Building Community
Opportunities to build community among Common Ground Garden subscribers occur throughout the growing season. In June, a blessing of the garden and “getting to know you” social takes place. Throughout the summer we hold other events. You are always welcome to stop by the garden-- to volunteer or to visit. And our weely e-newsletter helps us connect regularly with you for a more rich experience of the garden.
Meet the 2011 Common Ground Garden Staff
Kate Ritger
Greetings! My name is Kate Ritger and I’m very excited to be serving as this year’s Production Manager. This is my third wave back in the CSB/SJU community. When I was first here as a college student (CSB ’03) I studied theology and secondary education. I came back for a second wave as a graduate student at Saint John’s School of Theology (’07). And now I return to deepen my Benedictine roots as I become an Oblate of the Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict, and to tend the roots of vegetables, fellow gardeners, and fresh food-lovers at the monastery’s Common Ground Garden.
My passions include, but are not limited to, engaging my body, mind and spirit in work that cares for the earth and provides healthy and beautiful things to eat and enjoy, participating in and fostering community life, nurturing spiritual and ministerial formation, and offering pastoral care (to humans and plants). My previous gardening experience includes years of planting, weeding, eating and preserving on my family’s hobby farm in Wisconsin, volunteering at Common Ground Garden during my first wave at CSB/SJU, interning in Innisfree’s garden (a community for adults with mental disabilities in Virginia) and any opportunity friends will give me to get in their dirt.
When I’m not in the garden I enjoy cooking, baking, hiking, biking, reading, writing, being near water and spending time with family, friends and little people. I look forward to getting to know you and the gifts you bring to this community. Blessings!
Elizabeth Gleich
My name is Elizabeth Gleich and I am a senior at the College of Saint Benedict. I am majoring in theology and peace studies, and minoring in gender studies. I love to camp, bike, read, make music through singing or playing my guitar or trumpet, and in general, enjoy the outside. But most of all, I love to garden. This past spring I studied abroad in Calcutta, India. I stayed with a host family and went to a college there. I can’t even describe the things I learned and experienced there. I loved it so much, but I’m happy to be home and back in the garden. I am originally from Hastings, Minn., but my paternal grandmother’s family has lived in St. Joseph for many, many years. Gardening is in my roots. Ever since I can remember, I have helped my dad garden vegetables and weed my grandma’s garden. Eating food from the garden has been a norm at my house, but I only really started appreciating it when I came to college and realized that I wasn’t able to pack carrots that I grew in the garden in my school lunch. This is my second year at Common Ground Garden, because I feel that it is very important to connect with the community around me through locally grown, chemical-free food. Planting, taking care of, and eventually harvesting vegetables and sharing it with our members is a way to create solidarity and fellowship with the people of St. Joseph and the surrounding area. I’m excited this year to connect with as many parts of our community as possible: our Common Ground members, the Sisters at Saint Benedict’s Monastery, those who use the St. Joseph Food Shelf and the vendors and buyers at the St. Joseph Farmer’s Market. As I continue to work at the garden, I look forward to putting those harvested carrots in my lunch and to living out what is already deep in my family roots.
Kayla Altendorf
Hello, my name is Kayla Altendorf and I am a senior environmental studies major at CSB/SJU. I grew up in a small town just west of the Twin Cities called Loretto. This is my second summer in the dirt at the Common Ground Garden, and I am thrilled to be back. I spent this past spring in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, living with a host family and learning Spanish as part of a study abroad program. It was a very valuable experience for me and the lessons I learned will continue to reveal themselves as I embark on new adventures in life.
My primary interests within my studies at CSB/SJU are focused on small-scale organic and local foods agriculture. Last year my eyes were opened to a whole new world of agriculture here at CGG and I fell in love with it. I see myself working in some sort of agriculture after I graduate, whether that is to continue my studies in graduate school or get more experience. My favorite parts about working at the garden are being outside, physical labor, conversation across the rows with my fellow gardeners, and the thinking time that I have during those long hours of weeding and hoeing. This thinking time allows me to reflect on our contribution to the local foods market and the environmental benefits of this type of food production, as well as to dream big about my future plans. Besides gardening I enjoy running, camping, riding my bike, swimming in Lake Sag and spending quality time with friends and family. I am looking forward to getting to know you all at distributions and some of the garden and community events over the summer.
Lindsay Ganong
My name is Lindsay Ganong and I am a senior nutrition major in the Didactic Program of Dietetics at CSB. I am from western Wisconsin, and I anticipate some trips to family members’ homes and to my grandparents’ cabins this summer to relax on the boat with a book or cooking magazine, water skiing, swimming and cooking over the campfire.
In addition to cultivating food as a gardener, I have developed an internship to explore the local food environment in St. Joseph. I really enjoy being outside all day and preparing the fruits-- well, mostly vegetables-- of our labors in the evening. This is my first experience gardening. With the help of Kate and the other experienced gardeners, I am overcoming the curse-of-the-black-thumb that has prevented any greenery in my family for decades. I intend to throw off this horrid jinx and even explore a career in vegetable farming or owning a CSA through my internship goals this summer. I see my role as a future Registered Dietitian as developing healthy food relationships by increasing the priority of meals and food preparation in Americans’ lives, understanding and partnering with the food system to deliver wholesome food and creating a culture of enjoyment and wellness around food which begins in the garden.
I am also studying for the American Council of Exercise Personal Trainer Certification and trying to get back in shape after a semester in South Africa in the spring of 2011. I studied general credits at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth. My favorite experience was volunteering twice a week at the House of Resurrection AIDS Haven for children where our team worked on child development, made home improvements, helped in the kitchen and played with the children who were so easy to love. I have the travel bug, and I am always looking for a local, regional or international opportunity to experience new people, places and events, especially if they involve food, farms or the outdoors. I look forward to meeting shareholders at distribution and programming events throughout the summer. Thank you for making this CSA possible!
Virginia Zenzen
My name is Virginia Zenzen, and I am back for a second year of summer gardening. I grew up on an organic dairy farm near Belgrade, Minn. We just sold our cows, which has been a big but exciting change for us. My family will now be crop farming, and we may go back into dairy farming in the future. Nothing is set in stone yet. I am a junior nutrition-dietetics major at the College of Saint Benedict, currently a psychology minor (but that might change to environmental studies). I decided to come to CSB/SJU because of the friendly people and the environment where the colleges are located. I didn’t want to go to a school that was in a big city. Both campuses have lots of outdoor space. I initially wanted a job where I would be able to do work similar to work on the farm. Now, as I have started looking at what I want to do in the future, I have decided that at some point in my life I want to own a CSA. This summer, I hope to learn more management skills, what kinds of funds it will take for start-up and upkeep for this goal to become a reality. This summer, I also want to bring our community closer together. I plan on helping to plan garden programs so we can all get to know each other better. We can learn about the garden and learn how to use the vegetables in the shares each week. We have had a really good start with the vegetables this spring, and I expect these upcoming summer months to be just as fruitful. I look forward to meeting you all!