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10-4-12 Garden News

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Oct 042012

Hello Garden Friends:

Now that the temperature is really starting to drop, those food pantry gardens that are not finished for this season are really busy with the harvest.

Wow! What a growing season it was….from all local food pantry gardens nearly 30,000 pounds of vegetables were donated to food pantries in 2012!! (I should have a final total later this month.) To put that number in perspective, last year 15,000 pounds of vegetables were donated all total from the local food pantry gardens.

Here’s what’s happening in a garden near you:

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16^th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)
Tonight is last night for picking vegetables at the Agape Garden. Come help finish up a wonderful year. If you know anyone who can use green tomatoes, there are lots of nice ones on the ground. You can bag these in brown paper bags and they will slowly turn red and ripen. I do it every year. We have too many.

The Agape Garden has harvested and donated 15,079 lbs. in 2012!!
Please call Craig Crist to verify times @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer.

Faith & Grace Garden. Between 24^th & 28^th Streets north of Ashworth Road, WDM, between Covenant Presbyterian Church and St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, park in the lot north of St. Timothy’s off 24^thStreet.

As of October 3, 2012	Lbs.
Peas	140
Bush Beans	637
Cabbage	157
Lettuce	154
Onions	861
Tomatoes	1,504
Purslane	420
Peppers	269
Cantaloupe	358
Water melon	3,073
Zucchini	155
Red Potatoes	1,175
Radishes	178
Turnips	203
Sweet Potatoes	1,480
Other Vegetables	358
Total Harvested	11,122

WDM Human Services	1,317
Eddie Davis Community Center	583
DMARC Food Pantry Warehouse	1,010
Trinity United Methodist	6,395
Family Violence Shelter	165
Catholic Workers	514
Cavero Park/Bidwell Riverside	1,138
Total Donated	11,122

Special Note, mark your calendar: Harvest Celebration – Saturday, October 20 from 9am – Noon. Fruit and nut tree plantings with refreshments served at Covenant Presbyterian (on west side of garden). See the attachment to this message for details.

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden An estimated 1,200 pounds of vegetables harvested so far: Peppers of several varieties, Onions, Radishes, Potatoes and Tomatoes. Okra is about a week away. Tomatoes are just now coming in volume.
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.
Jan reports the Gardening Angels of St. Francis of Assisi, have donated over 2,400 pounds of produce to the Food Pantry so far this year. we will still harvest tomatoes and green tomatoes, this week, plus okra, beans, cucumbers, turnips, and butternut squash.

Gardening every Sunday evening. For more information, contact Jan Hoeman atJanhoeman@mchsi.com.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371
For information and best times to garden, please email garden manager Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com or by calling at 314-2114.

HOPE FOR THE HUNGRY

Feeding Greater Des Moines
November 10, 2012 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
St. John’s Lutheran Church, 600 6th Avenue, Des Moines, IA

Here’s the day in a nutshell:

Keynote: Yogesh Shah, M.D., Des Moines University, “What Does Hunger Look Like?”
Workshops: What does childhood hunger look like…at school, in the home, for the community?
Video and Discussion: “Hunger Hits Home”

Goal: Alleviate childhood hunger by 2015 in Greater Des Moines

Do you know that 1 in 5 Iowa children do not have enough to eat? And that 3 in 5 children in the largest school district in Greater Des Moines qualified for free school meals during the last school year? Do these children go hungry at home? Connect with other participants and experts in the field as we learn about childhood hunger in our area. Join the discussion and contribute your ideas as we plan our 2013 projects toward the 2015 goal.

The Bridge, an ecumenical group of downtown churches, will provide lunch. A free-will offering for lunch will support the Bridge’s downtown Connection Cafe, which serves free lunch five days a week to people in need.

Register now and save! Registrations postmarked by October 26 are $15 per person; later registrations are $30 each. Registration forms are available online athopeforthehungry.blogspot.com

Hosted by the Coalition in Support of Hungry Children and DMARC’s Move the Food pantries.

Want a real lift? Check out these links from our friends at the Lord’s Acre……

The Fascinating Ted Talk: How We Can Eat Our Landscapes can be found here.
In America –On Being Poor: Check out this CNN post here.
How to construct a Free, Palate Chicken House can be found here.
Video: Real Food, Is That Too Much To Ask? can be seen here.
50 Winter Squash Recipes can be found here

See you in the garden,

Tim

9-9-12 Garden News

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Sep 122012

Hello Garden Friends:

Cool evenings and sunny afternoons are wonderful times to be in the food pantry gardens. Many gardens have second crops of peas, spinach, mustard, turnips, beets and lettuce coming up.
Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, broccoli and potatoes are still strong producers.

Some of us are looking forward to planting garlic soon.

Here’s what’s happening is a garden near you:Here’s what is happening in a food pantry garden near you……..

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16^th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)

Over 11,000 pounds donated so far this year!! The garden is still producing over 500 pounds per week. We need your help Next Tuesday to harvest tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, brussel sprouts, broccoli and we have more potatoes to dig.

Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 and Saturdays from 8 am until Noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Garden picnic planned for next Friday, September 14. Bring the whole family there are activities for children of all ages! Here’s the schedule:
6 pm or so – Potluck – Bring a side dish or something from the deli and table service. There are picnic tables but you might bring a lawn chair, too.

7 pm or so – Gardening – We will start with a mini-tour so everyone gets familiar with the garden and knows where to find the restrooms, water fountain and first aid kit (we have not needed it yet). The picnic area, garden and playground are in close proximity of each other so pretty easy to watch the children.

