DETROIT – You can find neighbors flipping old vacant lots into urban farms and gardens across the City of Detroit.
Some call it a way to eliminate blight. Others say it’s part of a movement to address health and food access challenges, especially in some food deserts.
An organization called Detroit is Different is working to raise awareness through an event centered around a popular vegetable in many homes. It’s hosting the inaugural Collard Green Cook-Off.
Children and adults were busy on Friday (Aug. 11) at the Oakland Avenue Urban Farm.
Growers are making sure neighbors have access to nutritious options.
“We have tomatoes, squash, cucumbers, and kale,” said Jerry Hebron of Urban Farmer.
Growing and harvesting a variety of options is intentional there. The team said it knows the foods, for some neighbors, are hard to come by.
“We do not have grocery stores in our communities, so people are eating out at the gas stations, the liquor stores, or wherever they can,” Hebron said.
It’s one vegetable on the farm that folks said stands out.
“Our collard greens are the best anywhere,” Hebron said excitedly.
Collard greens are part of the reason Hebron and Oakland Avenue Urban Farm are partnering with the inaugural Collard Green Cook-Off event.
“They taste amazing if you know how to cook them,” said Khary Frazier.
Frazier is the founder of the nonprofit Detroit is Different. He said the Aug. 17 Collard Green Cook-Off is his way of bringing the community together.
They’ll be spreading awareness about urban farming and how residents are proactively addressing food access challenges.
“Urban farming has grown so much and exponentially,” Frazier said.
A group of local chefs will be participating in the Collard Green Cook-Off event. They’ll offer various options for preparing the cultural food staple as a side or main dish.
“You can have healthy foods that taste good, and I do think that the flavors and the taste of our culture when we think about that Black experience of how to spice things and add that accent is very key,” Frazier said.
Neighbors said they hope the free event will bring the community together and energize folks to sample and consider options in a fun, family-focused environment.
The Inaugural Collard Green Cook-Off will be held Aug. 17 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Detroit is Different Garden at 1634 Clements, Detroit, MI.
Organizers are urging the public to register by clicking here.