LINCOLN -- Lincoln Community Garden is in its fifth year and has some new volunteers this year from the Washington County Master Gardeners.
Master gardener Mel Zabecki has helped two years and she said she likes volunteering because the garden gives back to others. Many times master gardener projects are for beautification, she said.
"That's the main reason I'm doing it," Zabecki said. "We're giving back to the community. With food insecurity in the world and in Northwest Arkansas, I think it's really important to help the people who need it."
Fresh produce from the Lincoln Community Garden is donated to GRACE Place in Lincoln, which provides food for those who need it.
Around six or seven master gardeners are volunteering once or twice a week as they can, Zabecki said.
Jim Sposato, a master gardener and former coach for Lincoln schools, started the garden in 2015, along with former Lincoln Mayor Rob Hulse, and oversees it each year.
In past years, student groups from Lincoln have helped with the garden. Sposato has not had help from the kids this spring because of covid-19 concerns. Schools closed in March for face-to-face instruction for the remainder of the year to try to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
"That's one thing we've missed, having the kids come in to help," Sposato said. "All that was shut down."
Sposato said he had a group of fourth graders last year who planted tomatoes and then they returned to harvest their crops. The middle school's Adventure Club also has volunteered at the garden, as well as community service classes at the school.
Sposato said he's already provided 167 onions, eight tomatoes, 33 cucumbers and 2 1/2 gallons of green beans to GRACE Place. Other vegetables in the garden include potatoes, yellow squash, peppers and zucchini. He plans to plant kale and lettuce in the fall.
For 2019, the garden donated a total harvest of 1,119 tomatoes, 1,140 peppers, 67 yellow squash, 1,430 cucumbers, 10 zucchini, 28 onions and 275 potatoes. Sposato said the garden's had better years but too much rain and deer affected last year's harvest.
In the past three years, produce provided to GRACE Place has included 16,000 tomatoes, 18,000 peppers, 662 onions, 146 radishes, 136 gallons of okra and nine gallons of green beans.
Sposato, who has moved to Siloam Springs area, said he continues to oversee the garden year after year because he likes helping others.
"I've been blessed having a good life," Sposato said. "I've always had a garden. I like giving back. It's always better to give than receive."
He said he also wants to honor his commitment to the garden.
"I don't like to fail," he added.
The garden is an award-winning project among master gardeners in Washington County. It received the 2016 Washington County Master Gardener Project of the Year award and Hulse, mayor at the time, was named the 2016 Friend of Washington County Master Gardeners.
Sposato said he always welcomes volunteers at the garden. In addition, he said he shares vegetables from the garden with those who volunteer. For more information on volunteering, contact Sposato at [email protected] or call him at 479-856-8232.
Zabecki said she's available if anyone has questions about gardening or ways to use fresh vegetables in recipes.
"There's so many things you can do with vegetables," Zabecki said. "I like to explore different things with vegetables."
Zabecki can be reached at [email protected].
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Spaghetti Sauce With Fresh Tomatoes
Source: Allrecipes.com
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
Directions: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic powder; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, sugar, basil, parsley and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 1 to 2 hours.
Master gardener Mel Zabecki said this sauce can be used in lasagna or casseroles or over pasta. The ingredients can easily be halved and you would only need two or three large tomatoes to make it.