Fall 2013 - Duluth Community Garden Program

Community Gardener’s
Companion
Fall 2013
Soil Management for the Organic Garden
Duluth Community
Garden Program
by Joel Rosen
With the challenging weather conditions
of 2013, area gardeners are reporting
results that range from poor or
disappointing to generally good or
even excellent. Microclimates, timing
of planting, type of crops planted, and
effective irrigation might account for
some of the variation, but gardeners
should not overlook what is probably
the most important factor making the
difference: soil. Given adequate moisture,
2013 has been a nearly ideal season for
cool weather crops like lettuce, peas,
broccoli, cabbage, carrots, potatoes,
and onions. If the aforementioned did
not perform well for you, the most likely
problem is deficient soil.
Start by picking up a small handful of
slightly damp soil and rubbing it between
your thumb and index finger. Roughtextured soil is sandy, a powdery texture
suggests silt, and a slippery texture
indicates clay. Actually, all soils contain
all three types of textures in various
combinations. What you’re hoping for is a
happy balance that allows soil to remain
open and workable enough to allow
penetration of oxygen and water but also
has enough body to hold nutrients and
retain that moisture. The gold standard
is loam, a crumbly mixture of all three
textures. In general, sandy loam will be
easier to work and quicker to dry out
when you want to plant, cultivate, etc.,
while clay loam will retain nutrients and
moisture for a longer period of time.
Now, let’s look at the components of
soil. For the sake of simplicity, let’s
assume soil is made up of organic matter,
minerals, water, and air. Organic matter
is the engine of soil fertility; as organic
matter decomposes, it makes available
the key macro nutrients nitrogen,
phosphorous, and potassium. Organic
matter content is also important to soil
structure. Increasing organic matter
content can make heavy clay soil more
workable and better at retaining moisture,
and it has a similarly beneficial effect on
sandy soils, making them better able to
retain moisture and nutrients. The mineral
content of a soil is the weatherized
rock that slowly releases key nutrients
in small quantities as it continues the
weathering process. In some cases, the
mineral content of a soil can be deficient
in a particular element, but happily,
maintaining a healthy level of organic
matter (or increasing it if it’s low) is
usually all that’s necessary to build better
soil.
You might think the easiest way to
diagnose soil needs is by soil testing. A
good soil test will include measurements
of organic matter, nitrogen, phosphorous,
potassium, pH, and micro nutrients.
Your test results will also come with
recommendations on how much of a
given component should be added per
acre or square foot. While soil tests
can provide a great deal of information,
following the specific recommendations
can be a tricky business that in some
cases can make your problems worse
rather than better. Instead, try evaluating
the appearance of your cultivated plants.
Are they dark green (or other vivid color
continued on page 5
Table of Contents
Soil Management for
the Organic Garden.............................. 1
Turning of the Season........................ 2
A Letter from the President........... 3
Wonder in the Garden
at Harbor Highlands............................ 4
Fall Garden Cleanup........................... 5
School Garden Installations.......... 7
DCGP Recognized by
Duluth School Board.......................... 8
Coming into Bloom—A Reflection
on a Year of Service with The
Duluth Community Garden
Program........................................................ 9
Iron Squash at the
2013 Hillfest.............................................. 10
Fall Classes.............................................. 13
2013 Flower Bulb Sale............ 14–15
The MISSION of the Duluth
Community Garden Program
is to strengthen the Duluth
area community and foster
self-sufficiency by providing
access for all to food
production and preservation
resources and promoting
sustainable gardening
practices.
Fall 2013
Community
Gardener’s
Companion
page 2
Turning of the Season:
A Bounty of New Community Gardeners
Newsletter of the
Duluth Community
Garden Program
by Jahn Hibbs
Jahn Hibbs
Executive Director
Jamie Zak
Healthy School
Food Coordinator
Rheanna Letsos
Education
and Outreach
Coordinator
Here already are the shorter days
and cool mornings perfect for a
walk the garden. I find I am drinking
in all of the beauty of the garden–
bright colors, gentle sounds, and
especially the rich medley of scents
—as ravenously as the vegetables,
storing it all up for the winter
ahead. This summer truly felt like
a flash in the pan; it was beautiful
nonetheless.
Board Members:
Alison Wood,
President
Francois Medion,
Vice President
Paul Treuer, Treasurer
Dan Kislinger,
Co-Secretary
Pat Farrell,
Co-Secretary
Anastasia Bamford
Anne Skwira Brown
Roxanne Richards
Sarah Nelson
Tom Hanson
206 West Fourth
Street, Ste. 214
Duluth, MN 55806
218-722-4583
garden@
duluthcommunity
garden.org
The Community
Gardener’s
Companion is
published four times
per year:
Sept-Nov
Dec-Feb
Mar-May
June-Aug
This year has yielded a bounty of
new gardeners. I am especially
grateful for these new relationships,
energies and perspectives brought
from ideas sown like seeds
through chance meetings and
word of mouth. I want to give a
shout out to Tim, Rheanna, and all
of the gardeners at The Emerald
Community Garden in Lincoln Park;
they not only stuck with planning
and re-planning numerous garden
building workdays during a difficult
spring, but they have also weathered
a fickle summer by exemplifying
one of the best gifts of community
gardening—helping each other! At
least one of the gardeners was
there every day and if something
needed watering, they watered it—
whether it was in their own garden
plot or not.