7:45 pm or so – For those that want to, we gather at one end of the garden for a brief closing prayer before heading home.

Below are harvest totals through early September for the Faith & Grace Garden for this year compared to last year.

Units in Lbs (except corn)	2011		2012
Peas	300	Peas	140
Bush Beans	967	Bush Beans	389
Pole Beans	86	Pole Beans	0
Broccolli	106	Broccolli	67
Cabbage	0	Cabbage	146
Caulifower	0	Caulifower	45
Cucumbers	48	Cucumbers	42
Lettuce/Chard	76	Lettuce/Chard	168
Spinach	70	Kale	20
Onions	113	Onions	861
Tomatoes	1,274	Tomatoes	931
Peppers	92	Peppers	179
Honey Dew Melons	0	Purslane	425
Cantaloupe	98	Cantaloupe	208
Water melon	47	Water melon	1,493
Zucchini	360	Zucchini	155
Red Potatoes	295	Potatoes	1,175
White Potatoes	313	Pumpkins	0
Radishes	30	Radishes	83
Turnips	0	Turnips	203
Sweet Potatoes	0	Sweet Potatoes	525
Carrots	72	Carrots	0
Eggplant	149	Eggplant	2
Beets	7	Beets	0
Tl harvested through Sep 2	4,503	Tl harvested through Sep 5	7,257
Corn (dozens)	97	Corn (dozens)	101

Fundraiser for mission to El Salvador. If you like to have a delicious dinner before heading to the garden on this Wednesday night, stop by Covenant Presbyterian Church to enjoy authentic El Salvador pupusas (tortillas filled with pork & cheese, beans & cheese or just cheese), and casaminto (rice & bean dish). Meal includes fruits and beverages. All donations for meal to support Covenant’s 2012 delegation trip in September to re-visit and support the 48 families in their partner village of San Isidro, El Salvador.

For more information, please see attached flyer.

Here’s the hot news……John Piper says, “I have a new volunteer in the garden. Marie Garneau and I are planning to marry on November 24, 2012 at 2 PM at St. Anthony Church. I am feeling much better each day. The surgeon said six months after the operation my heart should be as strong as 10 years ago.” Congratulations, John!!

For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.

Gardening every Sunday evening. For more information, contact Jan Hoeman atJanhoeman@mchsi.com.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

For information and best times to garden, please email garden manager Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com or by calling at 314-2114.

Here’s a great site to help you tell if the melons you’re growing or picking are ripe.

Becoming Better Off

Peter Maurin

The world would be better off if people tried to become better. And people would become better if they stopped trying to become better off. For when everybody tries to become better off, nobody is better off. But when everybody tries to become better, everybody is better off.

Everybody would be rich if nobody tried to become richer. And nobody would be poor if everybody tried to be the poorest. And everybody would be what he ought to be if everybody tried to be what he wants the other fellow to be.

Source: The Catholic Worker

See you in the garden,

Tim

7-11-12 Garden News

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Jul 182012

Hello Garden Friends:

Many Winners in the Name that Vegetable Contest!

It’s purslane….an annual succulent that some scorn as an evasive species commonly called pigweed. Purslane has a slightly salt and sour taste; and is high in vitaminsA, B, C and carotenoids as well as dietary minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron.

This year, the purslane going wild throughout our garden was “discovered” to the delight of a Latino women’s club who work and socialize in the garden a couple of times each month. Purslane is a staple of their cuisine as an essential ingredient of basic green sauces which is the foundation of many dishes (think Chicken Mole). Purslane is drought tolerant, too!

The Faith & Grace Garden is now harvesting purslane for donation at many food distribution sites where it is well received.
Portulaca oleracea Scientific classification or Common Purslane
For more information, paste http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portulaca_oleracea into your bowser.
Robin, Margaret, Mark, David, Elvin, Ruth, Jane and Susan (from NC) as well as the rest of you may claim your prize at the end of the message…many purslane recipes!!

Here’s what is happening in a food pantry garden near you……..

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16^th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)
Craig Crist reports the Agape gardeners harvested a cabbage weighing nearly 10 pounds recently. Over 3,800 pounds donated this year!! The garden is really starting to produce!
Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 and Saturdays from 8 am until Noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Picnic/Followed by Gardening, Friday, July 13. Potluck picnic starts at p.m. with gardening at p.m.. Bring a side from the deli and table service. Drinks provided. Bring the family. We will be harvesting vegetables for donation to the Trinity United Methodist food giveaway on Saturday morning. Please contact Tim by 3 pm on Friday if you plan to attend at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com or call 745-9842. Special note: Name that vegetable contest winners attending the picnic will receive some fresh gourmet garlic from the garden, too!!

Below are harvest totals through July 10 for the Faith & Grace garden followed by the organization to which the food was donated.

Units in Lbs	Total
Peas	140
Bush Beans	254
Broccoli	10
Cabbage	66
Chard	34
Kale	20
Lettuce	134
Onions	559
Purslane	55
Peppers	10
Total Harvested	1,777
Where the food went…. Eddie Ds	156
DMARC	390
Trinity	691
Family Violence Shelter	65
Catholic Workers	25
Cottage Grove Pres	0
Cavero Park/Bidwell Riverside	450
Total Donated	1,777

In addition, 88 dozen ears of ear have been harvested so far this season.

