Local farm builds organic food garden for seniors

Buxton, ME, Feb. 29, 2008- Elwell housing development in Buxton will be the recipient of 6 raised garden beds this spring intended for growing organic vegetables, herbs and flowers.

The garden project is part of a larger program called the Saco Valley Food Connections, a program of Rippling Waters Farm in Standish, intended to increase local food security and educate the community about sustainable living.

A planning meeting for the Elwell project is scheduled for March 20 at 2:30p.m. in the community room at Elwell housing in Buxton. This intergenerational garden project is open to all seniors at Elwell as well as those living elsewhere in the Buxton area. Any community member interested in participating in the project is invited to attend.

The meeting will focus on what will be grown in the 6 raised beds to be built on site. Amanda Beal, a nutritional educator at People Resource Opportunity Council, will also be on hand to provide some fresh insights regarding nutrition, to dispel misconceptions and to encourage the use of health promoting foods such as dark green leaf vegetables and cruciferous vegetables, which can be easily grown and harvested in small garden plots.

These gardens are part of a larger national context -the locavore movement- which aims to increase the local food supply and become less dependent on imported foods. Locally grown foods are more sustainably produced because they are less reliant on the oil industry for transport and are also more nutritious because they’re fresher.

Rippling Waters Farm is a 12 – acre non-profit organic vegetable farm located on the banks of the Saco River. Our mission is to reach into our community to reconnect all generations with the joy of growing their own food and living in harmony with nature.

Copy the Story Link