Most people are familiar with using frozen vegetables, frozen pizzas, or frozen meals in a box that can be heated in the oven or microwave. If you see that berries or bananas are starting to over-ripen, they can be frozen and used to bake or mix into a smoothie. When there’s a great sale on meat, you can buy extra and freeze it for later. You can meal prep casseroles and soups and store them in the freezer for convenience another time. In short, whenever there is extra food, it can be stored in the freezer. The freezing process itself does not destroy nutrients. In meat and poultry products, there is little change in nutrient value during freezer storage.
 
Freshness and quality at the time of freezing affect the condition of frozen foods. If frozen at peak quality, thawed foods emerge tasting better than foods frozen near the end of their useful life. So you should freeze items you won't use quickly sooner rather than later. Store all foods at 0° F or lower to retain vitamin content, color, flavor and texture.
The best thing that I just learned through the USDA website is that no matter how long a food is frozen, it is safe to eat. Foods that have been in the freezer for months may be dry, or may not taste as good, but they will be safe to eat. 
 
If you find a package of ground beef that has been in the freezer more than a few months, don’t throw it out. Use it to make chili or tacos, the seasonings and additional ingredients can make up for loss of flavor (from -UDSAmediablog Jun 27, 2013).
 
The following information is written by the USDA. Freezer burn does not make food unsafe, merely dry in spots. It appears as grayish-brown leathery spots and is caused by air coming in contact with the surface of the food. Cut freezer-burned portions away either before or after cooking the food.
 
Food stored constantly at 0 °F will always be safe. Only the quality suffers with lengthy freezer storage. Freezing preserves food for extended periods because it prevents the growth of microorganisms that cause both food spoilage and food borne illness. 
There are three safe ways to thaw food: in the refrigerator, in cold water, or in the microwave. It's best to plan ahead for slow, safe thawing in the refrigerator - never on the counter. Small items may defrost overnight; most foods require a day or two. And large items like turkeys may take longer, approximately one day for each 5 pounds of weight. 
For faster thawing, place food in a leak proof plastic bag and immerse it in cold water. Check the water frequently to be sure it stays cold and change the water every 30 minutes. After thawing, cook immediately. When microwave-defrosting food, plan to cook it immediately after thawing because some areas of the food may become warm and begin to cook during microwaving.
 
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/food-safety/safe-food-handling-and-preparation/food-safety-
basics/freezing-and-food-safety 
 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I always like to provide the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Food General Safety site
https://www.cdc.gov/food-safety/index.html

Turkey Safety site:
www.cdc.gov/food-safety/foods/holiday-turkey.html

They have great info for Preparing Your Holiday Turkey Safely. CDC added much more this year and it is worth reading.  Many people do not thaw or cook the turkey properly and end up making a trip to the emergency room.
 
I have taken excerpts from the CDC article to safely store, thaw, handle, cook, and reheat your turkey
“Handling poultry, such as chicken and turkey, incorrectly and undercooking it are the most common problems that lead to food-borne disease outbreaks linked to poultry. Follow these tips to help you safely prepare your next holiday turkey meal.
 
Thaw your turkey safely in one of three ways: in the refrigerator in a container; in a leak-proof plastic bag in a sink of cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes; or in the microwave, following the microwave oven manufacturer’s instructions.
 
Never thaw your turkey by leaving it out on the counter. A thawing turkey must defrost at a safe temperature. When the turkey is left out at room temperature for more than two hours, its temperature becomes unsafe. Bacteria can grow rapidly in the “danger zone” between 40-140 degrees Fahrenheit.
 
Handle your turkey the right way. Raw poultry can contaminate anything it touches with harmful bacteria. Follow the four steps to food safety - clean, separate, cook and chill - to prevent the spread of bacteria to your food, family and friends.
 
Cook stuffing thoroughly. Cooking stuffing separately from the turkey in a casserole dish makes it easy to be sure it is thoroughly cooked.  If you cook stuffing in the turkey, put the stuffing in the turkey just before cooking.
 
