I think we have reached a measure of equilibrium regarding the garden. That is not to say it is in perfect shape or producing to its maximum potential. No, not that. However, for this first year’s effort, we are finally reaping reward for our angst and effort. We are delivering food twice weekly to the Greater Lake Country Food Bank – 290 pounds to date!

Colors abound in the long row of tomato plants as red, yellow and orange cherry tomatoes ripen and heirloom varieties such as mortgage lifters and san marzano weigh heavy on their drooping branches. Rows of deep burgundy beets are yielding dozens weekly and the green beans just won’t quit. Multi-colored carrots will be ready soon but we are giving them a little more time to lengthen. Eggplants are late coming but look super healthy. Our kale patch has been a hearty producer, sturdy, steady and strong like the bodies it will nourish. The cucumbers are beyond huge. New zucchini, spinach, radishes and lettuces are coming in for a second round to keep us going to late October if we are lucky. The soil has been rich and taking it easy on us. We have been lucky to be free of pests so far.

For the first time, a week ago, it was my turn to take our pickings downtown to the Food Bank and get to personally meet the folks down there who are working so hard. They were so delightful and appreciative of my boxes of vegetables. They tried to give me some peanut butter ice cream in exchange and I laughed and begged off and finally accepted a bottle of water which tasted so good after a long stint in the garden. I watched some people shopping in the small store which is only part of what this organization does to help feed the hungry. All vegetables and dairy products are free and shelf items sell at a very nominal amount, mostly $1.50.  Families were carefully taking stock of everything and making their decisions. It felt good to see the end game in this process and know that the effort is worthwhile.

Pastry chef, Heather, with very capable leadership and a touch of good old-fashioned guilt therapy,  has marshalled a handful of us who now dedicate a few hours consistently to the fun stuff – the harvest!  We’re not quite able to keep up with everything, especially the weeds, but it is not as bad as it got midsummer when we were saved by the volunteer efforts of Christ English Lutheran Church.  Ruth Olson, editor of the Fulton Neighborhood News has been instrumental in keeping the neighborhood aware of our progress by writing a few articles and it resulted this week in a new volunteer from the area who loves to garden and wants to help us out! Thank you Ruth.

Of course I am always grateful to Travis Dahlke at Hands for Harvest for inspiring this journey to begin with.

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On Wednesday morning, Ann and I went to the garden. We met Melissa Pohlman, pastor of Christ English Lutheran Church, 3 other adult volunteers and about ten teens, some there strictly for service work and a few from a program called Emerge.  Emerge  is a non-profit worth paying attention to because of their community work in the northside of Minneapolis, one aspect of which is to train and create jobs for hard-to-employ individuals.  Christ English Lutheran is all about service work in the community and their volunteers some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet.

They all descended cheerfully on our mess of a garden to help our effort! How lucky is that? I hate to tell you how much we needed their work. This first year has been a struggle finding enough volunteers to keep up.   In fact we weren’t keeping up with it.  The owners of the property, Max and Kelly, have had to put up with an eyesore of late because there was so much weeding and tending to be done.

In three hours time, all of us worked hard to really tackle the weeding. We staked up tomato plants that were heaving under the weight of branches and heavy fruit. We harvested 40 pounds of chard, leeks, green onions, cucumbers, beans, and carrots and filled 15 bags for the compost heap.   Of course, in gratitude, we were downright obligated to feed pizza and lemonade to these hungry, thirsty workers at the Cucina.  After lunch, Ann immediately dropped our booty off at the food bank and then the two of us spent another hour or so cleaning up the garden.

On Sunday I plan to spend a couple of hours (with helpers, I hope), harvesting more food and planting seeds in newly-opened spaces
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Short and sweet…it’s hot and no one is reeeelly into working out in the sun, but Heather to the rescue!  She spent four long hot hours at the garden on Tuesday, weeding and harvesting.  She picked five pounds of green beans

and 1.5 pounds of beautiful basil.  I took it all to GLCF this morning.  They will divide the basil into 1.5 ounce bundles and the beans into 1/2 pound bags and distribute it all to the senior high rise folks that they serve.  What great work they do!

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This past week has been a doozy!  Unrelenting heat, dew points too high to talk about.  Just opening the frig to pour a glass of lemonade was enough to break a sweat.  But, the garden beckoned.  Molly did a solid stint of weeding one evening, then Ashley and Jon visited this morning and harvested a nice pile of green onions, two boxes of lettuce, chard & kale and about 6 cups of peas.  I took everything downtown this afternoon and dropped it at the Greater Lake Country Food Bank.  I met Mary, their general manager, and she shared with me that the senior citizens they serve are very happy to see our fresh local greens.  Her wide smile made me feel good about the whole project all over again.  More soon!  -ar-