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden

For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground. We are picking beets, tomatoes, and zucchini and having a great year! Volunteer day in the garden is p.m. – p.m. on Sunday, but volunteers working independently anytime are welcome.

For more information, contact Jan Hoeman at Janhoeman@mchsi.com.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114.

For information and best times to garden, please email garden manager Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com or by calling at 314-2114.

Recipes: Purslane

Think of it as a weed, and you’ll be missing out on one of the most nutritious greens on the planet. Purslane has more beta-carotene than spinach*, as well as high levels of magnesium and potassium. Historically it has been used as a remedy for arthritis and inflammation by European cultures. Chinese herbalists found similar benefits, using it in respiratory and circulatory function. Recently, it’s been found that purslane has alpha linolenic acid, a type of omega-3 fatty acid. Researchers see evidence that these substances lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as make the blood less likely to form clots. And, purslane has only 15 calories per 100 g portion.

World-wide there are approximately 19 genera and approximately 500 species of purslane. The U.S. is home to 9 genera alone. It is most commonly found in the warm temperate regions of the northern hemisphere. Purslane exhibits the most species diversity in Western North America and South Africa, where it is likely to have originated. Part of the reason for its evolutionary success is that a single plant can produce up to 52,300 seeds. What’s more, purslane seeds can survive for up to 30 years in undisturbed soil. Several ancient cultures have included purslane as a part of their cuisine, including those of Greece and Central America. Russians dry and can it for the winter. In Mexico it is called verdolaga and is a favorite comfort food. There, it is eaten in omelets, as a side dish, rolled in tortillas, or dropped by handfuls into soups and stews.

PURSLANE POTATO SALAD

Serves 4-6

In a medium pot, boil 5 cups chopped potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix 1 cucumber chopped into half moon slivers, 1 cup purslane leaves and buds (flowers and stalks are edible as well, if you choose), and 1 cup chopped scallions with greens. Add potatoes and mix well.

In a small, wide bowl, whisk 1 egg yolk until smooth. Drip in, whisking constantly, 1 cup olive oil, making sure to add slowly enough to keep mixture opaque. Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1-2 finely chopped Serrano peppers. Mix well. Spoon over potato and vegetable mixture (there may be some spicy mayo leftover; it will keep in the fridge for at least a week, if not longer), adding several tablespoons white wine or cider vinegar and fresh ground pepper and salt to taste. Toss well and serve at room temperature.

Cucumber-purslane-yogurt salad

5 large Cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into quarter-round slices
1/4 pound Purslane, large stems removed, washed and drained well
2 tablespoons each, Fresh chopped mint, cilantro and chervil
4 cups Whole milk yogurt
1/4 cup Virgin olive oil
3 cloves Garlic, puréed with the blade of a knife
2 teaspoon ground Coriander
kosher Salt and ground Black Pepper

Place the cucumber, purslane and herbs into a large bowl. In another bowl, stir together the yogurt, olive oil and garlic, coriander and season to taste with salt. Add the yogurt mixture to the vegetables and mix well. Add a pinch of ground black pepper. Taste the dressed cucumber-purslane salad for seasoning, adding a little more salt if needed. Serve chilled.

VERDOLAGO CON HUEVOS

2 cups purslane, with stems, diced	6 eggs
1 cup wild or domestic onion	Butter
1 cup nasturtium leaves and stems, diced

Carefully clean and rinse the purslane. The entire above-ground plant can be used as long as it is still tender. Add the diced onion and purslane to a heated and buttered cast-iron skillet. Cook for about five minutes. Add the eggs and cook omelet-style. Serve with a tomato slice. Serves three.

FRIED PURSLANE

Approximately 1 cup of purslane growing tips	Flour
Ground bread crumbs	Beaten eggs

Collect the tender new tips of purslane–about the last two or three inches from the stems. Rinse these in water to remove any sand. Roll them (or shake them) in flour until thoroughly floured, and then dip in the beaten eggs. Cover each purslane stalk with bread crumbs. This process is easiest to do if you simply line up the three dishes of flour, eggs, and bread crumbs, and do the breading production line style.

When the breading is done, fry or saute each purslane stalk for about five minutes or until golden brown. Serve with catsup, mustard, or sour cream. This is a unique hors d’oeuvre for even your finest, fanciest parties.

7-2-12 Garden News

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Jul 022012

Hello Garden Friends:

Name that Vegetable! It’s time again for another edition of our “Name that Vegetable” contest. The subject of this contest is pictured below. Hints: It’s high in vitamin A and Omega-3 and 6 Fatty Acids and eaten by cultures around the world. Grows prolifically in Iowa.

Send me your entry (okay, guess) this week and the winner will be announced next week.

Here’s what is happening in a food pantry garden near you:

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16^th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere) We harvested another 285 pounds on Thursday! We picked cabbage, broccoli, beans, carrots, zucchini squash, beets,bell peppers, banana and jalepeno peppers. Over 2,400 pounds donated this year!! The garden is really starting to produce! Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Picnic/Followed by Gardening, Friday, July 6. Potluck picnic starts at 6pm with gardening at 7pm. Bring a side from the deli and table service. Drinks provided. Bring the family. We will be harvesting vegetables for donation to the Trinity United Methodist food giveaway on Saturday morning.

For more information contact Tim at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com or call 745-9842 or contact Mark at wdmmarshall@msn.comor call 988-5381.

Below are harvest totals through June 30 for the Faith & Grace garden followed by the organization to which the food was donated.

