Kitchen Garden Day In Montone, Italy

Next Sunday, August 22, is the first annual celebration of World Kitchen Garden Day, where we all gather in our gardens and celebrate the miracle of all things that grow.  Created in response to “National Snack Food” month we all get to pat ourselves on our organic backs and give thanks to Mother Nature. Yes, you read that right. National Snack Food Month is in February which has been deemed the month with the lowest snack food sales. I snuck over to the Snack Food Association website, and here’s what they have to say, “SFA serves as an industry voice for snack foods both by promoting snacking as a fun and wholesome activity....”
That is so cool. Eating potato chips is fun and wholesome! I scrolled down to see if Homer Simpson was the director, but couldn’t find his name anywhere, I’m shocked.

Then I started to google around for “Smokers Day” where smoking tobacco is an activity that you can share with everyone around you.  Or “Don’t Pick Up Dog Poop Day” which promotes increased eye-foot coordination.  

But I digress from the serious business of gardening. Or did I mean the serious obsession that is gardening. I woke up this morning dreaming about putting in raised beds, in our living room. OK, now that’s crazy. Why put them in the living room? There is better light at the back of the house.

If you don’t have a garden of your own, there are options. You could start one on your windowsill, grow a bit of basil, tender lettuce greens or some weed...weeds...I meant to say weeds. You could find someone else’s garden, wait to see them hard at work and walk by with a cooler of cold beer. That’s gotta get you an invite into the inner sanctum of growing things. Find an empty lot and start a squatters garden, just don’t get too attached. Walk around with dirty fingernails and look like you have a garden.

Now that everyone is included, what should you do to celebrate World KItchen Garden Day? Sign up here.  Host a party in your garden. Eat a tomato. We’ll show those snack food people they don’t know who they are up against as we rise up, spade in hand and declare, “I am a Gardener!”