Community Garden

Back to the dirt we go!

2011-05-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

This past Tuesday was out first night back in the dirt!

Our garden, free of snow and ready for green.

Community members gathered to spread fresh compost, transplant seeds that had already been started as well as planting some new ones.

Jennifer and Ann working away and a found treasure of onions!

New members Karen and Bill work hard to spread our rich compost, enriching the soil and preparing the raised beds.

Join us! Every Tuesday 6-8pm in the garden
1884 Randolph Ave.
St. Paul, MN

Farwell; may you awake with renewal!

2010-10-21T10:42:00.000-07:00

Our group of energetic and dedicated gardeners has put our plot to bed for winter. This past Tuesday we gathered one final time to clean up and pull out the bulk of the garden but left the always hardy chard and kale and a variety of colorful flowers.

As we parted we shared our thanks for each other and the always increasing wonders and the connection to the earth that the gardening experience offers.

This season we were blessed to harvest 850 pounds, 300 of which were donated to Keystone Community, and as always share each other’s company, wisdom and knowledge. Earth and gardeners will rest up over the winter until spring when the 7th year of Celeste Dream community garden will begin! See you next year!

Why Community?

2010-10-14T09:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this wonderful video featuring some of our community gardeners!

Potato-Patato

2010-10-07T07:34:00.000-07:00

Autumn greetings!

This past Tuesdays, pitchforks in hand, the gardeners dug into the long awaited potato harvest! This was the first year that the garden had planted the crop and the single row of purple Peruvian and fingerling varieties produced plenty to share!

Potlucks & Pesto

2010-09-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks that gardeners have enjoyed a more relaxing time in the garden. With less harvesting to do we are able to relax more and enjoy each other's company in some of the beautiful autumn weather we have been having!

Earlier this month the community garden members feasted in a potluck of corn salad, tomato, basil and mozzarella pie, fried eggplant, dilly beans, wild rice salad, a secret rice pie family recipe and other yummy eats!

Some of our gardeners have graciously offered their recipes to share with our blog readers, check them out!

Wild Rice Salad
Here is my recipe. I used wild rice from Red Lake Farms, Indian Grown and Harvested and their directions for the rice was as follows:

1 cup of wild rice
4 cups of water
1/2 tsp of salt

(Makes 4 cups enough for 5-6 people)

Rise rice thoroughly with water. Place rice and 4 cups of water into 3 quart saucepan, bring to boil, reduce heat to low, cover loosely and cook 40-60 minutes or until the rice has absorbed most of the water and has puffed. Fluff rice with a fork, cover tightly and let stand for 5 minutes. Drain off any excess water. (Most chefs prefer to add the salt either during the cook time or after the rice is finished to taste). (For a softer texture wild rice add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more water when cooking). Add additional flavor by serving with butter, margarine, salt and spices.
When the rice was done, I then just added

4 green onion
3-4 mushrooms
3/4 cup of crushed almonds

That's it pretty simple!
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Torta di Riso
Ann Shields
Translated, it means “rice cake.” This recipe is from my maternal grandmother Luigia Terrile, who made this over a century ago in her small town outside of Genoa Italy. Buon appetito!

Crust
1+ cup flour, plus extra while you roll out the dough
1 Tbsp olive oil
Tepid water

Add warm water a spoon at a time until it makes a workable dough. Knead into a soft smooth ball. Set under a bowl while preparing the filling and topping. When ready to roll, divide into two even pieces for top and bottom crust. Roll thin (I use an Italian long handled rolling pin). Spread dough on the bottom and sides of a 8” X 11.5” pan that has been greased with olive oil.
(I made a double recipe for the Celeste’s Dream Potluck, and used a 10” X 15” glass baking pan)

Rice Filling
2 + cups cooked rice (leftover or cook fresh - 1 cup uncooked = 2 cups cooked rice)
1 egg
¾ cup milk
1 Tbsp melted butter
¼ cup cottage cheese
¼ cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
¼ tsp salt

Topping
2 eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup milk
¼ cup oil
½ cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
3-4 green onions, minced (I also add leeks and/or mushrooms sometimes)
½ teaspoon salt, fresh ground pepper

Method
Roll out bottom crust and place it in the oiled pan, making sure it covers the bottom and sides like a pie crust. Roll out top crust to have it ready. Fill crust with the rice mixture, followed by topping mixture, spreading evenly. Then add top crust and hand crimp to seal the two crusts together. Pierce crust with a fork to allow steam to escape. Bake at 375˚ for 30-40 minutes until eggs are set and the crust is light brown. Cool before serving, at room temperature is best.
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SPICEY STIR FRY

Spices:
Olive oil: about 2 Tbls.
Garlic: 3 large cloves finely chopped
Ginger: about 2/3 to ¾ of an inch, finely chopped
Onion: 1 medium, sliced
Pepper flakes or hot pepper paste, to taste but for two, I use about a teaspoon.
Peanut butter or fresh peanuts

Vegetables:
About 2 cups of vegetables: Cabbage, carrots, beans, peas, zucchini, mini corn, mushrooms, or similar.
I large bell pepper, red, green, or yellow.

Protein:
Chicken, beef, shrimp, scallops, tofu, seitan, mock duck.

Heat your wok or fry pan. Add oil, garlic, ginger, onions, and hot pepper. If you are using meat, cut into bite sized chunks and fry until done. Cook for two minutes or so.
Remove the meat and set aside. If using tofu or the like leave it in there while you cook the rest.
Add the peppers and vegetables (except if you are using pea pods or something delicate.) Cook for about two minutes, add seafood, peapods or other delicate vegetable, and peanut butter. Cook for another two to three minutes.

The more people that you are feeding, the slower that you have to add the vegetables. Start with those that cook most slowly and once they are hot add more.
Serve over noodles or rice.
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Fried Eggplant

1 large eggplant
flour
1 egg
Panko (Japanese bread crumbs. You could use cracker crumbs or any dried bread crumbs, but I like the Panko because it is crispy.)

Slice eggplant (with skin on) into ¼ inch slices. Place each slice in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs. Fry in oil until brown, both side.. (I mix olive oil and canola.) You can put them in a baking dish in a warm oven to keep them warm.
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Canned Dilly Beans

From the “Homemade Pickles & Relishes” booklet in the Wisconsin Safe Food Preservation Series by Barbara H. Ingham.

Yield: 7-8 pints

Ingredients: 4 quarts whole green or wax beans (about 4 lbs.)
8 fresh dill heads, or 1 ½ tsp. dill seed or dill weed per jar
8 garlic cloves (optional)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 small dried hot pepper per jar (optional)

Pickling Solution:
4 cups white vinegar (5% acetic acid)
4 cups water
¼ cup canning/pickling salt

• Wash and sterilize pint canning jars. Keep hot until filled.
• Wash beans thoroughly and drain. Cut into lengths to fit pint jars.
• In each hot pint jar, place dill, garlic and pepper, if desired. Pack beans upright, leaving ½ inch headspace.
• Prepare pickling solution of vinegar, water and salt in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Pour boiling hot pickling solution over beans, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove bubbles with a rubber spatula. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth.
• Cap jars with pretreated lids. Adjust lids.
• Process pints in a boiling water canner for 5 minutes.
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Tomato, Basil and Mozzarella Pie

Make/Bake pie shell
Layer mozzarella cheese, tomatoes, basil, mozzarella cheese, tomatoes…
Sprinkle with cracked pepper
Bake to melt cheese

Easy!
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This past week more connections between the earth and our bellies were made with a night of delicious pesto making! The night began with the gardeners doing some light harvesting of tomatoes, kale, peppers and eggplant and some heavy gathering of both Genovese and Thai basil. The basil was then de-stemmed over wonderful conversation, and placed into a food processor with garlic, olive oil and pine nuts and divided amount the gardeners to take home to share!

