Niles Community Gardens + Growing Together

Helping others produce their own fruits and vegetables while learning how to live

more sustainably in Southwest Michigan.

January 2012

Letter From The Director Dear Gardeners,

It’s a time to rest from tilling, planting and weeding, but a great time for studying and planning. Go to the library, get a few books on gardening and sit in front of the fireplace or furnace register and enjoy. As my father said, “Reading is the royal road to learning,” so “seize the day,” we will be back in the dirt before you know it. A very interesting read is The Botany of Desire by Michael Pollan. You can also see the show based on his book online at pbs.org. This isn’t a how-to book but rather a story of the evolution of four plants and how they affected human history. The story isn’t finished because it continues to this day.

Garden seed catalogs are another great source of information. If you do not currently get any in the mail, you can do an Internet search or look through magazines at the library (many are free). If you order from one you will often get others

Quote of the Month: “No occupation is so delightful to me as the

culture of the earth.”

-Thomas Jefferson

Word of the Month:

“Heirloom”

An heirloom plant is one that produces seeds that will reproduce in

kind. The Brandywine tomato produces seeds that will again produce a Brandywine tomato

plant. Most often, hybrids will not do this.

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in the mail. These catalogs give us a much larger view of what different cultivars or plant types are available and sometimes include tips on planting, care and what might work best in a particular climate or soil pH (i.e. blueberries need very acidic soil, growing ‘long-day’ onions in northern climates, or cauliflower that does well in the summer heat).

I’m very pleased to introduce three people who have agreed to help the Niles Community Gardens grow and meet new challenges in 2012. Sarah Markley comes

to us from New Carlisle and is a recent graduate from Indiana University. She has a certification in ‘permaculture’ and has agreed to be an intern with Niles Community Gardens in 2012. Jay Clancy is one of our gardeners from Northside garden and was elected to the board in November and David Markel, a gardener from Westside, has agreed to tackle the paperwork necessary to get 501C3 status (qualifying us as a non-profit organization, a daunting task to most of us). Let me also mention someone many of you already know, Joe Rosser, who has agreed again

to help with garden stalking, layouts, sprinklers, sheds, etc. for 2012. I thank these people and all of you who will make 2012 successful. Also I want to give a special thanks to Jeff Saylor for so generously sharing his tractor/tiller. I don’t know how we could have got the job done without him.

Build at least one snowman this winter – the carrot nose will remind you of good things to come.

Mark Van Til

2 butternut squash

2 medium leeks, white and pale-green parts cut into ½-inch-thick slices, well washed

grated zest of 1 orange

¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 ½ quarts chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth, skimmed of fat

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and discard or save for toasting. Peel and cut the flesh into ½-inch dice.

2. In a large saucepan, over medium-low heat, cook the leeks in 2 tablespoons of water until they soften, about 10 minutes. Add the squash, orange zest, cinnamon and nutmeg and cook for 2 minutes. Add the 5 cups of chicken stock and the salt and pepper, then stir to combine. Cook until the squash is tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, about 25 minutes.

3. Working in batches, transfer the mixture to the bowl of a food processor and puree. Return the soup to the pot, reheat. If necessary, add more stock to thin to desired consistency. Serve hot.

Butternut Squash Soup - Serves 6

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1. (su) – “Normal Sugary” – These are usually older varieties which are ‘open pollinated’ or ‘standard’ and will reproduce true to type or ‘in kind.’ These varieties do not have the uniformity or sweetness of today’s hybrids but have that ‘old fashion’ corn flavor. In these varieties, sugars convert to starch rapidly after harvest so it’s important to eat or freeze shortly after you pick.

2. (se) and (se+) – “Sugary Enhanced” – When this gene is present it modifies the normal sugary (su) gene, resulting in increased tenderness and sweetness. The conversion from sugar to starch is slowed after harvest, allowing a longer shelf life. This corn should be isolated from ‘super sweet’ and dry/pop corn by distance or planting dates (at least 10 days apart). Specifically, (se) types are a hybrid between a (se) parent and (su) parent, while (se+) are a hybrid between two (se) parents, making them more tender and sweet.

3. (sh2) – “Super sweet” – The presence of this gene creates greatly heightened sweetness and slow conversion of sugar to

starch after harvest. These must be isolated from other types of corn. Although very sweet, some of these types may lose some ‘old fashion’ corn flavor, but they retain their sweetness and “poppy” texture longer.

4. (sy) – “Synergistic” – Synergistic ears are made up of 75% (se) kernels and 25% (sh2) kernels, resulting in tenderness and sweetness combined. You must isolate from other types and allow kernels to get plump before picking. Ears picked too early will be “watery.”

-from Johnny’s Select Seed Catalog 2012

For more corn-growing information, see “10 Golden Rules for Growing Sweet Corn” at Johnnyseeds.com.

There are many gardeners in Niles, Who stack up their compost in piles. When fed to the earth, The seeds do give birth To veggies and gardeners with smiles. – not Robert Frost

Gene Talk: Sweet Corn Types

If any of you have stories, jokes, poems, recipes or anecdotes that you wish to

share in our monthly newsletter, please send them to Sarah Markley via email at sarahnilescommunitygardens@gmail.com or via U.S.P.S at 2642 Holland Street,

South Bend, IN 46619.

Always remember to “Reduce, Reuse and Recycle!”