(Y)Ardfarmers Garden Report August 2011

1. Produce: In the ten weeks since we started harvesting (at the end of May) we have delivered the following amounts of produce to the Calvin Presbyterian Church 'Care Closet' in wssest Philadelphia each Thursday morning:

• 22 gallon bags of salad greens
• 3 gallon bags of spinach leaves
• 6 dozen radishes
• 24 8-oz. bags of parsley
• 194 4-oz. bags of other herbs (sage, rosemary, basil thyme, mint, oregano)
• 10 bunches of chives
• 10 qt. bags of green beans
• 53 zucchini
• 6 pint bags of jalapeno peppers
• 6 qt. bags of banana peppers
• 11 qt. bags of frying peppers
• 14 sweet peppers
• 65 lbs. of plum tomatoes
• 39 lbs. of beefsteak tomatoes
• 27 lbs. of cherry tomatoes.

2. Labor: Church members have responded well to requests of help with watering and harvesting the garden. Watering continues to be done by weekly teams of volunteers, and Wednesday evening harvesting by ad hoc volunteers responding to email and church bulletin requests. The four-barrel rain capture system has benefited from recent rains, and continues to be used as available for watering the main gardens and the tire-container herb and potatoes beds.

3. Matt. 25:35 Project: A.P.C. (Y)Ardfarmers continue to help develop the Matt. 25:35 project (also known as the Tri-Church Table Fellowship) with Overbrook and Calvin Presbyterian Churches. With the end of the Barry School roof garden project, Sherina Poorman has volunteered her skills (and those associated with the Build-It Bus) to the Matt 25:35 Project. She brought the Build-It Bus to the July meeting of the project committee so that committee members of the other two churches could tour it. (They were very impressed). She also made suggestions for how a youth gardening project could be integrated into the larger project via the summer camp and after-school programs at Calvin Presbyterian Church. A.P.C. (Y)Ardfarmers continue to discuss how and when raised beds like our own might be erected in the enclosed sunny side yard of Calvin Pres. Most recently, we forwarded to them information from the Philadelphia Presbytery regarding available grants from the Michelle Obama-inspire 'LET'S MOVE!" program for the setup of urban gardens. They are considering applying for such a grant.

4. Finances: At present, the garden fund has a positive balance of $1537. 39. Now that the garden is established, we anticipate that a $500.00 annual budget will be sufficient for all expenses (seeds. cuttings, herb plants, tomato cages and other plant supports, organic insect and mildew repellents, fence repairs, etc) in future years.

If You Have Already Made Reservations: Rembrandt Info

This information is for those who have already made reservations for the Philadelphia Presbytery event:

“Rembrandt and the Face of Christ”
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Presbyterian Night
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
5 – 8 pm

1. Parking: Vans/Buses may park in the parking lot directly North of the Museum Building on the West Entrance Side. 

Auto Parking for those with Accessibility Needs is available in the lot directly South of the West Entrance of the Museum Building.

General Parking located in the Parking Ramp directly Northwest of the West Entrance. Bring the White Parking Ticket to the Registration Table and you will receive a Blue Parking Chaser which will permit you to have complimentary parking. When you return to the Parking Ramp; Go to the Validation Machines located on the Ground Floor; First insert the White Parking Ticket; then the Blue
Parking Chaser; the White Ticket will be validated and returned to you. Locate your car and as you exit insert the White Validated Ticket into the machine and the gate will open automatically.

2. Museum Accessibility: The ramp is located outside the West Entrance of the Museum on the North side. Elevators are available on the Ground Level. Additional wheelchairs are available.

3. Registration: Before you go to the Great Hall, Balcony Cafέ, and the Exhibit, please stop at the Registration Table on the Ground Level just inside the West Entrance of the Museum to check in and receive a Name Tag.

4. Beverages and Snacks: The Balcony Cafέ on the Main Level will be open during our time at the Museum. Cold beverages such as soda, water, wine, beer as well as light snacks will be available to purchase. As it is after Museum hours, there will be no meal service.

5. Musical Entertainment: During your visit to the Museum, various musicians from our Presbytery will be performing in the Great Hall. Please feel free to linger and enjoy.

6. Exhibit: Trained Docents will be available in each gallery to talk about the artists and their pieces. You are free to listen to each presentation or move at your own pace. There is a brief DVD that describes the various techniques used by Rembrandt to produce his etchings. It is recommended that you begin viewing the Exhibit no later than 7:00 p.m. as it closes at 8:00 p.m. The audio players will not be available during our visit.

7. Exhibition Store: The Store will be open during the hours we are present. It is possible
to enter the Store anytime during your visit.