With either cooking method, use a food thermometer to make sure the stuffing’s center reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Bacteria can survive in stuffing that has not reached 165 degrees Fahrenheit and may then cause food poisoning.
 
If you cook stuffing in the turkey, wait 20 minutes after taking the bird out of the oven before removing the stuffing. This allows it to cook a little more.
 
Cook your turkey thoroughly. Set the oven temperature to at least 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the completely thawed turkey in a roasting pan that is 2-2.5 inches deep. Cooking times will vary depending on the weight of the turkey.
 
Use a food thermometer to make sure the turkey has reached a safe internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Check by inserting a food thermometer into the center of the stuffing and the thickest portions of the breast, thigh and wing joint. Even if your turkey has a pop-up temperature indicator, you should still use a food thermometer to check it is safely cooked.
 
Let the turkey stand 20 minutes before removing all stuffing from the cavity and carving the meat.
 
The bacteria clostridium perfringens grows in cooked foods left at room temperature. It is the second most common bacterial cause of food poisoning. The major symptoms are vomiting and abdominal cramps within six to 24 hours after eating. Clostridium perfringens outbreaks occur most often in November and December. Many of these outbreaks have been linked to foods commonly served during the holidays, such as turkey and roast beef.
 
Refrigerate leftovers at 40 degrees Fahrenheit or colder as soon as possible and within two hours of preparation to prevent food poisoning. Slice or divide big cuts of meat, such as a roast turkey, into small quantities for refrigeration so they will cool quickly.
 
Reheat all leftovers to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.”
 
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

My best eating season is summer.  Fresh fruits and vegetables are widely available locally, they are colorful and inexpensive. In summer, I find it easy to make daily salads, to grill veggies, to make my plate look like a rainbow and to nibble on sweet fruits throughout the day.
 
Now that days are colder and I can no longer pick my salad ingredients from the garden, my palette naturally switches to warmer meals and the ingredients change. It becomes a little tougher to meet the recommended servings of fruits and veggies, and the USDA website confirmed that I am not alone: The current Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–25 recommends that most people need about 2 cups of fruit and 2.5 cups of vegetables in their daily diets. USDA food consumption surveys have found that the average U.S. consumer falls short, consuming only 0.9 cups of fruit and 1.4 cups of vegetables per day. I need to remind myself that it doesn’t matter whether I eat fresh, canned, frozen, dried, or juice to meet the numbers.
 
Cost has been cited as a possible barrier to higher fruit and vegetable consumption.  USDA has calculated the average cost per cup of many fruits and veggies and determined that there are several inexpensive options. Fresh bananas, apples, cantaloupe, grapes, pineapple, and watermelon are cheapest when in season. Canned applesauce & pineapple, dried grapes (raisins) & cranberries, and most fruit juices (possibly in concentrated form) were well below $1/cup. Sometimes you need to do a little research to see if an item is more cost effective in a different form. For example, canned or frozen green beans may be cheaper than fresh, but one is not more nutritious than the other.
 
For those who prefer to eat fresh produce year-round, I recently discovered a great ‘Seasonal Produce Guide’ on the myplate.gov website under “Recipe Resources”.  You see each season, click on any fruit or vegetable and learn more than you thought was possible about that item - including recipes!
 
I’ll leave you some tips from the USDA WIC Works resource system: Since fresh produce can spoil, try to plan ahead and buy only what is needed. Pre-washed and pre-cut varieties of fruits and vegetables are convenient and available in many stores, but usually need to be used more quickly and may cost more than the original.  Purchasing fruits and vegetables in larger quantities may cost less per pound than buying individual items. For example, a 3-pound bag of apples may cost less per pound than purchasing apples individually.
 
Frozen foods can be just as nutrient-dense as fresh and can be heated quickly in the microwave, on the stove-top or added into mixed dishes. Canned options are a great way to store foods longer and are also a quick way to add a vegetable or fruit to a meal or snack. Choose low-sodium canned vegetables whenever possible.
 