Units in Lbs	Total
Peas	140
Bush Beans	234
Chard	34
Kale	20
Lettuce	134
Onions	559
Purslane	55
Zucchini	125
Radishes	83
Turnips	203
Total Harvested	1,587

Eddie Davis Community Center	146
DMARC warehouse	390
Trinity	611
Family Violence Shelter	65
Catholic Workers	25
Cavero Park/Bidwell Riverside	350
Total Donated	1,587

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden

For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.

Jan Hoeman is now back from China! Jan, how did the garden do while you were away?

For more information, contact Jan Hoeman at Janhoeman@mchsi.com.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371Last week we celebrated our first harvest. We thinned the onions and got 58 pounds! We also had kale and radishes. The garden got 1/2 of rain on Friday and another 20/100 Saturday. With the hot weather forecasted the weeds are gonna pop! Join us Wednesday night for a BIG kale harvest and a little weeding!You can go to the church website at desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there. For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114 For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com

Homemade Deer & Rabbit Repellent:
Elmer Fudd wouldn’t stand a chance against our rabbit infestation. It’s time to get serious.

Mix and let sit for a day or two. Strain and spray. There are many such recipes on the web and most are similar to the store-bought brands but cost much less. The awful smell is the same either way but it does go away after the mixture dries.

Homemade Natural Bug Spray Recipe
3 1 ⁄2 ounces (which is basically 1/3 cup) of Witch Hazel
1 ⁄2 teaspoon Lemongrass Oi
1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon Eucalyptus Oil
1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon Citronella Oil (oils available at Grennlife or Earthfare)

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a small four-once spray bottle
When you use it, be sure to shake the bottle contents before spraying (the oils separates from the witch hazel) p.s. It smells divine!

Recipes……Recipes……Recipes……Recipes……Recipes……Recipes

Cold Green Bean Salad
1 lb. green beans (fresh)
some chopped, roasted red pepper
some chopped Vidalia onion
2 Tbsp. chopped parsley (fresh or dried)
4 tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 tbsp. corn oil
6 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4-6 garlic cloves, crushed

Cut off ends from beans and discard. Wash beans and cook 10 to 12 minutes. Drain beans and rinse with cold water. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over beans. Let marinate in the refrigerator a few hours before serving.

Zucchini Cookie Recipe – from the cookbook Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

¾ cup butter (softened)
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
Cream together.
1 egg
Add and beat until fluffy.
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Sift together in a separate bowl.
1 ½ cups zucchini (shredded)
Add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients.
¾ cup raisins
¾ cup walnuts (chopped; optional)
Stir in. Drop onto greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Bake cookies as soon as they are mixed. If the batter stands too long, it will get a bit watery.)

Chocolate Chip variation: Omit spices and raisins. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¾ cup chocolate chips.”

6-20-12 Garden News

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Jun 212012

Hello Garden Friends:

Oh, what a difference a year makes…..this picture came from our June 22 garden email last year when we thought it would never stop raining!!

Here’s what is happening in a food pantry garden near you……..

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16^th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)
We harvested another 130 pounds on Thursday which brings last week’s total to 715 pounds! Over 1500 pounds donated this year!! The garden is really starting to produce! The Agape garden received 1.625″ of rain last week but the ground was still dry as we planted more plants last Thursday.

Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Faith & Grace Garden. Between 24^th & 28^th Streets north of Ashworth Road, WDM, by Covenant Presbyterian Church and St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, park in the lot north of St. Timothy’s off 24^thStreet.
We are picking 40 – 60 pounds of beans most nights and we are starting to harvest zucchini, too. Later this week we will plant more squash and beans. The rabbits are giving us fits!! For more information contact Tim at timothyjgoldman@gmail.com or call 745-9842 or contact Mark at wdmmarshall@msn.com or call 988-5381.

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground. Things are going great! Everything is planted and we are staying somewhat ahead of the weeds. For more information, contact Jan Hoeman at Janhoeman@mchsi.com.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

Last week we celebrated our first harvest. We thinned the onions and got 58 pounds! We also had kale and radishes. The garden got 1/2 of rain on Friday and another 20/100 Saturday. With the hot weather forecasted the weeds are gonna pop! Join us Wednesday night for a BIG kale harvest and a little weeding!

You can go to the church website at desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there. For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114
For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com

Homemade Deer & Rabbit Repellent:
Elmer Fudd wouldn’t stand a chance against our rabbit infestation. It’s time to get serious.

5 eggs (Blend them thoroughly if using a sprayer) and you’ll probably need to strain the mixture before using
1 cup of buttermilk, milk, or yogurt (think stink!)
2 Tablespoons of hot sauce
1 Teaspoon of liquid dish soap
1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil
15 drops of cinnamon oil – optional
2 Teaspoons of finely crushed garlic – optional
Mix and let sit for a day or two. Strain and spray. There are many such recipes on the web and most are similar to the store-bought brands but cost much less. The awful smell is the same either way but it does go away after the mixture dries.
Check out

The potato movement in Greece: Farmers taking matters into their own hands while building community and helping those in need.
Two more Maine towns passed the Local Food & Community SelfGovernance Ordinance– an ordinance to protect the health and integrity of local food systems. This can be replicated in any town.
Obesity vs. Superbugs: Who wins when the food system fails? Doctor David Wallinga writes that two of the biggest human health stories this spring – antibiotics resistant bacteria and obesity – are directly linked to a failing, industrialized food system. He argues we must change our food system and declare the winners our improved health, lower healthcare costs, and healthy food companies.
The Necessary (r)Evolution For Sustainable Food Systems – Tune in for a Free Public Conference from University of Vermont from 1:00 – 6:30 on June 28^th.

