Community Gardening NewsletterJune/July 2022 |
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In This Issue - ACGA Conference 2022: New Orleans, October 6-9, REGISTER NOW!
- Fort Valley State University brings mobile tech to New Orleans
- Express yourself in New Orleans: RFP
- Summer time is squash time
- New children's book on community gardening
- Solitary bees
- Growing Communities training
- Share garden stories with the Smithsonian
- Shop Amazon - help ACGA
- ACGA is here for you
- Recruiting committee volunteers
- A message from Editor Terri Carter: "We want your perspectives."
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Join us in New Orleans! October 6-9 |
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The American Community Gardening Association invites all community gardeners and garden organizations, urban farmers, environmental stewards, and all friends who cultivate food and justice to join us for ACGA’s 2022 Conference in New Orleans. ACGA conferences are unique, a place to meet and share ideas with community gardeners and garden organizations from across North America. They are informative, inspiring, and fun. The dates are October 6 through October 9, 2022. It’s a beautiful time of year in the Big Easy, perfect weather for visiting gardens and enjoying NOLA’s legendary music and cuisine. Mark your calendars now, and watch this site for more information about attending, as well as about presenting. The conference is the perfect venue for sharing your stories and insights from your own garden and organization. See you in October!) |
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Fort Valley State sends mobile technology center to ACGA conference 2022 Fort Valley State University Mobile Information Technology Center will head to NOLA for ACGA Conference. The mobile information Technology Center is a high-tech computer classroom housed in a 72-foot semitrailer with twenty individual training stations and on board. Community Gardeners and Farmers will get an opportunity to explore and learn ways of improving your garden or farm with up-to-date technology. This is just one of the exciting things that will take place at the conference. ACGA is honored and pleased to welcome Fort Valley State University to our conference team. Don't miss out! Register today. See you in New Orleans in October! |
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EXPRESS YOURSELF IN NOLA
. . . by presenting at the conference ACGA invites you to present at our 2022 conference in New Orleans. It’s a perfect opportunity to share insights and swap ideas with fellow community garden leaders. Workshops are 50 minutes long, and cover community gardening topics from working with volunteers, to fundraising, to making our gardens more environmentally friendly, to traditional foods and how to cook and grow them, and more. Each presentation receives a $100 credit to apply to registration fees. Click on the application link to apply to lead a workshop or present a poster at the conference: |
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It wouldn't be summer without squash |
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One thing’s for sure. Summer in the community garden is squash time. “Would you like some zucchini?’ is an offer you can't refuse heard coast-to-coast. Squash are botanically part of the Cucubitacea, a sprawling family that includes cucumbers, watermelons, and pumpkins, as well as squash. We call butternut and other large hard-skinned squash “winter squash” and zucchini and crookneck “summer squash”, but both actually grow in the summer. The winter squash are just better keepers. All squash varieties thrive on rich warm soil, ample water, and room to grow. Even the “bush” types are good sized plants. With summer squash, pick ‘em small and often. Since squash are subject to diseases and pests, with downy mildew, squash bugs, and borers all ready to attack, try to select the best varieties for your specific area. Genetically, there are at least three different species of garden squash. One, Cucumis moschata to botanists, is an American native with hairy stems that discourage borers, another native critter. Moschatas are mostly winter squashes - butternut is a moschata - but some can be eaten small just like summer squash (see yummy recipes below.) In addition to cooking in the skillet, summer squash can be grated and used in breads, and the flowers are edible, lightly fried in batter. Because of squash’s tendency to cross-pollinate, agronomists recommend against saving your own squash seed. However, all isn’t lost: Just eat the seeds toasted as “pepitas.” They are rich in protein. In fact, squash’s traditional dietary role was a protein source, as part of the four sisters (corn, beans, squash, and sunflowers or another flowering native, grown by the First Nations on this continent.) Squash’s broad leaves helped shade out weeds, too. No wonder squash is still a mainstay in every community garden. (PS: Now, want some zucchini?) - DB (Photo: Greek zucchini (by Spiros Tavern, Flickr, Creative Commons.) |
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Yellow Squash by Erica Walker It’s about this time of year when our garden seems to be overflowing with squash and zucchini. We have squash with just about every meal and no one is complaining. Most of the time we simply sauté it (recipe below) but sometimes it fun to switch it up and use a different cooking method or a variety of toppings. In this post we will share all of our favorite ways of preparing this delicious summer squash. Types Of Yellow Squash When someone refers to “Summer squash” they are most likely referring to the yellow variety. These come in two common types. Straight-neck and Crookneck. Either of these varieties can be used in the recipes below. They taste similar but there are a few different subtle differences: - Straightneck – More commonly found in stores. It has a thinner, smoother skin than crookneck varieties. It has a mild, smooth flavor.
