Fall Harvest Meet-Up

It's been an extra busy summer and we apologize for not updating you sooner with harvesting tips. However, we are going to make it up to you!

Our Edible Kent garden beds have really driven home the virtue that you reap what you sow. We've had an incredibly successful harvest of veggies and herbs, and we're thrilled you're enjoying them.

We want to invite you to join us on Saturday, September 13 at 10 a.m. for our Fall Harvest Meet-Up where we'll harvest sorrel, kale, basil, peppers, parsley, valerian, nasturtiums, and scallions. We'll also talk about transitioning the garden from summer to fall and give you a tour of the beds. Plus, you'll learn how to plant cold weather crops and we'll talk about preserving your garden harvest for the fall.

As always, we are happy to answer any questions you may have about what we do and how the community gardens help bring people together, so please don't hesitate to ask. You can also email your questions to: ediblekent@gmail.com.

We can't wait to see you Saturday, September 13 at the Edible Kent beds on Franklin Street near the Haymaker Farmers' Market. Please feel free to bring a friend to this educational opportunity! 

Image Source: http://mylovelyquotes.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/fall-nature-quote.jpg

Basil | A Fresh Taste of Summer

Image Source: yearroundveggiegardener.blogspot.com

Spicy Bush Basil is bordering the Edible Kent beds. With countless varieties of basil available, we chose this variety since it makes a great edible border. Outside of its aesthetic appeal, this variety adds a little kick to recipes that your average Sweet Basil can't beat.

This basil can be harvested throughout the growing season. Currently our plants are in dire need of some trimming. They are growing tall, but not out in the globe-like appearance seen above. For this reason, we are encouraging our supporters and volunteers to head out and get some trimmings. All you will need are your fingernails or some scissors. When harvesting Spicy Bush Basil, you can pinch off the leaves (and stem) at the top, allowing light to get to the lower parts of the plant and helping it take on its preferred globe shape. If you're a visual person, please take a look at the video below. While this video covers harvesting Sweet Basil, the same rules apply to our Spicy Bush Basil. 



It's important to keep in mind that you don't want to harvest the basil during the hottest points of the day. A good rule to follow is to harvest during the early morning hours or in the cool of the evening.

Now that you know a little about our basil and how to harvest it, feel free to head downtown and get some for dinner tonight. :) Just make sure you take what you need, leaving some green goodness for others to enjoy.

If you're unsure on how to use your fresh basil for dinner, please see the recipe below. As always Edible Kent is here to help and educate others on sustainable food production, if you have any questions or concerns, please email us at ediblekent@gmail.com.

Happy Harvesting! x 

Spicy Tomato-Basil Sauce
By: Bon Appétit

Ingredients: 

• 4 1/2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with added puree (from two 28-ounce cans), divided 
  
• 1/4 cup pine nuts  
• 4 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil  
• 3/4 cup finely chopped onion  
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced  
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds (finely crushed in plastic bag)  
• 3/8 teaspoon (or more) dried crushed red pepper  
• 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil, divided  
• 1/3 cup dry white wine  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Preparation:
Place 1 cup crushed tomatoes in blender. Add pine nuts and blend until very smooth, about 1 minute.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic, fennel seeds, and 3/8 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper. Sauté until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add remaining crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoons chopped basil, wine, and oregano. Scrape in tomato mixture from blender and stir to combine. Simmer sauce until flavors blend, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and more dried crushed red pepper, if desired. (Note: Can be made 1 day ahead -- Cool, cover, and chill.)
Rewarm sauce. Mix in remaining chopped basil.
Makes about 4 1/2 cups

Planting and Sharing with Love

Hello friends!

It's been more than a month since many helpful hands came together to clear and plant the Edible Kent beds. All of our produce and beneficial plants are coming along nicely.

Today, we gathered at the beds again for some general maintenance. The weeds have really enjoyed our amended soil, so had to be dealt with. Some of the plants were also ready to be harvested. We picked kale, rainbow chard, and onions. The kale and chard are great to harvest, since you only need to pick a couple leaves and keep the plant intact to produce more. Some of the onions were pulled as they seemed very eager to get out of the ground and onto the plate.

This has been such a great learning experience so far and we really appreciate our volunteers. Your hard work has made this vision and initiative possible.

