email this pageOn a three-acre plot donated by the state, Herring and his team of volunteers dote on organic discards like coffee grounds and leaves that "don't belong in a land fill." The George Washington Carver Food Park in Nashville is an oasis for learning about composting and for nourishing both the earth and the community.
Mounds of leaves and decomposing vegetables provide an opportunity to build what really makes a garden grow-rich compost. But it's the working together, the community spirit, that truly pulls the project all together.
Herring's garden students include master gardeners, neighborhood kids and a city councilwoman. The rich compost they sift and mix is available to community gardeners who are starting their plots and to the public. A $20 donation is rewarded with a 5-pound bag of compost, packaged in a recycled flour bag from a local bakery.
Growing up in inner-city Detroit, Herring learned about reusing and recycling from his father. "My dad was all about turning one man's trash into his own treasure. And that's literally what I do everyday."
While attending the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in the 1980s, Herring was struck by "a green bolt of lightening" while walking in the footsteps of Dr. George Washington Carver, the noted botanist and agriculturalist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. "I got to talk to the trees that he talked to, learn about his life intimately, and was given his divine intervention," says Herring. "That's what still moves and inspires me."
At his inspiration's namesake garden, Herring passes on his passion while working in the 30 raised vegetable and herb beds and numerous compost piles. "We've created a place where someone can say 'this is my job' and they have something to be proud of," he explains. "We all have an intimate connection with food." For more information go to carverfoodpark.com
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Mark Boughton
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This is a perfect pie to make after a trip to the berry patch. Some of the berries are cooked down to make a glaze that is then drizzled over a mountain of fresh berries. Smaller berries work best for this pie, as they create little pockets for the glaze to run into, thus cementing the pie together. If you have big berries, cut them in half. This recipe is adapted from Jim Fobel’s Old-Fashioned Baking Book: Recipes from an American Childhood (Lake Isle Press, 1995).
Ingredients
Ingredients
1 1/3 cups finely crushed vanilla wafers (about 42)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
8 cups hulled strawberries, divided
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional)
Instructions
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
8 cups hulled strawberries, divided
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream (optional)
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Combine wafer crumbs, sugar, vanilla and butter; press into a 9-inch pie dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until set and barely beginning to brown. Cool.
2. Quarter 2 cups strawberries and combine with 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat while mashing strawberries. Cook about 2 minutes or until very juicy. Push mashed berries through a sieve, pressing with a spoon and discarding solids that remain. Measure juice and add water to measure 1 cup.
3. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in strawberry juice and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Boil 1 minute or until translucent. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Place 1/3 of the remaining berries in pie shell; drizzle with 1/3 of glaze. Repeat twice. Chill 2 hours or until set. Serve cold with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 8.
"Relish the Season," May 2006.
Nutritional Information
2. Quarter 2 cups strawberries and combine with 2 tablespoons water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat while mashing strawberries. Cook about 2 minutes or until very juicy. Push mashed berries through a sieve, pressing with a spoon and discarding solids that remain. Measure juice and add water to measure 1 cup.
3. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Gradually whisk in strawberry juice and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until thickened. Boil 1 minute or until translucent. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
4. Place 1/3 of the remaining berries in pie shell; drizzle with 1/3 of glaze. Repeat twice. Chill 2 hours or until set. Serve cold with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 8.
"Relish the Season," May 2006.
Per serving: 310 calories, 11g fat, 3g prot., 56g carbs., 7g fiber, 70mg sodium.
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