Program

6pm: A welcome to all by Nicole Jones/ Three Dimez & a Quarter salon - 212 222-7768. 18 W. 103rd St., New York, NY 10025

and Anna Lise Jensen/A Lot (of Possibilities) - www.SpaceAllOver.org

6:15pm: artist Alyssa Casey - www.alyssacasey.com/ - introduces her project of making paper from community gardens.

6:30pm: Ustream conversation on salons, community gardens and art –  click here at 6:30pm on Dec. 12th: http://www.ustream.tv/discovery/live/all?q=SpaceAllOver

7pm: Anna Lise Jensen will lead guests to the W. 104th St. Garden (half a block away) and an evening view of Morse Garden, an art installation by Robert Salanda - www.iscp-nyc.org/events/archive/iscp-talks/597/683.html

PS: great news: Petra Valentova, who showed her Duck proposal at WinterSpace in 2010 and performed Disaster Cookbook in the gardens, has just been awarded a Queens Council grant to realize Duck in a Long Island City community garden.

cell: 212 865-2108

www.SpaceAllOver.org

Also, a big thanks to those who turned out for the optional work day on November 19.  Many tasks were completed to get the garden in shape for the winter.

Can you pick up garden supplies from Green Thumb?

Gardeners:  please respond to this email or contact a Steering Committee member if you can pick up sullies from Green Thumb at the winter give-away on Saturday December 3 in Queens.  Here is the link that provides hours and directions.  We need snow melting materials and black garbage bags, so the person who does this will need a car.

http://www.greenthumbnyc.org/newspdf/WinterProgramGuide201112.pdf

The Steering Committee

The Steering Committee

4 large green tomatoes, washed, seeded, and cut into ½ inch pieces
1 small onion, finely chopped (1/3 cup)
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon dried thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
3 slices white loaf bread, crusts removed, cut into ½ inch cubes
7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
 
Preheat the over to 375 F.

    Put the green tomato pieces, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, sugar, dried thyme, and nutmeg in a large nonreactive bowl, and toss well to distribute the onion and flavorings.  Scatter the bread cubes on a baking tray, and drizzle 4 tablespoons of the melted butter over them.  Toast them in the over until they are golden brown, about 8 -12 minutes.  Add the toasted bread cubes to the tomatoes, and toss.  Turn everything into a buttered 9 by 9 inch nonreactive baking dish, and place a piece of parchment paper directly over the surface.  Cover tightly with foil, and bake for 40 minutes.  Remove the cover and bake 10 minutes longer, basting if needed.  Serve hot.

    Rinse the shanks well, and pat them with paper towel until completely dry.  Trim the shanks of any excess fat, and rub 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and 2 teaspoons of the dried thyme into them so they are well seasoned.

    Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, add the butter, and heat until melted and bubbling but not colored.  Place the shanks in the pan and cook, turning on all sides, until deeply browned all over.

    Remove the browned shanks from the pan, and transfer them to a baking dish just large enough to hold them.

    Pour off half the fat from the sauté pan, then immediately add the chopped onions, celery, and carrot.  Sprinkle on 1 ½ teaspoons salt and the remaining dried thyme.  Stir well to distribute the seasonings and cooking fat.  Using a wooden spoon, dislodge any caramelized bits from the sauté pan and stir them into the vegetables – the moisture released by the sautéing of the vegetables will help to facilitate the deglazing.  Continue sautéing the vegetables until they begin to brown – about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, green tomatoes, and bay leaves, and stir well.  Cook for 2 minutes longer, and pour in the wine and chicken stock.  Bring to a full boil, and cook for 2 minutes.  Remove from heat, and taste carefully for seasoning.  Adjust as needed with salt and pepper.  Spoon the vegetables over the shanks, and place a piece of parchment paper directly over them.  Cover tightly with a double thickness of aluminum foil, shiny side down.  (Don’t omit the parchment; the acidity of the tomatoes in direct contact with the foil could impart a metallic flavor.)

    Cook on the middle rack of the preheated over for 1 ½ hours, or until a paring knife inserted into the thickest part of the meat pierces and releases easily.  Remove the foil and parchment and cook, basting occasionally, for ½ hour longer, or until the shanks begin to glaze and take on a rich, caramelized color.  Remove from the over and spoon off any visible fat.  Taste the vegetables and sauce carefully, and adjust seasoning if needed.  Serve the shanks hot with the braising vegetables spooned over.
 

This is THE time to see fellow gardeners before winter sets in. Bring a favorite dish or beverage to share or plates, cups, napkins and utensils. (We’re in desperate need for a restock on paper goods!)

We’ll have applications for the 2012 season. Bring cash or check and sign up now to avoid stamp and mailing. Think about your committee choices and whether you would like to try out a new committee next year, or become a committee head. This is a great opportunity to put your inspiration to work.

As always, we will have a brief wrap-up meeting after the brunch. Thanks to all who helped to make the season shine.

Hope to see you there,
The Steering Committee

PS: WINTER CLEAN UP. There will be one additional, optional workday scheduled on a Saturday before Thanksgiving. It’s a good opportunity for anyone who needs a makeup task.

The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference connects growers, eaters and organizations across the country to nurture the health and well being of Black America and the environment as a whole. Attendees explore issues of race, class, health and food through panel discussions, workshops, films and conversations. Resources are exchanged. Ideas are pollinated. Solutions are born.

The second annual conference will be held from October 15th, 2011 9am to 5pm at Hostos Community College in Bronx, New York. Registration: $25

Oct 14th kickoff Fundraiser at Kiosk Restaurant 80 East 116th in Harlem from 6pm to 9pm.

October 16th, Farm and Garden Tour in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Newark. The Bronx Farm Tour will be during lunch on October 15th.

The Black Farmers and Urban Gardeners Conference is organized by Black Urban Growers (BUGs), an organization committed to building networks and community support for growers in both urban and rural settings. Through education and advocacy around food and farm issues, we nurture collective black leadership to ensure we have a seat at the table.

More Information

Members were urged to support the composting event that is scheduled for October 13, from 6-8. The event will feature a guest speaker and free refreshments.
Another round of discussion was devoted to the possibility of relocating the composter to the rear of the east garden. Various suggestions were offered to mitigate the downsides of the present location. To make the composter itself more attractive, it was suggested that it could be decorated as part of a children’s art project. To improve accessibility at the entrance to the east garden, it was suggested that the platform under the composter could be refurbished and its footprint reduced. Further discussion was tabled until Jean Jaworek, chair of the compost committee, could be present.

Members discussed the option of replacing the Halloween Party with a Harvest Festival. The reason for doing this would be to provide an event with greater appeal to adult members who don’t have young children, and because there are so many Halloween events already. A suggestion was made that we aim to emulate the Harvest Festival done by the Bloomingdale Group. Noreen Whysel, a Steering Committee member, does web design for that group, and has contacts with that group who might be helpful in making suggestions for how we could do a similar event in the Garden. The consensus of the meeting was that the garden should present such an event, but that it would require too much planning to be able to do it this year.

Nikki Kowalski announced that the Garden had received an offer from a group called Green Guerillas to supply perennials and cover crops to the Garden. Members with requests should talk to Nikki during the workday, because the September 16 deadline for requests is rapidly approaching.
Members were reminded that they are responsible for weeding the area around their individual planting bed.

The condition of the fire hydrant from which we get our water supply was once again a topic of discussion. Earlier in the summer, some members thought it was broken, but it turned out that it was just difficult to operate. Now it appears to be really and truly broken. Kevin Lee will report the problem to 311 if he can’t get the hydrant working by the end of the weekend.

NK for the SC