Off the Clock

We just submitted our "Off the Clock" project  to a trade publication in the hopes it will be featured, drawing additional interest to what we feel is an important effort. If you follow our blog you know that we are strong proponants and participants in Community Gardening and so we are proud to share our latest volunteer venture with you! Please feel free to contact us if you want to get involved - in either our garden, or your own. We are always happy to share resources that can help the idea speread to other communities. Additional information can be found on the News & Press or Resources section of our website. You can also follow the progress of our project: The Sandy Ridge Community Garden on facebook.

Food pantries are a valuable resource for families struggling to provide needed nutrition. Because they rely on an inexpensive, shelf stable and simple to prepare source of food though, pantries are filled with processed products. These foods are high in salt, calories and preservatives. Fresh produce is so needed and appreciated by these organizations and their clients. Fresh vegetables can be grown almost anywhere with only a few resources and a minimum investment, and its availability can have a positive impact on the health of the recipients.

I was inspired by the idea that an unused piece of land can be transformed by the efforts of a community to provide, beauty, education and food. As a landscape designer and company owner I saw the creation of a community garden as a way to use my knowledge, tools and resources to help others. Several years ago I was fortunate to become involved with the creation of an urban garden in the area. It provided me with the experience, training, contacts and support I needed to begin a similar project in my own community. After exploring several potential sites, I approached the pastor of the Doylestown Mennonite Church about a section of land on their property. He, the trustees and congregation welcomed the idea and allowed me the use of their grounds, facilities, and provided support in any way they could.

The garden began with an announcement in the local paper gathering interested community members for a meeting to discuss the idea. 17 people attended and I outlined my plan, asking for input, assistance and supplies. We agreed to raise a communal-style garden, donating at least 50% of the produce to local food pantries. With-in several weeks my company, Martin Shaw LLC Landscape Design & Construction, had tilled the ground, I had secured supplies, seed and seedling donations from local businesses while volunteers amended, fenced and planted the garden. Our progress was covered by several local publications bringing more volunteers and donations.

Thanks to the generosity of donors and volunteers we filled the 35’ X 145’ space with tomatoes, potatoes, onions, greens, beans, squash, melons and herbs. Our work days were held three times a week and attracted between 6 to 8 volunteers each time. I managed tasks, coordinated events and maintained communication with weekly e-mails to a list of 45 addresses and shared information, photos and ideas on a Facebook with a page that has garnered over 65 fans so far. Several potlucks and occasional meetings brought even more volunteers together socially, spawning friendships and activities beyond the garden.

Volunteers with a variety of backgrounds and opinions – Penn State Master Gardeners, Italian immigrants and Mennonite farmers - came together, worked through their differing opinions on care, watered, weeded and harvested. Together we donated nearly 90% of the harvest raised to local food pantries, for a total of near 900 pounds! I was also able to co-ordinate with a local girl-scout completing her service project to create a cookbook for pantry recipients that would help them make healthy meals and elementary students learning about business by fundraising. The idea is now spreading in our community; I have already consulted with several groups interested in creating their own community gardens.

I am inspired to continue now not only by the idea – but by the reality - of what we achieved: friendship, cooperation, compromise, training, interest and a bounty for community members in all walks of life.

Martin Shaw, LLC landscape employees prepared the garden site in early May.

By June the garden was lush and full of plants producing nutritious vegetables.

Volunteers gathered for the first big harvest of potatoes;

 a donation that provided 21 pounds of fresh food.

Participation was strong right through the fall clean-up.

Volunteers gathered to plant donated seedlings on a chilly morning.

(The arbor/bench was built and donated by a congregation member.)

A potluck picnic in July drew volunteers together for food and friendship.

Media:

Facebook by searching “Sandy Ridge Community Garden”

Patch: http://doylestown.patch.com/articles/a-giving-garden, http://doylestown.patch.com/articles/fresh-and-simple-a-recipe-for-success 

Inteligencer Newspaper: www.phillyburbs.com/my_town/doylestown/community-garden-sows-seeds-of-sharing/article_ec5b0865-124d-51a3-96fb-5f2c743e1e25.html?mode=story

The Second Season

Football season is here and now that we finally have some nice fall weather, I wanted to share an event that I attended last month. It was a lovely mid September afternoon - one of the rare sunny ones this year - that I went to Fordhook Farms in Doylestown, PA to attend a media event hosted by George Ball of Burpee Seed. George wanted to share his ideas for the "Second Season". Garden writers, bloggers, TV and radio personalities (including locals Derek Fell and my friend, Mike McGrath) gathered on the veranda overlooking the gardens to hear Georges ideas, ask questions and share their own.

