Farms, gardens and kitchens can be classrooms

“Being able to step outside and pick a tomato from a plant that you nurtured as it grew is guaranteed to make you smile! You become very aware of seasonality, and how delicious produce is when it’s freshly picked and quick to the dinner table.”

The Seattle Times
Produced by ST Content Studio for Tilth
April 27, 2024

Excerpt:

Spear predicts food production to be the human activity with the single biggest impact on our planet. “Agriculture is the world’s largest industry,” she says. “Pasture and cropland occupy around 50% of the planet’s habitable land and use about 70% of fresh water supplies. Knowing where food comes from, how It is produced and who it supports matters.”

Spear reminds us that food gardening is a communal activity that cultivates social connections, collaboration and a sense of belonging within neighborhoods. “Our modern food system still fails to meet the needs of many.

Small farms and community gardens can cater to the cultural and dietary preferences of local residents by growing a diverse range of crops that reflect the community’s ethnic and cultural backgrounds. This ensures that community members have access to foods that are familiar and culturally appropriate.”

It’s also important to provide people with spaces in which to come together to cook, to enjoy healthy food and to celebrate those who grow it. (For Tilth, this means monthly community kitchens, food preservation and cooking classes, a pay-what-you-can farm stand, free u-pick and more.)

Read the complete article here.