CELEBRATE THE HARVEST!

Kalamazoo, Mich.- Are you growing your own vegetables this year? Are you helping with a community vegetable garden? If so, join us in celebrating the delicious harvest at a Tomato Taste-off on Saturday, August 22, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This event is free and open to everyone in the community and will be held in the Walnut Room of the Kalamazoo County Health & Community Services Building located at 3299 Gull Road in Kalamazoo.

The festivities will include a Tomato Taste-off competition with the tastiest tomatoes being selected by participants. Three categories of tomatoes will be judged; small tomatoes (cherry or grape type), slicers (including heirlooms), and paste (sauce tomatoes). If you would like to participate in the competition please bring approximately 20 small tomatoes, 4-5 large tomatoes or 6-8 paste tomatoes.

A cooking demonstration by a homegrown chef, Justin Whitlock, will feature tomatoes and other fresh produce. Free tastings will be provided for all participants. There will also be a ‘virtual’ tour of community garden projects and stories about experiences in the gardens. Craft activities, recipes, refreshments and door prizes will be available also. This event is being co-sponsored by MSU Extension in Kalamazoo County, Kalamazoo Garden Council, and Kalamazoo in Bloom.

“We would love to have every community garden present at this event, as well as individuals who have been growing vegetables at home, whether this is a first time effort or an ongoing project,” says Mary VanTassel with the Kalamazoo Garden Council.

For more information about this event and how to enter, visit www.msue.msu.edu/kalamazoo or contact Mary VanTassel with the Kalamazoo Garden Council at 375-1708, email Mvantasselk@aol.com .

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MSU Extension is an Affirmative-Action Equal-Opportunity Institution. Michigan State University Extension programs and materials are open to all without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status.

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