Chinquapin Organic Gardens Fall 2009 Newsletter

• Nov. 30 is the end of the gardening season
• From your chair and vice chair: Thanks for another great gardening season at Chinquapin Park
• Plant cover crops now to enrich your garden soil later
• Student Discovery Garden continues to flourish
• 11th Annual Chinquapin Organic Gardens Potluck Picnic 
• Green tomatoes: An end-of-season vegetable bounty
• Volunteer to write an article for this newsletter!

Nov. 30 is the end of the gardening season  

It’s the end of another gardening season at Chinquapin Park. As we gear up for cooler weather, don't forget to prepare your garden for winter as well. All gardeners are required to clean up their plots by Nov. 30, the official end of the gardening season at Chinquapin.

As noted in the Chinquapin Organic Gardens Regulations, all dead plants and debris must be removed. Gardeners who have not tidied up their plots will be notified and may be ineligible to register for a garden plot at Chinquapin next season. (The monitoring team will visit the gardens in early December, so there is still time for you to do last-minute clean-up!)

All stakes, tomato cages, fences and other supports must be taken down, and gardeners are encouraged to take them home. Any cages that are left must be neatly stacked and secured. Be sure to store materials away from the edges of your plot to ensure the safety of all path users.

Please be sure to dispose of all spent plants and produce, as brush and rotting vegetation can attract rodents. Registration for the 2010 gardening season will begin in a few weeks, so be on the lookout for your renewal e-mail or letter from the City of Alexandria.

With your help, we'll be ready to start another great gardening season next year! 

Plant cover crops now to enrich your garden soil later

By Amber Kim Dewey 

Autumn is a great time to plant a cover crop like winter rye. Planting a cover crop in October or November will suppress weed growth over the winter and improve the tilth (structure) of the soil. Incorporating the cover crop into the soil in early spring will increase the organic content of the soil as well as returning nutrients to the soil.

Cover crops improve the health of your soil by:
• conserving soil and water,
• adding organic material and improving soil tilth,
• creating airspaces for improved root growth,
• maintaining a balanced pH and enhancing nutrients,
• producing nitrogen (if leguminous),
• encouraging microbial activity in the soil,
• suppressing weeds either through competition or allelopathic chemicals,
• attracting beneficial insects, and
• providing an inexpensive alternative to bagged mulch or manure.

With its vigorous root system and allelopathic qualities, winter rye is a great choice to combat soil compaction and weeds. In addition, winter rye survives winter without protection. Although winter rye is not a nitrogen fixing legume, its roots will bring up subsoil nutrients and absorb excess nitrogen. If rye is turned into the soil, these nutrients will become available as the rye decomposes.

“Allelopathic” means that the rye produces a natural chemical which keeps the seeds of other species from germinating. This includes vegetable as well as weed seeds. Transplants are okay. The allelopathic chemicals diminish two to three weeks after the rye is turned into the soil. Therefore, incorporate the rye two to three weeks before sowing garden seeds. Or, use rye straw as mulch around transplants, or in pathways as it continues to release the chemicals.

To achieve consistent germination, plant rye from October to mid-November. Germination will take about 10 days depending on the temperature. A thick planting, about two pounds per 20x20 plot, best suppresses weed growth.

Planting the rye is easy. Remove garden debris, loosen the soil and break up clumps to prepare a smooth seed bed. Then broadcast the seed, rake in and water well until germination is established. In order to have minimal weeds, it is important to cultivate the soil immediately before sowing the rye. Even light cultivation with a hoe makes a difference.

Winter rye will add substantial organic material as well as residential nutrients when it is turned into the soil. For ease of cultivation, turn in when the rye is twelve inches tall. Another option is to let the rye mature and produce pollen (tap the seed head and look for the pollen blowing away), and then harvest it for straw. The straw makes great mulch for garden paths.

For more information, download these two PDF handouts (on building healthy soil and winter rye) or contact Amber Kim Dewey.

Student Discovery Garden continues to flourish

By Brad Kukuk

The T.C. Williams High School Discovery Garden has successfully made it through its second full gardening season. The students returned in early September and the Garden Club has attracted about 20 to 25 students for each meeting (Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30p.m.).

The Garden Club has continued to develop connections to the community and school. We have donated our extra produce to the high school's culinary arts program. We have met with the director of all food services in the school district and are coordinating with her to grow more specific vegetables that can be used in the high school cafeteria. We continued to donate some produce to St. Martin's Senior Center. We have also met with some local Boy Scouts who may complete a project at the garden in order to earn their Eagle Scout ranking.

