Mostly Veggie Cookbook Supports Charitable Garden

Tucked behind Temple Shalom is a small garden protected by a green wire fence.

Normally the garden is packed with colorful vegetables and volunteers, but for now, in the midst of winter, the dried stalks stand in wait for spring.

In January of 2010, Lenore Robinson, the chairperson of the social action committee at , thought that creating a garden on the synagogue's large piece of property would be a great way to bring people together.

With the plans for the garden taking root, Robinson knew they would need more volunteers. She reached out to Janet Kaplan, who works on a similar committee at , to see if anyone there was interested.

"I had several people, but to have a garden you really need a lot of volunteers," Robinson said.

The garden serves a larger purpose than simply bringing people together, however. Everything grown there - all of the tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, eggplant, zuccini and beans - is donated to the food pantry.

"The unemployment was very high and there was a great need to help people out, to give to food banks," Robinson said.

In May of 2010, the garden was dedicated by religious leaders from Temple Shalom, Temple Beth Ahm and Matawan United Methodist Church. Named Gan Tikvah, which means Hope Garden in Hebrew, the small parcel of land has now provided the food pantry with two seasons of vegetables.

"We did quite well, despite our resident groundhog who ate a lot of our vegetables," Robinson said. They expanded the garden during 2011, and hope to expand it even more in the coming years.

In order to cover the cost of the garden supplies, expanding it and hopefully installing a groundhog-proof fence, Robinson began collecting recipes for a mostly vegetarian cookbook.

Members from Temple Shalom, Temple Beth Ahm and Matawan United Methodist Church all contributed recipes, which were put together and published in a book. They started selling Back to the Garden: A Mostly Vegetable Cookbook in November for $8 a book.

"All the money we're raising from the cookbook goes right back to the garden, so hopefully we won't have the groundhog problem again last year. And if we have enough volunteers this year we hope to expand the garden," she said. 

To buy a cookbook or volunteer in the garden, contact Lenore Robinson at paullenrob@verizon.net.

Here is one dinner recipe, courtesy of Robinson's husband Paul:

Cold Salmon Filets

4 lbs. salmon fillets
4 scallions
4 celery stalks
2 sliced lemons
2 tbsp. white peppercorns
1 tbsp. white vinegarsalt and pepper on fish
1 large  bunch of dill, choppedgreens to garnish serving platter
2 long seedless cucumber

1. In a large aluminum baking pan put 2 cups of  water and 1 tbsp. white  vinegar, swish together
2. put fish in pan and add enough water or (white wine) to cover the fish.  Salt and pepper the fish.
3. Along the sides ( in the water) put the scallions, celery and lemon slices.
4. sprinkle the peppercorns all over.5- cover the fish with chopped dill.
5. cover the pan with aluminum foil
6. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes (till done)
7. Drain water from pan. cool on counter or in refrigerator
8. Carefully take the  fish out and put on long platter which has been covered with greens.
9. Cut the seedless cucumbers into rounds, about 1/8th thick and decorate the top of the fish by overlap the cucumbers( in case the fish breaks, the cucumbers covers the cracks).

Dressing

1 bunch dill
1 container sour cream salt to taste   

Here is one desert recipe, contributed by Rosabelle K. Abend:

Carrot Cake Cupcakes

Mix together:

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Add:

1 c. Bob's Red Mill Whole Wheat Flour
1 c. grated carrot (2-3 medium  carrots)
1/4 c. chopped walnuts
3/4 tsp. soda1 tsp. baking powder
8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained.

Pour this into paper/foil lined muffin tin for 12. 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Then cool.

Make Icing:

3 tbs, sift margarine (butter)
3 tbsp. softened cream cheese
1/2 tsp, vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make it just right consistency.

To make cake use greased 8x8 or 9x9 pan, bake about 40 minutes.to double, use 9x13  greased pan, bake about 50 minutes