carmichael.

Tickets are $50 in advance via Eventbrite, $60 at the door. Admission includes one drink coupon and appetizers.

Proceeds from the event will go toward scholarships and grants for women interested in careers in agriculture or the food and beverage industry. The evening is hosted by the Sacramento Chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier.

As part of the Les Dames’ Sacramento Speakers Series, an expert panel will share “insights on the people, principles, programs and practices that contribute to a sustainable food system.”

The panel includes: Lane Giguiere, owner of Matchbook Wine Co. in Yolo County; Mary Kimball, CEO of Center for Land-Based Learning; and Karen Stone, manager of Yolo Land and Cattle Co. Food expert, author and nutritionist Amy Myrdal Miller will serve as moderator.

This panel also has lessons that can apply to backyard farmers. Sustainable agriculture protects the environment while working with the land. These methods promote natural resources and help wildlife, too.

It’s sure to be a thoughtful and interesting evening, dedicated to the future of local agriculture. Tickets are available at Eventbrite (https://bit.ly/3O5i9vh).

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Taste Spring! E-cookbook

Strawberries

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Garden checklist for week of June 7

Afternoon highs are expected to be back in the mid 90s by midweek, then edging towards triple digits. Plan your planting and garden activities accordingly.

* Remember to water early.

* It’s not too late to transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplant or other summer favorites. Make sure they stay hydrated.

* From seed, plant corn, melons, pumpkins, radishes, squash and sunflowers.

* Plant basil to go with your tomatoes.

* Transplant summer annuals such as petunias, marigolds and zinnias.

* It’s also a good time to transplant perennial flowers including astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia, salvia and verbena.

* Let the grass grow longer. Set the mower blades high to reduce stress on your lawn during summer heat. To cut down on evaporation, water your lawn deeply during the wee hours of the morning, between 2 and 8 a.m.

* Tie up vines and stake tall plants such as gladiolus and lilies. That gives their heavy flowers some support.

* Dig and divide crowded bulbs after the tops have died down.

* Feed summer flowers with a slow-release fertilizer.

* Mulch, mulch, mulch! This “blanket” keeps moisture in the soil longer and helps your plants cope during hot weather.


* Cut back fruit-bearing canes on berries.

* Feed camellias, azaleas and other acid-loving plants. Mulch to conserve moisture and reduce heat stress.

* Cut back Shasta daisies after flowering to encourage a second bloom in the fall.

* Trim off dead flowers from rose bushes to keep them blooming through the summer. Roses also benefit from deep watering and feeding now. A top dressing of aged compost will keep them happy. It feeds as well as keeps roots moist.

* Pinch back chrysanthemums for bushier plants with many more flowers in September.

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Taste Summer! E-cookbook

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Taste Fall! E-cookbook

Muffins and pumpkin

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Taste Winter! E-cookbook

Lemon coconut pancakes

Find our winter recipes here!

Food in My Back Yard (FIMBY) Series

Lessons learned during a year of edible gardening

WINTER

Is edible gardening possible indoors?

Hints for choosing tomato seeds

Starting in seed starting

Why winter is the perfect time to plant fruit trees

When to plant? Consider staggering your transplants

How to squeeze more food into less space

Potatoes from the garden

Plant a fruit tree now -- for later

Win the weed war by tackling them in winter

Tips for planting bare-root trees, shrubs and vegetables

Time to give vegetable seedlings some more space

Ways to win the fight against weeds

FALL

Dec. 16: Add asparagus to your edible garden

Dec. 9: Soggy soil and what to do about it

Dec. 2: Plant artichokes now; enjoy for years to come

Nov. 25: It's late November, and your peach tree needs spraying

Nov. 18: What to do with all those fallen leaves?

Nov. 11: Prepare now for colder weather in the edible garden

Nov. 4: Plant a pea patch for you and your garden

Oct. 27: As citrus season begins, advice for backyard growers

Oct. 20: Change is in the autumn air 

Oct. 13: We don't talk (enough) about beets

Oct. 6: Fava beans do double duty

Sept. 30: Seeds or transplants for cool-season veggies?

Sept. 23: How to prolong the fall tomato harvest 

SUMMER

Sept. 16: Time to shut it down? 

Sept. 9: How to get the most out of your pumpkin patch

Sept. 2: Summer-to-fall transition time for evaluation, planning

Aug. 26: To pick or not to pick those tomatoes?

Aug. 19: Put worms to work for you

Aug. 12: Grow food while saving water

Aug. 5: Enhance your food with edible flowers

July 29: Why won't my tomatoes turn red?

July 22: A squash plant has mosaic virus, and it's not pretty

July 15: Does this plant need water?

July 8: Tear out that sad plant or baby it? Midsummer decisions

July 1: How to grow summer salad greens

June 24:  Weird stuff that's perfectly normal

SPRING

June 17: Help pollinators help your garden

June 10: Battling early-season tomato pests

June 3: Make your own compost

May 27: Where are the bees when you need them?

May 20: How to help tomatoes thrive on hot days

May 13: Your plants can tell you more than any calendar can

May 6: Maintain soil moisture with mulch for garden success

April 29: What's (already) wrong with my tomato plants?

April 22: Should you stock up on fertilizer? (Yes!)

April 15: Grow culinary herbs in containers

April 8: When to plant summer vegetables

April 1: Don't be fooled by these garden myths

March 25: Fertilizer tips: How to 'feed' your vegetables for healthy growth