Ready, Steady, GROW for the 10th Tooting Foodival

The Tooting Foodival celebrates local growing, cooking and eating together. It's based on what people locally grow and donate - so we can all admire Tooting's skills and productivity. Plus we can offer super ingredients to the Top Tooting Cook contest and the chefs' delicious demonstrations. 

Sowing radishes

Radishes harvested just 4 weeks later

There's still time to grow from scratch so you can donate to the Foodival on Saturday Sept 16th. It's about sharing the love rather than growing big quantities. We're  delighted by the diversity of what's donated
every year!


Starting now, what can you sow, grow and harvest for the Foodival?

If you can get sowing by the end of July, you could harvest these by mid-September:

• Rocket
• Coriander
• mixed cutting Lettuces
• Mustard Greens
• Cima di Rapa (that's turnip tops)
•  And more - do share your suggestions.

Rocket

White turnips

Alfalfa spouts, 5 days from starting

Much closer to the Foodival date:
> you could start Radishes as late as mid August
> you could start Sprouting Seeds just a week before (here's our handy guide)
> you could sow Cress just a few days before

Cress, 3 days from sowing

 Where can you grow?

• In your own garden or allotment
• In containers on a terrace, balcony or windowsill
• At a nearby community garden

Even if you're a beginner, why not give it a go?

Expert or newbie, everyone is included in our annual amazing 'I Grew This' celebratory Foodival poster:

If you would like to ask questions or get advice, or come and grow from scratch with us at Tooting Comunity Garden - all welcome on Sundays and Wednesdays, 5 North Drive SW16 1RN. Check for updates on opening on our facebook page.

NB there's a highly-recommended session on container gardening by our friend Mark Ridsdill-Smith and more at the London Permaculture Festival on Sunday 30th July - see you there.

Foodival Cooking Event

For the 10th Foodival we are planning to create a real hands-on event to show the visitors how to turn homegrown vegetables into simple and delicious meals. To do that, we will create work areas for 3 groups preparing each a part of a 3-course-menu. Each of the groups will be guided by a chef/helper.

Some home grown donations from 2015

The menu we will be broadly the following:

Starter: Pakoras – Ingredients needed: Onions, cauliflower, courgette, spinach 

Main course: Vegetable stew – Ingredients needed: Onions, carrots, potatoes, turnips, peas and any other veg including tomatoes, garlic, herbs etc.

Dessert: Fruit Crumble – Ingredients needed: Any soft fruit – apples, pears, plums, berries 

This menu will be made from donated locally grown produce - yeahhhh!

But to do that we need the green fingers of the great south-west London public.  It would be great if you could help us to realise this menu by donating some of the above ingredients. There are still two months to go so get out the watering can, the tomorite or whatever it takes!

Donations will be gratefully received on Friday afternoon, 15 September to: Mushkil Aasaan, 222 Upper Tooting Road, London SW17 7EW or let us know when you would like us to collect. Thank you very much The Foodival Team.

Foodival Logo

Loving this year's Foodival logo, Dave Mauger's simple twist on the logo used over the last few years. Yes it's the 10th Foodival unbelievably and we hope you'll want to get involved.  If you do we are meeting tomorrow night (Weds 5th July) in the King's Head at Tooting Bec at 7pm to discuss latest plans.  All welcome to contribute in whatever way!  And thank you Dave!