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Pesto
3 cups fresh bail
3 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan (optional)
1/3 pine nuts (optional)

Mince garlic in food processor
Add basil and pine nuts
Drizzle olive oil as machine in running until you have a smooth paste
Stir in parmesan
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Eating in community with earth and others, what a wonderful way to enjoy this autumn season!

September brings a chill!

2010-09-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

Since the last garden update temperatures have dropped and scarves, hats and sweaters have been dusted off by our group of gardeners. This past Tuesday the annual opening picnic to welcome the new students of St. Catherine University took place right on the lawn next to the garden.

As the gardeners gathered in the garden, students were invited to try a tomato (or two!) as the harvest traveled around to the picnic attendees. Information about the garden was also available for students to take and, as always, an invitation to join us on Tuesday nights was extended to all.

Buckwheat has sprouted in the Simple Garden, and we are all patiently anticipating it's growth to see if it will have time to flower or not. If the buckwheat does flower before frost the crop will be able to deliver some wonderful things to the soil before winter; if not, it will be tilled in as green manure in the spring.

As the weeks come to a close for this season the gardeners have some possible processing planned of tomatoes for salsa and basil for pesto, but for now the earth continues to give, and we continue to be grateful for it's gift!

The garden gears up...

2010-08-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

As we round the last corner of August the fruit of the garden continues to grow. The smaller harvests from the beginning of the summer have now become crates full of yellow pear, cherry and roma tomatoes, red russian and dino kale, chard, eggplant, beans and basil.

Because of the increase in harvest we have been blessed with the opportunity to donate to Keystone Community Services, a local agency that "works to ensure that individuals, families, seniors and youth in our service area can live with dignity and hope". You can find out more about Keystone at www.keystonecommunityservices.org

The Simple Garden plot is also turning a new bend and has begun to provide cucumbers and zucchini for grateful (and a little surprised I must say) gardening hands. The potatoes are also thriving and us gardeners are excited to have the chance to learn how to harvest a new crop and enjoy some garden spuds!

This past Saturday was also the Parade of Community Gardens, an annual tour of local community gardens put on by Gardening Matters, gardeners joined together was were able to spend a sunny and breezy afternoon tending to the garden as visitors stopped in. A much needed dead heading was done and a cover crop of buckwheat was planted in the walking rows of the Simple Garden.

The buckwheat cover crop will help keep weeds out and nutrients in and also provide a lusher look to the garden. The crop will be able to be tilled back into the ground, allowing the the nutrients to stay in the garden and help future crops thrive.

You can learn more about the Parade of Community Gardens and Gardening Matters at . And as always our garden is open to the community, join us Tuesdays nights from 6-8pm at 1884 Randolph Ave in St. Paul!

Best,
Kassy

Our baskets are filling

2010-07-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

As July continues on our garden continues to grow in all directions! The sunflowers now tower over the garden, the tomato plants have developed into fragrant bushes holding delicious fruits and the kale and Swiss chard give bountiful harvests weekly. This week our community gardening night was full of plucking and picking as well as dead heading and putting in more twin and poles to hold our tomato plants up off the ground.

Out in the Simple Garden plot we discovered that a creature of the nearby woods has been nibbling on our veggies (and sunflowers too!)With the late planting things are coming up slow, and because of the nibbler we planning to modify it into a fall garden for the next season with things that stay tucked away under the soil and out of nibblers mouths like potatoes and onions.

With all the nooks and crannies of out tomato bushes, harvesting is sometimes more of a scavenger hunt. but Bree still manages to fill her basket with lots of yummy cherry tomatoes

Mmm, yellow pear my favorite!

What a beautiful eggplant!

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Our garden has also been blessed with the creation of several videos about our garden's mission and community. Check them all out below!

More to come soon!

Best,
Kassy

Transitions and new life!

2010-07-09T07:38:00.000-07:00

This season continues to bring transitions and new life! Our seeds that were planted a little over a month ago have taken root and bared their harvest for many meals already. The Arbor Garden and it's edible landscape sprouts ongoing beauty and food and the companion planting of things such as tomatoes and basil has proven to be beneficial for both involved.

Basil and tomato plants enjoying the company of each other

Various greens create a salad bed on the edge of the Arbor Garden

Renewed life has also been given to the Simple Garden, a larger plot belonging to St. Catherine University and a senior project of a student who has since graduated. For the past few years the garden has been over grown and left unused. At the end of last season we were able to clean it up and plant a ground cover of clover to enrich the soil. This season we are blessed with the early start in the space and also the few personal plots that have been taken up by community members.

Rows of basil, beets, swiss chard, cucumber, zucchini, potatoes, spinach, sunflowers and more now line the stretches of the garden along with transplanted rhubarb, asparagus, raspberry bushes and calendula from the old garden that has ended it's time with Celeste's Dream.

Much needed structure now exists within the Simple Garden plot, created both by the bountiful rows of vegetables and a beautiful corner plot of perennial flowers and ceder mulch. The medical herb garden that rests in the middle of the plot also received a much needed thinning.

As we talk of transitions I cannot forget to introduce myself as well. My name is Kassy and I am blessed with the opportunity to be the new intern with Celeste's Dream for 2010-2011, and thus the new recorder of all the gardening adventures! I am a student at St. Kate's majoring in both social work and women studies and have been a member of the community garden for about a year now, which is a constant vessel for growth. I look forward to sharing the gardening happenings with you all, and as always, everyone is welcome to join us on Tuesdays from 6-8pm outside of the Administration Building in the Arbor Garden!

Best,
Kassy

Wonderful Tuesdays...and we are just getting started!

2010-05-05T19:37:00.000-07:00

“May you always have work for your hands to do.

May your pockets hold always a coin or two.

May the sun shine bright on your windowpane.

May the rainbow be certain to follow each rain.

May the hand of a friend always be near you.

And may God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you.”

Our work last Tuesday evening was cut a bit short by dark clouds, wind, and rain, but we still managed to get some weeding and pruning done in the simple garden. We need to finish weeding, make the raised beds with the compost, and clean up the trash in the area (lots to be done!). Come next week if you can!!!---We need the man/woman power to finish the tasks in the simple garden and we will also put some plants in the ground in the front garden!

See you on Tuesday!

