Jul 27: Edible Flower Workshop

Edible Flower Workshop -- Learn how to make a beautiful edible flower salad with citrus dressing and use flowers to garnish your summer desserts! This workshop, to benefit the Green Millenium Children's Garden, will include a presentation on edible flowers, a short Q&A session, information on where to obtain edible flowers in Pgh, and a resource list for those interested in learning more about edible flowers.

The event will also include a light summer buffet:

Edible flower salad

Nasturtium & chive cream cheese sandwiches

Edible flower decorated no bake chocolate cake
Various herbal ice teas

7-8 pm at the Hoi Polloi Vegetarian Cafe and Coffeehouse, 1100 Galveston Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Workshop fee of $15 includes food, and is a fundraiser for Green Millennium Childrens' Garden.

For more information or to RSVP, contact Laura Winter (alias the Garden Lady) at lauradwinter@gmail.com or 412.779.6151. Please RSVP by Sunday, July 26, so that we can have enough seating and flower edibles available.

Jul 27: Bioneers Mondays with STARTUP!

Supporting a local living economy... Join the 3 Rivers Bioneers and STARTUP! for a Monday of Local Economy. STARTUP! is a newly forming social enterprise school that is embracing the concept of a sustainable local economy. 6 pm at GTECH's office, 214 N Lexington Street, North Point Breeze (next to Construction Junction). The event is free, and refreshments will be served, thanks to support from The Sprout Fund. Spread the word, bring a friend, and see you on Bioneer Monday!

Jul 24: Deadline for GASP photography exhibition

Green Eye on Western Pennsylvania: a juried photography exhibition to benefit GASP. The deadline for entries is July 24, 2009 -- digital photos can be submitted by email. The exhibition opens on September 11, at the Coca Café in Lawrenceville. Full information is on the web, here.

Jul 18: Summer Farm Tour

It's time for the Buy Fresh Buy Local Summer Farm Tour, a behind-the-barn look at local food.

The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture wants you to connect with local farmers offering the best in healthy, sustainably raised foods. FARM TOUR will help you to appreciate the important role played by growers in your community, while offering fun, tasty and memorable experiences along the way! Take the tour: FARM TOUR costs only $10 PER CARLOAD for a day pass to visit any of the participating farms! Select a route from our online, interactive map of participating farms - FARM TOUR MAP - Print maps with directions will also be available at each farm that you visit. Load up your family and friends! Simply pay $10 at the first farm you visit for your day pass and visit as many participating farms as you'd like! The Farm Tour is suitable for visitors of all ages! All farms open, rain or shine! Suggested Routes: Jefferson County Sampler - Head out to Paradise Farms & Gardens and learn about goat milking and sample goat cheese. Next, visit Quiet Creek Herb Farm's shiitake mushroom farm, take a self-guided nature tour and don't miss the salves and tinctures in the gift shop. Southwestern PA Loop - Start at Triple B Farms for berries, south of Pittsburgh and then swing by Morris Organic Farm for pick-your-own and wheat flour grinding demonstrations with antique farm equipment, finally heading over to Jamison Farm in Latrobe to visit their world famous lambs! Airport Loop - Head out past the PGH Airport to Wild Rose Farm where they'll be demonstrating indigo dyeing and spinning and skirting fleeces. Then, don't miss Janoski Farms Country Market, chock full of locally canned and preserved goodies, finally swinging by Bocktown Beer & Grille for a wonderful and local meal in Robinson Township; you can even try to win a Bocktown gift certificate at Wild Rose Farm! Zelienople Breeze - Visit Kretschmann Organic Farm and Alpacas at the Little Brick Barn and Lewis Family Beef Farm all on the same road; plus don't miss nearby Brenckle's Farm & Greenhouse! Slippery Rock Area - Visit Ron Gargasz Organic, Grass-fed Beef Farm, renewable energy systems at Slippery Rock University's Macoskey Center and don't miss nearby Three Sisters Farm and Pasture Maid Creamery quesos! Route 910 Special - Start at Soergels & Shenot, head east to Dillner & Harvest Valley Farms; make a quick detour South to check out Mish Farms Meat Market and end at Pounds' Poultry Farm for tasty samples and discounts on local meat products. TOUR TIPS: Bring your cooler! Eggs, meats, cheeses, milk, fruit and veggies will be available for purchase! Come with questions?? A farmer is the best person to ask about how to cook a kohlrabi! Start with the understanding that due to the time needed for travel and visits, you may only be able to visit 3 or 4 farms. Wear sturdy shoes, a hat to keep off the sun, and clothes that can get a little dirty! Wash your hands after you touch any animals! Make sure kids wash their hands too! Remember that you are a guest on the farms, which are also residences. Please be courteous! Participating Farms: Jamison Farm 171 Jamison Lane Latrobe, PA 15650 Triple B Farms 823 Berry Ln Monongahela, PA 15063-9526 Morris Farm 110 Slebodnik Road Irwin, PA 15642 Dillner Family Farm 9 Spring House Lane Gibsonia, PA 15044 Harvest Valley Farms 125 Ida Lane Valencia, Pa 16059 Mish Farm 80 Oak Road Gibsonia, PA 15044 Pounds Turkey Farm 4200 Melwood Rd Leechburg, PA 15656 Shenot Farm 3754 Wexford Run Road Wexford, PA 15090 Soergel Orchards 2573 Brandt School Road Wexford, PA 15090 Paradise Farm & Gardens 2771 Paradise Road Reynoldsville, PA 15851 Quiet Creek Herb Farm 93 Quiet Creek Lane Brookville, PA 15825 Janoski Farm 714 Route 30 Clinton, PA 15026 Wild Rose Farm 2412 US Route 30 Hookstown, PA 15050 Macoskey Center 247 Harmony Road · Slippery Rock, PA · 16057 Pasture Maid Creamery 571 Cow Path Lane New Castle, PA 16101 Ron Gargasz 129 Old Ash Road Volant, PA 16156 Three Sisters Farm 134 Obitz Road Sandy Lake, PA 16145 Lewis Family Farms 258 Zeigler Road Rochester, PA 15074 Brenckle's Farm and Greenhouses 768 Glen Eden Road Zelienople, Pa 16063 Kretschmann Farm 257 Zeigler Road Rochester, PA 15074 Alpacas at the Little Brick Barn 327 Zeigler Road Rochester, PA 15074 The 2009 Buy Fresh Buy Local FARM TOUR is sponsored by Turner Dairy Farms, the East End Food Coop and Kretschmann Organic Farm. All proceeds benefit PASA. For more information about PASA's Western Regional Buy Fresh Buy Local Summer Farm Tour, please visit www.BuyLocalPa.org.

Jul 17: Green Drinks with Gardenalia

This month at Green Drinks, Gardenalia gardeners and designers will talk about their experiences designing and implementing garden plans, teaching, consulting, and being dedicated to supporting the sustainability of the natural systems in our soil and the plants grown for beauty and food. Come and ask the Gardenalians about vegetable gardening, edible landscaping, native landscaping, and green roof maintenance.

5-9 p.m. (presentation at 6pm) at Arsenal Bowling Lanes, 212 44th & Butler, in Lawrenceville (412-683-5992). For bus routes, check out http://www.portauthority.org .

For more information, email pittsburghgreendrinks@gmail.com .