Too many gardeners are focused on the summer season, but neglect the beautiful fall weather that follows. Unlike the hot, dry and sometimes downright unpleasant days of summer, the autumn is typically accompanied by moderate temperatures, rainfall and plenty of sunshine. For many years now the landscape and nursery industries have promoted that "Fall is for Planting" because these features allow newly installed plants to focus their efforts on root growth and demand less from homeowners. By September the vacations are over and the kids are back in school allowing for better care while co-operative weather further reduces the need.

Vegetable gardens benefit similarly from the improved conditions as do the gardeners who tend them. George suggests that instead of perceiving fall as a time of  preparation for hibernation, we view it as a second season for growth. He adds the concept of "Garden-Gating" to this idea. Garden-gating ties the bounty of the harvest to the many fall events frequently celebrated by tail-gating. Instead of unhealthy snack-foods, George suggests serving flavorful healthy appetizers made using produce fresh from the garden! To demonstrate this, the staff of Burpee Seeds at Fordhook Farms prepared a table full of delicious recipes using Burpee Seeds produce grown at Fordhook. They were kind enough to share the recipes with me so that you can try them as well.

Here are Burpee Seeds recipes, photos of the event and a video interview with George Ball describing the benefits of the Garden-Gating and Second Season. You can also read his blog Heronswood Voice

Mike McGrath, host of public radio show You Bet Your Garden, smiles across a table filled with garden-fresh food.

Burpee's Garden-Gating Party Recipes

PLAYOFF PIZZA WITH LEEKS

Ingredients:

5-6 'Dawn Giant' leeks

1     teaspoon fresh common thyme
6     leaves fresh sweet basil, chopped
5     'Power Pops' cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1     'Early Italian' garlic clove, minced
½    cup Feta cheese
1     tablespoon olive oil
Pinch of ground black pepper
1     oven-ready pizza crust

Directions:

Prepare ready-made pizza crust as directed in oven until almost crisp.  Take out of oven.  (Naan bread works well.)  Cut leeks.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil in pan and sauté leeks, adding a little ground black pepper.  Add garlic just as leeks start to caramelize.  Cook for a few minutes more.  Add scallions to pizza.  Sprinkle with feta cheese and add cut cherry tomatoes.  Heat in oven for 5 minutes.  Ready to serve.

SIDELINE SALSA

Ingredients:

4  'Little Mama' tomatoes, chopped
1  'Texas Supersweet' onion, chopped
3  'Evergreen Long White Bunching' scallions, chopped
1  'El Gordo' jalapeno, very finely chopped
½ cup 'Calypso' cilantro, finely chopped
1  fresh lime, juiced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions:

Blend all ingredients in medium bowl and serve with chips.

A decorative - and edible - Garden-Gating centerpeice.

STUFFED CHERRY PEPPERS

Ingredients:

6   'Cherry Stuffer' peppers

1   8 oz. cream cheese
½  cup shredded Havarti cheese
¼  cup fresh chives, finely chopped
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Directions:

Core and deseed peppers.  Cut in half.  Combine cheeses and fresh chives, add black pepper to taste. Stuff halved peppers with mixture.  Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Melon Medley

Ingredients:

½  'Big Tasty' watermelon 
1   'Burpee's Hybrid' cantaloupe
½  'Super Dew' honeydew melon
4   tablespoons fresh spearmint, finely chopped
½  fresh lime, juiced

Directions:

Ball melons.  Add spearmint and lime juice.  Blend.  Refrigerate for 4 hours.  Can be prepared the day before.  Top with a few fresh spearmint leaves when ready to serve.

