My name is Lachae Fosque. I am in the 8th grade at Pepper Middle School. I like to eat/cook chicken and rice and also mac & cheese. I sometimes plant fruits in my backyard such as apples, tomatoes, and strawberries. I like gardening because I like to watch my fruit grow and watch their grown I can wash them off and eat them raw. I like Rebel Gardeners because it gets me out of class. But I like the garden because it reminds me of mother nature. I love to plant and cook. I also like to learn about the garden.

Georgina

My  name is Georgina. I like Rebel Gardeners because I get to cook and  get to work on the garden. Rebel Gardeners help us to be healthy and also helps the community choose healthy and better food.

 Decontee Yallah

Hi my name is Decontee yallah and I’m 13. The reason why I like rebel gardeners is because I use to have a garden at home and my brother and I grew fruits,vegetables and we harvest them sense that day I always wanted to join the rebel gardeners. Now im in the rebel  gardeners I want to do  my best and my favorite subject in the rebel gardeners is cooking (I like cooking any good type of food) and ill try my best to help my team an work my best.

Deyana Smith

Hello my name is Deyana and I like eating healthy and im in rebel gardeners because nutrition is cool.

Phajja Alexander

Hello my name is Phajja Alexander and I like to cook. When I grow up I want to open my own resturant.I like being in the rebel gardeners and my favorite colors are purple, red, and pink. I also like cooking a lot of stuff. And I want to go home and show my people how to cook.

Come visit the Rebel Gardeners at Clark Park today from 3-7. Our summer program is coming to an end, and this may be our last market. Check out what we’ll be selling today!

follow us on twitter : @rebelgardeners and like us on facebook : @rebelgardeners

For Sale Today: Kale, Collards, Okra, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Tomatoes, Hot Peppers, Squash, Eggplant, Watermelon, Assorted Herbs: Basil, Marjoram, Thyme, Oregano, Parsley, Sage, Rosemary

Collard Greens:

A very popular green for it’s leafy, editable leaves and stems. We have a lot of collard greens, they’re pretty hardy but are susceptible to bugs due to their volume; as similar as collards are to cabbage the leaves sprout outward, they don’t stay tight and close to each other. Nevertheless, they are very versatile in terms of how you cook them, you can saute them, boil em, eat em raw if that’s you’re cup of tea. Or cup of collards. Collard greens are a good source of vitamin C and help you with you’re immune system and even helps prevent cancer.

Basil:

A common herb in gardens and a wonderful edition to recipes. We have a fair amount of basil for the market later today and hopefully we don’t sell all of it because eating basil raw it just amazing. Basil is really nice in recipes involving pastas and tomatoes but should be added at the last moment as cooking it will remove the flavor. Aside from that basil is also good as it’s full of antioxidants which helps prevent your cells from dying and, like collards, helps prevent cancer. Basil is also used to help treat stress, asthma, and diabetes in some parts of the world, so go basil.

Thyme:

Thyme is a good herb to plant in the Spring so it can sprout in the Summer and once it does it has many uses. You can use it as a herb as it’s very flavorful, it’s oils can be used as sweet smelling aromas, and it’s even used as an antiseptic, so like in mouthwashes and hand sanitizers.

Marjoram:

This interesting herb is cold sensitive so it can only be grown in the late Spring, Summer time. This herb has a citrus taste to it, almost like an orange, and if you’re not eating it you can use it for it’s aroma.

Sage:

Not as magical as the name leads it on to be, sage is a flowery herb that has uses like most herbs in the culinary field and the medical field. It’s peppery taste goes good on roasted meats like turkey or chicken and at the same time it helps prevent blood from becoming to saturated in fat, which could lead to hyperlipidemia.

Peppers:

Kale:

A form of cabbage, kale is very similar to aforementioned collard greens. Kale, like collard greens, can be cooked in a number of ways except kale can become a good addition to mash potatoes. And for all those people trying to lose weight, kale is an excellent dietary food source.

Squash:

Unlike most of our vegetables we harvest today squash may not have any crazy medical properties but the entire squash is editable. You can saute the flesh of the squash, grind the seeds in a butter or even a flour, and the flowers of the squash can be eaten as greens. So, yeah eat up.

