We at Ekah want our gardens to be a community space where people can (distantly) gather, harvest some veggies and herbs, and spend some solo outdoor time in the dirt. Our gardens are open to all, passerby and Ekah yogis alike. Want to help out in the garden? Join us at a Group Garden day!
If we haven’t met yet, my name is Isabelle, the volunteer coordinator for Ekah’s gardens! Our spiral herb and butterfly gardens have lived beautiful lives this summer, and are still proving fruitful this fall. I've been to grateful for everything this garden has given this season-- not only in veggies and herbs, but in friendship and opportunity!
The Ekah gardens are a community space for learning, collaboration, and meditation. To facilitate that, we will be holding Group Garden days every other Sunday.
During Group Garden days, we show first-timers the ropes, get some big projects accomplished, and share skill and ideas for bettering the garden. Stop by the next session: Sunday, October 18th from 3-5pm. Along with weeding and pruning comes harvesting -- you get to take home some of the wonderful herbs and veggies from the garden.
I have been so thrilled to watch these Group Garden days evolve into collaborative community gathering. We have been joined by farm stand vendors, including The Plant Truck Project, Wild Mint Apothecary, Primally Inspired Eats, and Local Raw Honey. Our upcoming session will include a Crochet and Hemp Weaving Workshop, and a post-garden Mindful Movement class.
If you are able to stop by, make sure to bring some water and a mask. Want to get into the dirt but this time on Sunday's doesn't work for you? Let me know and we can work something out!
Hoping to see you there!
Isabelle :)
From seed to seedling, we've been watching our beets and carrots grow! What an incredible process to witness :)
Looks like still need a few weeks, but we will keep checking!
Thanks to a collaborative brainstorm and artistic effort, our Community Garden Sign is coming along beautifully! We aim to outline our hopes and expectations for the space -- openness, sharing, and compassion.
We still have two open spaces for inspiration so send over your ideas!
There's always something fun and aromatic to take home! Pictured here is kale, mugwort, lavender, and dill flower.
Our newly installed tool box is now being stocked with shovels, gloves, and other equipment. We hope that this will make for easier and more productive volunteer sessions, and give volunteers more flexibility to garden on their own time.
Find it: short, strong stalks with jagged or curly leaves - next to the tomatoes
Harvest: cut from the from the bottom of the stalk, leaving at least 1/3 of the plant at top.
Use it: for salads, sautés, or chips (recipe posted!)
Find it: growing next to our Butterfly Garden
Harvest it: cut away leaves from the bottom; if a tight, mature bundle (like what you see in the store) is forming in the middle, cut it out to prevent it from going to flower.
Use it: salads or pet bunnies ;)
Find it: Behind the Juniper tree, within the metal cages
Harvest it: They are just starting to fruit- stay tuned!
A really hardy plant that just loves to grow and grow, so don't be shy pulling it!
Find it: square stem with jagged leaves, strong smell of mint!
Harvest it: cut away stalk with scissors or knife, as it is thick
Use it: munch on it for fresh breath, add to water, tea, or smoothies!
Find it: a stout bush of woody stems with long, thin leaves that more like the needles on a spruce/pine bush
Harvest it: cut mature sprigs (at least 8 inches long) off the top, leaving at least 3/4 of the bush.
Use it: dress up a sandwich, cook with potatoes, or add to a summer cocktail/mocktail
It smells like pizza!
Find it: small, teardrop leaves growing off tall stalks, distinct smell
Harvest it: cut sprigs off the top, leaving at least 2 feet on the bottom
Use it: bundle it up and let it dry, or sprinkle fresh on pasta, pizza, and roasted veggies
It also smells like pizza (and pasta)!
Find it: oval leaves with a very distinct smell
Harvest it: cut sprigs off the top, ideally from the center of a split section
Use it: make pesto, caprese, or sprinkle fresh on pasta &pizza
A similar but unique cousin of traditional basil!
Find it: oval leaves with a very distinct smell, with a purple stem and center bud
Harvest it: cut sprigs off the top, ideally from the center of a split section
Use it: great in Thai dishes (duh), spring rolls, and curries
A treat for feline friends!
Find it: jagged leaves, looking and smelling similar to mint
Harvest it: cut sprigs off the top
Use it: steep to make catnip tea (even for yourself!), or feed directly to your cat
Need some ideas for your fresh harvest?
Check out the recipe section of our blog, featuring Ekah garden ingredients!