Give Help and Receive Produce from the Garden of Eatin’

Following worship on Sunday mornings you will have an opportunity to get fresh produce from our garden. Your cash donations will be given to the Waukesha Food Pantry, along with any remaining garden items. Help Head Gardener, John Riedmaier keep our garden growing by assisting with weeding, watering and staking the tomato plants.

Weed Workers

Have you noticed that outdoor areas around the church need some attention?  Could you share some time to help weed the flower beds?  No scheduled work day is necessary, just drop by, and spend as much time as you are able, cleaning out the weeds sprouting up in the flower beds.  Please add your name to the sign up sheet posted on the office window, indicating the area you will be or have worked on.  The Property Committee and your church family thanks you!

Garden of Eatin’ – July 2010 Update

Our garden is again growing!  We are looking forward to a supply of fresh vegetables to share with the congregation and with the Waukesha Food Pantry.  Please join Head Gardener, John Riedmaier in caring for the garden.  See John about how you can help with watering and maintaining the garden this season.

Come Help Our Garden Grow

We will again have a garden this year for the church and for Waukesha Food Pantry. Remember last summer’s fresh produce? Help make this year’s garden an even greater success! Meet with us on Saturday, May 22nd to get the garden ready to plant. Anyone interested is invited to come help get things “growing.” Join “master gardener” John Riedmaier on May 22nd and join the garden group caring for the garden throughout the summer season.

The Garden of Eatin’ Season Ends

The Garden of Eatin’ is put to rest, but it had a productive year. Countless vegetables went directly to the Waukesha Food Pantry as well as $428.20 received from donations for the vegetables from our own folks, plus the winning $50 prize from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. All in all it was a great garden season where many shared in the bounty.

Garden of Eatin’ – September 2009 Update

While our garden continues to produce fresh vegetables, these will be available to each Sunday.  Extras are delivered to the Waukesha Food Pantry.  Donations received from church members for the fresh produce will also be sent to the Pantry.  To date we have received $328.20.  Thank you to all who have made this garden mission so successful!

Garden of Eatin’ Donations

As of last Sunday, August 16^th, we have received donations in the amount of $91.00 from those of you have taken produce from our Garden of Eatin’. These funds will be sent to the Waukesha Food Pantry.

As the bounty of the garden continues, we hope you will keep your refrigerators filled with all our wonderful fresh produce. Extras are taken to the Pantry each week and given to families in need.

Thank you to those who deliver the vegetables to the Pantry!

Church Garden Helps Food Pantry

By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Aug. 1, 2009

Most churches help others by raising money.

This church also raises vegetables.

“Come Grow with Us,” says the sign out front of the 15-by-10-foot Garden of Eatin’ at Brookfield Presbyterian Church, 1485 N. Brookfield Road.

Lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes are doing what the sign suggests. And there’s more to this garden than meets the eye.

The church is raising vegetables this summer to benefit the Food Pantry of Waukesha County.

“It’s been one of the most fun things this church has done in a long time,” said the Rev. Anne Fisher. “We have about a dozen volunteers taking turns watering and caring for it.”

They initially talked about putting the garden in back of the church. But a number of people suggested they put it out front to draw attention to the church and how it’s addressing hunger in the community, said Fisher. They planted flowers around the border to keep it attractive.

The church so far has donated broccoli and lettuce.

Produce also will be offered to members after weekly church services in exchange for monetary donations to the food pantry.

“We want to make sure all of the vegetables are used,” said Fisher. “We don’t want any of it to go to waste.”

In addition, some members are considering turning some of the zucchini into bread, which also could be offered to members for donations.

Brookfield Presbyterian Church submitted a photo of its Garden of Eatin’ to the Your Photos gallery at our Dig In! blog. It was randomly selected in our June drawing for $50. Submit photos of your garden at jsonline.com/blogs/digin to be eligible for the August drawing for $50.

The Garden of Eatin’ is $50 Richer

By Karen Herzog of the Journal Sentinel
July 22, 2009

Garden of Eatin' photo by Ken Brown

Brookfield Presbyterian Church, 1485 N. Brookfield Road, won the June drawing for a photo (at left) that church elder Ken Brown submitted of the church’s “Garden of Eatin.’” The church is raising vegetables to benefit the Waukesha Food Pantry.

“It’s been one of the most fun things this church has done in a long time,” said the Rev. Anne Fisher. “We have a lot of land here, and we talked about putting the garden in back of the church. But a number of people suggested we put it out front to draw attention to the church, and to what we’re doing to address hunger in the community.”

A sign in front of the garden off busy Brookfield Road says: “Come Grow with Us.”

Volunteers Needed for Garden of Eatin’

Helpers are needed to weed, water and watch our garden. Any interested garden groupies are asked to add their name to the sign up sheet posted on the church office window. Please contact John Riedmaier for more information about our Garden of Eatin’.

Garden of Eatin’

We thank the following for their support of and donations to the garden project:

Judy Bauer, in memory of her grandfather, William Bubolz

Mike Brady

Mary Dalton, in memory of Don Dalton, a great gardener

Wayne Dannenbrink, in memory of Martha Dannenbrink

Rose Emanuele, in memory of her father, Sam Manera, a prize winning gardener

Bob & Joanne Jennings, in memory of George Jennings

Pat Mitschrich

Arlene Peterson, in memory of her Dad, “who had the best garden in the neighborhood”

Ray Peterson, in memory of his mother, Dorothy Petersen

Dave & Karen Stephan

Jared Weber

Watching our Garden Grow

I am excited about our Garden project at Brookfield Church! This is a subject of much amusement to my husband, the true gardener in our family. Up until last year, I did not have much interest in a garden or in growing anything besides a few perennials. He was the one who planned and planted our peach trees, grape arbor, raspberry bushes, and vegetable plot. I stood on the side lines and pleasantly cheered him on, but did not invest much else into his gardening projects.

Last year two things happened made that gave me a new found enthusiasm for our garden. First, we were facing the reality of paying for college and that made me look into ways we could save money. Instead of the historical “Victory Garden, we dubbed ours the “NYU” Garden. Second, I read Barbara Kingsolver’s book, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Her book chronicles a year in which her family tries to eat locally and the challenges and joy that they encountered. With my new found enthusiasm I took a special interest in our garden. The results surpassed my expectations. From August through November I daily ate something from the bounty of our harvest.

With more enthusiasm than expertise, I suggested the idea of a Garden at Brookfield Presbyterian Church. This time my motivation was not a college bound daughter but it was threefold: First, Mission- to give the bounty or the proceeds to help feed the hungry through the Waukesha Food Pantry. Second, Education- to help our members and neighbors understand the benefits of growing our own food and eating locally as well as to make aware the insidious problem of hunger in our midst. Third, Evangelism- to invite the neighbors and those who pass by to join our Garden project and to join us as we make a witness to God’s presence on this corner of Brookfield and Benington.

The response of the garden has again surpassed by expectation. People have joined the project with creativity, good humor, and a desire to serve. Others have donated plants and materials so that it will be a garden that that we are proud to tell neighbors and friends about. And it provides an energetic buzz throughout the congregation. Our donated banner invites all who pass by to COME GROW WITH US!

I would never have thought the idea of a vegetable garden in of the church’s front lawn would provide so many possibilities! Maybe that is what happens when the Holy Spirit takes hold of a group of church people! The next question is how will this garden grow? Stay tuned..

Blessings,

Anne