The Emerald has gotten a lot of
attention—it’s not every day we
get to build a new garden. I also
want to give a shout out to the
Hillside Garden and Lilliput Garden
in Central Hillside. At Hillside,
Jayson, Wes and Paul have been
troubleshooting and keeping good
communication going as we try out
a new water supply plan, and Paul’s
MN Teen Challenge crew is keen
to put in some work days building a
new compost bin and making other
site improvements this fall with our
David likes to water at The Emerald and is part of the team
keeping this garden growing through a tricky first season.
new GreenCorps member. Linda has kept the garden growing
in Lilliput Park with her St. Mark AME Church community
through challenges such as vandalism and poor soil. This year
we were able to get compost and a water tank with good
supply. That’s not enough on its own, though; Linda has done
a great job reaching out to neighbors and people she sees on
the street, and some even helped prep the garden while she
continued on next page
Squash climb the fence behind their sister corn at Lilliput
Garden.
Community Gardener’s Companion
Duluth Community
page 3
Garden Program
continued from previous page
was out of town this spring. This year
Lilliput is more beautiful than ever.
How will you
celebrate Food
Day?
These are just a few of the
successful labors I have seen this
season, but I will write them here and
share them with you, storing it all up This year, we are combining two
events: the traditional end-of-season
for the days ahead.
DCGP Harvest Dinner and the third
annual Vegetable of the Year Food Day
celebration.
Dan Kislinger shares an original
design for an elegant rainwater
catchment system, or rainwater
harvester (RWH). This one is at
Rocky Ledge.
A Letter from the DCGP Board President
Gardens around the community are
showing signs of the fall harvest season.
The bounty produced in Northland soils
never ceases to amaze me. Within the
Duluth Community Garden Program, we
owe our successes this season to our
wonderful staff and volunteers. From
those who tilled the soil after such a
late spring and the volunteers working
to prepare the new Emerald Garden in
Lincoln Park to groups organizing new
school gardens and the OVOC squash
cookers spreading a love for grilled
zucchini—it’s been a fruitful summer.
I would like to take this opportunity to
extend a warm welcome to new and
returning faces in the program. We
welcome Anne Skwira Brown as a new
board member. Rheanna Letsos has
successfully completed her GreenCorps
position and has been hired as our
education and outreach coordinator. And
at the beginning of summer, Jahn Hibbs
agreed to take the helm and move into
the position of executive director after
many years as our program director.
Her incredible organizational skills and
knack for predicting the needs of our
programs will put the DCGP in excellent
standing, allowing us to fulfill our exciting
infrastructure and programmatic goals.
As we wrap up 2013, the board of
directors will continue to align our
strategic planning objectives with current
programs and future goals. We would
like to expand our membership base
and forge new connections with area
businesses. And remember, our door is
always open for members to serve on
the board of directors or a committee.
Board and committee work is a wonderful
way to contribute to the organization and
make it better.
Take good care,
Alison Wood, President
DCGP Board of Directors
Please join us to celebrate your best
squash dishes and good, local, healthy
food, with community gardeners from all
over Duluth at the Vegetable of the Year
Potluck and Harvest Dinner.
Bring a dish to pass, preferably featuring
this year’s vegetable–summer or winter
squash.
Then, get your vote in for next year’s
Vegetable of the Year!
You will have 30 seconds to advocate for
your choice, followed by a straw poll vote.
This event is free and open to the public.
Harvest Dinner and
Vegetable of the Year
Food Day Celebration
Thursday, October 24
Holy Family Church
2430 W 3rd St in Duluth
6:00 to 8:00 pm
WRITERS NEEDED
Submission deadlines are Aug 1, Nov
1, Feb 1, and May 1. Contact newsletter
coordinator, Roxanne Richards, rox7070@
gmail.com
www.duluthcommunitygarden.org
Duluth Community
Garden Program
Community Gardener’s Companion
page 4
Wonder in the Garden at Harbor Highlands
by Jahn Hibbs
Thank you to new gardeners Leah and Rebecca Anderson for
sharing the joy of discovering purple carrots and other wonders
in their garden at Harbor Highlands. Leah, Rebecca, and their
friends and neighbors Sharon and Kim started their garden in
May 2012 with the Garden-in-a-Box kits provided by the MN
State Horticultural Society (MSHS.) DCGP partnered with
MSHS to distribute the raised bed kits, soil, and plants and
complimentary DCGP membership to 50 aspiring gardeners
throughout Duluth, with additional plants and seeds to continue
their new gardens in 2013. The gardeners at Harbor Highlands
made the most of the opportunity, placing their four garden
kits together, adding a netting fence, and this year even tilling
additional space for planting around the raised beds. “We had
wanted to start a garden but didn’t know where to begin. We
wouldn’t have started if we hadn’t heard about the Garden-ina-Box program when Sarah Nelson from DCGP spoke at one
of our community meetings. Our friend Sharon had experience
growing flowers, so we decided to just do it,” shared Leah.
“When we picked a purple carrot we thought something was
wrong, but I Googled the variety and found out it was supposed
to look like that. I learned that the more colorful vegetables
are even better for you.” The women said they look forward to
continuing their learning in the coming seasons in their garden.
The beauty they have created in their neighborhood has drawn
interest from additional neighbors who would like to learn to
garden. DCGP will work with them this winter to explore plans
to expand community garden space for the Harbor Highlands
community.
Squash creep from raised beds, mingling with the
cabbages and corn planted intensively in the little garden.
Vicky Vogels, MSHS Garden-in-a-Box project coordinator,
stands with Leah and Rebecca Anderson in the garden
they’ve created with their neighbors at Harbor Highlands.
