by Mary Knippel

Marj Davis picking a strawberry at Pacifica Gardens.

Fight global warming with pea pods and zucchini plants? In the tradition of WWII victory gardens, Pacifica Gardens is scoring big on an unused soccer field behind Linda Mar Elementary with a local solution to the global challenge to reduce our carbon footprint. “I’d already converted my entire backyard into a vegetable garden,” said Loretta O’Brien, project co-director and garden manager of Pacifica Gardens, “but I wanted to do more. I actually think there’s going to be a need for us to know how to grow our own food.”

Pacifica Gardens — sponsored by Pacifica’s Environmental Family, a  registered non-profit organization — officially broke ground on April 12, 2008, when O’Brien and a crew of enthusiastic volunteers quickly set about fulfilling Pacifica Gardens’ mission to educate, cultivate and inspire the community to grow food locally through the latest in “biointensive” gardening methods. The 30,000-square-foot living classroom is not a “community garden” as the term is usually understood; it does not rent space to community members. Rather, any community member is welcome to come to the garden as a volunteer, to work and learn; volunteers are then provided with space to put their skills and knowledge into practice.

“We accomplished so much in such a short period of time,” O’Brien said, “because a group of people came together to achieve a common goal.” Every Saturday, multi-generational volunteers, who are passionate about the project and want to help feed the community, gather to nurture a dream that is growing before their eyes. Volunteers range in age from 3-year-olds to those 70 and older, with varying degrees of expertise. If you are interested in helping but unsure of your gardening abilities, O’Brien and her crew promise they will find something for you to do that will contribute to the success of the garden.

And what a garden it is! It has 41 beds with vegetables, cover crops used to improve the soil and contain weeds, and compost crops — those grown to become compost, and thus nourish the soil. There are also three herb beds, eight beds with native plants and flowers, 20 fruit trees, a greenhouse, and nine composters.

“Currently, we are partnering with the Pacifica Resource Center  for our Food Donation Program,” said Marj Davis, Pacifica Gardens co-director. “I dropped off our second donation today of potatoes, collards, kale and parsley. I wanted to give back to the community and environmental stewardship is part of it.” The garden demonstrates how to grow various crops, and “the by-product is that we have all this nutritional food that can be shared with other people.” The Silicon Valley Community Foundation recently gave the garden a grant in support of the Food Donation Program.

Local fourth-grade students who visited Pacifica Gardens this spring learned about nutrition and composting, then lunched on salad they’d harvested from the garden. The needs of older youth are addressed with the creation of a formal Teen Community Service Program. Students visiting from Atlanta, Ga. helped build three raised beds which will allow physically challenged gardeners the chance  to participate in all the budding opportunities the garden offers.

Pacifica Gardens has hosted numerous composting workshops as well as a native plant sale. “Our next workshop will be devoted to planning your fall garden,” Davis said. “You can plant some fabulous stuff for the fall which really likes to grow on the Coastside: garlic, onions, beets, carrots, chard, kale and potatoes. … You could even have things from your own garden on your Thanksgiving table.”

Kale Salad

This is Loretta O’Brien’s favorite recipe, adapted a bit from Bon Appétit magazine.

2 tablespoons dried currants (or cranberries)

7 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, divided

1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 pound (approximately) young kale  leaves — stems and center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly roasted

Parmesan cheese shavings.

Place currants in a small bowl. Add 5 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar. Let soak overnight. Drain currants.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar, honey, oil and salt in a large bowl. Add kale, currants, and nuts; toss to coat. Let marinate 20 minutes at room temperature, tossing occasionally. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle cheese shavings over salad and serve.