B-Patch

What's the difference between "hybrid", "heirloom" and "OP" varieties?

2012-01-28T17:06:00.000-08:00

A good article over at Kitchen Gardeners International, explains the difference between "hybrid", "heirloom" and "OP" varieties.

Seed and Plant Swaps/Sales

2012-01-11T18:34:00.000-08:00

For those who are interested there will be a seed sale at South Seattle Community College on 03/12/2011 - 2:00pm - 4:00pm- More Info Here

NW Area Online Seed and Plant swaps here

There will be a seed swap as part of the Sustainable Burien meeting February 5th. More info on when and where coming!

Seattle Tilth will be hosting an edible plant sale. It's on Saturday, March 17, 9 a.m.-3 p.m in Hangar 30 at Warren G. Magnuson Park. There's no admission charge - come browse and get ideas for your spring garden!

The Eiffel Flower

2012-01-09T14:42:00.001-08:00

While I think we had a few sunflowers at the Community Garden that challenged the "Eiffel Flower", I am guessing this Sunflower, just short of 24' takes the prize

Yummy Brussel Sprouts

2011-12-30T02:19:00.001-08:00

* 1 Brussels Sprouts Stalk
* 3/4 cup Maple Syrup
* 1/4 cup Olive Oil
* Freshly Ground Black Pepper & Sea Salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°. Trim the stalk down to the fullest, best looking part. Trim sprouts off one side to make a flat bottom. Trim any "tough" leaves from the sprouts. Rinse stalk and trimmed sprouts well in fresh water. Wrap damp stalk in cling wrap and heat in the microwave for 4-5 minutes. Place the trimmed loose sprouts in a bowl, cover with cling wrap and microwave for 3 minutes. Whisk maple syrup and olive oil together. Place stalk flat side down along with any loose sprouts on a roasting pan and pour the maple syrup mixture over. Use a pastry brush to mop the maple syrup onto all sides of the sprouts and stalk. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Place in oven and roast for about 45 minutes or until sprouts on stalk are fork tender and caramelize to a golden color. To serve: Place stalk on a holiday platter, pour any syrup from roasting pan over and garnish with something bright and tart such as dried cranberries or fresh pomegranate seeds.

Frozen Pea Salad

2011-12-11T18:59:00.001-08:00

Easiest salad to put together ever! I use Ranch dressing to kick it up a notch. Great with or without bacon!

FROZEN PEA SALAD
2 c. frozen peas (uncooked)
1/2 c. green onions chopped
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
Bacon bits or crisp bacon broken into pieces if desired
1/2 c. ranch dressing or mayonnaise

Mix together with salad dressing or mayonnaise. Garnish with a rosemary sprig if desired. Serve

Fall Work Party November 5th

2011-10-13T19:26:00.000-07:00

We’ve set November 5th, anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., as a time to get together as a garden community and finish cleaning up our garden plots. And, especially for those who haven’t put in their required 8 hours community work, working on the community areas of the garden.

Those who haven’t done their 8 hours risk losing their plots in 2012. (If you have unreported hours, send them to Michael Stein-Ross –

The rules require that we have our plots cleaned up by October 31st*, but the Parks Department has given us until November 5th to complete that work. It would be great if you could do the bulk of the cleanup in your plot prior to November 5th so the Parks Department can pick up that pile on or before November 5th. We need to bring in the 8 yards of compost that we have already purchased and that pile will probably be put in the spot in front of the compost bins. You’ll be able to amend your beds with that compost either this fall or next spring.

We’ll probably have some cider or other goodies to give us strength (feel free to bring something).

*Winter gardening. Some of you may want to grow gardens through the winter – please let the Board know before November 5th if you’ll be planning winter gardens.

Green Tomato Bread

2011-10-10T16:31:00.000-07:00

If your plot is like mine, you have a glut of green tomatoes. What else besides Fried Green Tomatoes can you do with them? I was checking out The Cooking With Michelle blog, and she has a bread recipe for them. Very simular to zucchini bread or banana bread, but great in it's own right!
GREEN TOMATO BREAD
From Cooking With Michelle
Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup canola oil
* 8 ounces nonfat yogurt, plain
* 3 large eggs
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 cup Splenda (or use all sugar)
* 2 cups green tomatoes, pureed, juice drained and discarded
* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 cup whole wheat flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 2 teaspoons cinnamon
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans. Combine oil, yogurt, eggs, sugar, Splenda and green tomatoes in a large bowl and mix well. Sift together all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, and spices and add to wet ingredients along with the whole wheat flour. Stir together just until combined. Divide evenly between two prepared pans and bake just until a toothpick comes clean from the center of the bread, about 45 minutes. Let cool in pans, then remove. To retain moisture, wrap in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator. May be frozen.

Hardy Plant Society of Washington SALE!

2011-09-29T21:08:00.000-07:00

The Hardy Plant Society of Washington will be holding a bulb sale on Sunday October 2nd, 10am - 2 pm at the Center for Urban Horticulture, 3501 NE 41st St. Seattle, WA 98105

Read more here (including a plant list!)

Central Puget Sound Native Seed, Bulb, & Plant Sale

2011-09-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Central Puget Sound Native Seed, Bulb, & Plant Sale

Date & Time October 1, 2011; 10 AM - 4 PM
Location Warren G. Magnuson Park, Seattle
Driving Directions Enter Magnuson Park from Sand Point Way at NE 74th. Follow the signs to parking. Sale is in Building 30

BLT (Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato) Salad

2011-09-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

I picked about 3 pounds of Cherry tomatoes and thought Now what? I started to think and came up with this ridiculously easy salad for supper.

BLT Salad
1 cup of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1 cup of lettuce, shredded

2 TBLSP. of mayonaisse

4 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled

1/2 cup of cheddar cheese

1 SLice of toast, cut into small cubes

Place cherry tomatoes, lettuce and 3/4 of the bacon in a medium bowl, gently toss, add mayonnaise, cheese, toss again until well mixed. Top with toast cubes and the remainder of bacon.

Garden-A-Glow!

