Garden News 11-15-23

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Nov 152023
 

News from the GardenThe 2023 gardening season is now over. Whew!! What a year it was with a record 33,180 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables harvested to feed the local hungry. See end of this newsletter for details about what we grew and where it went.
Volunteers in front of the last of the garden debris collected into piles last Friday


New Fence – A major project this year was to install a 550 foot long fence around the new area of the garden. The fence is 7 ½ feet high to keep out deer. The bottom 2 ½ feet of the fence has ½ inch square wire openings to keep out rabbits and rodents. The fence is made of ‘critter-proof’ heavy gauge material and supported by sturdy steel poles.

The picture shows the tensioning wire being installed on the fence. This wire can be adjusted to keep the fence taunt and useful for years to come.

Special thanks to the BWA Foundation and the WDM Community Foundation for their financial support of this project.


Official garden dog, Sadie, is Mark Marshall’s constant companion. No rabbit or field mouse can rest while Sadie is on duty.

 Posted by at 8:25 pm

Garden News 10-26-23

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Oct 262023
 

Help Needed

Temperatures are forecasted to dip well below freezing this weekend so we will be picking all the remaining peppers on Friday. This will be a big job as there are 780 pepper plants in the garden. Please come from 9-11am tomorrow and give us a hand!


Tools Wanted

This has been a hard year on many of our garden tools, particularly garden forks and drain spades. If you have forks or spades in good condition (wooden handles preferred) that you would like to donate, please drop them off at the picnic table by the parking lot north of St. Timothy’s.

 Posted by at 5:10 pm

Garden News 10-11-23

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Oct 112023
 

News from The Faith and Grace Garden – Production is slowing down as the weather turns cooler and heat-loving plants like tomatoes, eggplant and melons start to wilt. We will be harvesting sweet potatoes in earnest soon and look forward to a large crop. Brassics (cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, etc) and peppers like cool weather and continue to produce well.

We are erecting a new ‘critter-proof’ fence around the north end of the garden. The new fence is 71/2 feet high and intended to keep deer out of the garden while the bottom two feet of the fence has a smaller one-inch square mesh to keep out rabbits.

In the picture at right, Dick and Mark are adding a tensioning wire to the top of the fence to keep it taunt.

We hope to finish the fence this month.


Tools Wanted

This has been a hard year on many of our garden tools, particularly garden forks and drain spades. If you have forks or spades in good condition (wooden handles preferred) that you would like to donate, please drop them off at the picnic table by the parking lot north of St. Timothy’s.


Garden Harvest Dinner Tuesday, October 24th 2023
Much of what we accomplished in the garden this year, as in years past, is due to our dedicated volunteers.

Please join us for an evening of fun and fellowship as we thank our garden volunteers at the Faith & Grace Garden Dinner.  This celebration is a potluck, so bring your best dish to enjoy! Details are below.

Tuesday, October 24 2023                                                                                             
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
Doors open at 5pm. Dinner at 5:30pm.
Register & sign up to attend go  HERE. Then scroll to the bottom of the landing page and click the button below.


NICHOLAS BYRUM

Nick is a junior at Dowling Catholic High School who volunteered in the garden nearly every weekday this summer.
Nick is a hardworking young man and was a joy as a garden volunteer.
Nick will be honored for his service at the Faith & Grace Garden Dinner on October 24.

On average, about 300 people volunteer in the Faith & Grace Garden annually. Some of our volunteers are students earning service hours. Others are part of a church, civic, or corporate service team. More than a few of our volunteers are community members or neighbors who love to spend time in a garden. While we cannot thank all our volunteers enough, we can recognize a few of our volunteers and organizations here.


Covenant Presbyterian Church (Right- Kids) has been a partner in the Faith & Grace Garden for over 10 years.

Part of the Faith & Grace Garden sits on Covenant property. The church also supports the Faith & Grace Garden with many volunteers and financially. Children in the Covenant Kids program volunteer in the garden at least four times per year.


Des Moines University Students (Left)  Evan and Elizabeth have volunteered in the garden several times this year.

Evan and Elizabeth are just two of over a dozen Des Moines University students who have been volunteering in the garden since early in the spring.

Des Moines University students have volunteered in the garden for over three years.


Revision Church Volunteers (Right) can be found in the Garden on the fifth Sunday of the month (4 x annually). The volunteers are part of the ReachDSM ministry at Revision Church.

We look forward to being joined by Revision Church volunteers on October 29 as we ready the garden for winter.This picture was taken when church members helped mulch the garden in April.


Milton (Left) is a volunteer delivery driver on Mondays and Wednesdays for the Faith & Grace Garden.

