With the days becoming shorter, we are starting to reflect on the abundance of food our gardens have produced over the growing season and what the future holds for when the temperatures begin to drop. There are so many crops to be harvested still and the growing concern of what to do with it all is on everyones mind. Sharing with neighbors, friends, and families is always good but making sure you have enough food during the non-growing season is great. We taught and learned the benefits of preserving our harvest by using the canning and dehydrating processes. From turning fresh cucumbers and herbs into pickles and preserving hot peppers by dehydrating and freezing, we were eager to see what else we could preserve. This led us to slicing and dicing other crops like zucchini, sweet potatoes, and kale.

                                                

We all have our go to recipes for crops such as kale, tomatoes, and zucchini, but we wanted to explore other ways to prepare this produce so we could add it to our meal plans more often. It could be as easy as creating a healthy dressing to add to leafy greens or using spices that are new to us to add a little zing of new flavor. With the healthy eating classes, we were able to explore these options and give our taste buds something new and create new flavor profiles to share with others.

                                                                         

As we say goodbye to our warm weather crops, we are looking forward to reintroducing the cool crops again from our spring harvests. Enriching our soil by adding organic materials to make sure there is enough nutrients for another season of successful growing, is the way of the land in our gardens at the moment. Feeding, watering, protecting, and  mulching is on repeat for our newly transplanted lettuces and other brassicas. Preparing for the change that is soon to come.

 

Kymisha Montgomery

Urban Agriculture Coordinator

Civic Garden Center