Yesterday there was an article in the Oklahoman about a new program at the Oklahoma Regional Food Bank. They are going to be hosting gardening classes this spring as a part of the Urban Harvest Sustainable Home Gardening program. This gets me so excited about summer and I am motivated again to try my hand at gardening.
This is something I dream of….me, in my garden all day, planting, watering, growing, getting my hands dirty. I think of one of my mom’s good friends who has such a gift for this. I was privileged to work with her one summer. We maintained people’s flower beds. While this wasn’t the gardening/slow food/growing for nourishment I dream of now, it was a really great experience. I learned to tell the difference between plants and weeds, which bugs were good and which bugs we needed to watch out for. I remember it being so quite out there and the 100+ degree weather just wasn’t so bad in the morning.
The idea of edible landscaping is something that is just really intriguing to me. The art and beauty of the food that nourishes us. Last summer I was awe struck when I saw the edible landscaping at the Philbrook in Tulsa. It was amazing…..so amazing that I walked all over the property, in cute little pumps, sweating….just to find it only to realize it is just not that far from the Museum wall. I had some explaining to do when Law Man and I returned out of breath and sweating after we had “stepped out” of the Cocktail Hour portion of the Firm Summer Party. But, it was worth it….this is what we saw….*note the pictures really do not do the garden justice. I was armed with only my i phone.
The plan was to convert “3,600 square-foot of seasonal planting beds in the south formal garden into a vegetable garden in an effort to help Oklahoma’s hungry get through the current economic downturn. The produce was donated to the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, who in turn distributed it to their 450 Partner Programs in 24 counties of eastern Oklahoma.” More than 1,000 pounds of food was distributed out of this beautiful garden.
You can hear more about the garden on this NPR segment.
If you are interested in more sustainable gardening news and information in Oklahoma, here are a few links.
Kam’s Kookery and Guilford Garden’s Blog
Turtle Rock Farm (This blog run by the sister of the previously mentioned “friend of my mom.”)
