Amy Pulley of Cummington, MA writes:

There will be a Perennial Food-Growing Group Potluck on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. at Warner Farm (4 Porter Hill Road) in Cummington, MA. This group is just forming and all are welcome. Our aim is to educate and support each other by sharing resources, knowledge, and companionship in our quest to enhance local food resiliency. Read more info about the group below or call Amy at 634-5659.

WHAT IS THE HILLTOWN PERENNIAL FOOD-GROWING GROUP?

The Hilltown Perennial Food-Growing Group is an educational exercise, a research project, and a community-building effort all rolled into one venture. Educationally, we hope to propagate the crops, the culture of their horticultural and kitchen use, and the ecological ideas that go with them. As a research project, we hope to learn which perennials grow beset in which plant combinations in what conditions, imitating nature as best we can. We hope to learn how to manage the perennial crops, which ones people enjoy the most, and how to cook and eat them! We also expect that the group will strengthen and enhance community by learning together, mutual assistance, resilience in the face of adversity, and fun!

WHY PERENNIAL PLANTS?

Most folks grow annual crops – from seed, they grow, flower, make seed, and die in one year. Planting annuals each spring uses much time, energy and labor, and can destroy the soil. But we grow these crops, because we know them.

Perennial plants live three or more years after planting. This reduces the time, labor and energy needed to grow them, and allows the soil to improve year after year with little effort. Most of us know perennial foods like asparagus, rhubarb, blueberries and tree fruits, but there are many more perennials that can improve our gardening and eating experience. We’ll try climbing spinach, ground nut, French sorrel, sea kale, salad burnet, unusual fruits and so on, expanding our gardening and kitchen palate.