- Crookneck – Has a slightly thicker, bumpy skin. It often grows with a more pronounced, bulbous end and a crook-neck (hence the name) near the stem but can sometimes grow with a straighter neck (like the picture above). The flavor is a little nuttier than the straight neck varieties and because of the thicker, waxier skin, it could take longer to cook.
Yellow Squash Nutrition Yellow squash is a great, nutritious vegetable (well, technically a fruit but we won’t get into formalities) that is high in Vitamin C, Vitamin B-6, and potassium. It is also low carb (7g*), low calorie (31 calories*), and 2.2g of fiber (*based on a medium sized squash according to the USDA.) It’s a great vegetable for those practicing a low-carb or keto lifestyle. How To Cook Yellow Squash (4 Easy Ways) There are so many different ways to cook up squash. It can be roasted, steamed, sautéed, grilled, baked, fried, or even air fried. Here are our 4 favorite easy methods of cooking yellow Summer squash: - Roasted (or Baked) – Cut in half, slice or cut into pieces. Brush with olive oil and season with salt. Bake at 400-degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tender. Throw some other veggies on there to make a delicious roasted vegetable medley.
- Sautéed – Slice or cut into smaller pieces and sauté in butter over medium-high heat for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Season with salt or seasoning (see ideas below).
- Grilled – Cut into thick slices or wedges. Brush with vegetable oil and grill for 5 minutes per side or until tender. Season with salt with each turn.
- Air Fried – Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Air fry at 375-degrees for 8 minutes, flipping half-way through. Season more after flipping if needed.
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We Need Your Favorite Recipes for our New Cookbook ACGA is going to publish a cookbook with treats from the garden. Please send us your recipe. And tell us where you garden. If you can send a picture(s) of your garden and your prepared dish that would be great. Tell us how many serving your dish serves and how long it takes to cook including preparation and cooking time. If you have questions or want help formatting your recipe, please contact in...@communitygarden.org and send your recipe there too. Include any interesting history or stories about your recipe and tell us when you might enjoy serving it like on a picnic, or dinner for my in-laws and so on. |
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Bonus recipe: Fried Zucchini with Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce Prep: 15 mins Cook: 3 mins Level: Easy Crispy, crunchy zucchini strips with lemon aioli dipping sauce and dill to tease and please your taste buds. Who knew eating your veggies could taste so good? I fell in love with this at a restaurant and I had to make it myself and it turned out just as good. This is a great way to use up some of your zucchinis from your garden. Kids love this too. Ingredients - 3 whole medium size Zucchini
- 1-½ cup Club Soda
- ¾ cups Plain Flour
- ½ cups Cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon Coarse Ground Black Pepper
- 2 cups Panko Bread Crumbs
- 4 cups Vegetable Oil
- ½ cups Parmesan Cheese
- FOR THE LEMON AIOLI DIPPING SAUCE:
- ½ cups Hellman's Real Mayonnaise
- ½ cups Sour Cream
- 1 whole Lemon, Zest And Juice
- ½ teaspoons Dill Weed
Preparation Wash each zucchini and cut off stems/ends. Slice each zucchini lengthwise into 1/8″” thin strips. Set aside while preparing batter. Batter: In a large mixing bowl, combine club soda, flour, corn starch, seasoned salt, onion powder and black pepper. Wisk until well combined. Batter should be the consistency of thick pancake batter. More soda can be added to thin the batter if needed. Pour batter into a shallow dish to allow room to batter each zucchini strip. Place 3-4 strips into the batter and coat each side. Allow excess batter to drip off the strips before transferring the zucchini to the breading. To bread the zucchini: Pour at least 2 cups of Panko bread crumbs (Japanese bread crumbs) into a shallow dish. Dip battered zucchini strips in breading, coating each side. Continue battering and breading remaining zucchini. Place battered, breaded strips on paper towels while heating oil. To fry the zucchini: Heat the vegetable oil in a deep fryer or large skillet to 350 degrees. Drop 3-4 zucchini strips into the hot oil and fry for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. If using a skillet, turn strips using tongs to brown both sides. Remove golden zucchini strips from the oil and drain on layers of paper towels. Sprinkle strips with Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately with Lemon Aioli Dipping Sauce. The sauce: Combine mayo, sour cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, and dill weed in a medium bowl. Refrigerate until zucchini strips are ready to serve. |
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Sunshine, plants, and story time fun in Sacramento |
