Slow Food Boulder County to celebrate Spring with seed exchange

Gardeners and lovers of the slow food movement are invited to an event that will help jump start their spring planting and offer the chance to meet with local farmers and food producers.

Slow Food Boulder County and Mountain Fountain are hosting their 2nd annual Colorado Producers Open House & Seed Exchange on Thursday, March 21 at the Mountain Fountain Market in Hygiene.

Seed exchanges are growing in popularity, due to both an increased interest in organic gardening and the increased awareness of the importance of maintaining heirloom varieties of plants.

Slow Food Boulder County, one of the first U.S. chapters in the international slow food movement, has a mission to support local farms and food businesses, educate the community about accessing, preparing, and enjoying local, seasonal food, and to create events and programs that bring pleasure, and build community and food traditions.

The slow food movement was started to create cultural shifts around food. Efforts include creating and supporting school gardens; improving animal welfare to reduce the environmental impact of eating meat; and promoting sustainable agriculture, preserving traditional foods and knowledge, and supporting small-scale food producers.

The upcoming open house and seed exchange will feature local farmers and Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs), along with a sampling of local food products. Garden leaders from local schools are also encouraged to attend and pick up seeds for their school gardens. Mountain Fountain Market will also be sampling products they sell in their store, and Slow Food Boulder County will be holding a raffle.

The Open House will be on Thursday, March 21 from 5:30 - 8:00 pm at the Mountain Fountain Market at 11809 North 75th Street in Hygiene. Please bring seeds if you have them to share.