World Kitchen Garden Day - 26 August 2012

World Kitchen Garden Day is an annual, decentralized celebration of food produced on a human-scale. It is recognized each year on the 4th Sunday of August. It is an opportunity for people around the world to gather in their gardens with friends, family, and members of their local community to celebrate the multiple pleasures and benefits of home-grown, hand-made foods.

Background:

KGI initiated Kitchen Garden Day in 2003 as a healthy response to "Snack Food Month" organized by the International Snack Food Association each February. The thinking was that if the makers of potato chips, pretzels and fluorescent orange cheese doodles could spend 28 days and millions of dollars promoting their foods, the world's kitchen gardeners should be able to have at least a day for celebrating theirs.

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 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:

• 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.