ROASTED PEPPERS

Ingredients:

'Big Daddy' yellow peppers

Red peppers (any variety is fine)

Directions:

Wash and core peppers, removing seeds.  Place on grill, cook until each side is blackened.  Place in brown paper bag and let sit until cool.  Remove pepper skins and discard.  Slice peppers and place in serving dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  May top with fresh cloves of garlic.

Many thanks to George Ball and  the staff of Fordhook for their hard work, including Kelly, Kriten and Laura!

END-ZONE EGGPLANT HOAGIES

Ingredients:
2  'Early Midnight' eggplants
6  large eggs, beaten with whisk
¼ cup curly parsley, finely chopped
2  cups dried seasoned breadcrumbs
1  tablespoon garlic powder
1  teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
½ dozen foot-long sub rolls
1  head 'EZ Serve' romaine lettuce leaves, whole
1  head 'Iceberg A' lettuce, thinly sliced
1  'Red Delicious' onion, thinly sliced
1  16-ounce fresh mozzarella ball, thinly sliced
Grilled peppers are optional    
Oil for frying*
Condiments 

Directions:
Peel eggplant lengthwise leaving 1-inch increments of skin on it.  Remove ends.  Slice eggplant into quarter-inch circles.  As slicing, lay all circles on paper towels, layering to absorb moisture as it takes away any bitterness.  Leave on paper towels until ready to batter dip.  Combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder and oregano in vessel and set aside.

Beat eggs with whisk.  Add parsley and whisk in.  Place eggplant circles into egg mixture in batches and coat.  Remove circles one at a time, allow excess egg to drip, and coat each side in breadcrumb mixture.  Stack all breaded eggplant on platter while coating.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees for melting mozzarella once eggplant is fried.  Add enough oil to large frying pan to fully coat bottom.  Use oil of preference (canola is suggested).  Heat over medium-high heat.  When hot, add eggplant circles in batches and fry to golden brown on each side, about 2 minutes.  If burning, lower heat.  

Stack eggplant on paper towels to drain, layering to absorb excess oil.  Add oil to pan as necessary and be sure to heat each time.  Place eggplant on sheet pans and melt mozzarella slices in preheated oven.  Slice sub rolls lengthwise.  Place romaine leaves to cover rolls.  Sprinkle heavily with shredded 'Iceberg A' lettuce.  Layer eggplant slices on lettuce, overlapping.  If preferred, top with grilled peppers.  Suggested condiments are (but not limited to) heated marinara sauce, sliced 'Big Mama' tomatoes, Italian dressing, and sliced onion.
* Eggplant can be fried on baking sheets on the grill.  Oil baking sheets, place on grill, and heat on high until oil is hot.  Place eggplant on sheets, keeping grill lid closed while cooking to retain heat.  This process may take longer to brown eggplants.

PLEASE NOTE: Although Burpee suggests specific varieties for the vegetables used in each recipe, one may substitute another favorite or standard variety for each vegetable if needed.

Filming scenes for an interveiw with George Ball of Burpee Seed by The Morning Call

Fall Landscaping Tips

How to stay warm outdoors & what to grow

This year is flying by - it's time to switch gears from worrying about how your yard will make it through the summer heat, to enjoying cooler temperatures. LandscapingNetwork.com has gathered together excellent tips that will help you extend the use of your outdoor living space into fall and guide you in selecting the best plants for the season.

Staying Warm

Tip 1: Constructing a shade structure with a solid roof and then installing patio heaters along the roofline traps the heat, making your outdoor kitchen or patio much warmer. 

Tip 2: Erecting a windbreak helps to keep decks and patios warmer during transitional seasons. A windbreak can be a man-made fence or wall, or a row of shrubs or trees. 

What to Grow

Tip 3: Think vegetable season is over? Think again; Plant a fall crop such as kale, broccoli or radishes. It also isn't too early to start thinking about building a protective cover for your raised veggie beds that will prevent frost damage come winter. 

Tip 4: Select plants that will have maximum curb appeal during the fall for your home's front yard. Try combining smokebush, blue switch grass, yarrow and oakleaf hydrangea.

Share the Bounty

So you think that this cold weather means summer is over and you can stop gardening? THINK AGAIN! There is still plenty of time to grow cool season crops, in fact the Lambertville community garden just planted their FIRST crops last weekend. ...and they need volunteers. If you are interested in getting involved in the community gardening effort - I strongly encourage you to join a local group.

