Spring is upon us and we have several new and existing crops and memberships already planted as we begin our spring season. The peas are peaking, the strawberries are starting, the tulips are topping, the garlic is growing, and the sweet onions will be a treat! We welcome 6 new members along with 3 garden angels and 3 renewed memberships…Thank you!
The community is invited this Saturday, March 5th and next, as we wake up the garden with donuts, door prizes, dancing, and digging! Many kids’ activities and plantings planned to include Chocolate Cake Peppers and Purple Carrots! Come see our new greenhouse and tenants (Thank you again John and Jim!) and help us pick our chicks!
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ (1 Cor 12:12)…and The Garden of Concord! You really don’t have to get your hands dirty if you don’t want to! Your committed hour could be well spent and graciously welcomed by weekly hand watering new plantings and theme beds. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and will be rewarded according to their own labor (1 Cor 3:8) We will have lots of flowers blooming by summer that would require regular trimming, cutting, and sharing. Bugs..we do have them and don’t want them..the bad ones that is. Many bug pickers make light work lighter!
We are also excited to share the garden with as many children as possible. Maybe you might want to help by reading a story about gardening, leading a planting activity in the kid’s garden, or any other ideas that you and we are working on. This would seed and feed the desire for gardening in the hearts of our “sweet peas” as well as enabling moms to have some gardening time on their own. We are hoping to establish a set hour/day (or more!) so any thoughts or suggestions you may have would be great!
Mark your calendars…On Sunday, March 13th, we will have a special garden blessing performed at the end of our worship service by Pastor David and Eric Prenshaw. We welcome back the cub scouts on March 19th as they work in the garden and share in a hotdog cookout with anyone that wants to join in! On April 2nd, CrossWave will be blessing our garden again with their prayers and plantings.
Thank you everyone for your continued support and prayers.
Come grow with us…it WILL be good!
Many garden blessings,
-Donna
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Chocolate Cheers Recipes!
Here are a couple with more to follow! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!
Blueberry Pine Bark:
http://cookthestory.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/white-chocolate-bark-with-blueberries-toasted-pine-nuts-and-a-zest-of-lemon/
(Beet) Chocolate Cake
This cake is almost too good to make it into a list of recipes for dessert made with vegetables. If you do not tell your family and friends, no one will ever suspect that this moist, rich cake is anything but chocolate.
Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 cups cooked beets, pureed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Soften butter or margarine. Cream together ¾ cup of the butter or margarine with the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Combine chocolate with remaining butter or margarine and melt in the microwave at 15-second intervals or in a double boiler. Allow to cool slightly and add to egg mixture. Add beets and vanilla and mix well. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add to large bowl and mix well. Pour into greased cake pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar or top with your favorite frosting.
The next time your family is clamoring for something sweet, make it a little bit healthier using one of these delicious yet nutrient-packed recipes for dessert made with vegetables.
Blueberry Pine Bark:
http://cookthestory.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/white-chocolate-bark-with-blueberries-toasted-pine-nuts-and-a-zest-of-lemon/
(Beet) Chocolate Cake
This cake is almost too good to make it into a list of recipes for dessert made with vegetables. If you do not tell your family and friends, no one will ever suspect that this moist, rich cake is anything but chocolate.
Ingredients
1 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3 eggs
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 cups cooked beets, pureed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 375F. Soften butter or margarine. Cream together ¾ cup of the butter or margarine with the brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add eggs and mix well. Combine chocolate with remaining butter or margarine and melt in the microwave at 15-second intervals or in a double boiler. Allow to cool slightly and add to egg mixture. Add beets and vanilla and mix well. Combine remaining dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add to large bowl and mix well. Pour into greased cake pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Dust with powdered sugar or top with your favorite frosting.
The next time your family is clamoring for something sweet, make it a little bit healthier using one of these delicious yet nutrient-packed recipes for dessert made with vegetables.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Three cheers for "Cheers for Chocolate Festival!"
It was a chocolate lovers feast on Saturday at the Holly Hill Mall in Burlington. Our own Sally Brown was the "Willy Wonka" of the event as she planned, planted,and harvested an abundance of chocolotiers and chocolate cheers for a sweet filled day! Approximately 30 businesses to include restaurants,caterers,(and our garden!)shared 500 scrumptious samples each of chocolate treats to a steady crowd of cravers. The Garden of Concord's offerings were not the most elite, but in creativity(and variety!),we did compete! Chocolate covered carrots, Beet chocolate cupcakes, Spinach brownies, Chocolate delights, Jalapeno brownies, Zucchini chocolate muffins, Chocolate truffles, White pine bark with blueberries, and the best ever chocolate chip cookies were enjoyed by many!
We also shared many garden cheers in anticipation of our season soon beginning. Our first new seasonal membership for the year was sold to an unknown buyer in the silent auction held (looking forward to meeting and growing with you!)
Many thanks to all our garden members that whipped up samples and served and to everyone that considered and selected our sweets! Many of you have inquired of the recipes and they will be posted soon!
Come grow (and cook!) with us..It WILL be good!
