Bountiful Arkansas

Bountiful Arkansas: A Celebration of Arkansas' Homegrown Foods

SAVE THE DATE: 
Bountiful Arkansas Weekend
July 16-17, 2010

Locally raised and produced food has been called “the new organic” – better tasting, better for the environment, better for local economies and better for your health. This second annual event held at Winthrop Rockefeller Institute atop Petit Jean Mountain was a hands-on day of tasting and learning about locally grown produce from The Natural State. Bountiful Arkansas Day 2009 featured the following activities and more. Click on the name of an activity or scroll down for more information:

Local food was served in River Rock Grill during lunch and dinner.

Bountiful Arkansas will take place in July of each year. Check back soon for updates.


HORTICULTURE WORKSHOPS

Want to know where your food comes from? Grow your own! Two horticulture workshops will teach participants which fruit and vegetable varieties grow best in Arkansas and will also provide tips on how to plant these varieties in your own backyard. Each workshop limited to 30 participants.

Best Vegetables to Grow in Your Backyard Garden
10 – 11 a.m. | $15 | Teaching Barn, Heritage Farmstead
Instructor: Dr. Obadiah Njue, Horticulture Specialist
UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service

Best Fruits to Grow on Your Property
2 -3 p.m. | $15 | Teaching Barn, Heritage Farmstead
Instructor: Dr. Elena Garcia, Horticulture Specialist
UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service


TOMATO TASTING

For a $5 tasting fee, experience the flavors of 20 different varieties of locally grown tomatoes, including many heirloom varieties. Tomato Tasting will be ongoing from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. in the President’s Lodge Great Room.


WINTHROP ROCKEFELLER DISTINGUISHED LECTURES PROGRAM
4:30 – 6:30 p.m. | FREE | Show Barn Hall

Vancouver journalists Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon, authors of Plenty: Eating Locally on the 100-Mile Diet, will be the speakers for our Winthrop Rockefeller Distinguished Lectures program.

When Alisa Smith and James MacKinnon learned that the average ingredient in a North American meal travels 1,500 miles from farm to plate, they decided to launch a simple experiment to reconnect with the people and places that produced what they ate. For one year, they would only consume food that came from within a 100-mile radius of their Vancouver apartment. The 100-Mile Diet was born.

While there is no cost to attend the lecture, seating is limited and reservations are recommended.


MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT BY RUNAWAY PLANET
6:30 p.m. | FREE | Outdoor Stage (next to President's Lodge)

Founded in 2001, Little Rock bluegrass band Runaway Planet evolved out of a long-time friendship between members and a mutual love for traditional string-band music. Their music is a mix of hard-driving bluegrass, three-part harmonies, complex arrangements and original songs. Visit their Web site at www.runawayplanet.net to learn more.


SATURDAY CHEF'S SERIES CULINARY ARTS CLASS
Sold out – limited to 24 participants

Registered participants will learn how to prepare sustainable summer feasts using the abundance of produce available from local farmers. They will explore the diversity of meat and vegetable dishes that can be created using fresh ingredients from Arkansas. Lessons on preserving fruits and vegetables will make it possible to eat local all year long.


HERITAGE FARMSTEAD GARDEN TOURS

Take a guided tour through our Heritage Farmstead gardens and attend roving “Ask the Expert” sessions about our orchard, vineyard and vegetable garden around 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Orchard Q & A
Dan Chapman, Fruit Research Station Resident Director 
UA Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service, Clarksville

Vineyard Q & A
Audrey House, Owner
Chateau Aux Arc Vineyard and Winery, Altus

Vegetable Garden Q & A
TBD


EXHIBITS AND VENDORS
9 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Heritage Farmstead

Get in touch with farmers and other vendors who can provide you with locally grown, fresh produce. The following fresh vegetable vendors and local food and sustainability education vendors will be available on Bountiful Arkansas Day:

Commercial Vendors:

  • ABC Nature Greenhouse and Nursery
  • Bean Mountain Farms
  • Chateau Aux Arc Vineyard and Winery
  • Foodshed Farm Basket-A-Month CSA
  • Hocott's Nursery
  • Master Gardener, County 76 Program
  • Petit Jean Farm
  • Post Familie Vineyard and Winery
  • The Root Café
  • Solar Ovens 350
  • Willow Springs Market Garden

Educational Vendors:

  • Arkansas Earth Institute
  • Arkansas Sustainability Network
  • ATTRA – National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service
  • Conserving Arkansas' Agricultural Heritage
  • Conway County Cooperative Extension Service, UA Division of Agriculture
  • Conway Locally Grown
  • Felder Farm
  • Petit Jean Extension Homemakers Club


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