Green & Cherry Tomatoes

What need I say about tomatoes? They’re one of the most popular vegetable/fruit/thing and have a high potency in vitamin A, vitamin C,  and antioxidants. So eat tomatoes to get a great immune system.

We are also going to be selling:

Eggplants

Okra

Parsely

Flannel

Chard

Lavender

Our goal is to make $240 today, and hopefully with the size of our harvest, we can meet that goal.

Name: Theotis Alson

Birthplace: Niesmith, South Carolina

Years gardening: 79 years

Years gardening at Eastwick: 10 years

Produce growing: zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon, string beans, jalapeno peppers, celery, kale, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, goose berries, and wild grapes.

Mr. Alson was born in Niesmith, South Carolina. He is seventy-nine years old and was raised on a farm, so he’s been gardening his whole life. He particularly learned down South, as his parents taught him how. Something interesting about Mr. Alson is that he has his own garden at Eastwick community garden, and he has been there for at least ten years. Also, some of the things that he has in his garden are: zucchini, yellow squash, watermelon, string beans, jalapeno peppers, celery, kale, cabbage, broccoli, tomatoes, blackberries, raspberries, goose berries, and wild grapes (“not sugar sweet, they have a little tang”).

He used to work on a farm, but these days he grows food for fun. Mr. Alson is very generous; he often makes produce bags and donates them to churches. He has eleven grandchildren who will come to the garden for the harvest, he said that everything he grows is organic and he never uses chemicals. He doesn’t use pesticides, and said “Keep your grounds clean, grass is a choker, it eats the nutrients out of your garden. Keep the grass out.” To make compost, Mr. Alson uses a big plastic barrel that he turns the weeds, grass, wood chips, and unused produce in. This way you don’t have to buy fertilizer. He told us that good food and good exercise are important for good health.

When we asked why he gardens, Mr. Alson listed several reasons, “1. I enjoy it 2. It is less expensive to grow yourself 3. I get to harvest and share 4. It’s part of me, it’s been part of me for 69 years and I can’t get away.”

For Mr. Alson, the first difference between garden produce and supermarket produce is taste. He said that food you buy in the market was probably picked months ago, but the food he eats from the garden is picked fresh. The food from the garden has all the nutrients and taste, but the market food loses its taste.

Name: Geraldine C. Petitjohn

Years Gardening: 25

Produce Growing: Peaches, collards

So recently my team and I met with an elder gardener that goes by the name of Geraldine C. Petitjohn who is 85 years old. When we finally got into her stubborn gate that was her entrance to her plot of garden, she allowed, and insisted, that we pick as many peaches as we like from her established peach tree. We entered with a man she calls “Mr. Louis” who was there to pick peaches for his wife, and told me that he was picking peaches from Ms. Petitjohn’s garden for seven years.

When I walked into Ms. Petitjohn’s garden plot, she couldn’t help but apologize for the way it looked. There were weeds everywhere because you know how weeds work, they can never stay in one spot. “Well, I’m really embarrassed and this is really humiliating that I let such a pretty garden be hidden by such ravages.” However, Ms. Petitjohn could see the positive in everything as we made our way to the shade of the tree. “But that means I have good soil.” The second thing I noticed was the walking space of the garden was cover in rugs and carpets, as if I had stepped into Alice and Wonderland and it was time for tea. Ms. Petitjohn explained, “The rugs stay moist, the whole path stays moist at least three days. It means this is saving water.” She had a pretty ingenius set up: the middle of the plot was higher than the edges, eventually leading into a trench. Like a castle with a moat (and minus the alligators), after rain, the water would sit in the trench, but the rugs would absorb the water back upward toward the plants allowing the plot to slightly maintenance itself.

After nodding my head in approval, she went on to explain how she came into gardening. Ms. Petitjohn’s mother raised her, five of her siblings, and three grandchildren. She was taught to count before attending elementary, she was taught to tend the fire behind their house that gave them hot water. 1958 was a tough time for people of color, so Ms. Petitjohn’s family had to do what they had to do to survive in those harsh times. But Ms. Petitjohn pushed through those times and has become a very established, professional, intuitive, intelligent,  and open minded gardener of 25 years.

