Community gathers for culinary event at library

Scents of fresh herbs and vegetables filled the air Tuesday afternoon in the Children’s Courtyard Garden at the Monroe County Public Library. Children and members of the community came to taste the contents of the garden in the final event of a three-part series.

Janet Lambert, a children’s reference assistant at the library, organized the planting of the garden and was on hand to teach guests about the different kinds of herbs and vegetables displayed.

“The real joy I get out of it is how people always stop by when we weed and water the garden, and they say how wonderful it is and how much they appreciate seeing everything grow,” she said.

The garden was first planted in May as part of the Creative Aging Festival when almost 50 seniors and children worked together to plant the various flowers, vegetables and herbs.

“Our goal was to bring together our young patrons and our senior patrons and do a program that would energize and help the creative process and the gardening process for both generations,” Lambert said. “They had an intergenerational understanding of one another, which was really cool.”

Ann Segraves, the library’s Homebound Service Coordinator, assisted Lambert with several events at the garden and also witnessed the benefits of the two generations working together.

“It’s stimulating for the older folks, and kids can learn a lot from them,” she said.

In July, Lambert hosted Make a Worm Hotel, where she taught kids about the importance of worms in gardening. The children were given a jar with layers of soil and got to take home worms of their own with the promise that they would release them after three days.

Tuesday’s event, the last involving the garden, allowed guests to see how the garden transformed from its inception. 

“It’s a chance for the kids to see the whole process from beginning to end and for the community to get involved also,” Lambert said.

Thyme, lavender, oregano, basil, cucumbers and tomatoes were just some of the items on display for visitors to enjoy. Although the garden has been planted for the past five years, this was the first time it involved beds with raised walls to keep pests and heavy rain from disrupting the plants. The beds were able to be purchased with a donation from a library staff member. Lambert said the raised beds really made a difference and helped make this year’s garden the most successful yet.

“We wanted to get the kids outside and have them get their hands dirty and experience what it’s like to dig in the dirt,” Lambert said. “And, we wanted to teach the kids how important it is to appreciate where your food comes from. It doesn’t come from the grocery store. It comes from the ground.”