Children Start A North Minneapolis Farmers' Market

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Children Start A North Minneapolis Farmers' Market

Maya Nishikawa
Reporting
(WCCO) Minneapolis What makes a garden grow may help an entire community
become healthier. Kids are harvesting vegetables for the first ever community
farmers' market on Minneapolis' North side.

All summer neighborhood kids have been growing things organic products like
squash, eggplant, tomatoes, and herbs. The garden has been around for three
years, but now the project is taking another step in hopes of feeding a new
way of life.

Aminah Harmut and other North Minneapolis children are learning for themselves
that some of the best things on earth come from the garden. Nine-year-old
Aminah holds up a softball-sized eggplant she just picked. With a little help
the children can make something wonderful grow.

"It's good for you, (there is) no poisonous stuff," Aminah said, before a
friend interjected "Because it's from the dirt."

Beverly Stancil has been helping the kids tend the Sheila Wellstone Community
Garden behind Cityview School.

"(This helps) to teach the kids about gardening and where the food comes
from," Stancil said. "A lot of kids have never seen food growing before."

The new gardeners helped plant and tend the plots. Now it's time to harvest.
The girls follow Stancil looking for peppers and squash ready to pick.

Unfortunately, there's not as much to harvest as there should have been.

"Somebody's been in our garden. We had a big melon -- this big -- it's gone,"
said Stancil.

The loss is disappointing but not uncommon for community gardens.

For the first time, the children will take their bounty to market. It's part
of the North side food project, an effort to nurture new eating habits.

"It's not just about gardening for gardening's sake, but it's also about the
food system in North Minneapolis and how we can organize the community around
something positive," said Angela Dawson with the North side Food Project.

The hope is healthy eating will take root in the neighborhood and continue to
flourish.

You can support the garden and the North side Food Project every Sunday.

They'll have their farmers market from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at 3333 North Fourth
Street in North Minneapolis.

It runs every Sunday through October 22. Some of the produce will also go to a
local food shelf.

The project will also offer cooking classes, so community members can learn
what to make with all of those fresh fruits and veggies. All the money raised
will go back into the community garden. They hope to get some better security
to protect their investment.
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