Dried fruits are shelf stable and do not require additional preparation to enjoy. They can be a nutrient-packed snack alternative or grabbed quickly when on the go.
 

October was another amazing month at the Pantry Garden!  On our work night October 8th, we picked 46 lbs. of produce which included tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, string beans, broccolini, radishes, kale, and chard.  We were so very proud to make all these vegetables available to our pantry guests at our first distribution.  In addition, Second Harvest provided us with carrots, potatoes, lettuce, and pears to distribute to pantry guests.   
 
On our work night October 15th, we emptied our Pantry Garden plants of peppers, eggplant, string beans, and ripe tomatoes in anticipation of upcoming frost.  We also picked red beets, radishes, chard, kale, lettuce, and dill from the garden, a total of 145 lbs.!  We gave these out at distribution in addition to carrots, onions, and peaches received from Second Harvest.  Despite our best efforts, we were unable to give away all our garden bounty, so the remainders were shared with another food pantry through Plant-A-Row.  We are so fortunate in the Lehigh Valley to have a great network of pantries that share excess produce with each other in a united effort to ensure food insufficient households have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  Nothing goes to waste! 
 
On our work night October 22nd, we made a valiant effort to cut down and remove our dead eggplant, pepper, and tomato plants and their associated cages, stakes, and mesh fences.  It was quite a challenge!  The plants had grown into the mesh, the tomato ties were dried and difficult to remove, and many of the pepper cages were stuck in the dry, parched earth.  We will remove these after the next rain.  We also watered the broccolini, chard, kale, radishes, parsley, spinach, and dill that comprise our fall garden.  Despite the limited amount of rain we received in October, we had enough in the storage tank to water our fall crops with just a small amount remaining. 
 
On October 21st, Hannah from The Seed Farm dropped off 6 bales of straw for us to mulch the beds after they were emptied.  Because we did not finish cleaning out the beds before darkness fell, a couple of us returned Wednesday, October 23rd to finish removing the plants and then we put down 5 bales of the straw on the empty beds.  We stored the final bale in our shed in the wheelbarrow.  We will use this to mulch the fall beds after these crops have frozen out.  In case you were wondering, the oats and peas we planted in two of our previously emptied beds are growing very well.  This bed cover seems to be untouched by critters, at least so far!
 
Last month I shared with you that we had picked 120 lbs. of butternut squash from our Pantry Garden and had them stored in the pantry.  Because we had so many other seasonal vegetables to give out at the October distributions, we chose to hold these in the pantry until November distributions.
 
Although we still have our fall crops growing at the Pantry Garden, year to date we have harvested 841 lbs. of vegetables and herbs.  In 2023 we ended the year with 811 lbs., so a nice increase. 
 
Year to date, we have had 252 lbs. of vegetables and herbs donated to the pantry to distribute to pantry guests and for our free community meals.  WCHI also donated 1089 lbs. of fresh produce and herbs to other pantries via the Plant-A-Row network.  This includes items grown at our Pantry Garden, donated to WCHI by our community, and excess produce received from Second Harvest. 
 
Enjoy your fall garden and have a great November!

