BE A PART OF THE GREEN TRANSFORMATION

“What is this life if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs

And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,

Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,

Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,

And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can

Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,

We have no time to stand and stare “

---- William Henry Davies

Doesn't this poem which we all learnt in our school days ring true to our ears today? In the fast paced lives we live today we have lost our bond with Mother Nature.  We long for long lost gardens and green spaces in the concrete jungles of Mumbai, we long for pure and safe food for us and our loved ones, we long for the pure and unadulterated joy of playing with  soil……

Do you want to be a part of a dream which envisions green food forests and farms on terraces and spaces spread all across Mumbai? Do you want learn the magic of transforming this Grey

INTO this Green?

and PRODUCTIVE one?

Then join us to give wings to our dreams and be a part of this transformation which will not only transform spaces but will also transform you……

Urban Leaves is laying the foundations of  community farms spread across Mumbai.  The details of the project  initiatives  are as follows:

LOCATION	DATE	TIME
Gopal's Garden High School Borivali (East), Mumbai	Saturday,  27th April 2013	8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Bhavan's Nature & Adventure Center    Andheri(West), Mumbai	Wednesday,   1st May 2013	8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
ISKCON Temple, Babulnath, Mumbai	Saturday,  4th May 2013	8:00 AM to 10:00 AM
Don Bosco High School, Matunga(East), Mumbai	Sunday,  5th May 2013	8:00 AM to 10:00 AM

For more details check the calendar .

(There’s another proposed project by Mumbai Port Trust at Sagar Upwan (MbPT Garden, Colaba), please keep track of the calendar for details.)

There will be regular weekly volunteer opportunities where u can volunteer with like minded urban farmers and learn the art. For logistics purposes those coming, please use this form where you can opt for the events that you are planning to attend. Please fill in your name and email and select the events that you plan to attend

     

You can drop us an email with your choices at:  urbanleaves@gmail.com


To Many more happy gardening times together

Amit Malgaonkar

For 
Team Urban Leaves

Amrut Mitti Workshops in April 2013

Dear Friends,

Winter and fall are behind us and spring is here. Trees have shed their old leaves and are welcoming spring with vibrant colors and new life. The ground is covered with a bounty (leaves) whose complete value is still unknown to us !

Come join us in making use of this bounty for preparing Amrut Mitti: a microbially and nutritionally rich soil. This will be your first step towards the natueco organic way of kitchen gardening.

Topics Covered:

• Understanding the importance of Amrut Mitti
• Amrut Jal Demonstration
• Hands on activity of making Amrut Mitti
• How can Amrut Mitti be used
• What can be grown
• Sowing calendar
• Q&A

Urban leaves is also taking up a few community projects at various locations in Mumbai. You can participate in these projects as Urban leaves volunteers. This will not only provide you with valuable experience for your own kitchen garden but will also give you an opportunity to network with like minded souls and  help you to contribute meaningfully to the community.

VENUE	Maharashtra Nature Park, Gate No. 2, Mahim, Opp Dharavi Bus Depot
DATE	Workshop I:   Sunday - 21st April 2013 - Making of Amrut Mitti Workshop II:  Sunday - 28th April 2013 - Making of Amrut Mitti You can register for any one of the workshops. MAX. Intake: 30 persons  per session
TIME	8:30 am to 12:30 pm
FEES	Rs.500/- per person per session
MODE OF PAYMENT	Cheque Drawn in favour of "VIDYA VAARIDHI TRUST"  and courier to : Mr. Uday Acharya Vidya Vaaridhi Trust, A-101 Mani Bhavan, 11th Road, Chembur Mumbai 400071. Tel: 98336-63108 ECS Transfer Account Name:                 VIDYA VAARIDHI TRUST Saving Account No:           52009032981 PAN Number of Trust:       AAATV2294B Bank:                               State Bank of Hyderabad Type of Bank A/c:            Savings Address of the Branch:     1st Road, Near M-Ward Office, Chembur Mumbai 400071 IFSC Code of Bank:           SBHY0020408 Please send us the details of the transfer by email

Please register to avail confirmed seat. Click for registration form.

Concession is available to those who need it. Kindly contact us.

Lots of smiles
Happy Gardening

Team
Urban Leaves

National Safe Food Day 9th Feb

Why celebrate National Safe Food day?