-Donna
We also shared many garden cheers in anticipation of our season soon beginning. Our first new seasonal membership for the year was sold to an unknown buyer in the silent auction held (looking forward to meeting and growing with you!)
Many thanks to all our garden members that whipped up samples and served and to everyone that considered and selected our sweets! Many of you have inquired of the recipes and they will be posted soon!
Come grow (and cook!) with us..It WILL be good!
-Donna
Friday, February 4, 2011
A Change of Seasons in The Garden of Concord!
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...Then God said “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds”…And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years”…Then God said, “I give you the plants...and trees…to be yours for food”…God saw all that He had made and it was very good…Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the East…He took the man and put him in the garden… to work it and take care of it… (Genesis 1-2:15)
As a change of season is on the horizon, we reflect on the many blessings that God has given us in The Garden of Concord and how thankful we are to His calling of us to be stewards of His creation. We offer our praise to our Lord as He continues to lead us in our mission to provide a means for those in our community, both in and outside the church, to experience Christian fellowship, love, and joy, through the sharing of our gifts and fruits of the garden. We offer many thanks to our community of members,family, and friends for your continued prayers, support, encouragement, and donations to our garden ministry.
It is a season of change this year in the garden with new plantings and membership plans. We look forward to a new greenhouse, additional strawberry beds, raspberries, asparagus, a row of grapevines, beneficial flower gardens, and even new-feathered friends! We will continue with all of our past garden favorites to include plenty of beans, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, herbs, kale, lettuces, okra, onions, peanuts, peas, peppers, popcorn, potatoes, radish, spinach, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, and of course lots of tomatoes!
Our new membership plans will reflect the seasons and needs of our members. We are hopeful that this pilot idea planted will produce an abundant harvest of new (and existing) gardeners! $10 a season or $25 for all three: spring (Mar-May), summer (Jun-Aug), and fall (Sep-Nov). The work commitment remains the same, gardening one hour per week during a scheduled work day (Mon/Wed/Sat) for a share of that days’ harvest. Come garden with us! Many hands do make light work!!
“Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Gardening just isn’t for you? Already have a garden? How can I help?” Please prayerfully consider becoming a “Garden Angel” with a supporting membership of $50 per year as you partner in our focus of physically and spiritually nurturing the needs of our community. Your donations will provide membership assistance, the offering of (more) garden side shoots such as group projects, “Jr. gardener” activities, plantings for food ministries, food and faith studies, and garden gatherings.
Come grow with us as we sustain our continued growth for many seasons to come!
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
As a change of season is on the horizon, we reflect on the many blessings that God has given us in The Garden of Concord and how thankful we are to His calling of us to be stewards of His creation. We offer our praise to our Lord as He continues to lead us in our mission to provide a means for those in our community, both in and outside the church, to experience Christian fellowship, love, and joy, through the sharing of our gifts and fruits of the garden. We offer many thanks to our community of members,family, and friends for your continued prayers, support, encouragement, and donations to our garden ministry.
It is a season of change this year in the garden with new plantings and membership plans. We look forward to a new greenhouse, additional strawberry beds, raspberries, asparagus, a row of grapevines, beneficial flower gardens, and even new-feathered friends! We will continue with all of our past garden favorites to include plenty of beans, beets, broccoli, cantaloupe, carrots, collards, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, herbs, kale, lettuces, okra, onions, peanuts, peas, peppers, popcorn, potatoes, radish, spinach, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, and of course lots of tomatoes!
Our new membership plans will reflect the seasons and needs of our members. We are hopeful that this pilot idea planted will produce an abundant harvest of new (and existing) gardeners! $10 a season or $25 for all three: spring (Mar-May), summer (Jun-Aug), and fall (Sep-Nov). The work commitment remains the same, gardening one hour per week during a scheduled work day (Mon/Wed/Sat) for a share of that days’ harvest. Come garden with us! Many hands do make light work!!
“Don’t want to get your hands dirty? Gardening just isn’t for you? Already have a garden? How can I help?” Please prayerfully consider becoming a “Garden Angel” with a supporting membership of $50 per year as you partner in our focus of physically and spiritually nurturing the needs of our community. Your donations will provide membership assistance, the offering of (more) garden side shoots such as group projects, “Jr. gardener” activities, plantings for food ministries, food and faith studies, and garden gatherings.
Come grow with us as we sustain our continued growth for many seasons to come!
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
Sunday, January 2, 2011
"Just gardening..." NOT in January!
Yes, the garden is most definitely sleeping soundly while we gardeners rest as well, and begin looking forward to another year of abundant harvests in 2011!
Thank you everyone for your help, support, donations, and prayers for a great past year..it WAS really good!
While we won’t be turning any dirt or planting until later next month, we will be turning the pages of seed catalogs and planting new ideas at our Garden Advisory Board meeting on January 17th at 6:30 pm at Concord UMC. The public is invited to join us while we share thoughts and suggestions for our continued growth to include crop selections, garden events, and the possibility of seasonal memberships.
What a great New Year’s resolution towards a healthier lifestyle…
”Grow in the Garden of Concord!"
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
Thank you everyone for your help, support, donations, and prayers for a great past year..it WAS really good!
