Graphics of our Garden





Volunteer sunflowers in our neighbor's plot



  

Corn so tall it can hide Andrew!

Watermelon are taking over everything!



The start of a melon!



Our biggest watermelon is hiding under our garden sign

A beautiful volunteer amaranth

The amaranth is an ideal watermelon trellis!



The first ripe tomatoes!



With many more to come!



Cherry tomatoes with promise!



Another mystery plant that looks mysteriously like tomatillos. Only time will tell!

Bell Peppers!

 

A maturing onion

Anaheim peppers



An abundance of basil!



Bug's eye view of rosemary



Thyme

  


Sage




Oregano



Our evening bounty!

 "The care of the Earth is our most ancient and most worthy, and after all our most pleasing responsibility. To cherish what remains of it and to foster its renewal is our only hope."
— Wendell Berry

Trimming Tomatoes and Glorifying the Gardener



I have been keenly aware of the importance of pruning lately. Specifically, the diligent pruning that tomato plants require for optimal growth and fruit production. When tomatoes are pruned correctly, they have one strong central stalk and fruit-bearing branches that reach out from the stalk. Careful pruning requires constant attention and an awareness of the unique structure of the plant. The diligent gardener knows each tomato plant well enough to recognize new growth early, and then knows which branches to leave and which to prune. The challenge is that tomato branches multiply overnight.

I have been watching our tomato plants transform themselves into chaotic bundles of branches, leaves and growing green fruit. We could have (read: should have) been more diligent about pruning from the very get-go. But we weren't, and our tomato plants have as many as five main stalks and a nest of intertwined branches. I'm sure they will still bear fruit, but we haven't exactly maximized their tomato-producing capabilities.



As I am increasingly appreciative of the value of pruning, I'm aware of the areas in my life where God is actively directing my personal, professional and spiritual growth. While God clarifies my present call to my work, it seems that God is also removing attitudes and patterns that may hinder my growth in this area. This process is as exciting as it is painful. In every way it is good.

In light of the pruning motif weaving its way through my life, I recently opened to John 15 where Jesus describes spiritual growth in the context of a garden. In this illusory passage, Jesus says that He is the vine and his Father is the gardener. Every branch in Him that does not bear fruit is removed, and every branch that does bear fruit is pruned so that it becomes even more productive. He goes on to state that He is the vine and we are the branches. We are the fruit-bearing portion of the illusion.

Two things struck me as I was ingesting this scenario. First, Jesus is the only character in the scenario who is pruned. Jesus was pruned. Jesus (God incarnate) was sanctified. Jesus wasn't pruned because He was spiritually lacking. Jesus was subjected to painful processes so that we might bear more fruit.

Secondly, the only guidance for Christ followers in this passage is to remain in Him. This is a far more passive approach than I anticipated! That word--remain--is used in practically every sentence from this point on. As branches, we reliant extensions of the Vine. Its a physical placement as well as a state of being. The pruning that Jesus has endured on our behalf is enough. Our role is to abide, to be continually connected, to remain as one with the Vine. When we do this, the life that we receive from the strong central Vine allows us to bear lasting fruit. And the fruit is the glory of the plant, aaaaand the gardener!

The Best-o Pesto!

We thought it was high time to start harvesting from our basil plants!

And what better way to eat (and preserve!) basil than to make a delicious pesto! I'm a virgin pesto-maker, but I documented my maiden voyage for all to see. I got the recipe from Rodale, where I get 96.2% of my recipes. Here's the link, but I'll be including all of the steps below: http://recipes.rodale.com/Recipe/marias-very-green-pesto.aspx

Ingredients (I doubled what is written below):

2 cups washed basil leaves

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup olive oil

1 large bowl of ice water for blanching

1 pound whole wheat pasta (we like rotini)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Start a pot of water boiling (for pasta and blanching the basil). Use a pot that's big enough for a colander to fit inside.

2. Pinch the leaves of basil off the stems, if necessary; rinse, and put into a colander.

3. Toast the pine nuts on the stovetop until golden brown--try not to burn them!

4. Fill a big bowl with ice water (I just filled the sink with cold water and emptied a couple of trays of ice cubes).

5. When the water is at a good boil, dip the colander with basil into the boiling water for about 10 seconds. Stir constantly to make sure all the basil gets evenly blanched. Remove and let the water keep boiling.

6. Immediately dip the colander full of basil into the ice water. Stir to cool the basil quickly and evenly, then remove.

7.  Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water.