2011-09-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder what the garden would look like if Elves and Fairies took over at night and transformed it into a wonderful light driven wonderland?

Will the community garden got it's chance with the Burien Arts-A-Glow lantern festival. The garden was transformed into a wonderland of light: (Click on any picture to expand)

(Photos by Rob Johnson and Elise Dupre)

Above... Dottie Harper Park transformed (Photo by Elise Dupre)B-Patch from the frontOur Lullaby singerLights in the gardenMore lightsEven more!Garden from the side!

A visitor!

Arts-A-Glow! This Saturday

2011-09-07T21:51:00.001-07:00

Looking for something fun to do this Saturday?

Summer Frittata

2011-08-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

A simple dish that uses quite a bit from the garden.

Summer Frittata (from Rose Elliot's Vegetarian Fast Food)

8 oz. asparagus spears
8 oz. zucchini
8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained
4 eggs
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs Olive oil

1) Trim the asparagus and cut the zucchini into 1/4" slices. Cook the vegetables in a little boiling water for a few minutes until tender but slightly crunchy. Drain immediately.

2) Heat the broiler. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes. Whisk the eggs lightly, add the cheese, tomatoes and parsley and season with a little salt and pepper.

3) Heat the oil in an 8-inch skillet, add the vegetables, then pour in the egg mixture. cook for 4-5 minutes, until the bottom of the frittata is set and golden brown, then put the skillet under the broiler and leave for a further minute or two to set the top. Serve cut in half or in thick wedges.

B-Patch Gardeners' Day

2011-08-31T01:04:00.000-07:00

We had our annual B-Patch Gardeners Day at our community garden Sunday. A small turnout but we had a great time. Good food and Better people. I thought I should share some pics (all pictures by Rebecca Dare)

Graham the Beet Master!
Catherine demonstrating paper starter pots
Rob demonstrating hanging gutter gardens
Cat loves her plot!
Graham reacting to the demo's

Zucchini, Olive, and Cheese Quesadillas

2011-08-29T20:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know bout you, But I am inundated with Zucchini this year! So I got this recipe via a friend of mine on the inter-webs.

Zucchini, Olive, and Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1 1/4 cups shredded zucchini
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
4 (8-inch) fat-free flour tortillas
1/2 cup (2 ounces) preshredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup diced tomato, divided
1/4 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives, divided
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese, divided

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté for 1 minute. Add zucchini; sauté for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from heat; stir in oregano, salt, and pepper.
Wipe pan clean with paper towels, and coat with cooking spray. Heat pan over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla to pan, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup mozzarella. Top with half of the zucchini mixture, 1/4 cup tomato, 2 tablespoons olives, 2 tablespoons feta, and 1 tortilla. Cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned on bottom. Carefully turn quesadilla; cook for 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Place quesadilla on a cutting board; cut in half using a serrated knife. Repeat procedure with the remaining tortillas, mozzarella, zucchini mixture, tomato, olives, and feta. Serve warm.

Just a reminder

2011-08-26T16:57:00.001-07:00

(Click on flyer to enlarge)

Interesting Reading...

2011-08-12T19:07:00.000-07:00

The following is an excerpt from most excellent Article: Growing Communiy Gardens in Cities, left on our facebook page, by someone over at Burien Parks and Recreation!

P-Patch, which began in 1973 and was named after Rainie Picardo, the farmer who first allowed residents to begin gardening on his land, once even counted as a gardening member Mayor Wes Ulhman. Today P-Patch has sixty-eight gardens, an annual budget of $650,000 and a staff of six, and Seattle has more garden plots per capita than any other major city. Even more impressive, Seattle’s City Council passed a formal resolution supporting community gardens and recommending their co-location on other city-owned property. The city’s comprehensive plan calls for a standard of one garden for every 2,000 households in high-density neighborhoods (known in Seattle as “urban villages”). Nevertheless, despite this abundance, P-Patch still has a waiting list of 1,900 persons; in crowded neighborhoods that translates to three to four years.

Read more here

How to freeze Swiss Chard and other Greens

2011-07-29T17:55:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things in the garden is Swiss Chard... I really want to preserve Swiss Chard. Other than dehydration (makes great snack chips),

* Wash the chard well.
* Separate the stalks from the leaves. It makes it more convenient when you're cooking the chard later, since the stalks take longer to cook than the leaves (and, sometimes you only want to use one or the other in a recipe, not both.)
* Bring a pot of water to a boil, and fill a bowl with ice water.
* Blanch Swiss chard stalks for two minutes, leaves for one minute. Place them in the ice water immediately after blanching to stop the cooking process.
* Drain well, and place the stalks and leaves in separate freezer bags or other freezer-safe containers.
* Freeze for up to six months.
Also works for Kale, Spinach, beet and turnip greens!

Fried Zucchini

2011-07-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Photo: Creating a Family Home Blog

The following recipe comes from Kelli, at Creating a Family Home Blog, and looks so good!

Two medium-sized zucchini, washed and sliced into thin rounds, less than a quarter-inch thick
Two eggs, beaten in a shallow bowl
Italian seasoned bread crumbs, about one cup
Extra virgin olive oil for frying
Kosher salt to taste

Fill the bottom of a heavy frying pan with about 1/8” of olive oil and put it on medium-high heat.

While the oil is heating, dip the zucchini slices in egg and dredge them in bread cumbs until they’re fully coated. Set aside until oil is very hot.

Tip: If you start frying before the oil is hot enough, you’ll end up with soggy zucchini slices that have soaked up all the oil. You’ll know your oil is hot enough when a you toss a pinch of bread crumbs into the pan and the oil around them bubbles. If the oil’s not hot enough, the bread crumbs will sink to the bottom without any fanfare.

See all the bubbling action? Yay for fried zucchini!

Once all of your slices are coated and the oil is hot (but not smoking!), start carefully placing the slices in the pan in one even layer. Be careful not to overload the pan, or else you can bring the temperature of your oil down too low and end up with said soggy zucchini.

After 2-3 minutes, check to see if they’re brown enough to flip. You’re looking for a medium golden brown color.

