Backyard Gardening Secrets Revealed at Grow Your Own Fest

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The local food movement continues to grow in popularity as people become more health conscious and more attuned to where their food is originating. If you have a desire to grow your own food or lessen your impact on the environment by purchasing locally grown produce, ground flour and eggs, the Environmental and Heritage Center (EHC) invites you to its fourth annual Grow Your Own Festival on Sunday, March 29, 2015, from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m.

The festival will include speaker sessions, guided plant hikes and demonstrations conducted by local farmers and community gardeners.

Pilar Quintero from Rancho Alegre, a Dacula based farm, will share the story of her agricultural enterprise, which includes a small dairy operation, chickens, hogs and sheep.

The Gwinnett County Extension will provide tips for new gardeners on how to prepare a garden for the growing season and what soil to use.

Victor Gann of Blacksmith Farms in Lawrenceville will give a presentation on the health and financial benefits of growing your own food.

Anne-Marie Bilella with Bella Vista Farm will take visitors outside on a wild edible and medicinal plant hike around the EHC forest and share information on how to grow these useful plants at home.

Ned Jung of J&J Culinary Sensations will prepare delicious food for sale using organic, locally grown products.

Our Daily Bread will give on-site demonstrations of grinding grain into flour and will have its flour, breads and fresh preserves for sale.

Other festival participants include Dances with Bees, Gwinnett County Beekeepers, Heirloom Living Market and Golden Farms. Honey, beeswax products, vegetables, herbs, breads, eggs and other products will also be available for purchase.

The festival includes activities for the “wee” gardeners. Golden Farms will bring live chickens, including baby chicks, to the campus for visitors to enjoy. Chicken and bee crafts, seed planting, face painting and worm composting discoveries will excite children to dig in the dirt as temperatures get warmer. The EHC will also offer special children’s classes from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. for ages 5 to 12.

Know where your food comes from and support your community and the Earth at the same time. Program fees for the event are $5 for ages 13 and older, $3 for ages 3 to 12 and free for children two and younger and EHC members. Guests can purchase online or at the door on the day of the event. For more information and the schedule of speaker sessions and events, visit www.gwinnettEHC.org.

— Photo, article submitted by Environmental and Heritage Center

(Photo: Anna-Marie Bilella with Bella Vista Farms gets ready to lead a wild edible and medicinal plant hike around the Environmental and Heritage Center. Bilella’s hike is just one of many activities scheduled for this year’s Grow Your Own Festival on March 29, 2015.)