Roasted Tomatoes
by Joyce Peters If you are lucky enough to have more tomatoes than you need right now, you can save some for later. There’s canning which involves equipment, jars, and a hot stove, freezing; or the easier way – roasting. Roasting intensifies the flavor and saves space by removing water. It can turn a mediocre...Continue reading→
Black Fig Fly in Alameda
Fig tree owners, you’ve had a disturbing year, thanks to the Black Fig Fly (BFF), if nothing else. Maybe last year you saw dropped figs and thought it was just the cold summer weather, but by now you should have noticed all the dropped figs and wondered what was up. In ABG’s last newsletter we...Continue reading→
Peppers Galore
WHEN: Saturday, August 22, 2026 1:00 to 3:00 PM WHERE: Alameda Food Bank, 677 W Ranger Ave, Alameda, CA 94501 Peppers Galore: Growing, Tasting, and Hot Sauce Making Workshop Thank you to everyone who attended the pepper workshop a very special afternoon! We had at least 45 participants and received a lot of positive feedback...Continue reading→
Kosher Dill Pickle Recipe
by Joyce Peters On my way home from school on the Lower East Side of New York City I would sometimes stop for a dill pickle from the pickle shops on Essex Street. A vendor would fish one out of a real wooden barrel, hand it to me and I would walk away munching. I...Continue reading→
Important Black Fig Fly Warning
by Marla Koss ACTION ITEM! Please read this UCANR article, and pass on to anyone you know with a fig tree! One Saturday morning in June 2025, members of Farm2Market’s orchard crew were arriving and assembling their tools when I heard happy shouts of “Mae!” through the trees. And suddenly our friend and mentor, longtime...Continue reading→
Water and Climate Change Presentation
On Sunday, June 7, 2026, Alameda County Master Gardeners Irene Beebe and Max Fairbee, in cooperation with ABG, presented a workshop on Water and Climate Change at REAP Climate Center’s well-appointed outdoor classroom. The main points to take away from their slide show and talk were: Compost holds water and nourishes the soil. Mulch cools,...Continue reading→
EBMUD’s Community Water Academy Report
by Sarah Miller In April I participated in the East Bay Municipal Utility District’s Community Water Academy. Over 4 evenings and one full day, we got a behind-the-scenes look at how our region’s drinking water travels from the Sierra Nevada all the way to our taps—an intricate, carefully managed journey that depends on both natural...Continue reading→
Environmental Working Group Shopper’s Guide 2026
by Joyce Peters As food costs climb, let’s take a hard look at the higher cost of organic produce vs. conventionally grown. Whether or not you believe that the health and environmental benefits of organically-grown fruits and vegetables are a certainty, it is good to know which crops are grown commercially with heavy pesticide use....Continue reading→
Tomato Care Workshop
On Saturday, June 13, 2026, Ploughshares Nursery General Manager Jordan Taylor gave a comprehensive talk on the ins and outs of caring for our backyard tomatoes throughout the season. Though most everybody has some experience growing tomatoes, access to a nursery professional like Jordan helps fill in the various knowledge gaps we all have (plus,...Continue reading→
Stir Fried Broccoli with Garlic Sauce
by Joyce Peters When I was growing up in New York City, ages ago, my Chinese- American family did not eat much broccoli. It just wasn’t available in our neighborhood stores. When we did have it, my grandfather would discard the florets and slice the stems for his stir fries. Broccoli is not a Chinese...Continue reading→