Flip slices and let the second side get nice and brown. When they’re about done, the oil will bubble less vigorously. Remove from pan onto a wire rack and salt them immediately.

Tip: Place your fried zucchini on a wire rack to cool instead of paper towels. Paper towels cause the crispy crust to get soggy—and this goes for any fried food. Instead, I put the paper towels under the wire rack to catch the oil drips.

Tip: Salt the zucchini rounds while they’re still piping hot. The salt will stick better.

Repeat with the next batch of zucchini until all your rounds are fried and salted.

Tip: Add more oil in between batches as needed, but allow the oil to get up to temperature before adding the next batch of zucchini.

ENJOY!!!!

B-Patch Gardeners Day

2011-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

(Click on flyer to enlarge)

Scenes from WORK PARTY II- Community at Work!

2011-07-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

We couldn't of ask for better weather as we gathered on a nice Sunny Saturday for our 2nd work party of the season.Looking through the runner beans!

Looking lush!

Members plant the columnar apple trees along the fence line

Nancy and Rebecca- 2 of our driving forces!

A lot got done, we weeded along the west fence line, planted 3 columnar apple trees and a fig tree, spread some new wood chips, all followed by a great potluck after. It is great when people get together as a community to get things done.

B-PATCH GARDENERS WORK PARTY

2011-07-08T12:04:00.000-07:00

B-PATCH GARDENERS
WORK PARTY and POTLUCK
July 23, 2011 10 AM to NOON

WORK AGENDA:

setting up the rain barrels,

inserting the plastic divide next to the lawn on the west side,

plant the columnar fruit trees

weed the pathway that's filling with lots of grass from the adjoining lawn and spread wood chips.

After Work We will eat!!!

Limited to Garden Plot Holders, their Families and invited Guests

White Center Heights Community Garden

2011-07-07T18:15:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the B-Patch is not the first community garden in the area? If you travel just a bit into White Center, you can find the White Center Heights Community Garden.
The White Center Heights Community Garden, is located at SW 102nd St and 7th Ave SW , in White Center and run by the White Center Community Food Bank
From their listing on the American Community Garden Association website :

"The White Center Heights Community Garden consists of 17 3'x7' raised beds and is located within the recently made over White Center Heights Park. The garden is free to participate in, strictly organic, utilizes a water cistern, and has compost bins on-site. In fact, due to the economic challenges many in the White Center community face, we have solicited donations for organic fertilizer and plants for our gardeners and neighborhood businesses have generously responded.
If you are interested in gardening with us, please contact Audrey Zemke at the White Center Food Bank for an application."

Swiss Chard Pie

2011-06-27T13:09:00.000-07:00

Chard grows so well here in Burien. Leave it to Martha Stewart to come up with a good way to use it up!

This vegetarian pie is great to have on hand -- it can go straight from the freezer to the oven. To bake it without freezing, reduce the baking time to 40 to 45 minutes.
Ingredients

For the Olive Oil Dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

For the Swiss Chard Pie Filling:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, cut into small dice
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stems cut into small dice and leaves torn
3/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Grated zest of 1 large lemon, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 large egg yolk

Directions

Make the Olive Oil Dough

In a bowl, combine all-purpose flour, extra-virgin olive oil, cold water, and coarse salt. Stir with a fork to combine, then turn out onto a work surface and knead 1 minute. Cover dough with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 30 minutes.
Make the Swiss Chard Pie

In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add chard stems and red-pepper flakes; cook until stems begin to soften, about 2 minutes.

Pack chard leaves into pot; season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until chard leaves wilt, about 4 minutes. Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chard is soft, about 4 minutes. Drain, pressing out as much liquid as possible. Place chard mixture in a large bowl and toss with Parmesan, flour, lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Roll two-thirds the dough to a 12 1/2-inch round; fit into an 8-inch round cake pan (2 inches deep). Fill bottom crust with chard mixture. Roll remaining dough to a 9 1/2-inch round; place over filling. Pinch edges of dough together and tuck in to seal; cut several vents into center of pie. Combine yolk with 1 teaspoon water and brush over dough, avoiding edge of pan. Freeze pie (see below).

To serve, preheat oven to 400, with rack in lowest position. Bake frozen pie until crust is deep golden brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Plant Garlic

2011-06-25T21:17:00.001-07:00

Best time to plant - November! I just harvested mine

Nice to know folks at Burpee's Seeds agree. The cool thing is you can plant the cloves you buy from the store! Plus I have successfully planted garlic in a 5 gallon bucket (self watering planter)

Make a Salad Bowl

2011-06-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

Another great way to garden on your deck or balcony

How to grow Vegetables on your Balcony

2011-06-15T21:37:00.000-07:00

Want to grow some produce? Don't have a yard or a plot in a community garden?
The price of produce is going up with everything else, and if you have a sunny balcony, you can grow some of your own delicious vegetables. Besides harvesting healthy foods, having pots of growing food on your balcony is a wonderful, inexpensive way to decorate it.
Read more here

Veggie Kabobs

2011-06-07T20:03:00.001-07:00

A quick, easy and tasty way to eat your veggies- grill in minutes

VEGGIE KABOBS
Assorted vegetables, cut bite size (I like to use mushrooms, tomatoes squash and onion- this is good dish for cherry tomatoes)
Skewers
Marinade*
Let vegetables marinate in a shallow dish between 30 minutes to an hour. Then piece by piece, shove them on skewers- (You may want to soak skewers in a shallow bowl or pan in some water- helps keep them from burning)Place them on a hot grill or BBQ- cook for about two minutes and turn over. Should have nice grill marks. Serve and enjoy!
Tip- brush the grill with a light brush of Olive oil before grilling- adds good falver and helps to keep veggies from sticking to the grill.

*Asian Vegetable Marinade
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon sesame oil

mix the marinade up and let your vegetables marinate in a shallow dish from between 30 minutes to an hour before grilling.

