The Eric Waller Community Vegetable Garden

I'm not even going to begin by apologizing for my lack of posting. It's been far to long and too many other things (amazing things!) have been in my way. No more excuses however!

The Eric Waller Community Vegetable Garden of Mt. Washington

Since about mid-February S and I have been involved in a truly amazing community force which had its official beginning this past Saturday with our first harvest. Each family took home a glorious bounty of Romaine lettuce, butter crunch lettuce, broccoli, radishes, kale, spinach and collards. 29 families are participating this inaugural year and many more on the wait list...I hope we can expand next year! We also donated the rest of the veg to Our Daily Bread. It felt so good going home with a heavy bag full of greens and knowing that we fed fresh local and organic food to hungry people in our city. You could feel the empowerment in the air as 20 people harvested vegetables that they grew, some of them for the first time. Knowing that you can sustain yourself is a powerful drug!
On a similar note:
S and I are not participating in a CSA share this season because we are suddenly spoiled! With the Eric Waller Garden plus two plots in our front yard; which we have already been eating spinach, kale, bok choy and radishes from since April. PLUS two plots of onions, carrots, tomatoes, spaghetti squash, beans, peas, cucumbers and zucchini the Mt. Washington Community Veggie Gardens (which S is not the manager of!)...LOTS of fresh, organic and super-local foods.

Pictured from the top down Left to Right:

Set 1:Mina, neighbor and happy participant/receiver of vegetables, Naomi-the instigator and driving force behind the garden, wheelbarrow full of butter crunch (each family took home TWO heads!)

Set 2: The start of laying out the bounty: Romaine, butter crunch, broccoli and radishes.
Set 3: Larry Kloze; our visionary master gardener and teacher who has graciously volunteered his time and extreme generosity to showing us all to be farmers, Me! My spinach from my front yard garden

Set 4: Radishes from my front yard garden. Romaine (another crop for next week!) and a growing Celebrity tomato plant.