Our Healthy Pantry Initiative group holds regular meetings to keep us updated on ways to share healthy information with our guests. We want to promote nutrition to help everyone be healthier, and allow those with chronic diseases such as heart disease and diabetes, suggestions to help make good dietary choices which can help them manage these conditions.  
We recently had a review of the USDA My Plate guidelines as well as some tips for reading nutrition labels.  These are always good tips to hear again.  A quick review of the focus of each of the food groups provides guidelines for the choices we should try to make when working toward a healthier diet while not expecting every meal or snack to be picture perfect. There’s always room for some foods that might not be “healthy” but that are part of a well-rounded diet and general enjoyment. “Progress not perfection” is a positive approach we should strive for.
Make half of your plate fruits and vegetables and include a variety of colors.  Choose fresh or frozen when possible or those canned with juice or light syrup and canned vegetables that are low salt or no salt added. The idea to “eat a rainbow” of colors in our fruits and vegetables helps to provide a variety of different nutrients because each color is known to provide a different nutrient profile and benefit.
Whole grains, such as oats, whole wheat bread or pasta, quinoa, brown rice, and barley are good sources of fiber. “Make half your grains whole grains”. Dairy has an emphasis on providing calcium. Low-fat may be a good choice. For those who do not eat dairy products, calcium can also be found in orange juice and leafy green vegetables. Proteins may come from meat, nuts, and seeds. Choose lean meats or drain some fat before eating.
Nutrition labels are on almost every package to help us find more of the ingredients that are good and less of what we want to avoid.  Some people find them confusing, but we can learn to focus on a few simple pieces. The top of the label tells you approximately how many servings are in a package and the nutrition details correspond to a single serving (if you eat more than one serving, you need to multiply those numbers).  The percentage of daily value on the right column shows how much of each nutrient in a serving contributes to your total daily count.  This is usually based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so many people consuming fewer calories would need less than listed.
Generally speaking, we want less saturated fat, less sodium, less added sugar and more fiber, vitamin D, calcium, iron, and potassium.  Saturated fat is shown near the top, below total fat, and along with trans-fat is said to cause heart disease. Both should be limited. Below total sugar, ADDED SUGAR is a fairly new line item on the label.  This is to differentiate between natural sugars and the added sugars or corn syrup that increase the calories and carbohydrate values.
Sodium has its own line and the guideline for most people is often no more than 2,000-2,400mg daily.  A person who has heart disease or high blood pressure would be instructed by their doctor to consume much less sodium daily. The vitamins and minerals at the bottom of the label are also things we want to include in our diet.
Individually, we should find ways to do the best we can to make the choices that work best for ourselves. We don’t always need to do all the things all the time but little by little, using the above guidelines to choose well most of the time and strive for progress not perfection.

 
In my 8.29.24 article, I mentioned WCHI has been increasing our 2024 Pantry guest registrations.  We reached a record in April serving 1,219 guests who attended our Pantry. In August, WCHI served a low of 913 guests.  WCHI achieved an all-time high guest attendance record in September by serving 1,306 guests consisting of 335 households comprised of 477 children (a baby through age 17), 594 adults (ages 18-59) and 235 seniors (ages 60+). If everyone shows up for their October appointments, we should break the September record. Our Mission: To alleviate food insecurity in Whitehall and Coplay
 
WCHI is very proud to provide this much needed Community Outreach Program to help our residents with a basic need: FOOD.  But we cannot feed our guests if we don’t have food.  And we could not serve them without all our fabulous, selfless, volunteers.  “Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much.” ― Helen Keller.   I will tell you all about our AMAZING volunteers in my October 24th article.
 
In 2023, Second Harvest Food Bank (SHFB) provided WCHI with 198,942 pounds of food.  The value of that food was $285,229. SHFB is not a store.  Food is inventoried and kept in a huge warehouse for Pantry and other food partners such as Soup Kitchens.  Food products come from USDA, PA State Dept of Agriculture, and local grocery stores that move out older inventory to make room for newer dated products. WCHI has not received any 2024 updated food data from SHFB.
 
An important note about sell by food dates. Canned goods are good for 5 years past their sell by date.  If the can is rusted, dented, or bulging, it must be thrown out. Most food in cardboard boxes, like pasta and cereal, are good for1 year.  The only thing that must be thrown out is baby formula.  At its expiration date, there no longer are any nutrients left in the formula that a baby can use. We do have expired sale date products in our Pantry as they come in from SHFB.  We explain the expired dates to our guests. WCHI can provide printout info on product dating that I have from USDA.
 
WCHI relies on 1. Lehigh County and Public non-profit grant monies, 2. the generous public Angels, who provides both the foods we need that we cannot obtain from SHFB and/or 3. monetary donations to purchase the items we need.  On our website, WhitehallCoplayHungerInitiative.org  under the Ways to Give Tab is the Food and Toiletries section  or directly from this tiny url:  https://tinyurl.com/yrc7wy54    you will be able to see the items were are requesting. THANK YOU to all of our public donors who mail me checks payable to WCHI or who drop food in my foyer at my Re/MAX Unlimited office at 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall 18052 Monday through Friday 9am-5pm.  You all are truly ANGELS!
 