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Author and educator JaNay Brown-Wood, PhD, shared her new book MIGUEL’S COMMUNITY GARDEN with the Sacramento community during a free story time event. In collaboration with the City of Sacramento’s Community Garden program, patrons visited the Sojourner Truth Community Garden to enjoy a tour as well as a free plant to take home. Additionally, Brown-Wood read a selection of her books and gave away awesome prizes such as free books and book-themed aprons. Brown-Wood is an award-winning and New York Times Bestselling children’s author, poet, educator, and scholar who is committed to spreading the word about the importance of early literacy and authentic diversity in children’s books. Currently, she teaches in the Early Childhood Education department of Folsom Lake College while writing books and poetry for children. Brown-Wood’s new WHERE IN THE GARDEN picture book series, illustrated by Samara Hardy and published by Peachtree Publishing, follows a cast of diverse characters through various gardens as they search for produce. Each book introduces young readers to a specific plant, fruit, or vegetable such as a pumpkin or a sunflower, and labels characteristics that describe that produce. Then, the characters move through their gardens, comparing and contrasting other produce to the one they are searching for. In Brown-Wood’s newest book from the series, Miguel, a young Hispanic boy, must find his sunflowers in preparation for a garden party. He and his pet turtle move through the spring garden comparing characteristics of sunflowers with mushrooms, mulberries, artichokes, apricots, asparagus, and more! The WHERE IN THE GARDEN series provides readers with exposure to familiar produce like apples, pumpkins, and potatoes, as well as less familiar produce such as artichokes, kumquats, and mulberries. Also, each book gives parents and educators plenty to talk about related to seasons, regional produce, parts of plants, and how plants grow! Additionally, all of the books include a kid-friendly recipe that children can prepare with an adult helper. Plus, Brown-Wood has created some free Cooking with JaNay videos where she and her kid chefs prepare each recipe. Finally, every book also includes an activity guide offered on the publisher’s website. Brown-Wood’s mission is to help children find themselves in books, which is why she writes stories with diverse characters. She has written many books including Imani’s Moon which won the NAESP Children’s Book of the Year Award and was featured on Stephen Colbert’s The Late Show and Storytime with the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She also wrote Grandma’s Tiny House: A Counting Story! which received a starred review from Publisher’s Weekly and won the CELI Read Aloud Book Award. She has ten new books publishing in 2022 and many more to come. Brown-Wood’s background as an early childhood educator and college professor gives her a chance to infuse her books with elements of learning as well as engaging stories. Overall, Brown-Wood is always looking for opportunities to share her books with the community. Partnering with the City of Sacramento’s Community Garden program has been a fantastic way to share literacy with the community while getting families outside and into the garden, setting the foundation for a love of gardening and healthy eating and reminding families of the amazing benefits that come from gardening with children. For instance, gardening with children helps to support each domain of their development: physically—as they learn about healthy foods and use their bodies to plant and care for produce; cognitively—as they think about parts of plants, learn language pertaining to gardening, and engage in the science and math required to be successful gardeners; and social-emotionally—as they learn to garden with others, cooperate in the tending of gardens, and learn to cope with the emotional ups and downs that come with gardening. Brown-Wood and the City of Sacramento Community Garden program are eager to continue planning events related to story times and gardens and look forward to reaching even more families throughout the Sacramento area. Stay tuned for more events coming to the community soon! To learn more about JaNay Brown-Wood, PhD, Author & Educator visit her website at www.janaybrownwood.com To learn more about the City of Sacramento Community Garden program, visit their website at https://www.cityofsacramento.org/ParksandRec/Parks/Specialty-Parks/Community-Gardens For more resources related to gardening with children visit the Kids Gardening website, an amazing resource: https://kidsgardening.org/ |
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Hi, we're Crown Bees! A small family-run, solitary bee company based in the Pacific Northwest. Our goal is to help gardeners and farmers increase pollination and food production with solitary bees. Most people think of the honey bee or bumble bee when we mention bees. But, of the 20,000+ bee species globally, less than 10% are social bees like honey bees and bumble bees. The other 90% are solitary bees, and these are the bees we work with at Crown Bees. We know that growing food in community and school gardens can provide more access to healthy, fresh fruits and vegetables for local communities. To help these gardens produce more food, we developed our Community Garden Pollination Program. Participation in our Community Garden Pollination Program is a beautiful way to introduce solitary bees to your community, raise awareness of some of our most important pollinators, and increase garden yields. The spring mason bees and summer leafcutter bees that we offer are perfect for school and community gardens because: - Solitary bees are docile and rarely sting, making them safe around children, families, and pets. On the off chance they do sting, the pain is mild and similar to a mosquito bite.
