Dear Kitchen Gardener,

Walking through the well-known farmers' market in Uzès, France, as I recently had a chance to do, is a religious experience for food lovers.  The olive stands alone are worth the trip.  Add to that heaping tables of sun-drenched produce, artisan breads and cheeses, a mind-boggling choice of honeys, meats and seafood fished from the nearby Mediterranean Sea and you have all the makings of a memorable meal, if not several.

In fact, the quality and variety of the produce is so dazzling that you might be tempted to ask yourself why any area resident would bother growing some of his or her own.  Yet, despite the fresh bounty on offer twice a week at the Uzès market, the kitchen garden, or "potager" as the French call it, seemed much alive and well where I was staying. 

I had a chance to meet and speak with a few gardeners while I was there.  If they grow some of their own food, it's for the same reasons that you and I do: taste, variety, freshness, economics, concerns about the environment, and, most importantly, because they enjoy the process.   My trip reinforced what I already knew: kitchen gardening is a universal language with many different dialects.  What's different is that some of us have a better garden view out our back door than others!

I learned a lot while I was there.  Rather than try to share it all in one gush, I'll let the stories, pictures, and recipes trickle out over the course of the next several months.  In fact, if there's sufficient interest, we may at some stage even consider organizing a KGI trip for those of you interested in seeing and tasting the pleasures of Provence firsthand. 

I'll look forward to updating next month in the week leading up to Kitchen Garden Day.  I hope you'll find a way of recognizing the day in some small way.  We've got a lot to celebrate and share with others. 

Warm regards,

PS: Interested in starting a local kitchen garden group in your area?  Check out our new info page on gPods