Rebecca Anderson and the mystery carrot—
“Purple Haze,”—a colorful hybrid DCGP
purchased from Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
Fall 2013
page 5
Soil Management for the Organic
Garden continued from page 1
in some cases), vigorous, large and wellproportioned? If so, you probably don’t
need to do much other than continue to
add moderate amounts of organic matter
every two or three years, keep the soil
loose and workable, and provide water
whenever rainfall is infrequent. On the
other hand, if your plants are pale green
or yellowed, undersized or spindly, or
subject to unacceptable levels of disease
or pest pressure, you need to act to
improve soil fertility and possibly tilth.
Fall Garden Cleanup
remember you’re trying to correct a
serious deficiency. Once you’ve got your
soil fertility up, an application of half a
pick-up load every two to three years
should keep your garden growing nicely.
A simple pH test you can do at home is
also helpful. (Some people can assess
soil acidity just by tasting the soil.) If your
pH is below 6.5, you should add crushed
high-calcium lime to reduce the acidity;
most vegetables or flowers like a neutral
or slightly acidic soil. Blueberries thrive
on very acid soil, so don’t lime any areas
where you have blueberries or plan to
add them.
By Marian Syrjamaki-Kuchta
Cook Home Garden
What do we mean by fall cleanup at the
garden? Or, what do we mean by cleanup,
at all, at the garden?
Pathways
Keep pathways navigable for others who
may need to use the pathways around
your garden. Older gardeners especially
may have difficulty with rocks or things
The most reliable way to do this is to add
hidden in the long weeds. Wire, twine
organic matter in the form of partially
or hidden tools are very damaging to
or fully composted plant and animal
weed whips and other tools. Clear, flat
residues: readily available sources include While soil fertility is critical, don’t forget
pathways make walking through the
to consider tilth and structure. If your soil gardens pleasant and safe for everyone.
leaves, hay, straw, grass clippings, and
tends to the clay end of the spectrum, it’s So weed your pathways as well as your
animal manure. Green manure crops are
especially important not to work it or even garden and keep pathways clear of
very effective but may not be practical
compact it by walking on it when it’s wet. stumbling blocks and rocks.
for the backyard home garden. Partial
Sandy loams are much more forgiving in
decomposition of the material is the
this instance. Also, there are many ways
simplest approach. With the aid of soil
of tilling and aerating, but if you choose
bacteria, earthworms, and other living
Weeds
to rototill, try to limit the number of
things, such material continues to
If the weeds get away from you, or you
passes you make that are not preceded
break down at a moderate rate as your
want to abandon your garden, please call
by significant application of organic
garden grows, eliminating the risk of an
the office and ask for help rather than
matter. Too much tilling can destroy that
overdose of a particular nutrient. Avoid
let your entire garden go to seed. If the
gold standard crumb structure and result weeds do get away from you, remove the
raw, undigested organic matter; manure
in a fine powder with reduced biological
may be too hot (excess nitrogen) and
flower heads so they don’t go to seed.
activity. Safer options include permanent
burn plants, while some organic matter
Weed seeds blow around the garden
beds (raised or not) that you never step
like sawdust will temporarily take up too
impacting other gardeners and making
much nitrogen in the process of breaking in or till, or the use of a broadfork, also
more work for you next year as well. Use
known as a grelinette.
down. Completely composted residues
your weeds to mulch in your pathways. Or
are an excellent option if you have
carry them to a common compost pile or
One final piece of advice: managing soil
the material available, but completing
create your own compost pile in your own
by cooperating with nature, as opposed
the composting process is somewhat
space.
complicated and beyond the scope of this to feeding plants calibrated quantities
of nutrients, can look like a poor option
Put in some time clearing weeds around
article.
early in the season when the soil is cold
the garden, in general. For example, we
and biological activity is slow to ramp up. have huge amounts of tansy at the Cook
How much organic matter to apply? In
Be patient. Don’t push the season too
really deficient soils, a good starting
Home Garden. I plan to get out there with
hard if the soil is unusually cold. Given
point is 50 or even 60 tons to the acre.
my loppers and pruner and cut it right
good soil fertility and a healthy population down to the ground this fall, as much as I
For a modest home garden of 1,400
of soil microorganisms, your garden will
square feet (28 x 50 ), that translates
can, and then keep weed whipping it as it
eventually attain a level of health and
to 1.5 tons. Of course, you don’t need to
comes back up tender green. Feel free to
vigor that results in vegetables, fruits, and pitch in on this at your garden anytime.
truck over to the nearest weigh station;
herbs that are beautiful to look at and
a ball park estimate is all you’re after.
delicious on the dinner table.
Two or three full-size pick-up loads
ought to be just about right. If you’re
thinking that sounds like an awful lot,
continued on page 12
Fall 2013
page 6
THANK YOU!
Share all your
squash recipes on
our One Vegetable
One Community
Facebook page.
Thank you to Chad Johnson and Kirsten
Aune for the tour of the hugels and
crater garden at Spirit Mountain Farm.
Gardeners from The Emerald and the
Land Stewardship Committee were
invited to see the project created last fall.
We gained ideas for planting the minihugels at The Emerald and learned more
about permaculture.
Plus, find recipes
and growing
tips at www.
duluthcommunity
garden.org.
Above: Kirsten Aune and Chad
Johnson, permaculture farmers at
Spirit Mountain Farm.
Left: Chad Johnson describes the
process of planting hugels at Spirit
Mountain Farm to Tim and Bevan
from The Emerald Community
Garden.
