Blog: Musings on the Earth, Mindful Living, and our Connections
Nothing is as Sure as Change
Dear Friends, One thing that any gardener or farmer learns is that nothing is as sure as change. Moving from winter to spring and summer we can all imagine changes in temperature and landscape. When we are growing trees and plants for food, we notice...
Off the Beaten Path
My work for In the Gardens reaches out to many communities – schools, townships, businesses, nonprofits, and also to congregations, straddling needs in both the secular and spiritual community. As such, I was invited to join Kenissa, an organization that celebrates and creates connections for Jewish innovators. This past March I participated in...
#MyGivingStory—The Power of Compassion
The following is a story I submitted for this year’s #MyGivingStory, in recognition of some of the roots (no pun intended!) of In the Gardens. Parts of this story have been shared before, but here it is in its most updated form. Vote! #MyGivingStory is a storytelling contest created by the #GivingTuesday organization to foster...
Planning Your Garden Part 3: Saving Seeds
As spring has yielded to full summer, you might be seeing your garden overflow with produce. You might even see flowers or fruits that got away – that you didn’t see when they were ripe, and now..
Planning Your Garden, Part 2: Flowers and Veggies Together
I recently learned something about why it’s great to plant certain flowers near specific vegetables. I knew a few basics: that marigolds deter pests and sweet alyssum is great next to your kale, broccoli, collards and other brassicas. But why? Well, let’s start with marigolds. And note that there are different varieties of marigolds. You can grow the average size, from about 18-24 inches high, or you might prefer, as I do, the dwarf size. These grow up to about eight inches high and make great borders, because they don’t take up a lot of...
Spreading Gardens in the Neighborhood
The main purpose for which the In the Gardens main site was started was to serve as a source of food and education: for the congregation of ...
Spring Fundraiser – Join our monthly giving program!
Spring has come much too early this year. From those 70-degree days in February, plants took off early out of the starting block. Even though we’ve had a snowfall since then and some additional cold days, the warm weather is here, and it’s time to get all the goods into the ground. There are times during the season that we need to work overtime, and this is one of them. Our water system is in, but needs some fine-tuning. Some of our seeds are in, but lots more of our beds need to be prepped and planted. Trees and plants around the…
Unexpected Interweavings
Life is filled with unexpected interweavings, cycles and circles. I experienced some of these this past week on my JMMTT – Jewish Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training – at Isabella Freedman retreat center and farm. Nestled in the woods of Falls Village, CT, about 90 minutes from the nearest airport, the center boasts trails and a pond, several greenhouses, a large network of yards and structures for goats and chickens, and extensive fields for produce and fruit orchards.
Volunteer Day Celebrating Earth Day!
In celebration of Earth Day 2017, which is Saturday, April 23, please come to the In the Gardens Earth Day Volunteer Day on Sunday, April 23. You will learn about gardens and growing food while you help us plant this season’s fruits, veggies, herbs and …
Shanah Tovah U’metukah — A Good and Sweet Year from In the Gardens
Shanah tovah! That means “A good New Year to you.”
We are approaching the High Holy Days in the Jewish calendar. These days begin with Rosh Hashanah, the beginning of the Days of Awe or the Ten Days of Return. The season quickly gives way to Sukkot, an eight-day holiday celebrating the harvest and the earth’s bounty. We acknowledge that the Creator and the earth have provided for us for another year. We pray for rain so that next year, too, will be…