National Day of Service and Remembrance

On September 11th, 2001, our country experienced a great loss. We were not defeated though. If anything, we were made stronger. Many of us can remember how unified we felt as a country in the days and weeks that followed, and now, ten years later, it is our hope that by holding a day of service on the anniversary of that tragic day, we will revive that unity through volunteering our time in the service of those who have so valiantly served our country.

September 11^th is now a National Day of Service and Remembrance. As part of President Obama’s call to service, we at Grow Food, Grow Hope would like to give local veterans and their families our thanks. With the help of volunteers from the community, we will be putting together fresh produce and baked goods baskets for veterans.

Community members are encouraged to take part in the Day of Service. The event begins at 1 p.m. on September 11^th at the Center for Service and Civic Engagement. We will be picking vegetables and putting together baskets which we will then deliver to local veterans. We are also hoping to lend a hand at the homes of veterans by doing some light yard work, including weeding, hedge trimming and raking. If you are unable to help on the day of the event, but would still like to be involved, we are also asking for donations of baskets and baked goods – (cookies, brownies, jams or jellies, and breads). All homemade foods need to be made fresh the day before the event. Volunteers will be available to come to your home on the day of to pick them up, or the items can be dropped off at the CSCE on the 11^th by 1 p.m.

In addition to the fresh food items, we would like to include words of thanks from k-12 students and members of the community. If you are interested in writing a thank you note to a service man or woman, all letters need to be received by Friday, September 9^th. They can be dropped off in person at the CSCE on the Wilmington College Campus or sent to:

Grow Food, Grow Hope
1145 Pyle Center
1870 Quaker Way
Wilmington, OH 45177

Click here if you would like to know more about the National Day of Service.

If you have questions about the Grow Food, grow Hope Day of Service or would like to sign up, please contact Sarah Bachman, an AmeriCorps VISTA with Grow Food, Grow Hope at (937)382-6661 ext. 693

3rd Annual Tour de Farm

The 3rd Annual Tour de Farm is fast approaching! It will be held on September 24th. We are now accepting registration forms. This years route will take riders to the Clinton County Farmers' Market and at least three area farms. Participants must supply their own bicycles and we ask that all riders wear a helmet.
The ride will start and end at the Friends of Hope Community Gardens on the campus of Wilmington College. Sign-in begins at 8:30am and the ride begins at 9:00. It will go until the route is complete. The cost for pre-registered riders is $20 for adults and $10 for Wilmington College students. On the day of the event, adults pay $25 and students pay $15. In addition to the discount, pre-registered riders will receive a commemorative t-shirt, so sign up early!
All proceeds from the event will benefit Grow Food, Grow Hope.
Click below to view a PDF file of the Registration Form for Tour de Farm. Print out your form and mail it in to the address on the sheet or bring it by to the Center for Service and Civic Engagement on the Wilmington College Campus before September 18th for pre-registered status. You may also bring it with you on the day of the event with the registration fee.

Canning and Preserving Workshop

Grow Food, Grow Hope and the Clinton County Homemakers Association will be hosting a FREE canning and preserving workshop for all interested parties at 7 pm on Wednesday, August 31st.

We invite you to join us for this informative workshop session at 7 pm in the Sugartree Ministries kitchen. GFGH and CCHA will demonstrate the steps for processing and canning tomatoes. All materials will be provided. Space is limited so we ask that you RSVP by August 26th. Please call or email Betsie Sweet.

Betsie Sweet

Grow Food, Grow Hope

AmeriCorps VISTA

betsie_sweet@wilmington.edu

937-382-6661 ext. 693

The Most Notable Armenian in Wilmington: A Cucumber

It is not often that we come across a mystery vegetable here at Grow Food, Grow Hope. Actually, it’s never happened. We pride ourselves on being well versed in the many varietals of edible plants. Even if there is a vegetable or fruit that we have not tried ourselves, through our collective knowledge, we can at least look at something and identify it. This was not the case yesterday though, when two VISTAs returned from a harvest with a handful of… well, we weren’t sure what.

Questions abounded as to what it could be. The possibilities ranged from deformed squash to space food. We quickly decided it was not space food but we were no closer to an answer. Someone suggested that it may be an English Cucumber. But we Googled ‘english cucumber’ and saw that no English Cucumber in the history of English Cucumbers had ever looked like the strange vegetable we had picked.

The pale green vegetable had come from the home of Ian

Ziegler who had donated a parcel of his land to GFGH, the produce from which is donated to local food pantries. It had been about two weeks since anyone had been there to check on the progress of his garden and this mysterious vegetable had not fully developed at the time. There was some speculation that it was a deformed fluke, but every cucumber-like thing growing around it looked the same and the vines and flowers that surrounded it looked like cucumber or some other member of the squash family. What’s more, we were pretty sure we had planted cucumbers when we broke ground in May. This long, pale green fruit that had developed was like no other cucumber we had seen though.

