Public urged to eat organics to 'save rare vegetables'

Garden Organic has teamed up with cookware manufacturers Portmeirion to urge more of the public to eat organic and help to save rare vegetable varieties under threat of extinction.

The campaign is aimed at inspiring food lovers to get back into the kitchen, and support Garden Organic by hosting a sponsored meal for their friends and families, and donating the money they raise to support the charity’s seed library, which conserves over 800 endangered varieties of vegetables.

The intiative will be launched on September 15 at the charity’s annual harvest celebration, where visitors to Garden Organic Ryton will be able to taste some of the vegetable varieties under threat, see seed-saving demonstrations and go behind the scenes of the library, and will continue into 2008, which is the charity’s 50th anniversary.

Graham Elliot, Garden Organic’s events manager, said: “Anyone can take part. The sponsored meal does not have to be cordon bleu or 100 percent organic, but adding some ingredients with an organic flavour not only helps raise the profile of the charity but also shows your friends how tasty organic food really is, especially if it is your own home-grown produce.”