GreeningRozzie Plants Trees at the Roslindale MBTA Station

By Amy Galblum

The Roslindale MBTA Station got a significant green facelift in the form of a dozen new trees -- a pin oak, and two sugar maples, crabapples and Japanese Lilac trees.

Community group, GreeningRozzie, led the effort. The group was awarded a grant of $2,500 from Grow Boston Greener for trees, mulch and fertilizer, and coordinated 20 GreeningRozzie volunteers who dug holes and the planted trees in and around the station’s upper parking lot.

“The large shade trees and smaller flowering trees will make the station more attractive, and tie it to the surrounding neighborhood,” said GreeningRozzie board member, Amy Galblum, who secured the grant funds and coordinated the volunteers. As part of the effort, the MBTA has also agreed to remove several dead and dying trees to give the area a more lively and welcoming look.

GreeningRozzie’s Tree Committee is planning more tree planting projects in the spring. Possibilities include planting in the lower area of the MBTA Station, other public spaces, and putting new street trees in empty sidewalk pits. “Roslindale is fortunate to have green parks surrounding the community -- the Arboretum, the George Wright Golf Course and Stony Brook Reservation -- but some residential streets are in great need of additional trees,” noted Ken Phillips, GreeningRozzie’s chairperson.

In a related effort to improve the Roslindale tree cover, GreeningRozzie and Roslindale Green and Clean are working to encourage residents to water newly planted street trees so the trees have a better chance of surviving. The Grow Boston Greener grant award specifies that the new trees at the MBTA Station be watered for three years to give them a good start.

GreeningRozzie has chosen to focus efforts on trees in part because research shows that that there are many benefits to adding trees to urban areas.
• Tree-shaded sidewalks encourage pedestrian activity – getting people to walk a few blocks rather than drive gives a city a friendlier atmosphere.
• Green areas encourage more healthy social interaction between adults and children and lower levels of graffiti and crime.
• Trees and other plants increase curb appeal and make the landscape more comfortable by providing shade and evaporation to lower temperatures.

The next GreeningRozzie Community Meeting is about street trees. Everyone is welcome. There will be a presentation on trees and information about future tree projects. It will be held on Wednesday, November 16, 6:30 - 8:30 pm at the Roslindale Community Center at 6 Cummins Highway.

Grow Boston Greener (GBG) is a collaborative effort of the City of Boston and Boston Natural Areas Network (BNAN). The group's goal is to increase the urban tree canopy cover in the city by planting 100,000 trees by 2020. This will increase Boston’s tree canopy cover from 29% today to 35%, by 2020 as the planted trees mature. GBG is funded through the Fund for Parks and Recreation in Boston.

GreeningRozzie’s mission is to make Roslindale a greener, more sustainable, and more cohesive community. It's overriding goal is to help achieve a 25% reduction in Roslindale’s carbon emissions from 1990 levels by 2020.

This article first appeared in the Roslindale Transcript.

GreeningRozzie Community Meeting report: Canning Demo with Charlie Redd from Redds in Rozzie

By Eric Lewandowski

Charlie Redd, Chef-owner of Redds in Rozzie, a new restaurant in Roslindale Village, gave an informative hands-on workshop on the principles of canning and preserving fruits and vegetables at the October GreeningRozzie community meeting.

The chef discussed various methods of preservation, including fermenting, pickling, brining and jams and jellies, as a means to extend local produce. Redd said his restaurant cans local produce to use as flavor accents during the winter months. Redds in Rozzie sources local produce and humanely raised meats.

Redd, inspired by the overabundance of pumpkins this time of year, said that walking a small group of people through the techniques would help demystify the process and convey his excitement in using fresh and local in-season produce.

Redd ran pumpkins that were roasted in the oven at the restaurant earlier in the day through a food mill to puree them in preparation for the caning process. At the canning demonstration, held in the community center kitchen, the chef heated the pumpkin thoroughly and filled the jars up to just below the neck marking.

He put fresh lids and screw tops on the jars and put them in a large pot with a boiling water-bath for 30 minutes. While the Pumpkin was processing in the water bath Chef Redd talked about his experience and techniques involved in preserving vegetables and fruits and some of the issues to be aware of when preserving to prevent food contamination.

The chef  opened a jar of fermented dill pickles for the group to sample during the question and answer portion of the demo while fielding questions about his green business practices and back-of-the house operations. He spoke of his waste reduction and recycling strategies and commented on how the cost of operating business in an green or sustainable way is becoming less expensive, adding that he feels it is the right thing to do.

He also shared is recommended list of books related to canning:
How to Pick a Peach, by Russ Parsons
On Food and Cooking, by Harold McGee
Blue Ribbon Preserves, by Linda J. Amendt
Preserving, The Good Cook, by Time Life Books
Making Sauerkraut and Pickled Vegetables at Home, by Klaus Kaufmann
Independence Days, by Sharon Astyk
Quick Pickles, by John Willoughby & Chris Schlesinger
Ball Canning and Preserving Book

The meeting, coordinated by Eric Lewandowski, a Greening Rozzie board member, was attended by about 20 people.