CULTIVARS CURRENTLY IN THE GARDEN: Arugula Mesclun Mix Grow it! Cook it! Learn the History. Description of photo: different types of green, red and purple lettuces on soil Image by ,Gardening Chores.com HISTORY Lettuce has been eaten for over 4,500 years, but it was not always known as a leafy food. Lettuce was first used by the ancient Egyptians for its seed oil. This oil was used for cooking, hair regrowth, mummification, and medication. The plant was probably selectively bred by the Egyptians into a plant grown for its edible leaves, with evidence of its cultivation appearing as early a ..read more

The flower of the dead Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by fer gomez on Unsplash Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a two-day Mexican celebration where the living reunite with deceased loved ones. They set up special altares (altars) with ofrendas (offerings) to celebrate and remember lost souls. November 1st honors lost children, and the 2nd is for adults at midnight with a grand festival at noon. The devout offer marigolds (Tagetes erecta), and some believe this is a beacon for lost souls. Cempazuchitl or Mexican Marigolds are often misnamed African Marigolds, but they derive from cent ..read more

A sacred herb of the druidic tradition Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash Today, I share with you how to cleanse your sacred space for Samhain — a Celtic festival for the dead. They celebrate four “sabbats” on the solstices and equinoxes, but there are four “cross-quarter sabbats” halfway between those. You pronounce Samhain as saa-wn. Halloween originated from Samhain over 2000 years ago, and the Celts of NW Europe practiced it. They perceived the veil between this world and the next to be thinnest at that time. Samhain marks the end of harvest and beginning o ..read more

An Abrahamic myth of the onion family Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Image via Wikimedia Legend tells of the fall of Lucifer Morningstar from Heaven — cast down to Earth after Archangel Michael enacts God’s judgment against the once premier demi-being. In Muslim and Christian traditions, folk tales associate the onion’s origins with the devil’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Let’s explore further. Archangel Uriel guards the garden with a fiery sword, and he was likely the one to chase out Morningstar. The myth goes that as Lucifer ran, garlic sprang from his left footprints and onion from ..read more

The tale of Apollo, Daphne, and the laurel tree Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by Mateus Campos Felipe on Unsplash Welcome to Wizzard Wednesday as part of The Daily Cuppa’s Witching Hour series! Allow me to guide you, and we shall recount a harrowing story. Today let’s talk about Greek myth. Apollo loved Daphne, though she dedicated herself to Artemis’s chastity. She was a woodland huntress, and Apollo looked fondly upon her. He lusted after her free spirit and wild woodland life. One day Apollo chased Daphne through the woods. Desperate, she called upon her father, river god Peneus, to ..read more

How do you plan for a winter harvest? Grow nutritious food across the seasons with these ideas. Source: jmheatherly.medium.com Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash Earth tilts on its axis and creates four seasons as we spin around the sun. Thus, we experience cyclical weather patterns, and this tilt inspires diversity across ecosystems. Most farmers focus their efforts around one primary growing season. But gardeners may like to produce food throughout the cold season. Demand builds for local, seasonal food, and many want to know what winter crops to grow. You, too, can grow fresh vegetables as ..read more

Meet: Hayden H, Loves Mushrooms and Sustainability Core Volunteer Series Did you think we finished already? We now celebrate Hayden for our ninth installment; she loves mushrooms and sustainability. She began this season and loves joining us in the garden. Hayden accompanies Lee on their work days; we are so glad she does. Like other core volunteers, she finds mycology fascinating. Good thing we have a wine cap bed and rotting logs to help quench the thirst for her passions. She came to the right place to learn about sustainability. We offer insights on composting, mulching, crop rotation, an ..read more

Meet: Lee G, First Aid & Kids Core Volunteer Series Three cheers for Lee G as our Core Volunteer Series reaches week 8! We started the State Street Garden 8 years ago in 2014 to be precise, and Lee joined us last March. Let's introduce another shining star in our community garden constellation. Lee loves working with kids and maintains first aid licensure. Already they've led three Saturdays this year, which is on par with some of our more seasoned members. What a stellar performance! It's hard to match Lee's zest for life, and they bring garden friends, too. Visual art thrills them. We f ..read more

Meet: Ryan P, Loves Mushrooms and the Outdoors Core Volunteer Series May we present Ryan, a mushroom and outdoor-enthusiast! For week 7 of @Mborogarden's Core Vol series, Ryan brings his own quiet intensity to the garden. Time to highlight another fantastic member of our community garden. When we set off to our respective garden tasks, Ryan goes for the constructive and tasks requiring strength. Yet he also possesses the ability to be gentle, propagating plants being a skill in his toolkit. So glad he joined us a couple years ago. We went running together one morning on the greenway, bright a ..read more

Meet: Jon Mychal Heatherly, Garden Leader, Social & Blog Content Writer Core Volunteer Series "This week we celebrate Jon Mychal in our core volunteers feature. Jon Mychal's super power is Generating Ideas, indeed this Core Volunteer social series is one of his "What ifs?" and we're so glad he's been donating his time and energy to the garden, our blog and social channels, since 2018. His heart and thirst for understanding people and plants is apparent to all who meet him. If you visit the garden on a week when Jon Mychal is leading, he'll make you feel very welcome and likely share some ..read more