Newsletter 10 - August 23

** the HARVEST edition **

Greetings Fellow Gardeners!

Beginning this week, Goldenrod members can donate to the Parkdale Food Centre !! Please harvest Tuesdays and Thursdays.

The PFC will come to the garden early Wednesday and Friday to pick-up harvested items. We will use the shed for storage. Pick-up will continue 2x weekly until frost.

The shed is locked so please leave your harvested items in the tub behind the shed and Catherine (your newsletter auteur) will come by by 8 pm Tuesday and Thursday evenings to put it all away.

This is a wonderful opportunity to share your harvest with the community. Donated items will support Cooking for a Cause, a program that supplies fresh wholesome meals to seniors citizens. Please read more about all the good work that the Parkdale Food Centre does here

If you need help harvesting please contact me with your name, plot number and a list of items for harvest-donation: catherine@ibtype.com

If you would like to be part of a small “harvest” team, please reach out to the same email.

Tons of thanks to Greg Strahl for helping to make this happen!

And we can all continue to donate anytime to the Community Fridge (another important initiative spearheaded by Parkdale Food Centre). Details below.

It really does take a community to make a community garden. So, please…

Volunteer as Goldenrod’s Election Officer

At the Annual General Meeting on October 6, members will vote to elect a Board of Directors. We’re looking for an election officer to help make democratic magic. This could be you!

An elections officer will:

• Help plan the voting process

• Collect board nominationsCount the vote and announce the winners

If you’re interested please submit your name via email at goldenrodgarden@gmail.com before August 31st.

Please note: the elections officer cannot compete in this Board election. And perhaps your dream is to be on Goldenrod’s Board? If so, please…

Nominate Yourself

Board of Directors: Nominations Now Open

AGM Coming Soon – 7 pm on 6 October 2021

The first Annual General Meeting for the garden is planned for 6 October 2021 when a Board of Directors will be elected to replace the interim board. Nominations for this Board are sought from current gardening members and Friends of the GCG. Why not consider submitting your name to make a valuable contribution to the operations of the Goldenrod Community Garden? You can nominate yourself, a fellow gardener, or a Friend of the GCG here, goldenrodgarden@gmail.com

Further details and links will arrive in your inbox soon. Watch for it!

Whew. That was a lot of information: the Harvest, the AGM, the Elections Officer… Perhaps now is a good time for a time for a photo? Enjoy this tiny frog, discovered near the river (.pdf version only).

Getting to Know You /a Major Donor Profile

For Greg Strahl, it all started with a television show called Coronation Street. When he was a child, watching the characters on that show garden and gather in their "allotments" fascinated him, and that vision stayed with him.

When Greg heard about volunteers coming together to establish a community garden in Kitchissippi he knew that he wanted to help. He responded to Goldenrod’s call for tools with a generous cash donation, and for that we are grateful. Why tools? Greg said that from a donor perspective the targeted "ask" triggered his desire to give.

Greg Strahl knows a lot about fundraising: he is a former Chair of the Ottawa Food Bank and today continues his involvement as a member of the building committee. The business of food insecurity and distribution intrigues, so he helps however he can.

Next year, he hopes to have his own plot at Goldenrod, but he’s going to need help because it will be his first ever opportunity to grow vegetables. Greg looks forward to learning, gardening and gathering.

Farewell Amanda Joy! A note from the Interim Board

Amanda Joy has been an enthusiastic and dedicated Secretary on Goldenrod’s interim Board of Directors. She resigned her position last week to devote more time to her career and family. We wish her all the best but just have to say - Amanda will be missed.

Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment

What happens at Tunney's Pasture will have a significant impact on the residents of our neighbourhood; the housed and the homeless, the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

The community associations representing Wellington Village, Champlain Park, Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have formed Neighbours for Tunney’s to focus on these and other Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment-related issues. Click this link for more information.

Community Resources, Responding with Compassion

As we continue to educate ourselves on sharing the public space that is Goldenrod, members have found these 2 links very helpful.

The Coalition for the Homeless (USA)

Somerset West Homeless Crisis Outreach

Reminders

Remember to visit the Kitchissippi outdoor Community Fridge. The rules of community fridges are simple: take what you need, leave what you can. Please find more information here.

Newsletter 9 - August 16

We are famous! The Capital Current wrote about us in a recent issue, Growing concern: Second community garden opens on NCC land in bid to battle food insecurity in Hintonburg-Mechanicsville area

And so did the Hintonburg Community Association ! We blush…

David Walsh at PCL has had a temporary ramp installed to aid wheelchair and other access to Goldenrod while construction continues along Parkdale. The new ramp is within the same parking lot, slightly west of the old access point.

Coming Soon. NOMINATIONS –

Goldenrod Community Garden BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The first Annual General Meeting for the garden is planned for October 2021, when a new Board of Directors will be elected. Nominations for this Board are now sought from current gardening members and Friends of the Garden. Why not consider submitting your name and make a valuable contribution to the future of the Goldenrod Community Garden? You can nominate yourself, a fellow gardener, or a Friend of the Garden. Further details and links will be arriving in your inbox soon. Watch for it!

Goldenrod has been gifted a pop-up tent and two chairs. They are for future workshops or circles happening in the garden. We thank the Tool Library’s Chris Osler for the donation.

Just want to give a shout-out to the Build committee again because the new fencing around the water tanks is very handsome.

Are your tomato plants suffering? Are the leaves withering? Seems like the culprit might be leaf mold. You can find out more about it here.

Finally, don’t forget to check out our Gardening Tips page. You will find a new and very interesting item about what to plant now for an autumn harvest. And please email Goldenrod if you have tips to share. Please put “Tips” in the subject line.

