Farm Fresh ‘One Seed’ Program to Give Away 10,000 Seed Packets
Saturday, May 21, 2011
This summer, Rhode Islanders will see a bumper crop of green beans, but the abundance will not be coming from farmers.
Anyone with enough soil to tend a few seeds can plant and cultivate the beans as part of the One Seed Rhode Island program. Join farmers, chefs, schools, home growers, and community gardeners as they get their hands dirty and gain a deeper appreciation for locally grown and healthy food. It all starts with thousands of free seed packets given away starting right now.
A single, symbolic vegetable
An initiative of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, One Seed Rhode Island aims to rally the community around a single symbolic vegetable to celebrate local agriculture and fresh food. Through the act of growing a vegetable alongside neighbors and friends, consumers become producers and gain a deeper appreciation for how their food is produced. During this first year of the project, the community voted for Provider bush beans as Rhode Island’s 2011 One Seed. The beans have arrived and are being packed, with distribution beginning now at the Springtime Farmers Markets in Pawtucket. In total, 10,000 free seed packets will find new homes.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTHelp from URI, Southside Community Land Trust
Along with Farm Fresh Rhode Island, the University of Rhode Island’s Master Gardeners program and several community groups including Southside Community Land Trust, will be giving out seeds and hosting additional educational opportunities throughout the summer. If you need help with the bush bean growing process, the Master Gardeners will be avilable via helpline at 1-800-448-1011. Want to share your bean stalk tale? Go online at www.farmfresh.org/one to share photos and stories. Monthly emails and a culminating event in September will celebrate the community’s hard work and harvest.
For local farmers, too
In an effort to spread the bush beans throughout the community, Farm Fresh Rhode Island will provide beans to interested local farmers for production. “We applaud One Seed Rhode Island for creating awareness around the act of growing food," said Normal Paul of Wishing Stone Farm in Little Compton, "and will especially support any project that ends with a community agricultural celebration.” Several local restaurants will then order these beans through Market Mobile, Farm Fresh’s farm to table distribution system, and will create unique green bean menu items and recipes. “One Seed brings a community together to build a powerful voice for good, wholesome food for all,” said Jonathan Cambra, Executive Chef of Castle Hill Inn in Newport.
“Rhode Island has a rich agricultural history,” said Noah Fulmer, the Director of Farm Fresh Rhode Island, “And by uniting people behind one locally grown vegetable, we’ll discover there's a little farmer in all of us.”
If you would like to involve your school or community group, please contact Sarah Lester – [email protected]. For more information and upcoming One Seed events visit www.farmfresh.org/one
Related Articles
- Grow Local: Best Farms to Pick-Your-Own Apples
- Best Farmers Markets
- Grow Local: Allen Farms Pea Greens
- Grow Local: Poblano Farm Salsa
- Grow Local: Schartner Farms Blueberries
