Changes in the Garden

                                                                                       

Thanks everyone for your patience while I've been on a bit of a maternity leave from the blog.  Now that my little guy is almost 4 months, I'm hoping to blog more regularly now.  With the little one, I haven't made it to the garden much lately but I went today and was amazed by all the work that has been going on.  For anyone who hasn't been to the garden lately, check out what's been going on.  Clearly people have been working really hard to make our space a great one for everyone.

The greenhouse is now at the front of the garden

And a lot has been done at the back of the garden for the new retaining wall

Clearly it's been a lot of work!

What I've Been Growing This Summer

Hi all. I wanted to share a picture of what I've been growing all summer . . . only it hasn't been in my plot!  This also might help explain why I haven't been blogging as much and why my plot is a tad overgrown (although those tomatoes seem to be growing in spite of me). Anyway this is my new baby boy Everett Adkins. He was born August 6 weighing 8 pounds 12 oz. He's definitely my little tomato!  

Yummy non-cook, veggie-filled recipes

I probably should have done this post during our most recent heat wave, but still these are some things I've been making lately when it's too hot to turn on the oven.  And they are all super-healthy recipes and use a lot of the things you may be growing in your plot at the garden.

Pasta a la Meg
I call this Pasta a la Meg because my friend Meg shared the recipe with me.  It's so incredibly easy and good--and is made mostly with things most of us grow in our gardens.

Cut up about 1 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes.  I have yellow and red ones in my plot, which makes this nice and colorful. Slice about 3 to 4 tablespoons of basil leaves and add to the tomatoes.  Add about 6 tablespoons olive oil and a teaspoon of sea salt and let sit.

Boil some whole wheat spaghetti per directions and then top with tomato mixture and a healthy handful of grated pecorino cheese.  Yummy!

Raw Beet, Carrot, and Apple Salad
This is so delicious.  I confess I don't even like beets and I LOVE this.  It comes from the blog Allergy-Free Alaska http://www.allergyfreealaska.com/2013/01/22/raw-beet-carrot-apple-salad-with-ginger-lime-dressing/ 

Ingredients

3 – 4 tablespoons lime juice, fresh squeezed (or lemon)

1 tablespoons honey (or coconut nectar if you are vegan)

1 tablespoon fresh ginger root, finely grated

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cup beet roots, grated

1 3/4 cup carrots, peeled and grated

1 3/4 cup Braeburn apple, peeled and grated

Instructions

To make the ginger lime dressing, combine the lime juice, honey, and ginger in a small mixing bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the grated beets, carrots, and apple.

Toss in the dressing and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Gazpacho

This recipe came from the Garden of Eve CSA that our family belongs to.  It's easy and you definitely get your full servings of veggies for the day.

3 lbs tomatoes (about 7 large), seeded and diced

2 cloves garlic

1 large onion, diced

1 large cucumber, seeded and cut

1 yello pepper, sliced

1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Chop up the garlic cloves and then mix all the ingredients together in a food processor and chop in short pulses.  The gazpacho should have a chunky consistency but if it's too thick, add cold water.  

The Future of Food Documentary Film at the Garden

THE FUTURE OF FOOD

FILM EVENT AT THE 6/15 GARDEN

6^Th AVENUE AND 15^TH STREET

JUNE 30^TH AT 8:30PM

A documentary film by Deborah Garcia

THE FUTURE OF FOOD offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply. Shot on location in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, THE FUTURE OF FOOD examines the complex web of market and political forces that are changing what we eat as huge multinational corporations seek to control the world’s food system. The film also explores alternatives to large-scale industrial agriculture, placing organic and sustainable agriculture as real solutions to the farm crisis today. [Running Time: 88min.]

Come out to the 6/15 Green community garden for the film showing followed by a discussion and Q and A with garden member and the creator of the educational curriculum for the film, Joshua Muldavin.  

Gardening Workshops in the City

Check out these workshops that the parks department is offering this summer:  

Herbal Tea Making: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6904899741

Making Recycled Planters for the Home and Garden: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6918382067#

Companion Planting and Gardening with Native Species: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6918546559#

Aerobic and Anaerobic Composting: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6920008933#

Container Gardening in an Urban Environment: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6920055071#

The Three Sisters

I've always been very curious about people in the garden who have tried the three sisters method for planting corn, beans and squash in the space space.  I decided to do a little research to learn how to do it.

On the webiste, Runee's garden, she says, "According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters who only grow and thrive together. This tradition of interplanting corn, beans and squash in the same mounds, widespread among Native American farming societies, is a sophisticated, sustainable system that provided long-term soil fertility and a healthy diet to generations. Growing a Three Sisters garden is a wonderful way to feel more connected to the history of this land, regardless of our ancestry."  (http://www.reneesgarden.com/articles/3sisters.html)

Most websites advise to plant the corn seeds once we've finished having frost at night.  Once the corn has grown several inches (advice seems to go from 4 to 8 inches), the plant the bean and squash seeds around the corn plants.  As the corn grows, the squash and beans will grow around it.  

Would love to hear comments from any one in the garden who has tried this--were you successful or not?  How does it work in an urban setting like 6/15 green?

What to Plant in June



June is prime planting season at the garden.  I've seen many plots in the garden with healthy beds of lettuce starting to grow, tomatoes, beans and more.  I thought some people might like a list of suggestions for ideal plants for the start of June:

Beans

Peas

Carrots

Kale

Swiss Chard

Cucumbers

Lettuce, if you haven't already

Herbs like Basil, Parsley, and Mint

Green onions

Melon

Squash

There's problably more I'm leaving out--share with other gargners what you are planning now in the comment section!