Even with all the food in the world, WCHI could not do the essential work we are doing without our selfless Volunteers. My article for next week will be on our dedicated and wonderful volunteers.
 
Have a great week and please call me with any questions on my personal cell 610-730-8067.
If you need a pantry appointment, please call 484-225-0358.

Despite a lack of rain, our Pantry Garden had a banner September thanks to our awesome volunteers who spent many hours watering, weeding, planting, and harvesting, as well as some very nice weather.  In total, we picked over 251 lbs. of vegetables in September.  This includes peppers, eggplant, hot peppers, tomatoes, winter squash, herbs, and watermelon.  We picked most of our winter squash on September 4th, a total of 107 lbs.!  We picked the last of the squash September 24th and all are presently stored in the pantry, possibly for October distribution.  I learned from Hannah at The Seed Farm that winter squash can be stored for up to 3 months and the longer it is stored, the sweeter it will taste.
 
Last month I shared with you that we had wrapped our eggplant bed with mesh deer fence and secured it to the ground with landscape staples.  I am happy to report that our efforts have been successful!  We were able to pick 17 beautiful eggplants for our September 1st community meal.   After weeks and weeks of frustration because our eggplants were being eaten, I yelled out, “Seriously, it can’t be this easy!”  Since our success, we were able to pick several Wegmans grocery bags of eggplants for our September distribution, about 20 lbs. in total.
 
I shared in my last article that we had begun to plant our fall crops of lettuce, chard, red beets, string beans, and dill.  I am happy to report that most are growing well, but unfortunately, one entire bed of lettuce was consumed by the groundhog still residing under our shed.  We have since planted a cover crop of oats and peas in this bed.  Speaking of cover crop, after picking the last of our winter squash, we also removed the sunflower plants in this bed, rototilled it, and planted the oats and peas cover crop.  During this process, we found a 7.5 lb. watermelon that was covered by the sunflowers!  We also found some mole or mice holes and during the rototilling process, these little critters went running and leaping for cover.
 
On September 3rd, Hannah brought broccolini, chard, and kale plants to the garden.  These were planted under hoops and netting in our former corn bed.  In this same bed she also planted radish and green bean seeds.  On September 16th, Hannah returned to check on our garden.  When we uncovered the new plants, several of the kale and broccolini leaves had holes.  We found numerous cabbage worms on some of the plants which we removed and then squashed with our bare fingers.  Hannah told me that the worms smell like cabbage, so after squashing several and before wiping my hands in the grass, I gave them a whiff.  Yep, smelled like cabbage.  Hannah told me I needed to recheck the plants in 2-3 days, so I did so again on the 21st.  Unfortunately, I found worms on the kale and chard, but fortunately, there were less.  This time, I wore blue nitrile gloves and placed the worms I found into a bucket.  After watering and recovering the plants, I squashed the worms in the bucket, dumped them out, rinsed the bucket, and discarded my gloves.  So much better than bare fingers.
 
Fall is here!  I hope you will join us at 3540 South Ruch Street to harvest, water, and weed on Tuesday evenings from 6-7 p.m.  No clearances are needed, and no experience is required.   

