The vastness in the sites’ abilities to foster diverse spaces of learning, growth, and community strength was extremely clear this week. Sammi and I were privileged enough this week to experience a breadth of what farming across the urban landscape looks like.
On Monday we got to try our hand at planting a variety of mushrooms including wine caps and oyster varieties. After watching a video explaining the many ways that we could plant mushrooms throughout the garden we began planting in a lasagna style throughout some beds and exposed laundry baskets. we’re hoping for the mushrooms to begin to fruit within the next season if not sooner! We also had the amazing opportunity to join volunteers and community members in a yoga class run by Jane at Kelly St. Garden in The Bronx. Though this isn’t the first time a seated, accessible yoga class has been run at the Bronx garden, it was the first time I got to join the class. It goes to show the versatility of programming at the site and the attention to community care that is valued by all.
Tapan, Sammi, and I finally got to meet with Red Hook’s new community chef, Maya. The three of us plus Brian discussed the impact, purpose, and uses for the virtual reality project and how she could see herself and her cooking lessons with community youth into the experience. Similarly, Sammi and I began discussing our very own cooking demo this week and began to brainstorm what we would want to make, and when and where we would want to host it.
With Wednesday came a brand new experience when we visited the Pink Houses site in Brooklyn. The garden, which is nestled between three NYCHA buildings and a relatively quiet road was stunning in a way unique from any other urban farming site we have visited thus far. Kelly, the garden manager gave us a tour of the many beds, the new greenhouse, and the story of the only 6-year-old garden. We then joined her and Eliana in setting insect traps as a part of her Cornell Cooperative Extension internship.
Thursday and Friday both brought a bounty of joy and the rewards of hard work, both in receiving the Cornell grant money which Sammi and I applied for three weeks ago and in sharing beautiful food with amazing people at Friday’s New Roots potluck. A massive woodchip and mycelium delivery to Queens on Thursday did nothing less than test our strength and ability to work together to get the job done. And of course, it isn’t a Thursday at New Roots Queens if Cameroon isn’t laying out an abundant post-work feast for us to devour!
