Hi everyone.
We have several garden activities planted this month that you won't want to miss! We continue to slide into the week on Monday nights with lots of cool water splashing fun and on Wednesday's, we break for Garden Gritz with thyme for the kidz at 6! No cooking on Friday, July 29th (postponed from the 16th) as we join together to feast at our Tomato Sandwich Dinner from 6-8 in the fellowship hall. On Sunday, July 31st (originally scheduled for the 10th) from 2-4:30, we welcome Ron Vietel from Saxapahaw General Store for Part II of our summer series "Nurturing our Nutrition".
The kids will have a BLAST the week of July 17-21 with an "out of this world" vacation bible school planned with Concord UMC. Galactic-Blast takes off on Sunday, the 17th and continues through the week beginning with a provided meal at 5:45 pm followed by a full spaceship of discoveries, stories, singing, dancing, crafting, and praising God! The activities conclude each night at 8:30 and there will be a special performance by the kids on Sunday morning, the 24th followed by a covered dish fellowship luncheon. For more information, please contact Commander Kevin Miller at kevin.c.miller@duke.edu. Please note that because of all the cosmic activity happening that week, we will not have our Monday night splash night, nor Kidz Thyme scheduled, however, the garden WILL be open and hoping for visitors by the parents of the Jr. Astronauts!
Looking ahead on the calendar for August, we finalize our summer series with a canning class presented by the Alamance County Extension Agency in the afternoon of the 20th as we practice with some of our own harvested tomatoes and cucumbers. On the 26th, we share our favorite garden recipes with each other and the community at our 3rd Annual Harvest Celebration Dinner. All of our dates can be found on our blog (thegardenofconcord.blogspot.com) and the details for our garden events will be provided in succession!
Thank you everyone for a great summer and your continued support of our garden! It WILL be good!
-Donna
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
FIREWORKS in the garden with lots of RED tomatoes, WHITE potatoes, and berry good BLUEberries!
Happy July everyone and thank you for all of your help, support, and prayers for our garden. Our hot nights have been on fire with many members and kids (and chickens) working and taking care of our garden while enjoying abundant harvests graced by our God. We have been sliding into summer on Monday nights with lots of water fun, water pools, and watermelon and will continue through the remaining summer. Come splash with us…it WILL be cool! “Kidz Thyme” from 6-7pm on Wednesday nights has now been paralleled with “Garden Gritz” at 6:30 every week for a short water break and chat about garden tips and topics.
While we have retired most of our spring plantings, we are still harvesting Swiss chard, carrots, lots of basil, dill, parsley, and other herbs, along with a few strawberries still sighted. We have begun harvesting blueberries, beans (green, yellow, and burgundy!), potatoes, jalapeno and banana peppers, leeks, and even a few tomatoes! Stock up on your Duke’s mayo because we have over 200 tomato plants in ground to harvest until the first frost. The peppers and eggplant have begun flowering while the beds of sweet potatoes, cantaloupes, cucumbers, and watermelons are all filling up fast. We also look forward to one of our newest plantings..Edamame beans!
This past month we had our first gathering of our Summer Series “Nurturing our Nutrition” with the class, "Learn How To Make Cultured Vegetables" led by garden member, Denise Kennedy. Over 20 people shared in fellowship and tastings while listening and participating in a hands on demonstration along with a great Q & A session about general nutrition. Our next class will be on the 31st of this month from 2-4pm with Ron Veitel, the general manager and chef from Saxapahaw General Store sharing a presentation on nutrition and the benefits of consuming healthy, organic, and locally grown foods. More information will be provided soon. Also save the date for Friday the 29th to attend our Tomato Sandwich Dinner from 6-8pm. Yum!
Our next GAB (Garden Advisory Board) meeting will be held on Thursday, July 7th at 7pm and is open to anyone interested in sharing ideas and/or learning more about our garden.
Thank you again everyone for a super summer! Praying for many July blessings (and more rain)!
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
Monday, June 27, 2011
"Support" feature is under construction...
Thank you for your past,present, and future support of our garden! The "Support" feature to the right enabling donations to be planted in our garden will be operational shortly...it WILL be good!
Kidz Thyme!
Our Kidz Thyme program is full of fun organized, supervised garden activities every Wednesday night from 6-7pm led by Debbie Cook and helpers (moms:) Stories, snacks, crafts, dancing, (and yes gardening!) are shared with our Jr.Gardeners designed to nurture a love for gardening (and eating vegetables!) along with taking care of God's creation while also giving the moms some alone time in the garden as well. Ages ranges from 2-12 with the older kidz helping out with the little ones. Come spend thyme with us...it WILL be good!
