Finding the Garden

I recently learned the Norwood CSA is fifteen years old, one of the oldest, if not, the oldest Community-Supported Agriculture collectives in the Bronx.  Nestled as it is between apartment buildings and single-family homes, the garden can be easily overlooked.  In fact, although my wife and I had passed by the garden several times, we had no idea of the not-so-secret doings behind the garden gates.

I think, as with all pleasure, the intensity is heightened when one discovers it in a place where it is not known to exist.  Like encountering two deer on a Van Cortland Park path, a visitor to the CSA is taken by surprise by the emergence of natural life in this small urban plot. I know I feel a bit of awe at the proximity of this patch of land sprouting, with the help of tender hands, the goodness of the earth.  I am reminded, as I breathe the garden air that somehow seems fresher than the air just outside its gates, of the responsibility we have to reciprocate with these plants and insects that provide for us.  As the botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer, tells us, plants are our oldest teachers.  The bounty the garden plants produce is reciprocated by the care they are given.  This past week when I entered, I encountered member Stacy chopping and mashing compost with her shovel, returning earth to earth.

We send urgent electronic messages- “Trains delayed, running late, caught in traffic”- to alert our fellow members who are tasked to wait, of our whereabouts as we rush through the madness of our daily lives.  Then, we arrive, step across the threshold of the garden, and our pulse slows, our breathing gets deeper, and the restorative power of the earth provides a momentary, needful balm to the world just outside the gates.

This week’s rich greens, peppers, cucumbers, and carrots, along with the July heat and humidity inspired another salad and a search for a good dressing.  This simple recipe is adapted from one called “Virgin Vinaigrette” by the owners of the Queen Creek Olive Mill of Arizona.

• 1 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon Honey
• 1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and Black pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients together until it gets to the consistency you desire.  This dressing is great on salads and drizzled over grilled vegetables.  You probably will think of other delicious uses.  Enjoy!