-Katie

Busy Garden Tuesdays

2010-05-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

We have had great turn outs at our last two garden nights. In addition to having our plants safely transplanted and now happily growing in the greenhouse, we spent time tilling the front garden, transplanting sorrel and chives, planting lettuce and flowers, spreading compost, tending to the needs of a few existing plants, and making raised beds for planting. Last Thursday and Friday, Katie and Jennifer devoted time to preparing the simple garden for tilling and then tilling the garden plot.
The energy of our gardening community has been high and while the tasks might seem great at the beginning of the evening, the combination of our efforts have allowed us to accomplish a great deal in our 6:00 - 8:00pm meeting times.
Our work this Tuesday will be focused on the simple garden, provided it doesn't rain.
Enjoy the pictures and be inspired to join our work!
We look forward to seeing you tonight!

A big HELLO to the 6th year of the Community Garden!

2010-03-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

The turn out for our seed planting last Tuesday (March23rd) was phenomenal! With the over 25 new and returning members, we were able to start 8 flats of seeds in both plastic and handmade paper pots (thanks to Jennifer's handy paper pot making tool). These included: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, basil, an assortment of flowers, and egg plant- just to name a few. The enthusiasm of the group allowed for a few other projects to be finished as well. The garden sign is now proudly hanging on the arbor, the timbers that go around the edges of the sidewalk are back in place, and our stackable tables are setup in the green house. On Tuesday, April 20th, we will meet again at 6pm to transplant our seedlings and arrange them in the greenhouse. See you all then!

-Katie

As winter ends
An spring brings warmth and light,
We call forth the spirits of these seeds:
From your rest so dark and long
Awaken now with birth!
You shall, in time, grow green and fruitful in Mother Earth.
May it be so!

Extra Gardening Information

2010-02-09T13:01:00.000-08:00

Hello fellow gardeners!
I hope that you all enjoyed our last garden planning meeting. The plans for our garden plot look fantastic and I personally can't wait to begin ordering seeds and watching them grow. For those of you who are interested in learning more about the idea of an edible landscape, here is the link for the blog that was mentioned during our meeting: www.umediblelandscape.blogspot.com.
The St. Kate's students will been having a meeting this week to discuss plans for the Simple Garden and I will keep everyone posted about our ideas.
Have a wonderful week and I look forward to seeing you all in March to start our seeds!
Katie

Reflecting on 2009 as we plan for 2010!

2010-01-26T12:45:00.000-08:00

Our total donation from the 2009 Community Garden season to Keystone Community Center's Midway Food Shelf was 221 pounds, with an additional contribution of $133 from our participation in the Farmer's Market in August.

We invite you to join us as we plan for our 2010 Community Garden during our next meeting on Tuesday, February 2, at 7pm at the CSJ Administration Building, 1880 Randolph Avenue, St. Paul. Warming up with thoughts of Spring and visions of flowers will be a great way to spend a February evening! Hope to see you all there.

-Katie

A Shout Out for JIA and to Scott for herbs

2009-11-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

Hello all,

First of all, Scott, we have a journal of yours with recordings about the herb garden in the Celeste's Dream office if you'd like to claim it. (It's a nice journal too!! I'd come to get it if I were you: 1884 Randolph Ave, the Administration Center for the CSJs.)

I'm in the Celeste's Dream office because my usual campus ministry job at Cretin-Derham Hall is null today with a day off for the students (5-day weekend for them, 4-day weekend for me ;)

If you didn't get a chance to look, check out our work at
http://csjstpaul.org/celeste_jiapics.aspx

We made a rain garden and labyrinth at WomanWell for beautification and a portion of spiritual and ecological restoration of a neighborhood in east St. Paul. It was a wonderfully sunny day in late October and an intergenerational gathering of over 30 people including 7 high school students and staff from Benilde-St. Margaret and Cretin-Derham Hall, 13 St. Joseph Workers and staff, WomanWell participants, CSJs, and Celeste's Dream staff, and led by Alley Katz-affiliated landscape artist Roxanne Stuhr. We're now hoping to create a piece of artwork for the labyrinth. If you're so inclined, input is welcomed and please contact Katie Pease at KMpease@stkate.edu.

Happy and blessed Thanksgiving to you all!
Stasia Verdoljak

Try Making Salsa at Home

2009-11-02T12:47:00.000-08:00

After I finished the last post, Jill commented that I should have posted the different salsa recipes we used so that you could all refer to them in your personal cooking and canning adventures. In this blog update, I have included both of the recipes we used in addition to the recipe for the dilly beans which Liz shared with us during one of our gatherings.

Tomato Salsa

7 quarts paste tomatoes, peeled, cored, and chopped
4 cups long green chilies, peeled, seeded, and chopped (12 whole)
5 cups onion, chopped (5 medium)
½ cup jalapeno peppers, seeded, and finely chopped (2 whole)
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups bottled lemon or lime juice
2 tbsp. salt
½ tbsp. red pepper
2 tbsp. ground cumin (optional)
3 tbsp. oregano leaves (optional)
2 tbsp. fresh cilantro (optional)

Yield: 12 to 16 pints

Jalapeno peppers do not need to be peeled. Peel and prepare chili peppers if desired. To peel tomatoes, dip in boiling water for 20 to 60 seconds or until skins split, then dip in cold water and remove skins. Core and chop tomatoes. Combine all ingredients except cumin, oregano, and cilantro in a large sauce pan and heat, stirring frequently, until mixture boils. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add spices and simmer for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Ladle hot salsa into clean, hot pint jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed. Wipe jar rims and cap with properly pretreated lids. Process in a boiling water canner. Process time in a boiling water canner for hot pack pint jars at the following elevations:
0-1,000 feet 15 minutes
1,001-6,000 feet 20 minutes

Salsa Verde

7 cups chopped, cored, and peeled green tomatoes
5 to 10 cups jalapeno, habanero, or Scotch bonnet peppers, seeded and finely chopped
2 cups finely chopped red onions
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
½ cup lime juice
½ cup loosely packed finely chopped cilantro
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Yield: About six 8-ounce jars or three pint jars

Prepare the canner, jars, and lids.
In a large stainless steel saucepan, combine tomatoes, peppers, onions, garlic, and lime juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Stir in cilantro, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat and boil gently, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Ladle hot salsa into hot jars, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot salsa. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Screw band down until resistance is met, then increase to fingertip-tight.
Place jars in canner, ensuring they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil and process both 8-ounce and pint jars for 20 minutes. Remove canner lid. Wait 5 minutes, then remove jars, cool and store.

Dilly Beans

Ingredients:
4 quarts whole green or wax beans (about 4 lbs.)
8 fresh dill heads, or 1½ tsp. dill seed or dill weed per jar
8 garlic cloves (optional)
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper or 1 small dried hot pepper per jar (optional)

Pickling Solution:
4 cups white vinegar (5% acetic acid)
4 cups water
½ cup canning/pickling salt

Yield: 7-8 pints

Wash and sterilize pint canning jars. Keep hot until filled. Wash been thoroughly and drain. Cut into lengths to fit pint jars. In each hot pint jar, place dill, garlic, and pepper, if desired. Pack beans upright, leaving ½ inch headspace. Prepare pickling solution of vinegar, water, and salt in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Pour boiling hot pickling solution over beans, leaving ½ inch headspace. Remove bubbles with a rubber spatula. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Cap jars with pretreated lids. Adjust lids. Process pints in boiling water canner for 5 minutes.

Take care!

