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August 16, 2012 Volume 18, Issue 10
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Greetings!
Farewell to Michael Benson!

Friday, August 17, is Michael's last day in the garden, and all of the garden ladies will miss him! He's been good-natured, hard-working, and ever curious. Michael will move back on campus on Friday and start Resident Assistant training the next day. He's currently an RA alternate and we hope that he gets bumped up into the position. Thanks, Michael, for a great summer and have a great school year.
From Hanna: Michael, I really appreciated your wealth of knowledge you shared with us! I wish you the best as you continue life beyond Common Ground Garden, the vegetables will miss you!
From Virginia: You have been a really great person to get to know, and work with this summer! You should expect some visits from me this year to brush up on my vocab as well as random facts. And of course -- back massages, ha ha!
From Whitney: I have really enjoyed getting to know you over the summer. You are a very bright, talented person and you have taught us all a lot with your unlimited knowledge -- about EVERYTHING!! We will all miss you in the garden.
From Emily: We'll miss your good humor and agreeable demeanor greatly. Thank you so much for being an amazing coworker!
From Sam: It was great to get to know you. You'll be missed! Hope to see ya around.
Children's Book Recommendations from the Gardeners
(collected by Michael Benson)
Many of you have noticed that we've been sharing coloring pages and children's books with kids at Thursday distribution. Below you will find a brief summary of some of our favorite garden/veggie related books. All of these are available at the College of Saint Benedict library.
"Some books are to be tasted, some to be chewed, and some few to be swallowed and digested."
-Sir Francis Bacon
Kate's favorite!
Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!, by Candace Fleming
Mr. McGreely loves his vegetables, so one spring he decides to plant his own garden. Everything goes well until three hungry bunnies begin visiting his garden at night. Mr. McGreely goes to enormous lengths to protect his precious veggies, but the bunnies always seem to be one step ahead! Will he be able to outsmart them at last?
Hanna's childhood favorite!
June 29, 1999, by David Wiesner
Holly Evens plans the coolest science experiment ever: to send vegetables into the upper atmosphere to study its effect on their growth. When gigantic vegetables float down to Earth a few months later, she is overjoyed... until she starts finding foods that she did not plant. Where is all this titanic produce coming from, and what happened to her plants?
Michael's favorite!
Weslandia, by Paul Fleischman
Wesley is an awkward boy who doesn't fit in at school, despite his parents' attempts to make him conform. Inspired by the things he learned in the last week of school, he decides to create his own civilization over the summer-- one where he belongs.
All in Just One Cookie, by Susan E. Goodman
Grandma bakes cookies for her visiting grandchildren, explaining along the way that a cookie does not start in the kitchen but that people from all over the world help make them. Accompanied by a curious cat and a hungry dog, she leads a food adventure that will leave everyone hungry for cookies.*
*Knowing this, the author has conveniently provided a cookie recipe at the end of the book.
It's Pumpkin Time!, by Zoe Hall
A brother and sister love Halloween so much that they prepare all summer- watch them grow the pumpkins that will one day be their Jack-O-Lanterns!
Mrs. Rose's Garden, by Elaine Greenstein
Mrs. Rose wants to win a blue ribbon at the fair more than anything else in the world! She tries a new fertilizer concoction that yields amazing results, but the more her plants grow, the more she thinks that winning all of the ribbons will spoil the fun. Instead, she creates a plan to make all her neighbors very happy.
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1. Cucumbers, 2. zucchini, 3. kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens (you'll get one of these greens), 4. green/purple beans, 5. beets, 6. kohlrabi, 7. tomatoes, 8. watermelon/cantaloupe, 9. a variety of hot peppers, 10. and assorted herbs.
1. 2. 3. 
Vegetable Forecast
More of the same, plus sweet corn!
Bread of the Week Multigrain End of "You Pic Beans"!
The beans are tapering out, but let us know if you are interested in extra beets or cucumbers for canning or pickling. We will try to accommodate your requests. Call Kate with questions: 262-339-7737
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Distribution takes place every Thursday afternoon, unless otherwise notifed.
- 4-6 p.m. at the Common Ground Garden---You really can't miss the barn at Saint Benedict's Monastery. Enter at the college entrance from Minnesota Street near 4th Ave SW. Make a right at the stop sign and follow the gravel road out to the barn.
- 5-6 pm at St. John's Episcopal Church in St. Cloud. For a link on google maps, click here.
Missed Thursday Pick-Up?
Never fear, your produce is still here. If you know you are going to miss a Thursday pick-up, invite a friend to come get it. If you forget to pick up, come out to the garden on Friday anytime between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.; or be in touch and pick up your share at the St. Joe Farmer's Market 3-6:30 p.m. on Fridays. You can even pick up your veggies Monday morning; we go to the St. Joe Food Shelf and the Monastery at 12:30 on Monday afternoon with produce that has been left behind.
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Swap Bin
We want you to love and be able to use all of the produce you receive from us. If you know that you won't be able to use a certain vegetable, and you don't have a friend with whom to share it, leave it in the swap bin. Another subscriber who loves what you left behind can pick it up, or it will get distributed to another vegetable lover.