Get Free Advice At Six Burien Master Gardener Clinics In May

2011-05-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

Spring may finally be arriving, and despite it being only a few weeks late, it’s likely that you’ve got some questions about your suddenly-blooming garden, lawn, yard, or those pests that have seemingly just appeared.

Did you know that there are local “Master Gardeners” in Burien with gardening and pest control expertise who can answer your questions for no charge?
Check out this article in the B-Town Blog for more info on Master Gardener Clinincs

Paper seed pots

2011-05-13T20:27:00.000-07:00

Our own Catherine Dupré shows how she makes paper seed pots on her post at Burien Daily. Catherine is a first year gardener at the community garden and is sharing her experiences at the Daily.

Gift of the Fungi

2011-05-08T23:22:00.000-07:00

It appears that Wayne's mushroom experiment is bearing fruit... err fungi that is. The Mushroom patch along the fence is definitely working, and here is some info from Wayne...

"Picked the first flush of oyster mushrooms that Bill
let me know about - made a delicious soup with parsnips, leek, and greens,
no stomach issues, so must be the right kind of fungi ;) Bet there will be
more later, but we need to remember to NOT water coffee grounds / mushrooms
with chlorinated (tap) water".

So as Bill suggests, best let Mother Nature take care of watering the mushrooms...

How to save Tomato Seeds

2011-04-29T19:15:00.000-07:00

For those who don't know how, here is a great video from Clifton Middleton on saving tomato seeds.
The video is 5 minutes long, if you can't view this gardening video here are the hightlights:

When choosing tomatoes for seeds choose the reddest and ripest.
Some of the seeds are green and some are yellow.
The green seeds are "not good" and they won't germinate.

First Work Party of the Year!!!

2011-04-27T14:02:00.000-07:00

Note: We are not at this time looking for volunteers, outside of our own members, for the Work party

Burien Gothic

2011-04-16T19:14:00.000-07:00

New Community Garden Members Catherine and Matt pose a new take on "American Gothic"

We Got MAIL!!!

2011-04-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share an email from Michael Lafreniere, Department Director
City of Burien Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services to the email box, which I diligently check- NOT! Thank you Michael, sorry it took so long to read your email!

Michael wrote:
Just wanted to pass along a website and an initiative I recently learned about:

http://www.growlocaltacomapierce.com/

In Tacoma-Pierce County, the Cascade Land Conservancy is working to help organize community gardens at several new locations around Tacoma due to pent up demand. More on that HERE.

Garden From Space

2011-04-12T21:51:00.000-07:00

No not talking about growing marsian tomatoes or Venuvian Kale, This is a shot of the community garden from space, via Google Satellite. The day it was taken must have been sometime in early summer 2010 as the compost bins are being built and there is already stuff growing, and Kevin Alexander is working on the compost bins and his truck and trailer are in the driveway

Orientation Meeting April 12th

2011-04-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

ORIENTATION MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 12th At the Community Garden 437 SW 144Th 6:00PM All New Gardeners And Returning Gardeners Expected to Attend to Discuss the rules of the garden

Basil Mojitos

2011-04-05T18:45:00.001-07:00

Photo: Savvy Houskeeping

Basil Mojito any one? Savvy Housekeeping has come up with a fresh take on the everyday Mojito just in time for everyone's favorite spring herb! View the recipe here.

Neat Trellis Work

2011-04-03T01:31:00.000-07:00

Gardeners new to the community garden, Matt and Catherine have already put up some new trellises, with very cool designs, made from Bamboo that a friend of Matt's grew!

B-Patch is on B-Town Blog!

2011-03-21T20:27:00.000-07:00

The B-town blog had a nice write up on the B-Patch. Time to sign up OR Renew your plots!

Seattle Tilth Spring Sale!

2011-02-27T15:30:00.001-08:00

Get an early start on spring gardening!

Choose from an amazing selection of edible plant varieties proven to perform well in the Pacific NW during the cool spring season, starring favorite varieties as well as special rare and heirloom plants. You will find organic veggie starts, culinary herb plants, edible flowers, berry shrubs and fruit trees.

Now in its second year, the Early Spring Edible Plant Sale is the place to find the best selection of locally grown, organic spring veggies for your garden!

Early Bird Pre-Sale

For people who want to shop early with the best selection, come to the Early Bird Sale at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 19 before the gates open for the regular sale at 10 a.m.. A limited number of tickets are available for $25; all proceeds benefit Seattle Tilth's educational programs. BUY EARLY BIRD TICKETS.

More Info here

History of School Gardens

2011-02-10T16:17:00.001-08:00

Kitchen Gardeners International had an interesting post on School Gardens. A good read to learn a little history of the Victory Garden movement in general. Maybe an idea whose time is right again!

Kiss Your Organics Goodbye!

2011-02-09T23:09:00.000-08:00

After years of bureaucratic wrangling, Secretary Vilsack and the Obama administration are only days away from approving Monsanto’s genetically modified (GMO) alfalfa. If approved, GMO alfalfa will fundamentally undermine the entire organic industry overnight. In addition, the USDA says American consumers don't care about the contamination of organics.

Please join us in calling on Secretary Vilsack and President Obama to stand up for organic family farmers by rejecting the approval of Monsanto's GMO alfalfa. Tell them to protect organic integrity and seed biodiversity over corporate profits.

Sign the petition here

How to grow 100 lbs. of potatoes in 4 Square feet

2011-02-04T13:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a good article from Irish Eyes Seed company in Ellensburg on how to construct your own potato "cage" and grow 100 pounds in 4 square feet. I call mine the potato condo.

Vertical Garden using reclaimed items

2011-01-23T16:45:00.000-08:00

Another vertical garden- this time via Green Roof Growers, this one uses pallets and gallon milk jugs. read more about it here. Presented by Dr. Job Ebenzeer, Ph.d and the Technology for the Poor organization,, He also goes into using wading pools and tires. Very cool for a patio garden or apartment balcony.

