2006 Stories

RSS

Gardening takes effort. And getting tons and tons of fresh produce to area food pantries is no easy task. With that in mind we are proud to announce our three top volunteers from the 2006 Giving Garden campaign.

Full Story published 10/16/2006

Sale of farm impacts pantry's collection efforts

Sometimes, blessings disappear just as fast as they materialize. The departure, though, usually is more noticeable, which was the case this year at Naperville's Loaves and Fishes Community Food Pantry.

Full Story published 10/16/2006

Fun and gardening goes hand in hand for students

A group of boys squatted on the ground giggling and cheering as if they'd just found the world's coolest discovery. Perhaps they had. "Don't break it," one of them yelled.

Full Story published 9/11/2006

Plant what you love in a kitchen garden and don't forget to share your bounty

Not so long ago, wild black raspberries grew everywhere in this region. Nowadays, a teeny store-bought container of red raspberries will set you back a pretty penny. Growing them, however, couldn't be easier.

Full Story published 9/4/2006

Church grows food for needy families' shelves

Everything's coming up tomatoes at St. Andrews Lutheran Church in Mundelein. There are little ones, big ones, plums, cherries, heirlooms, Big Boys, champions and Early Girls. You name it, somebody's growing it.

Full Story published 8/23/2006

Give from garden and win a prize

Enjoy visiting the Chicago Botanic Garden? Grow some produce and enter your name in a drawing for a free garden membership.

Full Story published 8/14/2006

Girl Scouts get in the gardening groove

The green beans Linda Koss and her daughter Anna, a Girl Scout, picked from the Naperville garden plot looked good enough to eat. In fact, they were deliciously tempting.

Full Story published 8/14/2006

Growing tomatoes can make you see red

With all the "What to expect when you're expecting" books floating around, how come there isn't one about birthing tomatoes? Because let's be honest, folks, for all its wondrous moments, the process has its perplexing points.

Full Story published 7/31/2006

Loss of produce from farm hits pantry hard

Five tons of food disappeared in Naperville. Poof. All gone. In the blink of an eye, thousands of pounds of fresh produce destined for 650 families who monthly rely on the Loaves and Fishes community pantry dried up this summer when developers took over Mayneland Farms.

Full Story published 7/31/2006

Donate extra veggies to Giving Garden

No matter how far ahead gardeners plan, they always seem to wind up with too many vegetables. That's perfect for area food pantries -- they're usually running short on supplies throughout the summer.

Full Story published 7/31/2006

Sharing shows Batavia gardener's caring

Betsy Zinser really didn't think the food pantry wanted even more tomatoes. So she called. Just to check. "They said 'Yeah, they're the most popular thing.'" Alrighty, then. She'll deliver.

Full Story published 7/23/2006

Food pantry appreciates when gardeners lend a hand

On the rare occasions when the Helping Hands Food Pantry gets fresh produce for its clients, it's usually right in the middle of winter. And what they get most frequently then is bagged, pre-washed lettuce donated by area grocers.

Full Story published 7/18/2006

Get ready to dig in to Giving Garden campaign

Game on, gardeners! The Giving Garden program for 2006 starts this week, and we're committed to raising at least 75,000 pounds of fresh produce for our neighbors in need.

Full Story published 7/3/2006

An intrepid gardener sets out to grow tomatoes upside down

Potting mix. Check. Tomato plant. Check. Two-inch shark-tooth drill bit. Check. OK, this is not the way most gardeners start off their growing season. Then again, planting tomatoes upside down - yes, I said upside down - isn't exactly natural.

Full Story published 6/6/2006

Directions for the homemade upside-down tomato planter

Start with your bucket. Turn it over and use the round bit to drill a hole in the middle of the base, where your plant will hang through. Flip the bucket right-side up, then place two coffee filters upside down on the inside of the bucket and flatten them out.

Full Story published 6/6/2006

Gearing up for the Giving Garden

It's spring, when a gardener's thoughts turn to ... squash, and peppers, and cilantro, and tomatoes. And as long as you're thinking along those lines, how about adding just a few more plants?

Full Story published 5/14/2006