Garden Gritz: Maters and Taters!
While the kidz had their thyme, we had our first Garden Gritz gathering last Wednesday night at 6:30 and talked about maters and taters. Briefly, we discussed the two different types of tomato plants (Determinate-having a set amount of fruit produced, a bushy type plant with no pruning necessary; and Indeterminitate-plant/vine continually grows with an indeterminate amt of fruit and needs to be pruned regularly to keep under control..especially the suckers). We talked about the varieties planted in the garden to include "Brandywine" (A tomato sandwich tomato dark pink/red in color) The first two beds planted in May and we just harvested our first 4 maters today!; Next up, "Amish Paste" (A smaller Roma type tomato..new to the garden this year) Planted 1 1/2 beds of this heirloom tomato; Rutgers (a fav from last year. Good tomato for slicing or saucing...the tomato that Campbell's Soup grows for their soup!); Our yellow tomato bed consists of "Valencia" (which we grew last year and they were de-lish), "Amana Orange", and "Yellow Pear Cherry" (cute as anything) all of which are low acid tomatoes great for those that don't do well with regular maters. Next up is the locals' favorite.."German Johnson". A whole bed..so stock up on the Duke's mayo! Last but not least (and to be the longest!) we have planted "Longkeeper Tomatoes" recommended to us by our own Marion and Bobbie Hargrove. They were so excited about this breed of tomatoes which enabled them to enjoy a tomato in March saved from their last season's harvest in VA...sounds good to me! We have planted each bed a couple weeks apart to prolong the harvest of fresh sweet maters until the first frost and hopefully if the Longkeeper's pan out, we will enjoy our favorite fruits of the garden while the snow is falling!
We also talked about potatoes and the importance of harvesting them on a cloudy day or as the sun sets. A natural forming toxin called solanine that develops in sunlight turns the taters green. Ironically, when the potatoes are cut and planted, we set them out in the sun to develop a thin layer of solanine which helps protect them from diseases and pests. After harvest, however, the solanine is not needed nor wanted because in small does if consumed, they can be toxic and in large amounts, fatal (yikes!). So if you can't wait until our next garden harvest of potatoes and have to buy them from the store and you notice green on them, either cut that section out or better yet, just throw out and wait till our next harvest!
Thank you everyone for a great first Garden Gritz! Next week we will chat about composting from collection to completion. It WILL be good!
We also talked about potatoes and the importance of harvesting them on a cloudy day or as the sun sets. A natural forming toxin called solanine that develops in sunlight turns the taters green. Ironically, when the potatoes are cut and planted, we set them out in the sun to develop a thin layer of solanine which helps protect them from diseases and pests. After harvest, however, the solanine is not needed nor wanted because in small does if consumed, they can be toxic and in large amounts, fatal (yikes!). So if you can't wait until our next garden harvest of potatoes and have to buy them from the store and you notice green on them, either cut that section out or better yet, just throw out and wait till our next harvest!
Thank you everyone for a great first Garden Gritz! Next week we will chat about composting from collection to completion. It WILL be good!
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Springing into Summer in the garden...
"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven...a time to plant and a time to uproot…" (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)
Our summer season begins this month with a garden full of many fruits and friends! We have been blessed in abundance and welcome the plantings of so many new members this year along with the replanting of past members! We have lotz of kidz attending our Wednesday night “Kidz Thyme” now led by Debbie Cook (thank you Debbie!) as they engage in an hour of garden themed activities full of crafts, dancing, singing, snacks, and yes..gardening too! Thank you everyone for your help and support! It is never too late to join the garden! Come grow with us!!
Some of our spring plantings have begun to final with flowers while many are still producing. Our long awaited peas, broccoli, garlic, strawberries, and onions were well worth the wait and we look forward to our beans and blueberries later this month. Our tomato plants are in ground with more planned…looking forward to that first tomato sandwich!! Lots of peppers planted too with eggplants following soon. Many cantaloupes and watermelons seeded and praying for no squash bugs!
The garden girls are very happy in their new home and playground (Thanks John Galloway and Tim Cook!) Our 10 chickens are fed a menu of organic feed with garden greens daily and will return their gratitude with fresh eggs to share in the fall! We also look forward to welcoming many butterflies into their new houses built for them by Bruce Pederson (thanks Bruce!) and painted by the many hands of our kidz! Bruce has also planned and will be building our garden shed later this month (thank you again!)
