Colorado: Heirlooms thrive in community gardens

Posted on August 12, 2012 by Bob Berwyn

Growing fresh vittles in Frisco, Colorado

Rapini from the community garden sprinkled with freshly grated Romano cheese.

Story and photos by Tom Castrigno

SUMMIT COUNTY — Heirloom are precious things, passed down through generations. In the vegetable world, heirlooms are varieties that kept their traits through generations of open pollination instead of being bred through grafts and cuttings of other vegetables.

Heirloom varieties such as tomatoes for example, were commonly grown in earlier periods of human history. Those varieties are not part of modern, large scale agriculture which supplies the food generally found in grocery stores. Today’s tomatoes are bred for their productivity, and ability to stand up to processing or resist pesticides.

The popularity of gowing heirloom varieties in home gardens has spread across North America and Europe over the last decade. Another heirloom vegetable is rapini, also known as Brocoli rabe. With a pleasing bitter flavor often lacking in the American diet, rapini is popular in Italian cuisine. (more…)

Filed under: agriculture, Colorado, Frisco, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Morning photo: Greenhouse dreams

Posted on January 7, 2011 by Bob Berwyn

It’s never to early to start thinking about next year’s crop …

A calendula blossom in the Summit County community greenhouses near Frisco.

SUMMIT COUNTY — Wandering through the produce section of Safeway the other day really hammered home the fact that we’re in the dead of winter. Lovin’ the powder, but missing good, fresh produce. Other than some sad-sack berries that traveled thousands of miles from South America, there’s not much to be had these days – other than maybe the cold-storage Bartlett pears, which are actually pretty decent, along with some citrus of undetermined origin.

So I started thinking about how the greenhouse and community gardening movement got such a great start last summer, and how I definitely want to try and get a little plot of my own this coming summer. I think it may be a bit early to sign up, but it’s never to early to dream … Get info on community gardening at this High Country Conservation Center website, and also on at the website for Silvana’s Community Garden in Silverthorne, and hit the “read more” button to see a slideshow of last year’s bounty. (more…)

Filed under: climate and weather, Colorado, daily photoblog, Morning photo, photography, seasons, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Silverthorne: Fundraiser for Silvana’s Community Gardens

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Bob Berwyn

Local historian and gardener Mary Ellen Gilliland with a freshly harvested turnip from Silvana's Community Gardens in Silverthorne.

The Silverthorne Chipotle will donate 50 percent of all sales to Silvana’s Community Gardens between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Eat in, take out or order online, but be sure to mention the gardens


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By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Silvana’s Community Gardens are thriving, thanks to Summit County’s civic spirit, and tonight (Thursday, Aug. 5), you have another chance to help, even if you don’t have time to weed the radish bed.

Chipotle is hosting a fundraiser for the gardens between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Half the proceeds from sales during that time will help the spinach grow with a mention of the community gardens, and you can even order online by clicking right here, or calling (970) 468-0671.

The gardens also have some gardening classes for kids coming up on Aug. 17 and Aug. 31. Along with tending the beets and carrots, the youngsters will learn about plant parts and sign up for a watering schedule.

Get all the info at the gardens’ nifty website!

It’s harvest time!

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Along with gardens, help local independent journalism grow in Summit County by sharing this story.

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Filed under: Environment, Summit County Colorado | Tagged: , , , , , , , | Leave a Comment »

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