8. Put the drained and blanched basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, toasted pine nuts, and garlic into a blender (I used a food processor). Blend until smooth.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain and cover lightly with the pesto! Add finely grated romano cheese to the top of the dish and ENJOY!!!

The remaining pesto can be refrigerated (if it will be used somewhat quickly) or frozen (if not so quickly).

Sharing the Dream

Andrew and I learned something from Jocelyn, the director at RAMERC this weekend. She is an incredible resource gatherer. She isn't afraid to ask for help in order to keep her resource center running and moving forward. Posting her garden on the Denver Urban Gardens website is only the beginning. I received a phone call and several excited texts from Jocelyn on Friday and Saturday. She had members of SE Christian Church over, and they were doing all kinds of projects around the center. When I got there, I saw just what she meant. And while I was impressed at the large scale projects they had undertaken that morning, I was even more moved by Jocelyn herself. She was tickled pink, overflowing with joy. She cares about the resource center so much that it brought her to tears to see others pitching in to help with the upkeep. I think there was something more going on, though. . .I think Jocelyn seeks opportunities that involve others. She doesn't want to do what she does alone. She is overjoyed as she includes as many as possible in the greater vision of her ministry to others. Jocelyn's inclusive joy is what encouraged and challenged Andrew and I this weekend. Will we have the same desire to include others in our dreams, allowing as many as possible to contribute to our vision and goals? We hope so!

Members of SE Christian Church painting
the awnings at RAMERC



Look at that beautiful new fence!
And they trimmed her trees!



Here is Jocelyn (in red) sharing
the progress with several women
on the board of directors.



Jocelyn's joy



Jocelyn would tell you that she just knows how to open her mouth when she needs something done. We are starting to see and appreciate the wisdom in building a community that is supportive of and involved with our mission.

Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower

 ¹ That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.



The contrast between our two gardens at this point in the summer brought this common parable of Jesus to mind. Each garden has a very different soil history. The garden at RAMERC has a rich history of very fruitful harvests. However, the last few years have been disrupted with construction on the pipes to the house. The soil had become very sandy and gravel-filled. We were able to make some early season soil amendments that involved layering manure and composted leaves on top of the sandy soil. This helped quite a bit. When we planted there, the soil amendments had been in place for a couple of months and new soil was starting to be generated. Very exciting! Our plants did very well here. . . at first. They are still alive and mostly healthy, but their growth is stunted. The effect of a few inches of good soil lasted about 3 weeks, now the plants are fighting for nutrients in the sandy soil beneath. We have hope for this year's crop, but our efforts may be focused on building soil for future years.

I hope these tomatoes have been putting
their energy into building some stealthy
roots!



Little Pole Beans



That corn is only shin-high by the 4th of July!
Andrew planted some more corn tonight,
hoping for a few more stalks!

Watering some pretty happy
greens and cilantro!

Our Curtis Park garden plot has been intentionally tended for many generations. We inherited a very nutrient-rich plot of land here! We did some soil amending here at the beginning of the season, however, we aren't able to take much credit for the quality of soil. As new gardeners, we are thankful to be working in such a plant-friendly environment!

Corn as high as Andrew's knees!



An artist in our garden made us a sign!





A shot at some of our tomatoes.

Beets beginning to show themselves!

Many things here: spinach, arugula, butter lettuce,
weeds, and an invasive tree.

No sign of squash, but these melon
seem happy!

Peppers and herbs doing well.

Little onions!



Our plot amongst many others!

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."    Matthew 13

The good news about soil is that it can be amended. The quality of soil can be improved in many ways. We hope to be increasing the nutrient content of the soil at the RAMERC garden this summer. The Director at RAMERC has a tradition of raking all of the leaves that fall on the property into a pile and just letting that pile sit. After years of letting the leaves pile up, they have begun decomposing on the bottom and are continuously creating the best compost we have ever seen! We have also been taking our food waste over to this garden and are composting there as well. We hope both of these things will help to improve the soil in future years!

Some ideas to build garden soil: add soil amendments that improve its physical properties, such as water retention, permeability, water infiltration, drainage, aeration and structure. The goal is to provide a better environment for roots. Some great amendments are composted soil, mulch (wood mulch is our favorite!), shredded paper, old manure (the new stuff is to hot!), and planting a good amount of nitrogen-fixing plants (beans!).

Some ideas to build spiritual soil: receive God's nourishing message, soak up good teaching, ask hard questions, allow God's truths to infiltrate the rest of your life, seek strong relationships that maximize the growth God begins in you, uproot anything that isn't in alignment with God's teaching, love those who are hardest to love, forgive those who hurt or offend, submit to the Creator and sustainer of life.