Man in Overalls

Although my expenses as Volunteer of the Year are paid for by the Tallahassee Democrat as the local media sponsor of the Jefferson Awards, the expenses of my fellow delegation travelers are not covered. Travel, lodging, and Jefferson Awards registration expenses amount to just over $4500. Please consider a donation. Any and all financial assistance is appreciated. Please make checks payable and send donations to Tallahassee Food Network's 501c3 fiscal agent: Wiley Sunshine Foundation, memo "TFN Delegation" to 1920 Chowkeebin Nene/ Tallahassee, FL 32301. "Nathan Ballentine to represent Tallahassee at the Jefferson Awards in Washington, D.C." Reprinted from Tallahassee Democrat, 6/13/2014 Individual awards don't really suit Nathan Ballentine's personality. He's a dedicated public servant, working tirelessly to create a culture of sustainability in Tallahassee, but he always insists he's just one part of an enthusiastic team. When he fi...

Last week, I was honored by Tallahassee Democrat as Volunteer of the Year  and given the Jefferson Award for Public Service, an honor that highlights my work, yes, but was certainly given based on the impact that our whole Tallahassee Food Network team is making in our work across lines of division to grow community-based good food systems. Much thanks to Nancy Miller and her aid SarahKeith Valentine who nominated me. Sue Dick, President of the Tallahassee Chamber delivered the following words (prepared by Leslie Smith) at the Volunteer of the Year Luncheon: Nathan Ballentine, co-founder and volunteer co-director of the Tallahassee Food Network has been working for local food security since 2009.  Along with the Tallahassee Food Network, Nathan coordinates monthly Collards and Cornbread gatherings, facilitates the Community Garden Network Circle and Farm-to-Table team.  Nathan has cultivated roughly 260 organizational partnership and 740 personal relationship...

Hey there good folks, I've got a quick little story for you and a couple of pointers as you begin your summer garden. 1.) Story: A Hidden Garden Last week, Sundiata Ameh-El, co-coordinator of  iGrow  and I were installing raised beds around town together. Because we were in the area and because my father had told me about it, we swung by for a look at an unlikely farm. It's hidden behind a Tallahassee shopping center, behind a hedge on a steep hillside above a storm drain. It's absolutely gorgeous, everything a mini farm should be, and it's maintained by a gentleman from China who doesn't speak any English. (To protect his privacy, I'm being intentionally vague about his farm's location.) Aside from the beautiful produce, the most impressive aspect in my opinion was the terracing itself. I've always wondered how indigenous peoples the world over have farmed on hillsides without loosing their beds to the first rain. Take a look. No...

Check it out! I've been working with the FL Dept of Ag to create a bunch of "How To" Food Gardening Videos.  For example: "How to build raised beds," "How to plant," "How to water," and all kind of other basics.  Below are a few to get your started.  For the rest (and for the ones still to be released), stay tuned to the Fresh for Florida Kids Youtube Channel . While I'm at it, I'll go ahead and show you a few other things as well. I'm super excited about this: The City of Tallahassee TV station, WCOT did an "Eco-Smart" program on the new City Community Gardening Program .  It's half an hour and contains loads of info including the new process by which neighborhood groups can apply for and get access to city land on which to start community gardens -- a program that emerged from a partnership between the Tallahassee Food Network and the City of Tallahassee. Lastly, I've got two more quick pre...

  My largest and most exciting project this spring has been the Fresh for Florida Kids Food Garden at the Holland Building, downtown on Calhoun Street. Here are a couple pictures: The garden has received a lot of press: Florida Helps Mom with Age Old Message (Tampa Bay ch 10)   Commissioner Putnam Opens Fresh for Florida Kids Food Garden (Capital Soup) Adam Putnam Plants Healthy Eating Gardens in Tallahassee (Sunshine State News)      Adam Putnam on YouTube Florida School Garden Program (WCTV) Learning We've Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Garden (Tallahassee Democrat) Amy Campbell-Smith at the FL Dept of Ag and Consumer Services (Food, Nutrition, and Wellness) has been doing a superb job of overseeing and writing about the garden.  Here's a sample of one of her fun updates written to her fellow gardeners: Happy Wednesday, everyone! Kathy Sanders and I were just outside gathering good things from our garden!  There...

Front yard gardens, school gardens, community gardens, church gardens, workshops and iGrow Buckets... it all happens at once in the spring time.  Below is a sampling of what's been keeping Wendell and I busy the past several weeks. Fresh for Florida Kids Dept of Ag and Consumer Services (Holland Building) Garden (which is going to serve as the set for You Tube Food Garden Education clips to be shared state-wide with students and teachers as part of the DOA's new Farm to School program). Seminole Montessori Preschool Garden (Lots of fun working with parents and children throughout the day.) Faith Presbyterian Church Garden (Kids grow food to give away through Manna on Meridian food pantry. Also the location for workshops that we offer on distribution Saturdays with folks coming to get food.) Whole Child Leon / Wesson VPK Garden -- TD article (Engaging kids in the 95210; encouraging children to get their five fruits and veggies every day.) Dena and Jenna...

