Recently I was part of a Board meeting that went on several days. We meet face-to-face only twice a year. The rest of the time we conduct business and keep in touch by e-mail (I know, I know—so retro!), but it works for us…sort of.
I discovered at our latest Board meeting the importance of face-to-face contact.
One of our members for a number of reasons has missed a couple of Board meetings and as the months went by, I experienced a sort of drifting disconnect. We still communicated regularly by e-mail, but it really wasn’t enough to stay ‘connected.’ And, when you are not ‘connected,’ you start to feel the distance between you.
When you feel the distance between you, you can start to imagine all sorts of things that are separating you…or could separate you. So, the distance between you broadens and deepens, and your negative imagination runs rampant.
We used Skype this last Board meeting, and, though it is not entirely satisfactory, it did help to bridge this emotional gap. Communications were improved and connections were strengthened.
What has this to do with community gardening and specifically Bethel Community Garden? I don’t know my community gardeners very well (and in some cases, I don’t know them at all). We are like ships passing in the night—seeds sown here and plants planted there appearing as if my magic.
Who, for example, is doing such a good job with tomatoes in Bed 18, or what is that kind of squash in Bed 4? How do I find out? Whom do I ask?
Community depends on communication and connection.
That we will try to address through community garden picnics this coming summer. We will set a time and date, and invite all of you to come—share of your garden’s bounty—and get to know each other.
That way distances will be minimized and connections strengthened and community reinforced. Stay tuned and start thinking about what you can share to enrich us all. – Joe
Friday, May 2, 2014
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Growing Together- Just Do It!
I have been putting off repairing our front porch. It doesn’t help that it is 100 years old and a bunch of the supporting wood structure is rotten. It doesn’t help that the mahogany decking we so carefully (and tightly) put down last summer swelled and shifted the support pillars.
All fall and winter, I stewed—and feared—the necessary work that had to be done. It was way beyond my ability and competence, but I couldn’t stop. My friend Jerry came to my rescue.
Yesterday we bought the wood and began the process. We jacked up the ceiling of the porch. (I had had nightmares about that one!) We put a temporary 4x4 in place and removed the pillar. It really was quite simple…if you know what you are doing.
Then we took up the east section of the porch deck and re-laid it with a bit more space between each board. It was tedious because Jerry wanted each board exactly true. But we did it! Then Jerry studied what needed to be done to give a stable footing for the refurbished pillar—but that’s next week’s task.
What does that have to do with gardening, and specifically community gardening? At least three things:
Don’t spend (waste) a lot of time stewing about the garden. Do what you can do. Plants are amazingly forgiving things! Plant them and tend them…and find ways to enjoy the process.
You don’t have to know everything. There are mentors and fellow-gardeners available who are eager to help. The resources at the library or on-line or at WSU Extension or at the bookstore can help supply whatever knowledge you seek.
We don’t use the porch. There was a day when porches were centers of neighborhood activity. People sat on their porches and greeted passers-by. Today, creating community is much more difficult and must be intentional. That is why we are going to have some garden picnics this summer—to share the fruits of our labor and to get to know our garden neighbors.
I hope to see you in the garden up to your elbows in the dirt. – Joe a
All fall and winter, I stewed—and feared—the necessary work that had to be done. It was way beyond my ability and competence, but I couldn’t stop. My friend Jerry came to my rescue.
Yesterday we bought the wood and began the process. We jacked up the ceiling of the porch. (I had had nightmares about that one!) We put a temporary 4x4 in place and removed the pillar. It really was quite simple…if you know what you are doing.
Then we took up the east section of the porch deck and re-laid it with a bit more space between each board. It was tedious because Jerry wanted each board exactly true. But we did it! Then Jerry studied what needed to be done to give a stable footing for the refurbished pillar—but that’s next week’s task.
What does that have to do with gardening, and specifically community gardening? At least three things:
Don’t spend (waste) a lot of time stewing about the garden. Do what you can do. Plants are amazingly forgiving things! Plant them and tend them…and find ways to enjoy the process.
You don’t have to know everything. There are mentors and fellow-gardeners available who are eager to help. The resources at the library or on-line or at WSU Extension or at the bookstore can help supply whatever knowledge you seek.
We don’t use the porch. There was a day when porches were centers of neighborhood activity. People sat on their porches and greeted passers-by. Today, creating community is much more difficult and must be intentional. That is why we are going to have some garden picnics this summer—to share the fruits of our labor and to get to know our garden neighbors.
I hope to see you in the garden up to your elbows in the dirt. – Joe a
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Community Garden Beds
Bethel Community Gardeners,
All garden beds, except raised beds numbers 9, 11 and 12 have been tilled, and are ready for planting. Those three will be completed by Tuesday afternoon.
Please note the following....
.... The water will be turned on by Tuesday afternoon.
.... Please weed the edges and pathways around your bed.
.... More seeds will be available in the shed starting on Tuesday.
.... Someone donated several pairs of garden boots. They are in the shed; if they fit, they're yours.
.... If you want more compost in you garden bed, please help yourself.
.... Remember that plenty of free tomato plants will be available for everyone sometime in May.
It looks like it's going to be a great gardening season. We look forward to seeing you in the garden.
