Community college garden produces surplus

If it takes a village to raise a child, a community can also feed itself by working together. To prove that point, one merely needs to drive past the Iowa Lakes Community College campus in Emmetsburg.

Planting has begun in earnest for the next growing season in college's garden plot. Through volunteer efforts that have included children from the Emmetsburg Head Start program, community members and college students and staffers are once again joining forces to sew now in order to reap the benefits later this growing season.

On a sunny Spring morning recently, the Head Start children planted green beans while community volunteers Ted Ellis, Jim Stevens and granddaughter Reagan along with Dick Zwart, planted 150 pepper plants a variety of green, red, yellow and jalapeos.

According to a May 1 episode of "Iowa Ingredient" on Iowa Public Television, "Iowa Lakes is one of the few institutions in the state that grows, processes and plates its own food."

The college provides 1.6 acres of land, water and drainage for the plot, which lies adjacent to the college apple orchard. Staff, students and community volunteers do all the work to grow more than 25 types of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

Planting is planned late enough in the season that harvest coincides with when the students return to school in the fall. What isn't used fresh is frozen and stored for use later.

According to Steve Olerich, Food Service Supervisor for the Emmetsburg campus, "We just about have the first semester covered with all the vegetables we come up with, so we're shooting for both semesters now."

The garden isn't a new concept - last year, the garden produced lettuce, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes used by the Food Service department. To add to the educational value, the potatoes were harvested with the assistance of a team of horses, using an old fashioned potato harvester.