Also, the high school industrial arts students are planning on building a small storage shed for all of our growing collection of tools and supplies. It will not be on the garden property, but across the street on school district property. And we are getting a steady supply of vegetable scraps from the cafeteria that we are composting every week.

The Garden Club now has a student president and we are in the process of filling other student leadership positions as we enter into our third season in the garden. Science teacher Patrick Earle is still the teacher-advisor for the Garden Club. Thanks to a generous grant from the Hunting Creek Garden Club, Patrick led the students in completting several ambitious projects including a three-bin composter and the two picnic tables. Just last week, Patrick and the students finished yet another expansion of the garden by adding a wooden raised-bed structure. The wood is all organic and pesticide free.

Master Gardeners Amber Kim Dewey and Brad Kukuk are still volunteering to help teach the students and keep things watered and are part of the leadership team with Patrick. We also enjoy strong support from Wendy Sparrow, a teacher and habitat coordinator for Alexandria City Public Schools, who manages 12 student gardens all over the school district, mostly for elementary-aged schoolchildren.

Students have been putting the beds to sleep over the past two weeks by adding composted manure that we purchased, and enriching the soil. After a lesson by Chinquapin Organic Garden’s "green manure lady," Amber Kim, they planted winter rye and it is already up and growing in several of the plots. The entire main garden will be in its winter slumber in about two weeks.

And finally, after work is finished in the garden, the students will continue to manage the compost over the winter. Planning will begin in February for our Second Annual Plant Sale, so check with us before buying tomato and pepper plants next year!

11th Annual Chinquapin Organic Gardens Potluck Picnic

The 11th Annual Chinquapin Organic Gardens Potluck Picnic was a huge success this August, with great weather, happy gardeners and award-winning gardens. As usual, the delicious homemade food was a big draw, including delicacies that featured produce grown at Chinquapin Park, such as green tomato coffee cake, herbed cheesecake, beet-carrot salad, chocolate zucchini bread and carrot muffins. Mmmmm! And don't forget the barbequed hot dogs!

The annual Tomato-Taste Off was extra competitive this year, with many great entries. After much deliberation, the judges chose the winners: Dale May took home two of the top prizes, for Best Looking and Best Tasting Tomatoes, while Marjorie Lomax won for Most Appealing. Sally Evans took home the award for Biggest Tomato, Angela Wright one for Smallest Ripe Tomato and Ana Gonzales and José Lovos won the award for Weirdest Tomato.

Alexandria Mayor Bill Euille stopped by the picnic to sample some of the peach pie, and Vice Mayor Del Pepper helped hand out the more than 70 best garden certificates (see list, below). Other special guests included Alexandria City Councilman Rob Krupicka and former City Councilman Justin Wilson.

Congratulations to the winners of the 2009 Chinquapin Organic Gardens Best Gardens Awards:

AB5 Project Discovery/ T.C. Williams High School BC1 Marie Brittain BC3 Ramon Kazanjian BC4 Lynn Gas CD3 James Torretti CD4 Debra Welsh DE2 Beverly Ann Johnson DE4 Darcy Martinez DE5 Nora Lauterbach* DE7 Brad Kukuk EF2 Margaret Johnson EF7 Bonny Bell EF8 Charles Raasch FG4 Anthony Mauro & Kathy Culligan FG7 Sara Hamberg & Jason Upchurch GH4 Dale May* GH5 Ana Gonzalez GH7 Erhan Uzunkaya* HI3 Margaret Slipek HI4 George Robertson HI5 José Lovos HI6 José Lovos HI8 Lynn Orlowski IJ2 Julio Humberto Mina IJ3 Walter Jackson IJ4 Susan & Collier Apgar IJ5 Oscar Moore IJ6  Marjorie Lomax JK1 Pamela Schiffleger* JK4 Annie P. Barlow JK5 Elizabeth Good

JK6 Tricia Rogers JK7 Sue Noisaguan JK8 Lynn Orlowski KL3 David Tracy KL4 Lee Mincey KL5 Jean McKean LM1 Carl Gatlin* LM3 John Good LM5 Terrence Sykes LM6 Rolf Schierhold LM7 Alex Lathers MN2 Alvin Nelson MN3 Carrie Brunori MN4 Janett Ebster MN5 Trish Lesse MN6 Margaret Schierhold MN7 Victoria Walchak NO1 Neal Fine NO3 Valerie Hodge NO7 Robert Ponichtera NO8 Lux Sitthidejphachun OP2 John Brown & Bruce Hightower OP3 Sally Evans OP7 Maxine Sorenson QR5 John Hoffman QR7 Valerie Hogue QR8 Charlie Kellett RS2 Clark Mercer RS4 Doyle Bartlett RS6 Gary Childs ST1 David Bertolotti ST2 Matthew Barrett

ST4 Willie Billingsley TU1 Lori Hartmann TU9 Bennita Wiley UV1 Antoinete Kropf UV5 Burton Ziskind UV6 Trisha Christopher UV7 Bianca Beeks UV8 Frances Raycroft VW5 Steve Lowe VW6 Terry Lowe HU1 Project Discovery/ T.C. Williams High School

*The five starred gardens were chosen as outstanding.

