Urban Heirloom Harvest Fest

URBAN HEIRLOOM HARVEST FESTIVAL

SEPTEMBER 22, 2007

PRESENTED BY THE WITHROW PARK FARMERS MARKET

AND THE TORONTO COMMUNITY GARDEN NETWORK

In the beginning of September when the Perth Dupont Community Garden first learned of the Urban Heirloom Harvest Festival, we decided that we should participate. After all we had so much to offer. There was such a multicultural group of gardeners and such a wonderful variety of vegetables grown this year.

This would be the first event that our garden will have participated in. We made two display boards with pictures of our garden, and the people that grow these great things. For our display of unusual and heirloom veggies we had decided to bring a Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage, Early Jersey Wakefeild Cabbage, and two Bitter Melons, also known as Karila, one was from China, and the other one from India. Also from China we had Sweet Melon, and a 25lb. Sicilian Squash, from Italy. And we had pop corn, that we grew.

We also wanted to donate food for the fund raising lunch.On September 20th, Andrew Flaman came by to pick up our contribution of other veggies that the members of our garden had to share like tomatoes, carrots leeks and cabbage for the fundraising meal. Alison was in the garden at the same time, so she added her tomatoes to the donation. We also had corn stalks from the corn that we grew, and let them have the stalks as harvest decoration.

On the day of the festival, one of my gardeners, Jamie, drove our produce and displays down to the park. Alison traveled with me, and we met Edward at the park. We met a lot of people, other community garden gardeners, and people that support the community gardens in Toronto, like Laura Berman (no relation). She took wonderful pictures of our produce.

We enjoyed the wonderful lunch and saw the excitement in the peoples eyes that had peeled and chopped, and cooked all those veggies! I could tell they had worked hard, and were happy that people were enjoying the food.

I know that I have only a small perspective of the whole story. So I asked around for help in remembering names, and other "behind the scene" activity that had happened. I got such a response, I wanted to add their part of the story here.

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