Fall Festival 2010 pictures

What a delightful day we had!  We were blessed with a lovely sunny day shared with music, friends and great food.  What more could you ask for?  Everyone did an amazing job and it was so much fun!  1st prize in the cooking contest went to Llenay's kohlrabi salad, which everyone enjoyed along with many other delicious delights.  Pumpkin painting, a peace dance and other fun activities filled the afternoon.

You can check out some of the pictures here:




Many things are still growing in the garden these cooler days including our rainbow chard, beets, radishes, broccoli rabe, peppers and tomatoes, but you can definitely feel Autumn in the air.  We spent most of our time in the garden today taking down fences and stakes, cutting down sunflowers to lay out for the birds, and removing lovely stones and treasures from the children's garden for next year.  We're planning to go out to harvest as long as we can and we'll keep you updated on the blog with all of the great information we love to share about eating local and growing organically.  We'll also continue to stop back here to post more of our adventures in gardening and plans for next year.

Be well and hope you enjoy these gorgeous days!
~Marykaye

Join us at our Annual Fall Festival, Saturday, October 9th from noon to 4pm!

Annual Fall Festival

Our Children's 
Rainbow Garden

Dauphin County Community Garden

Elmerton and State Road Harrisburg, PA

Look for the pumpkin trail

Saturday, October 9th

from Noon to 4pm

Lots of Fun for the Whole Family!

Members of the Greene Street Vegetarian Club will judge a vegetarian cooking contest.  Bring a covered dish to enter and share.

Prizes awarded in addition to praise!

There will be pumpkin decorating and crafts for the kids, dancing and good food to share.  Come celebrate the beauty of Fall,

outdoors in touch with nature and friends. 

All are welcome to attend!

For more information call Karen at (717) 574-2654

"Organic" growing stronger everyday

Did you know that the body of research supporting the benefits of organic gardening is growing by leaps and bounds?  Check out this article for news of a recent study linking organic farming with more nutritious and sustainable produce: click here for article.

Days feel shorter and some nights are downright chilly :) but there's still plenty going on in the garden.  Veggies continue to grow abundantly and new plantings go in daily for harvest in mid-to-late fall.  A favorite item lately is hot peppers!  We find a variety of bright red capsicums hanging jewel-like from lovely green plants, including sweet round pickling peppers, tiny chilis and even some habeneros planted alongside those!

Another neat thing to see is the cotton plant growing in the fairy garden. We originally planted it to share the concept of where cotton clothing comes from with the kids, but the adults have also been amazed by the beauty of the plant and the wonder of the big seed pods underneath.  We can't wait to see what comes next (and knowing the price of organic cotton clothing does give you some ideas!). ;)

If you'd like to stop by at the garden but haven't had a chance, there's a perfect opportunity coming up in just a few weeks.  Please join us for our Fall Harvest Festival on Saturday, October 9th from noon to 4pm.  There will be wonderful food, activities like pumpkin carving (we've even got white "moon" pumpkins!) and a cooking contest, so please bring a favorite vegetarian dish to share!

Until then, here are some pictures from this week:



rainbow chard and hot peppers


a spiral chili!



cotton seed pods



close-up of a pod



cotton plant


lovely cotton plant flower



investigating the new plantings



 "wooly bear" munching on a weed :)


 This butterfly kept me company as I relocated kohlrabi plantings donated by a neighbor!

Have a great weekend!
~Marykaye

Stepping Out into Nature is a Return to Balance

Our modern life is filled with conveniences that are designed to make life easier and less labor intensive. Advances in technology, medicine, and science should have us living the life of health and leisure; but by contrast, we are instead living a fast paced, hectic, drive-through type of existence that has increased our stress and caused epidemic levels of anxiety, insomnia, chronic illness and obesity.  We are trying so many things to help us calm down, relax and sleep better including succumbing to the glass of wine or beer after work and the numbing effect that TV has on an overworked mind.  I enjoy all of these forms of relaxation from time to time, but through the garden project, I've re-discovered that the simplest and quickest way of restoring my balance is by stepping out into nature.