When we started the Urban Leaves project Preeti brought the knowledge and passion, Jyoti the determination, Uday Acharya spread peace and I introduced the politics! My politics was and is food!  While we spent week after week making Amrut Mitti, I kept plugging away about GM food and the impending arrival of Bt brinjal on our plates.  This was in 2009, by then all of us had watched ‘Poison on the Platter’, the documentary film by Ajay Kanchan, narrated by Mahesh Bhatt,  and were convinced that we had to stop Bt brinjal. We screened Poison on the Platter, we held talks on GM crops, during one of which Vasant Bhau a veteran organic farmer from Warud, Maharashtra, spoke passionately to Mumbaites about the Bt cotton crisis, shocking many in the audience, who thought that it was a distant problem, not connected to them.

As our piles of Amrut Mitti grew so did the Bt brinjal campaign around the country. Then in October 2009, GEAC recommended Bt brinjal for commercialisation and the Minister for Environment & Forests announced that he will seek feedback and hold public consultations before taking a decision on Bt brinjal. After  a series of public consultations (which many of us from Mumbai went to Ahmedabad and Nagpur to attend) the Minister on February 9, 2010 declared a moratorium on Bt brinjal citing numerous concerns expressed by scientists, state governments and the public.

The moratorium is upheld even today, three years later, however the biotech industry is leaving no stone unturned to get Bt brinjal and other GM crops in the pipeline approved. Therefore, we can’t say the battle for brinjal is over, we have to be watchful and keep ourselves abreast and aware. Since, 2011, February 9^th is being celebrated every year as National Safe Food Day to remind every one of us to be ever vigilant about our food sovereignty!

Urban farmers and Safe food!

Urban food farmers and safe food are inextricably connected, the raison d’être of urban food farming is to provide local, healthy, safe food!  The connection is amply  evident in Urban Leaves’ work and celebrations. We grow seasonal and local vegetables and fruits.  We serve healthy vegan food during our events, we celebrate world kitchen garden day with vegetables grown in our patches and pots, and we promote healthy eating along with growing food and our motto is “reap what you sow, eat what you grow”.

Variety of Brinjals grown in our community garden at MNP

  

Our Sunday harvest

So, this year on February 9^th, I invite all urban gardeners and all of us who eat food (because it concerns every one of us) to join hands to keep our food safe from GMOs and toxins. Check out events at http://nationalsafefoodday2013.blogspot.com.  There are events in Mumbai,  please join!  If you are unable to join the events, design your own events in the community, in the neighbourhood or start you own safe food tradition at home and blog about it. Make this a joyous occasion!

In addition to ensuring safe food through growing it, urban food farmers should also take on the responsibility of saving seed. Conserving and multiplying open pollinated traditional seeds is one way that urban farmers can work towards seed sovereignty. Here is the link to a lovely leaflet from  Annadana on how to save seeds of traditional varieties of brinjal!  

Happy Safe Food Day! I hope many urban farmers will save brinjal seeds (and that of other vegetables) as our contribution to seed sovereignty and food safety!

For more information:

¾     Visit : http://www.facebook.com/events/390953627662426/?fref=ts

¾     Check: www.indiagminfo.org

Many of you would already have watched , also send it to friends and family:

Poison on the Platter here it is in Hindi http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qk9leT5kzY  &

World According to Monsanto, in English: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6_DbVdVo-k

Devi Lakshmikutty 

For team

urban Leaves

Vidya Varidhi Trust

Learn to Grow and Eat

Hello everyone. 

Winter seems to be setting in. The leaves are turning yellow and drying and falling...

... these dried leaves are a valuable resource and need not be burnt... infact  they can be decomposed to make soil.... this soil we call "Amrit Mitti".

Urban Leaves is pleased to share this knowledge of converting waste to soil by conducting a series of workshops for those interested in growing edible stuff like herbs, tomatoes, chilies, lemon grass etc. on your window sill or balcony or terrace. Come join us to learn sessions on Urban Farming .... 

Session II - Sunday - 25^th November, 2012 - Start Your Kitchen Garden

- Kitchen Compost Demonstration

- Sowing Seeds in Container (all material will be provided)

- Transplanting Saplings

- Importance of Crop Cycles & Sowing Calendar

 Session III - Sunday - 9^th December, 2012 - Maintain Kitchen Garden

- Mulching

- Pruning of Vegetable plants

- Soil Care and Maintenance 

- Bio-pesticides Formulations and Applications

- Making of Amit Jal (take home a bottle for your plants)

Session IV - Sunday - 2^th December, 2012 - Making of Amrit Mitti

- Understand the importance of Nutritionally Rich Soil

- Amrit Jal Demonstration

- Hands on activity of making Amrit Mitti

Venue: Maharashtra Nature Park, Mahim

Time: 8:00 am to 12:30 pm
Fees: Rs. 750/- per person per session
Max. Intake: 40 persons per session

Book you seat Register and select prefered session and mode of payment.