Thank God for such a Bountiful Harvest

Hello (Y)Ardfarmers --

Just a reminder that we will be harvesting tomorrow (Wed. Aug. 11) at 6 pm.  Come if you can!

FYI, Here's what we've taken to Calvin Pres. Church in West Philly since the end of May:

27 gallon bags of salad greens

2 gallon bags of spinach

6 dozen radishes

20 8-oz bags of parsley

83 4-oz bags of herbs (sage, rosemary, basil thyme, mint, oregano)

6 bunches of chives

47 zucchini

3 8-oz bags of jalapeno peppers

6 qt bags of banana peppers

7 qt bags of frying peppers

36 lbs, plum tomatoes

23 lbs. beefsteak tomatoes

12 lbs cherry tomatoes

God be thanked for such a bountiful harvest!

FYI, I've also [providing a link to a] recent article form the U.Penn alumni magazine, which talks about a project at Penn for planning a network of green spaces in the city.  Among other things, it mentions that in 2008 alone, community gardens in Philadelphia produced an estimated 2 million pounds of fresh produce, valued at almost $ 5 million.

Cheers!

MSVL

Pastor's Pen: "The Life of David"

In 1994, archeologists were excavating a wall in Northern Israel from the biblical city of Dan.  Since building materials were often recycled, each of the stones within the wall had its own history.  Three stone fragments discovered there were covered with writing dating from the mid-800s BC.  Apparently these fragments were from a monument, ancient propaganda, proclaiming an Aramaean victory over the kingdoms of Israel and Judah.  What makes this discovery particularly important is that Judah is referenced by its dynastic name, the House of David. 

This discovery is the first extra-biblical evidence for King David.  Although the writing marks a defeat for David’s descendents, the Aramaens would not be gloating over a victory of some local hero from Southern Israel.  Likewise, it is telling that the Jewish people were still using the title, the House of David, around 150 years after the king’s death.  The fact that after the defeat of Aramaean king, the inhabitants of Dan tore down the monument shows an enduring cultural allegiance to the history and heritage of Israel. 

From stones in a wall, we turn to the pages of Scripture, and we discover a story rich in politics, intrigue, and emotion.  David, the poet and warrior, is able to unite the tribes of Israel in a way that his predecessors and successors are not.  David was a man who struggled to be faithful in a new situation.  He was a reformer, holding onto the traditions of the past while charting a new course for Israel.  Although he was not their first king, he defined what it meant for each succeeding generation.

Every day we deal with multiple decisions in our lives.  There are compromises and shades of gray.  There are fights and battles that we must face.  God is there in both our victories and our defeats.  Life isn’t easy, but being faithful means seeking first the Kingdom of God in a difficult world.  The heroes of the faith like David can help us understand that struggle. 

Nan Clarke and I will be exploring the life of David in a sermon series this summer.  We will meet David, the young and charismatic leader.  We will struggle with him as he seeks God’s will for himself and his nation.  We will watch him fail as all human institutions are tainted by human sin.  More importantly we will learn about the God in covenant with David.  We will discover how God used the flawed kingship of David to prepare us for a Messiah.  We will proclaim Jesus Christ alone as our king. 

If all you know is the story of David and Goliath, then let’s be surprised together.

Grace & Peace,

James

APC Community Garden - Watering Info Update

Hello Again (Y)Ardfarmers:

As our first garden crops mature, we're learning how to adjust our watering technique.  The soil mixture in the beds is relatively soft compared to most of our home gardens, so when we spray-water, they tend to flop over more easily.  And as summer heats up, it's better in any case to water at the roots, rather than from the leaves down. Therefore, we have decided to go for the 'trickle method' with both of the big beds.  Here's how:

1. I've attached a two-way connector to the wall faucet at the back of the Parish house.  So now there is ONE hose leading to the middle of one of the large beds, and ANOTHER hose to the middle of the second bed.  (I also removed the nozzle from the one hose, with the help of much spray lubricant!)

2.  When you come to water, turn the wall faucet on NO MORE THAN ABOUT A THIRD OF AN INCH.  This will result in a modest but steady trickle to each of the big beds.  Leave the trickle  on for about half an hour -- you don't have to move the hose, as the water will gradually disperse to both ends of each bed.

3. While the two big beds are being trickle watered, fill the watering can with water from the rain barrels, and put one can on each of the tire beds (herbs AND potatoes).  (If the barrels have run out, you'll have to wait till the large beds are done, and fill cans of water from a hose attached to the the wall faucet).

4. If you like, bring your Bible or other reading material, bring the lawn chair(s) on the P.H. back porch down on the lawn,  and enjoy God's summer bounty as you wait for the big beds to finish being watered (Psalm 104 is a great creation psalm to contemplate as you do that!)

