Giving Thanks

Was the "first" Thanksgiving purchased at a grocery store? Did the grateful partakers crowd around a football game? To whom and to what did they give thanks? Were I to eat my Thanksgiving meal from what grew in my little community that I have frozen, stored or preserved (with some help from sugar, vinegar and freezers) I would partake of chicken, potatoes, carrots, 4 kinds of winter squash, green beans, peas, honey, apricot jam, pickles, celery, lettuce (just picked today at the garden), parsnips, beets and apple sauce. If, as Ralph (our garden patriarch) says, "if you don't grow it, you won't eat it," were the case for you today, what would you be grateful for? Feeling gratitude for nourishment is more satisfying than a full belly and more humbling than a moment of prayer. When you say "dig in" on Thanksgiving Day, think of the earth that someone, maybe you, turned, enriched, planted, tended, and what grew from it that you might not go hungry. And if your cupboards were empty, your refrigerator bare, could you dig in to your garden? I pulled the last carrots from my garden this week and picked a parsnip and lettuce at the Community Garden. But I have room to improve. I planted garlic today because Ralph taught me if I plant garlic by Thanksgiving, I'll harvest if for Independence Day. And shouldn't our faith and gratitude precede the blessings of nourishment and freedom?

First Planning Meeting

These are highlights. Thank you to the 14 who attended, the 5 others who wanted to but couldn't.

New email address
Nathaniel will create an email account for us.

Fundraising
Chandra, Megan and Leslie sounded interested in this. The garden needs about $500 annually for electricity to run the pumps.

Outreach
I'm interested in this. Lisa once told me she'll "rally" the people:) Are any of you connected with schools, churches or other groups who may be interested?

Supplies
Scott plans to continue supplying water, tools, tractor. City provides leaves.

"Growing Community Gardens" Class
Charlene and Megan were interested in attending. Application deadline is Dec. 1st with a fee of $75 per person. Input from several people may be necessary to complete the application. If they attend, they will keep us posted on what they learn. Scholarship money may be available.

The Garden
-The original intent was to teach people to garden year-round so that in the case of economic disaster, people could still eat.
-Eventually people should become familiar with what needs to happen at the garden and work with less supervision.
-Open Saturdays in cold weather at 9am (except in heavy snow). Help is still needed for moving and spreading leaves. Wednesdays 4-6pm?
-A sign and bulletin board have been designed and materials are available. Laser cutter needed to cut the plates.
-If we want to grow something, bring seeds! This is the community's garden and what we plan to eat, we will grow.
-Expansion not currently an option.
-peas will be planted during the January thaw.

The City
-Because we're on city land, we may not use pesticides (which is nice for the little hands and mouths working and eating in/from the Garden).
-a Boards/Committees model is becoming preferred so that Community Gardens continue even if some members move or quit.
-They use Wasatch Community Gardens as a resource for information and ideas.

Next Meeting
Tuesday, February 7th, 7-8pm at the Day-Riverside Library. Work in the Garden, take along friends! If you're able to work on other aspects (outreach, fundraising, etc.) please do!

Cold Comfort

I'm no Stella Gibbons, but the words "cold comfort" came to mind as I looked over the garden, set under foreboding gray skies. My son and I missed most of the work in the cool breeze, but still spread mounds of leaves into a comforter against the winter's cold. The leaves keep the worms happy and well fed, which gives us better soil in the Spring. That promise is more than a cold comfort--it's bright hope.

Spins Rap Parsnips

A brisk afternoon met us at the garden on Wednesday. My kids scaled the leaf pile (which will soon reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees) and we spread leaves over the lettuce and beets. The lettuce can be harvested another couple weeks because of the insulation. After a good week of frosts, the parsnips were ready. We dubbed this beauty, "dinosaur." I removed the tops right away for my chickens, and stored them in a plastic bag (no washing). On Friday I made chicken vegetable soup and added the peeled and chopped parsnip. My kids didn't even notice because parsnips look like potatoes. And the flavor was fantastic. But my favorite thing about parsnips? How easily they becomes a palindrome. So either way you look at it, there's something good for everyone.

October Sky

Under October's turquoise skies we bade farewell to summer. The Pioneer Day (July 24th) corn awaited harvest, pictured here on the 26th. The kids and I put on our leaf stomping boots to spread piles of composted leaves. My 7-yr old imagined a clump of leaves to be a football and my daughter offered me a chocolate leaf cake. What is more autumnal than leaves, football and home baked goods? Saturday mornings and late afternoon on Wednesdays will now be devoted to moving leaves by the wheelbarrow-full. With November's drizzly gray skies upon us, the time has come to turn a new leaf.