vegetables

About a decade ago, a group of community members organized a sustainable horticulture program targeting food insecurity in Carson City. They called it the Greenhouse Project, a not-for-profit effort to improve the quality of food available to the area’s most hungry.

The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services urges Nevadans to participate in National Nutrition Month by learning about healthy food choices and portioning.

Carson City's Brugo’s Pizza Company and Bistro changed ownership recently and is now Vino’s Pizza, transitioning to completely homemade, organic ingredients and a mountain of new menu items.

Last week Cory, from The Greenhouse Project, and I were discussing if foliar fertilization of plants was effective. He regularly sprays compost tea and other organic fertilizers on the vegetables in the greenhouse.

You may be one of the lucky ones in Northern Nevada with a yard or garden protected from the wind, but most gardeners battle regularly with gusts and gales.

As we get ready to ring in 2018 and say goodbye to 2017, we want to reflect briefly on the history of the New Year celebration and amuse you with some fun historical facts.

One of the most notable celebrations is that in Times Square in Manhattan. This has been an annual event in New York since 1907.

Nearly every television station will broadcast the “ball drop” in Times Square: A large, lighted crystal ball sliding down a 77-foot pole over the course of the last minute of the year. When the ball reaches the bottom, it is the New Year.

While I don’t work with test tubes or petri dishes, nor do I paint or sculpt, as a horticulturist, I am a scientist and an artist. I am not only a horticulturist, but also a practicing active gardener. If you are also a gardener, you too are a scientist and artist because horticulture is a science and an art.

It may be Monday, but the next one on the way is Christmas. If you still have some loved ones on your holiday shopping list, the Craft Fair at the Carson Mall is sure to have something for everyone. Monday also means football. Watch the Falcons take on the Buccaneers at Living the Good Life. You’ll find good food, good drinks, and the game on all of their screens. Put some swing in your step at Carson Lanes. The High Sierra Swing Dance Club meets weekly to learn some new dance moves and put them into action. Santa has been spotted at Red’s Old 395: from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m.

It’s the beginning of another work week, and a chilly one, at that. Take an hour to get yourself grounded and ready for what life throws your way during ‘Motivation Monday’ Yoga at the Adams Hub. Learn something new in the kitchen at this month’s cooking demo and dinner at the Dayton Community Center.

Jack Frost definitely has his icy fingers wrapped around today. It’s going to be a chilly one, so bundle up. With Christmas morning just three weeks away, the holidays are in full swing. Get a look at all of the seasonal fun that’s on it’s way in my list of holiday happenings HERE.

With December arriving we are counting the days until Christmas. So deck the halls, get some jingle bells and wassail away this holiday season. Here's what's happening now through Christmas around Carson City, Carson Valley, Dayton and Virginia City areas.

Tis the season for visits with Santa, holiday twinkle lights, and craft fairs and festivals. In order to make your December planning a little easier, take a look at what is coming up in the Carson City, Carson Valley, Dayton, and Virginia City area. Go deck the halls, get some jingle bells, and wassail away.

Five Lyon County schools were among 48 schools in five Nevada counties awarded grants in support of classroom gardening efforts.

The Salvation Army and Friends In Service Helping, also known as FISH, are separately accepting frozen turkeys and canned items to be distributed to those in need for Thanksgiving.

CARSON CITY — The food bank that makes up Friends in Service Helping, also known as FISH, is in urgent need of turkeys this holiday season.

The annual Celebrity Chef & Harvest Dinner, a benefit for The Greenhouse Project, showcases the culinary talents this year of Kevin Ashton, Zozo’s Ristorante, Reno, who joins hosting Chef Charlie Abowd, co-owner of Cafe at Adele’s.

The Bleu Cafe in Carson City was host to a cooking demonstration and show put on by professional Chef Don Pepe, owner of Carpa Nevada, LLC in Carson City, Saturday evening to more than two dozen guests.

With all the motorcycles on the road, you may be looking for some peace and quiet. Luckily, it’s fee-free day at all of the Nevada State Parks. Load up the kids, pack a picnic, at head to the great outdoors. Don’t miss out on the last-of-the-season Farmers Market at Third and Curry, stock up on local honey and load your basket with yummy stuff. Oktoberfest takes over the McFadden Plaza at 3 p.m. Bavarian and German beers, authentic food, and live music await. Keep reading for everything the area has to offer.

SATURDAY:

One might think that the end of summer means that the fun times are over: they would be wrong. This list of happenings in the Carson City area isn’t getting any shorter. The annual Genoa Candy Dance is a favorite among locals and visitors alike, and this weekend welcomes the first ever Silver State Arts Festival at Fuji Park, as well. The first ever Community Garage Sale at the Community Center offers one-stop bargain hunting. Swing into the season at the monthly dance party hosted by the High Sierra Swing Dance Club.