She started out with two 30×20 plots but traded with Mr. Louis because he did not particularly want to grow cabbage. After getting the plot she said she had to get her soil tested. “The first thing you do is get someone who knows soil to check it for you. That’s free here in Philadelphia.” She informed us the only time you see a white butterfly fluttering around your garden is when you have leafy vegetables like cabbage, lettuce, kale. The butterfly lays eggs that hatch worms that you would know are devouring your plants until it’s too late. I look back on the number of times I seen that pretty butterfly in our garden and thought ‘Hey, that’s nice.’ when in fact it was a sheep in wolf clothing.

“I don’t like to use insecticides. I like to squish em’.” I took a lesson from Petitjohn that day.

As Mr. Louis and I wrestled with the peach tree, Ms. Petitijohn revealed that she has a bachelor science degree in genetics, so she knows how plants change, and react to one another, in certain environments, and with chemicals. I realized Ms. Petitjohn is not only experienced and wise, but very knowledgeable and smart in terms of science and nature. Petitjohn kept impressing me as I munched on a fresh peach and I came to an epiphany that faithful summer day.

I realized that old people got it right.

As I interview Ms. Petitjohn, in India 700 million people were without power, and at first I thought ‘Man, that sucks’ but it hit me that what if Philadelphia had it’s power taken away for a long period of time? What if our dependencies are taken for a long period of time (i.e zombie apocalypse)? I realized that all the elderly people that have learned these skills of gardening due to the need to survive or because it’s a productive, healthy lifestyle are actually releasing themselves from these dependencies that we may not have in the future. We may not have grocery stores to supply us food  in the future, we may not be able to afford the food the grocery stores have, the world is collapsing in on itself due to all the people that depend on things they have no control over.

As I left Ms. Petitjohn’s plot feeling depressed, worthless, and pretty much like an American, I remembered that I have time to learn all these skills to garden like most of kids in America. Petitjohn was a kid when she put her first plant in the ground, and even if you’re an adult it’s never too late. “It’s not as easy as you think it is.” said Ms. Petitjohn, “Nothing is. But you don’t give up.”

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.

Name: Edith Watts

Birth Place: Germany

Years at the Eastwick: 40+ years

Produce grown: Green Peppers, String Beans, Okras, Berry Brushes, Beets, Cucumbers,& Tomatos

A long journey from Germany lead Edith Watts to Eastwick Community Garden. She is one of the four remaining original gardeners, whom still gardens to this day. Gardener Edith was born in Germany and had the unfortunate ordeal of living through WWII. She recalls the scarcity of resources during such times and tells us that back then , the German people had to garden. This is the only way German people could feed themselves because of the war. Edith told us that gardening just came natural to her. When she made her great leap to America, she immediatly got her own plot in the just starting Eastwick Community Garden.

When asked if the communtiy garden was different back then than it is now, she told us that it’s always been the same just different gardeners throughout the years. One thing that Edith did express surpising was how Americans eat corn. She told us of how Germany grew corn soley to feed animals ans livestock. She did not know of the many things you can do with corn. She was also introduce to okra for the first time. She now grows both of these vegetables in her plot. Edith isn’t all about produce , however , she grows flowers too because “I like them.”

We’re grateful that we had the chance to talk with one of the few remaining original gardeners with all of her wealth of knowledge , she is truly a living legend.

Gardener Edith’s Vegetable Stew

Ingredients:

• Corn
• Tomato
• Okra
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic
• Olive Oil

Name: Terri Barna

Birthplace: West Philadelphia

Years Gardening: 42 years

Years Gardening at Eastwick: 3 years

Produce grown: Cherry Tomatoes, Grape Tomatoes, Plum Tomatoes, Early Girl Tomatoes, Big Boy Tomatoes, Beef Steak Tomatoes,  Watermelon, Basil

Today, we Rebel Gardeners spent the day at the Eastwick Community Garden getting to know more of our neighbors. We met one gardener by the name of Terri Barna, who is a three year gardener at the Eastwick Community Garden. Terri was born right here in West Philadelphia and recalls fond memories of growing up on 42nd and Lancaster with her family.

Terri’s mom loved growing flowers, roses to be specific, but that surprisingly was not who Terri learned to garden from. It was her grandmother who gave Terri her green thumb. Terri learned how to grow and can tomatoes from her grandmother. Terri told us that ever since she learned the secrets to from her grandmother, “we’ve been growing tomatoes everywhere we went”.