Open publication - Free publishing - More march 2012 Food Sovereignty Nathan Ballentine "Though we do not talk about it much in the food movement -- even, for that matter, amidst the Tallahassee Food Network -- what we are working on is the democratization, the decentralization of our food system, soil to seed to harvest to dinner.         The big question is, "Who controls your food?"         ...more on page 28 in Natural Awakenings . Grow Your Groceries "The iGrow Bucket is a self-watering mini food garden build using two five-gallon buckets.  It was a water-reservoir at the base that allows for bottom-up watering, which encourages the roots to grow down and helps ensure consistent moisture for maximum food production. "The buckets -- a product developed by Wendell Mitchell and Nathan Ballentine of Tallahassee Food Gardens -- are being manufactured by the Frenchtown based iGrow- "Whatever you like...

[Garden installed by Tallahassee Food Gardens featured in Democrat.] By Elizabeth M. Mack Democrat staff writer Turnips, cabbage and radishes are all fall vegetables that can be found in any home or community garden. But what about at work? The employees at FBMC Benefits Management started an urban garden of their own in the spring, said Glenda Atkinson, FBMC wellness coordinator. The garden is part of the company's many wellness programs, Atkinson said. FBMC has had a wellness program for than 20 years offering employees yoga classes, a workout area on site and cooking classes. Wednesday afternoon the company received recognition from the American Heart Association as one of its Fit-Friendly Companies — an honor FBMC received for the third consecutive year. It also received the Workforce Innovation Award for implementing the garden in its wellness program. "You guys have done a wonderful job," said Kellie Thigpen, American Heart Association regional direc...

"A Peace of Bread" a new documentary by Diva Communications, is about young folks around the country who are working on food system change as a method of addressing hunger in their communities.  Debra, Diva's director/producer got wind of my work here in Tallahassee because I am a Food Justice Fellow with the Presbyterian Hunger Program .  She came through Tallahassee this past August to interview me and others amidst the Tallahassee Food Network . Take a look at their opening sequence: A Peace of Bread - opening sequence from Diva Communications on Vimeo .

Graciously, Mary Ann Lindley at the Tallahassee Democrat agreed to write her op-ed piece on Tallahassee-area Food Day activities being coordinated by countless spokes of the Tallahassee Food Network . Mary Ann Lindley: " Food Day takes to the streets (and gardens) " Sunday, Oct 9, 2011 Tallahassee Democrat Beautiful Picture by Inga Finch A few years ago, ice cream moved to my short list of wicked foods. It's kind of a joke at our house, where I'm learning to make frozen yogurt, thanks to the cheerfully entertaining kind of wedding present you get when you are middle-aged. In addition to the emotional appeal of ice cream, it's Exhibit A — maybe B, if you count a nice glass of wine — of items that we tell ourselves we "deserve." Long day, hot day, too much going on, exhausted, annoyed, heartbroken, depressed: Ice cream with all the trimmings comes to the rescue. Still, very little can be said for it nutritionally, not even if you're look...

"More Community Gardens for our Community" Natural Awakenings , August 2011 Coming Fall 2011, SouthWood will have a Community Garden ready for planting. The idea, originally spearheaded by Brian Ramos, SW Cub Scout leader in collaboration with Nathan Ballentine, the Man in Overalls of Tallahassee Food Gardens , has grown to include many Southwood neighbors combining their talents and ideas to make it a reality. The effort is rooted in a desire to enrich the community, teach kids where their food comes from, and provide families with healthy, fresh produce year-round. The Southwood Community Garden (SWCG); will also be a beautiful destination point for the neighborhood with 52 all-organic raised-bed gardens, butterfly garden, white picket fence, grape arbor, picnic benches and more. Residents and visitors would be welcome to stroll through the garden. Along with providing a space for people to grow their own produce and flowers, the SWCG will host a few learning seminar...

"Kate Sullivan Garden Moves to Phase Two" Kelley Des Marais (special to the Chronicle) After months of planning by teachers, parents, school board members, Kate Sullivan Elementary School Garden Committee proudly announces the completion of phase one of the Community School Garden, completed on Aug. 19th. The finished garden is approximately 150 square feet including a spigot and three raised garden beds.  The garden eventually will include compost and vermiculture bins, bench seating and enough raised beds for each grade level to create its own garden.  The garden will be fore students as well as the community and is accessible to people with disabilities.  This space will serve as an outdoor classroom with curriculum-based activities that meet Florida state-wide learning benchmarks in most categories including math, sciennce, language and art.  Along with the Department of Education, the garden committee developed a comprehensive guide for teachers based on G...

Blurring the Lines by Lindsay Popper Owl and Spade (publication of Warren Wilson College ) It's like one of those running jokes that you can drop back into without explanation, except that we're serious about it: as we drive around in Nathan's clunky, faithful truck--the one which only recently acquired turn signals and a hatch that opens--we'll pass wide-open sunny patches of grass and say, simply, there. After just a few months growing food in Tallahassee, I'm beginning to see possible gardens everywhere.              I had grown approximately two things--a cup of grass seed in kingergarten and a kohlrabi in 3rd grade--before I moved down to Florida with just a backpack and a small suitcase to join Nathan Ballentine with his business of "helping people grow their own food and share it."             Within 12 hours of getting off the bus, I'd sown rows of turnip...