WCHI 9.19.24 Meals on Wheels article FINAL
I wanted to write on Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley (MOW), who provides such a great
service to our community. I worked with Erik McGaughey back in 2012 and 2013, when he worked at the
American Cancer Society. I was the Event Chair for the Whitehall Relay for Life for two years held in June
at the WCSD football field. I started the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative in 2014 and Erik became
MOW’s CEO in 2023. We both work to help those in need.
Erik and I still work together to help each other. Last year on May 18, 2023, Meals on Wheels, BrightStar
Care of Stroudsburg and Allentown, and Compassionate Care Hospice partnered with Friends of Pete to
present a “Spring Into Giving Food Drive” to provide needed food items for the WCHI Food Pantry. Food
donations filled a 14-foot box truck during the three-hour event.
Karen Haberern, is an extraordinary volunteer, and helps at both WCHI and MOW. She delivers MOW
meals to 7 households in Whitehall and Coplay monthly. These households also receive food from
WCHI’s Pantry. Karen finds out which food items they will eat, and she brings them at the same time she
delivers the MOW meals.
I wanted to share info on Meals on Wheels of the Greater Lehigh Valley. This info below comes directly
from their website https://mowglv.org/about They have other great info on their site including these
statistics: They serve 1,494 Clients each day. The total number of Meals made in 2024 is 373,176. And
70% (of their Clients) live on less than $16,000 a year. For more information, please call 610-691-1030.
“Welcome to Meals on Wheels, where our legacy is built on a foundation of compassion, community, and
dedicated service. For over 50 years, we have been passionately committed to serving seniors and adults
with disabilities, fostering a sense of well-being and connection within our community. Meals on Wheels
of the Greater Lehigh Valley is a private, nonprofit organization serving all of Lehigh and Northampton
Counties and portions of Carbon County in Pennsylvania.
Our mission is simple yet profound: to provide nutritious meals and foster social connection across the
Greater Lehigh Valley. We’ve become an integral part of the lives of over 2,000 seniors and adults with
disabilities in the Lehigh Valley. From the age of 19 to the remarkable milestone of 106, our clients
encompass a diverse range of individuals, each with unique needs and stories.
To ensure our services reach those in various corners of our community, we’ve established 8 convenient
pickup locations for our dedicated volunteers. These locations serve as hubs of generosity, where
volunteers gather to contribute to our shared mission.
Our commitment to making a difference is reflected in the extensive reach of our operations. With a
network of 89 daily delivery routes, we strive to bridge gaps and provide essential nourishment directly to
the doorsteps of those we serve. Each route represents a story, a connection, and a lifeline to those who
rely on our services.”

WCHI 9.12.24 Written by Jenn Dietz  (Info from FeedingPennsylvania.org)
September is Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about hunger in America and inspire action. Orange is the color that represents this effort, so consider wearing orange and helping to involve others in making a difference.
Tens of millions of people still don't have the food they need to thrive. In 2022, one in six people in the U.S., 49 million people, relied on food assistance from charities like Feeding America and I suspect that number may be growing.
My message is two-fold: some information if you are food insecure and ideas for those who are interested in helping.
If you are a member of the community in need of assistance you are welcome to attend a free community meal. They are held twice a month in the Whitehall-Coplay communities and are listed on the website WhitehallCoplayHungerInitiative.org
Reach out to your local food pantry to receive food. You will need to provide some information about where you live, your income, the number of people in your family, and you will be assisted by a friendly volunteer to help you make food selections based on the size of your household.
Previously known as “food stamps”, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) is the largest anti-hunger program in America which provides monthly funds to buy groceries from stores and farmers markets. Second Harvest or SNAP office can help you find out if you are eligible for assistance and help you fill out an application.
There are some ways that we all can contribute to making a difference:
-Get to know your local food bank or pantry. What’s the difference? The food bank is the warehouse (Second Harvest) that helps supply the local pantry or soup kitchen where people in the community can go to receive free food.  Over half of all soup kitchens, food pantries, and meal programs in the Feeding America network rely on volunteer support. Spending a few hours each month volunteering can make a difference for food banks and the families they serve.
Our WCHI pantry is always welcoming volunteers to help with weekly tasks and monthly distributions. Second Harvest has info on their webpage for those who would like to volunteer there (shfblv.org). There are monthly opportunities to help pack food boxes for veterans and military families and senior citizens, or to help sort donations before they reach your neighbors in need.
-Organize a food drive. Contact your local pantry to see what items are most needed. Businesses, youth groups and faith-based organizations can make a big difference, because a few small individual donations will add up when many people pull together.
-Make a donation of non-perishable food.  Use the opportunities offered through grocery store sales, promotions, coupons or freebies to donate your extras.
-Share your extra garden vegetables with neighbors in need or allow the pantry to offer them for you. WCHI accepts donations Monday through Friday during business hours in the lobby at Re/Max Unlimited, 1080 Schadt Ave, Whitehall.
-Make a financial contribution to your local pantry or Second Harvest Food Bank. 
-Support a strong farm bill Tell Congress to prioritize passing a strong farm bill to improve and protect central nutrition programs like SNAP and TFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program)
-Assist your neighbors. You may know someone who would appreciate a ride to the pantry or to a local community meal.
-Follow us on social media to stay informed: Instagram: whitehallcoplayhungerint   secondharvestlv   feedingpa 
“Every action, big or small, is one step closer to an America where no one is hungry. When people are fed, futures are nourished, and we can all reach our full potential.” www.feedingamerica.org
 