Milton picks up produce just after it is harvested in the morning and takes it to WDM Human Services or Trinity Los Americas where it is distributed to hungry people usually the same day.

If you would like to help deliver garden produce, please contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com


Bill Summers (Right) has been a faithful volunteer in the garden since 2009.

You can find Bill in the garden on Monday mornings.

When Bill is not in the garden, he is often painting nature scenes in watercolor or watching birds and other wildlife.


Joe (Left) is an avid gardener who keeps his own garden as well as volunteering in the Faith & Grace Garden.

Joe has been a garden volunteer for about 10 years.  Joe also makes some of the best tasting garden salsa on the planet.


Ken (Right) is now in his second year as a garden volunteer. He started in March helping transplant. Through his help and the work of many other volunteers, we had enough plant sets for our garden and 20 other local donation gardens. We also had two plant giveaways and provided free plant sets to the community. Ken also helped us in the garden this summer.


African eggplant, commonly called ‘African egg’, is new this year in the Faith & Grace Garden. When harvested, it is preferred to be about the size of a hen’s egg. It is a staple in central and west African cuisine and often used in curries, soups and sautes.

Nutritionally, the African egg contains fiber, potassium, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, iron and calcium.

Culturally, African eggs were considered a sign of fertility in folklore, and often given during weddings and child naming ceremonies.

The African egg is becoming more popular and has been introduced in the Caribbean, Central and South America, southern Europe and the United States.


Red Okra. Photo by Pat Prijatel.

The food pantries we serve report a growing demand for okra.

Before the pods form, okra is one of the most beautiful flowering plants in the garden.

Next year we will plant more okra and some new varieties.


Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Volunteer hours are now reduced as we near the end of the season:

  • Mondays and Fridays only 9 am – 11 am

No experience necessary to volunteer in the garden. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea, too.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here.

Large groups can volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:17 pm

Garden News 9-26-23

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Sep 262023
 

News from the Garden – Special Volunteer Edition

As of September 18 we have harvested and donated 25,376 pounds of organic fruits and vegetables from the Faith and Grace Garden. This is our largest harvest by far, and the garden will continue producing more food until at least until the first frost.

Much of what we accomplished in the garden this year, as in years past, is due to our dedicated volunteers. 

Please join us for an evening of fun and fellowship as we thank our garden volunteers at the Faith & Grace Garden Dinner.  This celebration is a potluck, so bring your best dish to enjoy! Details are below.

Tuesday, October 24 2023                                                                                             
St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church Parish Hall
Doors open at 5pm. Dinner at 5:30pm.
Register & sign up to attend go  HERE. Then scroll to the bottom of the landing page and click the button below.


MEET GARDEN VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

NICHOLAS BYRUM
Nick is a junior at Dowling Catholic High School who volunteered in the garden nearly every weekday this summer.
Nick is a hardworking young man and was a joy as a garden volunteer.
Nick will be honored for his service at the Faith & Grace Garden Dinner on October 24.


MEET NEW DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR SOCIAL MINISTRIES

ERIKA BATY

The Center for Social Ministries (CSM) has prepared many of our volunteers to live into their faith as volunteers in the garden and throughout their lives. We are deeply grateful to CSM for all their support over the years.

Erika Baty recently joined CSM as their new director. We are very happy that Erika will join us for dinner on October 24.


On average, about 300 people volunteer in the Faith & Grace Garden annually. Some of our volunteers are students earning service hours. Others are part of a church, civic, or corporate service team. More than a few of our volunteers are community members or neighbors who love to spend time in a garden. While we cannot thank all our volunteers enough, we can recognize a few of our volunteers here.

Refugee elders in Lutheran Services’ Global Greens volunteer in the garden on Friday mornings throughout the summer and fall, and have done so for several years

Privacy issues prevent us from including their faces in this newsletter.



Bev has volunteered in the garden for about 10 years. She is mainly in the garden on Friday mornings.
Friday is a busy time in the garden as we are harvesting vegetables which are delivered to Trinity Los Americus for distribution on Saturday morning.


First year volunteer Marie mainly volunteers in the garden on Friday mornings.
Celeste has been a garden volunteer for 15 years. She mainly volunteers on Thursday and Friday mornings.



Kristi joined us in the garden this spring on mainly Wednesday and Friday mornings.
Dick is back for his second year in the garden and can be found in the garden on most weekday mornings.


Lynn volunteers in the garden throughout the week and husband Randy helps with maintenance on our grounds and greenhouse.

Lynn likes to bring her grandchildren to the garden to help when she volunteers.


