August Harvest

Today (Tuesday) we dropped off 73 pounds of produce at the food shelf, resulting in a grand total of 556 pounds of fresh veggies so far for the 2012 growing season! I thought, since the tomatoes were so beautiful this morning--no offense to the peck of tomatillos or peppers--that we should offer up a poem.

Ode to Tomatoes

by Pablo Neruda (Translated by Margaret Sayers Peden)

The street
filled with tomatoes,
midday,
summer,
light is
halved
like
a
tomato,
its juice
runs
through the streets.
In December,
unabated,
the tomato
invades
the kitchen,
it enters at lunchtime,
takes
its ease
on countertops,
among glasses,
butter dishes,
blue saltcellars.
It sheds
its own light,
benign majesty.
Unfortunately, we must
murder it:
the knife
sinks
into living flesh,
red
viscera,
a cool
sun,
profound,
inexhaustible,
populates the salads
of Chile,
happily, it is wed
to the clear onion,
and to celebrate the union
we
pour
oil,
essential
child of the olive,
onto its halved hemispheres,
pepper
adds
its fragrance,
salt, its magnetism;
it is the wedding
of the day,
parsley
hoists
its flag,
potatoes
bubble vigorously,
the aroma
of the roast
knocks
at the door,
it’s time!
come on!
and, on
the table, at the midpoint
of summer,
the tomato,
star of earth,
recurrent
and fertile
star,
displays
its convolutions,
its canals,
its remarkable amplitude
and abundance,
no pit,
no husk,
no leaves or thorns,
the tomato offers
its gift
of fiery color
and cool completeness.

-from Odas elementales. © 1954

Why we grow...

Volunteering in the garden is a choice. I asked volunteers to share why they volunteer in the garden. Here are three of their responses. (They said I could share them.)

"I like to garden and do good at the same time!"

"I used to be very financially poor, so poor that one morning when my kids were little, I had nothing to feed them for breakfast but popcorn and a glass of water, and had to resort to asking a relative to buy me some groceries, which I found terribly shameful. God has lifted me up out of that situation and blessed me richly, and this is one small way of feeding those who need help as I once did. Plus, I see the miraculous glory of the Creator in every plant!"

"i needed to build up some good PR and Karma. My current job has a lot less community involvement than previous jobs and i was missing that. this seemed like a good way to fill some of my needs to help people. It also seemed like a good time to try new things."

Undocumented volunteers

We have served over 120 volunteer hours to garden maintenance and production since Thursday, May 17, 2012, according to the volunteer log. I know there are many of you who are undocumented volunteers, though. You stop by the garden on the way home from work or after church. You pull a stray weed or run a bag of onions and beets over to the food shelf. Thank you for making this garden possible. When one considers the value in produce and hours of effort, the church has donated thousands of dollars to the food shelf. Thank you!

Urban Farming Field Trip

This morning, folks from all around the Twin Cities--and as far away as Madison--visited three urban farms in Saint Paul. There is growing ferment around producing healthy foods right in the city. Some groups grow to make a living, others to revitalize neighborhoods, still others make farming a youth development activity. Magnificent, quiet things happening right under our noses.

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Praise for roots and rooters

So, many thanks to all of our garden volunteers. You win the gold! We have harvested so much produce already this month. (I don't have the numbers at this moment, but I know August is going to be amazing.)

 

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254 lbs of produce to Neighborhood House

Three cheers for us! As of August 3 we have donated 254 pounds of fresh, organic produce to the Neighborhood House Food Shelf (and we haven't even gotten to the heavy stuff yet). Good work all!

Squash pollinators

Flipping CSAs

I love CSAs. First, they are a great way for people to buy fresh, local food; and second, they are a vehicle that allows a community to support its local producers. Still, I find myself wanting to turn the CSA concept on its head. The flipped concept is, use agriculture to support the community.

The House of Hope Community Garden takes advantage of resources we have - a lot of space and hands - to grow produce that supports our community. Yes, we need more CSAs and a lot more ASCs.

Postscript: Anyone can donate produce to the food shelf.

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amateur or volunteer?

When it comes to the garden, are you an amateur or a volunteer?
1. amateur. A person who engages in a study, sport, or other activity for pleasure rather than for financial benefit or professional reasons. (from Dictionary.com)

3. volunteer. One who voluntarily offers her services in any capacity; one who of his own free will takes part in any enterprise. (from the OED)

I like the term amateur --someone who simply does something for the love of it.

Fresh Produce

This morning, we harvested 27 pounds of Swiss chard, Chinese broccoli, strawberries, rhubarb, cucumbers, eggplants, kale, and some lettuce. So far this summer, the House of Hope has contributed more that 167 pounds of produce to the food shelf.