Bean Time

We have the BEANS! Bush beans and pole beans at all gardens are ready to pick now. We need to keep them picked but we need to pick them right. 

Please pick by pinching off the bean where it emerges from the plant. Use two hands if you need to. Just pulling on a bean may pull the whole plant from the ground. Pinching the bean off avoids leaving little stubs of edible beans hanging on the plant. Please don't pick or handle the plants when they are wet to avoid spreading disease.

We are also coming into other summer veggies now with cukes, peppers, and tomatoes about to ripen and even a few eggplants  

At Aptiv, the summer squash are coming in. The other two gardens are a bit behind. Kale and chard are still growing too. Potatoes will be ready soon but you can maybe find a couple just under the soil. Please cover any exposed potatoes with soil if you don't pick them. 

And, if you need dill, pull the whole plants from the City Hall Garden (use the seeds for cooking or to plant in your own garden next year).

The Aptiv garden time has officially shifted to 8 a.m. Fridays and, when needed, Tuesdays.  Know that if you want to pick from that garden on your own, the best times there are Mondays and Thursdays.

If you get bored with eating lovely beans cooked until crisp-tender and with a bit of butter, garlic, and dill (like this https://itsavegworldafterall.com/garlic-butter-green-beans/), here are a couple of other recipes.

Spicy Szechuan Green Beans Stir Fry (Sue & Gumbo):  https://youtu.be/QFMWpgLXRac?si=_ucJfVtvH3ig9Oe-

Green Beans & Mushrooms (I also add julienned carrots) (Taste of Home): https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/garlicky-green-beans-with-mushrooms

Pick me!

It's very wonderful to be volunteering in the garden when someone stops by to pick a few things for a meal! More is coming in now, including green beans (all gardens), cukes (Aptiv), and more. (Photo of volunteers at Hogan VG  by Lori).

Thanks to Leah, we now have wood chips to spread on the city hall paths! We're doing a bit at a time as we are able while trying to keep up with weeding and replanting beds. If you want to help out, please join us!

Aptiv garden time is now 8 a.m. Fridays  instead of 9 a.m. It's a bit cooler then.

Feel free to contact us if you have questions or want to help!!

Cukes & chips

The Aptiv garden is now putting out cucumbers and beans in addition to kale and chard and herbs.

At City Hall, we have chips! Wood chips will gradually replace weeds on the paths there. We are still trying to keep up with weeds in and around the beds!

In the next couple of weeks, spring things like spinach, peas, cabbage, and cauliflower will come out and we'll plant fall things there. If a section of garden looks empty, that's why.

We'd love to have a few more helpers at each garden, if you'd like to join us, please email, call, or text!

PEAS PLEASE!

The Aptiv garden is FULL of peas that need to go into someone's salad, stir fry, or other delicious dish!! Pick them now!

Snow Pea Salad from Yummy Addiction.

Chef Ani's Snow Pea and Tofu Stir Fry. 

From The Spruce Eats: Snow Peas with Butter and Lemon.

[We've found some plants--celery, peppers, onions-- that have been pulled out of the ground and left. If you pick something, please take it and use it. If you're not sure if it's ready or how to use it, come to a group gardening session or let us know and we can meet you there to go over what's what. Thanks!]

Pick me!

Dill

It's always a surprise and a delight when the seeds we plant in April and May grow into vegetables we can eat in summer and fall. The peas are ready at the Aptiv and City Hall gardens. The lettuce, kale, cauliflower, and cabbages are ready. At Aptiv, we also have beets!

Some potatoes might be found, too. Look for a plant whose flowers have fallen off and gently feel around just under the soil near the base. This year, we didn't have all the seed potatoes labeled, so early and late varieties are mixed together and it's a bit harder to know when they are ready by the calendar.

Some things are simply gifts from the past. A cloud of dill, sprouted from last year's batch, covers part of the City Hall garden, along with many volunteer marigolds. We are pulling some of the dill to give this year's summer squash space and light to grow, but it can also be harvested by snipping the feathery leaves and leaving the rest of the plant to grow more

If you go to City Hall, take some dill will with you!

Now, we're scrambling to replace the harvested  veggies with new seeds or seedlings for harvest in September while we also try to keep the beds and paths free of weeds. 

If you want to garden with us or get an overview if what's where so you can garden on your own, come to a group gardening session or contact us and we can meet up with you!

Aptiv - Fridays at 9 a.m. (may be switching to 8 soon!) 

Hogan - Tuesdays at 9 a.m.

City Hall (usually) - Tuesdays at 5:30 p.m.

Try this: Potato Salad with Dill and Peas from the Vegan Larder