Mary has volunteered in the garden for the past two years usually on Monday and Friday mornings.

 

 

 

 

 

 


LeAnn and Chuck have volunteered in the garden for four years on Tuesday evenings as well as in the morning.


Sheila has volunteered in the garden for fifteen years. You can find her in the garden typically on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or whenever we really need help.


Name That Vegetable Contest 2023
Thanks for playing, but there were no correct guesses this year. The fruit below is Bitter Melon.
Bitter melon is in the gourd family and closely related to zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and cucumber. It is grown around the world, and a staple in many types of Asian cuisine.


Birdhouse gourds are a new addition this year in the garden.
Mark Marshall checks on the pumpkins growing on the north end of the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Volunteer hours are now reduced as we near the end of the season:

  • Mondays and Friday only 9 am – 11 am

No experience necessary to volunteer in the garden. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea, too.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here.

Large groups can volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 

 Posted by at 12:55 am

Garden News 9-2-23

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Sep 052023
 

Volunteer times revised for Tuesday evenings.
Gardening on Tuesday evenings is canceled until September 26.
Name That Vegetable Contest 2023 – Our Annual Contest is Back!
Can you identify the vegetable below? If so, please reply to this message. First person to correctly guess will win a prize. The winner will be announced in our next issue.
(Hint: It’s actually a fruit.)


Sweet potato greens – Delicious and Nutritious – Have you tried them?
Soon we will be harvesting a large crop of sweet potatoes. Their beautiful vines and leaves occupy a large section of the garden.
We are not donating sweet potato leaves to the food pantries yet. Most food pantry patrons do not know how good sweet potato leaves are to eat.
If you would like to pick some sweet potato leaves, please come to the garden during our regular volunteer times and help yourself.


Sweet Potato Greens Stir Fry
Ingredients
1 bunch of sweet potato leaves
1 tbsp cooking oil
3-5 cloves of garlic, smashed
Salt, as desired
1 tsp Fermented bean curd (optional)
Wash sweet potato leaves and cut off the stem area, leaving only the leaves and a bit of the tender parts of the stem.
Instructions

Wash sweet potato leaves and cut off the stem area, leaving only the leaves and a bit of the tender parts of the stem.
In a wok or cooking pan, add cooking oil and smashed garlic, and cook on high heat for just about a minute.
Add the sweet potato leaves into the wok/pan and stir fry until veggies are halfway wilted. Add the fermented bean curd (optional) and salt to taste.
Stir fry until veggies are soft, and then remove from heat immediately to avoid overcooking.

Sweet potato greens nutrition: Macronutrients

Carbohydrates, protein, and fiber
Low in saturated fat and cholesterol
Omega 3 fatty acids, which contribute to all tissues in the body functioning normally, including the heart, lungs, blood vessels, immune system, and hormone production
Sweet potato leaf nutrition: Micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
Vitamins: A, C, K, B1, B2, B3, B9
Minerals: calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium. Also contains zinc, manganese, copper
Low in sodium


Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am through September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from September 26 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:57 pm

Garden News 8-8-23

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Aug 082023
 

We are having a terrific year in  the garden!!
Last week alone we harvested and donated 3,689 pounds of vegetables. The greatest weekly harvest by far in the history of this garden!
As of August 5, we harvested and donated 10,702 pounds of vegetables. For reference, while 2022 was a good year in the garden, last year at this time we harvested just 4,229 pounds of vegetables.
Here are harvest and donation results through August 5:

Potato harvest delayed…we hope to start later this week.
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED NOW
Many of our volunteers are not available for the next 2 weeks (vacations, back to school, etc). Now is a great time to become a garden volunteer. Give it a try! Sign-up at the end of this message.


About the Photos Below:
Left to Right:  1. We are growing tomatillos again this year, an essential addition to many Latino dishes. 2. Longtime garden volunteer Sheila with beets. Each beet in the picture weighs over a pound! 3. Theo and his dad are a great help in the garden picking tomato

Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am through September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm starting May 2 through August 22
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from August 29 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:13 pm

Garden News 7-25-23

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Jul 252023
 

Hot week underway…

There is plenty of watering and harvesting to do in the garden. We expect to be harvesting over 2,000 pounds a week in August, so your help will be really appreciated.

Mark Marshall (6’0”) standing amongst the shoulder-high tomato plants. We have some 800 tomato plants growing in the garden.