This past month we celebrated Mother’s day with our annual flower sale with many plants purchased in support of our garden (thank you!). We also enjoyed our 1st Annual First Fruits Potluck Lunch as we showered Eric Prenshaw and his fiancé Carley, with gifts for their upcoming wedding along with thanking him for all his help in the garden through his internship. Thank you everyone for your help and support towards both of these events.
Following on our successful summer series last year of learning how to cook with our harvests, we have planted three workshops this summer designed to nurture our knowledge on nutrition and learn about why all this good food we grow in the garden (and buy locally) is so good for us. We begin with the class, "Learn How To Make Cultured Vegetables" led by Denise Kennedy, a natural chef and certified nutritionist (also one of our garden members!) on June 11th from 2-4pm in the fellowship hall. There will be a talk, hands on demonstration, door prizes, and product purchase opportunities. The cost is $10.00 per person. See Donna Poe for signup and details.
In July, we welcome Ron Veitel, the general manager and chef from Saxapahaw General Store on Sunday, the 31st from 2-4pm with a presentation on nutrition and the benefits of consuming healthy, organic, and locally grown foods. In August, Jessica Oswald, from the county extension office joins us on Saturday, the 20th from 12-2pm for a two hour lecture and hands on demonstration on preserving our food through canning, drying, and freezing methods. We will provide more details soon on both of these events. Save the dates for our super summer series!
Looking forward to growing with you this summer…it WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
The Garden of Concord
Our summer season begins this month with a garden full of many fruits and friends! We have been blessed in abundance and welcome the plantings of so many new members this year along with the replanting of past members! We have lotz of kidz attending our Wednesday night “Kidz Thyme” now led by Debbie Cook (thank you Debbie!) as they engage in an hour of garden themed activities full of crafts, dancing, singing, snacks, and yes..gardening too! Thank you everyone for your help and support! It is never too late to join the garden! Come grow with us!!
Some of our spring plantings have begun to final with flowers while many are still producing. Our long awaited peas, broccoli, garlic, strawberries, and onions were well worth the wait and we look forward to our beans and blueberries later this month. Our tomato plants are in ground with more planned…looking forward to that first tomato sandwich!! Lots of peppers planted too with eggplants following soon. Many cantaloupes and watermelons seeded and praying for no squash bugs!
The garden girls are very happy in their new home and playground (Thanks John Galloway and Tim Cook!) Our 10 chickens are fed a menu of organic feed with garden greens daily and will return their gratitude with fresh eggs to share in the fall! We also look forward to welcoming many butterflies into their new houses built for them by Bruce Pederson (thanks Bruce!) and painted by the many hands of our kidz! Bruce has also planned and will be building our garden shed later this month (thank you again!)
This past month we celebrated Mother’s day with our annual flower sale with many plants purchased in support of our garden (thank you!). We also enjoyed our 1st Annual First Fruits Potluck Lunch as we showered Eric Prenshaw and his fiancé Carley, with gifts for their upcoming wedding along with thanking him for all his help in the garden through his internship. Thank you everyone for your help and support towards both of these events.
Following on our successful summer series last year of learning how to cook with our harvests, we have planted three workshops this summer designed to nurture our knowledge on nutrition and learn about why all this good food we grow in the garden (and buy locally) is so good for us. We begin with the class, "Learn How To Make Cultured Vegetables" led by Denise Kennedy, a natural chef and certified nutritionist (also one of our garden members!) on June 11th from 2-4pm in the fellowship hall. There will be a talk, hands on demonstration, door prizes, and product purchase opportunities. The cost is $10.00 per person. See Donna Poe for signup and details.
In July, we welcome Ron Veitel, the general manager and chef from Saxapahaw General Store on Sunday, the 31st from 2-4pm with a presentation on nutrition and the benefits of consuming healthy, organic, and locally grown foods. In August, Jessica Oswald, from the county extension office joins us on Saturday, the 20th from 12-2pm for a two hour lecture and hands on demonstration on preserving our food through canning, drying, and freezing methods. We will provide more details soon on both of these events. Save the dates for our super summer series!
Looking forward to growing with you this summer…it WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
The Garden of Concord
Thursday, May 5, 2011
"Life is growth and all growth starts from a seed."
"The seed of Christ is in us all, and under the right conditions it will grow!"
The conditions are right in The Garden of Concord as there is an abundance of life from the seeds and members planted! In April we renewed several memberships, welcomed many new families, and were blessed by more garden angels. Presently we have 37 families of gardeners working and taking care of God’s creation and 13 garden angels helping to provide for His creation. Lots of garden Thyme shared with Kidz too! Thank you everyone and if you haven’t already, come grow with us!