 

On a purely physical level, I believe that people are very much like plants in that they need all of the elements in the natural world to thrive in a very positive and healthy way. We are hearing a lot right now about the epidemic levels of vitamin D deficiency and the resulting link to so many diseases, yet we know that sunshine is the major source of this vitamin for us. I'm also hearing about recent studies that have linked the happiness that most gardeners enjoy to the fact that they get their hands into dirt and come in contact with a soil organism called Mycobacterium vaccae which increases serotonin levels and is showing promise in its ability to also increase our ability to learn and memorize (another good reason for the children's garden). 

 

Now, going beyond the physical benefits, there is an experience that many of us can recall that is helpful in understanding the power of nature to restore our mental and emotional wellbeing. Can you recall a time when you took a walk in the park or into the woods? At first you are walking, thinking, trying to slow down when the power of nature draws you in.  You smell the woodsy earthy scents of nature. You hear the natural world filled with the sound of birds, squirrels, and chipmunks. You feel the slightly moist cool wind moving through your hair, touching your face. You feel the warmth and energy of the sun on your body and time melts away…your thoughts melt away.  You walk, you relax, and you enjoy the experience as your sense of balance returns. You emerge from this time in nature with renewed energy and a calm mind.

 

I enjoy this natural high regularly in the garden as I sprint from my cubicle-lined fluorescent-lighted work place, kick off my heels and put my hands in the dirt (who knew I was taking home microorganisms in that dirt under my fingernails!). When I smell the garden and feel the wind and sun I return to that familiar feeling of being in nature. I realize that it really is that easy.

 

Gardening is a simple and affordable way to restore physical, emotional, and mental balance. When combined with the garden aerobic "workout" and the health benefits of eating fresh locally grown produce, it's a complete health regimen that could save you hundreds of dollars spent on the pursuit of health including your gym fees.

 

Be Well and Enjoy Life!

Karen

 

SAVE THE DATE: The Fall Festival in Our Children's Rainbow Garden is on Saturday, October 9^th, starting at 12 noon. Come and enjoy a vegetarian cooking contest, gourd and pumpkin painting and carving, and lots more! More information is coming! 

Around the world on a healthy diet

Dark leafy greens, tomatoes, chilies, fresh local veggies and herbs...

Sounds delicious!

These are a few of the healthy foods you'll find if you explore the beauty and diversity of diets enjoyed around the world. You'll also find them all in a local community garden!

You can check out this link for more about that: (a great article on the "10 Healthiest Ethnic Cuisines").

The days have been lovely out in the garden.  Cool mornings give way to summery afternoons and we leave the garden with overflowing bags of fresh veggies.  Today's discovery: lemon basil!  It looks and smells a bit like lemon verbena but with the wonderful sweetness of basil.  We were thinning things out in the fairy garden and enjoying an amazing lemony aroma coming from what we thought might be lemon balm.  When we looked for a plant marker we were surprised to discover that lemon basil was the source of our enjoyment!  Just another unexpected delight and one of many in the garden!

You can find a recipe for lemon basil herbed rice here: click for link.  It sounds like a great side dish to serve with a local veggie stir fry.  (And if you need some lemon basil for your meal you can always stop by the garden to get some!). :)

We need to get a picture of that dish to post (please share one if you try it) so for now here are a few recent pictures of the garden:

rainbow chard

nasturtium

mini winter squash 
Have a great weekend and enjoy your veggies! ;)~Marykaye

August is the Perfect Time for a Ripe tomato!

Gardening is new to me and I find that all season I have entered the garden each day with a sense of adventure and can honestly say I find it every time.

 

I completely love the August gardening experience which provides the full summer heat during the day balanced by the coolness of the early morning breeze and the occasional call of the Canadian geese as they begin their migration. It gives me the pleasure of knowing that our gardening days this season are numbered, but with the reminder that the best days of fall harvest are still ahead. I marvel at the bounty of tomatoes that have our tomato plants bending to the ground from the weight of ripe tomatoes that need to be picked. It isn't uncommon to hear "Oh!! That's Good!" as we enjoy the sweet pop of summer in our mouths from the cherry tomatoes we eat while we work.  

