In the zone

Thanks to everyone who stopped by Firehouse 13 last night for Green Zones: From the War Garden to Your Garden and the first-ever Urban Ag Spring Start Party.

The talks and discussion went over really well, and the seed-swapping table was hopping.  I got a chance to connect with gardeners, historians, and gardening historians from all over.

A spring party was a great outlet for gardeners with seeds, plants, and stories to share. As RI’s food gardening network continues to grow, imagine another garden event this fall?!?!?!?!

Green Zones Event…and Urban Ag Spring Start?

Check out the updated page for Green Zones: From the War Garden to Your Garden, a presentation on Victory Gardens, the Women’s Land Army of America, and how/why gardeners are growing their own food today. The event takes place on Tues., May 5, starting at 5:30pm at Firehouse 13, 41 Central St. in Providence.

A plan is stirring to hold an Urban Agriculture Spring Start Party afterwards. This will include seed/plant swapping, exchanging ideas, food, music, and kicking off the garden season together.

Community gardeners, backyard gardeners, local foodies, green folks, farmers, teachers, kids. . .can you help out with this emerging event?  Contact me at szurier at wesleyan dot edu or leave a comment, and I’ll be in touch.

Urban agriculture, DC-style

It may be beyond freezing cold on the streets and in the backyards of our fair city, but the Providence Journal has been thinking about Victory Gardens lately.

Last week Sheila Lennon blogged about the “Eat the View” campaign urging the Obamas to plant an organic vegetable garden on the White House lawn. But it’s nowhere to be found on the Projo website???

The ETV website has a petition you can sign and a timeline of White House landscape history, with highlights like John Adams’s vegetable patch, Thomas Jefferson’s fruit trees, Edith Wilson’s grazing sheep, and Eleanor Roosevelt’s victory garden.

Today, Projo Food Editor Gail Ciampa wrote about the National WWII Museum‘s upcoming project, “Kitchen Memories: A National Conversation about Food During World War II.” The museum invites Americans to send in their personal recollections about wartime foodways, from food rationing to growing victory gardens.  While you’re at it, Rhode Islanders, send your victory garden memories to me, too!

Even more Victory Gardens in the Projo as of Sunday: “Victory gardens reappear.”

Spinach Victory Garden!

Popeye is one of my cartoon heroes. For starters, we both love our spinach, and we’re fond of Olive Oyl.  Though this Popeye short–”RATION fer the DURATION” (1943)–is kinda fuzzy and kinda long, it’s a hoot. From the opening pan over the “Spinach Victory Garden” to the crops of POTatoes, CANtaloupes, and the rest, you will enjoy. Go ahead and watch!

Another ‘toon: Private Snafu in The Home Front

Private Snafu cartoons aren’t nearly as endearing as Barney Bear, but they have an interesting backstory.

A bunch of all-stars helped to create Private Snafu: director Frank Capra (“It’s a Wonderful Life,” etc), Theodor (Dr. Seuss) Geisel,  Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones, Bugs Bunny voiceman Mel Blanc, and many more.  With each storyboard approved by the War Department, Warner Brothers rolled out a series of Snafu shorts during World War II.

In “The Home Front” (1943, directed by Frank Tashlin), the Technical Fairy-First Class shows Snafu that while he paces around his Quonset Hut on an army base, his family and his gal are supporting the war effort. Pa fabricates tanks, grandpa builds warships, and Sally Lou joins the Women’s Army Corps (WACs). Best of all, dear ole’ Ma plows up the yard, enlists the family cat to sow seeds, and teaches the family horse to spread manure. She has grown a superb Victory Garden, but the cat takes all the credit…