The Pumpkin Patch Community Garden is giving an open invitation to a free Saturday morning brunch on Aug. 15, featuring the delicious, organic produce grown onsite. Bring the whole family to celebrate summer and meet others in your community while enjoying string beans, garlic, tomatoes, cucumbers, shallots, squash, greens and herbs all grown in the garden.

The menu may change based on produce availability, but you can expect to be dining on zucchini bread, pancakes with fresh berries, scrambled eggs with tomatoes and herbs, buttered green beans, sauteed greens and garden salad — all washed down with refreshing cucumber-mint water (or similar fare).

The garden, located at the intersection of Argonne Road and Maringo Drive on the north side of the Spokane River, got its start in the early 1980s, when Elmer Williams started a pumpkin patch on the empty land there. When Williams moved, Bob Critchfield kept up the pumpkin patch, but he eventually passed away. The patch was abandoned in the early 2000s when the Argonne Bridge was widened, but community volunteers have now re-established the pumpkin patch, also adding individual community garden plots and a border of native wildflowers to support the local ecosystem.

The garden takes part of its harvest to local food banks, too.

Community gardens such as this one are vitally important when it comes to getting kids in particular excited about growing and eating healthy food — a cause that’s taking on pressing medical significance now that empty calories from solid fat and added sugar now make up about 40% of daily calories consumed by children aged 2-18.

Please RSVP if you plan on attending the brunch by emailing Joy Amado at joyamado94@gmail.com. The brunch starts at 10 a.m., and you should feel free to bring a side dish to share. You can keep up with the garden via its website or by following it on Facebook.

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