- Solitary bees improve pollination efficiency and increase fruit set 2x better than honey bees! When you pollinate with mason or leafcutter bees rather than honey bees, you'll see significantly more fruits, veggies, and flowers in your gardens which could help provide food access to a higher number of community members.
- Urban gardens can play an essential role in pollination conservation. Bees need the pollen and nectar that flowers provide, and flowers need bees' pollination services.
- Raising solitary bees is a way for people of all ages to learn about the pollination services of bees, connect with nature, and contribute to bee conservation efforts.
HOW DOES IT WORK? To help community and school gardens raise awareness of solitary bees, we offer 15% off ALL Crown Bees products (including bees) to help offset some of the costs of getting started with solitary bees. In addition, we provide free access to high-quality educational materials to help educate the community about these amazing pollinators. Visit our Community Garden Pollination Program page to learn more or sign up for the program. Or, feel free to email any questions to outr...@crownbees.com. We'll be happy to help! Thank you, and happy pollinating! ~The Crown Bees Team |
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ACGA offers Growing Communities trainings Growing Communities workshops are ACGA's way of spreading the word about proven best practices in community gardening. They are based on some of the most popular and effective workshops offered at past ACGA's annual conferences. In addition to solid information on community garden organizing and non-profit management, Growing Communities also expands knowledge in areas from superfoods and better nutrition to the need to confront bigotry. Equally important, GC cultivates community by bringing local gardeners and organizations together to build friendships and make common cause. We are stronger together. You can find out more by making a point of visiting our EVENTS page on the ACGA website. For further information about how to bring Growing Communities to your own community, contact ACGA INFO. Both in person and virtual versions are available. |
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Share Your Gardening Stores with The Smithsonian? |
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Donate to ACGA when you shop Amazon Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select "American Community Gardening Association" as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. They'll donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us. How it works: 1. Open the Amazon app on your phone 2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features 3. Select "American Community Gardening Association" as your charity 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app |
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ACGA is here for you... Here at ACGA, I am always available to help at in...@communitygarden.org, Wisit our Forum to see what others are saying and to share your insights – see the article in this issue. • Cordalie Benoit, ACGA Vice President |
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ACGA looking for dedicated committee volunteers Support ACGA’s work hands-on by becoming a member of one of our committees. You will work closely with our amazing members and meet people from all over the United States and Canada. Your efforts will be rewarding and fun, and help support the cause of community gardening. Our standing committees include: Membership: Help us recruit and retain members and let people learn about the benefits and opportunities of joining ACGA. Education and Communication: Support our education efforts, including our Growing Communities workshops. This committee also works with communications, helping to create our website, newsletter, magazine. Technology: Up on your tech? Help us create, expand, and maintain our website and social media presence. Development: Support our efforts to underwrite ACGA's activities and help us find grants for gardening programs. Conference: Help with all phases of organizing and presenting our annual ACGA conference, this year in New Orleans. Interested? Please join us! Send an email to in...@communitygardden.org |
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Editor's message We want to share your perspectivesby Terri Carter, Editor, ACGA's The Cultivator Let us know about the work your garden or organization is doing. Share your stories, whether they are about life in your community garden, organizing in your neighborhood, or how things are growing, even if you are gardening at home in the yard or in containers. Please share pics and stories of a paragraph or more. We'd like to highlight YOU! We are always open to submissions from you for the Cultivator, and look forward to sharing your stories in our upcoming newsletters. Email in...@communitygarden.org to share your story. Don't forget to send pictures! |
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