Stone: Local foods and happenings sprout homegrown

When we think of gardening or agriculture, fruits, and vegetables are often topics of interest.

Whether you are a consumer, backyard gardener, or producer — growing, harvesting, preparing, serving and eating healthy and fresh foods is something we can strive for. Over my career as an agriculture and natural resources educator with Ohio State University, I can say that I have seen an incredible increase of interest in local foods over the years.

I hope this week’s column will be inspiring and maybe a little thought provoking, ultimately giving readers a call to action including three food related opportunities.

There isn’t anything better than watching someone young, or young at heart, grabbing the leaves of any root crop like a carrot, radish, or beet and with a pull, expose the edible underground portion of the plant that previously went unnoticed because it was growing underneath the soil. I have been blessed to see the eyes filled with excitement when new gardeners, of all ages, harvest their first root crop. And what is even better is the reaction of that first bite of the food that they grew.

While gardening is good for the soul, often there are limitations for many because of suitable space to grow or time to invest to produce enough to feed ourselves and family. We are very lucky to live in a region where we have producers in our rural, suburban, and urban areas and have access to locally grown food directly from the farm, farmers’ market, farm stands, or community supported agriculture (CSA) subscriptions.

How can you be involved in what some are calling a food revolution? Do you want to learn more about local foods from a consumer, or dig deeper to think about if becoming a producer is for you?

Plan to attend the first-ever Lucas County Farm Connection, a family-friendly event where all are welcome to learn, play, and inspire forward progress for food production in our community. The inaugural year’s featured farm and event host is MacQueen Orchards. The event will be held on July 20 from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. on the farm in Holland.

Join us to celebrate this farm family, and all the agricultural producers in our county, who we are proud to call “Home Grown.” At the event, you'll find a main stage speaker series, local agricultural and community agency/business expo, a children's area, a tour of the orchard, and local food trucks.

The event is free, but registration is required. As an added sweet deal — everyone who registers by the July 14 deadline will receive a freshly made doughnut at the orchard. You can learn more about the event, including the link to the online registration at https://www.lucasswcd.org/lcfc24 .

This event is brought to you in partnership by: Lucas Soil and Water Conservation District; Lucas County Auditor; City of Toledo Department of Environmental Services; Ohio State University Extension, Lucas County; Lucas County Agricultural Society; Lucas County Farm Bureau; Lourdes University; Lucas County Engineer; Toledo GROWs; and Keep Toledo/Lucas County Beautiful.

Once you have grown or purchased that locally grown food, many ask the question of what to do with all of those fruits and vegetables. If that describes you, OSU Extension, Lucas County is offering a Basic Home Food Preservation class on July 11 from 3 – 5 p.m. at Metroparks Toledo’s Glass City Enrichment Center, 815 Front St., Toledo. Participants will learn more about canning, drying, and freezing fresh produce. This community program is free, but we ask you to register ( go.osu.edu/osugcec ) to make sure we have adequate materials for all. If you have any additional questions, reach out to the local Extension office at 419-213-4254.

And finally, you have hopefully heard and maybe even participated in Sneak a Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day that happens every Aug. 8. This year we are adding a fun twist to this gardener’s holiday. We would like gardeners to donate their excess zucchini, and any other fresh produce. The produce can be dropped off at our office at the Toledo Botanical Garden on Aug. 8 and will be distributed in our county. More information to come on this exciting opportunity in a future column!

Whether you grow your own, purchase from local farmers, or a combination of both, enjoying fresh and seasonal fruits and vegetables is something we hope everyone will be able to do this summer, fall, and even into the winter with home food preservation. If you have fruits and vegetables in the garden and have questions about insects you are seeing, or situations that you are unfamiliar with, don’t forget the Horticulture Hotline on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. throughout the season. For more information check-out the Extension website at https://lucas.osu.edu.

Amy Stone is an extension educator with the Ohio State Extension – Lucas County, Agriculture and Natural Resources. Contact her at: stone.91@osu.edu.