Edible Garden Festival at Fairchild Gardens

Fall has arrived, and with it comes the sight of bright orange pumpkins, the sound of crisp winds rustling the trees, and the smell of delicious autumn-inspired dishes. Experience this and more at the Edible Garden Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden on Saturday, October 26 and Sunday, October 27 from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm each day. This year’s festival is part of South Florida’s first-ever Local Food Week put together by Earth Learning, a Miami-based organization that promotes sustainable living. There’s plenty to do, including entering the Scarecrow Competition, adopting a pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch in time for Halloween, and sampling delicious autumn brews at the Fall Beer Garden. This is a great time to learn how to start your own edible garden or spruce up the one you already have. 

Stop by Earth Learning’s innovative mobile kitchen to watch cooking demos and lectures on what dishes you can make using foods that grow well in edible gardens. Food is also available from the collaborative mobile harvest and farmers market featuring fall’s best crops. Edible gardening is a great way to bring the whole family together, and it presents a wonderful learning opportunity for kids to see how food gets from garden to table.

Once you pick up a pumpkin from the Pumpkin Patch to decorate for Halloween, you can browse the incredibly unique display of scarecrows made from all kinds of items. Feeling creative? Enter the Scarecrow Competition by filling out the entry form on the festival webpage and building your very own. 

The Edible Garden Festival is sponsored by Whole Foods Market. For more info, please call 305-667-1651 or visit the Edible Garden Festival webpage. 

Earth Learning’s first-ever Local Food Week, held October 20-27, features activities like film screenings, a TEDx talk with Chef Norman van Aken, locally grown food summits, and the Edible Garden Festival at Fairchild. 

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden is located at 10901 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables, FL 33156. Admission is free for Fairchild members and children 5 and under; $25 for adults, $18 for seniors 65 and up and $12 for children 6-17. Discounts are available for military personnel and anyone who walks, bikes or takes public transportation to the festival. 

Earth Learning is a catalyst in the transition toward a life-sustaining culture in the Greater Everglades Bioregion. Since 2003, they have been promoting the re-localization of our economy; connecting and inspiring active participation in our food system; creating learning experiences; and inspiring and modeling local, eco-social ventures. For more info, call 786-233-2784 or visit www.earth-learning.org.