We're Back!

Well, it's been a long and cold winter, but the warm winds of spring are beginning to move in, which can mean only one thing--planting time! We're happy to say that we have planted the first seeds for this year's garden: cherry tomatoes, beefsteak tomatoes, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet peppers, and jalapeno peppers. They are sitting happily in little peat pellets in our front window, soaking up the late winter sunshine. In fact, just yesterday, the cherry tomatoes had started to sprout; as they get bigger I will post some pictures.

Emily and I went out today and staked (literally and metaphorically) a claim on some of the land behind McGiffert for this year's garden; we have big dreams for it! In addition to the small plot we had last year, we're adding a 28'x45' piece of land which will allow us to grow a greater variety of vegetables--including squash--as well as flowers. With more land to garden comes the promise of more food to share, but also the need for more hands to tend the plants. So, if you are interested in taking part in the CTS garden, let us know! It promises to be a great year!

In other news, we're also very happy to share that several of the other seminaries are starting their own community gardens this year: LSTC, Brent House, and now possibly Meadville! It is our sincere hope that this blog can become a hub of shared information, recipes, stories, and help for an entire league of seminary community gardens. Stay tuned for more information!

Winter

It's cold. Negative eleventy-billion degrees, and we haven't seen any plant life for months. Now that the end of the semester has finally waned, January becomes an opportunity to try things that I don't have time for during the school year. I still have many mason jars, and I'm researching ways to use them now that growing and harvesting is out of season. Will keep you posted!

How does your garden grow?

The garden has really shot up over the past few days:















You can't really tell, but the tomato plants, when propped up, reach nearly to my shoulder. We really should find some taller stakes, as the branches are getting heavy and the plants are falling over.

There are lots of green tomatoes, some growing in bunches of as many as eight:





























The bell pepper plants are starting to take off, too:

Baby pepper:















Mama pepper:















Daddy pepper:















I'm watching the biggest pepper for signs of turning red, though I read today that peppers can turn white or even lilac before they turn red. If we have a purple pepper, I'm picking that thing!

Vermont Veggie Pie

This takes a bit of time to cook, but is perhaps the best dish ever so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's based roughly on a recipe from the book Tofu Cookery, but as I was aiming to be as local as possible, it has more species of veggies and doesn't have the tofu or soymilk that the original recipe has.

1. Chop into small cubes and parboil for 10 minutes in minimal water, saving the cooking water
3 carrots
2 beets (the most essential ingredient)
6 golden potatoes

2. Saute together the following chopped veggies, in this order
1 tsp organic canola oil (or other oil)
1 red onion
2 scallions
1 1/2 cloves of fresh garlic
1 cup broccoli
1 green zucchini
1 yellow summer squash
2 fistfulls of beet leaves (yellow mid-vein cut out)

Add the parboil vegetables to the saute, making sure to save the cooking water. Keep on low heat while you make the gravy.

3. GRAVY
Heat on Low
2 tbsp organic canola oil
3 tbsp organic whole wheat flour
4+ tbsp nutritional yeast (I have not yet added too much nutritional yeast to anything)

Add to the gravy, and increase heat to medium
2 cups of the vegetable cooking water
1/2 clove of fresh garlic
more nutritional yeast and/or whole wheat flour as needed

Simmer, stiring occsionally, until it thickens.

4. CRUST
1 part local water
1 part canola oil
1 part vegan margarine (or grass-fed butter, I'm trying to find it)
enough whole wheat flour to bring the dough together

5. ASSEMBLY
Mix together the gravy and the veggies, and pour them into a casserole dish or cake dish (if metal, first oil the pan with canola oil). Roll out the crust into the approximate shape of the pan, and spread it out on top of the pie, making sure there are no holes. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is darkening on the edges and it resonates when tapped.

Meanwhile, I simultaneosly put a plain cob of corn, still in the husk, in next to the casserole dish for 20 minutes, a delicious appetizer.

Whole wheat flour was organic, made about 95 miles from our house, from 100% U.S. grain. Except for the canola oil, margerine, and nutritional yeast, all other ingredients (including corn) were grown within 20 miles of our house (some of them within 1/2 a mile).

Urban Garden and Outreach

Tanya and I were talking over jam the other day, and she had mentioned that she was becoming more interested in urban gardening, food justice, and the relationship between the two. I'd become more concerned with it too, and post sugar-shock, Batman sleep deprivation, and a healthy dose of sermon procrastination, I decided to do some research. I found a few great organizations in the Chicago area, and am thinking about volunteering some of my time this fall. Also, one of the sites offers workshops on wine and cheese making, and as an avid supporter of both wine and cheese, thought that might be a fun winter adventure.

I'll post links in order of coolness:

Growing Home

Growing Power

Angelic Organics Learning Center

Green Net