April began with our “Blessing of the Garden” led by Eric Prenshaw and shared with our garden family, friends, and Crosswave, followed by many hands making light work of prepping and building new beds. It WAS very good! The Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 24th continued into the garden with the kids harvested Easter egg radishes, sowing seeds of beans, and ending the day with the planting of a 10’ cross in the East center of the garden. It was also the final planting and end of Eric’s internship with our garden. We will miss him!
We’ve added 12 new beds for more planting of vegetables, fruits, and flowers to include butterfly, hummingbird, beneficial, and cut flower gardens, raspberries, grapevines, and many melons! All of our spring plantings are gaining full speed with several already producing such as lots of lettuce, turnip and beet greens, kale, radishes, Chinese cabbage, asparagus, spinach, and herbs. Looking forward to peas, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries soon, as well as 50lb cabbage heads!
The chickens are growing as well! The first flock is now 10 weeks old and will be moving to the garden soon! The second group will follow in a few weeks. We have a few more that were just hatched to bring our total to 10 feathered friends. No roosters..just hens with lots of eggs to share beginning in the fall!
We will again be having our annual Mother’s Day Flower Sale as a fundraiser for the garden. 4” wrapped potted plants will be available for purchase on Mother’s Day weekend (5/7-8) for $5.00 each or 5 for $20. Thank you in advance for your support towards our garden as well as shopping at J & J Produce (Stanley and Vivian Jones), as they so graciously donate to our garden every year the flowers and many other plantings.
We will be having a “First Fruits Pot Luck Lunch” and shower for Eric and his fiancé, Carley, on May 21st from 12-2. Please consider joining us as we share in fellowship, food, and farewell to Eric and celebrate his upcoming wedding. All are welcome to bring a covered dish and use any produce from the garden. An invitation with more details will follow shortly.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support of our garden. Come grow with us and/or watch us grow on Facebook (The Garden of Concord) and our blog (thegardenofconcord.blogspot.com).
It WILL be good!
Many garden blessings,
Donna Poe
The conditions are right in The Garden of Concord as there is an abundance of life from the seeds and members planted! In April we renewed several memberships, welcomed many new families, and were blessed by more garden angels. Presently we have 37 families of gardeners working and taking care of God’s creation and 13 garden angels helping to provide for His creation. Lots of garden Thyme shared with Kidz too! Thank you everyone and if you haven’t already, come grow with us!
April began with our “Blessing of the Garden” led by Eric Prenshaw and shared with our garden family, friends, and Crosswave, followed by many hands making light work of prepping and building new beds. It WAS very good! The Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday, April 24th continued into the garden with the kids harvested Easter egg radishes, sowing seeds of beans, and ending the day with the planting of a 10’ cross in the East center of the garden. It was also the final planting and end of Eric’s internship with our garden. We will miss him!
We’ve added 12 new beds for more planting of vegetables, fruits, and flowers to include butterfly, hummingbird, beneficial, and cut flower gardens, raspberries, grapevines, and many melons! All of our spring plantings are gaining full speed with several already producing such as lots of lettuce, turnip and beet greens, kale, radishes, Chinese cabbage, asparagus, spinach, and herbs. Looking forward to peas, broccoli, strawberries and blueberries soon, as well as 50lb cabbage heads!
The chickens are growing as well! The first flock is now 10 weeks old and will be moving to the garden soon! The second group will follow in a few weeks. We have a few more that were just hatched to bring our total to 10 feathered friends. No roosters..just hens with lots of eggs to share beginning in the fall!
We will again be having our annual Mother’s Day Flower Sale as a fundraiser for the garden. 4” wrapped potted plants will be available for purchase on Mother’s Day weekend (5/7-8) for $5.00 each or 5 for $20. Thank you in advance for your support towards our garden as well as shopping at J & J Produce (Stanley and Vivian Jones), as they so graciously donate to our garden every year the flowers and many other plantings.
We will be having a “First Fruits Pot Luck Lunch” and shower for Eric and his fiancé, Carley, on May 21st from 12-2. Please consider joining us as we share in fellowship, food, and farewell to Eric and celebrate his upcoming wedding. All are welcome to bring a covered dish and use any produce from the garden. An invitation with more details will follow shortly.
Thank you everyone for your continued prayers and support of our garden. Come grow with us and/or watch us grow on Facebook (The Garden of Concord) and our blog (thegardenofconcord.blogspot.com).
It WILL be good!
Many garden blessings,
Donna Poe
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