Gardener Doc and Gardener Charles

“Gardening is in my blood and, in this life, this a survival; you’ll never know when you need it.”

Names: Gardeners Charles and Doc

Birthplace: Charles- Macan, Georgia, Doc- Philadelphia, PA

Years gardening: Charles- About 40, Doc- 7

Years at Eastwick: 3 in their shared garden plot

Produce growing: Cucumbers, string beans, okra, eggplant, tomatoes, zucchini, kale, yellow squash, many varieties of peppers, and onions.

When Doc was a kid, he remembers watching his father Charles take care of the garden in their yard in West Philadelphia. As we were interviewing Doc and Charles, they explained that they have a gardening bond together. Mr. Doc’s father, who he shares similar features with, originally taught Doc how to garden. Mr. Doc has now been gardening at Eastwick for seven years, in a plot that he shares with his father. Together, they grow cucumbers, string beans, tomatoes, kale, zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, onions, and many varieties of peppers. Unlike Doc, his children are not really into gardening or eating produce out of the garden. Instead, they eat fast food. Doc used to eat similarly, but now he eats more fresh food he grows in the garden. Mr. Charles said “gardening is in my blood and, in this life, this a survival; you’ll never know when you need it.” Even though Mr. Charles knows enough to teach his son how to garden, he still learns a lot from the Chinese gardeners who are his neighbors at Eastwick. When he first started growing at Eastwick, he thought something the Chinese gardeners grew was just grass, until a gardener said “take some home and cook it” and, when Mr. Charles ate it, he enjoyed it.

Gardener Doc’s Potato Salad

Ingredients:

• 7 Potatoes
• 6 Eggs
• 2 Green peppers
• 3 Scunions
• 1 Radish
• Mayonaise
• Mustard

1.) Boil two pots of water one for eggs and the other for the potatoes. Place eggs in the one pot.

2.) Wash potatoes, green peppers, scunions, and radishes.

3.) Dice green peppers, scunions, and radishes.

4.) Once the pots have begun to boil, turn the eggs down to a simmer for ten minutes. Put potatoes in boiling water and boil for five minutes.

5.) Remove eggs and potatoes from stove top, strain the eggs and potatoes, and let them cool for ten minutes.

6.) Peel and chop eggs. Dice potatoes with the skin. The skin adds extra flavor.

7.) Slowly add green peppers and radishes while stirring. More can be added if desired.

8.) Add a little bit of mustard and mayonaise to taste.

9.) Stir thoroughly and DIG IN. Can be served either hot or cold.