Terri told us how back then supermarkets didn’t have all the food her family wanted and her grandmother’s garden filled in the gaps. When I asked her if she thought supermarkets today still didn’t supply everything people wanted, she told me that they did, but the drawback was all the produce tasted wrong. She especially expressed her discomfort with eating store-bought cucumbers. She never eats their skin because she thinks there are too many preservatives and pesticides in them. Terri told us that in her own garden, “I can take a cucumber right off the vine and just crunch right into it!”.

In relation to the other gardeners, Terri has been gardening for a short time at the Eastwick Community Garden, however, she told us how much she loves the work and the plot itself. Terri told us how before she even began growing at Eastwick, she extensively prepped the soil in her plot. In terms of preparing her plot she told us, “It’s a lot of hard work…a lot of tilling…a lot of fertilizer, and a lot of manure”.

Interestingly enough, Terri does all of her gardening barefoot. When we asked her what she loves the most about gardening, she replied, “I love to kick off my shoes and get in that dirt!”.

Check out the pictures below to see how Terri’s hard work in bare feet has paid off!

Terri Barna’s Very Own Canned Tomatoes

• Whole tomatoes
• Basil
• Canning Jars
• Water

Step 1: Clean and prep the tomatoes.

Step 2: Sterilize the jars by filling them with hot water and letting them sit for 10 minutes. Then dump the water out. Keep the jar hot.

Step 3: Take the jar and fill immediately with whole tomatoes .

Step 4: Add very hot water and a few stalks of basil. Terri herself uses Thai basil to sweeten the tomatoes.

Step 5: Remove the air bubbles

1. Insert a non-metallic utensil and firmly press in the tomatoes

Step 6: Using a clean towel, carefully wipe the jar rim to allow a good seal.

Step 7: Apply the lid and secure it with the screw ring.

Step 8: Place the jar in the canner and fill the canner halfway with water.

Step 9: Heat the canner to 140 degrees farenheit for raw-pack food or to 180 degrees farenheit for hot-pack food.

Step 10: Heat the water in the canner to a full boil.

Step 11: Set a timer for 15 minutes.

Step 12: Cover with lid and reduce the heat enough to keep the water at a gentle boil during processing.

Step 13: When the time is up, turn off the heat and remove the lid of the canner.

Step 14: Place the hot jars on a towel, if there is more than one jar, place them at least one inch apart to allow air to circulate.

Your now canned tomatoes can last a year, enjoy!

*This recipe is a compilation from gardener Barna’s wisdom and canning recipes from The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest by Carol W. Costenbader, Storey Publishing, 2002. 

Name: Man Lee

Gardening at Eastwick: 2 months

Produce Growing: Basil, Pepper, & Eggplant

Amongst Eastwick’s diverse crowd, Man Lee has a story that lies beyond his garden. Mr. Lee is new gardener, he’s been at Eastwick for 2 months. Even though he hasn’t been gardening for very long, his garden plot looks fantastic. Along with basil, peppers, and eggplant, Mr. Lee also has a small peach tree that he will use to make juice. Mr. Lee uses black plastic to slow down the weed growth in his garden. The black plastic also helps to keep water in the soil and it keeps the soil temperature warm. Mr. Lee grows more food than he can use himself, so he travels to New York City regularly to share with his family and friends there.

Unfortunately, we learned Mr. Lee had heart surgery 4 months ago. Even still he is out gardening everyday. He really loves the hard work and exercise. Right after surgery he used just a shovel to prepare the soil in his entire garden plot.  He uses gardening as heart therapy!

Mr. Lee gave us some good advice for gardening. He said to make the garden very nice, show it love, and love everything. In the words of Mr. Lee, “Gardening should be about love”.

Mr. Lee’s Lotus Root Stir Fry

The lotus plant produces a beautiful flower and the root is edible! Mr. Lee told us that lotus also helps to purify water. Here’s his recipe for lotus root stir fry.

Ingredients

Lotus Root

Soy Sauce

Sesame Oil

Pinch of Sugar

Cooked Rice

Directions:

1. Cut the lotus root into slices.

2. Put the lotus root in boiling water for 5 minutes to soften.

3. Use soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil to create a sauce for your stir fry.

4. Sautee the lotus root with the stir fry sauce for about 10 minutes until flavors combine.

5. Serve over rice.