If you go to South Park on a Tuesday afternoon you’ll find volunteers working in a demonstration garden who can answer your questions about flowers that do well in our area – even with deer; who knew. These folks are members of the Penn State Master Gardeners of Allegheny County and they are testing these beautiful pollinating gardens.
The Penn State Master Gardeners of Allegheny County will host a special annual event at South Park and North Park on Saturday, August 15, from 9:00am to 1:00pm educating county residents about gardening in our area. They will have tasting stations, tons of information and children’s activities. In addition to this special event and the knowledgeable volunteers, you’ll want to check out their website, Allegheny County Penn State Extension – TONS OF INFORMATION.
I have been going to the farmers’ market since I was a small child, as long as I can remember. I get so excited every time pulling into the parking lot. I love the smells, seeing the new purveyors, reassured when I see the old standbys, waiting for the horn to blow, and most of all, knowing we’ll be eating what is now considered quite chic – farm to table. Where have you all been?
I grew up in the city and I do mean, right smack dab in the center of the city. No rolling hills, no green grass, no flowers, none of that good stuff growing around us. We were surrounded by the landscape of Pittsburgh, better known as Belgian block. But, I was raised by my grandmother who came here from “the old country” so she only knew fresh or “putting up” for winter. For you newbies, that means canning. I learned to respect food at a very early age. Enter the hard work from my side. It’s really hot and tiring standing over a steaming pot after picking through, peeling, cutting, and prepping produce all day, actually a lot of hot summer days.
But this post is to show you a little from the production side of this process; again, stressing family, hard work, and I’m guessing, a lot of memories. I contacted Janoski’s Farm because I LOVE the aesthetics of how they display their produce, bushels, and baskets of bounty. Everything is lined up perfectly straight, ever so neat, piled so high you wonder how it stays balanced. They agreed to permit me to come into their space to photograph and I had the pleasure of meeting Mrs. Janoski, the matriarch of this hard working, proud family. She is such a pleasant and lovely woman and was kind enough to tell me about her husband, who recently passed, and her children and grandchildren who have been taught how to continue working their farm for posterity and for you and me. Besides the pride showing in the way everything is displayed, the way they work together while unloading is a beautiful choreographed dance. The family and workers move in unison, everyone knowing their part; step left, step right, bend, turn now, repeat. It was beautiful. I’m guessing everyone is tired at night’s end so, again, family, memories, and of course, hard work.
I prepped what I purchased that night and I’m going back to Janoski’s next week to get my tomatoes for canning. No matter how tired and hot I get, those memories of working side by side with my grandmother keep me smiling while I’m making new memories with my family. Maybe that’s why I love the farmers’ market so much. It’s like going home. Treat yourself, go to the market.
After weeks of rain, rain, rain, we finally had a week filled with sunshine. I wonder if people who don’t have rainy day after rainy day can fully appreciate the feeling of warmth and happiness of the sun shining on their face. Hmm, I wonder; I know I can. Anyway, I loved all that sunshine this week and it made me think of yellow. So let’s celebrate yellow. Yellow represents happiness and optimism. It’s stimulating, it’s hope when things seem down, it’s cheerful and oh so positive. It can’t help but make us feel good.
So this week…close your eyes and pretend to skip down the yellow brick road. Or you can bop your head from side to side while singing “We all live in a Yellow Submarine” while you look up and enjoy the warm sun on your face. I’ll bet you smile. Enjoy this week’s pics, they’re YELLOW.
We all live in a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine, a yellow submarine……
This week I saw a garden that highlights creativity, determination, and most of all, frugality. We learn about these characteristics our entire lives, but we don’t always follow through unless we really want something badly enough and we’re willing to show up and do the work. These folks showed up.
They were able to plant a garden filled with goodies without spending any money. They live in a plot that is about a 45 degree drop and enclosed on both sides by other houses. No backhoes in here! They also made the decision that they didn’t want to buy dirt so they brought compost, dirt and manure from another site by carrying in bushels. (My grandmother would have been proud. Buy dirt?!) They carried those bushels until they had enough dirt to provide them with a workable planting space. They’ve also made the most of every square inch by planting in between, underneath, and rotating. Now here’s the best. They started their plants from seeds or cuttings. So, think about this. You have a really good heirloom tomato for dinner tonight, save the seeds, dry them, protect them, and then start new plants for next year’s garden to enjoy a bunch of tomatoes. Take a look at what can be accomplished if you just work at it. Hats off!
This garden like all others is a work in progress. So like all gardens, it requires testing, watching, tending, and in this case, its own method of planting – creativity seeds. I guess it would be considered a community garden because there’s more than one gardener and ideas are bouncing everywhere. This is an “ooooh, what if we try this” and “aahhh, that’s awesome” kind of garden. This girl is truly the queen of “urban gardens”. I was so surprised at my own reaction of how happy I was to see my contributions added to the mix. Because I work in paper, it’s time to watch and see what Mother Nature has in store for my flowers. I’m a latecomer so I guess we’ll see if I can stand up to the elements like the others which have survived beautifully. I’m now working on that black line that needs added; as I said, a work in progress. This is way too much fun to be called work. Oh, and the bonus – lunch and a beer afterwards. You can’t beat that!
