Urban Farming!
Hello, E. Bites Fans! It's been a very busy week here in the land of internet-cooking-television. We've barely had time to tie our shoe laces let alone blog. Thankfully, however, the pace of my week is slowing, and I have some time to tell you about the Urban Farming Workshop Ben and I attended this weekend!
The content of the class: Hydroponic farming. Disclaimer: there is nothing illegal going on on this blog or in my apartment -GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER! Ben and I just want to grow tomatoes - TOMATOES, nothing herbal! Well, maybe basil. Is basil an herb? Great now I'm all off topic. ANYWAY-
We went to the Urban Farming Workshop on Sunday to learn how to grow plants in our apartment using Hydroponic farming - a method of growing using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, no soil. Its cool because it allows you to grow year round, and it doesn't take much space.
The class was hosted by Lee Mandell of Boswyck Farms, in Bushwick. He's kind of like a mad farming scientist, beard and everything. He taught us how to assemble a self contained Hydroponic system, like the one above. It was sort of complicated to put together; I don't think I could recreate it on my own, but now that I have it, I think it'll be an interesting experiment in apartment gardening, and I'm excited to start growing my own tomatoes! I suppose I'm a local farmer now - how cool am I, seriously?
The class was really affordable - $30 for the lesson and $50 for the Hydro kit, which Ben and I split. So, $55 in total. Not too shabby considering other culinary type classes in the city usually range from $100 to $200.
I'm going to buy some seeds today or tomorrow and I'll keep everyone posted on my progress. Woo hoo! I truly think If I can grow tomatoes, then so can the rest of you. My thumbs are by no means green, forreal.
Any suggestions of what I should make once my tomatoes are ready?
Anyone interested in taking this class, email [email protected] to get the date of the next workshop.
Happy farming/eating!
Tags: Brooklyn, classes, culinary school, hydroponic farming, Boswyck farms, Urban Farming, Lee Mandell, tomatoes, apartment gardening