“I’ve just spent a morning visiting farmers all over the country via the Internet and the phone. Regardless
of where we’ve started from – North or South, wet climates or dry, high altitudes or low – we are all
the same right now. Every market report is remarkably like every other. There are a few variations…
but outside of these extremes every market manager mentions tomatoes, sweet corn, eggplants,
peppers, and new potatoes. Right now, at this moment, every part of the country seems to be caught
up with nightshades and corn. While what I appreciate perhaps most about farmers’ markets are the
regional differences across our land that show themselves so well, what I love about this moment is the
opposite, that we can all eat the same foods at the same time. Like a national holiday that everyone
takes, it’s a moment of unity in a huge country with a diverse culture and geography.”
Excerpt from Deborah Madison, “All Caught Up! Early September,” from her 2002 cookbook Local
Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America’s Farmers Markets.
Community Gardener’s Companion
Duluth Community
page 7
Garden Program
School Garden Installations
By Jamie Zak
The work of planning, installing, and implementing five
school gardens in Duluth Public Schools, with funding
from the Statewide Health Improvement Program, has
been in full swing. We broke ground, installed raised
beds, erected fences, moved earth, and applied mulch.
Some schools planted perennials this past spring. Others
are planning for a big fall push to get sheet mulching
down in order to have a spring bed for planting into next
season—all timed to the tune of school bells.
It takes a village...to build a garden, and it has been a real
community effort. Each of the five schools have come
together to build their gardens with members from their
respective communities pitching in with construction
and gardening skills. Other members have contributed
their time garnering donations from local businesses
to provide lunch on installation days, lumber/building
material for raised beds, labor and materials for a
toolshed/greenhouse, and garden tools.
Gardening is being identified far and wide as a powerful educational tool and a
tangible resource for increasing the health of our youth through learning how food
is grown, harvested, and prepared. This project continues to ride the incredible
momentum of interest which people have for school gardens. In meetings with our
various stakeholders, it has been said more than once that in the 21st century a
garden/outdoor classroom will be as normal to find in a school as a gymnasium or
library. When renovating or rebuilding a school, in will go an outdoor space where
students will connect with plants, animals, and other people; they will learn about
growing food, cycling water, building soil, and how plants and animals interact.
This year, gardening will find a place in the curriculum as an educational
tool for reaching academic standards in math, science, arts, construction
technology, and family and consumer science
classes, while creating opportunities for students to
taste and enjoy fresh, healthy food in the cafeteria
and classroom. With the many identified benefits of
installing a school garden, this year we anticipate the
gardens will enrich school communities and enhance
21st century learning in our schools. Here’s to a great
start to the school year!
Community Gardener’s Companion
Duluth Community
page 8
Garden Program
DCGP Recognized by Duluth School Board
Old Storm
Windows
Available
10 of them -- 30” x
53”
30 of them -- 29” x
29” with 4 panes
10 of them -- 23” x
29” with 6 panes
They would make a
perfect green house
or cold frames.
Also available are
a set of wood and
glass patio doors.
Anyone interested
should call Keith @
218-834-4252 (Two
Harbors)
At the monthly meetings of the
Duluth School Board, a student,
teacher, or community member
is recognized for their service to
the Duluth Public Schools. At the
August 20th meeting, the Duluth
Community Garden Program and
Healthy School Food Coordinator,
Jamie Zak, was presented for
recognition by school board chair
Tom Kasper, Superintendent Bill
Gronseth, and the members of
the school board. The work being
recognized included the following
listed below.
The Duluth Community Garden
Program selected five schools
to receive its Food Literacy
Grant for School Gardens and
Farm to School Programming (funded by the Statewide
Health Improvement Program). The grant includes a budget
for installing a school garden and facilitates Farm to School
planning. Proposals from each school included gardenintegrated curriculum; taste-testing from the garden; and
increasing the health of students through food literacy in
the garden, cafeteria, and classroom. The schools receiving
this grant are Congdon Park and Myers Wilkins Elementary
Schools, Ordean East and Lincoln Park Middle Schools, and
East High School.
Garden designs include a combination of handicap accessible
raised beds, lower raised beds, and on-grade beds. Schools will
grow perennials, such as raspberries, rhubarb, and herbs that
will be low-maintenance and will produce when school is in
session. Annual crops will be selected and sown at the correct
time to produce early for May/June and late for September/
October.
Here’s a way to use old windows. Make a “frame” of straw
bales in a rectangle shape, over good garden soil, and lay
old windows on top. Voila! Mini greenhouse, cold frame,
whatever. On the internet, Google the phrase “straw bales
for cold frame” and see lots of examples of others doing this,
too. Using this setup, one year I had heads of lettuce by the
end of May and, by starting lettuce seeds every few weeks,
harvested right up until Thanksgiving.
— Marian Syrjamaki-Kuchta
Fall 2013
page 9
Coming into Bloom—A Reflection on a Year of Service with The
Duluth Community Garden Program
By Rheanna Letsos
I remember one year ago today and the
interview with the Minnesota Pollution
Control Agency (MPCA) like it was
yesterday. I was in Grand Rapids with
my family, and I had the interview over
the phone. The MPCA is located in St.
Paul, so they did not mandate travel for
this part of the process. I was not driving
at the time. I did not drive a single day
for three years. (This is documented in
the Youtube video “Carless in Duluth.”)