For queries write to urbanleaves@gmail.com

Mode of Payment:

Cheque in favor of Vidya Vaaridhi Trust  and courier to :
Mr. Uday Acharya
Vidya Vaaridhi Trust, 
A-101 Mani Bhavan, 11th Road, Chembur
Mumbai 400071. 

ECS Transfer

Account Name - Vidya Vaaridhi Trust

Account No. - 52009032981

PAN Number of Trust - AAATV2294B

Bank - State Bank of Hyderabad

Type of Bank A/c - Savings

Address of Bank - 1^st Road, Near M-Ward Office, Chembur Mumbai 400071

IFSC Code of Bank - SBHY0020408

(please send us an e-mail with your name, transaction details and for which workshop the payment has been made)

Warm Regards
Urban Leaves

How Safe Is Our Food?

 

Part 1: Introduction - Read Full Article

Part 2: Pesticides - Some Definitions - Read Full Article

Part 3 : Pesticides in Indian Agriculture and Food - Read Full Article

Part 4 : Some Common Pesticides Used In Our Favourite Vegetables

 

In this last and final part of our series on Pesticides, let us put ourselves to a simple test. And not to worry - you will be answerable to none other than your own conscience.

Below are a few images of the vegetables as you would encounter in the market. What would you choose? Take your pick – and choose wisely.

 

For it is our choice unfortunately that has been skewed by the Green revolution – the phase when food grown using chemical inputs was shown to us to be bigger and therefore better, healthier. 

Are we still following the same criteria for judgment when we go out to shop for our fruits and vegetables? Do we still think that the bigger the better; the more uniform the better;

Do we still equate wittedness’ to staleness?

 

As a personal experience, we have found that organically grown vegetable shows signs of limping & wilt sooner than those grown with chemical additives. The logic probably is similar to having fresh fruit juice after a few hours which develops an off taste as compared to fruit squashes to which chemical preservatives have been added.

 

And while we still come to terms with our habituated choices, let us also dabble a bit into statistics. 

 

Most people often get carried away with statistics and cite statistical examples as evidence for their beliefs.

 

But statistics can be as misleading as percentages.

For instance – as per statisticians, the average depth of River Narmada is 13 feet. So is it safe to believe that nobody can ever ‘sink’ in the Narmada – even at the mouth…..

 

Similarly, if the govt. claims that the pesticide residues tested on each vegetable are well within permissible limits, does this mean that it will not affect any of us in any which way? And individually if each vegetable has a certain pesticide ‘well within permissible limits’ – so to say; what happens when we have a complete meal comprising of certain salads, a variety of vegetables and cereals and pulses, each being individually sprayed with certain pesticides?

 

10 items each having a residue of 0.01% - which is the prescribed norm – cumulatively add up to approximately 0.1% per meal. And for two meals + breakfast + snacks will mean we are consuming nearly 0.2% of toxins per day as against the stipulated 0.01% per day. 

 

And understanding this in perspective of the previous articles where we learnt of Bio- accumulation and Bio-magnification, what ghastly possibilities conjure up?

All this with an assumption that what the manufacturing companies are writing and the govt. testing agencies are saying is the whole truth.

 

IS IT? CAN WE TAKE IT AT FACE VALUE?

Read further for some horrifying facts…

Read and Save full article here in PDF version

World Kitchen Garden Day Celebration - 26th August 2012

The rain god spared us and a large number of people participated in the World Kitchen Garden Day organized jointly by the Team of Urban Leaves & RUR (R you Recycling) in the verdant surroundings of Maharashtra Nature Park.

Over 200 participants came from all over Mumbai, Navi Mumbai & the extended suburbs to know more about Kitchen Gardening, Safe Food and Recycling.

A few participants had also taken part in the cooking contest where the recipes had to adhere to the theme of the event, ‘Reviving the lost traditions of Shraavan’. 

Ms. Preeti Patil explained the idea behind the theme. In India, across most regions and communities, a lot of importance is attached to the Hindu month of Shraavan.  It is during this period that the bounty of monsoon makes a variety of leafy green vegetables available for consumption. Many of these vegetables often are not commercially grown and are found growing wild. They are full of vital nutrients and free from pesticides.The focus on shravan greens during the event was an opportunity to understand these veggies, introduce them to the younger urban generation and learn to grow them in our city farms. 

