Yard to Table
Gardening for a gourmet experience.
By Rebecca Calappi
Everyone loves fresh-grown Michigan vegetables. But pruning and tending to a backyard vegetable garden can be hard work. Those with gardens usually thrive on the relaxing hobby and enjoy eating and cooking healthier foods. They don’t mind the physical aspect since gardening ultimately saves them money. But most of all, gardeners have a passion and love for the growing process – and their joy can be seen on the kitchen table – ready for the family to eat. We introduce you to three local vegetable gardeners with just that passion and each one has shared a recipe you will want to try yourself.
Gardner Turned Entrepreneur
Jim Selegean
When Jim Selegean started Pasquale’s Nursery, he was trying to teach his five kids a lesson in entrepreneurship. What he ended up doing was so much more.
“We only sell our plants at two farmers markets — St. Clair Shores and Mount Clemens,” said Selegean.
Gardening is truly a family affair for Selegean. At each farmers market, you could see his wife, kids, mom, dad and other relatives in snazzy matching aprons and ball caps helping customers choose the right plant. Even Selegean’s grandfather, Pasquale, who came to the United States from Sicily, is there in spirit.
“After those markets are done, we’re sold out for the season, and we start planting in our yard, and if you happen to walk by our house, you’ll see a ‘community garden’ out front, where we encourage passersby to pick a few things,” said Selegean.
He grows garlic, tomatoes, cucuzza, peppers, apples, broccoli, berries, basil and more in his Clinton Township backyard. What makes his sprouts special are the seeds, imported from Italy, resulting in an heirloom Italian vegetable garden.
He grows eight different varieties of tomatoes (one he named Santa Lucia, in honor of his mom, the daughter of Pasquale), several species of basil and even some veggies that might not be familiar, such as the cucuzza.
He’s especially careful about keeping his garden organic. He uses rainwater collected from barrels around his yard, so “the plants only get what nature intended,” according to Selegean, and he uses his own compost and and all-natural methods to fertilize the plants.
Fresh Veggies All Year Long
Katherine Labuhn
In St. Clair Shores, Katherine Labuhn is known as a home gardener. Her garden is chock-full of fresh produce that she freezes and eats year-round.
For Labuhn, gardening is a family affair.
“I grew up gardening, with my dad especially,” she said. “When I bought a condo in Virginia, the one I chose had a community garden across the street in the park. It’s really a family thing and always has been.”
Her yard is full of eight raised beds that are 4×12 for veggies, plus raspberries, black raspberries, currant bushes, tomatoes, peppers, onions, green beans, black beans and garlic.
“I just plant what I’m in the mood for when I plant in the spring,” she said.
Katherine loves to make soups and pastas, both hot and cold, with all her fresh vegetables. With canning and freezing, her vegetables will last for months. She has shared one of her favorite pastas using her cherry tomatoes cooked. She claims you can add whatever ingredients from your garden you like and just can’t go wrong.
Savoring Seeds Pete Mamelka
Pete Mamelka, Clinton Township, has gathered seeds from friends’ produce. The result is a garden full of delicious surprises.
Growing up with a garden as the youngest of nine kids, Mamelka ate daily from a garden throughout childhood. In fact, the only time he hasn’t had a garden is when he was in the military.
“I can’t imagine not having a garden,” he said. When his kids were little, he convinced them to give up their Eastpointe backyard so he could have a garden. In exchange, he took them to the neighborhood park whenever they wanted.
Now, he’s watching his grandchildren as they follow him around, eating the veggies he hands them.
“I grow beets, lettuces, several kinds of peppers, and arugula that blows around,” he said. He also grows tomatoes brought from Italy as seeds in the pocket of a friend’s immigrant father. And he has plants that fruit heart-shaped tomatoes.
Get Diggin’
It’s not too late to find a bit of dirt and plant something, harvest time goes until October. Containers, pots and just digging a hole, are all great ways to eat fresh from your own yard.
Start small with a few favorites and move on from there. Maybe cucumbers and or zucchini, peppers and tomatoes. Each are fairly easy to manage. Add green beans, lettuce, radishes and beets as your garden grows.
When starting a vegetable garden focus on the location and the health of the soil. Find a flat sunny spot with six to eight hours a day of sunshine. Starting with containers is a great option as well. Be sure to space out your plants, water consistently and use quality seeds or plants. Use a mulch or grass cuttings to suppress the weeds and keep the soil moist. Add some colorful flowers to the edge to help pollinators show up and enjoy.
