TAPTF_NovNewsletter
The Teach a Person to Fish (TAPTF) Society Monthly Stakeholder Newsletter
Hello partners and friends! This is the first newsletter for The TAPTF Soci- ety. I am going to do my best to get this out at least monthly to keep all of you in the loop as we continue to grow. Before I get into anything else, I want to thank all of the friends and partners who helped us get to this point. In particular, Michela Coffaro, Susan and Mac Goekler, Rev. Paula Maiorano, and Rustic Acres Farm (Chris Oliverio & Co.) Thank you all for your donations, experience, and wisdom:)
Recently, I created a brochure that explains the mission and goals of our organization, and I’ve been using the same text in emails to potential part- ners as well. Please read it with a critical eye and let me know if you think there should be any changes. It is a double-sided trifold with the title, fish, and contact info on the front, informational text in the center, and map on the back:
Front:
The Teach a Person to Fish Society
Teresa Ripley
18545 Munchy Branch Rd. Rehoboth Beach Delaware (717) 579-1577 candtripley@hotmail.com
Center:
Mission:
Create a village that serves as a community resource and educa- tional center to sustain its own members while also contributing resources to impoverished and food insecure people of the broader Sussex County region.
What is an ecovillage?
Ecovillagers are united by shared ecological, social-economic and cultural-spiritual values. Concretely, ecovillagers seek alter- natives to ecologically destructive electrical, water, transporta- tion, and waste-treatment systems, as well as the larger social systems that mirror and support them. Many see the breakdown of traditional forms of community, wasteful consumerist lifestyles, the destruction of natural habitat, urban sprawl, factory farming, and over-reliance on fossil fuels as trends that must be changed to avert ecological disaster and create richer and more fulfilling ways of life.
How do we begin?
The short-term goal of the TAPTF Society is to set up a network of community and private gardens throughout the region to sup- ply fresh produce to various charitable partners, such as the Mil- ton Food Pantry, the Rehoboth Community Resource Center, the Food Bank of Delaware in Milford, and other smaller outlets (e.g., churches, civic centers, etc.) For example, there is an existing partnership between the Lewes Community Garden and the Re- hoboth Community Resource Center upon which we hope to ex- pand.
The long-term goal of The TAPTF Society is to construct an eco- village that serves its members, the local community, students,
and visitors by employing and teaching sustainable living prac- tices. We hope to develop educational programs to promote the use of renewable energy sources, cultivate and manage natural food resources (e.g., agriculture, hunting, fishing), protect clean water resources, and promote ecological housing and waste management alternatives. We are seeking to partner with Del- aware Technical Community College, the local faith community, and public and private k-12 schools to advance these programs.
“The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have little.”
—-Franklin D. Roosevelt
Back:
* Garden/Market Sites
* Charitable Donation Sites
The most exciting news (for me anyway), is that we have received our “Certificate of Incorporation” from the state of Delaware! Also, we submit- ted an application for DNRec’s “Local Foods/Local Places” program. It is not a monetary award, but assistance with developing an action plan. I hope to hear back from them soon.
Cass is working with the UUSD Property Management committee to build a garden site on the UUSD grounds, and getting a permit to build a lean-to greenhouse as an extension to our front porch. Also, partner Jeff Puglia in- spired Cass to try his hand at “worm farming” and he started a small colony. Fortunately, the little buggers do not take up much room and they seem to love all the food/compost scraps we feed them.
Perrin Smith and the Lewes Community Garden board has approved a garden bed for us at their location on Park Road in Lewes, which we aim to start preparing for next season in mid-March. Also, we’re in contact with David Foreman of the Christian Grace Veterans Housing initiative and The Richard Allen Coalition who both are considering participation as a garden site hosts.
We made our first small but symbolic, donation to the Milton Food Pantry on November 15th (thanks again, Chris!). This week we will be donating to the Rehoboth Community Resource Center. I’ve reached out to Totem Farms and Hattie’s Garden in Milton and the Rehoboth Safeway to see if they are interested in making regular donations also.
The UUA Ministry for Earth has put me in contact with several members who are engaged in this type of nonprofit work in other states. Thank you Rev. Paula, Sana, and Sabrina for your guidance and resources.
On the educational front, we have a point of contact at DelTech, Kara Funkhouser, who has agreed to keep an eye out for educational programs that may overlap with our initiative. Also, we have been eyeing a property on the southbound (west) side of Rt. 1 that is being leased by the Hudson Management group. A representative called me this morning to say that they are in discussion with a Montessori school that wants to lease the property. I suggested the idea that the school may serve as a garden site resource for us and as an educational tool for their students. Fingers crossed!
Next Steps:
- Partner with larger state/national fiscal sponsors
- Garden crop planning and soil development
- Planning for seasonal labor (volunteers, managers, interns)
- Touch base with local indigenous groups (Thanks, Michela!)
- Develop web/social media and local media marketing plan
The following are helpful tips if you have a bunch of green tomatoes that you want to harvest before the first freeze of the season:
How to ripen green tomatoes indoors (https://www.picky- ourown.org/ greentomatoeshowtostoreandripen.php#:~:text=How%20to %20ripen%20green%20tomatoes%20indoors. %20Pick%20the,immediatley%2C%20but%20certainly%2 0within%20a%20day%20or%20two)
- Pick the green tomatoes off the vine, BEFORE they are hit by a frost. If there has already been a frost, only those green tomatoes which were protected will ripen. You can easily tell the frost damaged tomatoes as they turn a dark green often immediately, but certainly within a day or two.
- Inspect and wash (under cool running water*) the green tomatoes, blot them dry with a clean towel and let them dry completely. * Why use running water? Because you want to wash away any dirt, bacteria, fungus, etc. and NOT cross-contaminate the tomatoes.
- Remove any damaged, soft, or spotted tomatoes. You can attempt to ripen them, but keep them away from your good tomatoes as they will probably quickly rot.
- You will need a flat, wide container with an absorbent layer to spread the tomatoes out. Here are the keys: The container should be liquid proof, or made of a thick absorbent material (like thick cardboard) so that it will contain any liquid from tomatoes that rot.
The bottom must be lined with an absorbent material, so when a tomato rots, the liquid from it will not contact other tomatoes (which will cause them to rot) There needs enough rooms so that no tomato is touching another tomato. Ideally, there should be about 2 inches between each tomato.
The flat, wide cardboard produce boxes that you can get for free at Costco or Sam’s Club are ideal, when you line them with about 5 sheets thick of newspaper or paper towels. - Place the clean, dry tomatoes one layer deep in the boxes. Space them out, so no tomato is touching another. 2 or 3 inches between tomatoes works well.
- Store the box of green tomatoes in a cool (50 – 65 F), dry area. An unheated basement, insulated garage, or enclosed porch would work very well. If the temperature is on the cooler end, say 50 – 60, ripening will be slower, and you may have some into January. Temperatures in the 60’s will cause much more rapid ripening. High humidity typically causes more rot. I use a dehumidifier in my basement, set on 35 – 40% humidity.
- Check the tomatoes at least every week. Every other day is better. Remove any that are 50% or more red, and let them finish ripening on your kitchen counter. Check the toma- toes for signs of rot. Any rotting tomatoes should be removed. Once a tomato starts to rot, it will spread quickly.
- The tomatoes should slowly ripen over a period of 3 weeks to 3 months!
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