 

As I look around the garden I am amazed at how much has been harvested from just a few months of work. We are really happy to share that we've donated 197 lbs. of fresh produce to Channels Food Rescue in addition to the bounty of vegetables that we are enjoying ourselves.  So much has been accomplished and so many have benefited from the garden in a very short period of time. That's the eye-opener for me. I think about it often and wonder what could be possible if we approached everything in life from this new perspective. It's really a paradigm shift. Where we once thought we had to do it all by ourselves, we've learned that we accomplish so much more with collaboration. Where we believed that individually we didn't have the time or resources to really do much, we've learned that collectively as a group, we have everything we need.

 

I came across this wonderful poem called "Cherry Tomatoes" by Anne Higgins that sums up the garden's gift to me this summer.  In her poem, Anne describes herself sitting on the ground in her garden in the middle of August eating cherry tomatoes right from the vine. "…the juice bursts in my mouth"; "I feel that I am in the mouth of summer, sloshing in the saliva of August".  Anne continues to vividly describe her experience of the tomatoes, the garden, the season, and then shares the "aha!" gift from her experience, "and my own bursting heart splits me with life".

 

I hope that you are finding your way this summer to the best tomatoes possible and that you experience the "Oh My! Aha!" moment. If that hasn't happened yet, please don't let the opportunity pass to stop by to visit us in the garden and we will not let you leave with an empty mouth or hands!

 

Be Well and Enjoy Life!

Karen

 

 

local news and recipe roundup

A warm welcome to any visitors from the recent Patriot News article about the garden!  We were so happy to have been featured in such a great article and to have had a chance to meet a wonderful local gardening resource: George Weigel, author of the column "Over the Garden Fence".  I wasn't able to find a copy of the article online for those that missed it, but you can read more of George's great tips on gardening at www.georgeweigel.net .  In the meantime, I've scanned an "old-school" cut and paste copy of the article that you can read here (click for link).

We are deep into the season when tons of produce rolls in, and it's always a lovely sight at the end of the day when we see all of our baskets filled to the brim.  So what do we do with all that produce?  It's been wonderful to have enough extra to easily give some away.  And luckily, we also all love to cook!  We thought it would be fun to share some of our favorite recipes using the abundance of produce that's been coming in daily.  We're also hoping to start taking more pictures of our own dishes to post along with our recipes.  For now, here are a few favorites from online (including many simple, quick recipes for when you don't have a lot of time to cook during a busy week):


For tomatoes:

Tomato Confit  (quick roasted tomatoes w/herbs to add to sandwiches, bruchetta or homemade roasted tomato sauce)

For zucchini:

Zucchini Crab Cakes  (a vegetarian recipe that you can also prepare baked in the oven)

For peppers:

Inside-out stuffed peppers (you can use veggie crumbles in place of the meat and layer the casserole, but this link highlights this a simple way to throw this together)

For eggplant:

a delicious Indian dish called Baingan Bharta

If you have all of the above available (mixed summer veggies):

Roasted french vegetables  (you can use ground fennel in place of the fennel bulb if you don't have one available)

Vegetable stuffed tortillas  (you can saute just about any vegetable and serve it in a whole grain tortilla with beans, tofu, meat or cheese for a healthy meal or snack)

For swiss chard, spinach or other greens:

Swiss chard with tomatoes

Greens fried rice

For green beans

Roasted green beans  (you can prepare just about any veggie this way and it will be delicious)

We've also begun planting some of our fall crops in the last couple of weeks including more beets, carrots, greens and cole crops (cabbage, brussels sprouts and broccoli).  Amazing to feel a little bit chilly this morning in the garden after all of those recent 90 degree temperatures! 


Here are some pictures from this week:

a new bed of beets, carrots and greens

second planting of lettuces, greens and cole crops

~Hope you are having a great time enjoying all of your favorite local veggies, too!

