Jackson Free Press

The Mississippi Agriculture and Forestry Museum will host its annual Mississippi Pickle Fest on Saturday, June 12, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Pickle Fest celebrates fermented foods of all kinds, including pickles, kimchi, sauerkraut, pickled vegetables and more. The outdoor event will also feature live music, games, contests, food vendors and more.

General admission is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 3-17, military personnel and seniors. For more information, call 601-432-4500, email [email protected] or visit msagmuseum.org/events/mississippi-pickle-fest.

Jackson Chef Eddie Wright Receives Kingsford Grant

Jackson chef Eddie Wright, owner of the Eddie Wright BBQ food truck, recently received a $7,500 grant from charcoal manufacturer Kingsford as part of the company's newly launched Preserve the Pit program.

Kingsford launched Preserve the Pit in January 2021. The company chose winners from roughly 1,000 applicants based on their contributions to the Black barbecuing community, a release from Visit Mississippi says, with the focus of the grant program being to "preserve the culture and history of Black barbecue in America."

Wright is one of ten recipients to receive the stipend and will take part in a fellowship program with Kingsford.

For more information on Preserve the Pit, visit preservethepit.com. For information on Eddie Wright BBQ, visit the food truck's Facebook page.

Fertile Ground Documentary Airing on MPB

"Fertile Ground," a documentary on the City of Jackson's ongoing struggles as a "food desert," will air on Mississippi Public Broadcasting TV on June 10 at 7 p.m., with a re-airing scheduled for June 21 at 5 p.m.

The documentary covers challenges Jackson residents face in finding healthy food options and policy failures that limit access to grocery stores and fresh food, as well as interviews with farmers, food activists and city leaders. The documentary is part of the Bloomberg Philanthropies Public Art Challenge, which former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg launched in partnership with Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba in 2018.

As part of the project, Bloomberg donated $1 million to Jackson to fund public art installations throughout the city, as well as performance art, a podcast series and a roadmap to improve the city's food policies.

The Fertile Ground documentary is also part of a larger initiative called “Fertile Ground: Inspiring Dialogue About Food Access”, which uses public art as a medium to inspire dialogue about food access in Jackson, a release from Visit Mississippi says.

For more information about the Fertile Ground project, visit fertilegroundjxn.com. To view a trailer for the Fertile Ground documentary, visit fertilegroundjxn.com/the-film.