Looking to Next Season: End-of-Season Survey
"What does it take to make our garden 'grow?'" Do you remember the kids waving their wands at the 20th anniversary party? Their "cue" word was "grow." It takes all of us to make the Common Ground Garden grow. Thank you for your continued support and excitement about bringing fresh food to central Minnesota.
Sometimes I get bummed out that the watermelon didn't produce, or that the sweet corn dried up, or that the bugs ate so many winter squash. And then I remember that I picked 600 sweet peppers last week, distributed more eggplant and tomatoes than I ever have, built a garden team that is excited to volunteer at the food shelf and co-op, made some amazing new friends with garden kids, their parents, and random folks who somehow found their way to the garden.
So, it's helpful to me to get some perspective and soak in the fruits of the year.
Here's a review of the season ...* 84 Households (60 half shares and 24 full shares) subscribed to the garden
* We've continued to sell at the St. Joe Farmer's Market every Friday afternoon
* We've increased our sales to Nick's Third Floor (local food restaurant in St. Cloud)
* We've increased our sales at the Minnesota Street Market (Food and Art Co-op) and one gardener volunteered there every week
* We've continued to make regular donations to the St. Joe Food Shelf and one gardener volunteered there every week
* We've continued to share abundance with the sisters
* We've loaned garden space to the Central Minnesota Sustainability Project (CMSP) and St. Joe residents Kim and Kerry Kaluza
* We've continued our friendship with the St. Joseph Lab School first/second graders
* We've welcomed the increase in volunteers and people interested in working in the garden in exchange for fresh food
* We've continued to host classes from CSB/SJU to learn about sustainable farming practices, local food systems and the Benedictine mission of this garden
* We started an asparagus patch and plan to expand it next spring
* We expanded our rhubarb patch and plan to expand it further next spring
* We started canning pickles, making jelly and pasteurizing juice and selling these value-added products
* And we continue to have a lot of fun!
Looking to the Future ... I still dream about ...* Winter storage space so we could sell root crops and squash through the winter
* Increasing our growing season through the use of a high-tunnel or greenhouse
* A community kitchen (certified kitchen) at the garden so we could preserve and sell our surplus
and scratch and dent produce, offer more community classes on food preservation and rent space to people with small businesses who need a certified kitchen but can't afford their own
* A clay earth oven and homemade pizza business one night a week with veggies from the garden
* A comprehensive plan for sustainable use of the 84 acres of monastery farm land
As always, share your ideas and dreams with us. We want to build this together. Please take some time at distribution this week or next to fill out the end-of-season survey. We appreciate your feedback and rely on it as our source for "being on the right track" in your minds. Thanks!
Phytochemicals in the Common Ground Produce
By our friend, subscriber and CSB Nutrition professor, Jayne Byrne
Many food writers and bloggers often warn us that we ought not to eat anything we cannot pronounce! While that may be generally wise, many of the naturally occurring "ingredients" found in the delicious veggies in our garden share can be real tongue-twisters! Compounds such as saponins, resveratrol, luteolin and isothiocyanate are examples of compounds in foods such as grapes, peas and beans, cabbage, carrots and bok choy. Naturally occurring plant compounds that may impact human health are commonly referred to as phytochemicals.
Some examples of other common terms that refer to phytochemicals are antioxidants, polyphenols, flavonoids and carotenoids. Phytochemicals are not considered to be essential to human survival in the same way that vitamins and minerals are essential, but they are recognized to improve health and well-being in many different ways. Thousands of phytochemicals have been identified, but only a small number have been intensely studied at this point. Here are some examples of specific phytochemicals available from your garden share:
* kaempferol (kemp-fur-all) is part of a family of compounds called flavonoids. Flavonoids have many helpful functions in plants, and contribute part of the yellow and blue/green pigment to many fruits and vegetables. Studies that include large groups of people have found a positive association between the regular consumption of foods rich in kaempferol and a reduced rate of heart disease. Kaempferol consumption is also associated with a reduction in the occurrence of ovarian, skin and stomach cancer. In laboratory studies, kaempferol has been found to block the formation of cancer cells, prevent damage to cell membranes and reduce inflammation. Foods rich in kaempferol include broccoli, cabbage, kale and other leafy greens like arugula, chard and dark green lettuce varieties, onions, tea (from tea leaves), tomatoes, strawberries, apples and grapes.
* Zeaxanthin (zee-a-zan-thun) and lutein (loo-teen) are members of the carotenoid family of phytochemicals. These compounds contribute to the bright yellow pigment found in many vegetables. Consumption of carotenoids, especially zeaxanthin and lutein, is associated with reduction in the risk of the eye disease known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Consistent intake of carotenoids improves visual function. A recent study published in the British Journal of Nutrition (Kesse-Guyot, E., Andreeva, V.A., et. al.) found an association between diets rich in carotenoids during midlife and improved cognitive function during aging. Examples of foods rich in zeaxanthin and lutein include winter squash, spinach, Swiss chard, zucchini, kale and egg yolk.
There is limited information on the impact of cooking and storing vegetables and the amount of phytochemical activity. In general, it is a good idea to eat fresh vegetables as soon as possible after harvesting, or store them in a cool, dry and dark location. If your refrigerator crisper drawer lets in a lot of light, consider putting your veggies in a brown paper bag to store them. When cooking plant foods, use a fast and short method with a minimal amount of water, like steaming or stir-frying. Adding condiments such as olive oil, lemon juice or herbs should not have a negative impact on flavonoids and carotenoids in your food.
Common Ground Garden is a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) farm, where members purchase a share of vegetables and each week during the farm season receive a bountiful box of fresh produce. We pride ourselves on producing fresh, clean, healthful food picked at the peak of flavor and nutrition. As much as we are able, we grow our vegetables without the use of any chemical herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers. We use cover crops, rotations, compost and ingenuity to produce your food in a way that's healthy for you and for the community. When necessary for pest control or to combat disease, we use only products approved for organic gardening.