NW FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW IS COMING

2011-01-15T13:56:00.001-08:00

Spring is coming a bit early this year!!! At least the Northwest Flower and Garden show is. Scheduled for February 23-27 at the Washington State Convention Center, it is one of the largest shows of it’s type in the nation.Besides the many great gardens that will be there, I will get to see some of my favorite Vendors like Beez Neez Apairy-who trade in Mason bee housing, materials and cocoons; Natures Fresh Start-(Garden stake trellis for garden and containers); Lee Valley Tools-(Garden hand tools and accessories); and By the Yard Oregon- that sells Maintenance Free outdoor furniture from recycled milk jugs And also get to see some great lecturers and attend some good seminars. I even have my question ready for Ciscoe Morris! So escape winter, even for an afternoon and come frolic in the gardens at the NW Flower and Garden Show. PS There is an online Discount if you buy your tickets early!

Organizing seeds

2011-01-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Reblogged from Green Roof Growers
I'm guilty of buying more seeds then I need, but that's great for seed swapping. Here's great video on how to organize your seeds by Jean Ann Can a garden coach.

Alley Cat Acres

2010-12-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

More Info: alleycatacres.com

B-Patch Photo Album

2010-12-07T17:12:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't know, or forgot, there is a B-Patch Photo album to take a look at. Nice to look at pictures of the start of our garden, especially in these cold winter months!

Pie in a jar

2010-11-26T03:08:00.000-08:00

This isn’t your grandmother’s apple pie. We’ve taken the tried-and-true favorite and spun it on its head, pouring the sweet fruit filling into a dough-lined jar. Top it off any way you choose—we’ll provide the scrumptious topping options. Find the recipe here

Roasted Vegetables

2010-10-31T11:11:00.000-07:00

Excellent for fall and winter and all those root veggies.

Roasted Vegetables

1 small butternut squash, cubed
2 red bell peppers, seeded and diced
1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, cubed (You can subsitute baking potatoes)
1 red onion, quartered
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
In a large bowl, combine the squash, red bell peppers, sweet potato, and Yukon Gold potatoes. Separate the red onion quarters into pieces, and add them to the mixture.
In a small bowl, stir together thyme, rosemary, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Toss with vegetables until they are coated. Spread evenly on a large roasting pan.
Roast for 35 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'

2010-10-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

A great dessert recipe for all those pumpkins that everyone grew! And since I have all this pureed pumpkin in the freezer I thought Pumpkin Pie (sticks finger in nose and announces "BORING") and it came to me- Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'. I saw Michael Chiarello make his version of this on Food Network, and I adapted it into my own little recipe. His version calls for using left over pumpkin pie stuffed into a ramekin, mine is a tad bit more involved, using my pumpkin pie recipe with no crust- but very easy! And yes, I washed the finger I stuck in my nose!

Pumpkin Cre’me Brứlee'
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups of pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
1/2 cup of firm brown sugar
2 eggs or (vegans- 1/2 cup of egg substitute)
1 tablespoon of Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 can (12 ounces) Nonfat evaporated Milk or for vegan recipe, as Chile writes in her blog try making some evaporated soy milk (cook down to double-strength) for pie or as Chile says:
"Put 2 cups soymilk in a saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirringconstantly, until volume is reduced to 1 cup. Cool. Store in jar in fridge."
Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix together the pumpkin, brown sugar, egg, pumpkin pie spice and non-fat evaporated milk. Carefully pour into Ramekins leaving about a quarter inch of room. Place Ramekins on a cookie sheet and Bake in 350 oven for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle of one of the Ramekins comes clean. Let cool on the counter. Place into the frigidaire. Chill
Before serving, sprinkle about 1 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar over each "custard". To get it crusty, Take your Blowtorch (I love cooking when there is the chance of danger) and aim the flame just above the sugar, just out of reach , until sugar starts to turn brown. Or use The whimps method: Simply place the sugared custards under a hot broiler and watch for browning, when evenly browned, Serve with a small dallop of whipped creme on it, and perhaps a berry for garnish. And yes this is also my favorite pumpkin pie recipe- you just pour the pumpkin mixture in a pie crust and bake for 60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes clean. Hmmm- a Cre'me Brứlee' pie???
Quick tip- Don't have ramekins? try using 1/2 pint wide mouth mason jars- then you have a screw on lid if you need to take them somewhere

Fall Clean Up Party and Potluck

2010-10-16T19:42:00.000-07:00

POTLUCK AND GARDEN CLEANUP

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Potluck in the Garage at 1 p.m.

Garden cleanup following

Many of us have our own plots to clean up and perhaps plant winter veggies. We also have pathways to weed.* The work you put toward the whole community garden will go toward satisfying the required 8 hours per year.

Come celebrate our first summer in our community garden.

Contact Rebecca at RDARE2@yahoo.com for more info

* (By the way, it’s suggested that you use a tarp on the pathway when you clean up your plot. Dirt in the pathways leads to the growth of weeds in the pathways – and it also doesn’t look too great.)

Another use for zucchini

2010-09-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

Still another use for zucchini- Bear repellent!

(FRENCHTOWN, MONTANA) -- This is not a joke, this story is for real.

Missoula County Sheriff Lt. Rich Maricelli says a Frenchtown, Montana woman defended herself successfully in a bear attack with a pretty low-end weapon -- a zucchini squash.

Frenchtown is part of the Missoula, Montana Metro Area, population 883 at the 2000 census.

Authorities say the 200-pound black bear went after one of the woman's dogs just after midnight Wednesday on the back porch of her house, which is about 15 miles west of Missoula.

The bear bit her in the leg while she tried to get the bear away from her dogs so she grabbed for the nearest hard object and it was the zucchini she had recently harvested from her garden sitting on the porch’s railing.

The woman threw the squash at the bear, hitting it with enough force to make the bear run away.

The sheriff’s office said the woman’s bite was not serious enough for medical attention. Montana wildlife officials were trying to locate the bear.

Early Seed Sale

2010-09-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

Burien Safeway is selling Burpee Seed Packets @ 5 for $1 or 25 cents each to benefit MDA. Great way to get early start on your seed purchases for next season.

