Spot-On: Urban Farming
You can read the complate article at Spot-On.
I use a Nikon D40 for all my photography now and love it. Click here for a review.
Monday, April 07, 2008
You can read the complate article at Spot-On.
Favorite Blogs
- An Obession with Food
- Anne's Food
- Becks & Posh
- Belly Timber
- Brownie Points
- David Lebovitz
- Diary of the Food Whore
- Dispensing Happiness
- Farmgirl Fare
- The Food Section
- I Heart Bacon
- I'm Mad and I Eat
- Kalyn's Kitchen
- Kitchen Parade
- KitchenMage
- Meathenge
- Saute Wednesday
- Simply Recipes
- S'Kat and the Food
- Slashfood
- Stephen Cooks
- The Traveler's Lunchbox
Disclaimer: Most quantities in recipes are approximate. Adjust as needed according to your taste and experience. Unless otherwise specified, eggs are large and butter is unsalted.
6 Comments:
I'm wondering if it's going to get even more popular as food prices continue to rise. I am finally starting on this year (have planned it for the past 2 but keep getting thwarted), and as we were looking at seedlings and seeds I commented to my husband that the cantalope seedling I was buying was $2.20 so if we even get one normal sized melon off of it we broke even. 2 and we saved ourselves some money.
I have wanted one because after my mother died I spent alot of time with my grandparents and my grandfather always had a large garden. Some of my earliest memories are digging potatoes with him, and picking wild black berries.
I think making pickles is going to be a new venture for me as the cucumer seeds I started are really taking off (I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn't poor rain again this evening so I can get them transplated)
Nice job, Kevin. As we speak, the fava beans and peas are muscling their way out of the soil. Spinach, beats and greens of many sorts have germinated and I think the lettuces are not far behind. We also have a large potato bed, and so many more summer crops in the offing. We are still harvesting hearty greens that overwintered for our spring salad, the rhubarb is in its second year and yesterday I made a sorrel sauce for a poached chicken breast. Tomorrow I'll be harvesting rutabaga for a souffle.
It's great having a garden a mile from the White House.
Ed Bruske
Courtney,
Although the numbers may grow, I don't think home gardening will become mainstream. Gardening requires both space and time, something the affluent have more of than those who are most sensitive to food prices.
Ed,
Thanks for talking to me, I think doing the piece focused on you and Lane rather than as geeral reportage or analysis made for a much better story. And I read the sorrel sauce recipe, love that stuff!
No I don't think it is for everyone, but it is feasible for people like stay at home moms, who's children are school aged, or old enough to help and cash might be tight, but not tight enough to get a job. I am lucky that I work from home so I can do 10 minutes of weeding and picking here and there.
I've been an urban gardener for a good 15 years now. One thing I have noticed over probably the last five years in Australia is that every season, there is an increasing amount of fruit and vegetable varieties developed for container gardening. Fruit trees, pumpkins, watermelon, carrots, you name it! There's a container variety.
I agree with Courtney that rising food prices do increase the general interest. As does concern with unhealthy farming methods and the expense of organic food.
Gardening is a commitment and involves plenty of work though in a a time impoverished society, I think urban gardeners will remain in the minority.
I grew up on a farm and now live in downtown DC in an apartment with no balcony. Luckily I have big windows, so I have lined wine crates full of soil with parsley, radishes, lettuc and so on growing in them, along with various potted flowers and houseplants. One year I found an empty tree square next to the side walk 2 blocks from my place and I planted it full of hot peppers and zinnias. My hot peppers all got stolen, but the zinnias gave me free cut flowers all summer. Then the DC gov noticed the spot and put a tree in.
Everytime I see a tiny front yard with nothing interesting growing in it, or an empty balcony I think what a waste! I could be growing veggies on that balcony/in that yard!
So, if you know of anyone in DC who wants to donate some space for me to garden, Ill be happy to show up, shovel in hand (I store it next to my fridge).
You can take the farmer off the farm, but you cant take the farm out of the farmer.
Thanks for this article and for letting me rant:)
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