With the unofficial kickoff to gardening season just around the corner, Kashi is inviting Canadians to help make a positive difference by getting real about food and helping to improve the natural health of their community through a unique program called Plant it Forward.
Partnering with Evergreen, a not-for-profit organization committed to green cities and a healthy planet, this spring Kashi is building and supporting 18 community gardens across Canada. Together, they will help increase access to fresh, healthy, locally grown foods for urban communities across the country. Community residents will take part in the planning process and help build a garden that will provide real food to nourish their family and friends.
Kashi is also making a donation to support Evergreen’s mission to inspire and enable action to green cities. Every time a Canadian watches Kashi’s Real Food Manifesto video, $1 will be donated to Evergreen (to a maximum of $50,000).
Plant it Forward at Home This Spring
Everyone is encouraged to take part in the Plant it Forward movement by growing their own real food at home. Tara Nolan, co-founder of SavvyGardening.com and Kashi Plant it Forward ambassador, shares her gardening tips to help get the vegetable garden blooming and keep the dinner plate interesting:
– Plant Your Grocery List: It’s always fun to grow a variety of fruits and veggies, but remember to think about what your family likes to eat the most. If you make a lot of pasta sauce or salsa, for example, grow lots of tomatoes and herbs.
– Give Herbs A Haircut: Herbs are ideal plants to have handy as they offer an easy and healthy way to add flavour to any dish. Trim your herbs regularly to prevent flowers from appearing. Once an herb like basil blooms, the leaves become bitter and are no longer edible.
– Hang It Up: To maximize growing space, plant certain fruits and veggies in hanging pots. Strawberries do well in hanging baskets, and tomatoes can be grown in upside down planters.
– Eat The Flowers, Too: Plant edible blooms like violets and nasturtiums, which look lovely as a garnish in salads or to add some pizzazz to an ice cube.