SATURDAY:

Enjoy these September days, it will be blustery and cold before we know it. Celebrate our neighbor to the east during their annual Dayton Valley Days street festival. Tour their museums, pan for gold, and enjoy samples at their Chili cook-off. Downtown Carson is a hotbed of fun tonight with two pub crawls and the Ghost Walk Haunted History Tour. Keep reading for all of the happenings.

SATURDAY:

With harvest time upon us, you may find you are blessed with a bounty of late summer treats such as zucchini, potatoes, tomatoes and more. Or, as fruit ripens on your fruit trees, are you finding you have more apples than you need or know what to do with? Perhaps you have too many grapes? If nature has rewarded you with plenty, would you like to share it with your community?

I’m going to suggest that you keep this weekend’s plans flexible. There’s only a chance of rain, but the chance of it showing up at the wrong time is always high. The very early morning is best spent watching the hot air balloons against the Reno skyline, but you’ll probably want a sweater for the pre-dawn chill. Head up the hill to Virginia City this weekend. If you’ve never been to the annual International Camel Races, you’ve been missing out. Keep reading, there’s something for everyone on this list. Find your fun.

SATURDAY:

Summer is holding on for dear life, and sending a miniature heat wave our way for this long weekend. For those of you not in Black Rock City, the Carson City region offers plenty of recreation and entertainment. Downtown will be hopping with the Farmers Market, monthly Wine Walk, and this season’s last outdoor concert at the Brewery Arts Center – and that’s just Saturday! Keep reading for three days of good times.

SATURDAY:

You’ll see some pretty interesting vehicles on the road these next few days, as travelers from all over head to Burning Man. If you aren’t off to the Playa yourself, there will be plenty of fun around town to keep you and your family occupied. The second annual Family Fun Day in Mills Park is your best bet for kids of all ages. This week’s free concert at Brewery Arts Center features the Dusty Green Bones. Don’t forget your dancing shoes; they’re sure to keep you on your feet.

SATURDAY:

Make this weekend something special. School starts up on Monday and it will be Halloween before we blink an eye. The Carl Howell Memorial Music Festival at Battle Born Harley boasts a full day of live music, vendors, activities and family fun. Bowers Mansion plays host to the annual Bluegrass Festival – bring a picnic and enjoy. Downtown Carson City will see the first of three monthly Beer Crawls; if you get there early, head over to Remedy’s to witness their yearly Bloody Mary Competition. There is something for everyone this weekend, so keep reading and find your fun.

The valley is alive with the sound of music: the Jazz and Beyond Music Festival, to be specific. Just about everywhere you go, you’ll be treated to something to soothe the soul or get the toes tapping. Get the kids up early for the Young Eagle Flights at the Carson City Airport – they’re free, but you need to be on time for registration. Keep reading and you’ll find a number of ways to enjoy this sunny summer weekend.

SATURDAY: Jazz and Beyond Music Festival

• -- Hot August Nights

In the ideal horticulture world, a healthy soil provides all the nutrients that plants need to grow.

Unfortunately, Nevada rarely has soils that optimize plant growth because they contain little organic matter and few nutrients.

Summer weekends make me wish I had a clone. With all the hustle and bustle in town, there is just no way to do and see it all. Start the day at the Silver Dollar Car Classic and you can get your fill of shiny chrome and breakfast, too; the Kiwanis will be serving up pancakes until 10:30 a.m. The Downtown Carson City Wine Walk has been infiltrated by the Jazz and Beyond Music Festival. Several of the stops will be hosting musicians, in addition to vino.

A sunny summer weekend has arrived and it brings numerous fun ways to seize the day. You can always head out hiking or spend the day at the pool, but the Carson City Fair is just here until Sunday. Farm animals, great exhibits, live entertainment, a carnival, and a bull-riding rodeo can be found at Fuji Park. Park your car at the Super Walmart on Topsy and you’ll be treated to a free shuttle. Go a little bit country at the Brewery Arts Center tonight; they are bringing back the Southern Drawl Band to the Minnesota Street Stage for this week’s free concert.

SATURDAY:

It’s almost like Christmas Day for some of us locals: the long awaited Taste of Downtown has finally arrived. Food, drink, live music, rubbing elbows with friends and neighbors, and a new wine-tasting add-on make this one of the best parties of the year. The morning brings an unparalleled opportunity: you’ve got one chance to walk, run, or bike right down the middle of the freeway before the new bypass is open to vehicle traffic alone. Grab your favorite four-legged friend and head to Adele’s: Dining for Dog Town is a delicious way to help out this amazing rescue organization.