Homegrown Indiana Tour Will Visit Local Farms

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The City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, in collaboration with Slow Food Bloomington, the Local Growers’ Guild and Bloomingfoods Market and Deli, presents the first Homegrown Indiana Farm Tour on Sunday, July 13, 2008.

The Farm Tour will visit two southern Indiana farmers who sell their produce at the City of Bloomington Community Farmers’ Market. Gypsy Ridge Farm in Washington County specializes in a variety of vegetable crops, including zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, sweet corn, cantaloupe, watermelon, strawberries and peaches. Sun Circle Farm in Paoli, specializing in fall and winter storage crops, is a mixed-power farm emphasizing Belgian draft horse and hand tool use for tillage, cultivation, maintenance and harvest.

The Tour also will make a stop at the Lost River co-op and the Lazy Black Bear in Paoli. Guest chefs Gregg “Rags” Rago of Nick’s English Hut and Jeff Finch from Finch’s will prepare the evening meal featuring produce from the Gypsy Ridge Farm and Sun Circle Farm as well as other local farms.

“The tour will provide an opportunity to connect with growers who sell at the Farmers’ Market,” said Marcia Veldman, Farmers’ Market Coordinator. “Knowing where our food comes from and how it is produced is important. Getting to know the people who produce it is important too. The Homegrown Indiana Farm Tour will help participants understand the lives of some of those who make the Market the special event that it is, while having a good time and learning more about our home-grown food system.”

Registration fee for the Homegrown Indiana Farm Tour is $25 per person. Pre-registration is required by July 7. The Tour bus departs from City Hall at 401 N. Morton St. at 1 p.m. and will return at 9 p.m.

For more information about the Homegrown Indiana Farm Tour, contact Veldman at 349-3738 or via e-mail at veldmanm@bloomington.in.gov or visit the City of Bloomington Parks and Recreation Web site at www.bloomington.in.gov/parks and click on the Farmers’ Market icon.