  Marykaye

summer harvest

So our favorite new gardening activity is...harvesting!  Finding all of those jewel-like treasures hiding among the leaves in our little green jungle is so much fun.  It's also a delight to watch the pumpkins and winter squash grow bigger with each passing week.  We are up to 87 pounds of produce donated to Channels and counting.

This week it's all about the veggies, so here are some pictures from the garden:  

cucumber

chili pepper

asparagus beans

okra

watermelon

moon pumpkin

onions

sunflowers

some veggies from this week's summer harvest

And here's a recipe: (a quick and delicious way to enjoy those veggies right out of the garden):

Fresh garden veggie sauté

Slice and saute your favorite veggies in 2 tbs olive oil or broth.

(We used onion, yellow squash, okra, asparagus beans and tomatoes).

Spritz with fresh lemon juice, sea salt or your favorite herbs and serve with brown rice or quinoa.

Enjoy!

fresh garden veggie saute

sunset view from the garden

Have a great week!

~Marykaye

Some more about us...

Hello!

We've been meeting so many wonderful people interested in our community garden, so we wanted to take a minute to provide some more information about who we are and what we are hoping to do.  (You can also access this FAQ any time by clicking on the "About Us" tab at the top of the blog).


Our Children’s Rainbow Garden

A community garden project for children and adults

Dauphin County Parks and Recreation Community Garden

Plots # 23, 25, 27, 29

Elmerton Ave and State Farm Road, Harrisburg, PA.

Q) Who are the people that planned this project?

A) We are your neighbors, members of the Central PA community, and people just like you that have an interest in helping children develop healthy, sustainable and conscious lifestyles. We are not an established non-profit or religious organization; however, we offer the public the opportunity to participate in the garden project and to attend garden events and classes free of charge. We do gratefully accept any donations offered to us. In fact, all of the supplies for the garden have been donated including seeds, plants, compost, mulch, and tools. Girl Scout Troops #991 & #1001 from the Girls Scouts in the Heart of PA Council donated hand crafted stepping stones for each garden, Hershey Nursery donated 50 bags of cocoa mulch and Dig My Earth donated many truckloads of nutrient-rich compost.

In addition, Dauphin county Parks and Recreation has for many years provided the Community Garden space along Elmerton Avenue in Harrisburg for public use. We rented four plots, each 50x50 sq. ft. and received a great selection of seeds with the rental for only $10 per plot for the entire season!

Q) How did you come up with the idea for the garden project and when did you start?

A) During the snowy winter of 2009 a group of friends began talking about our growing concern with the quality and cost of food available to the average family especially with the current state of the economy. We eventually started talking about the emerging trend of growing our own food because it’s local, sustainable, fresh, and by comparison is inexpensive to produce. As the discussion progressed, we created the vision of a local community garden focused on cultivating the potential of children by inspiring them to play and work in and eat from the garden. Since most children lose interest if you tell them about vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients (most adults too!) we decided we should simply teach them the “new” healthy food groups and encourage them to eat a rainbow of color everyday for good health. It was then that we realized the Children’s Rainbow Garden was born. We soon discovered that the garden project had the potential to build community, educate children, support families, and could also support local non-profits in their mission to help underserved individuals and families gain access to affordable, quality food.

The point of no return was when one member of our group said “So, is it time for us to actually do this or are we just going to continue to talk about it? Should we be the change we want to see in the world?” We all said, “YES, now how do we do this?” and by spring we had the garden plan laid out, seeds sprouting in our windows and all had agreed we would enjoy this adventure for at least the summer of 2010.

Q) I’m interested in what you are doing, but I have no gardening experience and limited time. Is there any way I can get involved?

A) This garden is perfect for you! Most community gardens segment their gardening space into plots that are rented to individuals to garden on their own which requires gardening knowledge, tools, and lots of time.

The Children’s Rainbow Garden is segmented into three uniquely patterned spaces, each with their own theme and purpose. The entire garden is cultivated and cared for by all members of the garden project including volunteers and all produce is shared. With this approach, it does not require a significant amount of time, expertise, or effort from any one individual, although it does require a small and consistent commitment of time from all of us. Our most experienced gardeners lay out the gardening tasks for each week to keep us on track.

