April 2014 BICHC Updates

The warm weather seems to stimulate a lot of activity in and around Blue Island, IL. This is no different for the Blue Island Community Health Coalition.

From gardening activities to street fairs, BICHC members are about to get very busy!

• The Active Living Committee is planning for an Open Streets event, the 1st ever in Blue Island. At April 2’s Monthly Coalition Meeting, the group decided to host this event on Sunday, June 8 on Greenwood Ave between 127th and Vermont. The BICHC is a proud supporter of this project! Each committee will be represented in a unique way. Stay tuned for more details.
• Gardening & Food Access Committee Members are gearing up for spring by supporting the Memorial Park Community Garden and the California Gardens Community Garden in recruitment efforts. An upcoming fundraiser on April 16 at the Rock Island Public House will help benefit gardens in Blue Island.

For more information on how to join one of Blue Island Community Gardens or to volunteer, contact Wendy at wwalters@cityofblueisland.org.

 

Participate in a Blue Island Garden Project

Blue Island has 2 community gardens, whose memberships are quickly filling up for the 2014 Season! Both gardens have a secure water source, raised bed plots, access to tools and other resources.

There are volunteer and gardener dates in April for each! To find out more, contact Wendy at wwalters@cityofblueisland.org.

• Memorial Park Community Garden, or MPCG, is located at the Parks District, 12804 S. Highland Ave.
• California Gardens Community Garden, or CG2, is next to neighborhood Rec Center, at the corner of Francisco & 141st.

2013 Season for California Gardens Community Gardens, or CG2.

Upcoming Dates:

Saturday, April 12 from 10am-12pm, there will be a Seed Starting Workshop for both gardens that is open to all community members. Attendees can plant seeds for personal use and/or for the Annual Seedling Sale Fundraiser on May 22nd.

Tuesday, April 15 from 5:15-6:15pm, the Blue Island Community Health Coalition’s Gardening and Food Access Committee will be meeting to discuss and plan upcoming events for 2014 and beyond. If you are interested in joining the conversation or just seeing what it’s all about, come to the Memorial Park Fieldhouse, 12804 S. Highland Ave.

Wednesday, April 16 from 7-10pm, Black Sox, Green Thumbs Community Garden Benefit will be hosted at the Rock Island Public House, 13328 Olde Western Ave, Blue Island. Drink from a keg of Black Sox Stout and you will be supporting Blue Island Gardens! Thanks to Horse Thief Hollow Brewery for Donating an entire keg!

Thursday, May 22 from 2-6 pm, The Annual California Gardens Community Garden Fundraiser at Carr Gardens, 2357 York St, Blue Island.

Aeroponic gardening is somewhat as it sounds: the process of growing plants in the air, supported by a mist of nutrient rich water to the exposed roots. We are lucky to have such innovation, right here in Blue Island! Stop by today to take a look.

Other Opportunities: 

Salvation Army Rooftop Garden:

Have you heard? The Salvation Army has a rooftop aeroponic vegetable garden. The produce is given to the kitchen downstairs to compliment senior lunches, and the rest is donated to the weekly food pantry on-site. The garden is IN NEED of volunteers! If you are interested contact the Salvation Army, (708) 332-0100.

Wilted Kale Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing, from the Bungalow Chef

Warming and full of flavor, this savory dressing served hot on your favorite winter greens is a classic, yet still in-line with today’s food trends. Always source local if possible.

As a child, growing up in a midcentury home just down the street from where I live today, I remember fondly my father Lou Mech–“Mr. Blue Island”–teaching me the methods of gardening with a master’s vision.

Dad showed me how to till the soil. He introduced me to the Burpee Seed Catalog. He demonstrated how a gardener can use an old kite string to dowel pins to make sure the furrows for seeding were straight. Sourcing the old Better Homes and Garden master-gardener book for ideas, and confirming the planting cycles, Dad explained how anyone could acquire a “green thumb.”

Besides the onion sets and radishes, “greens” were an exciting planting for me due to the quick sprouting and different varieties, tastes and colors. From spinach, to kale, endive, and collard greens, each seed claimed its own row. Eventually, each would find honored recipes at our family table. The “greens” we always called a “plus-two planting,” due to a second planting late in the fall that gave us a second helping of the gardening season.

Thanks, Dad, for the gift of gardening you passed on to me.

Kale is easy to grow, and so nutritious!

Click on the next page to view a recipe that features one of our favorite garden greens.

Wilted Kale Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing, Fingerling Potatoes and Fried Egg

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