Happy Harvesting!

Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment

What happens at Tunney's Pasture will have a significant impact on the residents of our neighbourhood; the housed and the homeless, the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

The community associations representing Wellington Village, Champlain Park, Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have formed Neighbours for Tunney’s to focus on these and other Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment-related issues. Click this link for more information.

Community Resources, Responding with Compassion

As we continue to educate ourselves on sharing the public space that is Goldenrod, members have found these 2 links very helpful.

The Coalition for the Homeless (USA)

Somerset West Homeless Crisis Outreach

Newsletter 8 - August 8

Greetings Fellow Gardeners!

Let’s begin with a note from Dietrich about the construction near Goldenrod:

Construction crews have blocked access to the garden from the direction of Parkdale Avenue, and most critically, the accessible pathway to the garden is fenced off. We did not have any advance notice of this, and no information about how long it will continue, but we will try to find out more and update everyone when we can. Meanwhile, for any members who are having difficulty accessing their garden plot because of the construction, please email us to let us know and we will do our best to assist you. Put “help” in the subject line.

It is hard to believe that this is Goldenrod’s first season. The space has filled out, plots are bursting with foliage, zucchini season is well underway, carrots, peppers and corn are not far behind.

Corn. I cannot believe how well the corn is doing…

And the rain barrel has been installed! Not sure why this makes everyone so happy but rain barrels are like that.

Goldenrod Committees

The Goldenrod Community Garden is currently managed by an interim Board of Directors. Until the visioning session and AGM (planned for autumn 2021) can take place, the GCG is being coordinated by an interim board of 9 volunteers:

Al Webb - Build Committee Allegra Newman - Membership Committee and V. P. of the Interim Board Amanda Joy - Secretary Bryn Lander - Fundraising Committee

Carmel Boosamra - Membership Engagement Committee Dietrich Sider - Build Committee and Chair of the Interim Board Diane Morin - Registrar Sara Chen-Wing - Communications Committee Tanya Salewski - Treasurer

Our amazing, stupendous, dynamic (and humble) Communications Committee is still looking for a volunteer with a talent for graphic design, some website design and a soupçon of social media savvy.

Please reach out to our fearless Comms leader, Sara C. by email at goldenrodgarden@gmail.com. Just put “Comms volunteer” in the subject line.

Wondering what to do with all that zucchini? Well, you can donate some to the Kitchissippi Community Fridge or you can make a chocolate zucchini cake! Please find the recipe at the bottom of this newsletter. Recipe and photo courtesy of Barbara Brown.

Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden

The video celebrating the Official Opening of the Goldenrod Community Garden can be found on the home page of our website. Please view it here.

Getting to know you

Come rain or come shine, Sharlène works hard in her plot #19 at Goldenrod.

A longtime apartment/condo dweller, this is the first time she has had a real garden. She planted according to “Square Foot Gardening” guidelines, a link she found online at our website, and everything is thriving: peas, carrots, leeks, broccoli, brussel sprouts, kohlrabi plus 2 types of tomatoes.

Like many of us, the pandemic forced Sharlène to work from home and that can be lonely. Goldenrod has offered her a welcome opportunity to get outside and meet other members.

Once upon a time, Sharlène’s paternal grandfather owned and operated a very successful nursery. Maybe that’s how she got her green thumb!

Another Gardening Tip

Prune your onions says Diane M.!

Topping onions apparently ensures larger bulbs. Each stalk rising from an onion represents one layer of the onion bulb. If you cut off your onion stems to 10 cm (4”) from the bottom, it will force the energy into the bulb.

Please go to Goldenrod’s Gardening Tips webpage for more information and links to an instructional video.

Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment

What happens at Tunney's Pasture will have a significant impact on the residents of our neighbourhood; the housed and the homeless, the advantaged and the disadvantaged.

The community associations representing Wellington Village, Champlain Park, Hintonburg and Mechanicsville have formed Neighbours for Tunney’s to focus on these and other Tunney’s Pasture redevelopment-related issues. Click this link for more information.

Community Resources, Responding with Compassion

As we continue to educate ourselves on sharing the public space that is Goldenrod, members have found these 2 links very helpful.

The Coalition for the Homeless (USA)

Somerset West Homeless Crisis Outreach

Thank you, Linda, for sending this poster!

Reminders

Remember to visit the Kitchissippi outdoor Community Fridge. The rules of community fridges are simple: take what you need, leave what you can. Please find more information here.

Add your name to the Plot Waitlist for 2022

Please find further details here

Become a Friend of the Goldenrod Community Garden

Anyone can become a Friend; you don’t have to have a plot or even live in Kitchissippi. Please find more information here.

Reach out anytime to share stories, sightings or gardening tips for inclusion in the newsletter: catherine(at)ibtype.com

Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ingredients:

½ sour cream

½ cup vegetable oil

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

½ cup buttermilk

1 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa

3 cups grated zucchini, squeezed out

Glaze (optional)

1 1/3 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

7 tablespoons half-and-half or whipping cream

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

Butter an angle food tin or bundt cake pan and then dust with flour.

Cream the oil, sour creme and sugar.

Add in 3 beaten eggs, vanilla, buttermilk, mix well.

In a separate bowl mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda.

Stir flour mixture into wet mixture, just until combined

Fold in the zucchini.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth so cake batter is uniform.

Bake the cake for 90 mins or so.

You’ll know it’s done when you lightly touch the top and it springs back and a toothpick comes out clean.

Remove from oven to cool completely.

While the cake cools, prep the ganache frosting. Combine the chocolate chips and half-and-half in a small saucepan, and heat over low heat until the chocolate softens. Stir to melt the chocolate, and spread over the completely cooled cake.