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STEALING IS STEALING

Whether from a Grocery Store or a Community Garden

“Community” in the Garden refers to the community of the people who garden there--the ones who actually grow and take care of the plants--not the general public at large. Even members of the garden do not harvest from the plots of others.

The Garland Community Garden is there for the general public to enjoy and learn from observation--a peaceful and lovely place to visit.  It is not there for the public to harvest the produce grown by the hard work of others.

The photo below is of a curly leaf Kale plant at the Garland Community Garden. Two days ago, it was a full and healthy plant. When kale is harvested, the gardener takes no more than 20% of the leaves from the bottom layer of the plant.  The thief who chopped the leaves off this plant took about 90% of all its leaves.  This puts the plant in severe stress and it likely will not survive.  Even if it does, it will never be as healthy or productive as it once was.  Curly leafed kale, if well-cared for can last for two years and produce lots of kale for many meals.  This kale plant was only 6 months old.  It was not the only kale plant that was stolen from.  Another plant had about 50% of its leaves stolen and yet a third kale plant had about 30% of its leaves stolen.

As a result of this severe theft, we have decided to install surveillance cameras in the garden. Any videos of theft in action will be published for all to see--including the thieves’ friends and possible employers.  The video will be identified for what it is--a theft in action. 

Yes, food is expensive. Yes, there are many among us who are poor.  We have food banks in our community to assist the poor and down on their luck such as the Good Samaritans of Garland--an organization that we donate 50% of our produce to.  The Garland Community Garden is not set up to serve as a “come and pick our produce”.  It is set up to serve as peaceful place to visit and also as a demonstration garden to show the public plants that grow well in our area.  We are not set up for production for the public consumption.  Those who come and harvest from our garden, as did the kale thief are vandals who destroy the beauty of the garden.

 

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Perhaps if we put more emphasis on working together and sharing instead of competition, we might all be better off.

In addition, we might want to rethink our current corporate agriculture system.  I think about that more these days when I shop at the grocery store and see the soaring prices of food.

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We have many versions of  Saint Fiacre, the Patron Saint of Gardeners--people who do good for our Garland Community Garden and for our community.  Some, like the countless citizens who leave fertilizer, plants, tools and other garden goodies at the garden, we may never know.   We just show up at the garden and lo and behold--presents that we can use to make the garden better have been left in our absence.


This morning when Jane Stroud delivered 23 one-gallon bags of greens from the Garden to Good Samaritans of Garland, she noticed in the book where people record their donations that just before us someone had donated 81 pounds in the name of Loving Garland Green.  We have no idea who this person is, but one of the volunteers at Good Sam’s said he is a man who donates regularly as Loving Garland Green.

 

TO OUR UNKNOWN SAINT FIACRE

THANK YOU. We appreciate you. Good Sam’s appreciates you and many people in our community appreciate you and what you are doing.  We will respect your apparent desire for anonymity.  Until you choose to reveal yourself, we will call you “Saint Fiacre”.

 

SPEAKING OF THE PATRON SAINTS THAT WE DO KNOW, TWO OF THEM SHOWED UP LAST SATURDAY AND CAME BEARING GIFTS OF PLANTS AND THE SERVICE OF THEIR LABOR:  Rich Resser and Alicia Carrillo.

Rich Resser and Alicia Carrillo

In addition to 34 tomato plants, 13 Jalapeno pepper plants, about 30 watermelon plant, Rich tilled up five beds and Alicia helped me plant the many plants they brought.

 

EVEN MORE SAINTS!

 

Pat Patel pulling weeds in his plot.  Pat, a former engineer, helps keep our faucets in good working order.

Many Members of Loving Garland Green also qualify as members of the garden sainthood.  For example, Nancy Seaberg donated 8 large healthy eggplants--now happily rooted at the Garland Community Garden.  Pat Patel just this morning volunteered to repair our leaky faucet. 

It takes a lot of saints to keep a garden going and even more volunteer saints at the Good Samaritans of Garland and other people in our community who donate to keep the hungry in our community fed.

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PLANT EXCHANGE AND GARDEN CHAT

 GALAND COMMUNITY GARDEN

4022 NAAMAN School Road (Brand and Naaman School Road

SATURDAY MAY 7 - 9AM TO  NOON
[If it rains, Sunday 1 to 4PM 

I meet the most interesting people at the Garland Community Garden and they often inspire me undertake projects  I might not have otherwise done. Today  was one of those days.  Rich Resser stopped by the Garden today. Rich, like me, is a Garland resident and a gardener.

Rich and his girlfriend have a greenhouse where they grow orchids and other plants such as  aloe vera that they sell to local nurseries. I’m really looking forward to talking more with Rich on Saturday. After he left the garden today, I thought of so many nosey questions.  For example, do you think it would be possible for someone to make a living in Garland selling produce out of a greenhouse in their backyard?       

Rich has 34 tomato plants (a mix of cherry tomatoes and Beefsteak) to give away on Saturday as well as some watermelon plants that come with an interesting story.  I have about 50 luffa plants to share and also some lemon balm plants.  I’m sure other members of Loving Garland Green have plants to share too. Children are always welcome at the garden.  On Saturday it they want to perhaps they can plant some of Rich’s tomatoes in our area for children.

If you have ever grown wheat, I especially hope that you will come.  I would love to talk with you as I am planting a small field of winter wheat at the garden this fall.  If you want to learn more about this project, read my previous blog. It will be fun to watch it grow and follow the complete process for making it into flour.

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NOTES ABOUT LEMON BALM
I’ll bring some plants from my home too.  We have it growing all over the garden.  In our area it grows very well and is drought tolerant.

It was used as far back as the Middle Ages to reduce stress and anxiety, promote sleep, improve appetite, and ease pain and discomfort from indigestion (including gas and bloating, as well as colic). Even before the Middle Ages, lemon balm was steeped in wine to lift the spirits, help heal wounds, and treat venomous insect bites and stings. Today, lemon balm is often combined with other calming, soothing herbs, such as valerian, chamomile, and hops, to promote relaxation. It is also used in creams to treat cold sores (oral herpes).

Native to Europe, lemon balm is grown all over the world.  The plant grows up to 2 feet high, sometimes higher if not maintained. In the spring and summer, clusters of small, light-yellow flowers grow where the leaves meet the stem. If not carefully controlled, lemon balm can quickly become invasive in the garden. Often, people mistakenly think that lemon balm is invasive due to its roots, like its cousins peppermint and spearmint, but in fact it’s the seeds of the lemon balm plant that cause this herb to suddenly take over a garden. Removing the flowers of the plant as soon as they appear will make your lemon balm far less invasive.

 

 

 

RECIPE:  Lemon Balm Pesto

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup lemon balm leaves firmly packed
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 TB lemon juice
  • 1 tsp fresh chives
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1.              Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth.

2.              Add salt and pepper to taste.

3.              Store in an airtight container for up to one week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.

 

ENJOY THE PICTURES FOR NOW.
THEN COME ON SATURDAY TO SEE THE REAL THING AND MAYBE GET SOME FREE PLANTS!

Rich Resser in front of the Medicine Wheel at the Garland Community Garden

ORCHIDS  IN RICH'S GREENHOUSE