Summer is, by now, a fading memory and Sandi’s Garden has, by the time you read this, probably succumbed to a hard frost and is taking a well-deserved rest. We did not plant tomatoes this year, leaving that crop to our larger partners in SHIM’s Boaz Fields project. Instead we planted Swiss chard, beans, hot and sweet peppers, a few zucchini plants and two dozen Thai basil plants. With the exception of zucchini, all of our crops were lighter than tomatoes. In spite of that, we still reached 300 pounds of organic produce for SHIM’s Food Pantry. That translates to over 1½ pounds of produce per square foot!
None of this could have been possible without the help of many people. Our children got things started this winter when they planted Swiss chard and pepper seeds for our indoor greenhouse. This spring they transplanted the seedlings into the garden and planted bush and pole beans. In August they learned a new word, “gleaning,” as they made sure not one bean escaped their eagle eyes when they removed the first bean crop; they planted a second crop which produced into October. Congregation members also donated seedlings and kept the garden going by volunteering to water the garden for a week from our rain barrel.
SHIM’s Boaz Fields project helps its food pantry provide food insecure families with one of the most expensive items in a food budget, fresh, organic produce. BHCC once again, from the youngest on up, was an important part of this ministry to our brothers and sisters in the South Hills who depend on it to feed their families. Thank you to all who, in many ways, answered the call to serve others.