Katie

The past few weeks have been busy ones in the Community Garden

2009-10-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Since our blog has not been updated in a while and last Tuesday (October 27th) marked the end of our gardening season, I thought that it would be appropriate to post some reflections.

During the past few weeks, the gardeners have learned about the process of making Calendula Salve (a combination of organic olive oil, organic lavender oil, calendula flowers, and beeswax that can be used externally to speed the healing of cuts, burns, bruises, bugs bites, etc.), prepared and canned a variety of salsas, and done several garden clean-ups to prepare the land for the winter months. The two Tuesdays that the gardeners were indoors cooking together were filled great conversations and a renewed appreciation for the earth and all that it offers. There was ample Calendula Salve and salsa for all to take home and enjoy and share with others.
Garden clean-up went quickly due to the energy and enthusiasm of all the gardeners. Although it was sad to think about the lost of our large garden due to the impending building project of the Sisters of St. Joseph, we were able to take some time during our final garden clean-up to reflect upon the years that the garden has been part of the community garden. In this spirit of contemplation, words of gratitude were offered up for all of the ways that the garden and this gardening community have impacted each person's life. After sharing in the final harvest of beets and lettuce, the gardeners parted with the plan reconvene after the New Year to begin to prepare and plan for next season’s garden.

Stayed tuned for details about the Community Garden planning events and everyone at Celeste's Dream hopes to see you during the next season of planting, growing, and sharing.

-Katie

"Gardening is a way of showing that you believe in tomorrow."

2009-10-02T12:04:00.000-07:00

As we are quickly moving into October, the community garden has seen many new faces in addition to our returning gardeners. Although the weather is becoming a bit colder, the energy level has not lessened. The past two Tuesdays in the garden have been filled with hard work and lively conversation. Our harvests, and then donations, have included: Pablano Peppers, Russian Kale, Dinosaur Kale, Red Russian Kale, Bright Lights Swiss Chard, lettuce, and Heirloom Organic Tomatoes in the Orange Queen, Yellow Pear, Cherry, and Sun Marzano Roma varieties. Our donation to the Midway Food Shelf on September 23rd weighed in at 70 pounds. Last week, September 30th, our donation was down somewhat at 50 pounds; however, this is understandable as we moved further away from summer and towards another Minnesota winter.

The food shelf that we donate to is actually one of the three food shelves of Keystone Community Services. Jennifer thought that it would be interesting to share part of their newsletter in this post with regards to the use of these food shelves. According to the Fall 2009 Keystone Newsletter, the use of the food shelves has been higher in 2009 than ever seen before. Just between January and July 2009, the use of these shelves was up 43% from the same period in 2008. These numbers should definitely encourage us to keep sharing our harvests with them to do our part for the community as a whole.

This Tuesday, October 5th, is our salsa making night. Jennifer should be sending out an e-mail with the proposed recipe for everyone to look at. We will be meeting by the greenhouse at 5pm to harvest and then begin the salsa making process at 6pm. We will also make Calendula salve. Hopefully everyone will be able to make this event!

Have a wonderful weekend!
Katie

Herbs!

2009-09-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
Once again, a fabulous night to be in the garden (so I heard--I wasn't actually there this week). Sage and menarda were harvested from the Simple Garden and hung in the greenhouse. Tomatoes of all varieties continued to show their fabulous coloring that seems to say "pick me now"! And there were even a few ears of corn that were harvested from the 3 Sisters' Garden. I guess the harvest season really is upon us as we say good-bye to August and welcome the slightly cooler temperatures, and if not that, the shorter days (in the amount of daylight) of September! The day was made complete by a send-off blessing for Esther as she heads to Ecuador to study abroad for a semester. Best to you, Esther! (Take pictures if you want so we can see some of the different flora that grows there!)

Next week we will be discussing what to do with the medicinal properties of some of the herbs: perhaps make soap, save, or something else? And maybe straightening up the greenhouse will be in order as well...grab a hoe or a bucket if you don't want to be volunteered for that! ;)

Another note: there will be an operetta performed of "Orpheus and Eurydice" (although a different version, think the Can-Can and Orpheus and the Underworld, if that rings a bell for anyone =) I'll look up what exactly it's about and ask if you have questions. The basis of the performance aside from the story, however, is to experiment with an outdoor venue while educating about the local foods that grow right here in our own Metro area. Sunday, Sep. 13, at 4-5:30 PM, right here in the Celeste's Dream Community Garden. Donations accepted. Bring your own chairs and blankets, but some locally grown foods will be sampled during the performance. Originality at its greatest, I think: opera and a picnic blanket!

See you this Tuesday evening, and always remember to bring friends!
Peace,
Stasia

Tuesday and Wednesday Whirlwind

2009-08-31T13:40:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night consisted of more cultivation, but the reason most people showed up (I think) was for the tomatoes. We picked the few remaining yellow pear, salvaged a poor few romas with rot on the very bottom tip, and accidentally made off with a couple of green beefsteak whose vine broke off amidst the bustle. Hopefully the sun will lovingly continue to ripen them, even if they're now sitting on the ledge of someone's porch or on a windowsill. However, for the most part we tried to keep the numbers of sellable cherry tomatoes up by carefully picking the green stem with the tomato to prevent splitting of the delicate skins. There were so many people picking in the main garden as well as so many orange-to-red cherry tomatoes, it was hard to keep track of which sections had been picked, as some people picked only the very reddest while others preferred to pick the orangy-red as well to make for a colorful--if not completely ripened--harvest.
We had a new member, Scott, come and generously take over care of the herbs for the evening as well. He met the community gardeners at the Parade of Community Gardens, which happened Saturday from 10-2.
As far as the Wednesday morning Farmers Market, proceeds from farmer’s market sales were $133 that went to Keystone Community Center’s Midway Food shelf. There was additionally a donation of 5# Heirloom yellow pear and cherry tomatoes, 3# Swiss Chard and 3# Red Russian Kale.
Have a good week!
Stasia

Trotter's Growers Market and Tuesday "Cultivation"

2009-08-19T09:49:00.000-07:00

With much faith in the unknown, Esther has graciously passed the blogging onto me (Stasia) for at least a few weeks. I'm already trying to keep up with all that's happening! A large portion of my first day at work this Monday for the St. Joseph Worker program with Celeste's Dream was spent in the garden. We rolled up our sleeves and Jennifer, Jill, Lylee and I harvested for the one-time Trotter's Café Community Growers Market, put on to celebrate their 20-year anniversary (http://www.trotterscafe.com/ at Cleveland and Marshall in St. Paul)!

We cut broccoli and broccolets and picked the ready tomatoes, both orange and cherry. Next came cold-soaking and bundling of sage, basil, two kinds of cale, and the beautiful multi-colored chard. Cut sunflowers, calendula, and other bright and petaled flora seemed to be necessary beauty to have on hand as well. All in all, the few dollars made will be able to go back into the garden fund, and being able to meet growers and vendors was a valuable part of the experience. Castle Rock Organic Dairy provided free ice cream and cheese tasting, and others such as Blackberry Hills Farm and a honey and soap producer from Wisconsin also were present--and very sociable!