 Display of "Variety of Shravan Vegetables". Do you recognise any? Check them out HERE!!

Our First Speaker - Shri Rajendra Bhat,

an Organic farmer gave information on uncultivated varieties of Shravan vegetables and special tips on "How to Grow". Vegetables like Shevla, Takla, Bharangi, Shevga, Phodshi are not names that we urbanites are familiar with. Lets get aquintated with names co-inciding with pictures of these vegetables. 

Second Speaker of the day - Tejal Vishveshwar from "India for Safe Food",

spoke about the pesticide residues found in our foods, their toxic effects and how as citizens of India we have a right to organic and safe food.

Third Speaker - Monisha Narke from RUR, introduced the concept of Reducing, Reusing and Recycling of things that we use in our daily routine to minimize our ecological footprint. Monisha was quick in requesting a volunteer to carry all the paper cups used during the breakfast to be used for composting at home. Jyoti Despande volunteered! Three cheers for Jyoti!!

Earthaholics collated a DIY kit on growing vegetables in container. Urban Leaves team presented a demo on "How to Transplant and Sow Seeds in Container".  This kit was on sale for the interested participants to immediately start with Chilly sapling.

Judging the Contestents creation was done by Chef Nilesh Limaye and Nutritionist Shilpa Joshi. They also interacted with each of the participant giving them valuable feedback.

They commended all the participants for their enthusiasm. Each of the participants introduced themselves and gave the audience some information on their recipes.

The judges announced the results.

First winner, Mrs Surekha Patkar prepared 'Shevla Masoor Masala'

This vegetable grows on uncultivated lands and is available for only a couple of days in the beginning of rainy season. Usually prepared with Prawns, Mrs. Patkar had used Lentils (whole Masoor) in lieu as the rules for the competition required the recipe to be purely Vegetarian.

Second winner, Mrs. Prema Hattangadi prepared 'Takla Chi Tamli'

modified a regular GSB recipe 'Tamli' to include another wild 'Shraavan' vegetable called 'Taklaa'. Thus 'Takla chi Tamli' was an innovation to integrate this wild vgetable into a traditional recipe.

Third winner,  Mrs. Jaya Vora prepared 'Zumkha Na Chilla'

This vegetable again is availabe from the wild and is available only in the rainy season corresponding to the month of 'Shraavan'. Again, this was an innovative blend of regular recipe of Chikpea flour (Besan) pancakes (Chilla) by integrating the Zumkha into it.

These prizes were sponsored by Home Collective India Pvt. Ltd., Girgaum - a store dealing with high quality Kitchen Accessories and other Home Products  & Nirmitee Art store, Dadar - a store dealing in Handicrafts.

Thereafter, chef Nilesh Limaye and Shilpa Joshi demonstrated a few simple salad recipes.

The session was closed by honouring the judges and speakers with potted landscapes that were generously donated by Vriksha Nursery, Irla.

The audience was overjoyed to learn about so many connecting facets to an Organic and healthy lifestyle.

They had an opportunity to buy garden related goodies,

- grow your own vegetable kits provided by Earthaholics

- plants saplings from Amrute Nursery, Dapoli
- shopping bags and eco friendly jewellery from RUR
- books on organic farming from the Urban Leaves


A delicious, healthy, sumptuous, vegan, gluten and oil free  Lunch served by THAC
(The Health Awareness Centre)

Appreciated by all participants.
Special thanks to Dr Vijaya Venkat and Anju for their continuous support in our ventures. 

To view all pictures of the event: click here

A special touch to the event : Participants appreciated a personal message from Roger Doiron founder of Kitchen Gardeners International www.kgi.org to fellow gardeners in Mumbai on World Kitchen Garden Day.

Take a look at how our friends in other cities celebrated World Kitchen Garden Day

Bangalore: Oota from their Thota 

Chennai : organised by Sangeeta Shriram and her team at restore . Their photos of the event can be viewed here

Bhubaneshwar: organised by Mr Maheswar Khillar: Read full article here from the Odisha Diary

Australia (Tasmania):

Kate ( our board member at KGI ) Read her Blog Vegetable Vagabond 

 

Kenya : View pictures here

 

Scarborough USA : with Roger Doiron Founder KGI