Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Establish and clearly identify a place for the experts to be stationed, or have them wear some identifying
clothing or brightly colored hats.
During
Make sure the garden experts and the gardeners find each other and connect.
Some gardens put a tip jar out for the musicians. The musicians may want to sell CDs, so make accom-
modation for that possibility.
After
Clean up and thank everyone profusely.
Sign any paperwork required for the Master Gardeners to prove they participated in the program
Give the musicians anything from the tip jar and any extra produce that can be spared. “Will work for
food” is especially applicable when it comes to musicians and organic veggies.
FALL: THE PLOTLUCK
Any food garden is likely to attract some avid home cooks and perhaps even professional chefs. A great way
to close the loop between growing food and preparing it is to have a “plotluck” (a potluck gathering to share
the fruits of your plots). Just as in a potluck meal, people bring dishes—but in this case, the food is either
made from or inspired by the gardener's bounty.
Before
Determine the goal of your event. Is the community at-large welcome? Should you invite your partners?
What are you celebrating?
Communicate event details and determine a method for deciding who brings what. A common method is
assigning parts of the meal by last names.
Last names from A to F: salads, appetizers
Last names from G to L: main dishes
Last names from M to R: desserts
Last names from S to Z: drinks, ice, paper products, utensils
Of course, if someone's name falls in the salad category and they are dying to make their chocolate zuc-
chini cake, you may have some deviation from the rules. That's okay. Another fundamental principle of
plotlucks—there can never be too many desserts! If you like, encourage participants to bring recipes or talk
about the idea behind their dish, particularly if any ingredients came from their own garden.
Determine a few volunteers who can help with setup and cleanup.
