From an email:

This Friday Night at Ras Cafe. 8/26 8pm-2:30am
A weekly showcase for organizations and performing artists.

There will be information on how you, and/or your non-profit or
business can get involved in Food Day, which will take place on
October 24, 2011. Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all
walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals,
community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch
providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable
food produced in a sustainable, humane way. Food Day will work with
people around the country to create thousands of events in homes,
schools,churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals.

This Friday, live performance from seminal DC artist Asheru.
Proceeds benefit Common Good City Farm (community garden at 3rd and
Vst NW)http://commongoodcityfarm.org/
Also a verity of musical selections by DJ RBI

Asheru is a hip hop artist, peabody award winner, educator, and youth
activist. He is widely known for performing the opening and closing
themes for the popular TV series, The Boondocks, as well as his
pioneering and innovative efforts to forward the Hip Hop Education
movement..

Mission of Common Good City Farm is to grow food, educate, and help
low-income DC community members meet their food needs. Our Vision is
to serve as a replicable model of a community-based urban food system.
$5 suggested donation
Ras Café
4809 Georgia Ave NW

“Dear PoPville,

We live in a row house on 4th St NW in LeDroit Park. One of the things we love about LeDroit is the amount of trees and greenery, including numerous tree boxes on the sidewalks. However, our section of 4th St is actually fairly bare with few trees or other greenery. Is it possible to request that the city installs tree boxes on our block? What would we need to do? We would be willing to maintain them ourselves – and even possibly pay for the installation – but obviously we can’t just start ripping up the sidewalk and putting in plants ourselves! Would appreciate any advice others might have.”

“Insalada Caprese with heirloom tomatoes and sweet basil from my garden plus homemade mozzarella.”

“I posted an article the first of the year asking advice about whether to build a roof deck or a green roof. I posted a second article after I decided to build the roof deck with information about roof decks. Now I am sending you some pics of my roof top garden in Bloomingdale. I have several ornamental plants that hang over the edge of the roof. A large herb collection with Basil, Chives, Rosemary, Mint, Sage, Dill. Vegetables I have Peppers, Grape Tomatoes, and Climbing Spinach. Fruits I have Strawberries, Blueberries, Figs and Kiwi.”

“I’ve planted Basil, Cilantro, Hot & Sweet Banana Peppers, Tomatoes, & a Pumpkin plant. I planted the pumpkin first and it the vine has been growing really great. I finally actually started growing a couple of pumpkins last weekend. They are growing fast and since I took these pictures, they have almost doubled in size. The basil is out of control and the hot banana peppers have fed me well. I’ve been stuffing them with cheddar cheese and diced tomato, onion, and green pepper and wrapped them in bacon. Damn good! The sweet banana pepper plant hasn’t done a whole lot and the tomoatoes are getting picked off by the local rat or squirrel population. All in all, I’m proud of my 1st experience in planting and look forward to doing it better next year.”

“Habanero plant in full swing in Adams Morgan/Lanier Heights.”

“Here’s one week’s tomato yield from my community garden plot. Do any readers have great tomato recipes to suggest or methods for freezing? Or good places to donate them in Columbia Heights or Petworth?”

“What can I make with gigantic cucumbers, a bell pepper, and a bunch of cayenne peppers?!”

Hahaha, a strange salsa?

“From the Kingman Park Rosedale Community Garden — we harvested some tomatoes, banana peppers, hot peppers, thyme, basil, mint, parsley and sage. Our website is here. We have 33 plots tended by over 50 resident gardeners, including two plots tended by the students from the Friendship Blow Pierce School on Benning.”

The reader writes:

“This entire tomato family was subsequently transformed into an arrabiata sauce, with chili and basil from the same garden.”

Awesome.

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with Fruits (and Vegetables) of Your Labors in the subject line.

From above:

“Attached is our Sunday harvest of basil, tomatoes, and peppers from our garden in Trinidad, NE.”

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with Fruits (and Vegetables) of Your Labors in the subject line.

From above:

“This is my friend’s garden in Bloomingdale. While most of the tomatoes have been picked, he has some nice-looking peppers and brussel sprouts coming soon. And a surprise watermelon! There are also a lot of delicious looking squash blossoms out front and planters full of herbs. It’s been a great summer for him!”

The reader writes:

“Tomatoes coming in nicely. From my 16th st heights backyard. For perspective, this plant is 4.5 feet tall. Now if I can keep the squirrels away I will be all set.”

Looks great!

So this reminds me of a question I’ve been meaning to ask – do the different types of tomatoes taste differently? I usually add balsamic vinegar and salt so I don’t have the most refined taste. And what’s the deal with heirloom tomatoes – do they taste differently as well?

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with Fruits (and Vegetables) of Your Labors in the subject line.

“Sunday harvest in Columbia Heights”

A couple of great harvests from Columbia Heights.

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with Fruits (and Vegetables) of Your Labors in the subject line.

“Today’s harvest – arugula, tomatoes, eggplants (these little stripy ones are like eggplant-flavored sticks of butter!) and about 9 feet worth of cucumbers. So I made cucumber kimchee and half-sours. Both are pretty simple “quick” pickles.

1. Cut cucumbers into small spears. Put them in a strainer, toss with a couple teaspoons of salt and let sit about 10-15 min. Rinse.

2. for Kimchee – mix about 1 t. of salt, 1 t. sugar, 1 Tablespoon each of soy sauce & fish sauce. 1/4 t. (or more if you like it hot) red pepper flakes. thin sliced ginger & about 4 garlic cloves, thin-sliced red onion & scallions. Toss with the cukes and let sit 1/2 hour or longer. Probably good with sliced hot peppers if you like them.

3. For half-sours, just mix the 1 t. salt & 1 t. sugar with sliced garlic & onion, some fennel seed, or fresh fennel or dill, if you like. Add a little water and let sit.”

The reader writes:

“My husband and I bought a house in Edgewood in October, and have planted my first garden there this spring. This was a parking pad when we moved in. Now it is a bounty of tomatoes and cucumbers, bell and jalapeno peppers, basil, thyme, dill, greens and more greens, and soon to be potatoes and pole beans.”

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail with Fruits (and Vegetables) of Your Labors in the subject line.

The reader writes:

“Making some really good use of our tiny balcony this summer…jalapenos, mint, bell peppers, basil and fairytale eggplant (and more!)”

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail

The reader writes:

“These are some of the hot peppers I am growing in a Topsy Turvy in Petworth. The Cayennes just starting turning red last week.”

If your garden has been kind to you, send a couple of photos with your neighborhood to princeofpetworth(at)gmail