ROBINHOOD ROAD YMCA COMMUNITY GARDEN
THE ROBINHOOD ROOT
May 2016
Our mission is to grow a healthy community by creating a space of beauty and learning that
promotes environmental sustainability and accessibility of healthy foods for all.
Our First Group Work Day!
Pitchforks and shovels were flying on April 2nd
as the Garden Committee kicked off the season
by spreading mulch, pulling weeds, moving
molehills, and otherwise creating a lovely
environment for spring seedlings. Thanks to all
who came out and got down and dirty!
During our workday, Peter Dunlap, the head of
the Garden Committee, was surprised to receive
the Robinhood YMCA’s Volunteer of the Year
Award. Congratulations, Peter!
The Work Days Continue!
On April 23rd, Cynthia Blair and a host of other
joyful gardeners worked tirelessly to plant seeds
in the community Y beds. Sunny days followed by
welcome rains have beans, cucumbers, squash,
and zucchinis sprouting early! We eagerly
anticipate the colorful vegetables of summer.
A Walk Through Robinhood Garden
If you’re not a daily visitor, here’s a visual
picture of our garden. It’s divided into three
sections:
1. The Lower Garden
The lower garden contains fifteen 4’ x 4’
raised beds which are rented annually for
$35 to members for their personal use.
Renters not only plant, maintain, and harvest
their beds, but also participate in caring for
the entire Y garden in various capacities.
(Interesting statistic: 60% of these rental
beds are planted in tomatoes, supporting the
fact that tomatoes are the most popular
home-grown vegetable in the USA.) Central in
the lower garden is our signature Y-shaped
bed, which is devoted solely to herbs this
season. We even have our own herbalist on
board! Be careful when pulling weeds….they
just might be feverfew or dandelions! Be
ready to learn about medicinal uses for herbs
through the newsletter or special events in
the garden; herbs are not just for cooking!
2. The Upper Garden
The upper garden is designated for
community use, and contains raised beds,
curved trellises and other natural support
ROBINHOOD ROAD FAMILY YMCA
3474 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem NC 27106
P 336 251 1090 F 336 251 1082 www.robinhoodymca.org A United Way Agency
Our Mission: “Helping people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body.” Financial Assistance available.
structures. Completed for use this spring is a
greenhouse made of soda bottles. Inside tiny
seeds are sprouting before being planted into
the beds. The Y has been fortunate to have
several area Scouts choose our garden for
their Eagle projects, which enforces the
educational portion of our mission in the
upper garden. But by far the largest
beneficiary of our community garden efforts
are the children in Winston Salem’s food
deserts who receive fresh fruits and
vegetables from our garden through our
partnership with H.O.P.E.: Help Our People
Eat (see article on below).
3. The Outer Garden
The newest garden area being developed
is “outside the box.” Clusters of flowers that
will attract monarch butterflies or pollinating
bees and birds have been planted outside the
upper garden fence. Picnic tables and
benches added to the newly mulched area will
attract people to enjoy watching pollinators
at work.
volunteer support to prepare and bring
nutritious weekend meals to Forsyth County’s
40,000 children who are at risk for hunger. We
are excited to be connected with the H.O.P.E.
organization again this season to provide fresh
produce directly into the communities with the
highest food insecurity. All of the food from the
community garden beds will be picked up by
H.O.P.E. Individual gardeners are encouraged to
also donate any excess produce to H.O.P.E.
All children ages 0-18 who live in neighborhoods
with low income and little or no access to
healthy foods are eligible. H.O.P.E. serves the
“food deserts,” areas where access to fresh
fruits and vegetable is limited by lack of
availability, transportation, or funds.
Currently, there are 40 such identified areas in
Forsyth County. H.O.P.E. uses drop off sites
where shelters or churches are available and
notifies residents in advance of the times of
delivery. Their bright green mobile food truck has
a sound system (like an ice cream truck) and
goes through the neighborhood to call the
families to the sites, signaling that food has
arrived. To date 104,295 pounds of produce
have been delivered to families.
