World Kitchen Garden Day - 26 August 2012
Kitchen Garden Day is an annual, decentralized celebration of food produced on a human-scale. It is recognized each year on the 4th Sunday of August. It is an opportunity for people around the world to gather in their gardens with friends, family, and members of their local community to celebrate the multiple pleasures and benefits of home-grown, hand-made foods.
Background:
KGI initiated Kitchen Garden Day in 2003 as a healthy response to "Snack Food Month" organized by the International Snack Food Association each February. The thinking was that if the makers of potato chips, pretzels and fluorescent orange cheese doodles could spend 28 days and millions of dollars promoting their foods, the world's kitchen gardeners should be able to have at least a day for celebrating theirs.
Goals:
-To celebrate the positive role of organic kitchen gardening in society, health, and gastronomy
-To raise awareness about the benefits of eating local and to encourage people to explore local food options in their areas
-To build community spirit, at local and international levels, around the universal experiences of gardening, cooking, and eating
Activities:
How people celebrate International Kitchen Garden Day and with whom is up to them. Some choose to do so in public ways with large gatherings of friends and neighbors, whereas others opt for a more intimate celebration with close family. Here are a few ideas for some activities you might consider organizing depending on the level of involvement you would like to have:
-a walking tour of gardens in your area
-a kitchen garden or local agriculture potluck
-a kitchen garden taste-test
-a harvest or planting party
-a benefit for a local food/gardening charity
-a kitchen garden "teach in"
-a single food theme party
-an activity at a local farm
-etc
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Never heard of the world
Raw Foods
Welcome! Although I am not an advocate of an "everything raw" diet, we all need more raw foods, especially those rich in enzymes and vitamins, that disappear in cooking. For those of you who have not worked much with raw foods cuisine, it is a lot more than veggies and dip. I have a great raw foods recipe book, that I find full of useful ideas. One of my favorites, is a wrap made by using young coconut and mangos, drying them into a "wrap" . It is a delicious altnernative to grain based, and a welcome addition to anyone's diet who has to aviod gluten.
I am excited to have this much notice too- I would like to build upon the very modest beginning I had with this Summer's event. And it is my birthday weekend too, so maybe I can combine some things here. I love Joel's free compost idea- too bad he is not closer to NJ! I think we will have a great event, with this much time to plan, and share ideas.
Happy holidays to all!
Susan
World Kitchen Gardener's Day
Due to Hurriane Irene inviting herself to NJ, we will be holding our celebration at a later day. Stay tuned for time and location. Will still be giving fresh, organic produce to local food pantry on Monday. Hope most of you don't get rained out. Have a wonderful celebration!
Susan
Thanks for this ample lead-time, Roger --
There are probably a lot of communities such as this one where there are many good things going on but they can be much more effective for raising wider awareness if they work together - both locally & world-wide. I look forward to helping with coordination for World Garden Day here - and your early bird notice is the perfect tool to pass along & start the awareness-process perking.
Will share some progress reports here in due time ...
UPDATE: Our local Sustainability Center will host an World Kitchen Gardens Day celebration on the Forest Service Campus they share mid-town. Getting together to share potluck, local farm & garden fare, music & community contacts will renew our Valley Victory Gardeners group of more than 100+ - which has become less active as a group - although they are all still kitchen+ gardeners. Let's see if I can soon post some of Cheri's photos of the new Saturday morning Farmer's Market & food faire at the SC-FS Campus - which has been a magnet in addition to our Thursday Farmer's Market. The first one got rained out dramatically, but Cheri captured a big double rainbow in a thundercloud sky to go with the robust overall cheer.
Hi
I am getting Chaff by the truck load, 4000lbs.-6000lbs. per week.
Hopefully, someone will get some of it, if not I will have like 40 tons of it on my 5 acre lot.
I thought I would put a ad in the state paper: Free compost on Saturday, August 27, 2011.
Then when people show up let them have a truck load free & get their name & email to let them know if I have more for them later.
Tell them about the World Garden day & KGI web site. If I get enough people, maybe I can start a pod.
First Time
You could could grow one tomato plant, Kaden -
- and get a lot of satisfaction out of it year around - and even some tomatoes. :-) Please tell us what directions your window possibilities are? I would be glad to describe a simple plan & so would other KGI gardeners, I am sure. There are other beautiful, edible plants that can be grown indoors - so give us a few more cues about what you have to work with for light. I love to hear of your enjoyment & inspiration in visiting & helping out at the farmers market!
Apartment gardening
Kaden, your situation is similar to my daughter's... 4th floor walk-up, no balcony and a window to another wall. She has grown herbs in a window box. I am thinking you could grow Malabar spinach in a 14" pot. It's a vine, very nutritious. Your one tomato would also do well, there are varieties developed for pot culture. Are you able to put up a grow-light? There are some that screw into a regular lamp socket.
Check out local CSA's, your local farmer's markets for fresh produce.
Did not really know about it.
Did not really know about it. thanks for sharing. Lets see how people celebrate it .
Kitchen Garden Day Harvest
This year has been a good one for vegetable growing in the UK, even though we are still experiencing strange weather patterns. Very dry spring,s and wet Augusts are becoming the norm. Onions and potatoes have produced very good crops. We will be totally self sufficient in onions and if i can keep the potatoes frost free they should last well into the new year.
If there is one crop that epitomises kitchen gardening then that is Sweet Corn. There is no home grown vegetable that is so much better than the ones you can buy in the supermarkets. Their season is short lived though as you need to pick them in the morning and eat them for lunch.
We are inundated with tomatoes at the present time, even though i take them to work for people to eat, and hand the others out around the family we can never get through them all.
Have a good day and an even better harvest everyone.
Happy gardening.
Glenn
Hi Glenn What a beautiful
Hi Glenn
What a beautiful picture illustrating the importance of Kitchen Garden Day! Wish I could share your excess tomatoes, but I'll savor the flavors in my mind.
Stay natural,
David
Strange gardening year!
We are still under emergency orders here in NJ, so our celebration is postponed but the produce still will get to the food pantry tomorrow, when we are allowed to travel again. Tomatoes have taken a beating with all the rain this August, I am very grateful for my friends whose tomatoes fared better than mine who are sharing. Looks like I am going to get some cukes from the second planting. More peppers are coming in and the basil has been wonderful. I still have a counterful of veggies to work with. Think I might make another batch of cultured salsa! Keeps the nutrition better than canning and the flavor is great! Having fun with experimenting with culturing and fermenting this Summer.
Well I hope that most of you are able to have your Celebrations today.
Green Blessings, Susan
Fresh from my Garden 2011
The first time am hearing abt the World Kitchen Garden Day...its a great way to promote kitchen gardening...
Would love to share my kitchen garden pics here...Pls click on the link to visit my blog
http://tastebuds1.blogspot.com/2011/08/fresh-from-my-garden.html
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JvnkA24Y9K4/TlZyWxWvGPI/AAAAAAAAG4c/-wCkEwrfgp...
Kitchen garden day in Mumbai, India
How we celebrated KG day!
Kitchen Garden Day in Bangalore
It's admirable to see this