Grow your own dang food
January 30, 2006
Back in the eighties, as a student at the University California at Santa Cruz, I lived in a vegetarian commune with a bunch of hippies. As hippies, we produced our own sprouts, yoghurt and salsa fresca for the entire commune, approximately thirty people. I had all but forgotten this part of my life until recently, when my Food Atelier students at the Design Academy Eindhoven started working on ways to grow their own food. The work of two enthusiastic students got my wings flapping enough for me to dare revisit my past. These are the images from the first trials, theirs and mine.
After initial attempts at growing mung sprouts in bread (see above), Cygalle Shapiro is successfully growing a ready-made 'salad on salad'.
images top to bottom: sprouts in bread, salad on salad, sprouting experiments courtesy of Cygalle Shapiro, copyright Cygalle Shapiro 2005 - 2006. Contact culiblog for further information.
Liora Rosin is growing sprouts in labneh, a fresh yoghurt cheese, commonly made at home. For Rosin it is important that the seeds are grown within the labneh in order to transmit the flavour of the sprouted seed into the delicately tangy cheese.
images top to bottom: home sprouting installation, soaking, lactic fermentation sill; courtesy of Liora Rosin, copyright Liora Rosin 2005 - 2006
Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all had a designated windowsill for lactic fermentation?
Having resolved to practice what I preach in 2006, I am also working on growing sprouts on labneh and find that the experiments coördinate nicely with my developing a good recipe for yoghurt ravioli.
This is a cute disaster of basil seeds rotting into overly dry labneh. Seeds that become gelatinous when they are moistened (e.g., basil, buckwheat, watercress) are poor candidates for immediate immersion on or in the yoghurt medium.
images top to bottom: sprout collection 2x, basil on labneh, playing with mistakes, pretending sampler, curd seed brittle; Debra Solomon
The results of an unsuccessful attempt at growing woody spice seeds (dill, coriander, cumin, kummel) in yoghurt medium with the intention of flavouring the labneh were not especially delicious, although visually exciting. The linen and the seeds texture the labneh beautifully and I look forward to spin a few successful recipes from these experiments soon.
Lori Alden's cheese definition site
N55: Manual for city farming plant modules
N55: Manual for home hydroponic unit
Sproutman's sprout bag. Any idiot can make one, but Sproutman is somehow selling them! My experience is that growing sprouts on wet linen works much better than growing them in jars. I have never tried sprouting in a linen bag.
Here are other urban gardening solutions, mostly rooftop gardening related:
- Rooftop Gardening link hub. Yes, it's a trend!
- Plant vegetables on your rooftops, like they do in Egyptian cities
- Toronto rooftop gardening project
- Greening Gothan Project, NYC also on the roof
- BLDG blog on rooftop farming in London
- Treehugger reports on Toronto rooftop gardening facts and figures
technorati tags: rooftop gardening, urban gardening, food security, sustainability, farming, food-related design, agricultural diversification
debra at 11:52 AM January 30, 2006 | post to del.icio.us
Comments
I loved that ready made salad!
posted by Isil at January 30, 2006 02:37 PM
Isn't it cool, Cygalle really made it beautiful!
posted by Debra Solomon at January 30, 2006 02:49 PM
I love it! Your very own edible chia pet.
posted by Elise at January 30, 2006 07:34 PM
Wonderful sequence! Next chapter: the lunch growing in an old pair of gardening socks I found underneath your bed following your last visit. (Just kidding: there's not nearly enough early spring growth to make a whole meal).
posted by john thackara at January 31, 2006 08:27 AM
I miss my socks...
posted by Debra at February 1, 2006 07:05 AM
Food, hobby, and design. This is awesome.
posted by Matt at February 1, 2006 04:48 PM
This is a fascinating post.Makes me want to start experimenting with growing and sprouting things too.
I love the tales of gardening on your plot and observations about gender and crops/ gender and chefs.
posted by deccanheffalump at February 4, 2006 01:06 PM
Thank you very much. I'm enjoying your blog very much right now.
posted by Debra at February 5, 2006 11:27 PM