So, by many standards, I was living an
environmentally conscious life. Plus,
I had just finished my service with
AmeriCorps at Stowe Elementary
and I had coordinated quite a few
environmentally-conscious events, such
as the planting of 50 white pines, the
creation of a school garden, and The
Tomato Man Project’s first vegetable
distribution to elementary students. I
was ready for the next step in this field
of environmentalism. But, what exactly
did I want to focus on? I knew I wanted
to be a model of an environmentally
conscious lifestyle: drive less, recycle,
eat organic, and help with access to
healthy food. What I didn’t know was
how this all was connected to the work I
was to do, and how it connected back to
me. I remember very clearly my first fall
work party at the Emerson Community
Garden, coincidentally where I garden
now, or maybe not so coincidentally. I
couldn’t quite understand how putting
up the deer fence and trimming weeds
was going to help us with healthy food
access. Even though I was in touch (at
least what I thought was in touch) with
my food, I really did not know how to
build something from the soil and rocks
to grow food. All I saw was soil and
rocks, and thought that it wasn’t much.
But it is more than meets the eye; it is
the very foundation of a garden. The
soil is our foundation, and we have to
build on that for access to healthy food.
I believe that we are going to change
the world through gardening and healthy
food access. I could see the long-range
vision for this change clearly, but I could
not see the trees that formed the forest,
so to speak. I thought that buying local
and organic, cooking my own food, and
changing the way we educate others
about food was the only way to healthy
food access. But there is a whole other
world out there, and it starts with soil and
rocks! Helping to prepare gardens for the
spring with fall maintenance was a start.
In the spring, after hibernating in the
winter months at the Duluth Community
Garden Program office learning about our
programs, I started to see the seasons
in a different way. I realized how busy
spring really is, and how important it is to
align yourself with the seasons and be in
tune with those shifts. I was a busy bee
helping to prepare for our Spring Fling,
Fruit Tree and Shrub sale, and Seed and
Transplant sale. It was such a joy to help
people who had never gardened before
get started, and those who had gardened
before reclaim their land and build upon
their already many accomplishments. I
coordinated the volunteer efforts (over
500 hours in three months) that built
The Emerald Garden, Lincoln Park’s new
community garden. And when Mayor
Ness and the news came for the National
Neighborhood Night out at The Emerald
and spoke of crime prevention, my
experience truly came full circle. Starting
from soil and rocks, engaging the
community around healthy food access,
and helping the gardeners and neighbors
vision and build their own garden—that is
change. That is part of the food access
movement. I will never be the same after
my experience as a GreenCorps member
at the Duluth Community Garden
Program. I know now that connecting to
the earth through gardening brings you
so much more than I ever imagined. It
brings you joy; it brings you community;
it brings you healthy, affordable food;
it reconnects our generations to each
other and to the land; it empowers youth
through education and outreach, giving
them the power to choose and build
healthy minds, bodies, and communities;
it brings a peace and calmness that we
are in desperate need of today; and it
brings with it on the wings of the little
butterflies and bees–the future! I am
reminded of the song “The Rose”
“Just remember in the
winter far beneath
the bitter snows
Lies the seed that with
the sun’s love
In the spring becomes
the rose.”
I want to thank everyone in the
community, everyone with the Duluth
Community Garden Program, and
everyone in my family for being so
strong and knowledgeable in your areas
of expertise. Because of you and your
dedication to our communities and
access to healthy food, I have been able
to do what I love and help us all make
a difference. I will forever reflect back
on my year of service as a time when I
came into my own, making the impact
I choose to make on the world, as one
of my greatest challenges and at the
same time my greatest joys. It is with
an empowered hand I pass the torch
to a future GreenCorps member. I look
forward to serving the community in my
new role as the education and outreach
coordinator with the Duluth Community
Garden Program.
Fall 2013
page 10
Iron Squash at the 2013 Hillfest
Most Complimentary
Preparation of Squash
Zeitgeist
Chilled Fresh Squash Lasagne with
Herbed Cheese Spread with Chilled
Summertime Carmelized Apple, Roasted
Butternut Squash Bisque
Best Use of Squash—
Comfort Food
Essentia Health
Butternut Squash Biscuit with Vegetable
Marmalade. This was down home comfort
food with an exotic twist.
Best Use of Squash—
Comfort Food
Essentia Health
Zucchini Date Pineapple Muffin
By Michael Gabler
I hope you were one of the lucky
people that got to try the squash dishes
prepared by local chefs at the 2013
Hillfest! These chefs are committed to
helping One Vegetable One Community
spread the excitement for growing and
eating local food. When you’re eating
at these establishments, thank them
for their support of One Vegetable One
Community and the Duluth Community
Garden Program.
Best in Show
New Scenic Café
Kaddo Bourani–Sweet and Spiced
Essentia’s Entry
Peoples’ Choice
Award/Most Brilliant
Combination of Flavors
Chester Creek Café
Pickled and Grilled Squash Salad
Chef Shannon from Essentia Health
New Scenic Cafe’s Entry
Chef from New Scenic Cafe
Community Gardener’s Companion
Duluth Community
page 11
Garden Program
Judges Henry, Jen and Carolyn enjoying the entries.
To the left, Zeitgeist’s Chefs, and
above, their entry.
Vegetable of the
Year Potluck and
Harvest Dinner
Free and open to the public.
From top left, Adam from St. Ann’s,
their muffin entry, and Chef Avery
from Chester Creek preparing
their entry.
Thursday, October 24
Holy Family Church
2430 W 3rd St in Duluth
6:00 to 8:00 pm
Duluth Community
Community Gardener’s Companion
Garden Program
Zucchini Apple
Crisp
continued from page 5
Rocks
Take the time to remove rocks entirely
from your garden space. At the Cook
Home Garden we have been improving
the roadway, filling in low spots in the
road using the rocks we dig out of our
gardens. Like Antonina says, “Marian,
don’t be lazy!” So, instead of tossing the
rocks into a corner of my garden space,
where the tiller will get clogged with
them, or where future gardeners will
have to deal with them, I collect them in a
bucket and spread them on low spots in
the roadway. If you don’t have a road that
needs improvement, talk to your garden
coordinator about it...and perhaps if you
don’t need road improvement, then build
a rock garden for flowers in the commons
area outside of your official garden
space.
