Snap On; Snap Off – The Watering System

After years of relying on the nearby fire hydrant and creative water collection systems as a source for water , The Clifton Place community garden was fortunate to have its own feed established, thanks to The Trust For Public Land. At one one point, because the city had implemented special caps on hydrants to prevent water loss during the summer month, we were solely reliant on rain water and water schlepped from our homes to meet the garden's water demands. After struggling through many seasons' dry spells with little or no water, today the water system is a cherished component of the garden.

But, long before the existing system was implemented, steps were taken to make it easier to water the various areas of the garden. Particularly, hoses that lead to connecting points were submerged into the ground. Initially, these hoses were fed by the source we took from the fire hydrants. Today the underground hoses connect to the feed station located within the confines of the garden.

To simplify things for everyone, we have design our system to have only one connection point gardeners need to interface with. In the old days, gardeners had to drag cumbersome hoses from the tool shed and establish connection to one of the connecting points in the garden. And after use, a gardener would need to recoil the hose and return it to the shed. A lot of work. Today, because of sustained connections throughout the garden, snapping in the hose that feeds the underground system is all it takes to water any point in the garden. Now that is progress.

While the system is simple, for the uninitiated it can seem more complex than it really is. For these gardeners, here is a photo demonstration of how to connect the water systems.

Spring?

April 4^th and it's opening day at the Clifton Place Garden. It is suppose to be spring but bad, old winter decided to show up with the many gardeners wanting to join and re-up. With overcast skies and and a blustering wind, it didn't take long to became chilled! But spirits were high and an old timers like me we was warmed by the high turnout of people looking to join the garden. Boxes were assigned and re-assigned. And while we were all chilled to bone after the 45 minute meeting, and the weather didn't indicate it, something in process indicated Spring.

Given the high interest in the garden this year we are very excited about the coming gardening season. We are looking forward to the results that will come from the combined efforts of our new membership. Maybe the high interest is an uncommon economic indicator or just an indication of our ever evolving community. Whatever the reasons, its hard to not sense that this should be a special summer at the Clifton Place Garden.

So hopefully spring beats back winter quickly. Because clearly in this corner of Brooklyn, there are a group of folks wanting to reconnect with the food their eat. And the sooner it warms up, the sooner their will be picking and enjoying tomatoes, corn, and a host of other wonderful fresh veggies. When the garden is fully flourishing, it is hard to believe winter will ever come.

Expanded Composting At The Clifton Garden

One project The Clifton Place Garden was able to accomplish this season was substantial improvement to our composting system. With help of gardener Melanie Skrzek, who attended classes on composting offered by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, we have expanded our composting capacity 3 fold. The Clifton Place Garden now maintain 4 distinct composting bins: three for hot composting and one for cold composting. The expanded composting system enables The Clifton Place Garden to produce high quality organic compost that is re-used during the gardening season for fertilization of planting beds.

Given our increased composting capacity, we expect to invite non-garden members of the surrounding community to compost with the garden. This should be of immense benefit to apartment dwellers interested in composting. Methods on how best to accept material from the public is being worked out. Likely, the garden will setup a receptacle at the front fence where contributors can dumps food scraps and other compostable materials. When all logistics are figured out, announcements will be posted on this Blog and at the garden.

Planting Smart To Control Pest ....

This year, it seemed that conditions were ripe for an attack of White Flies at the Clifton Place Garden. Over our years of existence, we have had mild aphid infestations. But nothing to the extent experienced this year with white flies.

Liz, one of our gardeners, realized a wonderful yield of Kale in her plot. But her success was greatly overshadowed by a persistent fight to rid the plant of the infestation of white flies. Because The Clifton Place Garden strive to maintain a pesticide free garden, Liz's option to fight the problem was limited to washing the plants regularly with water and installing sticky pads. Ultimately, Liz would lose the battle. Like most of our members, she is not at the garden often enough to wage a determined battle against the little creators.

