The Garden of Eden

By: Jordan Bommarito

Right here in Saint Louis, MO there is a hidden garden doing big things for the community, families, and a local food pantry. Here is a look inside The Garden of Eden, ran by a passionate leader, Myra Rosenthal.

My Family's Growth... 

The Garden of Eden is located at the Creve Coeur Jewish Community Center. Myra and her team of volunteers are working continuously to make The Garden of Eden a bright light in this world. The garden has provided thousands of pounds of fresh seasonal produce to the Harvey Kornblum Jewish Food Pantry at Jewish Family and Children's Services. This organization provides food, personal care items, and community resource information to families going through difficult times. Myra and this modest plot are making differences in the lives of people that need it, and some people who do not even know they need it. I have a story about how my family grew to participate in, celebrate, and love The Garden of Eden, and I could not be more proud.

Myra Rosenthal and Nick Bommarito

My brother, Nick, fell into volunteering for The Garden of Eden by accident. He was assigned there for a community service project at his school. From day one, he fell in love. He found himself volunteering there for 4 years! He was even awarded the "volunteer of the year award." My family was involved every step of the way. We drove him to and from the garden, we heard his experiences from exciting days, and we even endured his smelly clothes after working in the hot sun. As the years went by, we found ourself being honorary members of this community. We built cold frames for the garden as a family, attended celebrations for garden milestones, and watched my brother grow into himself, a confident leader and master gardener!

 

Nick Bommarito and Jordan Bommarito

 

 Cold Frames Constructed and Donated by the Bommarito Family

The Garden of Eden offers volunteer positions for people of all ages. It hosts experiences for grade school children, disabled individuals, and senior citizens. The Garden of Eden offers people from any age or background a unique experience in getting their hands dirty in the fresh soil. Nick was able to be a leader to these visiting groups and teach them about how the garden worked, how to harvest, and help them tend to the fruits and vegetables. In addition, members of The Covenant place are encouraged to tend to their own plots in the garden.

The Garden of Eden has a partnership with Gateway Greening, who work together to grow in more ways than one. Gateway Greening's "educates and empowers people to strengthen their communities through gardening and urban agriculture." From what I can tell, The Garden of Eden is educated and empowered! Here is the link to Gateway Greening, to check out all the other awesome work that they are doing!

My Challenge to you...

GET OUT THERE AND GET INVOLVED! The Garden of Eden is one of many community gardens in the Saint Louis Area. Gardening is a wonderful way for people of all ages and experiences to get involved in a community, make a difference by providing fresh organic produce, and get their hands dirty. Specifically, community gardens are a great way for young adults to build leadership skills and a respect for the environment. I challenge everyone to seek out the experience of a community garden, like The Garden of Eden, and volunteer.

This post is dedicated to my brother, Nick Bommarito, The Garden of Eden, and all community gardens. For more information on The Garden of Eden and how to volunteer, contact Myra at myrasue@sbcglobal.net. Volunteers at The Garden of Eden have to opportunity to receive a newsletter that includes fun activities happening, what is growing in the garden, and future plans!

Nick Bommarito "Volunteer of the Year

Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t the Best Part of Portugal- It’s the Soup!

By Miranda Edo

Portugal may be known for the soccer players, wine, rich history, and salted cod, but my favorite part is the Kale Soup. The family recipe I’ll share didn’t start as a recipe at all, but more an observation and routine passed down from each woman in my family. I have watched my Mãe (mom) make it, and my Avó (grandmother) for as long as I can remember and noted the procedure into some semblance of a solid recipe.

Caldo Verde, or green soup, originated about one hour north from where my Mãe was born in Northern Portugal. She was the last sibling of her family born in the village of Doñoes. For reference, the population of Doñoes is 62 people, most of them somehow related to me, so I am definitely not exaggerating when I say village. The soup is simple, with little fuss to the presentation. It is a potato onion pureed soup with greens and chorizo eaten year-round in Portugal, sometimes even for breakfast. The greens we used are called couve galega, which are very similar to collards or kale. In the US, most times we use kale. Caldo Verde accentuates the rich, natural flavors of each ingredient, making it vital that everything in it is of great quality down to the olive oil in the pan.

I am very fortunate to have visited my “cousins” (like I said, we’re probably somehow related) in the village of Doñoes to make this soup with their garden (more like a farm than any garden I’ve seen in America) ingredients last summer. My new-found friend, Beatriz, led me through the sprawling garden set at the outskirts of the village to gather onions, garlic, and couve galega. We stopped on the way so she could show me the cellar where the chorizo hangs. At no more than nine years old, she explained wide-eyed that the pig raised last year is now the chorizo and the family made the sausages we used in the soup that evening.

This exchange was a stark contrast of many childhood experiences I had in the US. Children in Portugal are very informed about the food system and are active players in assuring the sustainability and future of food. Much like the French, the Portuguese savor food and are very proud of the abundance the land offers, even as a child. I hope that the elementary students we help build gardens with later this year will have a similar appreciation when it comes time to harvest our own produce.

We brought our gatherings to her mother, María, who stood over a stove sautéing the garlic and onions we gathered. The only items bought from the store were potatoes and olive oil. The potatoes at the supermarket probably grew about 15 minutes north and the olive oil and spices a few hours south- I’d say that’s local. This is the usual for the people of Portugal. Most families in the northern region have a garden at the least, and many around the country follow suit, even in the outskirts of bustling Lisbon.

 As the now pureed soup bubbled away, María showed me the way she finely slices the kale into elegant ribbons. She cuts the whole bunch in her hand, her palm gliding against the edge of the knife, never slicing into her skin. I had seen my Mãe do this with onions, so I was not surprised by María’s risky methods. There should probably be warning here, as this technique is not needed to make good soup, it’s just something cool that scares outsiders when they watch Portuguese women cook. The women of northern Portugal are stoic- expert chefs in their own right. Along with some bread made locally with fresh-milled wheat, our meal was complete- the most authentic Caldo Verde I have ever experienced.

Caldo Verde (Portuguese Kale Soup)

Recipe by: Miranda Edo

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup white onion, chopped

2 teaspoons garlic, chopped

1 ½ cups yellow chef potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

2 quarts vegetable stock or water

4 ounces chorizo sausage, thinly sliced in rounds

1 pound kale, washed, trimmed of the thick stems and thinly sliced into ribbons

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp safflower

Salt and pepper to taste

Method of Preparation:

1.  In a skillet, cook sausage until most of the fat is rendered over medium heat. Remove sausage, leaving the rendered fat in pan.

2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium soup pot, add onions and garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until translucent and fragrant. Add paprika and safflower.

3. Add potatoes and water. Cover and boil gently over medium heat for 20 minutes or until fork tender.

4. Using an immersion blender or blender if unavailable until a smooth. Add more water if too thick (it shouldn’t be like mashed potatoes).

5. Add the sausage and the kale. Simmer for another 5 minutes. 3. Season and serve.