Fall work nights can be difficult. Darkness comes on quickly, and often the ground does not want to release the plants it has been supporting since spring.

On our last official work night of Nov. 4, we pulled out all the cages and stakes we could and stacked them for storage in the shed. We pulled out or cut down our summer plants.

Our fall bed was still doing great. The red beets were small but coming along. The parsley and cilantro were regrowing following the last cutting Oct. 21. Both water tanks were almost full, and the grass hadn’t grown much since the last time it was cut. Based on the flattening of the mint near the entry hole, the groundhog was still residing beneath the shed.

I left town for most of November, but Sue Butchinski successfully picked 21 pounds of red beets Nov. 18 to bundle and share with pantry guests at the Whitehall-Coplay Hunger Initiative food distribution Nov. 20. Unfortunately, due to the rain that occurred immediately after she picked the red beets, the parsley and cilantro were left behind. We expect to be able to harvest these herbs for our Dec. 11 distribution.

For the month of November, Second Harvest Food Bank was able to once again provide us with produce boxes. In each 10-pound box were sweet potatoes, apples and a pineapple.

At the end of our second distribution, 13 boxes remained, which were shared with another food pantry through Lehigh Valley Plant-A-Row.

As of Nov. 25, our year-to-date pantry garden harvest total is 1,521.57 pounds. As I wrote last month, this is the highest total in our garden history. I want to thank everyone who dropped their excess produce at the Re/Max Unlimited office and at the pantry on distribution days.

Year to date, we have received 397.39 pounds of assorted vegetables and herbs including tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, tarragon, basil, chives, oregano and sage.

Year to date, our pantry has donated 877.19 pounds of vegetables and fruit to the pantry network through Lehigh Valley Plant-A-Row. Included are pantry garden vegetables, community-donated vegetables and leftover vegetables and fruit provided to us by Second Harvest. In 2025, Plant-A-Row collected and distributed more than 15,000 pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs to pantries and soup kitchens throughout the Lehigh Valley.

We appreciate individuals and groups who continue to drop donations to the Re/Max Unlimited office at 1080 Schadt Ave., Whitehall. Donations can be accepted 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. Did you know during an average week, we receive between 50-300 pounds of food, pet food and toiletry donations there?

Did you know we also receive donations in the form of reusable paper grocery bags and reusable shopping tote bags with handles? These are like gold to our pantry and used each month for guests who forget their bags, do not have reusable shopping bags or need additional bags beyond the reusable bags they have brought. If you have any paper grocery bags or reusable tote bags with handles you are willing to part with, please consider donating them.

Thank you again for your generosity throughout 2025!

Editor’s note: This column was written by Gwen Herzog, pantry garden chair.