Water FINALLY Comes to the Garden!
What is H.O.P.E (Help Our People Eat)?
Winston-Salem is one of the top cities in the
entire United States for hunger in families with
children. North Carolina and Louisiana are now
the top states for hunger in children ages 0-4.
One of every four children in North Carolina has
insufficient food to meet nutritional needs! The
mission of H.O.P.E. is to use community-wide
Not since Moses parted the sea has there been
so much excitement about water! Installation of
a yard hydrant inside of the garden is underway
and will be fully functional in time to water
summer veggies. Veteran gardeners will
understand the excitement, having spent many
days in the summer heat dragging hoses across
the parking lot. (Keep an eye out for a fire sale
on water hoses!!)
ROBINHOOD ROAD FAMILY YMCA
3474 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem NC 27106
P 336 251 1090 F 336 251 1082 www.robinhoodymca.org A United Way Agency
Our Mission: “Helping people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body.” Financial Assistance available.
and it also has more Vitamin C. It has a bit different
flavor from conventional sweet potatoes, and isn’t as
moist when baked. To learn more about growing
sweet potatoes, go to NC Sweet Potato sites.
So where are all those purple sweet potatoes dug
with such joy? They are spending a few weeks curing
in Susan Joy’s office, converting their starches into
sweet sugar. Soon they will be ready to cook –
perhaps in time for someone’s holiday table!
In our August newsletter we advised everyone to
keep their eyes on Bed # 12, which was planted in
sweet potatoes, a summer crop. The first day of frost
finally came last week, and so the day for harvesting
the sweet potatoes quickly followed! An exuberant
group of children and adults gathered around the bed
as Cynthia Blair carefully dug with gloves and a
shovel. Harrison and Carter were the first to start
lifting the sprouts and their roots (the sweet
potatoes), waving them proudly in the air. The boys
were soon joined by Harper, Elliott, and Savannah,
and dozens upon dozens of tubers of varying sizes
received oohs and ahhs, were photographed, and
then rushed away from direct sunlight to prevent
rotting.
So what was the secret about these sweet potatoes
that had been so carefully hidden until harvest day?
When cut open, these roots weren’t orange; they
were bright purple! Our Y garden received the slips
for free from the Extension Office, and the decision
was made to experiment with growing them, even
though our master gardeners had little knowledge of
how to plant and care for the crop. North Carolina
farmers have been developing the purple sweet
potato to bring to market for the past ten years or
so. It is promoted as having some health benefits
that informed consumers appreciate: The Vitamin E
content is 8.5 times that of an orange sweet potato,
How about dumping the marshmallows this holiday
season, and preparing sweet potatoes in a new and
savory way? The Y staff is looking for savory recipes
this season. Try something new and then send Susan
Joy your recipe with comments. Here’s an easy one
to get you started:
Savory Sweet Potato Fries
Ingredients
•2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into French
fry-size pieces
•1 tablespoon olive oil, or as needed
•2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary, or to taste
•coarse sea salt and coarsely ground black pepper to
taste
Directions
1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2.Toss sweet potatoes, olive oil, rosemary, salt, and
pepper together in a large bowl until evenly coated.
Arrange sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.
ROBINHOOD ROAD FAMILY YMCA
3474 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem NC 27106
P 336 251 1090 F 336 251 1082 www.robinhoodymca.org A United Way Agency
Our Mission: “Helping people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body.” Financial Assistance available.
3.Bake in the preheated oven until tender, 20 to 30
minutes.
ROBINHOOD ROAD FAMILY YMCA
3474 Robinhood Road, Winston-Salem NC 27106
P 336 251 1090 F 336 251 1082 www.robinhoodymca.org A United Way Agency
Our Mission: “Helping people reach their God-given potential in spirit, mind and body.” Financial Assistance available.