A one-day crash course in urban gardening is coming to Cleveland later this month thanks to Fresh Fork Market.

The free-to-the-public event will feature a full day of classes and workshops taught by area farmers, with detailed demonstrations on maintenance, harvesting and anything else participants need to know to make their gardens grow. The April 27 fair will be held at Urban Community School in Cleveland.

Connecting people to local foods is just one goal of the day-long event, notes market founder Trevor Clatterbuck. Bringing folks back to good eating in general is part of the mission, too, he maintains.

"We want to show people how their food is produced, where it comes from and the expertise it takes to grow it," says Clatterbuck, a West Virginia native who came to Cleveland in 2004 as a freshman at Case Western Reserve University.

Along with hands-on gardening advice, vendors selling seeds and other supplies will be on hand. While participants learn how to build their urban gardens, kid-friendly activities will keep the little ones busy.  

Fresh Fork Market provides farm-fresh foods to Cleveland-area customers, working with 108 farms within a 75-mile radius of Cleveland. Its tasty wares include organic and/or sustainable fruits and vegetables, pasture raised meat products, farmstead cheeses, and a variety of baked goods.

Clatterbuck views the fair as a way of giving back to the community. What better way to do that than by teaching Clevelanders how to grow their own healthy eats?

"It's a skill they will be able to appreciate," says Clatterbuck.

 
SOURCE: Trevor Clatterbuck
WRITER: Douglas J. Guth