The garden is open for community gardening on Wednesdays from 6pm to dusk and Saturdays form 8am to 11am. Participating members are not required to attend every time and are only asked to contribute a few consistent hours each week to the garden’s care. In addition, individual members volunteer to drop in to the garden on a specific day of the week to water, harvest, or do whatever tasks are needed. Some of us have lots of gardening expertise and some have none, but we teach each other and all are learning from the experience. We share the produce grown and we have a commitment to donate a portion of our produce to local non-profit organizations or generally to people in need of access to fresh food and a healthy lifestyle.

Q) Where do you donate your produce?

A) This summer, we will donate on a weekly basis to Channels Food Rescue a local non-profit organization serving the Harrisburg area. They have a social mission to alleviate the problem of hunger through a three-program approach of food delivery to specific organizations and families in need, a job skills program through their culinary school and catering services, and their kids café that provides meals and nutrition education to after school and summer school programs.

We will also donate fresh produce to the Harrisburg YWCA Women’s shelters because we have learned that although these women receive many services, they are required to provide their own food.

When we think about donating to help others, we typically think that money is the best or only option. It’s clear to us that although money is very helpful to many organizations, we don’t have to have much to make a difference in the lives of others. The produce we are donating ranges from $.69 to $3.99 per lb. at the grocery store. As the garden ramps up into August and September, we expect to be donating between 20-40 lbs of produce each week so that’ a nice weekly contribution. Over the course of the summer and fall it also becomes a nice cost savings for the organizations and individuals supported.

Q) How can I join the garden project and does it cost anything?

A) Anyone can join the project at any time this season and at no cost; however, we do ask for a small commitment of a few hours on average each week (with flexibility for individual schedules, vacations, etc.) We will be gardening into late October.

Q) I recently learned that you had a Fairy Festival for children in the garden. How can I find out about your scheduled events and classes?

A) Just subscribe to our blog (see link on right sidebar) or become a friend or fan of Our Children’s Rainbow Garden on Facebook to keep up with our events and our progress.  You can also bookmark the site (add it to favorites) and stop back from time to time to check out the "Events" tab at the top of the blog or click here to go there directly.

It’s important to note that our weekly community gardening times are our most featured event. We encourage children and their families to join us during these times to explore our unique garden setting and to participate as we laugh, learn, and enjoy garden “tastings” on a regular basis.

The garden is beautiful, the view of the surrounding area is breath taking, and the sunsets in the garden should not be missed.

Please feel free to join us or contact us by email phone or snail mail.  We'd love to hear from you!

~Marykaye

Hooray for rain!

Whew--light rain comes as a gift today!  Sunny days and 90-100 degree temperatures the last week or two have definitely made gardening more challenging.   Our big blue rain barrel holds a day's water for gardening (it takes multiple trips to fill it from the pumps on the end of the garden) so we greatly appreciate the natural cycle of rain for our happy crops.  We get a chance to meet a lot of new friends when we all gather around the water pump to fill buckets with some precious water for our gardens.  It also helps us to appreciate the importance of having access to clean water and deepens our understanding of the challenges and crises related to water around the world.

One of us recently read that water creates a sort of film around the roots of the plants so that they can absorb minerals and other nutrients from the soil.  As a result, conditions like adequate water readily limit or enhance growth in a garden.  We surely have the other elements of full sun and arable land, so water has been our biggest challenge!  Veggies continue to come in and some of our littler garden members gleefully help us gather them and enjoy sampling some as we go.  We are experiencing first hand that inviting children into your garden is a wonderful way to encourage them to try new foods and develop their own love of being outside in a garden!  We've also discovered how much fun it can be to pickle just about everything, a fun new project for garden member Karen (we love her irresistible pickles!). 

Here are some pictures from last week:

 

 

 

Have a great day!  How about doing a little rain dance for us this week? ;)
~Marykaye