6th Annual edible flint Food Garden Tour Showcases Flint’s Urban Farms and Gardens
Genesee County residents are improving their health, reducing their weekly grocery bill and transforming their neighborhoods by creating urban gardens in both their own yards and on neighboring vacant lots.
The movement to utilize urban properties to produce food is growing nationally, and Genesee County is right in step. The sixth annual “edible flint Food Garden Tour” on Wednesday, July 30thwill offer a close-up look at innovative and inspiring food gardens in the Flint area.
Participants will be transported to the garden sites by bus or bicycle. The tour is free and open to the public. An assortment of local foods will be available for snacking. Last year’s garden tour attracted 278 participants even in the rain. This year the tour has 224 bus seats available and 100 bike spots available.
Check in begins at 4:30pm at the “NEW” Flint Farmers’ Market 300 E. First Street, Flint, MI 48502. Buses and bicycles will begin departing at 5:00pm along three designated routes.
Tour participants will meet local food producers, including some who are growing food year round and raising bees and chickens. They will also see, firsthand, how local residents of all ages are transforming community concerns, such as vacant land, into valuable neighborhood assets. With more than 12,000 vacant residential lots in Flint alone, residents now have more opportunities than ever to turn available properties into productive places.
Immediately following the tour, edible flint will host the 2nd annual Partners in Healthy Living Fair and participants can enjoy a light meal prepared by local vendors, music and dessert at the”NEW” Flint Farmers’ Market.
The entire evening is free, though donations are welcome and participants must register in advance. Donations will be used to support future Food Garden Tours.
To register for the bus or bike tour, please visit edibleflint.org see “Click here to register for the Food Garden Tour” or contact Deb Hamilton by calling 810-244-8547 or by e-mail atfoodgardentour@edibleflint.org. Registration is closed as soon as all the spots are filled; participants are encouraged to register early to secure their spots.
edible flint is a network of local residents and public and private organizations unified by the mission, “to support Flint residents in growing and accessing healthy food in order to reconnect with the land and each other.” edible flint formed in 2009 and since then has hosted five Food Garden Tours, collectively sold produce through the edible flint Co-op at the Flint Farmers’ Market, offered training classes on urban food gardening, completed an assessment of some food vendors in the City of Flint by youth and a second, more in depth assessment in 2012 whose results will be published soon, has distributed Garden Starter kits and services for the past five years and is utilizing the Hurley Community Garden for demonstration and training purposes incorporating inclusion and accessibility gardening techniques.
For more information on edible flint contact Terry McLean at (810) 244-8530
