Grygla’s official vegetable of the summer is announced
Wed, 05/30/2018 - 10:18am
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By:
Grygla Eagle Newspaper
The One Vegetable, One Community program kicked off at the Grygla community garden last week. One Vegetable, One Community unites local communities by encouraging gardeners of all levels to plant, grow, cook, and/or share a featured vegetable of the year. Each community chooses their own featured vegetable; this year’s veggie in Grygla is the tomato!
One Vegetable, One Community is held through University of Minnesota Extension SNAP-Ed, the Northwest Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, and various Grygla community partners. Together these organizations are partnering to encourage healthy food access and community building.
The Health & Nutrition Programs, SNAP-Ed Educator for our area is Kristina Kaml. Last week, she came to meet with the Grygla 4th and 5th graders as part of the school’s nutrition class. The group went over to the community garden and transplanted plants they had been growing in the classroom, along with planting seeds & plants donated by the Grygla Coop. Of course, tomatoes were also planted, which had been started from seed in the classrooms almost two months ago.
One Vegetable, One Community increases access and enthusiasm for local and inexpensive healthy food. The kick-off event begins a season-long campaign with the hopes that tomatoes will be grown around every corner: from community, personal and school gardens, to gardens at businesses, faith-based organizations and government buildings. By including the chosen vegetable at community events/potlucks; growing it in a community or personal garden; incorporating it on menus at local restaurants; and growing in garden boxes outside local businesses, we are broadening the conversation and making this a community norm.
Will you choose to participate and plant our featured vegetable, too? Tomato seed packages have been made up and can be found at the American State Bank, Grygla Coop Store, Farmer’s Union and the Grygla Library. Though it may be too late to start them from seeds, you can always save the packages for next year, Kristina suggested. She also put growing and harvesting tips, along with recipes, inside the free packages.
28 communities applied and are participating in OVOC this 2018 season! In addition to Grygla, the others are Bagley, Bemidji, Bigfork, Blackduck, Breckenridge, Cloquet, Cohasset, Crookston, Detroit Lakes, East Grand Forks, Elbow Lake, Fergus Falls, Fosston, Grand Rapids, Kelliher, Laporte, Little Falls, Middle River, Moorhead, Newfolden, Park Rapids, Pelican Rapids, Roseau, Thief River Falls, Virginia, Wadena and Warren.