Our Sunday Harvest to Share with Volunteers. :)

Note to Edible Kent harvesters and volunteers:
Outside of the harvesting and weeding, we did notice a few missing plants that were pulled out altogether. These may have been a weeding accidents, or someone who just didn't know that most of the plants in our beds don't need to be pulled to be properly harvested. The dandelion greens, for example, can be picked one leaf at the time. Leaving the plant to produce more for others to use. Our thyme was also missing. This is another plant that can simply be plucked, one at a time, allowing others to enjoy. There are only a couple plants that are harvested by one big pull and those are the onions, the celeriac, and the fennel (which aren't ready to harvest yet). Everything else can be harvested one leaf at a time. We understand that this is a learning experience for everyone involved, so if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email us at ediblekent@gmail.com and we will be happy to assist. :) Other than a couple (minor) hiccups, the beds really do look amazing, the plants are healthy and we owe this success to your support. Thank you! x

Planting Our Seeds to Share

Apologies for the silence on this blog over the past few months. It was a long, cold winter, but as the spring buds came back to life, so did Edible Kent. We have our seeds started and are gearing up to plant in downtown Kent on June 7th. Will you join us?

We are in need of volunteers for our ground-breaking first plant as an organization and hope to see you there! Starting at 9 am, under the Haymaker Farmers' Market bridge, on Franklin Street, we are going to clear and plant two Adopt-a-spot beds. All in one day. Yes, you heard that right. :) In the meantime, please take a look at our wishlist for supplies to help make this one day goal possible:

- At least 10 volunteers
- Rototiller or garden tillers – If someone has a gas-powered one to bring, please let us know. We only need one gas-powered rototiller. If they aren’t automated, then we need about 3 people to bring manual ones.
• Shovels
• Trowels
• Nice markers (to fill out our adorable plant signs)
• A truck for dumping debris
• A wheel barrow
• Tarps or old trash cans for debris
• Broom to clean any mess off of sidewalks

We will meet under the Haymaker Farmers' Market bridge in downtown Kent, June 7th at 9 a.m.

As for what we'll be offering the Kent Community this year, there will be a variety of herbs, peppers, edible flowers, and plenty of beneficials to keep the bees and butterflies happy as they pollinate our organic produce. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact us at ediblekent@gmail.com.

Hope to see you next week!

Haymaker Farmers' Market

On Saturday, August 10th Edible Kent set up their first stand at the Haymaker Farmers' Market to survey area residents on what they would like to see growing in the future "help yourself" gardens. Since Edible Kent hopes to be a community initiative, with a public presence, that's framed around residents' needs, we wanted to gather some data from community members and hear from everyone who was willing to fill out our survey.

After only four hours at the farmers' market, Edible Kent collected 150 surveys from visitors! We aren't sure if it was the fresh veggies (donated from farmers at the market), the mint tea, or our lovely volunteers (courtesy of the Kent Community TimeBank) that kept people coming; but we would like to thank everyone who participated. We would also like to thank our lovely volunteers, including: Debra-Lynn, who provided her photographic talents and took amazing shots of our stand; Stephanie, the master gardener and communicator, who kept people coming to fill out surveys; Lisa, one of the founders of Edible Kent and a great person to have around when people ask the "tough" questions; Jennifer, who kept the samples full at all times and provided lots of positive energy; Vince, who painted our Edible Kent banner; and Jeff, who let us borrow his tent and table for this event. We also owe a huge thanks to Kelly Ferry, of the Haymaker Farmers' Market and another Edible Kent founder, who gave us space for our stand and provided support throughout the day.

We haven't decided if another trip to the market is in the cards, but we do hope you keep checking back for updates on this cause. There was so much positive feedback Saturday. We are filled with hope and excitement that Edible Kent will become a reality.

Photo by: Debra-Lynn Hook

Photo by: Debra-Lynn Hook

Lisa, being a good sport as we get some shots of our stand at the market

Join Edible Kent

Welcome to Edible Kent! Please check out our mission and aims to read about the new initiative we are trying to enact in Kent, Ohio. 

Mission:  Using existing ornamental plots, open green space, and tree lawns; we will build the Kent community by offering edible, creative spaces that promote sustainable food production.

Aims of Edible Kent: 

• To promote and develop a culture of and opportunities for growing organic food, cooking, and sourcing local products
• To develop whole community skills in growing and cooking local produce through workshops
• Involve area restaurants and businesses with a “no waste” mindset and encourage them to use the local produce at their establishment
• Use the arts to promote interest in sustainable food production 
• Empower and inspire the next generation through creativity and sustainability
• Start a community compost program for the gardens 

 
If this sounds like something you would like to be part of, please email ediblekent@gmail.com to request a copy of the survey we are currently offering community members to vote on what they want to see growing.

We will keep this blog updated with fun facts, projects, and what Edible Kent is up to. Be sure to check back and hear more!