Community Gardeners Get to keep their plots

2010-09-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Michael, Rebecca, Wayne and Carol were able to attend the Parks Board meeting on September 8. Just want to pass along the great news that they unanimously decided to go with our recommendation to remove the one year plot term. Current gardeners (and future gardeners) will now be able to keep their plot as long as they wish, assuming they reapply each year, pay the $25 fee, volunteer their 8 hours and follow other garden rules. If there are more gardeners than plots a waiting list will be formed and gardeners will be assigned plots on a first come, first serve basis.

The Parks Board members' biggest concern with going to the unlimited plot term model was not having enough plots to make the resource available to everyone in the community. There seemed to be interest in building more community gardens if the demand is there (a wait list on the B-Patch), but funding is the primary issue that will need to be addressed.

A few highlights of our first few months at the garden

2010-09-09T15:34:00.000-07:00

A few highlights of our first few months at the garden:

· 90 pounds of produce donated to the Highline and White Center food banks

·Gardener and community potluck was held on 8/29 which included garden demos, delicious food prepared with produce grown at the garden and over 40 people!

·Developed a B-Patch blog called the Bee Patch Blog to share recipes, garden announcements and work party information - http://beepatch.blogspot.com/

·The B-Patch is on Facebook

·Working with Sustainable Burien to help finish some of the final projects in the garden’s construction

·Learning 101 ways to cook zucchini, and trying to find more things to do with all the green tomatoes!

·Featured on the Photo Friday of the B-Town Blog

·The Mayor of Burien recently toured the garden

Pickled Kohlrabi

2010-09-08T18:36:00.000-07:00

In the garden, the KohlRabi is coming out swell--- now to preserve it for a while longer. I found this recipe at Recipe Land .com of course I had to make my little changes to go with what I grow!
Ingredients

3 each kohlrabi peeled, sliced (I used 2)
2 large carrots Or I used 6 "baby" Carrots- I grow thumbelina and little finger
2 each garlic cloves crushed
1 each bay leaf
3 large dill weed sprigs

Pickling mixture
3/4 cup white vinegar
1 1/4 cups water
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon mustard seed
1/2 teaspoon dill seed
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt

Directions
Parboil carrots for 3 minutes.
Mix kohlrabi and carrots; pack in a 1 quart glass jar along with garlic, bay leaf and fresh dill.
In a saucepan, combine pickling mixture.
Heat, stirring, until it boils and sugar is dissolved.
Pour boiling mixture over kohlrabi, filling jar completely.
Cover jar. When cool, refrigerate for 3 to 4 days before using to let flavors blend

1st B-Patch Garden Day

2010-08-29T17:10:00.001-07:00

In concordance with World Kitchen Garden Day, We had a succesful B-Patch Garden Day with over 40 local gardeners attending. Starting with a potluck full of dishes inspired by what we grow. Followed by demo's on all sorts of garden related topics like food preservation, composting, chicken keeping, making mason bee houses and ladybug houses. prepping your garden for winter; winter gardening and much more.
Moreover it was an oppurtunity to meet and discuss our gardens and to plant friendships and prep as a community, sharing ideas along the way.

Update on B-Patch Garden Day

2010-08-20T00:03:00.000-07:00

Potluck -1PM
* please bring your own utensils/plates/cups* please bring a dish to share, preferably with an ingredient from the b-patch - we encourage you to bring your recipe to share with other gardeners if you wish
Demos- 2PM to 4pm
Learn about a variety of garden related topics from other b-patch gardeners including: over wintering crops, putting a garden to rest for winter, self irrigating planters, canning　and storing, composting, building mason bee and lady bug houses, seed saving, and backyard chicken keeping.　　
Contact Rob at robj98168@yahoo.com or Rebecca at rdare2@yahoo.com for more information

Zucchini Recipes

2010-08-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

From Rebecca, here are some great resources for that famous squash! that came about from a dinner party using all zucchini recipes!

Fried Green Tomatoes!

2010-08-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Fried Green Tomatoes Recipe
from Simply Recipes.com
Ingredients
3 medium, firm green tomatoes
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
2/3 cup fine dry bread crumbs or cornmeal
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Method
1 Cut unpeeled tomatoes into 1/2 inch slices. Sprinkle slices with salt and pepper. Let tomato slices stand for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, place flour, milk, eggs, and bread crumbs in separate shallow dishes.

2 Heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat. Dip tomato slices in milk, then flour, then eggs, then bread crumbs. In the skillet, fry half of the coated tomato slices at a time, for 4-6 minutes on each side or until brown. As you cook the rest of the tomatoes, add olive oil as needed. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

B-Patch on Facebook!

2010-08-13T14:47:00.000-07:00

The B-Patch is now on facebook!

Carolina Kale

2010-08-11T21:20:00.000-07:00

This recipe comes from Lana, via the MOOSEWOOD RESTAURANT LOW-FAT FAVORITES Cookbook!

Carolina Kale (serves 4 to 6; total time: 25 minutes)
---------------------------------------------------------------

Cooked until just tender, bright vitamin- and mineral-rich greens
contrast beautifully with red tomatoes to make an appealing vegetable
side dish or a topping for rice.

11/2 lbs kale, collards, chard, beet greens or mustard greens
2 cups chopped canned tomatoes and their juice OR 3 cups chopped fresh
tomatoes
1 cup minced onions
11/2 tsp ground cumin
2 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 tsp Tabasco or other hot pepper sauce OR 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp salt
ground black pepper to taste

Wash the greens. Remove the large stems and any discolored leaves. Stack
the leaves and slice them crosswise into 1/8-inch strips.

Combine the tomatoes, onions, cumin, garlic, Tabasco, and salt in a
saucepan, cover, and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the greens,
cover, and gently simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 to 15 minutes,
until the greens are tender (see Note below). Add pepper to taste and
serve.
Enjoy!

Note: The cooking time will vary with the type and tenderness of the
greens. If necessary, add a little water during cooking to maintain
liquid in the bottom of the pan.