Wire and strings
Pick up wires and strings. Keep them
up out of the gardens and surrounding
areas. Left laying about anywhere they
will get tangled in a weed whip, lawn
mower, or tiller blades. Some gardeners
use yarn, string, wire, and whatnot to
hold things together. This is fine, but be
very careful about picking them up – that
simple act will save big headaches and
equipment repairs. And when you decide
you no longer want your garden space,
make a clean sweep through and pick
up all the strings and wires you used
there, including bits of leftover fence and
tomato cages. (I’ve had to unwind many
wires and strings from my lawn mower
blade and weed whip – not fun!)
At the end of the season, clean up your
garden of all these “traps” for machinery
or fellow gardeners’ feet! If you put the
wires and string in, it’s your job to take
them out again. Think of the tiller and the
lawn mower hazards they will become if
you leave wires and strings laying in the
grass or buried in your garden. And don’t
leave a mess for the next guy.
Planting pots, water
bins, and other
accessories
from Sarah Nelson
I found a great way to use those childsized zucchinis that always end up in
my basement at the end of the growing
Keep track of your containers, and if you season. (The large ones actually store
are going to be abandoning your garden, pretty well into the winter months.) This
please take these things with you. If you
recipe uses large zucchinis sliced in the
plan to return the next year and you want shape of apple slices. When cooked they
to leave them at the gardens over the
are the same consistency, shape, and color
winter, then plan for spring, when you
as apple slices. You could mix zucchini
may want tilling, and these things will be
with other fruit, or instead of a crisp, make
in the way, for you or for someone else
a pie! Use your own favorite apple crisp
who will be using your space, or for the
or pie recipe and substitute zucchini for
tiller. Talk to your site coordinator; your
half of the apples. This is adapted from
site may have a designated space to
Feeding the Whole Family: Recipes
store tomato cages, tools, watering cans, for Babies, Young Children, and Their
and other supplies over the winter. They
Parents: Cooking with Whole Foods by
should not remain in your garden. Empty
Cynthia Lair and Peggy O’Mara and is
water containers before freeze-up. Plastic not too sweet, so add more sweetener
bins will probably break apart when the
if you must!
water freezes.
Topping
1 cup regular rolled oats
Trash
½ cup flour (any type will work—whole
I keep a trash bag at my own garden
wheat, gluten free, etc.)
for things that turn up...pieces of glass,
1/4 teaspoon salt
planting markers, broken transplant pots. 1/3 cup of chopped nuts (optional)
I take this bag home and put it in my
1/4 cup canola oil
residential garbage can. Will you do the
1/4 cup maple syrup
same at your garden? Do not toss things
away into the bushes.
Mix first four items together in a bowl,
then add the oil and syrup. Stir well and
So, you probably get the idea. Make
set aside while you prepare the fruit and
it easy on yourself and the rest of the
vegetables.
gardeners. Keep your garden well tended
year round, and take some time in the
Filling
cool autumn days to enjoy cleaning up
2-1/2 cups apples - peeled, cored and
your garden for next year. You might till
sliced
in some leaves, add manure or compost,
2-1/2 cups zucchini - peeled, center with
plant garlic, or tulips. Make your space a
seeds removed and sliced
nice place to return to in the spring.
3 Tablespoons maple syrup or sugar
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an
8” x 8” inch baking pan. Prepare fruit and
place in pan. Pour maple syrup, water,
and cinnamon over fruit and stir to mix.
Top with the oat mixture. Bake for 45
minutes uncovered.
Cool and enjoy!
Fall 2013
page 13
Fall Classes
GARDENING 101:
Fall Garden Maintenance
Saturday, September 21 11:00 am–1:00 pm
The Emerald Community Garden; meet at
Harrison Community Center
Instructor: Katie Hanson, DCGP
Gardening Educator, Master Food
Preserver and mother of two
Class fee: $10 suggested donation
No matter how experienced a gardener
you are, each year you will experience
successes and…things you would like
to improve. The planning and work you
do in the fall will increase your chance
for success the following season. Learn
techniques such as sheet mulching,
building contour beds and planting garlic
and set the stage for next summer’s
harvest! Hands-on instruction at The
Emerald Community Garden; dress for
the weather! We will meet at Harrison
Community Center for children’s
programming drop-off and carpool to The
Emerald. Limited children’s programming*
available at Harrison.
TASTE OF SUMMER
FOOD PRESERVATION:
Pressure Canning Tomato Sauce
Thursday, September 26 6:00–8:00 pm
Lincoln Park Middle School, FACS
Classroom
Instructor: Katie Hanson, DCGP
Gardening Educator, Master Food
Preserver and mother of two
Increase your self-sufficiency and learn
how to preserve low-acid foods with a
pressure canner. Katie Hanson, gardener
and Master Food Preserver will instruct
participants in a hands-on demonstration
of pressure canning tomato sauce.
Participants will leave the class with an
understanding of the safest method for
pressure canning and quality reference
materials that will give you the confidence
to incorporate pressure canning into your
food preservation efforts.
TASTE OF SUMMER
FOOD PRESERVATION:
Ferment Your Own Sauerkraut
Thursday, October 3 6:00–8:00 pm
Harrison Community Center
Instructor: Dan Kislinger, aka Dr.