Zucchini Cookie Recipe – from the cookbook Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert

¾ cup butter (softened)
½ cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
Cream together.
1 egg Add and beat until fluffy.
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Sift together in a separate bowl.
1 ½ cups zucchini (shredded)
Add to creamed mixture alternately with dry ingredients.
¾ cup raisins
¾ cup walnuts (chopped; optional)
Stir in. Drop onto greased baking sheets. Bake in preheated oven at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Bake cookies as soon as they are mixed. If the batter stands too long, it will get a bit watery.)
Chocolate Chip variation: Omit spices and raisins. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and ¾ cup chocolate chips.”

6-13-12 Garden News

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Jun 212012

Hello Garden Friends: This is beautiful gardening weather and there is lots going on in a food pantry garden near you!

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)
WE HARVESTED 335 LBS on Tuesday night. We are now over 1100 lbs this year! Over 150 lbs of broccoli, also cabbage, beets peas, yellow and green beans, onions, peppers.
There will be more to do on Thursday We need your help with mulching, weeding, watering, planting as well as harvesting. PLEASE JOIN US
Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

A bumper crop from the Agape Garden……..

Faith & Grace Garden. Corner of 24th & Ashworth, WDM, just west of St. Timothy’s, park in the lot north of the church off 24th Street.

So far, we have donated about 600 pounds of produce; mostly turnips, onions, peas and beans.
If you can stop by and water or weed now for just an hour in the evening, it would really help. There will be someone in the garden to point out where help is needed Mon – Thursday evenings between 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm. Please note, we will not be in the garden on Friday evening or Saturday this week. Mark Marshall’s daughter, Michelle is getting married and we will be celebrating!

Our Garden has expanded!!! Our Friends to the West at Covenant Presbyterian Church have generously allowed a portion of their land to be used to plant additional food to feed the hungry. We’ve already planted sweet potatoes in the field and we’re hoping for rain!!! http://www.wdmcovenant.org/

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.
Things are going great! Everything is planted and we are staying somewhat ahead of the weeds.
We have already donated radishes to the DMARC Food Pantry. We have had wonderful help on Sundays from 6-7 and some during the week, pulling weeds. The garden is looking good!!
For more information, contact Jan Hoeman at Janhoeman@mchsi.com

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

The garden has been planted and looks beautiful. The kale is almost ready to be harvested and some of the early tomatoes are already setting tomatoes. Green onions will be pulled shortly and the rest left to develop into dry onions. We have planted them with the tomatoes as companion plants to help control insects. We will see if it works. Wednesday night work this week will basically be a little weeding and watering.

You can go to the church website at desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there. For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114
For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com

Cool stuff from our friends at The Lord’s Acre………

Free TEDxManhattan DVDs have been completed. If you would like a copy (free
of charge) for educational purposes, just let them know. The disc includes
talks from all the speakers at the 2012 TEDxManhattan ³Changing the Way We
Eat² event. www.tedxmanhattan.org

PCUSA Grants: The Presbyterian Hunger Program is encouraged by the emergence of the many faith-based initiatives sprouting up around the country to bring resilience to
our food system, and health to people and God’s Creation. These efforts often
engage people of all ages, result in greater food security, give people decision-making power over their food, increase healthy eating, create jobs and local economic growth, support local family farmers, use land ecologically, raise awareness about local and global hunger and poverty, and encourage a view of food as sacred and as a right for all people. When done well, such initiatives are wonderful ways to build relationships, community and power. We are eager to support this work as one small way we can help build God’s vision of a New Heaven and New Earth.
Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis. Grants are for $100-$1,000
with a total of $20,000 available for the year. Turn-around for approved grants will be less than four weeks. Download the application form here

Check out Farm Hack

It’s a network for sharing open source know-how amongst the
distributed fringe of DIY agricultural-tech aficionados and innovators.
One Bite Lessons: An edible activity that doesn’t require a kitchen or
excessive preparation. A fun and creative way to have kids sample plants
right from the garden. Share your One Bite Lesson ideas and view what others have shared here.

A copy of The Hands That Feed Us can be downloaded here.

Cabbage & Caramelized Onion Tart
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, cut in half root to stem, then thinly sliced across the grain
Salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small cabbage, shredded or chopped (about 6 cups)
Freshly ground pepper
4 eggs
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1/2 cup, tightly packed (2 ounces) Gruyère cheese
1 yeasted olive oil pie crust

(1/2 recipe)
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, until they begin to sizzle and soften, about three minutes. Add a generous pinch of salt and the garlic. Stir everything together, turn the heat to low, cover and cook slowly for 45 minutes, stirring often, until the onions are very soft, sweet and light brown.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat in another large skillet. Add the cabbage. Cook, stirring often, until it begins to wilt, then add salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook for another 10 to 15 minutes, stirring often, until the cabbage is tender and fragrant. Stir in the onions, simmer together uncovered for about five minutes or until there is no longer any liquid in the pan, and remove from the heat.

2. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 9- or 10-inch tart pan and line with the dough. Beat the eggs and milk in a bowl and season with salt (about 1/2 teaspoon) and pepper. Stir in the onions, cabbage and cheese, and combine well. Scrape into the tart pan, and place in the oven. Bake 40 to 45 minutes until the top is lightly browned.