August 29th is B-Patch Garden Day

2010-08-08T19:08:00.000-07:00

August 29th is B-Patch Garden Day

August 29th 2-6 pm at the B-Patch (Burien Community Garden)
POTLUCK Please bring a dish inspired by your garden
DEMOS- Everything from Self Irrigating Planters to Winter Gardening
Fun and Sun at the B-Patch
More info contact Rob at robj98168@yahoo.com or Rebecca at rdare2@yahoo.com

PIckle Anything

2010-08-06T17:23:00.000-07:00

Wondering how to pickle things? Readymade Magazine has a great article on fresh pack pickling and blanch and seal pickling- pickle everything! Good freshness extenders! My favorite? Pickled Red Onions(Beefmaster) with Garlic!

Sustainable Burien meeting at The B-Patch

2010-08-05T14:47:00.001-07:00

The good folks at Sustainable Burien want everyone to know that their next meeting, set for this Sunday, Aug. 8th, is being moved from the usual spot at the new library to Burien’s Community Gardens, located at 437 SW 144th Street. The meeting is Sunday, Aug. 8th from 2pm to 4pm; doors open at 1:30pm. 2pm until 4pm

This will be a chance to visit the new community garden and attend SuBu's monthly meeting.

Their speaker will be Jeanne Johnson from the Environmental Coalition of South Seattle, and according to an email:

“She’ll have free green cleaning products to give away to everyone. She’ll explain how to read the labels on cleaning products and other chemicals so you know what’s really in them and can make an educated choice about what works for you. She’ll have information about how you can take care of your home using green products; cheaply, easily and effectively. She has some surprising information about what personal care products are actually classified as hazardous waste, and will have information about how to research the products you use and find alternatives if you want to. And she’ll have copies of the Grow Safe/Grow Green Guide for yard and garden care, an excellent guide that lists various products and explains what they are, how safe they are [or aren't] and helps you pick what will work best for you.”

Permaculture Class

2010-07-28T18:56:00.000-07:00

PERMACULTURE CLASS

Now all the pieces are in place, including paypal, to fully register using our website: www.nwpermaculture.org. You will find instructions for both paypal and check registration there now! Try it out! Early Bird pricing ends August 15th. We hope you will find registration easy, smooth and uncomplicated.

Pruning Tomatoes Video

2010-07-26T10:55:00.000-07:00

Rebecca shared this video so we can all prune our tomatoes. Very interesting.
http://www.finegardening.com/video/homegrown-homemade-how-to-prune-tomato-plants.aspx

Swiss Chard W/ Pancetta

2010-07-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

This recipe works with any greens

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 ounces pancetta, finely diced (bacon or 1/4 cup of pine nuts or walnuts work as well)
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard or rainbow chard, stems and inner ribs cut into 1/2-inch pieces, leaves cut into 1-inch ribbons
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the pancetta, garlic and rosemary and cook over moderately high heat until the garlic is softened, about 2 minutes. Add the chard stems and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add the chard leaves, season with salt and pepper and cook, tossing, until wilted, about 5 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, toss to coat and serve.

Kitchen Garden Day- August 22

2010-07-21T17:58:00.001-07:00

Did you know that world's producers of chips, pretzels and fluorescent orange cheese doodles have rebranded February as "Snack Food Month?"
Well, the world's food gardeners and other healthy, delicious eaters are biting back. If they can claim a month, we can at least have a day: Kitchen Garden Day! And it will be celebrated on August 22 this year! Facebook users can show their support and solidarity with food gardeners and other healthy eaters around the world by "attending" our global event here: Kitchen Garden Day on facebook
Some Ideas to celebrate Kitchen Garden Day are:
-a walking tour of gardens in your area
-a kitchen garden or local agriculture potluck
-a kitchen garden taste-test
-a harvest or planting party
-a benefit for a local food/gardening charity
-a kitchen garden "teach in"
-a single food theme party
-an activity at a local farm
-etc

Work Party at the B-Patch

2010-07-09T13:09:00.000-07:00

WORK PARTY

Saturday July 10 @2PM

What To Do: Get the lattice up for the privacy fence, clean the NE Corner out, spread Wood Chips

B-Patch Board Meeting Minutes 7/1/10

2010-07-05T03:24:00.000-07:00

B-Patch Board Meeting Minutes
July 1, 2010
In Attendance: Wayne, Kevin, Rebecca (and Bill), Rob, Carol

1. Adding new Board Members:
The suggested number of board members from the Parks Dept was 5 people, we are already at 6, so feel like it should not grow any larger as the decision making process may be more difficult.

2. The one year limit to the garden plots:
Many board members and plot holders have already expressed concern with this policy, as the greater investment gardeners have in the garden, the better it will work. The Parks Board approved this policy, but we can lobby to have it changed. The hope is to send someone to the August Parks Board meeting in August to let them know how well the garden is working out. Also send some folks to the September meeting to request a switch to a policy where gardeners keep their plots for a longer term – 3 years? As long as they keep it up?
Follow up: When are the Park Board Meetings? Who can attend August? Who can attend September? Organize our selling points to get the policy changed.

3. Compost Bin Use:
We need to make sure the bin is getting turned and watered regularly to insure it composts. Also having issues with weeds and diseased plants being put in the compost bins.
Follow up: Carol will create a sign-up sheet for the bulletin board for people to write when they turn or water the bins. Kevin will talk to John about making more signs that say “THIS BIN”, “NOT THIS BIN”, “NO DISEASED PLANTS”

4. Outstanding Work Projects:
* Privacy screen for neighbor and plants to climb on it – hops?
* Bench – this is a lower priority item
* Sign with landscaping in NE corner
* Mason bee box installation – Wayne will install under the eaves of the house
* Earth oven? – not sure about placement
Kevin will let people know ahead of time about any upcoming work parties. We can work on some of these projects as we have time.

5. Gardener communication and “email list”:
Several board members didn’t receive “the list” provided by Steve Romer. Wayne will forward it on to other board members. Agreed that we should keep plot holder email to a max of twice a month and use the Bee-Patch Blog to post more frequent info as needed.
Follow up: Should probably establish one person to do the communication to the gardeners, and establish a “list keeper” to manage additions/deletions/duplicates, etc.
Organize a garden party to meet other gardeners in ways other than email.

