So you think you can cook? Question is, can you cook carrots?
Area cooks can show off their creativity and culinary flair at the “Anything Carrot Cook Off” this Saturday at the Brownwood Area Community Garden’s second annual Spring Festival.
“Carrot cake, carrot salad, carrot soup, carrot anything … if your recipe has at least one cup of the crunchy orange root vegetable, you can throw your hat in the ring,” said Cook Off organizer Rosa Escamilla, who serves on the Community Garden board of directors. “We’re expecting some very creative recipes, and festival goers will get to sample the entries.”
All entries to the “Anything Carrot Cook Off” must be submitted by 11 a.m. at the Central Texas Opportunities building at 1500 Dublin St. Saturday, April 21. Judging will take place at 12 noon. Prizes will be awarded to categories including cake, other dessert, salad, soup, snack or “other.”
Each entry must include two separate dishes, one for judging and one to be sold by individual servings to festival goers. Rules and entry forms for the Cook Off are available on the Brownwood Area Community Garden Facebook page, or by calling Escamilla at 325-203-8791.
Besides the creative carrot concoctions, festival goers can also enjoy brisket sandwiches, sausage wraps, and other refreshments, beginning at 11 a.m. Live music will be performed by the area group Sun Duo throughout the festival, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Garden tours will be ongoing during the event.
Also on tap will be a “Ladybug Flyaway” at 10:30 a.m. Kids at the Spring Festival can help release thousands of ladybugs, who will take up residence in the Garden for a summer job of munching on aphids and helping pollinate vegetable crops bound for area food pantries.
Young festival goers can also participate in face painting, flower pot painting and garden hat decorating.
Brown County Master Gardeners will present a free program at 11 a.m. on how to make a Rain Barrel, and will have food-grade barrels available for sale. Keep Brownwood Beautiful will make sure the Spring Festival stays “green” with recyclables containers and litter control.
“We’re celebrating the start of our third growing season, along with Earth Day on April 22,” said Richard Ashton, president of the Community Garden board of directors. “And April is National Gardening month. We’ve got a lot to celebrate!”
The Spring Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, April 21, at the Community Garden, located at 1514 Dublin St., behind the Central Texas Opportunities offices. Parking is available at the Salvation Army building on Lakeway, between Commerce St. and Belle Plain Ave. Admission is free.
The Community Garden is a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to provide area food pantries with fresh, naturally grown produce year-round. Now entering its third growing season, more than 3,700 pounds of produce has been donated to the Salvation Army soup kitchen and Good Samaritan Ministries. The Garden also leases garden plots to local families and organizations for a nominal fee, creates job opportunities and on-the-job training for area residents in a “green” industry, and offers a variety of educational events throughout the year.
For additional information, call 325.784.8453 or 324.641.9029.
Pictured above: Garden Coordinator Daniel Graham demonstrates the role of worms in the garden at the 2011 Spring Festival at the Brownwood Area Community Garden. At this year’s Festival, Saturday, April 21, kids can help release thousands of ladybugs into the Garden at the “Ladybug Flyaway” at 10:30 a.m.