Dean Sutera,
Garden Coordinator
PS... Thank you to everyone who donated money and clothing to help Debbie Sheldon in her time of need.... your generosity was greatly appreciated.
All garden beds, except raised beds numbers 9, 11 and 12 have been tilled, and are ready for planting. Those three will be completed by Tuesday afternoon.
Please note the following....
.... The water will be turned on by Tuesday afternoon.
.... Please weed the edges and pathways around your bed.
.... More seeds will be available in the shed starting on Tuesday.
.... Someone donated several pairs of garden boots. They are in the shed; if they fit, they're yours.
.... If you want more compost in you garden bed, please help yourself.
.... Remember that plenty of free tomato plants will be available for everyone sometime in May.
It looks like it's going to be a great gardening season. We look forward to seeing you in the garden.
Dean Sutera,
Garden Coordinator
PS... Thank you to everyone who donated money and clothing to help Debbie Sheldon in her time of need.... your generosity was greatly appreciated.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Workday THIS SATURDAY- Tilling and More Free Seeds
Spring Work Day this Saturday at 10:00 am!
We will be adding compost to all the beds, and then tilling them.
We'll need help cleaning up the beds and pathways after tilling.
The beds will then be ready to plant, so feel free to begin planting early crops.
More FREE SEEDS will be available!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Recipe: How to Make Zucchini Spice Bread
If there's one thing that us gardeners can grow, it'd be Zucchini.
So, it's very appropriate that our first Bethel Blog recipe is Zucchini Spice Bread.
You can use any kind of summer squash. It's a great use for those zucchinis that hide under leaves and grow to enormous sizes!
Garden Ingredients:
2 Cups Grated Zucchini
Wet Ingredients:
3 Eggs
2 Tsp Vanilla
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1 Cup Oil*
Dry Ingredients:
3 Cups Flour
1 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
3/4 Tsp Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp Ginger
1/8 Tsp Cloves
*(Another Option: 2/3 Cup Applesauce, 1/3 Cup Oil. Healthier and makes no difference to the finished product)
Preheat your over to 350° f.
The first step is to grate your zucchini, using either a large cheese grater or a food processor.
Add all wet ingredients and zucchini to a large bowl, and mix well.
Similarly, mix together all dry ingredients in a bowl of their own.
Add the dry to the wet and mix until only just combined (Over mixing will lead to zucchini bread that won't rise properly).
Put batter into two loaf pans or bread pans that have been lightly coated with cooking spray.
Bake for about 45 to 60 minutes, until a butter knife stuck into the center comes out clean.
Enjoy!
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Growing Together- On Gardening and Humility
I spent over 2 hours in the endodontist’s chair this morning. It all started quite a few years ago with a botched root canal treatment by one dentist, followed by an incomplete repair by a second dentist, compounded by a poorly replaced crown by a third. I am confident the fourth dentist will get it right—but have only an 80% chance of saving the tooth.
As I sat there with half of a kitchen sink in my mouth I got to thinking about (self) righteousness.
I could have gotten mad at any of the first three dentists and accused them of bungling and maybe even malpractice. But as I thought about it more I realized none of them set out to do me harm.
All of them set out to fix a problem to the best of their ability and with the available technology. That they were unsuccessful doesn’t mean they were bad dentists…only that they were human.
From my current ‘toothly’ predicament it wasn’t a long stretch to start thinking about gardening and our attitudes toward gardeners of the past who worked the land and grew the crops in the best way they knew how.
We have come to use new methods based on new understandings …even in the short time that I have been a gardener. But we need to do it with a sense of humility—because we will be the bumblers to the next generation.
That’s what I love about gardening: we humans (Latin, humus = dirt) dig in the dirt and bring to the task our best understanding and best intentions. To sit in rancorous judgment on those who went before us is, I believe, the height of self-righteousness. And, that is what divides communities and diminishes us all.
Let us garden together, learning from each other with a sense of humility—thankful for the past and committed to standing on the shoulders of those who went before us. Let us do the best we can with what we have and what we know…knowing that those who come after us will do it differently and, probably, even better. –Joe
As I sat there with half of a kitchen sink in my mouth I got to thinking about (self) righteousness.
I could have gotten mad at any of the first three dentists and accused them of bungling and maybe even malpractice. But as I thought about it more I realized none of them set out to do me harm.
All of them set out to fix a problem to the best of their ability and with the available technology. That they were unsuccessful doesn’t mean they were bad dentists…only that they were human.
From my current ‘toothly’ predicament it wasn’t a long stretch to start thinking about gardening and our attitudes toward gardeners of the past who worked the land and grew the crops in the best way they knew how.
We have come to use new methods based on new understandings …even in the short time that I have been a gardener. But we need to do it with a sense of humility—because we will be the bumblers to the next generation.
That’s what I love about gardening: we humans (Latin, humus = dirt) dig in the dirt and bring to the task our best understanding and best intentions. To sit in rancorous judgment on those who went before us is, I believe, the height of self-righteousness. And, that is what divides communities and diminishes us all.
Let us garden together, learning from each other with a sense of humility—thankful for the past and committed to standing on the shoulders of those who went before us. Let us do the best we can with what we have and what we know…knowing that those who come after us will do it differently and, probably, even better. –Joe
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