December 2008 Newsletter

Dear Kitchen Gardener,

Although snow blanketed Maine this past week and isn't likely to go anywhere soon, it will be a green Christmas at my house: green cabbage in cold storage, green beans and chopped zucchini in our chest freezer, green pestos (parsley and basil) frozen in ice cube trays, and even a few curly kale plants still out in the garden thumbing their green noses at the cold.

Home gardens when done with care and love are truly a gift that keeps giving.  They're a gift to the planet (1/3 of human-related greenhouse gas emissions are due to our long-distance, large-scale, industrial agriculture system); they're a gift to our families and neighbors who get to share in their many healthy flavors, colors, and natural wonders; and, of course, they're a gift to the gardener who finds comfort, peace and healthy recreation in them.

It's been a bountiful garden year for my family and me.  We've gone six months without buying any vegetables and we've been eating them every day.  Next month, I'm going to share more details about our harvests to give you a better sense of how much a modestly-sized suburban garden can produce.  We're still finalizing the tally! 

Between now and then, I'd like to ask you to think about how you as a gardener can share the gift of gardening with others in 2009 whether it's through a financial gift to a worthy garden cause (I know of one!) or a gift of your time in helping a neighbor or a local school to plant a new garden.

We're all busy and we're all watching our pennies a bit more than we were a year ago, but we all have something to share and I'd urge you to reflect on what that might be in your own case.

My thanks and best wishes for the New Year.

Roger Doiron

Eat the View update:

Our White House Garden Campaign is really ramping up.  New York Times, Washington Post, National Public Radio and AARP Magazine have all been in touch with questions, so be watching and listening for some more media coverage. We've also managed to bring together some powerful testimonials from some stars of the food and agriculture world. 

Earlier this week, you all helped Eat the View become one of the nine winning proposals (out of 5000 submitted) to be submitted to the Obama administration as part of the OnDayOne.org contest.  So, we're really getting the message out there and to the right people.  There’s still one more vote the week of January 5th to see which of the 9 winners will win the “grand prize” which will mean some extra press attention. I’m going to ask for your help with that later, so stay tuned.  Our idea is also a leader in another competition being organized by Change.org where we'd really appreciate your support and vote. 

One way of giving the gift of a garden to others is through our White House Lawn sale.  Your $10 dollar tax-deductible donation or more helps support KGI's grants fund which is helping gardeners around the world to start or expand gardens, allows you to make a symbolic gesture in support of our White House garden campaign, and even allows you to make the donation in a loved-one's name for whom you can fill out and print out a symbolic "certificate of ownership" like the one below.  Yes, it’s a quirky gift idea, but it might be just the right thing for that green-minded or green-thumbed person on your holiday list.