With our warm and dry spring and early summer, our garden harvest is coming on quickly. The beautiful fresh produce is such a nice reward for our efforts. Equally rewarding is the ability to donate and share our thoughtfully nurtured and nutritious bounty.
This is our eighth growing season for Neighbor's Nourishing Communities. Each year our donations have grown, and last year NNC gardeners donated over 4,775 pounds of produce, an increase of more than 10% over the prior year. Thank you for your dedication and generosity. Small donations by each of us consistently throughout the growing season add up to make a big impact in addressing hunger right here in our community. The events of this past year have increased the need for food assistance. Let's work together to donate even more this year so that we can meet the growing need.
What to Donate: Consider harvesting and donating fruits and vegetables that store and transport well, even without continuous refrigeration. The Tualatin Food Pantry has limited refrigeration. So leafy greens/herbs and really ripe fruit may not be picked up before it wilts/spoils.
Where to Donate: You can donate directly to the Tualatin Food Pantry, your local food pantry, or a family in need. Knowing that the Tualatin Food Pantry is not open on weekends, we also have locations in North and South Tualatin for produce donations that can be dropped off at your convenience on Sundays or Monday mornings beginning July 4th (beginning July 11th at the South Tualatin donation point). Produce donated over the weekend will be transported to the Tualatin Food Pantry on Mondays at noon for distribution.
- North Tualatin Donation Point: 17660 SW Shawnee Trail
- South Tualatin Donation Point: 9412 SW Arikara Drive
- Tualatin Food Pantry: 3550 SW Borland Rd, Tualatin, OR
(at Rolling Hills Community Church, east side of the building)
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When to Donate:
For donations at the North and South Tualatin Donation Points, please leave produce in the driveway basket marked with a Neighbors Nourishing Communities sign. Donations will be accepted at these sites beginning Sunday, July 4th (July 11th for the South Tualatin donation point). Produce may be dropped off at any time over the weekend, however, these donation points are both residences with limited refrigeration space, so if possible, please leave your donation Sunday afternoon / evening, or Monday morning before noon.
The Tualatin Food Pantry hours are still reduced due to COVID-19, and are shown below. Produce that is donated directly to the Pantry may be donated any time that they are open. Please do not leave produce when they are closed.
Monday: 4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
How to Donate:
We need to know how much you have donated. So whether you donate to a local pantry or Tualatin Food Pantry, we need an estimate of how many pounds were donated. This ensures that our grantors continue to support our program so we can provide free plants and seeds. We would not exist if we were not showing progress.
- For donations at the North or South Tualatin Donation Points: please leave your produce in the basket provided, in a bag marked with your name, and approximate weight of the produce donation. Note that we will weigh the produce if you do not have the ability, but don't forget to label with your name so that we know who to credit for the donation.
- For direct donations: to families, the Tualatin Food Pantry, or other local pantries, please note the weight of your donation and e-mail NNC with your name, the amount of produce donated (weight), and the donation recipient.
Our e-mail address: neighborsnc@gmail.com
Keeping track of our donations as an organization is important to charting our growth and measuring our impact. We also track donations and provide prizes at the end of the season harvest party! |
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Sicilian Tomato Pesto
Recipe courtesy of Valerie Bertinelli, Food Network
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Cherry tomatoes are usually the first of the tomatoes ready to harvest and they give prolifically throughout the summer. This recipe for Sicilian pesto uses cherry tomatoes along with basil, parsley, and a touch of mint for a different and twist on the typical pesto.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1 pound bright red cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic
Kosher salt
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino
1 baguette cut crosswise into slices and lightly toasted
Directions:
1. Heat a dry, medium skillet over medium heat and toast the almonds until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer to plate to cool.
2. Combine cooled almonds, tomatoes, basil, parsley, mint, red pepper flakes, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a food processor. Pulse, adding a little oil at a time, until everything is finely chopped and emulsified. Add the Parmesan and pulse to incorporate. Season with salt to taste.
3. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve with the toasted baguette slices. Leftovers may be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to two days.
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June is Pollinator Month - Be Kind to Bees
As a child, I remember being afraid of bees, and my only association with them was being stung...ouch! I didn't understand that they were pollinators, so it was unfathomable to think that there would come a time when I would want more bees around. I was excited recently when my grandchildren, at the age of six, talked about the importance of bees and understood their role in pollinating, and our food supply. They are so much more aware than I was at their age.
According to the Pollinator Partnership, over 50% of bee colonies across the U.S. have disappeared in just the last 10 years, a syndrome termed “Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) where worker bees disappear, leaving a queen, food, and immature bees behind. The cause of this drastic decline is unknown, but contributing factors include parasites, diseases, pesticides, and a loss of habitat. The City of Tualatin has designated Tualatin as a Bee City USA® affiliate, committing along with over a hundred communities nationwide to provide pollinators with healthy habitats and increase community awareness of the vital role bees play.
Why are bees so important? About 150 food plants and crops grown in the U.S. depend on these pollinators, including many vegetables in our gardens. Some vegetables such as beans, peas, lettuce and onions don't require pollination. Others such as tomatoes, corn and peppers primarily rely on wind for pollination. They benefit from pollination by insects, and will produce more when this occurs. Others such as cucumbers, pumpkin and squash require pollination by bees. They feature male and female flowers on the same plant. The female flower is recognizable by the miniature fruit below the flower petals. Pollen from the male flower must be transferred to the female flower for pollination to occur so that the vegetable will mature. This is the reason I have often noticed many blooms with miniature zucchini on my zucchini plant, only to wonder why a fewer number actually grew! Needless to say, these insects are important!
So what can we do to attract and revive the health of bees, butterflies and other pollinators?
- Plant flowers that provide nectar and pollen sources, including a mixture of plants that will provide continuous bloom throughout the season.
- Eliminate the use of pesticides.
- Use native, non-invasive plants. These will be hardy, provide variety, and a good source of nutrition.
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Newsletter Signup
Please forward our newsletter to others who may be interested in gardening with us. If you are interested in receiving our newsletters and not currently on our subscriber list, please contact us at neighborsnc@gmail.com.
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Neighbors Nourishing Communities (NNC) is an organization of neighbors gardening to raise fresh produce for local families in need of food support. We provide plants, seeds, instruction and site consultations in exchange for 20% of the produce raised. Visit our website at www.neighborsnc.org.
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