6. Food Bank and School Plots status and communal maintenance:
Gloria said it is okay for other people to water and weed her two school plots. We will add these tasks to the Volunteer Opportunities list for gardeners. The Food Bank plot still has room to be planted.
Follow up: Need to come up with a way to track pounds of food donated to both food banks. The school plots need to be labeled on the map on the board. Delivery times and locations of both food banks should also be posted. Carol will make a Volunteer Opportunities list and post on board.

7. Other needs from Steve and Parks Dept at this time?
No – we will include him on monthly meeting minutes

8. Sign design
Per our residential permit it will be under 10 sq ft. Kevin will follow up with John and have him come up with his own design that includes “B-Patch” and “Burien Community Garden” as well as some bees/butterflies/carrots/radish/etc. graphics

9. What to do with the extra grant money:
Currently have $902 that needs to be spent by 4/1/11. Some will be spend on the remaining supplies for the privacy screen and sign permit.
Follow up: Buy a wisk broom and dust pan for the kitchen. Still need to decide how to spend the money down the road.

10. Parks Dept “stuff” in the green house:
Everyone is fine with it as long as the kitchen stays available for gardener use and the bathroom has toilet paper.

11. Border along gravel:
Gravel is getting in to some garden plots and the bark and gravel are mixing by the picnic table.
Follow up: Kevin will look at getting a plastic boarder for the bark/gravel mix spot. Perhaps a small pile of free bricks for gardeners along the gravel border side? Craigslist?

12. Bulletin Board:
Space is running out. Let’s move the more permanent items to the inside of the window and leave the bulletin board for rotating items, or items that expire.

13. Planting with neighbors in mind:
Continue to monitor that folks aren’t shading neighbors, letting weeds spread, letting disease spread. Don’t want to create more rules at this time.

RECIPE- Tomatoes With Provolone

2010-06-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

BROILED TOMATOES WITH PROVOLONE
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 large salad tomatoes
3 large garlic cloves, cut lengthwise into slivers
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary leaves
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
6 slices of good provolone cheese
Directions

Heat broiler to 500ºF. Cut the tomatoes crosswise in half and place them, cut-side up, on a broiling pan or shallow baking pan. Stick the garlic slivers into the tomatoes. Sprinkle with the rosemary, salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Drizzle with the oil. Top with a slice of provolone cheese. Broil about 3 inches from the heat for 10 to 15 minutes or just until the tomatoes release their juices and the garlic and cheese begins to brown. Spoon the pan juices over the tomatoes before serving.

Serve as a side dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

Board Meeting on Thursday!

2010-06-28T20:41:00.000-07:00

Results of the Last Work party

2010-06-17T16:03:00.000-07:00

A beautiful Arbor for grapes or whatever went up June 16th. Thanks to Kevin and John. For more information on work parties go to the Sustainable Burien website.

Steve Roemer talks about the community garden

2010-06-13T18:22:00.000-07:00

New Compost Bin

2010-06-12T21:33:00.000-07:00

The compost bin is completed and ready for re-fuse. Thanks to Kevin and Rob for all the hard work!

Work Party coming up...

2010-06-12T16:57:00.000-07:00

Work Party at the B-Patch

2010-06-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

There will be work parties on Saturday June 12, 12:30 to 2:30 PM and Wednesday June 16, 5 PM to 7 PM - Contact Kevin for more info.

Tomato Pie Recipe

2010-06-10T20:53:00.000-07:00

I first found out about tomato pie while listening to NPR last year. It is wonderful stuff that uses so much out of the garden!
Kathy Lloyd's Tomato Pie Recipe as heard on NPR's All things Considered

Make 1 biscuit recipe from the Bisquick box

Use as a pie crust and bake it. Place either ceramic baking beads or another pie plate on top of it to keep it from rising out of control.

Layer in the pie crust (really high) the sweet onions sliced pretty thin (generally 1 big one) and the garden fresh tomatoes not too thin (about 2 lbs). Season each layer of tomatoes with salt, fresh cracked pepper and fresh basil.

Make a top crust with 2 cups shredded cheddar and 1 cup mayo. Mix the cheese and mayo with your hands and squish it all over the pie like a top crust.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour.

A couple of notes- when making this pie, make sure to put a cookie sheet underneath the pie plate
I have found a regular pie crust works great as well as the bisquik crust, you still need to make the top crust with the cheese/mayo combination
And according to Kathy Lloyd you must use mayo mixed with the cheese- sorry vegans I don’t know if “vegan” mayo and vegan cheese will work or not.

Board Members

2010-06-09T15:36:00.000-07:00

Rebecca Dare, Rob Johnson, Michael Stein-Ross, Kane Jamison,Wayne Sykes and Carol Roll. Congratulations to all!

Plot holder meeting on 6/8/2010 results

2010-06-08T21:33:00.000-07:00

From the Plot Holder Meeting on June 8, 2010
Access and Use of House-
The house is to be used for storing community garden tools, and can be used for potty breaks. No large parties allowed!
Status of Vacant Plots
2 of the vacant plots would be used for classroom for school kids.
The other two for "food bank" gardens
Community space and shared responsibilities
It was discussed that the B- Patch is a community space and everyone has responsibility to help keep it up. Discussion of starting our board started. Also there is now a bulletin board under the porch. Check there for messages or leave messages for others as needed.
Outstanding garden projects
While everyones garden is outstanding, The city and Sustainable Burien have a couple of projects left and are underway. 1- the trellis is being built in the Northwest corner, and will support grapes 2- the grassy areas need to get covered with cardboard and mulch before the dandelions get a chance to establish 3- plans are in to plant raspberry vines and other vining fruits on the fence on the north side Kevin Alexander from Sustainable Burien is the go to guy on these- contact him if you want to help, or can donate cardboard or plants fir these beautifying projects 5- SuBu is building a compost bin just east of the porch on the house.

Welcome to Burien's "B" Patch

2010-06-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

Everybody is working hard trying to get their gardens in. Here are a few views!