Tuesday evening brought yet more to do in the gardens, especially since many of the regular gardeners went to listen to a speaker, (which I have yet to hear about but am assuming was a positive event). Quickly did I realize that "cultivating" is simply a term for weeding and beyond (aerating the soil and making it ready for what has been quite the timely and continual rain from last night through today). Jill, Valerie and I happened to have a intellectually stimulating conversation to match the highly physical exertion we were putting out. We discussed possibilities for another part of Celeste's Dream which is to be a speaker and salon series called "Wonderment". (Please let us know of any ideas or interests you may have, for while the season's speakers are set, it yet has flexibility).

We made sure the beans and beets were happy with a few cans of water and then headed down to the other garden to thoroughly soak the newly-transplanted and slightly sad-looking asparagus. By the time we headed back toward the Carondelet Center, admiring the bur oaks above our heads as we walked, the asparagus was already perking up. (And now I know what asparagus looks like before coming out of the ground!! Isn't that what this community garden is about--connection and knowledge through experience, among other things...)
Hope to see you next Tuesday!
Stasia Verdoljak
St. Joseph Worker 09-10

ComGar Potluck and a New Home for Asparagus!

2009-08-13T19:27:00.001-07:00

Greetings!
Last Tuesday, August 11th, Celeste Dream community gardeners gathered for a potluck before our usual gardening hours. Around 20 people, including some regulars and new friends, came by to share a delicious meal. We ate watermelon, Vietnamese pork noodle salad, chips and salsa, homemade pineapple ice cream, and pesto pasta - just to name a few!
After the potluck, we went to work on our gardens. Some of us tried our hand at transplanting our year-old asparagus seedlings from the greenhouse garden to the Simple Garden. All agreed that the transplant was a success (although no one asked the asparagus how they felt). We also took out more creeping charlie and clover that continue to dominate the south end of the Simple Garden. Hopefully the asparagus will soon overpower any potential weeds!
In the back gardens we harvested cherry tomatoes (so good--they're like gum drops we decided!), kale, chard, beets... We dead-headed calendula flowers, and pulled up the peas. Broccoli and peppers were also harvested from arbor garden.
All in all, a satisfying night!
If you can, stop by our little table this Monday at Trotter's Cafe growers market beginning at 5 pm. Come early because our early season harvests tend to go fast! Trotters is located on Cleveland Ave just south of Marshall Ave in St. Paul.
Peace to all and love especially to our asparagus enjoying their new moist, compost-filled homes.
-Esther

2009-08-10T11:18:00.000-07:00

Yellow pear tomatoes!

A bit of color and a bee haven next to the Administration Center

All things green and beautiful

2009-08-10T10:54:00.001-07:00

Hello!
We welcome August with an abundant garden. Last Tuesday, groups of gardeners worked in all three of our plots. In the arbor garden, we harvested broccoli, dead-headed chrysanthemums and calendula, and watered. In the largest garden space behind the Carondelet Center, we harvested chard and kale, watered, and cultivated. In the new Simple Garden plot we recultivated a section and broadcasted red clover seed to be used as a ground cover and nitrogen fixer. Clover grows well and will keep down weeds until we can plant more there. We also created one more raised bed and planted beets.
See you tomorrow (Tues, Aug 11) at 5:30 for our community garden potluck with harvesting, watering, cultivating, planting to follow!
Peace,
Esther

2009-07-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Salutations!

It's hard to believe that the tiny lettuce seeds we started in the winter have given us their energy, gone to seed once more, and then been turned into new energy in the compost. As tomatoes and broccoli are ripening, our second crop of lettuce and other greens is already coming up!

Yesterday, Tuesday the 28th, we pulled up the old arugula and lettuce and also thinned the beets. We harvested beautifully multi-colored chard and some kale, as well as the last of the peas and some beets. We watered our gargantuan tomato plants and their pepper, broccoli, eggplant, and petunia sisters and brothers. The perennial and annual flowering plants around our new arbour garden and bordering one side of the green house are going strong - all except chamomile which has past its prime.

We were rockin' in the Simple Garden plot, creating three new raised beds and filling two of them with basil, parsley, and chard. Bordering the beds we planted some petunias for a bit of instant color and flowering plants purchased recently from Mother Earth Gardens - a few well known favorites like salvia and a shasta daisy as well as native perennials including tickseed and monkey's paw flower.

See you next Tuesday from 6-8 - and don't forget that August 11th from 6-8 will be our garden potluck!

Peace,

Esther

Simple Garden Gets a Major Haircut

2009-07-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

At our last Community Garden night, Tuesday the 14th, we dug in (literally) and pulled almost all the weeds from our Simple Garden plot. As many of you know, this plot is located on St. Kate's campus behind St. Mary residence hall and was started by a St. Kate's student as her senior honor's project. Over the years, the garden has been maintained by students, staff, faculty, and community members of St. Kate's. This year, those of us in connection with gardening energy at St. Kate's and Celeste's Dream decided a collaboration was the way to go to revitalize the Simple Garden plot, which was moving towards being a weed sanctuary.

Thanks to the energetic troupe of gardeners that came this past Tuesday, we were able to make great headway on the plot, pulling everything from creeping charlie to flowering thistles to baby oaks. It was a hard night, indeed, but cool temps and a nice breeze kept bugs and foreheads drenched in sweat at bay.

The following day, Wednesday the 15th, Pete Nipp, St. Kate's horticulturalist, graciously tilled the now weed-free sections of our garden. Except for the perennial herb section, most of the plot is tilled and ready to be planted.

Speaking of plants, we have an exciting plan for our new space. Planting a nitrogen-fixing ground cover like red clover is a great way to get something useful growing in a section of the garden so that weeds cannot make a start. Late season crops like kale, chard, and beets will be planted along with annual and perennial-native flowers that will add beauty and invite beneficial insects to visit our space.

If you are one of our gardeners and have some suggestions for the new plot, please leave them as comments or email us at celeste@csjstpaul.org

See you next Tuesday from 6-8 pm! We will meet first at the greenhouse behind the Carondelet Center and then disperse to the different plots.

Peace,

Esther

2009-07-01T14:44:00.000-07:00

Hurray for green, growing beings!
Last night, a small group of gardeners worked hard to cultivate the soil and remove the weeds that surrounded our large, strong crops. Growing in the garden are several varieties of tomatoes, broccoli, eggplant, peppers (hot and sweet), lettuces, dinosaur and red Russian kale, beets, peas, and a three sisters garden of corn, beans, and squash communities. We also have perennial herbs and flowers returning and some annual flowers to brighten our plots. In addition to weeding, we suckered tomatoes, a process which some of us found difficult, as it involves cutting off some unnecessary limbs and sometimes sacrificing potential tomatoes. Ultimately, however, we believe that suckering helps keeps the plants manageable and concentrates their energy on fruit production. Indeed, the tomato plants that we suckered last week were much taller than their unsuckered sisters when we checked things out yesterday.
Our harvest was plentiful! We took home bunches of kale and chard and about a pound of sweet and delicious pea pods.
Even though all the plants are in the ground and thriving, there is still more work to be done on the Simple Garden plot located behind St. Mary residence hall on St. Kate's campus. In that plot, we plan to plant some late season crops, such as greens and beets, as well as ground cover to prepare the soil for future plantings. First we must prep the soil, which is currently full of weeds, and so the more hands the better. See you Tuesday!
Peace,
Esther

2009-04-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Bienvenida, primavera! Welcome, spring! Although you are cold and rainy today, we appreciate the green you bring to the earth around us.

