how i
conquered my fear of gardening
on to watering the plants, breaking up the soil,
getting his hands caked with mud, and talking
to the garden. And by talking, I really mean
yelling “Daaaaaa!” at the top of his lungs ad
infinitum while racing up and down the rows.
Our hours in the garden became a bit easier
when I resurrected the baby pool from last
summer and brought it down to the garden so
E could splash and play while I kept a watchful eye on him as I pulled weeds, watered my
growing plants, and harvested wild lemon
balm, peppermint, and rosemary I found rising up along the edges of the property. Now
I love pulling off my shoes and dipping my
feet in the shallow water for a few minutes
and splashing with him before gathering our
things and walking home, wet, muddy, tired
and usually in good spirits. Fellow community
members and I use the water from the wading pool to quench our thirsty plants after E is
finished with his fun, and we are careful to use
all of our resources, especially in the droughtparched West Coast.
Our community garden lives up to its mission. We are growing together, raising vegetables and babies and awareness around organic, sustainable, urban gardening. We are also
building a sweet little community that loves to
eat and play and work together.
24
This year’s community garden veggie selection
includes heirloom tomatoes, zucchini, kale,
green onion, cauliflower, and green beans.
One of my favorite community meals to make
with this abundance? Zoodles with Red Sauce.
Anyone can make it, and you don’t have to be
a green thumb or even a culinary wizard to
make this dish. It just takes a little time to prep
and simmer, and once it’s made, it freezes like
a dream. I love thawing a batch of red sauce in
late fall for a nourishing meal, or share with a
friend who has just had a baby and needs easy,
healthy food with minimal effort.
Carrie’s Red Sauce
Feeds 6 regular people, or 3 growing toddlers.
I n g r e d i e n t s :
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6 lbs fresh tomatoes, diced
3-4 Tbsp butter
1 bulb garlic, minced
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3 Tbsp cup fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh or dried oregano
1 Tbsp fresh or dried thyme
½ tsp cumin
salt
pepper
D i r e c t i o n s :
1. In a large stockpot, sauté onions until
translucent. Add garlic and sauté until
barely golden, stirring often.
2. Add tomatoes and dried herbs. Add
cumin, salt and pepper.
3. Bring to a bubble (not boil), stirring
occasionally. Once it’s bubbling, cover and
reduce heat to low. Simmer for an hour,
stirring occasionally.
4. Add fresh herbs and simmer covered
for another 30-45 minutes, stirring
occasionally.
5. Taste sauce and add salt and pepper and
more herbs as needed. Remove from
heat and serve over your favorite pasta or
spiralized zucchini noodles, or allow to
cool and transfer to storage containers.
6. This sauce can stay fresh in the refrigerator
for up to two weeks, and freezes for up to 6
months.