Some things to consider in the fall garden: Deadhead, cut
The ZVRA garden club met on Sunday, August 18th at the garden of Jean Apple. Various food items were devoured and we engaged in a tour of Jean’s hardy efforts to re-make her garden. Jean explained what she hoped to have growing in the re-mulched areas by next year (inspiring this writer to cast a critical eye on some barren spots in our garden). Jean will accept plant divisions next spring, of the shade garden variety. In return, she will have seeds from her “love-in-a-mist” flowers to give. Jean was assisted in her garden creation by her son Nick and daughter Chris, and Master Gardener Kathleen Ross. And Jean’s granddaughter’s “fairy garden” creation was delightfully clever and fun.
Our meeting in September, the traditional “Last Rose of Summer” meeting, will be at the home of Janet and Mervyn Cohen, 520 W Cedar St., Wednesday, September 25th at 7pm. The Cohen’s newly designed patio will be one spot to hang-out as well as seeing what is still in bloom in their English garden. Please let Janet and Mervyn know what food items you will contribute for the appetizers, and of course, that yes, you will be attending. 317-873-6586 or janetcohen48@hotmail.com
Some of the discussion about the future of the garden club includes ideas such as actively recruiting friends and neighbors to open their gardens for our events, which means that you, dear neighbor, will be casting gardening eye on gardens you’d like to see up close and personal and then extending a personal invitation to that particular unknown gardener/neighbor. We also discussed inviting Katherine Ross to one of our garden events, particularly for those of us who might be in a quandary about gardens in general or perplexed by gardening details. Then all of us can capitalize on her advice on what to plant, where to plant and why. Please attend the annual planning meeting of the ZVRA garden club next winter where we will discuss any and all ideas about our whims and fancies concerning the garden club and our fondness for socializing with each other.
Farmers Market
by Patricia Scott
Summer’s Last Harvest from the Market
The Zionsville Farmer’s Market ends on September 28th and with it goes a vibrant Saturday morning community and a bounty of fresh and delicious produce, meats, eggs, flowers and other delectable fare. As much as I love Autumn, I will be sad to see the Market end. This Summer I purposely used, almost exclusively, market fresh produce in my recipes. A few times, I had to go to the regular grocery instead; I must admit that I could honestly tell a stark difference in color, flavor, texture and the overall outcome of the dishes I was preparing. Over the last two seasons, I have had the pleasure of interviewing several of the vendors who labor to bring us the freshest and the best of the season. I am struck by a common thread among these people: genuine passion, incredibly hard work and dedication to their farms and or their products.
Thank you to the Zionsville Farmer’s Market and the bounty we have enjoyed week after week.
This recipe is a great combination of the last of the summer harvest. It is wonderful as a side dish when grilling out or to take to a covered dish meal.
Summer Vegetable Bowl
4 slices bacon
12 small white onions — pearl or larger onions quartered
1 small green pepper
2 cups water
1 pound green beans — cleaned
6 ears corn — broken in thirds
2 Teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar — baked
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
6 small zucchini — 1 inch chunks
2 large celery stalks
1 large tomato — cut in wedges
In 6 quart dutch oven over medium heat, fry bacon until crisp; drain on paper towels.
To drippings add onions and green pepper; cook until golden brown.; add hot water and next five ingredients. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low; cover; simmer 10 minutes.
Add zucchini and celery; cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes until all vegetables are tender.
With slotted spoon, arrange vegetables on large platter or in a large, shallow bowl; crumble bacon on top and arrange tomato wedges on top.
Description:
“Wonderful Summer BBQ Side Dish”
Village Voice Arts
By Sarah Zack
Zionsville Village Resident and Certified K-12 Art Teacher
Homemade Scratch Art Boards
Approximate Time:
2 Sessions:
• 60 minutes
• 20 minutes
Materials Needed:
• White Tag Board or Card Stock
• Crayons (bright colors)
• Black Tempera Paint
• Liquid Dish Soap
• Bowl
• Paint Brush
• Toothpick or Wooden Skewer
Instructions:
• Color the entire paper with crayon, use bright colors (no black). Press the crayons down hard on the paper to make a solid layer of crayon. When it is done the paper should look waxy, no white should show. Do not create a nice picture/design, just scribble your heart out; you will be painting over your paper completely.
• Mix 1 tsp. of liquid dish soap to 1 cup of black tempera paint. You’ll notice that the paint will be a little bubblier and a little shinier than normal during application.
• Using a paint brush, paint over the crayon-covered side of the paper. Set aside a full day to allow time for drying.
• Once the paint is dry use a toothpick/wooden skewer to scratch away the black paint exposing the colors beneath the paint. Add patterns, such as wavy lines, or stripes, instead of scratching off large chunks of the black surface; otherwise there is little effect of the black surface in the work of art.
• Have fun making your work of art come alive!
Art Elements and Principles: Color, Patterns, Line, Texture
Art Skills: This is an excellent project for building fine motor skills.