In the community garden, the red clover we scattered last year as a ground cover near our asparagus has self seeded and is now a bright green carpet over one end of the garden. In the greenhouse, the tomato, pepper, and broccoli seedlings we planted a few weekd ago are super sweet AND bravely surviving these past few icky days of cold and rain. Here are some pictures.

Plan to join us tomorrow, Tuesday the 21st from 6-8pm in the garages just east of the greenhouse for our second round of planting.

2009-03-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Don’t let the snow on the ground fool you – ‘tis the season to be planting! Last night, 12 community gardeners, some old-timers, some new faces, got together and planted our first seeds of the 09 season. These seeds are destined to spend a few weeks in a basement under growlights, then be transplanted and head to the greenhouse when the night temps are warm enough.

Here is what we planted (thanks to Val for great documentation!):
Tomatoes:
Orange Queen – 50 seeds
Yellow Pear Cherry – 50 seeds
Martino’s Roma – 25 seeds
Peppers:
Cyklon – 10 seeds
Ancho/Poblano – 25 seeds
Georgia Flame – 40 seeds
Lettuce:
Cracoveniensi – 8 seeds
Red Velvet – 8 seeds
Green Oakleaf – 8 seeds
Crisp Mint – 8 seeds
Arugula – 8 seeds

Herbs/Flowers:
Chrysanthemum (Edible) – 20 seeds
Green Culinary Sage – 20 seeds
Eggplant:
Black Eggplant – 30 seeds
Florida High Bush – 26 seeds
Broccoli:
Calabrese Broccoli – 34 seeds

The tiny seeds enjoyed a gentle sprinkling of rain water. On April 21 at 6 pm, we'll be gathering again to plant more seeds. Plan to join us!

Pesto and Preparing for Winter

2008-10-15T11:05:00.002-07:00

With a chill in the air and darkness arriving early, we began our final harvest from this year's garden. Several St. Kate's students joined our regular community gardeners with a new energy and enthusiasm and allowed us to accomplish several tasks. The tomato plants were still producing much fruit, but most was green and would have to be picked and allowed to ripen or used to make fried green tomatoes. We still managed to fill a large basket of mostly ripe tomatoes to bring to Sarah's and were able to collect a wheelbarrow of green tomatoes and a few peppers. Though this was a small fare compared to produce from the garden this summer and early fall, we were pleased to fill a large basket with the bulk of our harvest--fresh basil! The task of destemming so much basil looked daunting at first, but it was quick work with many hands.

While some people worked with the basil, others finished harvesting the tomatoes and began the process of putting the garden to sleep for the winter. Though it took some determination to untangle the tortuous tomato vines from each other in order to remove their wire support systems, it was a satisfying feeling to pull the roots from the ground. The small tendrils clung tenaciously to the dirt, and it felt a little disheartening to be, quite literally, uprooting these plants from their home. Still, it is a necessary step in the circle of life in order to allow the dying green matter to revitalize the earth that will support new seedlings in the spring.

As darkness began to fall early, we headed inside for our most exciting task of the evening: processing the basil into pesto! It was a good thing that we destemmed as much basil as we did; we still only had barely enough pesto to feed all the people who came to help make it.

Our evening ended with a conversation among the gardeners and students along the lines of charity and justice in connection with the work in the garden. Thoughts about the nature of food and how it influences us, the importance of fostering community, and ideas about the sustainability of having such a garden fueled an insightful discussion that was welcomed by all. Though this would be the last garden gathering for a while, the evening ended with positive anticipation for a January meeting on planning for next spring. Sleep well, Community Garden 2008, and we look forward to renewing you in the coming year.

Pesto Recipe

10 minutes to prepare (yields 6 servings)

3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves

3-4 garlic cloves

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup parmesan

optional: 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted, and pepper and salt to taste

1. Mince basil well in a food processor or blender.

2. Add nuts (optional) and continue to blend until nuts are ground.

3. Drizzle in olive oil as the machine is still running until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl, stir in parmesan and optional salt and pepper.

Serve room temperature in a warmed bowl with your choice of cooked pasta.

Source: From the Moosewood cookbook.

Calendula Salve

2008-08-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

For the past couple weeks, we have been picking calendula flowers from our garden and used them to make salve. Calendula, or calendula officinalis, is pictured to the left and belongs to the marigold family. The word "calendula" means through the calendar and was given to the flower because it blooms regularly and throughout the year in Europe. Historically, calendula was used in soothing eyewashes, jaundice, headaches, toothache and to strengthen the heart.

The flowers were picked just before full bloom and allowed to dry 24 hours. They were then steeped in pure extra virgin olive oil for two weeks. Next, the oil was strained with cheese cloth and the flowers were discarded. Finally, this was combined with melted beeswax and allowed to set in small glass jars.

Calendula salve can be used externally to speed the healing of cuts, burns, bruises, stings, insect bites, and rashes. It can help with boils, ulcers, acne, eczema, vericose veins, and hemorrhoids. The salve cleans wounds and fights and prevents infection. Internally, calendula salve can soothe inflamed conditions of the mouth, throat and digestive tract. It can be used as a blood tonic and cleanser and can help you sweat out toxins in addition to helping with circulation and stimulating the immune system. It also has mild estrogenic effects and can help with PMS and irregular menstruation. The pictures below show some beautiful tomatoes recently picked, along with the small yellow jar of salve and a larger jar of flowers steeping in oil.

The Garden Flourishes!

2008-06-20T09:56:00.000-07:00

Hello, all.

Greetings from the midst of a beautiful summer day! Although the sun beats down on our garden, the plants are growing strong and healthy.
With about twenty gardeners coming every Tuesday from 6-8 pm, we have planted and are tending:
peppers: sweet and poblano plants looking beautiful with a few new transplants settling in
tomatoes - huge and handsome
sorrel
chives
komatsuna
radiccio
lettuce
bush beans
beets - just coming up
oregano
chard
cucumbers
peas

In our herb garden next to the greenhouse (which was recently meticulously cleaned and organized - thanks, gardeners!):
sunflowers
calendula
chrysanthemum
echinacea
chamomile - would migrate to every inch of the garden if we let it!
Italian parsley
Greek Oregano

In our permaculture section of the garden, we have planted thirty crowns of asparagus. About five are up and growing and we are looking forward to seeing how this new crop does in our garden. We also have some miner's lettuce seeds which we plan to plant as a ground cover around the asparagus. Miner's lettuce is a very interesting, small, lettuce-like plant that can be eaten raw or boiled like spinach. It is another new crop to Celeste's Dream Community Garden and we are excited to experiment with it.

On Tuesday, June 10, gardeners visited with naturalist Tom Ibsen who led us through the prairie savanna near Bethany and explained his project to restore its native ecosystem. Some of us were surprised to learn that the beautiful purple flowers growing throughout the area are actually a weed which disrupts the rest of the flora and fauna! Thanks to Tom for the enlightenment.

