Michelle Darmody, festival organiser of Eat the Streets! tells us more about this fantastic new initiative. 

“Dublin has been growing for ages, let’s get together and take a fresh look at our roots.

Dublin’s roots stretch back to its rich hinterland which allowed the city to expand and enlarge over thousands of years, crops were grown on the outskirts to feed the cities expanding population. Today much of that land is covered over but we still have the rich history which can be seen in the city’s street scape; Cherryorchard, Corn Exchange, Fishamble Street, Mill street. We can also still see this legacy in the many fruit and vegetables still grown in the north of the county.

Food and what we eat defines so much about us as people, our culture, our history, it helps create connections and nourishment. The word companion means “with bread”. Food is generally about gathering around a table, breaking bread together, cooking and sharing food in the kitchen. This year we have all been doing things a little differently, and it is the same for Eat the Streets, we will be hosting cook-alongs and many of our workshops online, but there will also be some activities to do on your local streets.

The aim of Eat the Streets is to focus on maximising the use of our food and learning and sharing new skills – from growing, cooking, creating and discovering. We will begin at the end of March and culminate in a 10-day festival in June that celebrates Dublin’s food history as a vegetable heartland, engaging children, their grandparents and families to dig up the city’s rich food heritage.”

“In March will start putting seeds in the ground and ask questions about what Dubliner’s ate in past generations, as well as collecting recipes for our chefs to cook. Both festival weekends in June will focus on family events. There will also be an assortment of cook-alongs and online workshops focused on enhancing your cooking skills, all free to join. Mid-week there will be after-dinner discussions about the future of our food and sustainability.

The aim is for fun and exploration and a focus on maximising the use of your food, we are looking at ways of making your leftovers tasty and preserving or pickling tips will be provided. But first, before food comes to our kitchen it needs to grow? Find out more from some of the cities growing experts; learn to make your own mini grow dome, attend a seed bomb workshop, watch walk-throughs of your local community garden or get hints and tips on how to plant your own vegetable patch.

So, come join us at www.eatthestreets.ie and help us put down roots for a tastier tomorrow.”

Read Michelle Darmody’s previous feature about teaching food to children as a creative subject.