Clever planter

I saw this outside a children's clothing shop. Very clever way to plant!

Plant sale

After yesterday's rain out today was a perfect day for the plant sale. I was there this morning and there were lots of plant varieties. And a great turnout for both garden members and non-garden mbers alike. Here are some great pics of everyone enjoying themselves.

Greenwood Cemetery Azalea and Dogwood Tour

One of the most beautiful sites in Brooklyn this time of year are the bright pink Azaleas and Dogwoods at Greenwood Cemetery.   Our neighbors are doing a trolley tour of these beautiful flowering trees May 5 at 1 pm.  Check out the details on their website:

Greenwood Azalea Tour

Plant sale!

Saturday May 11 is the Spring Celebration and Plant Sale (rain date: May 12) and the plant sale team and other garden members have been hard at work getting ready with plants and seeds.  Here's a preview of the variety of plants that will be available at the event:

From the plant sale team (Elsa Pereira and Ali Manning):

chives

fern
hosta

anjelica

rose

foxglove

hollyhock

strawberry

mint

chocolate mint

yarrow

iris

vinca

lesser celandine

bleeding heart

ajuga

purple hyacinth bean

basil 

sunflower

gooseberry

From Eman:

Asters
Irises

From Shelia:
Shasta daisy (fall blooming)
Buddleia (aka butterfly bush)
Possibly Fig and Lilac trees

Other plans at the sale include: 

Begonias

Cosmos

Flowering Tobacco

African Marigold

French Marigold

Petunia

Portulaca

Snapdragon

Zonal

Basil

Oregano 'Greek'

Parsley 'Italian'

Rosemary 'Arp'

Thyme 'English/Common'

Cucumbers ‘Marketmore’

Peppers ‘Jalapeño’

Peppers ‘Lady Bell’

Tomato ‘Big Beef’

Tomato ‘Celebrity’

Tomato 'San Marzano'

Tomato ‘Sweet 100 Cherry’

Lettuce Mix

Spinach Mix

Tomato 'Beam’s Yellow Pear'

Tomato 'Black Cherry'

Tomato 'Cherokee Purple'

Tomato 'Green Zebra'

 

BANG Land Trust web site

Hi, everyone--I just added a link on the blog page to the BANG Land Trust's website--we're members of BANG, which is the Brooklyn Alliance of Neighborhood Gardens.  Check out their website (www.banglandtrust.org) to learn all about them.  And I'll share some of their pictures and content so we can keep on top of all the great things BANG is doing. 

Fruits of labor

I'm so happy I took the time to plant extra bulbs last fall. Who doesn't love to have fresh flowers at home. Even better when you grow them yourself.

My favorite time of year!

Isn't our garden so beautiful right now!

Interesting article on Urban Farming

Hi everyone--I found this article on urban gardening in the Atlantic online really interesting--especially what some people are doing in terms of combining plant and fish farming practices.  We probably couldn't do this at our garden but there's a lot of great info on urban gardening in general in the piece--a fascinating read and it really shows how important urban gardening and farming has become. 

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/arts-and-lifestyle/2013/03/farming-technique-will-revolutionize-way-we-eat/4880/

Thanks to Maureen for sharing information at Wednesday night's meeting about The Brooklyn Botanic Garden's 32nd Annual Making Brooklyn Bloom conference on Saturday March 9.  It's a full day of workshops, lectures, and a chance to meet other Brooklyn gardeners.  Sample workshops include Making Seed Bombs and Soil Fertility and Nutrition.  Check out the full schedule at: http://www.bbg.org/visit/event/mbb_2013#/tabs-1 

Winter Reading

Since it's cold outside and we can't really work in the garden, why not spend some time reading a great book.  I highly recommend New York City Farmer & Feast: Harvesting Local Bounty by Emily Brooks (published by Globe Pequot Press, 2012).  This book explores some of the amazing, clever and breakthrough ways that people are gardening throughout the city and there is an entire section on Brooklyn.  It features fascinating places like the Eagle Street Rooftop Garden and the Bed-Stuy Brooklyn Rescue Mission that provides a food educational program and cooking classes for the community. I also learned that there is a fish farm at Brooklyn College.  The book is a great read and there are stunning photos throughout.  Plus, there are recipes! Check it out . . .

A little bit of summer

Something to brighten things up for you gardeners during this cold, cold week. I don't know about you but I could use a little color now.

Donation website

For anyone who wants to donate money to help cover costs of memorial service for garden member Jane's daughter Lenora, there is the link:

http://www.giveforward.com/friendsofleonora

BUGS Middle School

I thought garden members would be interested in the blog post (link below) about a new charter school opening very near the garden in Windsor Terrace.  It's called BUGS or Brooklyn Urban Garden Charter School and it will focus on "an environmental sustainability focused curriculum" including a rooftop container garden.  This blog post came from someone who writes about Brooklyn schools and I'm posting the link here with her permission.  Seems like a very interesting project to be happening in our community and perhaps some garden members will want to somehow become involved.  Enjoy reading the post. 

http://www.nycschoolhelp.com/blog/2012/12/31/bugs-brooklyn-urban-garden-charter-school.html

The Garden in Winter

There's something especially lovely about the garden this time of year when a few living things remain and the colors show through all the brown.