Local Business Assists Larger Area

Every donation makes an impact but sometimes, they can make a huge difference. This was the case with a recent donation of tomato plants from Buckley Brothers Inc. The Buckley staff delivered several flats of surplus tomato plants to their neighbor, Sugartree Ministries, last Wednesday afternoon. With little room in the vegetable beds at the Verizon Telecommunications building, the Sugartree Staff turned to Grow Food Grow Hope Food Distribution Coordinator, Jessica Braun, to share the abundance.

Not only was Braun and a group of garden-loving Summer Associates able to place several of the plants at Sugartree's gardens, but they also shared them with area organizations, such as the New Vienna United Methodist Church and Hope Emergency Program-a food pantry in the Lynchburg, OH area. Braun shares that, "With this donation, Buckley's not only affected Sugartree Ministries and Wilmington, but they affected the entire surrounding area."

Summer Associate, Taylor Money-Worthy, digs holes
for tomato plants at Hope Emergency Program

With the average yield of a tomato plant being between 35 and 40 pounds of fruit, these plants will allow Hope Emergency Program, New Vienna United Methodist Church, and Sugartree Ministries to distribute a huge amount of produce to their clients this growing season. Carmen Sparks, a volunteer at New Vienna UMC's food pantry, was excited not only for the tomato plants but also for the land that a local farmer was donating to plant them on. Sparks states, "we are just so blessed to be able to receive these things and share them with people." The plants were additionally given to community members who have pledged to share their bounty with the greater Clinton County community.

A spindly plant is staked in expectation of its growth
at the Verizon Telecommunications building

Local Businesses Help Out

Everyone in the Wilmington and Clinton County community has been such great supporters of Grow Food, Grow Hope and all of the different projects we do. This post highlights two of the most recent examples of support from local businesses.

Weathervane Dry Cleaning generously donated their time to clean all of the Chef's jackets and hats for our Culinary Job Training Class. We are now halfway through the class and the students have really appreciated having the chef uniform to wear each week. Volunteers have also noticed the students as they come and go to Sugartree Ministries before and after class, noting how official the students look in their industry-specific uniforms.

Culinary Students pose with members of the Weathervane team.

Local bookstore and music shop, For a Song and a Story, has recently taken interest in our gardening efforts. Upon meeting several of Grow Food, Grow Hope's new Summer Associates, owner Cindy Shivers asked about the gardens across from Sugartree Ministries located at 215 E. Main Street in front of the Verizon Telecommunications building. After several minutes of discussion and the mention of some tomato plants in need of stakes Ms. Shivers sent the group with enough stakes to ensure happy tomato plants.

Newly staked tomato plants at 215 E Main.

Grow Food Grow Hope is so grateful to every business and community member in Wilmington and the Clinton County area who have volunteered, donated, and/or supported our initiative. We couldn't have done it without you!

Another Night at the Community Garden

Last night at our weekly community garden night, our garden families gathered to harvest spinach, lettuce and the rest of any remaining radishes. The incoming thunderstorms held out and we were lucky to stay dry for the hour we were outside.

For the cooking demonstration, we used our harvested spinach to prepare a strawberry spinach salad, and a fresh spinach dip.

The recipes for the spinach salad and fresh spinach dip can be found at our cooking demonstration page.

Breakfast Served All Day

Halfway through our Culinary Job Training Class and the students have now learned Egg Cookery. Several dozen eggs and Chef Tom's expertise allowed the students to create and try not only the basics of eggs over-easy or over-hard but also eggs shirred and eggs poached.

Three consistencies of egg: over-easy, over-medium, and over-hard

The first task the students needed to master was the art of cooking an egg to the perfect consistency. Chef Tom instructed each student to pan fry three eggs. A pan fried egg does not have to be over-easy as most people think, eggs with a slightly firmer yolk are called over-medium and pan fried eggs that have a completely solid yolk are called over-hard.

Chef Tom judges a student's pan fried eggs.

Of course, pan frying eggs also takes a bit of practice not only to create the desired consistencies but also to learn how to flip the egg as to cook both sides evenly without a huge mess or a broken yolk. Students spent extra time on this, one of the most stressful moments in cooking.

Chef Tom explains the proper way to flip an egg.

Using dry heat to cook the next type of egg the students learned was eggs shirred. Eggs shirred are eggs that are baked in individual ramekins with heavy whipping cream and flavored to taste: savory or sweet. Shirred eggs are much creamier than a normal egg however eating one plain without any spices tastes similar to a hard-boiled egg. The sweetened eggs shirred were also quite delicious and reminded many of a creme brulee dessert with their round form and golden brown tops.

Shirred eggs about to enter the oven.

The final type of egg the students cooked were poached. A poached egg is fairly simple requiring only a pan of boiling water with a little white vineagar to help eggs cling to themselves. The egg is poured gently from a bowl into the boiling water and the egg white should wrap around the yolk and cook until removed. Poached eggs, like any other type of egg, may be cooked easy or soft leaving the yolk more liquid or hard creating a hard yolk and a final product that looks similar to a hard boiled egg.

Students discuss their favorite types of eggs.

With some time to taste test the students left with new favorite types of eggs and plans for breakfast the next morning. Next week's class will focus on Meat Fabrication techniques and how to properly handle all types of raw meat.

June / July Newsletter now available

Our June / July newsletter is now available to download and print. In it, you can read all of the latest updates on our garden sites and our various projects around the community.

Click the thumbnail above to open it, or click here. If you would like to download the PDF, click here.

Sharpening Our Skills

Week Four of our Culinary Job Training Class welcomed Chef Tom back to discuss knife sharpening, steeling and the different styles of cuts that the students would need to know to prepare dishes. Students had their first opportunity to utilize the renovated kitchen at Sugartree Ministries while learning to julienne peppers, dice onions, concasse tomatoes (a process where the tomatoes are scored and scalded, skins and seeds removed, and the flesh diced) to create a delicious salsa which was served at the Ministry's Tuesday evening meal.

Students watch intently as Chef Tom illustrates the appropriate
way to julienne a pepper

Chef Tom exhibits the appropriate way to handle a chef's knife.

Still time for some fun while learning.

Once they had sharpened their culinary skills the students also had the opportunity to sharpen their life skills. Director of Career Services at Wilmington College, Barbara Kaplan, generously utilized her services for the afternoon critiquing students' resumes and giving them hints and tips on resume writing. "Your job as the job seeker is to make them want to hire you" she reminds the students, "you want to show them what skills you can bring to their organization and the position you're applying for."

Director of Career Services, Barbara Kaplan, presents to class.

Students had the opportunity to ask questions, view their critiqued resumes and discuss the ins and outs of job search etiquette. From objective statements to references the students left with example resumes, hints and tips, and a generous offer of assistance from Barbara to continue helping them perfect their resumes. Students left brimming with information and excited at the promise of more cooking next week.

Market at the Mural opens for the summer

The Clinton County Farmers Market at the Mural officially opened for the summer season on Saturday, despite a looming thunderstorm that poured on market shoppers later in the afternoon. Local farmers and vendors sold produce, herbs, baked goods, pastured meats and other products in the parking lot adjacent to the General Denver hotel.

Ten of the fifteen market vendors sold at the opening day and a steady stream of customers funneled in to shop and sample some of the local products. A local Boy Scout troop volunteered by pulling wagons for elderly and disabled shoppers who needed help getting their groceries to their cars. The General Denver offered its fabled Farmers Market breakfast for just five dollars, and GD head chef Jen Purkey stopped by to get her weekly supply of market fare.

The market is now open every Wednesday from 1:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Stop by and support your local farmers!