This past summer I had the pleasure of working with Eve Minson of 'Just One Seed' and the volunteers of the Bucks County Audubon Society to grow an organic community garden at the BCAS in Solebury which donated it's harvest to the UMC Community Kitchen and Fishermans Mark Food Pantry in Lambertville. We are looking for volunteers interested in helping with next years garden also.

There is also an active community gardening organization in the Lehigh Valley with involvement from Lehigh University, Southside Gardening Initiative, Bethlehem Citizens Academy and SUN*LV (http://www.sunlv.org/) and local community organizations. I would love to see the same enthusiasm for community gardens take hold here in the Delaware Valley.

Local food is popular topic these days and as people become more educated about the need for healthy local food the demand has grown. Opportunities for participating in a local food system are getting easier to find. From CSAs, farm incubators, farm-based education programs, to backyards everywhere, farm awareness is sprouting all around us. We are fortunate to live in the Delaware Valley, an area that is home to a diverse variety of farms and acres of productive land, but the abundance does not reach everyone.

Up until a few generations ago most everyone knew how to grow their own food. Whether it was by immigrants in a new city trying to maintain a connection to the foods of their homeland or a necessity to supplement a country family’s meager income with a backyard plot, gardening has seen folks through difficult times in this country. Times have changed though and now it is has become more expensive to get access to fresh, organic food. As gardening has gone from an act of necessity to a hobby of leisure, many have forgotten how to provide for themselves with only a little plot of soil and seeds.

It seems counter intuitive that it would cost more to produce foods that have less added to them, but that is the reality of factory farming. The most affordable food is often the most processed and least healthful. Food pantries are a valuable resource for families struggling to provide needed nutrition. But because they need to rely on an inexpensive, shelf stable and simple to prepare source of food, pantries are filled with processed food. These foods are often high in salt, calories and preservatives. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Fresh produce can be grown almost anywhere with only a few resources (land, seeds, soil, tools and time) and a minimum investment. The average packet of bean seeds can yield 20 pounds of fresh food, carrots produce close to 100!


A community garden can grow more than just food, it can also grow a community!
• Acts as a deterrent to crime and vandalism and helps to draw people together
• Produces fresh, nutritious food for better health
• Builds trust, communication and common ownership of neighborhood
• Provides educational opportunities for school children to learn science, nutrition
• Provides vocational opportunities for volunteers to learn management and gardening/landscaping skills
• Provides civic leaders and health and safety officers with central venues to share information with hard-to-reach communities
• Beautifies the area with art and garden design that reflect the neighborhood cultures that make it a desirable place to live and work

Please consider getting involved! SUN*LV is a great resource as is the American Community Gardening Association but there are some local groups forming as well. Contact me and I would be happy to put you in touch with them or others interested in starting a group.

'Love is in the Fair'

Who doesn't love a good old fashioned country fair? Great food, fun rides, adorable animals and prize winning vegetables. This weekend we went to the Hunterdon County 4-H Fair in Ringos, NJ and had a great time. I left the fair, once again determined that next year will be the year I finally raise chickens! Having been a 4-H kid myself, I enjoy seeing them show off their livestock, sewing skills and baked goods and of course as a gardener I am always amazed by the gorgeous selection of vegetables.

If you still want to try your hand at growing a crop this season, it's not too late to start. Fall is the perfect time to plant a second crop of cool season vegetables like spinach, beets, carrots, peas and lettuce. Garlic, like ornamental bulbs, should be planted around Columbus Day, October, in order to harvest next spring. Late season growers are offered the advantage of cooler working temperatures and lower water requirements.

The first consideration in designing a vegetable garden is location. Here in the northeastern United States the site should have full sun for as much of the day as possible. Select a location that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight. Food production also requires a nutrient rich soil, so adequate preparation is important. Raised beds are the easiest way to ensure a rich and workable soil. Once completed, fill the beds with a loose organic mix of topsoil and compost, include peat moss or sand to improve drainage and supplement the soil annually with compost. It is easy to make you own by combining kitchen scraps and yard waste.



Follow these tips and you can have your own prize winning crops by winter. I'm afraid I'll have to wait until next spring for my chickens though!