The Jeju City Rural New Vitality Plus Project Promotion Team (Director Lee Jae-geun, hereinafter referred to as the Promotion Team) announced that it had successfully completed the ‘2024 Jeju Field Meal Festival’.
The Jeju Field Meal Campaign is a project that promotes the value and competitiveness of Jeju field crops, establishes a foundation for self-reliant development in rural areas of Jeju City through various resources based on tangible and intangible resources of rural areas, and breathes new vitality into them. It has met consumers through various programs over the past three years. come.
In the first year of 2022, with the concept of ‘a wonderful meal prepared with Jeju field crops’, we held a program to experience a variety of Jeju field crops, such as a chef’s wonderful vegetarian course meal, a picnic inside Batdam, and a talk show with various producers. The following year, In 2023, a campaign was conducted by expanding the scope of participants and field crops under the theme of ‘Enjoying the wonderful daily life with Jeju field crops’. Various entities, including producers, consumers, and researchers, worked to confirm the appeal of Jeju field crops and increase their value through action groups, workshops, and local base activation programs, and ‘Bread Jeju Field Meals’ developed and sold recipes with local bakeries. The program received attention.
In 2024, in order to end the journey of the past three years with a festival, the ‘Jeju Field Meal Festival’ was held in various places in Jeju City from November 1 to 12, consisting of various programs to enjoy the charm of Jeju field crops with all five senses. In particular, the ‘Jeju Farmers’ Market Forum’, which was a venue for communication about the value and future of agriculture, and programs that involved traveling around Jeju City while tasting Jeju field crops received a great response.
The ‘Jeju Farmers Market Forum’ held at the Jeju Upcycling Center on November 1st and 2nd attracted attention as it was able to point out the value and meaning of farmers markets. The event, which brought together a large number of people interested in everything from agriculture and farmers’ markets to local food and community resilience, gained added meaning as producers leading the agricultural market directly participated and discussed their own difficulties and the development potential of the current market.
A unique program that allowed you to feel Jeju field crops with your whole body, which was previously only eaten and tasted, ended with positive reviews. ‘Time to taste Jeju’s seasons from late summer to early winter’ held in Seonheul-ri, Jocheon-eup, Jeju-si on the 1st was designed as a healing process of slowly walking through the forest fields of Baekhwa-dong, starting with the World Natural Heritage Geomun Oreum, enjoying the scenery, and collecting and tasting field crops. .
‘Seonheul Table’, which made vegan lunch boxes with Jeju field crops last year, returned with the ‘Flower Dumble Picnic’, participating in the campaign again this year and further expanding the program. The event held in Jocheon on the 2nd was evaluated as a fruitful program that consisted of enjoying the autumn scenery with Han Gyeong-sook and Samchun, eating a ‘healing lunch box’ made from field crops in a flower garden, and talking about ‘food that comforts me’. In addition, the ‘Unobviously Fun Jeju Field Crop Sports Festival’, in which the whole family learned about the life cycle of field crops while playing games in nature, ended with a positive response.
The event that caught the attention of participants in this year’s Jeju Field Meal Campaign was definitely ‘Mirage Restaurant‘. At ‘Mirage Restaurant’, which was held for one day on the 9th, 12 local restaurants that participated in the ‘More Jeju Field Meals’ project introduced 24 new menus that had never existed in the world using Jeju field crops such as beets, carrots, and green barley.
A group of 200 tasters from all over the country tasted a variety of dishes including Korean, Western, brunch, and desserts, and then selected the best dishes. As a result of the vote, △ the menu featuring farm crops as the main character was vegetarian, 7/5’s ‘Jeju native purple glutinous barley arancini’, △ the delicious menu was Posh Nosh’s ‘Jeju Pink Keema Curry’, △ the novel taste was Caffeine Farm’s ‘ ‘Jeju Sunset Sorbet’ was selected. In addition, the menu that received the most votes, including the menu I would like to recommend, was Writer’s Block’s ‘Jeju Field Crop Salad’.
The menus released at Mirage Restaurant have also started selling at each store. A map containing information on restaurants and programs participating in Jeju Bathan Meal, including Mirage Restaurant participating companies, can be downloaded from the Jeju Bathanki website (jejubaat.com).
The ‘Jeju Field Meal Campaign’ will continue in the future. Various entities that have participated in the campaign for the past three years, planning and researching the program, will improve and develop the program proactively, and the menus and products developed in the campaign will continue to meet consumers. Related news is shared through the website and Instagram channel (@jejubaat).
Lee Jae-geun, head of the promotion team, said, “The Jeju Field Meal Campaign, which has publicized the charm of Jeju field crops, has received a great response as a festival that leads a healthy and sustainable food culture starting with Jeju field crops.” He added, “We will continue to have many people participate and enjoy the festival in the future.” We plan to continue the campaign. In particular, in the future, we plan to establish a platform to sell everything from recipes to products and services so that the Jeju Field Meal campaign can establish itself as a brand symbolizing Jeju field crops, and we are also planning to collaborate with participating companies in Jeju Field Meals, so please give us a lot of interest. “He said.
Jeju’s socio-economic landscape.
Welcome to World Today News! We’re pleased to introduce our guests for today’s interview - Lee Jae-geun, the director of Jeju City Rural New Vitality Plus Project Promotion Team, and two participants who were involved in the 2024 Jeju Field Meal Festival. Lee, could you tell us more about the Jeju Field Meal Campaign and its significance for rural areas of Jeju City?
Lee Jae-geun: Thank you for having me. The Jeju Field Meal Campaign is a project that has been running for three years now. Its objective is to promote the unique value of Jeju field crops, establish a sustainable development plan for rural areas based on these crops, and revitalize the local economy. We have been organizing various events and programs that bring together farmers, producers, consumers, and researchers to showcase the versatility and appeal of Jeju field crops. The festival is an important occasion to celebrate the success of these efforts.
Participant 1: As someone who attended the Jeju Field Meal Festival, I can say that it really highlights the importance of local produce. It’s encouraging to see so many people come together to support the farmers and appreciate the hard work that goes into growing these crops. The programs were not only informative but also fun and engaging. What do you think has been the biggest impact of the festival on the community?
Participant 2: I completely agree! One of the programs that stood out for me was ’Seonheul Table’, where we got to eat vegan lunch boxes made from Jeju field crops while enjoying the scenic views. It was a great way to appreciate the beauty of the island and learn more about the local culture. I believe events like these help to foster a sense of community and pride in Jeju’s agricultural heritage.
Lee Jae-geun: The response to this year’s festival has been overwhelmingly positive. Not only did we see an increase in participation, but we also witnessed more collaboration among different entities involved in the campaign. This demonstrates a growing recognition of the importance of Jeju field crops and their potential to create jobs and generate revenue for rural communities. We hope to continue building upon this momentum and make the campaign an integral part of