Thanks to everyone who came out to the picnic and especially to the Chinquapin Organic Gardens Advisory Board, the Picnic Committee and the awards team.

For more photos from the picnic, see the Web site at http://chinquapingardens.org/picnic09pics1.html.

Green tomatoes: An end-of-season vegetable bounty

If you’re like many Chinquapin gardeners, you’ve ended the gardening season with a slew of green tomatoes and are struggling with what to do with them. With the shorter, cooler days upon us, there’s less chance that they will ripen if left outside. And window sill-ripened tomatoes aren’t quite the same. So that leaves the question, what to do with all those green tomatoes?

Some gardeners just pull up the plants and toss the unripened tomatoes in the trash with the spent vines. But you could go another route and cook with them. For many people, their culinary experience with green tomatoes is limited to that Southern classic, fried green tomatoes. Freshly cooked and with a side of spicy roumalade, they are well worth their reputation.

But there are many more recipes out there for green tomatoes, and they are perfect for fall. Green tomatoes have a more earthy, subtle flavor then their ripened cousins, and are firmer and less juicy. As such, they hold up well in baked recipes. Try your hand at one of these recipes, or come up with one of your own. Once you do, you’ll never toss those end-of-season gems in the trash again.

• Green Tomato Crisp

1) Preheat oven to 350. Spray deep pie pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2) Stir together tomatoes, onions, parsley, stock, salt and pepper. Pour into pie pan.
3) In another bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir in melted butter with fork until becomes crumbly. Add in pecans.
4) Sprinkle cornmeal mixture over tomato mixture.
5) Bake 40 minutes.

-- Adapted from The Washington Post


• Green Tomato Coffee Cake

Nonstick cooking spray
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 green tomatoes, cored and cut into eighths
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1) Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9-inch round cake pan or baking dish with oil.
2) Cream butter and sugar. When slightly fluffy, beat in eggs and vanilla.
3) Combine flour, baking powder and salt and sift into the creamed butter mixture; beat well. Spoon batter into prepared pan. Arrange green tomato pieces in concentric circles over batter. Sprinkle lightly with sugar and cinnamon.
4) Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until cake is firm and golden and tests done. Serves 8.

• Green Tomato Spinach Bake

Nonstick cooking spray
6 to 8 green tomatoes
1 (10-ounce) box frozen spinach, thawed and drained
2 eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups cottage cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
6 ounces plain goat cheese

1) Preheat oven to 375. Spray a nine-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
2) Set aside 1 large or 2 small green tomatoes for garnish. Dice remaining tomatoes, keeping all juices. Combine diced tomatoes and spinach.
3) Combine eggs, flour, cottage cheese and salt, beating well by hand. Combine with tomato mixture and stir well. Add Parmesan and stir again. Crumble goat cheese over mixture (you want distinct little nubbins of goat cheese). Stir a few times and turn into prepared dish. Sliced reserved green tomatoes thinly and press onto top of cheesecake.
4) Bake, uncovered, 35 to 40 minutes or until firm and slightly crusty on top. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.

-- Recipe adapted from Relish Magazine


• Stuffed Fried Green Tomatoes

2 medium green tomatoes
4 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 tablespoon fresh basil
Flour
1 cup panko crumbs
2 tablespoons fresh parsley
1 egg
Salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil

1) Slice tomatoes into 1/8 inch thick slices.
2) Mix cream cheese and chopped basil. Create tomato stack by spreading 1 tablespoon cream cheese mixture between two slices of tomato. Make sure that cream cheese is spread completely and evenly between tomato slices.
3) Mix chopped parsley with breadcrumbs. Dip tomato sandwich in flour, then beaten egg, then panko.
4) Fry tomato stack in hot oil until breading is brown. Remove from oil and pat dry.

More produce recipes can be found on the Chinquapin Organic Gardens Web site at http://www.chinquapingardens.org/recipes.html. 

Volunteer to write an article for this newsletter!

This newsletter is produced and written by volunteers who garden at Chinquapin Organic Gardens. New writers are welcome! If you’d like to contribute an article to the newsletter, e-mail Michele Late, newsletter editor.