5.  We have to be careful not to over-water (as well as not to under-water!).  So if someone from your team has gotten there ahead of you, and the soil is wet and malleable, DON'T water again -- wait for two days (and co-ordinate schedules with other team members!)

As a reminder, I've reproduced  below the watering schedule below (with one addition for September).

I'll be in San Francisco visiting son and grandson from June 30 to July 7, but look forward to seeing some reddening tomatoes when I get back!

Blessings, and thanks again for everyone' enthusiastic participation in this project.

MSVL

Watering Tips for the APC Community Garden

Hello (Y)Ardfarmers & Friends:

Thanks to all who have signed up to weed and water the APC vegetable garden this summer!  Actually the garden foliage is so lush now that there won't be much weeding to do -- but below I'll give you some hints about watering.  

 

You might be interested to know that Jim Young and I took 4 gallon bags of salad greens, plus 10 8-oz and 30 4-oz ziplock bags of herbs to the food pantry at Calvin Presbyterian Church  in West Philly this morning.  They were enthusiastically received, and we also had a good meeting with representatives of Calvin and Overbrook churches about the three-church food & nutrition education project of which APC is now an affiliate.  Stay tuned for further details!

We have families or groups of friends who have volunteered for  watering/weeding duty for every week up through the 10th of September --that's great!  We could still use volunteers for the week of  Sept. 11 and Sept 18.  Shoot me an email if you're interested in doing either of those weeks.

Now: some tips about watering during your assigned week.

1. Plan to water every other day (unless it rains, then you can skip a day!)

2. We now have a 3-barrel rain recovery system set up on the Parish House back porch, with spigots attached to two hoses.  If there is water in those barrels you should use it first.  You'll find that a hose from the system leads to each of the two garden beds.  The pressure from the system (when you turn on the spigots) is not great -- and you may have to lay to watering end of the hose on the ground while the pressure is building up.  But once the trickle begins, you can just lay each hose in the middle of the bed and let it run (it will disperse gradually to each end).  While that is happening (you should leave the hoses on the beds for about 20 minutes if there is enough water in the system), you can fill the watering can by the regular wall faucet, and put a watering can full on each of the five herb beds in the tires by the P.H. parking lot, plus a watering can full on each of the two 'tired potato' stacks by the Bleddyn Road Hedge.  We've also put a couple of summer lounge chairs on the P.H. back porch for you to take down and relax in while you then wait for the rest of the garden to be watered!

3.  If you run out of rain barrel water, you should switch the hoses from the rain barrel system to the regular spigot on the wall  by the P.H. back porch.  This of course will have better pressure, so you can just do a regular spray watering.

4. Please don't hesitate to contact myself or Jim Young if you need more information, or if you'd like someone to come over and help you get started on your first watering.  And thanks again for your help!  So far, we've had a great growing season.

Blessings,

Mary S. Van Leeuwen

(Y)Ardfarmers' Chair

Pastor's Pen: "Pentecost at the Coffee Shop"

In just a generation, our society has truly become more and more diverse.  As I sit and drink a cup of coffee at a café, I hear a couple nearby sharing an inspired conversation in French.  I don’t know French, but given the enjoyment of the participants I am a little jealous.  As a boy, I rarely heard languages other than English.  Now, during the regular commerce of the day, I might catch a word from my high school Spanish class or my college German courses.  I find it amazing that the eight most common languages other than English spoken in Philadelphia’s schools are Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, French, Khmer, Spanish, Russian and Vietnamese. 

Language connects us, and it also excludes us.  As beautiful as the poetry and music of a particular language can be, not understanding another’s meaning can also be alienating.  As we open our mouths, we find ourselves in a particular phylum or family.  Language becomes a source of identity for us.  It helps define who we are.  It matters whether we read Shakespeare, Cervantes or Goethe. 

In the Book of Acts, we learn how the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples at Pentecost.  Suddenly they disciples were speaking in other tongues.  A crowd quickly gathered and “was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each” (Acts 2:6).  With this miracle, God was giving the Church a new identity.  As ethnically and diverse as the Church is and remains, it has a primary identity in Christ through the Holy Spirit.  Language is no longer the defining characteristic.

In our complex, diverse and fast-paced culture, questions of identity become paramount.  We have serious questions of who we are and what is important.  Beyond language, we find a new classification system.  We define ourselves by the jobs we do, the things we buy, and the media we consume.  We secretly embrace our categories because they give us meaning.  The ongoing miracle at Pentecost means even our created categories of identity are secondary to our identity in Jesus Christ.

Speaking into our old situation, the apostles reach out to us, and they give us a new language.  We speak a new poetry and sing a new song.  We become children of God.