Yield: Serves six.

Advance preparation: You can make the filling through Step 1 up to three days ahead. Refrigerate in a covered bowl.

Nutritional information per serving: 307 calories; 17 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 171 grams cholesterol; 29 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 273 milligrams sodium (does not include salt added during preparation); 13 grams protein
Martha Rose Shulman can be reached at martha-rose-shulman.com. Her latest book, “The Very Best of Recipes for Health,” was published recently by Rodale Books.

5-17-12 Garden News

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May 182012

Hello Garden Friends:

Native Plant Festival and Sale – Thursday, May 24, 3-6 p.m.
Cathedral Church of St. Paul’s, Ninth and High Streets downtown
Come take advantage of this splendid opportunity to buy native plants and grasses for your own garden!

Why plant native perennials and grasses? “Let us count the ways:”

1.     Once they’re established, they need no fertilizer, no pesticides, and minimal maintenance.
2.     They’ll attract (and feed) songbirds and butterflies to your yard.
3.     They’ll sink deep roots that will capture rain water and send it deep into the soil, helping prevent rainwater runoff & improving your soil.
4.     They’ll add natural Iowa beauty!

Dr. Jo Anna Hebberger will be on hand to offer advice and tips. Refreshments will be available.

The Agape Garden is off to a wonderful start this year as you can see from how the peas are doing at right. Craig Crist also sent us wonderful pictures of the spinach, onions, broccoli, potatoes and cabbage happily growing, too.

Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 to dark and Saturday mornings around 8:30 til noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help

Faith & Grace Garden. Corner of 24^th & Ashworth, WDM, just west of St. Timothy’s, park in the lot north of the church off 24^thStreet.
Right now we are up to our ears in student volunteers!….and probably will be until next Friday as we head into Memorial Day Weekend.

Volunteer hours in the Faith & Grace Garden are Monday – Friday, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Saturday 10:30 – Noon, and Sunday as arranged.

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden
John Piper had triple by-pass surgery recently and is taking some time off from gardening. John says there is enough help in the garden in the meantime. You might email if you can help anyway.

Volunteer hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings starting at 11 am running through May.
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John Piper at comphelp@ecity.net or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.

We have potatoes, onions, and beets planted and bunny fencing up, plus wildflowers and perennials planted for more pollinators. We still need to plant turnips, carrots, and broccoli and warmer vegetables. We work on Sunday evenings from 6-7pm.

For more information, contact Jan Hoeman at Janhoeman@mchsi.com..

St. John’s Faith Garden

On May 14, ten volunteers completed planting at St. John’s Faith Garden. We have tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, peppers, pole beans, lettuce, carrots and beets. We’re happy to have four teams of four volunteers each who will share rotating garden duty of one week on, three weeks off.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry – 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

Beans are popping and we are almost done planting. Leaves are poking through the potato towers so maybe they will work! This week the irrigation will go on and the vining crops. Join us on Wednesday for a big plant night. We are in need of wood mulch and compost to fill our flower beds that have settled. Follow us on facebook for up to the minute news!

If you would like to donate to Urban Harvest you can send a check with a designation on the note to:
Urban Heights Covenant | 7605 Aurora | Urbandale, Iowa

For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114
For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg at brydberg@mchsi.com

Great websites:

Kitchen Gardeners International: http://kgi.org/?utm_source=Kitchen+Gardeners+International+List&utm_campaign=f6763f931b-April_2012_Newsletter&utm_medium=email
Modern Day Homesteaders: http://www.motherearthnews.com/modern-homesteading/self-reliance-zm0z12fmzkon.aspx
Insect Identification: http://bugguide.net/node/view/60/bgpage
Garden Inspiration: One man’s foray into raised bed gardening: http://bjurlinceramics.com/bjurlinceramics/Marvins_Garden.html

Sustainable Agriculture Resources and Organizations
ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service www.attra.org
SARE – Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education http://www.sare.org/
Growing for Market http://www.growingformarket.com/
HortIdeas http://users.mikrotec.com/~gwill/hi-index.htm
The New Farm: Farmer-to-Farmer Know-How from The Rodale Institute http://www.newfarm.org/
Seed Savers Exchange http:// www.seedsavers.com

Weed Identification
Oregon Biodynamic Group http://www.oregonbd.org/Class/weeds.htm
Illinois Council on Food and Agricultural Research: Weed ID http://web.aces.uiuc.edu/weedid/
University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources: Weed ID http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/weeds_common.html

Pest Identification
Clemson University Pest ID http://entweb.clemson.edu/pesticid/safetyed/pstident.htm

Recipe Idea:
Roasted Kale and Red Onions: http://www.bhg.com/recipe/vegetables/roasted-kale-and-red-onions/
This recipe is a hundred times more amazing than the sum of its parts. It is addictive and has just the right combination of flavors and textures. I’ve made it many times and it never fails to please.

We hope to see you in the garden. Any garden.

