Growing to Give – The Garden at St. Mark’s Bellmore

Just moments away from a busy Long Island main road is a place of sanctuary and nourishment.  It is like entering an Eden, of sorts.  Step through an arched entryway, and a visitor discovers neatly cultivated rows of vegetables and raised beds stretching across the property of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in North Bellmore. There are root vegetables, greens, summer squash and colorful flowers bursting from the earth.    It is a peaceful place and one with a purpose.  

Susan Salem and Annie McPartlin are Co-Chairs of the Garden at St. Mark's in Bellmore, Long Island

St. Mark’s member Susan Salem – a longtime local farming advocate – founded the Garden at St. Mark’s a year ago with co-chair Annie McPartlin.  Susan is also the Saturday distribution manager at Restoration Farm.   She felt the church property could be put to more productive use to address a real need in the community, that of feeding the hungry.   

Most assume that Long Island is made up of affluent communities and carefully manicured lawns, but a 2010 study on Hunger in America by the organizations Feeding America, Long Island Cares and Island Harvest estimated that 1 in 10 Long Islanders seek relief from hunger each year at food pantries, soup kitchens and shelters. 

The Garden at St. Mark’s seeks to address the problem.  According to its informational materials, “The mission of the Garden is to have the church and community working together to enhance the environment through organic farming.  The connection of soil and spirit, and the reverence for God’s earth will serve as an outreach ministry to bring healthy and nutritious food to those less fortunate.”  A grant from Episcopal Charities helped to get the project started.  

The Garden at St. Mark’s has already reaped an abundant harvest of results.  “We were able to donate more than 1200 pounds of fresh organic produce to the Long Island Council of Churches Emergency Food Pantry in Freeport in our first season in 2011,” says Annie, a retired English teacher and avid gardener.  “It's wonderful to know that we have been able to provide healthy, fresh food to those less fortunate.”

“The Garden has brought a great deal of recognition to St. Mark's,” says Annie. “There were many people in the Bellmores that thought the church was closed, and even more who had no idea of the beautiful grounds on which the church sits.”  She explains that parish members have responded positively, although at first some were skeptical.  But, they've seen what a great ministry The Garden at St. Mark's is and how its impact has reached far beyond the walls and grounds of the church itself.  

Like any living garden, it continues to grow and evolve.  “One of the things that I love about The Garden at St. Mark's is that we are still in the process of becoming,” says Susan, “And, that in itself, has become part of our identity and has brought many wonderful things to our door.” 

This year, two different agencies that work with developmentally challenged adults reached out to the garden offering teams of volunteers who have taken charge of one of the raised beds. 

“They are so excited to be growing food and were thrilled to learn that they were capable of starting everything from seed, rather than buying transplants from the store,” say Susan. “Their joy is contagious!”

Annie adds that they also have school groups and Girl and Boy Scouts coming to the Garden to learn about sustainability and the joy and serenity of digging in the dirt and producing something healthy, tasty, and beautiful. 

Susan and Annie continue to hone their farming talents.  Both are Master Gardener Interns having completed a 12-week course through Nassau County's Cornell Cooperative Extension in the Fall of 2011.  Susan has also become a bit of a farming evangelist, and has advised other area churches on how to start their own gardens for the hungry.

“Our goal for The Garden at St. Mark's in our second season is to educate people about their ability to grow fresh produce right at their own homes – edible landscaping if you will – no matter how big or small their spaces are,” says Annie. “We also hope to make people aware that hunger in America isn't somewhere else – it’s right here among us on Long Island.”

The Garden at St. Mark’s aims to be self-sufficient.  A farm stand offering produce from the garden is open every Sunday from 11:30 AM to 1:30 up until October 28 to help cover basic expenses for the charitable efforts.  

“We are always looking for volunteers,” says Annie.  “No experience is necessary, and any age is appropriate.  We would really like to have a regular core of individuals we can count on.  As the Garden grows, so does its reach and popularity.  We need folks not only interested in gardening itself, but in fund-raising, publicity, farm stand work, and so many more things that go into keeping this Garden a place of enrichment, comfort, and peace.”

The Garden at St. Mark’s is located on the property of St. Mark The Evangelist Episcopal Church, 1692 Bellmore Avenue, North Bellmore, Long Island.   Those interested in visiting or volunteering can contact Annie at anniemcp@verizon.net     

©2012 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved 

“The Farmer’s Kitchen” – A Cookbook by Julia Shanks and Brett Grohsgal - And a Giveaway

If you’ve ever found yourself flummoxed by what to do with the mind-boggling variety of fresh produce available at the farmers’ market or through your CSA, Julia Shanks and Brett Grohsgal have created a manual just for you. The team has published the cookbook “The Farmer’s Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers’ Market Foods.” The book draws on their years of experience in professional kitchens and on the farm.

