Church Creates Garden for Charity

Members of Bethel Presbyterian Church, inspired by the 2009 community garden movement, tilled part of a church-owned lot to plant tomatoes, callaloo, cabbage, thyme, corn, pumpkin, and peppers. Here, Agnes Talbot displays some of the bounty.

The produce is given to a local nursing home, the Boys & Girls Club and the Senior Center, she said.

The long-vacant lot has been plagued by illegal dumping. The garden now occupies half the lot.

The church's Building and Grounds Committee tends the garden.

Member Lascelles Walters holds a fresh-picked cabbage.

Giant marigolds bloom in front of the church.

The congregation is celebrating the church's 125th anniversary this year.

For those unfamiliar with callaloo, it is a staple of Jamaican cuisine. Click here to see a video on how to make codfish and callaloo.

Thanks to Agnes Talbot for taking time to tell Plaintalker the story of Bethel's community garden.

--Bernice Paglia