The Gardeners' Share

The Gardeners' Share Community gardeners sharing healthy fresh produce with neighbors in need

Located in McLean, Virginia, The Gardeners’ Share is working, along with many others to raise the awareness of hunger in our own town and demonstrate that even with the gift of an extra squash or a bunch of turnips, each one of us can help provide healthy fresh food to neighbors in need.

11/22/2017

My favorite prayer ...

A Prayer Of Thanksgiving by Max Coots

Let us give thanks...

For generous friends...with hearts as big as hubbards

and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

For feisty friends as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us we had them;

For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn -- and the others -- as plain as potatoes, and so good for you.

For funny friends, who are as silly as brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes, and serious friends as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;

For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who -- like parsnips -- can be counted on to see you through the long winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around as like tendrils, and hold us despite our blights, wilts, and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past, that have been harvested - but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;

For all these we give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving all
/Julie

Going local may need to rethought......
10/08/2017

Going local may need to rethought......

Is local better than global? A European research project explored the question. The conclusion of the project is that, well, nothing is clear-cut. And cities should rather focus on bringing anyone …

10/07/2017

"Food used the right way can end hunger, fight obesity, and eliminate malnutrition." - Chef Jose Andres

09/27/2017
11/23/2016

I had two wonderful exchanges this week with dear garden friends. One offered me honey from her hives and other asked that I pick lettuce from her garden for my Thanksgiving meal. Both gifts reminded me what wonderful friends I have. They also reminded me of a favorite prayer I read each Thanksgiving Day by Max Coots. A Prayer Of Thanksgiving

Let us give thanks...

For generous friends...with hearts as big as hubbards
and smiles as bright as their blossoms;

For feisty friends as tart as apples;

For continuous friends, who, like scallions and cucumbers, keep reminding us we had them;

For crotchety friends, as sour as rhubarb and as indestructible;

For handsome friends, who are as gorgeous as eggplants and as elegant as a row of corn -- and the others -- as plain as potatoes, and so good for you.

For funny friends, who are as silly as brussels sprouts and as amusing as Jerusalem artichokes, and serious friends as complex as cauliflowers and as intricate as onions;

For friends as unpretentious as cabbages, as subtle as summer squash, as persistent as parsley, as delightful as dill, as endless as zucchini, and who -- like parsnips -- can be counted on to see you through the long winter;

For old friends, nodding like sunflowers in the evening-time, and young friends coming on as fast as radishes;

For loving friends, who wind around as like tendrils, and hold us despite our blights, wilts, and witherings;

And finally, for those friends now gone, like gardens past, that have been harvested - but who fed us in their times that we might have life thereafter;

For all these we give thanks.

Amen.

Reprinted with the author's kind permission. Reverend Max Coots was the Minister Emeritus of the Unitarian Universalist Church in Canton, New York. © Max Coots.

Wishing all a wonderful Thanksgiving.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPF5LGzUwRk
10/05/2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPF5LGzUwRk

Eating a variety of colorful fruits & veggies is the key to good nutrition. Adding one serving of color to your plate each day is the easiest way to start. V...

The season is in full swing when it comes to girl scout enthusiasm, fresh herbs and summer squash! Many thanks to troop ...
07/14/2016

The season is in full swing when it comes to girl scout enthusiasm, fresh herbs and summer squash! Many thanks to troop #1262 for coming out and picking zucchini, cucumbers, peppers, and armfuls of basil and mint. Our neighbors at Share are loving the fresh summer tastes of the food grown in our town. Thanks as well to Bob and his Dad for 24 pounds of squash and cukes and Ralph for what likely is a record from one gardener - 36 pounds of squash and cukes in one day! Check out our photos and check out Share of McLean's FB page https://www.facebook.com/ShareOfMclean/?fref=nf

Another wonderful season kicks off in the garden!  Thanks to troop 6730 for continuing the success of The Gardeners' Sha...
07/06/2016

Another wonderful season kicks off in the garden! Thanks to troop 6730 for continuing the success of The Gardeners' Share by inviting next generation of girl scout gardeners grow deliciously healthy food for others in the community. Last night troop 2077 kicked off our summer Tuesday night collections - with a bounty of summer squash. Thanks to troop 3701 who tended the garden before our kickoff and delivered direct to Share.

Whether in our garden or anywhere - if you grow food and have extras-- please consider donating to your local food pantry. A handful of fresh basil can take spagetti sauce from ordinary to extraordinary!

01/11/2016

From Mark Bittman - The two things all of us can do to improve our health:
1. Stop eating junk and hyperprocessed fool. This eliminates probably 80 percent of the stuff that is being sold as "food."
2. Eat more plants than you did yesterday, or last year.

01/07/2016

We have a ways to go... The CDC’s 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report indicated that in Fairfax County, 34.2 percent of adults are overweight and 29.2 percent of adults are obese. The Virginia Atlas for Community Health reported that in 2012, 16 percent of youth ages 14 to 19 in the Fairfax community were classified as overweight and 11 percent were classified as obese. Providing frequent and easy access to healthy food choices is necessary to improve nutrition in the Fairfax community.
http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/livehealthy/healthy-eating/

Healthy eating is a critical component of health. It directly relates to cardiovascular risk factors as well as childhood and adult obesity. The CDC’s 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System report indicated that in Fairfax County, 34.2 percent of adults are overweight and 29.2 percent of ad…

http://foodpolicyaction.org/scorecard/ Check this out and click on your elected officials to see how they scored on food...
11/19/2015

http://foodpolicyaction.org/scorecard/
Check this out and click on your elected officials to see how they scored on food legislation. Then take a look at the overall scores...if your thinking is in sync with mine, you'll see we have lots of work to do to educate folks on the importance of food and food access.

The National Food Policy Scorecard is your go-to source for information about the most important food legislation considered by the House and Senate and how all members of Congress voted on those issues. The Scorecard reflects the consensus of top food policy experts who select the key food policy v…

Wonderful film that if enough folks reserve seats for - we can all see it. 36 more people are needed to sign upAre you f...
11/15/2015

Wonderful film that if enough folks reserve seats for - we can all see it.
36 more people are needed to sign up
Are you free Tuesday Dec. 8th at 7:30pm? If so, please let's see it together at the Angelika Film Center / Mosaic Merrifield

See Can You Dig This in Fairfax, VA!

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McLean, VA

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