We searched other terms hoping to find a name for it. We finally tried the search term ‘pale

green cucumber’ and discovered that it was called an Armenian Cucumber. Upon further investigation though, we learned that it was a cucumber in outward appearance only. It is

actually classified as a melon and has a sweeter taste than a cucumber and smaller seeds. It is not generally regarded as being good for pickling, but it is apparently good in sushi and on cucumber sandwiches. It has a thin outer skin and is often curved.

Armenian Cucumbers can get up to 24 inches long, but they are best enjoyed at about 15 inches. The ones we picked were between 15 and 20 inches, so they were ripe for the picking. The only question now was, ‘are they any good?’ They looked just exotic enough that we were concerned people would be unwilling to try them. We needed to have a taste test.

Someone quickly located a cutting board and a knife and the

oddity was rinsed. We then headed outdoors and conducted our slicing ceremony. Within seconds, the Armenian Cucumber was deemed a hit! It was sweet and smooth tasting and had a good density- not too wet, not mushy. It was just right. If you get a chance to try one for yourself, don’t pass it up. As for the crew at GFGH, we’re spreading the word about this amazing fruit. We want everyone to experience it, so we are headed out to the Ziegler farm in the coming days to pick some more, which will be donated along with the first bunch to pantries in the area.

Saturday Mornings at the Garden

The Friends of Hope Community Garden had it's last mentor session of the 2011 season on August 30th. We went out with a little celebration and a sampling of some tasty foods made with ingredients from the garden. Community Garden participants and mentors received certificates of participation and we watched a short slideshow of pictures taken throughout the growing season. We had a great time with all the families who took part and we hope to see all of you back next year!

Getting to Know the New VISTA's

I have been meaning to sit down on a quiet day at the office and get all of you blog readers up to speed. Today is finally that day. As you may already know, Grow Food, Grow Hope is an ever-changing entity with a rotating staff of AmeriCorps VISTA's and a near daily influx of community and student volunteers. We are always working on a new project; this week, we are getting cool weather crops in the ground and planning for various fall events (I'll have a list of dates and times in the September Newsletter).

It can be hard to keep up with us- even if you work here. As readers, you may find that you don't really know us as people, but more as an entity; However, Grow Food, Grow Hope is made up of a diverse mix of employees, volunteers,and community members with a passion for helping others. I am one such individual and I feel that the time has come for an introduction.

My name is Sarah Bachman. I am from Dayton, Ohio originally but these days, I find that home is wherever the people I love are. I have degrees in sociology and film & video production. I consider myself an environmentalist, an animal lover and an optimist. I am one of those rotating VISTA staffers I mentioned earlier. I came to Grow Food, Grow Hope on June 27th, 2011 and I will be here for a total of 365 days. I am paid through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service. My position is that of Public Relations Coordinator. If you check this website regularly, read our newsletter, follow us on Facebook or Twitter, there is a good chance you are seeing something that I personally had a hand in. As part of my position, I am also responsible for helping to maintain our community garden plots, expanding our Grow-A-Row program, planning events and writing grant proposals. Needless to say, I keep busy.

I have a lot of help though. I am one of six VISTA's in the Grow Food, Grow Hope office. Most of us are new to the organization but since starting, we have formed a close-knit team. It came easy to us, mainly because we all want the same thing; We want to help people. We want to see people thriving in their daily lives. We want to see happy, healthy families. We want to educate people, to give them a leg up, and to fight the dastardly beast known as Poverty. We believe we can do it too.

This is my second stint as a VISTA; Last year while I was completing my bachelors degree at Shawnee State University, I served with another garden initiative called The Portsmouth Pantry Garden. I enjoyed the experience so much that I decided I would try to pursue another service term upon graduation. I applied to about a dozen other non-profits and knew when I found GFGH that I needn't look further. Food is a necessity but access to healthy food is something that can make the difference between merely surviving from day to day and thriving. According to the US Department of Agriculture in 2010, about 17.4 million households in America had difficulty providing enough food due to a lack of resources. Working at GFGH, I feel that I am able to tackle this problem with full force. I can interact directly with the population that needs me and it feels GREAT!

I have 349 days left with Grow Food, Grow Hope. I don't know what the coming year holds for me and I have no idea where I'll end up when it's over, but I know I will go forth with an experience that will have changed my life.

If you have ideas for how I can help the community of Wilmington while I am here, or if you yourself could use a bit of help from GFGH, please send me an email. If you have suggestions, praise or criticism, don't hesitate to comment here on the blog or on our Facebook or Twitter feed. Also, check back in the coming weeks for intros from all the other VISTA staffers at GFGH.

August 2011 Newsletter

Click below to view a copy of our most recent newsletter, August 2011.

To find copies of our previous newsletters, please click here. And if you would like to get the Grow Food, Grow Hope Newsletter in you inbox, it's easy! Just click to sign up!