Sewickley Food Pantry Garden Provides Fresh Produce at Weekly Farmers' Market

Heirloom and gold tomatoes, herbs, beans, edible flowers, and even okra are in full bloom at the Sewickley Food Pantry Garden at the .

Volunteers labored in the spring resulting in a variety of plants now blooming in the center’s backyard. But beyond the horticulture focus, it’s what they’re doing with the harvest that is also amazing.

Every Wednesday from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., locals are invited to stop by the community center to pick out nutritious, freshly-picked-from-the-garden produce, all for free. The idea is to provide families with locally grown and healthy meal alternatives during the growing season in conjunction with the center’s food pantry, which provides non-perishables and runs year round. But unlike the food bank, there are no eligibility requirements.

Christine Allen and Cindy Neitz, co-organizers of the , said they hope to get the word out that fresh produce is available for free.

 “There is a need in Sewickley,” Allen said.  “We serve surrounding areas, but right here in Sewickley, there’s a lot of need.”

“Contrary to what people think,” added Stephanie Bliss, a loyal volunteer.

Garden volunteers met Wednesday for the latest farmer’s market distribution. An elderly man was first to stop by, chatting with the gardeners before choosing from a smorgasbord of fresh tomatoes, herbs, cucumbers, garlic and beans that were set out on the picnic table. The man said he didn’t have a green thumb and walked away with a variety of tomatoes.

The Food Pantry Garden started in 2008 with a group of volunteers.  Today, about a dozen people help make up the core group that rotates the garden responsibilities -- watering, picking, weeding, mulching -- while about 60 people contribute here and there to the garden’s overall success.

“A lot of people show up the first day. They love planting,” said Cindy Neitz, also a co-organizer.

This year they added raspberry and blueberry bushes, which should explode into a nice berry patch in the coming years. Sections that make up certain ingredients for specific recipes have also been added. The Greek salad garden plot nurtures cucumbers, dill, onions and garlic, while the Caprese garden has tomato and basil, and the salsa garden has onions, peppers, tomatoes and garlic. Stephanie’s husband, Reggie Bliss, was enlisted to paint the signs. Soon enough, the pumpkin and squash will be ready.

 The season runs from July to October. Whatever is ready to be picked is offered each week to anyone who visits the free farmers market. Visitors can even stop by the herb garden for a chance to snip their own herb bouquet.

“People get what they want. People seem satisfied,” Allen said.

About 50 okra plants were also entered this year, a new plant for the pantry garden, which tries for a new crop every year. Neitz said food demonstrations will be offered in September to provide tips on how to cook the plant, typically used in Southern cuisine. She is looking for people to send their favorite okra recipes to share.

Last year, Neitz said the garden pantry distributed Swiss chard and butternut squash and held three cooking demonstrations to show people, who otherwise wouldn’t have known, how to use them.

“A lot of people are afraid of certain vegetables. The ones that look the most threatening, I try to tell people what they are,” she said.

Inside the garden, volunteers keep busy working to make it self sustainable, from the new weaving technique that Neitz came up with to hold tomato plants along the trellises to dreams of someday building an outdoor irrigation system with the help of a  handy plumber. Volunteers now rotate watering during the weeknights.

“We always check on it. It’s fun to be down here,” Neitz said. “It’s peaceful, it’s fun. We don’t mind stopping down here after work. It’s relaxing.”

Donations from private families with gardens are also accepted – and much appreciated. The Bellevue-based North Hills Community Outreach this week donated about 30 pounds of tomatoes along with an unusual variety of round-shaped cucumbers that look like tennis-ball sized watermelons.

Someday they hope to expand services by offering home deliveries to those who are unable to come. For now, anyone who is unable to make the weekly farmer’s market can contact the group through Facebook or their website and schedule a more convenient time to come.

“We’re here to, number one, help people to get adequate amounts of nutritious foods for their meals,” Allen said.

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Volunteers, Donations Welcome!

Sewickley Food Pantry Garden volunteers are mostly Sewickley-area residents, but anyone is welcome to pitch in. Big group work days are from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays. Anyone interested in volunteering can stop down then for orientation.

If gardening isn’t your thing, there is also need for a dedicated volunteer to do crafts with children while the parents are in the gardens.

The garden can also use 55-gallon drums to make rain barrels; about two dozen pallets to build a compost bin; and a skilled plumber to help with an irrigation system.

As always, extra produce from other gardens is appreciated. 

Learn more about the Sewickley Food Pantry Garden at www.facebook.com/sewickleyfoodpantrygarden.

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