Its May! For those of us who like to garden or who like to eat fresh vegetables, it is the beginning of the happiest time of year. The Allen County Farmers Market will be open for business every Thursday evening from now until October. SNAP dollars are doubled at the market, allowing folks who use SNAP to purchase delicious items from the vendors and double their benefit dollar.
Its extremely hard to eat nutritious food when your funds are limited. People become used to eating the same variety of foods and sometimes have a hard time adding new and better quality foods to their diets.
This will be the fourth year that Humanity House addresses this issue. At the Humanity House Community Garden, not only do area gardeners have a chance to grow their own produce, but we grow tons of food to give to those who are elderly, disabled, live on very limited budgets, have compromised health, or who just want to try something new.
With the addition of our kitchen, we will be able to provide an evening meal to go along with the Fresh for You produce distribution. Our kitchen will allow us to prepare a meal using the vegetables that we harvest, share the recipe, and teach those who participate in the program a better way to eat. We are so excited about this opportunity. Fresh for You produce distributions happen every Friday starting in mid-May, in front of our building which is located at 110 East St. When the town clock strikes 6 p.m., distribution begins. Absolutely everyone, no matter their income, is invited.
In the past three years, we have grown and given away nearly 7,000 pounds of produce each year. This year we were given a gift that allowed us to purchase solarization materials which should help with controlling weeds, fungus, and certain insects. We also have been given a large amount of alfalfa and hay to use as mulch. Every year we hope for better crops and higher yields, and hopefully, these gifts will make this possible.
If you are so inclined and have purchased more tomato, pepper, eggplant, okra, any type of squash, sweet potato, or melon plants than you can use, drop them by and we will give them a great home. If you would like to help feed lots of people but dont have a green thumb, any monetary donation to purchase those plants would be greatly appreciated. There is also a need for donations for upkeep on the sheds and maintenance on the equipment. Trench composting is another item on the agenda for this year. This is a new technique that we have never used before, and we are excited to see the results.
Gardening requires time and some skill, but we are always looking for volunteers who want to spend some time with their hands in the earth and their faces in the sun. Its a fun and relaxing way to spend an hour or two. Learning to grow food is a revolutionary act, be part of the revolution. Kindness matters!