Demento Fermento, community gardener
and fermentation fan
Learn to preserve your garden bounty
through fermentation in this hands-on
class. If possible, participants should bring
a small cabbage head, (2–3 pounds)
other vegetables such as onion, carrot or
beets to add to the mix if desired, a wide
mouth quart jar, and a tool to mash the
cabbage. (A rolling pin without handles,
a meat tenderizer, plunger from a potato
ricer or other such implements work
great.) We will have some materials
available if you are unable to bring them.
Or, you may swing by the Lincoln Park
Farmer’s Market from 3-6 at Harrison
right before class! Pickling salt, scales,
recipes and instruction to get you started
will all be provided. You will go home with
a jar of soon-to-be sauerkraut started
and ready to ferment.
TASTE OF SUMMER
FOOD PRESERVATION:
Community Canning Pickles
Saturday, October 5 10:00 am–2:00 pm
Holy Family Church Kitchen, 2420 W 3rd
Street
Do you find it cumbersome canning in
your kitchen? Do you enjoy socializing
with gardeners? Bring your beets and
carrots (pickled beets, dilly carrots)
and join your fellow gardeners for an
afternoon of canning and socializing in
a spacious institutional kitchen. All the
beets and carrots brought for pickling
will be weighed and participants will
take home a finished product in equal
proportion to what each participant
contributed. Some beets and carrots
will be available for purchase for those
without extra in the garden. Formal
instruction will not be provided but there
is always a lot to learn from your fellow
gardeners. Master Food Preserver, Katie
Hanson will be on hand for technical
support. Many hands and an institutional
kitchen make quick work!
SQUASH HARVEST:
Cooking the Vegetable of the Year
Thursday, October 17 6:00–8:00 pm
Lincoln Park Middle School, FACS
Classroom
Instructor: Francois Medion, Duluth Grill
Urban Farm Manager
Class fee: $20. Tuition assistance
available—(218) 722-4583
Learn new ways to handle and cook
squash with Francois Medion, Urban
Farm Manager of the Duluth Grill.
Francois’ fascination with food culture,
growing, and preparing fresh food is
contagious. Come enjoy some great food,
great stories and new cooking tips to
make you feel like a pro in the kitchen.
Come hungry!
SQUASH HARVEST:
Cooking the Vegetable of the Year
Tuesday, October 22 6:00–8:00 pm
Lincoln Park Middle School, FACS
Classroom
Instructor: Michael Gabler, One Vegetable
One Community Ambassador
Class fee: $20. Tuition assistance
available – (218) 722-4583
Learn new ways to handle and cook
squash with Vegetable of the Year
Ambassador Michael Gabler. Michael
is an avid gardener, soulful cook, and
passionate advocate for empowering
folks everywhere to bring more fresh
vegetables to their table—especially giant
squash. This class will feature recipes
from some of the best kitchens in Duluth.
Be prepared to get involved, sample
some great food, and take recipes home.
Come hungry!
continued on page 16
www.duluthcommunitygarden.org
2013 Fall Flower Bulb
and Wildflower Seed
Fundraising Sale
Narcissus King Alfred Jumbo/DN1 Classic vivid yellow daffodil, vigorous, excellent for naturalizing. Deer resistant. Blooms in April.
18" to 20". Zone: 3-7.
Narcissus Felindre Fragrant Welsh heirloom. Late-flowering. Deer resistant. 14" to 16". Zone: 3-7.
Narcissus Thalia Circa 1916 heirloom, the fragrant award winning "Orchid Narcissus." Deer resistant. Good for naturalizing. Blooms
April/May. 16" to 18". Zone: 4-9.
The Fragrant Narcissus Mixture Exquisite mixture includes the most fragrant varieties. Deer resistant. Blooms April/May. 14" to 20".
Zone: 5-9.
Fritillaria meleagris: Syn: Guinea Hen Flowers, Snakes Head Fritillary, the Checkered Lily. Circa 1575, this prized naturalizer with
small, bell-shaped, checkered flowers in maroon-purple and white prefers a sheltered spot in the garden with light shade and somewhat
cool, moist soil. Good for forcing. Deer resistant. Blooms April/May. 8". Zone: 3-8.
Allium Hair Appearing a bit like an alien life form, it launches several unusual flowers per stem for an unmatched, whimsical performance. Its green, tentacle-like flowers come forth from a purple base, a bit like an underwater sea urchin. Deer resistant. Blooms in
June. 18" to 24". Zone: 4-8.
Allium aflatunense Purple Sensation Globe-like 4"-5" clusters of vivid violet-purple, star-shaped florets. Deer resistant. Blooms May/
June. 24" to 30". Zone: 4-8.
Tulipa humilis Persian Pearl This award-winning species tulip is deep magenta-rose with a buttercup-yellow star on the inside and an
exterior, silvery-gray flush. Blooms in April. 6". Hardiness Zone: 4-8.
Giant Darwin Hybrid Tulip Mixture Predominantly yellows, reds and bi-colors with a sprinkling of pinks and whites. Superb for bold
garden displays and bouquets. Blooms Mid April to May. 20" to 24". Zone: 3-7.
The Tulip Single Late Majestic Mixture Handpicked, this mixture is the finest in the world of colorful, distinct varieties. Blooms in
May. 20" to 26". Zone: 3-8.
Tulip Flair Intense radiance that is hard to imagine or believe. Flowers in Mid-April. 14". Zone: 3-8.
Hyacinthus orientalis Blue Pearl This dark purple hybrid has large floral spikes composed of florets with paler petal edges. A good
early forcer. Fragrant. Deer resistant. Blooms in April. 8" to 12". Zone: 4-8.
