View Eat-Ins : Washington, DC City Blossoms Eat-In

September 7, 2009

Organizer: Lola Bloom
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Check out photos of this Eat-In.

The Eat-In was combined with the first birthday celebration of Girard Children’s Community Garden in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, D.C. The garden is one of 6 different gardens that City Blossoms helps to operate with children from local neighborhoods and schools in the D.C. metropolitan area.  Girard is unique in many ways because the weekly workshops serve children from at least five different local community organizations as well as neighborhood “drop-in” kids from an area of D.C. that struggles with violence.  In addition, the space is designed with an urban sculpture garden in mind, and artists of all ages are invited to create pieces that are decorative and utilitarian to display permanently.  The young gardeners plant, maintain, and harvest from their own beds in Girard Garden, and also take part in caring for communal areas and keeping the playground clean and beautiful.

This summer we focused on kid-testing lots of recipes that were made using the fresh produce grown in Girard Garden.  These workshops culminated with a kid’s community cookbook, which we distributed for free at the Eat-In.  For the event we also invited Chef Trey Massey to help prepare fresh pizzas using herbs, tomatoes, and vegetables from the garden with the kids who attended.  A local business, Greater Goods, donated compostable plates, bowls and cups to the party. 

The event was a HUGE success, which over 100 friends, families, and neighbors from all parts of the city joining together to enjoy the beauty of the garden and appreciate the hard work the children and volunteers put into making the space a unique experience for all.  Especially intriguing was the variety of healthy salads, sides, and sweets that our guests brought and the enthusiasm of the kids in trying a little bit of everything.  At the end, when a downpour encouraged everyone to pitch in and clean up, any remaining food was devoured by curious kids dashing in and out of the garden.  Holding the Slow Food Eat-In in Girard Garden gave us a chance to bring together all of our participants, their families and our neighbors in a celebration that reinforced not just healthy foods for youth but also a holistic way of teaching healthy living skills alongside environmental and community awareness.  We can’t wait to do it again!