Julia is a chef and consultant to restaurants, farms and food producers. She also authors the blog “Grow, Cook, Eat” where she chronicles the culinary creations that come from her urban vegetable garden in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brett worked in restaurants for nearly two decades and now runs Even’ Star Organic Farm in Lexington Park, Maryland. Their collective wisdom on culinary techniques and fresh produce has helped to create a highly targeted guide with dozens of seasonal recipes that maximize freshness and flavor.

Julia Shanks is a chef, consultant and food blogger

Julia and Brett realized that people were often challenged by the variety of vegetables and the amount of produce they receive as part of a CSA share.

“I don’t subscribe to a CSA,” say Julia. “I rely more on my own garden and the farmers’ market, but the perennial complaint that I hear is, If I get another &*$%$% bunch of Swiss chard, I’m going to scream.”

Julia says CSA members often struggle with “hard to use” veggies or even some vegetables that they don’t even know where to begin – like Kohlrabi. Even the more benign vegetables like cucumbers can become overwhelming when you get three pounds for three weeks in a row, and home cooks need help coming up with new ideas and long-term storage tips to manage the bounty.

“This book was designed to help the consumer navigate through the diversity and abundance of the produce available,” she explains. “We wanted people to have a guide for all the wonderful - and sometimes weird - foods that farmers grow.”

Brett Grohsgal manages Even’ Star Organic Farm in Maryland

Brett had already created a CSA cookbook for his subscribers in Maryland as a way to help educate them about the produce he grows and give suggestions on how to use it. As a farmer, he most valued how the cookbook not only simplified the communication with his customers but also promoted loyalty. The team thought that other farmers would appreciate such a tool as well.

“The Farmer’s Kitchen” contains A to Z descriptions of a large variety of vegetables, greens and herbs as well as storage tips and shelf life advice to assure optimal freshness. Brett says even some of the more basic tips – like storing mesclun in Tupperware with a moist paper towel – are so important, yet aren’t taught in cooking school.

"The Farmer’s Kitchen” also bursts with more than 200 simple recipes utilizing culinary techniques that bring out the best in local, seasonal produce. Julia says one of the bigger challenges in assembling the book was taking their professional culinary experiences and distilling that knowledge into accessible recipes and tips.

“Between the two of us, we have 35 years of professional cooking experience,” she says. “It was important to translate “chef-speak” into “normal-person-speak.”

Julia says the recipes have the distinct personalities of the co-authors.

“For me the most surprising and fun recipes were Brett’s,” she says. “I made the “Savory Vegetarian Greens with Potatoes” (page 132) for the first time skeptical that it would be bland and boring. I ended up really loving this dish and have made it countless times since.”

Brett’s favorites are the squash blossom recipes (pages 215 – 216), the Stuffed Peppers (page 178) and the Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad (page 251).

At its core, “The Farmer’s Kitchen” reflects the co-authors’ deep passion for the glories of eating seasonally.

“We hope people will learn that there’s really great food to be found at the Farmers’ Markets and CSAs, to be more adventurous at the farmers’ markets, and take advantage of all the wonderful foods that farmers’ grow,” says Julia.

I prepared the following recipe from “The Farmer’s Kitchen.” When pan roasted, the sliced Brussels sprouts were so rich and savory, I almost couldn’t stop eating them!

Quinoa with Roasted Brussels Sprouts - courtesy of “The Farmer’s Kitchen” by Brett Grohsgal and Julia Shanks

½ cup quinoa
½ pound Brussels sprouts
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, sliced thin or chopped
½ lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional: ¼ cup toasted, slivered almonds

Rinse quinoa under cold water. Put in a small sauce pot and cover with water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, or until quinoa has popped and is cooked through.

Meanwhile, cut Brussels sprouts in half and then slice thin.

Heat a large skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil, and let heat for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 3 minutes or until aromatic. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook, stirring regularly, until they are bright green and soft. Remove from heat.

When quinoa is cooked, drain excess water. Toss with Brussels. Add juice from ½ lemon and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in almonds, if using.

If you’d like to receive a copy of “The Farmer’s Kitchen: The Ultimate Guide to Enjoying Your CSA and Farmers’ Market Foods,” leave a comment on this post between now and Saturday, March 19th at 11:59 p.m. EDT, and tell me about your favorite vegetable from the farmers’ market or CSA. One winner will be chosen at random and announced, appropriately, on Sunday, March 20th, which is the first day of Spring. We can only ship within the United States.

©2011 T.W. Barritt All Rights Reserved