While we won’t be turning any dirt or planting until later next month, we will be turning the pages of seed catalogs and planting new ideas at our Garden Advisory Board meeting on January 17th at 6:30 pm at Concord UMC. The public is invited to join us while we share thoughts and suggestions for our continued growth to include crop selections, garden events, and the possibility of seasonal memberships.
What a great New Year’s resolution towards a healthier lifestyle…
”Grow in the Garden of Concord!"
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
"Just Eating" in January!
As many of us are regretting that extra cookie (or two…or three!), we look forward to the new year and our recommitment to a healthier lifestyle of exercise (ugh!) and good eating practices.
Beginning in mid January, we will be offering a 7-week Bible study led by Eric Prenshaw, our garden intern, entitled “Just Eating,” in which we will explore what it
means to eat well in relationship to our own bodies, other people, and the earth. This curriculum aims to shape a way of life with food that flows out of a deep understanding of how food connects us with God and all of Creation.
Each week, we will begin by “just eating” a shared meal together while reflecting on the past week’s discussions, readings, and selected Scripture. Through our course of study, we will pray together, celebrate the Eucharist, discuss our day-to-day eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world. We will explore faith practices which encourage healthful eating, enjoy some short films on food awareness, and discuss spiritual disciplines that may be new to you, while providing support to each other in taking personal and congregational action that reaches beyond this seven-week curriculum.
We have ordered a limited number of participant books so please let me know a.s.a.p. if you would be interested so that we can order more if needed. We are hoping to start Wednesday, January 19th to continue through the following 6 weeks to conclude before Ash Wednesday. The exact start date and weekly day will be confirmed shortly contingent upon Eric’s class schedule.
Like dieting, it is always more fun to work at it together and I pray that many of you will want to join us on this journey of “Just Eating” according to God’s will.
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
Beginning in mid January, we will be offering a 7-week Bible study led by Eric Prenshaw, our garden intern, entitled “Just Eating,” in which we will explore what it
means to eat well in relationship to our own bodies, other people, and the earth. This curriculum aims to shape a way of life with food that flows out of a deep understanding of how food connects us with God and all of Creation.
Each week, we will begin by “just eating” a shared meal together while reflecting on the past week’s discussions, readings, and selected Scripture. Through our course of study, we will pray together, celebrate the Eucharist, discuss our day-to-day eating habits, the Christian faith, and the needs of the broader world. We will explore faith practices which encourage healthful eating, enjoy some short films on food awareness, and discuss spiritual disciplines that may be new to you, while providing support to each other in taking personal and congregational action that reaches beyond this seven-week curriculum.
We have ordered a limited number of participant books so please let me know a.s.a.p. if you would be interested so that we can order more if needed. We are hoping to start Wednesday, January 19th to continue through the following 6 weeks to conclude before Ash Wednesday. The exact start date and weekly day will be confirmed shortly contingent upon Eric’s class schedule.
Like dieting, it is always more fun to work at it together and I pray that many of you will want to join us on this journey of “Just Eating” according to God’s will.
It WILL be good!
-Donna Poe
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Feeling like fall for sure!
After a loooooong "mui caliente" summer, what an incredible fall season we are experiencing in our garden. If you haven't been out recently, please consider doing so to experience the glory and abundance of fresh air and new growth of our many fall plantings in God's creation of our garden. Our peppers are still popping, Swiss chard still in supply, sugar snap and snow peas are flowering, kale, Chinese cabbage, and romaine lettuce are looking lovely, our greens and salad mix are de-lish, turnips and beets are bulging, and the okra is still climbing. This past Sunday, the Concord/Saxapahaw UMC youth groups worked their service project by planting garlic and flower bulbs in the garden.
With the days shortening, so will our garden hours. Presently, we are still meeting Monday and Wednesdays from 5:30-7 until daylight saving time ends. :( We will continue to meet on Saturdays from 9-noon through November 20th. Still plenty of things to work on as we continue harvesting and prepare our garden for it's winter slumber. Next week we will be installing row covers for our lettuces to hopefully extend their fresh enjoyment when it is frozen outside.
We will continue composting (and begin vermicomposting!) through the winter so any kitchen waste/garden debris/grass clippings/leaves/shredded paper, etc. will be "wormly" welcomed!
Thank you everyone for all of your incredible support, time, donations, labor, encouragement, and prayers for our garden. It has been REALLY good! -Donna
With the days shortening, so will our garden hours. Presently, we are still meeting Monday and Wednesdays from 5:30-7 until daylight saving time ends. :( We will continue to meet on Saturdays from 9-noon through November 20th. Still plenty of things to work on as we continue harvesting and prepare our garden for it's winter slumber. Next week we will be installing row covers for our lettuces to hopefully extend their fresh enjoyment when it is frozen outside.
We will continue composting (and begin vermicomposting!) through the winter so any kitchen waste/garden debris/grass clippings/leaves/shredded paper, etc. will be "wormly" welcomed!
Thank you everyone for all of your incredible support, time, donations, labor, encouragement, and prayers for our garden. It has been REALLY good! -Donna
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