4-25-12 Garden News

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Apr 262012

Hello Garden Friends:

All the gardens are in full swing now! Lots of planting, weeding and mulching going on.
Here’s what’s happening in a garden near you:

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere) Last weekend 34 fruit and shade trees were planted around the Agape Garden thanks to Trees Forever!
This week a new garden shed is going up in the Agape Garden which may be finished by this weekend. There is still plenty to plant in the garden. Volunteer help is needed.
Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 to dark and Saturday mornings around 8:30 til noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Faith & Grace Garden. Corner of 24th & Ashworth, WDM, just west of St. Timothy’s, park in the lot north of the church off 24th Street.
Lots of onions were planted and mulched over the weekend. Do you need newspapers and mulch for your garden? There are plenty available for pick-up at the Faith & Grace Garden!
Volunteer hours in the Faith & Grace Garden are Monday – Friday, 6:30 – 8:30 pm, Saturday 10:30 – Noon, and Sunday as arranged.
3,000 pounds of newspapers being unloaded for mulch!
Wood chips go on top of the paper to trap in water and keep out weeds

Volunteer hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings starting at 11 am running through May.

The Garden of Eden Project (GOEP) uses nearly ten acres of land spread out across the south side of Des Moines. We have 16 raised box gardens (4 x 12), 8 back yards, and 5 acres we are allowed to use for the Garden’s purposes. This land allows us to produce literally tons of fresh fruit and vegetables for the hungry in our Metro area.
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John Piper or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.
We have potatoes, onions, and beets planted and bunny fencing up, plus wildflowers and perennials planted for more pollinators. We still need to plant turnips, carrots, and broccoli and warmer vegetables. We work on Sunday evenings from 6-7pm.
For more information, contact Jan Hoeman.
Potatoes getting planted and fencing erected at the St. Francis Garden on Earth Day.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry
7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

We have done some major projects in the garden in the last few weeks including building a compost bin and planting trees. Now we need to get busy with some power planting! If the weather cooperates we will get rows laid out and then plan to plant on Monday and Tuesday April 30 and May 1 beginning at 6. Remember many hands make light work!

Last weekend 6 fruit trees were planted with the help of Trees Forever. Join us anytime!

For more information Like us on Facebook or call 515 -314-2114
If you would like to read more about the garden join us on Blogger/Urban Harvest. This year we are hoping for weekly posting with thoughts from the garden, the latest activities and a recipe. For up to the minute garden happenings join us on Facebook at Urban Harvest. If you would like to donate to Urban Harvest you can send a check with a designation on the note to:

Urban Heights Covenant – 7605 Aurora – Urbandale, Iowa
You can go to the church website at desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there.
For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114
For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg

See you in the garden!

4-19-12 Garden News

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Apr 202012

Hello Garden Friends:

Well, the spring rains have finally come!……..along with the wind, hail, etc. I hope your garden, yard, and house are undamaged. Here’s what’s happening in a garden near you:

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere) There is a “Big Event” at the Agape Garden on this Saturday starting at 8 am and going into the afternoon. We will be planting 34 fruit trees courtesy of the Trees Forever program. Some fruit trees and some shade trees. We will have a bobcat with 30-inch auger but need help planting and filling in. Bring shovels, rakes and gloves. Food and drinks will be provided. Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 to dark and Saturday mornings around 8:30 til noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Faith & Grace Garden. Corner of 24th & Ashworth, WDM, just west of St. Timothy’s, park in the lot north of the church off 24th Street.
Volunteer Training Day – Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 am, in the Parish Hall at St. Timothy’s
Adult volunteers, old and new, are invited to this opportunity to learn about how to be a great garden volunteer. We will have lots of students and children in the Faith and Grace Garden this year. Adult volunteers are needed to help and guide them. At this training session you will learn how the Faith and Grace Garden is organized and operated so that volunteers can have a rewarding, productive, and safe experience in the garden.

Earth Day Celebration Weather permitting

You’re invited! St. Timothy’s Faith and Grace Garden Open House
Earth Day, Sunday, April 22, 1 pm – 5 pm
Please stop by and enjoy a pleasant afternoon and some refreshments. Tour the garden and learn about our plans for this summer. (Hint Hint… A children’s garden and hoop house) Wear your “grubbies” if you would like to do some gardening, or view a demonstration of organic gardening methods. We will be mulching the garden with newspapers and wood chips on both days. On Sunday, we will demonstrate the use of worm castings and worm tea in the garden. There will be a demonstration of how to make an inexpensive home worm tea brewer for use around your yard and garden. Students from Dowling High will be on-hand to help with garden tours. Bring garden gloves and a hoe. Questions? Call Tim Goldman at 515-745-9842

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden
Volunteer hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings starting at 11 am running through May.
The Garden of Eden Project (GOEP) uses nearly ten acres of land spread out across the south side of Des Moines. We have 16 raised box gardens (4 x 12), 8 back yards, and 5 acres we are allowed to use for the Garden’s purposes. This land allows us to produce literally tons of fresh fruit and vegetables for the hungry in our Metro area.
For information about the Garden of Eden, please contact John Piper or by calling 515-240-3146.

St Francis of Assisi Garden
The garden is located across the street to the North, from St Francis of Assisi church in the North-east corner of the playground.We are putting up fence and planting potatoes. For more information, contact Jan Hoeman. We meet on Sunday evenings 6 pm – 7pm in the garden and as things get going, also on Wed mornings at 9pm.