What we should have done was companion planting. Companion planting is the long practiced organic growing technique where beneficial insect-repelling plants are grown with other plants to fend off insects they attract. In Liz's case, for example, we could have planted, together with the kale, nasturtiums and marigolds to repel the white flies. Were we to have had an infestation of aphids we could have grown garlic, mint, or catnip. (more info: http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddp7j7xj_0dx6v2fhc)

There are other benefits that are gained from companion planting. Beyond the benefits of pest control companion planting can help with nutrition and moisture management of the soil. Some crops concentrate nutrients in their tissues. Others move nutrients from the subsoil to the above ground parts, that in turn is made available to subsequent crops upon decomposition. Some plant increase potassium levels, while others (particularly legumes) gather unusable nitrogen in the air and convert it to usable nitrogen. This is probably what the farmers at the the Stone Barn Center for Food & Agriculture in Westchester, NY, have in mind when they choose to plant corn is plant together with beans and squash, and melons are allowed to grow in grassy fields. (More Info: http://www.gardening.cornell.edu/factsheets/ecogardening/complant.html)

We have used organic principles in the way we grow at The Clifton Place Garden, but our white flies problem prove that there are some techniques we need to make standard practice. Going forward, companion gardening will become an integral part of our growing methods to both manage pest and ensure quality yields. Given that the average size of a gardener's plot is 4' x 6', with proper planning and companion gardening, a greater amount of crops can be grown in a season. Realizing greater results through natural processes is clearly smart planting.

Watermelon-Papaya Salad

Every one is accustomed to fruit salads – usually made of some combination of a number of fruits in a sweet preparation. But fruits are wonderful when used in savory recipes. And here is a recipe that combines two wonderful fruits (watermelon and papaya) in a salad that is sure to please. And given that August is the height of watermelon season, its the perfect time to give it a try.

Ingredients:
1 cup Watermelon
1 cup Ripe Papaya
Green or Red Onions (green onions finely slice and red onion cut into small cubes)
Juice of 1 Lime
¼ cup chopped Pistachio or Walnut (toasted)
2 Tbs Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Salt (to taste)
Hot Sauce (to taste) -- I prefer Sriracha for its balance of heat and sour.

Directions:
1. Cut watermelon and papaya into 1/2” cubes and combine in a bowl.
2. Cut green onions into fine slice or red onions in small cubes, add to fruits.
3. Juice one lime and add juice to other ingredients.
4. Add Olive oil and combine all ingredients.
5. Add chopped nuts.
6. Add salt, combine, taste, and adjust as needed.
7. Finish with hot sauce of choice. Add hot sauce to give a sense of heat but not to overpower.

This recipe is exciting to almost all areas of the palate. The watermelon and papaya provides sweetness, yet the papaya bring in a bit of sour that his heightened by the acid of the lime. The onion provides savory flavoring. The nut provides crunch to contrast the smoothness of the watermelon and papaya. The salt ties everything together and hot sauce brings about the last bit of magic needed to make the recipe complete.

Enjoy!

Fall Gardening

The end of August and the shortening days tells us the end of summer is soon approaching here in NYC. And for many community gardeners, the gardening season will soon end. In many of the plots the summer vegetables are plentiful. There are tomatoes of all varieties, squashes, okra, melons, and assorted herbs and green leafy vegetables add lusciousness. But the cooling days hints that the window is closing on summer and with it goes the joys gardening in the summer months bring.

But should the fading daylight and cooling temperatures mean an end to gardening? No. The approach of fall should be just as exciting as that of spring, as it is both a time of transition in seasons as it is for planting opportunities. As the harvest from summer staples such as tomatoes, corn, and lettuce diminish, it is time to clear plots and prepare to extend gardening into fall and early winter. For some vegetables, such as collards and lettuce, growth in cooler climate yields a better product that lacks the bitterness summer grown vegetables can develop. Hint: pick summer vegetables before they reach full maturity.

Here is a list of vegetable that are appropriate for fall gardening:

Beets

Brocolli

Brussel Sprouts

Cabbage

Carrots

Cauliflower

Collards

Kale

Kohlrabi

Mustard

Onions

Radishes

Spinach

Turnips

This list consists of large numbers of hardy plants that will require little or no frost protection. Use of burlap or any other material supported by stakes will work in creating a barrier between the plants and frost. Root crops such as carrots and radishes should be harvested or heavily mulched to protect against hard freeze. With mulching, the harvest of root vegetables can extend well into spring. And a mild winter might result in harvests from all crop through spring.

