By Christine Hill
The food journey from field to plate will be more tasty this weekend as 30 urban growers open their farms for all to see on Cultivate KC’s Urban Grown Farms and Gardens Tour on Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, June 28.
It’s easy to not think about how the food we eat was grown when it’s sitting on a dinner plate at home or in a restaurant. But this weekend, farm and city life will collide in a tour of local community gardens and urban farms. The biennial tour gives the public an opportunity to go beyond the farmers markets to meet the farmers and see how they grow on urban lots and small plots of land.
This year, Cultivate KC’s Urban Grown events celebrate 10 years of growth and urban agriculture in Kansas City. On the self-guided Urban Grown Tour, participants will see the benefits of a decade of urban agriculture firsthand by choosing their own route to visit their choice of a neighborhood of farms, farms of favorite farmers market growers, or any other combination.
In addition to the tour, participants can immerse themselves in urban agriculture by attending all of the Cultivate KC Urban Grown events during the preceding week.
The Urban Grown Kick Off at 6 p.m. on June 24 at the Kansas City Public Library introduces the events with a panel of community leaders discussing the last decade of urban agriculture in Kansas City. The Kansas City Public Library Central Branch is located at 14 W. 10th St, Kansas City MO.
Eat Out Local on Thursday, June 25 showcases local urban grown dining at select restaurants with 10 percent of sales going to support Cultivate KC.
Urban Grown Birthday Bash from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Westport Middle School celebrates 10 years of Cultivate KC in Kansas City with cake, live music, picnics and more. Westport Middle School is located at 300 E. 39th St., Kansas City, MO.
The Urban Grown Farm and Gardens Tour takes place from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., on Saturday, June 27 from and 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. on Sunday, June 28. Advance tickets are $8 for individuals and $20 for families. Tickets purchased during the tour weekend are $12 for individuals, and $25 for families.
Win two free tickets
Greenability has partnered with Cultivate KC to give away two free tickets to the Urban Grown Tour. To enter, post a comment below on this story. Promotion ends noon on Thursday, June 25. Post your comment now to enter.
To purchase tickets for The Urban Grown Farm and Garden Tour, visit www.cultivatekc.org/urbangrowntour/tour-tickets.html. Tour tickets are also available for purchase on Saturday mornings at Brookside Farmers Market at 63rd Street and Wornall Road.
Definitely exciting to see how many farms/gardens/etc. are in KC! Urban food production is important to strong communities and it’s great to see it.
Urban ag! Love to see what’s going on in KC.
This tour is always the highlight of my summer. The energy, creativity and commitment on display inspire my own gardening adventures!
Very excited for the Urban Farms & Gardens Tour again. It’s such a great opportunity to get to know the city more and the people that help make this city great. There are some people doing amazing work in areas of the city that typically only get negative press and this tour helps shine a light on those initiatives.
Yes, this is truly awesome as KC has come together cooperatively and become a leading city in Local Organic Sustainable food and artisanry. And, we only just getting started with what will soon be previously unimaginable.
Keep the creativity and good-will blossoming!
Would love to see all these farms.
Looking forward to learning more about the amazing farmers making local food happen!
So glad to see that the weather will cooperate for this great event. Can’t wait to get my urban ag on!