Tallahassee Democrat Thursday 20th, 2011 Dear Editor- On a routine trip to Ro-Mac Lumber and Supply [ map ] last week, I saw a handwritten door sign: "All Sales Final: Going Out of Business." With disappointment, I shook my head. Not Ro-Mac . Two years ago, I started Tallahassee Food Gardens with $300 and a pickup. My mission was to enable "wannabe" food gardeners, network local food and community garden activists, and, generally, support the food movement. From the beginning, Ro-Mac was my supplier for raised-bed lumber, hardware and tools. By my third visit, they greeted me by name. Unlike the big boxes, the folks in Ro-Mac knew things. Frequently, they cut my boards to size; occasionally, they charged me. Ro-Mac was and remains a great local business that's far more than a store. It's a storehouse of great people, trade wisdom and incredible service. Ro-Mac opened in 1946. It closes shop in March. The guys at the front desk jokingly told me, ...

Melissa Angel got in touch with me a few weeks back about a project for her photo journalism class. Would it be alright, she wondered, to do her class project on my work around food gardening here in Tallahassee? Indeed. I was honored to be profiled. Upon viewing the final product, I am super-impressed with her work. Thanks Melissa. Anytime you need a reference, just let me know. Take a look:

" The Man in Overalls Wants you to Have a Garden " By Kathleen Laufenberg For Nathan Ballentine, gardening began as an elementary school pastime. Now, however, the 24-year-old Tallahasseean is on a mission to grow his own food, convince you to grow your own food — and get everybody to share some of what they've grown. "I love how food is able to bring so many different and disparate communities together," said Ballentine, who also is known as "The Man in Overalls" and is a regular blogger about his gardening adventures at http://maninoveralls.blogspot.com . His gardening career — he makes a modest living mostly by building raised-bed gardens, teaching gardening workshops for kids and adults and, occasionally, substitute teaching — allows the 2004 SAIL graduate to unite his all-consuming interests of community organizing and edible landscaping. "I really like what he's doing — he's got it right," Brandy Cowley-Gilbe...

April 2010 "This semester one of the goals of Alley Sprouts was to create a raised vegetable garden.  Local Tallahassee Food Gardener, Nathan Ballentine also known as the Man in Overalls met with us in the alley to give a few pointers on how to create a successful food garden...." For the rest, click here. Or, to find out more about the Alley Spouts and their Get Green initiative, visit their blog .  They're doing great beautification and food growing work in an abandoned alley behind Fat Sandwich on Railroad Ave.

Click here for the Story or... most of it is copied below. By Teresa Youngblood, special to the Democrat, previous Magnolia School Teacher When his father asked him about his school day, Caleb Mathison, 13, replied, "I feel good. I moved a lot of dirt." And he and 15 of his classmates have the muddy shoes and dirt-caked fingernails to prove it. On Friday, the middle-schoolers along with two teachers, two parents, and Nathan Ballentine, "The Man in Overalls" behind local gardening business Tallahassee Food Gardens, transformed a 20- by 15-foot unused yard into 10 individual raised garden beds at the Magnolia School on Tharpe Street. The school has one of the longest-standing school gardens in the area, first started in 1990. But the current class of middle-school students wanted to break ground on an additional garden to make better use of a sunny space and to have something of their own to contribute. The teachers were delighted to help, but had their o...

Natural Awakenings of Tallahassee's March Issue has a fantastic write up on Tallahassee Food Gardens and... me, the Man in Overalls. I worry that I receive more praise than warranted; it is, however a great synthesis of what I'm up to.  Thanks to Donna Konuch, the publisher. "Recently gardener, Nathan Ballentine, aka "The Man in Overalls" hosted the first of a series of workshops to teach 5-12 year-old kids in Tallahassee how to build, plant, maintain, and eventually eat from a raised-bed vegetable garden..."  to see more, find the article on pages 22-23 in the March Issue .  Donna also mentions me in her "Letter from the Publisher" on page 4.

"On the corner of Meridian and John Knox roads, manna doesn't fall from the sky. But on the third Saturday of the month, upwards of 65 bags of groceries might fly out the door bringing sustenance to those in need, no questions asked. Faith Presbyterian Church and St. Stephen Lutheran Church, which are literally a stone's throw away from each other, have dubbed their food pantry Manna on Meridian in the hope that other churches and individuals might join them. They opened a week ago. In addition to canned goods, cereals, pastas, peanut butter and spaghetti sauce typical of many pantries, the churches plan to provide fresh produce from their two gardens. Nathan Ballentine, who oversees the one at Faith Presbyterian, hopes they will inspire other gardeners in the area to donate their surplus crops. "People who are struggling can only afford low-end stuff like canned and dry goods … and don't get the nice crisp crunch of something fresh," he said. "...