Bring us your Bags
We encourage you to bring your own bags to pick up vegetables--canvas bags are great. We recycle brown paper bags, plastic grocery bags, and egg cartons, too. All of those plastic bags in which you get your veggies are recyclable. Rinse them out and bring them in and we'll take them to Coborn's for recycling.
Composting
Bring us your food scraps! If you don't have your own home composting system, add them to the Monastery compost pile. No dairy products or meat, please. The pile is located just south of the big yellow barn.
Evening Hours in the Garden
Get your hands in the dirt on Tuesday evenings from 5-7 p.m. You all are the Common Ground Garden. Produce from the garden is widely distributed to subscribers, patrons of the Farmer's Market, Minnesota Street Market, and area food shelves, the Sisters of Saint Benedict, and friends of the garden who work in exchange for produce. Be part of the physical efforts. Kids and low mobility gardeners are welcome.
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Outdoor Movie Night at the Garden -- rescheduled
Join the gardeners for a viewing of The Lorax on Thursday, August 16, 9:30 p.m. Bring chairs or blankets. We'll have bug spray and some snacks.
From the Catholic Worker
Join us for weekly dinner and prayer: 6:30 p.m. dinner, 7 p.m. prayer. All are welcome.Learn more about the community at www.centralmncw.org.
St. Joseph's Farmers' Market
The St. Joe Market is open every Friday 3-6:30 p.m. near the St. Joe water tower. Visit the SJFM website www.stjosephfarmersmarket.com for more information about vendors, what's new, and special events throughout the year.
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Baked Eggs in Tomatoes (Everyday Food, September 2010)
Yield: 4
4 large beefsteak tomatoes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons snipped fresh chives
1/4 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese (1/4 ounce)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9-inch baking dish or pie plate with parchment. With a serrated knife, cut off the top 1/2 inch from each tomato. With a spoon or a melon baller, gently remove seeds and inner membrane, being careful not to break through flesh of tomato. Place tomatoes in dish and season with salt and pepper.
Divide corn among tomatoes. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and chives and season with salt and pepper. Divide egg mixture among tomatoes and top with cheese. Bake until egg mixture is set, 45 to 50 minutes. Serve warm.
Notes from the gardeners' test kitchen: We whipped up this tasty treat, minus the corn kernels, in the milk-house toaster oven. It's easy, a great snack, breakfast item or dinner item served over rice.
Kenyan-Style Kale and Tomatoes (http://www.wholefoodmarket.come/reipes/2735)
In Kenya, this popular dish is eaten without utensils, with chapati (a variety of flatbread) or ugali (a type of cornmeal mush) used to scoop up bites instead. This recipe was inspired by a Whole Planet Foundation microcredit client.
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 yellow onion chopped
1 jalapeño stemmed, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
3 ripe but firm tomatoes cored and chopped
2 bunches kale or collard greens (about 1 pound total) ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced
½ cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and jalapeño (if using) and cook, stirring often, until softened and golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until collapsed and juicy, about 10 minutes more. Add kale, water, lemon juice, salt and pepper, toss once or twice, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender and flavors have come together, 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon into bowls and serve.
Indian Chapati Bread (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/indian-chapati-bread/)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup hot water or as needed
In a large bowl, stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour and salt. Use a wooden spoon to stir in the olive oil and enough water to make a soft dough that is elastic but not sticky. Knead the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is smooth. Divide into 10 parts, or less if you want bigger breads. Roll each piece into a ball. Let rest for a few minutes.
Heat a skillet over medium heat until hot, and grease lightly. On a lightly floured surface, use a floured rolling pin to roll out the balls of dough until very thin like a tortilla. When the pan starts smoking, put a chapati on it. Cook until the underside has brown spots, about 30 seconds, then flip and cook on the other side. Continue with remaining dough.
Caramelized Green Beans with Pine Nuts (Everyday Food, March 2009)
Serves 4
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 ½ pounds green beans, stem ends removed
2 tablespoons pine nuts
In a large skillet, heat butter and oil over medium-low. Add green beans; partially cover, and cook, tossing occasionally, until green beans are tender and browned in spots, 30 minutes. Add pine nuts; cook until nuts are toasted, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
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Every week we will send several recipes that make use of the produce you are receiving in your bag. We also have a significant collection of recipes on our website at http://sbm.osb.org/ministries/common_ground_garden/recipes/. Please send us your own recipes, too--either favorites from your cook books or your own concoctions.
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Contact information
commonground@csbsju.edu
Ryan Kutter, Garden Director, cell: 320-219-3389
Kate Ritger, Production Manager, cell: 262-339-7737
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The Common Ground Garden is a community garden that includes a CSA, volunteer opportunities, newsletter, educational events (pickling, cheese-making, eating locally on a budge, etc.), individual garden plots, and sales at the St. Joseph Farmers' Market and Minnesota Street Market. We are committed to supporting the St. Joseph Food Shelf and the St. Cloud Catholic Charities Food Pantry. We pride ourselves on producing fresh, clean, healthful food picked at the peak of flavor and nutrition. We use cover crops, rotations, compost and ingenuity to produce your food in a way that's healthier for you and healthier for the community. While we are not certified organic, we do not use chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers.
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Common Ground Garden is the ministry of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict.
104 Chapel Lane St. Joseph, Minnesota 56374
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