Here are harvest and donation results through July 22

Fruit/Vegetable Pounds Harvested

Asparagus 15
Beets 308
Broccoli 83
Cabbage 285
Cauliflower 155
Collards 185
Cucumbers 437
Egg plant 66
Garlic/Garlic scapes 102
Kale 167
Lettuce 453
Mustard 115
Radishes 50
Spinach 230
Summer Squash 580
Swiss Chard 240
Potatoes 40
Tomatoes 835
Turnips 292

Total Harvested 4,780


Garlic harvest 100% complete.
Tomato and potato harvests start this week.

Donation sites/Pounds Donated

Lutheran Services -Re 330
Trinity Las Americas 1,937
Johnston Food Pantry 185
WDM Human Services 2,328

Total Donated 4,780


Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am from June 5 – September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm starting May 2 through August 22
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from August 29 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4aa9a82ea6f58-2023#/

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 7:41 pm

Garden News 7-11-23

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Jul 112023
 

Hoping for rain…

Seems like all the rain has been going around the garden, but tomorrow looks promising!
Here are harvest and donation results through July 8, 2023


Fruit/Vegetable Pounds Harvested

Asparagus 15
Beets 245
Broccoli 73
Cabbage 120
Cauliflower 105
Collards 145
Cucumbers 212
Egg plant 8
Garlic/ garlic scapes 102
Kale 137
Lettuce 453
Mustard 115
Radishes 50
Spinach 230
Summer Squash 180
Swiss Chard 215
Turnips 292

Total Harvested
2,697

Garlic harvest 30% complete.

We grow several varieties of hardneck garlic, including Spanish Roja, Italian purple, German red, and Music.
Watering, weeding and harvesting are keeping us very busy in the Faith & Grace Garden. Your help for even an hour will be most appreciated!


Donation sites/Pounds Donated

Lutheran Services 190
Trinity Las Americas 1,052
Johnston Food Pantry 185
WDM Human Services 1,270

Total Donated 2,697
Become a Garden Volunteer…feed the hungry…..love your neighbor….live your faith….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am from June 5 – September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm starting May 2 through August 22
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from August 29 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4aa9a82ea6f58-2023#/

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:55 pm

Garden News 7-3-23

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Jul 032023
 

Rain over the weekend was a blessing…
The garden received over an inch of rain from Friday – Sunday.


Garlic harvest starts this week.
Mark Marshall holds up to some of the garlic harvested last year. There are over 5,000 garlic plants ready to harvest this week


Pears after the rain. There are apple, pear, plum, cherry and paw-paw trees growing just south of the garden.

 

Become a Garden Volunteer….sunshine….fresh air…great people…feeding the hungry….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am from June 5 – September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm starting May 2 through August 22
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from August 29 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0a4aa9a82ea6f58-2023#/

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:42 pm

Garden News 6-20-23

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Jun 202023
 

News from the Garden

Over 100 blueberry bushes are planted in the garden


Tomatillos are coming on….
We do not grow tomatillos every year as they spread aggressively.


Hazelnut brushes are budding….
There are 3 large hazelnut bushes growing outside the fence NE of the garden. The squirrels get the nuts before we do.


Refugees from LSI Global Greens are back in the Garden :
Refugees from Congo, Jordan, Myanmar, and Nepal now join us in the garden on Fridays. They will be with us on most Friday mornings through the summer. Many of the refugees depended on communal gardens in their homeland. Now they still like to grow their own food and talk with friends while doing something they enjoy.


Harvest and donation results through June 20, 2023

Fruit/Vegetable?Pounds Donated

Asparagus 15
Cabbage 15
Garlic 95
Kale 65
Lettuce 353
Mustard 115
Radishes 50
Spinach 230
Swiss Chard 110
Turnips 292

Total Harvested 1,340


Donation sites
Pounds Donated
Lutheran Scvs 30
Trinity UMC 530
Johnston Food Pantry 185
WDM Human Services 595

Total Donated

1,340


Become a Garden Volunteer….sunshine….fresh air…great people…feeding the hungry….could it get any better?!

Regular volunteer hours for individuals and small groups:
Monday through Friday 8 am – 10 am from June 5 – September 15
Monday through Friday 9:00 am – 11:00 am from September 18 through October 27
Tuesday evenings 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm starting May 2 through August 22
Tuesday evenings 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm from August 29 through October 24

No experience necessary. Bring a hat, water bottle and garden gloves if you have them. Wear clothes that can get dirty and hard-soled shoes. Sunscreen is a good idea as is bug repellent later in the season.

To volunteer during our regular volunteer hours please sign-up here.

Large groups volunteer by appointment. School, church, civic, and corporate groups are always welcome in the garden by appointment. Contact Tim Goldman at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com to volunteer as fits your schedule.

 Posted by at 10:04 pm