10/15/07 Folk School

2007-10-31T14:43:00.000-07:00

Community gardeners were joined by some new participants as well as Char Madigan, CSJ and founder of Homes on Portland Enterprises (HOPE) community, on October 15th for Waking Up, Spirit and Action Folk School.
We gathered for a delicious supper of soup and bread from St. Martin's Table, then began our discussion about community. Char shared her story and the story of HOPE, including a video that allowed us a glimpse of the community she created.
The group discussed the importance of community in many different areas of our lives, and we shared ways that each of us struggle with and seek to build community.
It was an evening of encouragement and wisdom as we came together to celebrate and discuss the ways that we all can nurture and contribute to our own communities.
Special thanks to Char Madigan, whose work with the HOPE community is especially inspiring.

The End of a Great Season!

2007-10-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

After two long evenings cleaning out, cultivating, and putting compost on the soil, we are finally ready to call an end to the season and put the garden to bed. The tomato plants were especially reluctant to come out, and we had to work hard, often showering other gardeners with soil or tomatoes as we struggled to wrangle the big plants out of the ground!
This season, we donated over 200 pounds of food to charities:
Five pounds of fingerling potatoes

Five pounds of peppers

Ten pounds of basil

15 pounds of eggplant

20 pounds of beans, both green and purple pole
20 pounds of cucumbers
50 bunches of Swiss chard
80 heads of lettuce
80 pounds of tomatoes
These veggies, combined with about 200 pounds that we took home to enjoy in our own kitchens amounted to about 400 pounds of good organic food! What a bountiful harvest!

10/8/07 "Final" Harvest

2007-10-30T14:56:00.000-07:00

As the weather turns chilly, we turned our attention to the last few veggies to be harvested from the garden, and on October 8th we gathered in what would be one of our last harvests of the season. This included gathering carrots, beets, eggplant, beans, peppers, and the last of the tomatoes, including the green ones! We also took home some fingerling potatoes which Jennifer brought to share from the Tacheny farm. Scarves and hats on gardeners, as well as the quickly darkening sky, reminded us of winter's approach, and we appreciated the time together and the vegetables we harvested.

Pesto Parties!

2007-10-30T14:20:00.000-07:00

In celebration of successful harvests and taking advantage of an abundance of basil, we enjoyed ourselves at two pesto parties this fall.
After our usual Tuesday night harvest, we walked over to the Celeste's Dream offices, various and sundry pesto fixings and accessories in hand. Gardeners tried their hands at blending the basil, olive oil, and garlic. We quickly turned out a big, warm, fragrant bowl of fresh pesto, which we enjoyed over pasta and french bread, as well as over shredded raw zucchini, all of which were delicious. After our meal, which included not only pesto but tomato and mozzarella salad and some really wonderful cookies, we discussed this season's garden, what keeps us coming back, what works, and what could be improved upon. It was a tasty way to enjoy one of the last harvests of the season!

We enjoyed chatting as we prepared the basil, and when we were done, our hands smelled wonderful!

Everyone helped to make a delicious meal!

10/06/07 Trip to Tacheny Farm

2007-10-30T14:08:00.000-07:00

Celeste's Dream community gardeners enjoyed a trip to the Tacheny farm on October 6th, where we kept busy harvesting and cleaning up the garden. Much of the work was in harvesting potatoes, including tiny but delicious fingerlings. We also harvested carrots, brussel sprouts, broccoli, basil, dill, parsley, squash, and we gleaned the last of the yellow pear tomatoes and hot Thai peppers. We appreciated a delicious fresh garden lunch after our hard work!

9/28/07 Farmer's Market

2007-10-30T13:42:00.000-07:00

On Spetember 28, Celeste's Dream community garden collaborated with MULCH, the Macalester student community garden, to sell vegetables and raise funds to aid southeast Minnesota farmers whose crops were damaged by floods this summer. We sold tat soy, parsley, eggplant, Swiss chard, and a few peppers, along with some yellow pear tomatoes from the Tacheny farm. As well as vegetables, Jennifer offered useful advice to customers who were curious about cooking new foods such as tat soy and Swiss chard. Our table was graced by the presence of several ladybugs and a very resilient caterpillar who managed to hang on to a parsley stalk even as the other veggies blew away in the strong wind! After all the veggies were gone and the bugs were returned to their homes, we counted over $150 in sales and donations. It was a blustery, succesful, and fun afternoon!

2007-07-11T12:15:00.000-07:00

The garden was full of activity on Tuesday! From planting "Provider" beans to cultivating, watering, signing, harvesting, and de-pesting the squash! We had a battle with the vine bores, the supposed problem with the squash last year. Many of us performed surgery on the growing plants. One stalk had over 10 vine bores in it. Once the bores were removed from the stalk, they had to be squished. Some were particularly healthy and left their mark by squirting members of the garden as they met their maker and were subsequently buried (as a sign to other potential bores to stay away!)

The harvest was great for the beginning of rasberries, peas, cucumbers, and the chard is in full force! We harvested a lot of beautiful red, yellow, orange, white and an almost purpley colored chard and it will surely taste magnificent!

Dates of importance:

July 31: Garden Potluck (please bring a dish to pass)

Saturday, August 18, 10am-2pm: Community Garden Tour with ours featured!! Plan to bring guitars, lawn games, knitting, and stuff for a picnic (more details about the picnic later).

See you next Tuesday!!

suckering, harvesting and other good -ings!

2007-06-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

We had another fun garden night on Tuesday, June 12. We learned how to sucker the tomato plants, we harvested over 60 heads of lettuce again and gave the garden a good soaking. Mary, Theresa, and Rita O'Brian joined us for part of the evening to check out the garden.

We also planted some flowers and gathered and planted the Blue dent popcorn for the Three Sisters Garden.

We donated about 30 heads of lettuce to Sarah's again and the gardeners and the O'Brian sisters took about 30 to enjoy. Heads harvested last week are already coming up again! We topped the basil and got to take some of that home as well.

See you next Tuesday!

Planting and Lettuce Harvest

2007-06-11T08:31:00.000-07:00

On May 22, the Community Garden night had over 20 people participating in planting, weeding, cultivating and just generally having a swell time! We planted cucumbers, peppers, eggplant, peas, beans, basil, tomatoes, and let's not forget the fabulous herb boa!

We are also planting a Three Sisters Garden once again! Here is Jennifer explaining to some gardeners about how it grows.

On June 5, we harvested the first lettuce!!! 65 heads of lettuce were harvested and about 40 heads were donated to Sarah's, An Oasis for Women. As for the rest, the community gardeners enjoyed those!

Gotta love the beauty of the garden!

See you Tuesday!

Reflections from our Gardeners

2007-04-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

“The community garden has been a great experience for me. Not only because I get to learn about and enjoy organic produce, but also because it has exposed me to the amazing women associated with The Sisters of St. Joseph. The garden has cultivated a sense of community for me, opened my eyes to environmental and health issues, and connected me in meaningful ways with women who I consider to be spiritual leaders in our community.”

“I learned so much from everyone there about gardening and really felt like I was a part of a passionate community. We had great conversations as we worked together, yet nothing was ever forced – it just happened.”

