January Newsletter

January 2020 Newsletter

https://www.gardenclubofconcord.org/

Happy New Year!

Please start the new year off by joining us this Wednesday, January 15^th at 1 p.m. at Tri Con Church, 54 Walden St.

Our speaker will be Paul Sellew, the founder of Little Leaf Farms, growers of hydroponic lettuces in Devens, Mass.

Previous to founding Little Leaf, Paul mastered the growing and distribution of flavorful greenhouse-grown tomatoes as the creator of Backyard Farms. His next company, Harvest Power, became the largest organics recycler in North America.

In 2015, Paul founded Little Leaf Farms using the most sustainable technology for growing lettuce in New England.

Today, the company grows fresh baby lettuces in 10 acres of greenhouses.

Paul has generously offered to provide a tour of the greenhouse operations at Little Leaf to club members. This tour will take place starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday, January 18^th.*

*The Sign Up is full.

From the President

A backward glance and a look ahead

Before we launch into the  new year filled with many activities and wonderful programs, I would like to review all that was accomplished by the club in a busy fall season: Ag Day once again was a wonderful success, followed by Family Trees at the Concord Museum, Cans for Caring, the Holiday Wreaths, and the Holiday Workshop.

We funded, designed, and planted our new garden in West Concord at the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail. This colorful garden will delight the many users of this popular public byway.

We enjoyed learning about dahlias in their seemingly infinite varieties; we discovered yet another dimension to the many facets of Thoreau in a talk about his deeply spiritual connection to trees.

None of this could have been accomplished without the dedicated work and organization of club members. Kudos to you all!

The rest of our season brings more wonderful programs, plus Art in Bloom at the Museum of Fine Arts, our Spring Outreach Project, Arbor Day and our annual Plant Sale which funds our community grants program as well as a scholarship.

I hope that all of you, as I do, look forward to continuing the marvelous work, commitment and dedication of GCC in 2020!

Happy New Year!

Sandra Conrad

SAVE THE DATE 

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 12

THE UMBRELLA

40 STOW ST.

FIVE SEASONS: THE GARDENS OF PIET OUDOLF a film by Thomas Piper

will be screened at the Main Stage Theater.

This event is free and open to the public.

We will have a short business meeting at 6 p.m. in the theater.

Doors will open to the public at 6:30 p.m. The film screens at 7 p.m.

 

PLANT SALE IS COMING!

This year marks the 90^th anniversary of our Plant Sale! It is by far our largest fundraiser and requires the work and organization of all club members. Please remember that every member must contribute not only plants (at least 12), but also time to work before, during, and after the sale.

Committee co-chairs, Georgine Feldt gsfeldt@aol.com and Jen Lannan  JenLannan@comcast.net  are preparing for their first committee meeting at the end of January.

If you have not already signed up for a committee, there is always room for more on the Plant Sale. If you are a new member and are looking for a way to meet a large group of GCC members, this committee is an ideal place to start!

Please either contact Jen directly, or go to the sign up :

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c084ba9af2aa64-garden3

Mark your calendars: Annual Plant Sale Saturday, May 9^th, TriCon Church lawn, 54 Walden St. 8:30-12:30 p.m.

Committee News

Horticulture
GCC has been invited by Tower Hill Botanic Garden to participate in their floral design event In Bloom! The show takes place on March 14th and 15th. It will include floral displays by professionals, garden clubs, individuals and families.

The theme for the event is: Street Art and will include work by a local Worcester artist, Croc. The show coincides with Tower Hill’s annual orchid show.

If you are interested in working on an arrangement singly or with a partner, please contact Pam Nelson at mailto:ephn@verizon.net for additional information. The deadline for submitting an entry form is February 3rd.

Membership
Please give a warm welcome to our newest member, Katie Wilson. Katie has lived in Concord for over 20 years where she and her husband, Lindsy, have raised three college-age daughters.

Both Katie and her husband are avid gardeners and love all outdoor activities including hiking, tennis, cycling, cross-country skiing, and walking their dog.

Katie looks forward to learning more about gardening and helping the club to beautify Concord, as well as meeting new people.

Member News
Many of you asked about the delicious warm lentil salad that Ellen Matheson made for the Holiday Luncheon. Here is the link and the recipe. Enjoy!

https://www.davidlebovitz.com/cheap-caviar-1/
Roasted some squash and made a lemon tahini dressing and garnished with cranberries, pecans, parsley and scallions.
Tahini sauce is:
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c.lemon juice
1 clove garlic
1-2 T. olive oil and water and 3T. nutritional yeast (optional) 1/4t. salt
– whipped up in food processor. Good on roasted cauliflower, sprouts too.
Gluten free and vegan.

Our own very talented club member, Cris Van Dyke, has had one of her amazing bird photos published as part of research into how climate change and invasive plants are affecting which fruits birds encounter and eat during autumn migration in New England.

Mayflower
The Winter issue of the Federation’s Mayflower is out. It is filled with lots of wonderful events and programming. Take a look and be inspired to attend one of the many educational or horticultural activities offered. http://www.gcfm.org/mayflower

A Note of Thanks and Gratitude

As we continue to expand our new website, we have found a way to simplify the procedure for writing, editing and publishing our monthly newsletter. It will now come to your email box as a post.

This allows our stalwart newsletter composer nonpareil, Sarah Béguelin, to officially “retire” from this position after at least 8 years of not only getting the news out, but also maintaining up-to-date mailing lists for the entire club.

Sarah has worn many “hats” as an active member of GCC including, but not limited to, being a past president (2011-12), as well as serving on many other committees.

Please be certain to thank Sarah when you see her!