Victory Garden Exhibit at the Museum of the San Ramon Valley

Now  through September 18 stop by the Museum of the San Ramon Valley and learn about Victory Gardens and 1940s kitchens in the San Ramon Valley. During World War II our own Valley families participated in growing Victory Gardens, reducing the pressure on the public food supply and indirectly aiding the war effort. Today, many Valley families are once again tending their own gardens. A garden has been planted in front of the Museum and its bounty will be donated to a local food bank.

During the WW II era in the San Ramon Valley, the 1940s kitchen became a beehive of activity where corn, peas, beans, tomatoes and carrots all made their way from crop to kettle into sculpted glass jars to be stored in pantries and cellars, sustaining families through the winter. A 1940s kitchen is on display at the Museum and on alternating Saturdays (July 31, August 14 & 28, and September 11) ladies who have a passion for canning will give demonstrations to visitors at the Museum.

Also on display is a potting shed, with tools of the past showing how gardening became the vital first step in this effort of sustainability. Local Master Gardeners have planted a garden in front of the Museum and will be presenting  planting tips and ideas for Valley residents to create and enhance their own gardens on alternating Saturdays (August 7 & 21, and September 4 & 18). Crops that are grown in the Museum's garden will be collected and donated weekly to a local Food Bank.

The exhibit also includes information on WWII in the San Ramon Valley and people's memories of the Port Chicago local disaster in 1944.

For more information about canning and gardening demonstrations, please go to www.museumsrv.org  or call 925-837-3750.