Urban Harvest Garden
An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefiting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry – 7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371This is an exciting week at Urban Harvest! Last weekend Acacia fraternity from Iowa State came and put up all the fencing and helped build a three bin compost bin. Cub Scouts from Pack 98 helped cut up seed potatoes. If it dries out enough (rain gauges reported close to three inches of rain last Saturday night.) we will do some initial planting on Wednesday night. Saturday will be a big push AND we will be planting 6 fruit trees with the help of Trees Forever. Join us anytime! For more information Like us on Facebook or call 515 -314-2114

If you would like to read more about the garden join us on Blogger/Urban Harvest. This year we are hoping for weekly posting with thoughts from the garden, the latest activities and a recipe. For up to the minute garden happenings join us on Facebook at Urban Harvest. If you would like to donate to Urban Harvest you can send a check with a designation on the note to:

Urban Heights Covenant – 7605 Aurora Urbandale, Iowa
You can go to the church website at desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there. For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 314-2114 For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg

Three Free 55-Gallon Garden Rain Barrels – Email Tim Goldman

More interesting websites from our friends at the Lord’s Acre:
Food Storage, Vineyard Design, Organic Disease Control Strategies and so much more: http://fromhere.org/events/
The Garden Rant: Funny, sassy, edgy, entertaining, educational garden site hosted by four women gardeners: http://www.gardenrant.com/
Label reading pointers – where to find GMOs; what does ”natural” vs. organic mean?
There is a short blog post on Stonyfield’s site to help consumers navigate the supermarket –It’s a quick and easy review of confusing labels, and how to spot GMO ingredients, plus there’s a place where you can add your own comments about how you personally navigate the supermarket. The post is part of Stonyfield’s ”I will know my food” campaign. http://www.iwillknowmyfood.com/#tips
Growing Power – Aquaculture: Milwaukee’s Growing Power, a community-based urban food center, is using plants as natural water filters for raising yellow perch.

Food Justice From the Ground, Up: http://foodandcommunityfellows.org/blog/collection/food-justice-from-the-ground-up-stories-of-change
The Town Without Trash: http://gimundo.com/news/article/the-town-without-trash-kamikatsu-japan/
Who Remembers Jack Lalanne?

Actual Creative Garden Club Names: One Foot Now – Six Feet Later, Rake and Bake, Grateful Deadheaders, Hearts & Spades and The Back Achers

See you in the garden!

4-11-12 Garden News

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Apr 182012

Here’s what’s happening in a garden near you:

Agape Garden, 7384 NW 16th Street in Ankeny (Next to the Faith Chapel and close by John Deere)

The Agape Garden is over 24,000 square feet in size and Craig Crist says is the garden is over 40% planted already! All the peas, sugar snap peas, radishes, carrots, spinach, broccoli, onions and over 250 pounds of potatoes are planted. The Agape Garden is also expanding the asparagus bed by 150 crowns.

In other news, the Agape Garden is getting ready to plant 30 new fruit trees, plus evergreens, oaks and birch trees thanks to a grant from Trees Forever. Craig also says the Agape Garden will also be building a garden shed this year.

Volunteer hours in the Agape garden are almost every Tuesday and Thursday evenings around 6:30 to dark and Saturday mornings around 8:30 til noon. Call Craig Crist to verify time and dates @ 515-577-8260 leave message if no answer. The Agape Garden always needs help.

Faith & Grace Garden, Corner of 24th & Ashworth, WDM, just west of St. Timothy’s, park in the lot north of the church off 24th Street.

Volunteer Training Day – Saturday, April 21 at 10:30 am, in the Parish Hall at St. Timothy’s
Adult volunteers, old and new, are invited to this opportunity to learn about how to be a great garden volunteer. We will have lots of students and children in the Faith and Grace Garden this year. Adult volunteers are needed to help and guide them. At this training session you will learn how the Faith and Grace Garden is organized and operated so that volunteers can have a rewarding, productive, and safe experience in the garden.

Earth Day Celebration Weather permitting, Saturday and Sunday, April 21 and 22, from 1pm – 5pm

We will be mulching the garden with newspapers and wood chips on both days. On Sunday, we will demonstrate the use of worm castings and worm tea in the garden. There will be a demonstration of how to make an inexpensive home worm tea brewer for use around your yard and garden.
Making worm tea with a brewer

St. Anthony’s Garden of Eden
Volunteer hours are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings starting at 11 am running through May.

Weather permitting, the St. Francis of Assisi Garden will start the gardening season this Sunday, April 15. We plan to put up fence and plant potatoes. For more information, contact Jan Hoeman

We meet on Sunday evenings 6 pm – 7pm in the garden and as things get going, also on Wed mornings at 9pm.

Urban Harvest Garden – An outreach of Urban Heights Covenant benefitting the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Food Pantry
7605 Aurora, Urbandale, Iowa 278-1371

We are experimenting with new ways to plant potatoes. Potatoes in rain barrels and other planting methods. If you would like to learn some new ways to plant vegetables for the small home or patio gardens, please join us.
We will work Sunday evening and either Tuesday or Wednesday evening throughout the growing season. We have a key to the pantry so that makes it easy to deliver fresh produce for distribution the following day. Of course weeders are always welcome at anytime!

Big on the wish list is an irrigation meter! We are already starting out dry and are planning to put water conservation practices in place this summer. We are also exploring drip irrigation6 which conserves water and improves plant health Of course we will need more fencing and panels to plant additional climbing crops on.

You can go to the church website at www.desmoineschurch.org to donate using PayPal. All donations are tax deductible. ALL produce is donated to the Urbandale/Windsor Heights food pantry. You can also connect to the blog and Facebook there.

For further information contact Garden Manager Beth Rydberg at 515-314-2114
For information and best times to garden, please email Beth Rydberg

See you in the garden!

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