Garfield Park’s monthly Dollar Menu Night is a unique opportunity for residents to come together and enjoy a meal made from freshly harvested vegetables. The program, led by naturalist Leah McMichael, allows participants to learn how to harvest and cook affordable plant-based meals.

Community Building

The event is not just about the food, but also about building community. McMichael believes that gathering people around a shared task can help create unexpected relationships and a sense of belonging. The program has been successful in bringing people together, with attendance growing from a few families to a gathering of around 20 people by the end of last season.

Participants, such as Reilly Olmstead and her wife Brooklyn Robinson, have praised the program for its unique approach to community building. The couple enjoyed harvesting and cooking their own meal, and appreciated the opportunity to meet new people. The menu is simple, with dishes such as sourdough bread, herbed potatoes, and a berry salad, all made from scratch using freshly harvested ingredients.

The Garden

The garden, known as Blake’s Garden, is a key part of the program. It is filled with a variety of vegetables, including black chickpeas and galangal, which are used to honor different immigrant communities. The garden also features a native section, where beans are grown using corn stalks as a natural trellis, and squash is used to shade the soil and conserve water. The garden is home to multiple animals, including chickens and tortoises, which play an important role in sustaining the farm and the low-cost meal program.

The program is held once a month, typically on the first Wednesday, and costs just $1 per person. Advance registration is preferred, and the next dinner will be on July 1. The program will continue until the beginning of October, depending on the number of crops available.

Original reporting: Mirror Indy — read the source article.