9.8.24 WCHI Garden    Written by Gwen Herzog, Pantry Garden Chair
 
 
To say the least, August has been a productive month at the Pantry Garden.  Despite the on-going issues of our eggplants being eaten, we were able to harvest 220 lbs. of peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, watermelon, corn, and herbs.  The storms brought enough rain to fill our water tank; however, the strong winds uprooted our sunflowers which had stood approximately 12 feet high. 
 
Tom’s crop of bi-color sweet corn started to be eaten by groundhogs, or so we thought.  We found ears that were picked, the husks peeled back, and every kernel of corn completely eaten from each cob.  Empty cobs were strewn about the corn bed and surrounding grass making it look like someone didn’t clean up after a picnic.  The only thing that could not be determined from the empty cobs was whether the culprits ate the corn going across or around.  We subsequently learned that our corn was not being eaten by groundhogs, but by raccoons!  To keep from losing the entire crop, Tom ended up picking the remaining corn about a week earlier than planned.  The 76 lbs. of corn were picked and distributed August 8th.
 
We harvested 6 watermelons in August which accounted for just under 72 lbs. of our total harvest weight.  We have one watermelon remaining in the garden that will be picked before our September distribution.
 
Upon doing more research, we have learned that the culprits eating our eggplants are also not groundhogs, but more likely raccoons.  We have had two rounds of eggplants eaten so far, but the third round has started to grow and there are a few that are getting some size.  On our work night August 27th, we enclosed the plants with some mesh deer fence that was left over from our “save the pepper plants from the finches” project.  This time, we tacked down the fence to the ground and we will open the top when it is time to harvest.  Fingers crossed!!
 
Our winter squash is growing like gangbusters!  We have two shapes of squash growing in one of our larger beds.  On her next visit, Hannah from The Seed Farm will advise us on the proper time to harvest. 
 
After recovering from the finch damage, our peppers that survived completely bounced back.  We picked about 10 lbs. on August 6th and over 30 lbs. on August 13th.  We look forward to picking more peppers for our September and October distributions.
 
The tomatoes continue to ripen slowly.  Unfortunately, some have been snacked on by our groundhog friends; however, we have been able to pick and share a few at our community meals and at August distribution.
 
On our work night August 20th, we picked the last of our zucchini and pulled the plants.  On our work night August 27th, the empty beds were rototilled and replanted with lettuce and chard provided to us by The Seed Farm.  We have plans for Tuesday, September 3rd to plant brassicas in the former corn bed.  Hannah will be bringing the plants and will help us get them into the ground.  In my October article I will update you on exactly what we planted.
 
Did you know that WCHI is a Lehigh Valley Plant-A-Row drop off location?  Extra fruits and vegetables you grow may be left on the table in the foyer at Re/Max Unlimited, 1080 Schadt Avenue, Whitehall, M-F 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  All produce will be distributed at our WCHI Pantry and free community meals or shared with other pantries in the Lehigh Valley.  Nothing will go to waste.  So far this summer our local gardeners have donated over 170 lbs. of fresh produce including tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, peppers, herbs, and sweet corn.  Thank you for your generous donations!
 
Happy September!