“Celeste's Dream Community Garden has been an exemplary new partner for the Campus Kitchen at Augsburg College. Last season, we were the grateful recipient of over 100 servings of garden fresh salad greens. The quality was inimitable, the care put into every facet of the garden obvious, and the taste divine! Thank you for your partnership!”

“I have personally found the garden as a way to slow down during the week. It is an opportunity to connect with others and the earth which does not happen as often as it should in this busy, fast-paced world! What has struck me the most about the garden though is the people who "stop by" on their way to a concert at St. Kate’s, after walking the labyrinth, etc. Their surprised reaction to people gathering for organic gardening to primarily share with others shows the true "magic" of the garden.”

“Fresh produce is not the only thing growing in the Celeste's Dream Community Garden. From our first conversations in a learning circle, to our most recent gathering to plan and order seeds, this garden grows change, nature's poetry, fortified people, hopeful community. The symbolic presence of the garden, the radical thinking that growing vegetables on common ground through the simple work of our hands and blessings of earth and sky and sun is a profound statement about the kind of world that can be created. Our first conversations focused on sustaining the common good. For me, the practical response of creating and growing a garden is both immensely logical and sincerely magical. The existence of the garden has led to other things, new relationships, fresh sustenance for the next cycle of community building, community growing. The garden lives in my world as space- physical, spiritual, and metaphorical for all of sacred life. And working in the community garden is fun- bugs, heat, dirt and all.”

“I joined Celeste's Dream's community garden two years ago now, and I relish meeting every week to get my hands dirty. I knew virtually nothing about gardening before I joined the group, and the framework of collective group work and ownership of tasks, in union with teaching and experiential learning, has made for wonderful growth in me. We have become a tight-knit community that can also teach and learn from each other, and we are constantly have new people join us. I have now learned everything that I need to know to start a garden for my community, or to grow my own produce at home - so that wherever I go and whatever I do I will take my experience at the Celeste's Dream garden with me. Of course, there is also the food itself - I take home as many veggies as I can eat every week, and we still donate 50-100 pounds of produce each week with those in need. It has also been wonderful learning how to process many of these foods, whether it be salsa, pesto, or some other delight. The last aspect of the garden that I want to mention is its willingness and eagerness to establish relationships with other gardening and cultural & environmental health groups - it has been a pleasure to be able to get to know the folks at Dream of Wild Health and to form partnerships with them. This spirit has led me to get involved with other garden-related groups as well, and I even had the pleasure to use data from GardenWorks of Minneapolis to map all of the community gardens in the neighborhoods along Lake Street for an interactive kiosk portal that will be included in an exhibit on the history of Lake Street at the Minnesota Historical Society this coming Fall. It started with one seed, and for me that was the Celeste's Dream garden. Thanks to them, their funders, and the continued health and success of both.”

March 28, 2007 - Planting

2007-03-29T16:18:00.000-07:00

March 28, 2007 - planting day - grey, cold, windy, and blustery

Planted:
- Moon Glows tomatoes
- Siberian Tomatoes
- Bronze Mignonette Lettuce
- Amaranth
- Chamomile
- Calendula
- Cyclone peppers (25)
- Naploean Sweet (25)
- Eggplant - Black and Florida Highbush
- Basil :-)

2006-12-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

The garden is now slumbering for the winter...adding nitrogen and recouperating. It supplied so much delicious hearty food for so many this year!

Total harvest: over 550 lbs of good organic food!!
450lbs tomatoes, 17lbs basil, 11lbs beans, 4lbs green peppers, 2lbs parsley, 4lbs broccoli, 12lbs lettuce, 7lbs radishes, 5lbs sweet peas, and 7.5lbs rasberries. The majority of this food was donated to organizations like Sarah's, an Oasis for Women, Brian Coyle Center, Dorothy Day Center, and Bethany Home, as well as plenty for the community gardeners to share!

There were several encounters with critters and varied tactics to organically remove them (including throwing green tomatoes at them!). Many of the garden crew also learned about indigenous gardening and the idea of the Three Sisters Garden (Corn, beans, squash) and made connections with the people at Dream of Wild Health. Overall, a grand community experience through the garden this year.

Planting for spring is planned for Wednesday, March 21, 2007, 6-8pm. Plan to join us and have St. Martin's Table soup following the planting session!

2006-08-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

"GO GREEN WHEN YOU GO TO THE FAIR"
A great article with the above title appeared in the Star and Tribune Home and Garden section Aug. 23rd. It details a new exhibit called the Eco Experience which will be in the Progress Center Building today through Sept. 4. There will be a "eco home" on display and a rain garden demonstrating how plants filter out storm water pollutants. Also, Arctic Explorer, Will Steger will present on his findings regarding global climate change on Wednesday, Aug. 30th at 2pm. So, if you're going to the fair, check out this exhibit.!!!!

2006-08-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Aug 16, 2006--Pesto Party!
Fun was had by all at the Garden on Wednesday! About 50 pounds of tomatoes were picked by community gardeners, as well as a few women from Sarah's...an Oasis for Women. 30 pounds went to Sarahs, 10 pounds to Bethany and 10 more to Community Gardeners. Close to 5 pounds of basil were picked to make pesto. The group headed inside to eat pizza and prepare for pesto making. About a gallon and a half of pesto was made for the gardeners to bring home. The wonderful smell of basil and garlic filled the building! See you next week!

...just another day in the garden
(You just never know what you'll find!)

For those of you interested, here is the Pesto recipe we (loosely) followed:
Pesto
6 servings
3 cups (packed) fresh basil leaves
3 to 4 garlic cloves
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup parmesan
optional: 1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts, lightly toasted and pepper and salt to taste.
1. Mince basil well in a food processor or blender. 2. Add nuts (optional) and continue to blend until nuts are ground. 3. Drizzle in olive oil as the machine is still running until you have a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl, stir in parmesan and optional salt and pepper. Serve room temperature in a warmed bowl with your choice of cooked pasta. Store any leftover pesto in the refrigerator.

Raspberries and Basil

2006-07-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Sister St. Luke generously allowed us to pick and enjoy her raspberries. Basil is coming in strong this year as well. Good, healthy food makes for beautiful, healthy people!

July 25, 2006 - Tomatoes are on!

2006-07-25T08:38:00.000-07:00

The garden is looking verdant and ripe. We were blessed by 1 3/4" rain yesterday. The squash, corn and basil really needed it. The Siberian tomatoes are ripe and plentiful! It's going to be another abundant tomato year.

5/10/06 Planting lettuce beds and digging up unwanted grass and creeping charlie from the roots.

2006-05-15T14:29:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2006

2006-04-27T09:51:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Community Garden blog.
The community garden is a program of Celeste's Dream: Sprituality Center for Young Adults. A ministry of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. It's an opportunity to:

Enjoy healthy produce
Learn organic gardening
Give to those in need
Dig into the big picture

We have our seedlings started in our greenhouse and plan to meet again on Wednesday, May 10 5-8pm to plant the garden. All are welcome.

Jennifer Tacheny, Co-Director Celeste's Dream

jtacheny@mtn.org

Check out more photos of the garden at www.csjstpaul.org click on "Celeste's Dream" and "Community Garden"