Hyacinthus orientalis Aiolos Ivory-white with cream highlights. A good forcer. Deer resistant. Blooms in April. 8" to 12". Zone: 4-8.
Paperwhite Ziva Longtime favorite yields large trusses of fragrant, snow-white flowers with up to two stems per bulb. Flowers in 4-to-6
weeks once potted after the top growth is at least 1-1/2" tall. Ready to force. Best to pot from mid-October to the end of February.
Amaryllis Merry Christmas Huge Christmas-red flowers with a darker throat. Good for forcing. Comes with clay pot and appropriate
soil mix, ready to grow.
Midwest Wildflower Seed Mix Includes 26 species (as seen at the UMD campus on University Drive). Packet covers up to 250 sq. ft.
Seed mix includes Baby's Breath, Dwarf Cornflower/Bachelor Button, Candytuft, Sweet William , Indian Blanket, Prairie Coneflower,
Mexican Hat, Tall Cornflower/Bachelor Button, Red Corn Poppy (Legion Poppy), Lance Leaf Coreopsis, Mixed Red Poppy (Shirley
Poppy), Wild Cosmos, California Poppy, Blanketflower, Black Eyed Susan, Wild Perennial Lupine, Purple Coneflower, Russel Lupine,
Plains Coreopsis, Siberian Wallflower, Blue Flax, Scarlet Flax, Drummond Phlox, Sulphur/Orange Cosmos, Gloriosa Daisy, Dwarf
Sunflower ‘Sunspot’.
Narcissus King Alfred
Jumbo/DN1
Narcissus Felindre
Narcissus Thalia
Fragrant Narcissus
Mixture
Fritillaria meleagris
Allium Hair
Allium aflatunense
Purple Sensation
Tulipa humilis Persian
Pearl
Tulip Flair
Hyacinthus orientalis
Blue Pearl
Giant Darwin Hybrid
Tulip Mixture
Hyacinthus orientalis
Aiolos
Tulip Single Late
Majestic Mixture
Paperwhite Ziva
Narcissus papyraceus
Amaryllis Merry
Christmas
Midwest Wildflower
Seed Mix
9/3/2013 Duluth Community Garden Program
Duluth Community
Garden Program
206 West Fourth Street
Suite 214
Duluth, MN 55806
218.722.4583
www.duluthcommunitygarden.org
garden@duluthcommunitygarden.org
We thank all our supporters:
Arrowhead Professional Chefs
Association
Blue Cross Blue Shield Center for
Prevention
Chester Park United Methodist
Church
Lafayette Community Edible Garden
Lloyd K. Johnson Foundation
Marshall Hardware
Martin DeWitt Fine Arts
Peace United Church of Christ
Cities of Service Impact Volunteering
Fund
Positively 3rd St. Bakery
Duluth Grill
Unitarian Universalist Congregation
of Duluth
Ecolibrium 3 - Duluth Energy
Efficiency Program (DEEP)
Whole Foods Co-op
Edelweiss Nursery
And all of our members
Healthy Duluth Area Coalition
Thank you!
continued from page 13
*Limited children’s programming is
available for youth ages four and up
at no charge at Harrison Community
Center, courtesy of Northern Expressions
Arts Collective. Sorry, we are unable to
accommodate infants and young children
at this time. For classes traveling off site,
parents must sign a waiver and have a
cellphone on.
Call 722-4583 to register. Pre-registration
is required to ensure enough supplies for
all participants. Class is free to Lincoln
Park residents through the Lincoln Park
Fair Food Access Campaign. Unless
otherwise listed, a suggested $10
donation is welcome but not required of
other participants to sow the seeds of
continued educational programming.
www.duluthcommunitygarden.org
2013 Flower Bulb and Seed Order
Advance order deadline is September 27, 2013. Include your phone number and
e-mail address so we may contact you when your order is ready for pickup.
Questions? E-mail: garden@duluthcommunitygarden.org, 218-722-4583
Name
Address
E-mail
Phone (
Name of item from description sheets
)
How many?
Price each
Narcissus King Alfred Jumbo/DN1 - pack of 5 bulbs
$7.50
Narcissus Felindre - pack of 5 bulbs
$7.50
Narcissus Thalia - pack of 5 bulbs
$7.50
$30.00
The Fragrant Narcissus M ixture - pack of 20 bulbs
Fritillaria meleagris - pack of 5 bulbs
$7.50
Allium Hair - pack of 5 bulbs
$5.00
Allium aflatunense Purple Sensation - pack of 5 bulbs
$5.00
Tulipa humilis Persian Pearl - pack of 5 bulbs
$5.00
Giant Darwin Hybrid Tulip M ixture - pack of 20 bulbs
$20.00
The Tulip Single Late M ajestic M ixture - pack of 20 bulbs
$20.00
Tulip Flair - pack of 5 bulbs
$5.00
Hyacinthus orientalis Blue Pearl - 1 bulb
$1.50
Hyacinthus orientalis Aiolos - 1 bulb
$1.50
Paperwhite Ziva - pack of 5 bulbs
$7.50
$15.00
Amaryllis M erry Christmas - 1 bulb +1 pot and soil
$5.00
M idwest W ildflower Seed M ix - 1 ounce
Subtotal
DCGP member 10% discount
Additional donation
M embership
$25
G New membership
G Renewal
M ail the completed form with check payable to the “Duluth Community Garden Program ”
to:
Duluth Community Garden Program
206 W 4 th St Suite 214
Duluth M N 55806
Grand
Total
09/18/13
Office use only
Date received
Order#
Check #
Check amount
Date processed
Email/phone sent
Member order G
Non-member order G
Total