Summer News Letter For the Garden

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SUMMER 2021 NEWSLETTER

The last three months have been very busy and productive. Our spring crop of various lettuces produced abundantly, and we were able to donate many flavorful greens to the Chevy Chase food bank. We also planted carrots, beets, broccoli, onions, Swiss chard, potatoes, and sugar snap peas, which you can see climbing the 6th street fence. Our garlic is doing fantastic; the garlic scapes were harvested so that all the energy and nutrients will now go to the bulbs that will be ready sometime in July. Our herb garden is filled with herbs such as parsley, dill, mint, oregano, rosemary, lovage, tarragon and edible flowers like calendula and nasturtiums. Feel free to cut some of these herbs to season your meals. Please take as much mint as you would like. We have an abundance of it!

This summer we are lucky to work with an intern from Chatham University, Alex Clark, who is helping us experiment with vertical gardening. We planted summer and winter squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, and pole beans that will all grow with the support of our existing fences and the trellis we just built in the “I” part of our community plots. We also started a three-sister garden that consists of corn, beans, and squash. A number of American tribes planted this trio because they are known to thrive together.

The fruit trees planted this fall are doing well, and we can already enjoy the berries from our serviceberry

trees. The fruit is dark reddish to purple and the flavor is like a mild blueberry. You are welcome to sample them. Once more established, we will be able to harvest and make jam and pies out of them. Our blueberries are full of berries, and they should be ready to be picked in early July. Bring your children for a treat!

In the pollinator meadow you can admire a variety of gorgeous plants, all native, all attracting beneficial insects, pollinators and birds. It is quite a treat to observe all the life, smells, and color thriving in that space.

We hope that you will come often to enjoy the garden. Check out the events happening this summer and join us for our community time if you want to help or learn more about gardening.

DATES TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR:

❖ Every Wednesday, 6 to 8PM: Community time in the garden
❖ June 25th, 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM: Family Time in the Garden with Chloe Drew and Kay Snyder

Volunteer Corner

Want to help? Contact us at icg15701@gmail.com. The Indiana Community Garden is also on Facebook and at https://indianacommunitygardens.org/

• ❖  Join us for scheduled ICG events
• ❖  Email us if you can help at other times with garden maintenance, watering, mowing,planting, events, the pollinator meadow or food forest, etc.
• ❖  Let us know if you have special skills/interests: gardening, education, social media,graphic design, event planning, building and repair, etc.
• ❖  Donate books for ICG’s Little Free Library
• ❖  Donate gently used or new garden tools

Want more information? Email us at icg15701@gmail.com

Garden Spotlight: Tomato

The tomato’s wild ancestor is native to western South America and was originally the size of a pea. This wild gem was first used by the Aztec in cooking, then introduced to the Spanish. The Spanish brought the tomato to Europe, and it was quickly shared throughout the European colonized world during the 16th century.

Gets its name from the Nahuatl word tomati, meaning “swelling fruit”.

Botanically, the tomato is a fruit, a berry consisting of an ovary, seed, and flowering plant. Chefs and cooks consider it to be a culinary vegetable because of the low sugar content compared to other fruits. Tomatoes have an umami flavor, meaning it is described as savory.

Nutrition:
High in the antioxidant lycopene, vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K

Types and Uses:
Tomatoes are a versatile fruit. You can use them raw on a salad, as a bruschetta, for salsa, or even just a quick healthy colorful snack. They are the main ingredient in any red sauce recipe. Cook them down into a paste or make your own ketchup!

Recipe: Roasted Tomato and Leek Flatbread

Ingredients:

2 cups red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 tablespoon and 1 teaspoon

pizza seasoning
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 medium leek, washed well,

thinly sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup cornmeal
1 (14-ounce) refrigerated

classic whole-grain pizza

dough
1⁄4 cup pine nuts or slivered

almonds
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded

gruyère cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ̊F (176 ̊C).
2. Toss the cherry tomatoes with 1 tablespoon olive oil, herbs de Provence, salt and pepper.

Arrange on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven; set aside. (Note: This can be done ahead; roasted tomatoes can be

frozen and also used in salad, quiche, and salsa.)

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3. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic. Cook and stir uncovered for about 3 minutes, or until slightly softened.

4. Turn the oven up to 400 ̊F (204 ̊C).
5. To make the crust, dust a 15-inch pizza tray or stone, or a greased non-stick cookie sheet,

with cornmeal. Unroll the dough, arranging it over the cornmeal. Brush the dough with the

remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
6. Layer the roasted cherry tomatoes, leek, garlic, and pine nuts

or almonds on the unbaked crust. Top with gruyère cheese.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

7. Remove from the oven; allow the flatbread to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Kids’ Corner

We are so excited to have children back in the garden helping us grow and exploring the wonders of the natural world with us! Already this month we planted a bean & squash teepee and learned about the ways a seed grows through seed yoga! Last week, we were excited for a brand-new topic in the garden, growing edible mushrooms! We devoted a class to teaching children and adults how to grow the garden giant mushroom, Stropharia rugosoannulata!

You’ll notice some new faces teaching some of our youth programs, and we hope your children will enjoy the enthusiasm our new teachers bring to the topics they will be covering!
Don’t forget to tell friends and family to come out to our annual Family Fun in the Garden event, Friday, June 25 at 6:30.
If you haven’t joined us for our FREE Wednesday night programs from 6:00-7:00, we hope you will soon!

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