Published July 25, 2024
A taste of summer in your Five Rivers MetroParks
Mid-summer means it’s time to savor a variety of in-season produce. Growing season is also a great opportunity to learn about the importance of fresh, locally grown food – which is also less taxing on the environment.
MetroParks is home to many vegetable gardens, including Carriage Hill MetroPark’s heirloom garden and Possum Creek MetroPark’s demonstration garden. Additionally, both of these MetroParks offer seasonal programing and events that encourage participants to build their gardening skills, learn to live more sustainably and explore the variety of fresh produce that can be incorporated into a healthy (and tasty) diet.
Opportunities this August are:
Small Farm and Food Fest – Saturday, Aug. 3, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Carriage Hill MetroPark
This free, all-ages event promotes healthy eating and sustainable living with dozens of hands-on activities, a pop-up farmers market, demonstrations, speakers and more.
Festivalgoers will experience modern-day and historical farming techniques, along with gardening, food preparation, cooking, homesteading and home sustainability information.
Additionally, visitors are welcome to visit the pop-up farmers market offering a variety of goods, from produce and native plants to handcrafted soaps and more. Community organizations and small businesses will also be on site, sharing their expertise on food systems, composting, gardening, outdoor education and more.
Local speakers will explore a variety of topics beginning at 10 a.m. Speakers will be in the Daniel Arnold Barn and display barn on the historical farm. Topics covered are:
- Benefits of Farm Fresh Eggs: Bryna Chandler, Drunken Duck Farm & Mallard’s Landing Sanctuary
- Fermenting: Making Your Own Kombucha: Dawn Kirchner, Full Circle Brewgarden
- Chickens or Bees: Profiting on a Small Farm: Andrea Hancock, Happy Wife Acres
- Growing and Cooking Heirloom Tomatoes: Betty Hoevel, Five Rivers MetroParks
- Fall Planting for Earlier and Better Spring Flowers: Wendy Brubaker, Morningside Meadows Flower Farm
- Coffee 101: Michael Thomas, Poppets Coffee
- Growing Mushrooms at Home: Michael Goldstick, Guided by Mushrooms
Learn more at www.metroparks.org/farmfest.
Pick Your Own: Flowers, Produce and Herbs – Select Wednesdays, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Possum Creek MetroPark
The demonstration garden at Possum Creek MetroPark is bursting with fresh herbs, veggies and flowers ready for visitors to pick. Create your own harvest basket filled with four pounds of produce and a bouquet of flowers, all for $15. Though what is offered each week depends on what is ready to harvest, a variety of nutrient-dense and flavorful greens and fragrant herbs are planted, in addition to tomatoes, peppers, root vegetables and much more.
During Pick Your Own programs, MetroParks gardening experts are on site to answer questions about the garden, provide gardening tips and more. Registration for Pick Your Own: Flowers, Produce and Herbs is required and available at metroparks.org.
Fresh produce at the 2nd Street Market
The 2nd Street Market is a facility of Five Rivers MetroParks and supports its mission to protect the region’s natural heritage by providing the community with access to fresh, local food – which is often kinder to the environment. Additionally, shopping from local small businesses means food and products are transported shorter distances, further reducing shoppers’ carbon footprint.
The Market invites the community to celebrate National Farmers Market Week – a week honoring local growers and ecofriendly farming practices – during Sunset at the Market on Thursday, Aug. 8, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Guests can shop at a variety of vendors, enjoy food tastings, demos workshops, pop-up vendors and live music.
The 2nd Street Market is home to more than 40 permanent indoor vendors offering prepared foods, kitchen staples, fresh produce, artisan goods, flowers, desserts and more. The outdoor farmers market at the 2nd Street Market runs throughout the growing season (typically ending the last weekend of October) and features a rotation of more than 25 growers, artisans and prepared food vendors.
Many of the Market’s vendors accept SNAP/EBT and Produce Perks benefits.
Weekly hours of operation are Friday and Sunday, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Learn more about the 2nd Street Market at metroparks.org/localfood.
A conservation agency, your Five Rivers MetroParks supports the environment by protecting nearly 16,000 acres of land – 90% of which is in its natural state. This includes hundreds of miles of trails and 35 locations, including 18 parks plus the 2nd Street Market. With more than 2.05 million visitors last year, your Five Rivers MetroParks is a community asset that supports quality of life and attracts visitors who boost the local economy. Help your MetroParks protect the region’s natural spaces and keep its facilities up-to-date, safe and open by visiting www.metroparks.org/protect.