At The Clifton Garden April 15 – October 15 is the official gardening season. But we encourage all members to take full advantage of the garden to grow crops year round, if possible.

Mint, More Than Tea.

Mint. For many it for tea (iced or hot). For others, its a weed that should be destroyed at every sighting. But in actuality mint is a herb that lends itself to very complex uses and should be viewed as favorably as basil and parsley from a culinary perspective.

Mint pairs very nicely with many food items. From cucumbers to watermelon, soups to risotto, mint will always enliven a plate. Unfortunately, American cuisine rarely take advantage of mint in recipes. In contrast, many south Asian dishes depend on mint for authenticity in flavor. Whether it is Indian, Thai, Vietnamese, or Laotian cuisine (to name a few), these cultures often reach for mint to freshen the taste of dishes. What would a Vietnamese spring roll be without mint?
Here are a few way you might incorporate mint in your cooking:

1. As a salt. Huh? That's right, as a salt. You can dehydrate mint in a microwave and blend it together with salt in a spice-blender to create Mint-salt. The Mint-salt can then be use to flavor, for example, a watermelon-tomato salad, a piece of pan seared salmon, or a vinaigrette.
   
2. In sauces. Creating mint tea is basically the infusion of water with the essence of mint. This process of infusing a liquid with the essence of mint can be applied in making sauces. For example, you can make a wonderful cream sauce that will go nicely with a mushroom stuffed ravioli. Saute 2tbs finely chopped onion in blended oil (olive/canola oil) till translucent. Add the juice of one lemon and reduce till syrupy. Add 1 cup of cream and handful of mint. Reduce cream by 50 percent of until sauce coats the back of a spoon. Do not reduce cream more than 50 percent. Strain sauce to get rid of mint. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy!


3. In soups. There are many soup recipes that utilize mint in a prominent manner. Here is a unique and healthy recipes that you can easily make. Cold Green Peas and Mint soup is ideal for summer. Bring about 2-3 cups of water to boil. Once boiling, turn fire off. Take about a cup of green peas (fresh or frozen, if frozen, thaw) and blanch them in the hot water for about 2 minutes. Add blanched peas, add about a cup of mint leaves, 1 small red onion, 2 tbs white wine vinegar , and two cup of cold water in a blender. Blend all ingredients, season to taste with salt and pepper, and adjust vinegar taste, if necessary. Voila! A healthy, nutritious, and delicious soup. You'll get sweetness from the peas and the mint works to heighten the freshness of the peas. The onion and vinegar is there to balance everything out. Add cream or sour cream if a little fat is desired.
   
4. In salads. Here is a salad that is pretty boring without mint. It is an Orzo, Feta, Tomato, and Mint salad. Orzo, is a Mediterranean pasta shaped like rice. To prepare, bring 3 cups salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add 1 cup Orzo (When cooking pasta, always add pasta to salted boiling water, else it will clump and stick to the bottom of the pot.) Cook pasta till cooked. Pastas are usually cook when they begin to float, is firm to the teeth, but do not taste raw(floury). Do not overcook. Drain hot pasta into colander, run under cold water to stop cooking, then toss with a bit of olive oil to prevent sticking. Cut Feta cheese into small cubes, wash either cherry or teardrop tomatoes (use whole). Chop mint leaves finely. Add all ingredients to large bowl. Make a vinaigrette with 2 parts oil to 1 part white wine vinegar, 1-2 tbs maple syrup, salt and pepper. Add vinaigrette to ingredients in bowl and gently toss to incorporate. That's it! Bon Appetite.
   
5. As a substitute for other herbs. Mint is an excellent substitute in recipes that may call for cilantro, in particular. But it can also be used instead of parsley or any herb whose addition primarily is for freshness.

So hopefully you get the sense that mint is for more than tea and dessert decoration. With a little experimentation, you too can come to see the many possibilities of mint in cooking.