International Kitchen Garden Day
27 August 2006
Description:
At KGI, we have a vision. We see a world where
people eat food that is not only fresh, local, and
healthy, but lip-smacking delicious! We believe
that there is no food more local, more healthy, or
more pleasurable than the food we make ourselves.
The act of growing and preparing some of what we
eat, even a small part, connects us not only with
our food and the land, but with other people at home
and abroad who are engaged in the same quest for
health, flavor, and a sense of community. Kitchen
Garden Day is an annual, decentralized celebration of
food produced on a human-scale. It is an opportunity
for people around the world to gather in their gardens
with friends, family, and members of their local com-
munity to celebrate the multiple pleasures and benefits
of home-grown, hand-made foods.
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 a 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:
Getting Involved and Volunteering:
The best way of staying abreast of International Kitchen Garden Day activities and KGI's other efforts to "connect people to their food, the land, and each other" is to subscribe to KGI's free monthly newsletter. Please contact us if you'd like to link up your organization's activities with Kitchen Garden Day 2005 or help us get the word out about the day. Thanks.
-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
Kitchen Gardeners International (KGI) is a volunteer-run 501c3 non-profit whose mission is to celebrate home-grown, home-cooked foods in their many international forms and to promote their role in building a healthier, tastier, and more sustainable food system. KGI has friends and supporters in 40 countries.
A young IKG Day reveler enjoying local flavors
"We celebrated Kitchen Garden Day by having a lunch made of indigenous foods such as pumpkins, cowpeas, millet and various vegetable items. For dessert, there was a variety of bananas that is very specific for this area of Central Kenya. In the morning our team prepared 5 double dug beds and some container gardens. These will be planted with a mixture of local vegetables, herbs, spices and cereals when the rains come in October."
- John W. Njoroge, Director, Kenya Institute of Organic Farming
