LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) Growing right in the middle of the city are community gardens sprouting a demand for local produce.
"Oh man, it's like a whirlwind right now they are popping up everywhere. People come out and help grow their own food. I'm definitely seeing more people get interested in buying local fresh food," says Damian Thompson , Project Coordinator for the Dunbar Community Garden.
It is a project that serves not only as a place to grow your own fruits and vegetables but as a classroom to local students.
"We try to teach how to keep your food. You know, what people did when they didn't have freezers and refrigerators, your great grandparents," says Thompson.
"If you can it and can it properly, you can keep it on the shelf for a year," says Lameria Colclough-Tripplett, agent with the Pulaski County Extension Service. She says with an influx in local gardens, they are providing canning classes.
"You will actually be working in a kitchen and canning some products and be able to go home with those canned products," says Colclough-Tripplett.
Colclough-Tripplett says it's not just your grandparents canning anymore, she says young gardeners in their mid 20's are growing an interest in the old tradition . A tradition Thompson is glad is being preserved.
"With more gardens popping up and more fresh, local food being available, they're going to have to figure out what to do with the leftovers," says Colclough-Tripplett.
The first canning class will be held June 20th at the Terry Library on Napa Valley road and a workshop set for June 28-29 at the Landmark Fire Station. For more information, contact the Pulaski County Extension Service.