It’s 6:35 a.m. on a humid Saturday in a community garden on Milwaukee’s north side, and a black man is kneeling to inspect the green tomatoes starting to form on a vine. He’s singing an old Negro spiritual: I am on the battlefield for my Lord. And I promised him that I would serve him till I die. Andre Lee Ellis spends every day on the battlefield. It surrounds...
Dan Buettner has studied five places around the world where residents are famed for their longevity: Okinawa in Japan, Nicoya in Costa Rica, Icaria in Greece, and Loma Linda in California and Sardinia in Italy. People living in these so-called “blue zones” have certain factors in common – social support networks, daily exercise habits and a plant-based diet,...
Grow herbs or other leafy greens indoors under a Growbar LED light fixture or near a sunny window. (photo contributed) Gardeners know the benefits of digging in the soil. It elevates a person’s mood, improves mental and physical well-being and the outcome is always good – added beauty or tasty nutritional food. But many of us are stuck indoors for the winter,...
Agricool today announced it has raised $28 million for its system that uses specially designed trailers to grow strawberries in big cities. The Paris-based company has now raised a total of $41 million as it works to meet the growing demand for locally grown produce through technological innovation. “We are very excited about the idea of supporting urban farming...
“ATLANTA—On a 4-acre farm a few miles south of the Fulton County Jail, Abiodun Henderson swung a pickax into the soil at her feet. She kept at it until she was winded and sweating on this brisk October morning. Around her, 10 young men and women tentatively swung their own tools at the ground, loosening the soil for a set of raised beds where turmeric and...
The growing information about possible negative health effects caused by over-processed foods and artificial additives like artificial sweeteners has fueled interest in eating clean. Now more people are opting to eliminate artificial additives, such as flavors and preservatives, and replace them with simpler whole ingredients like fresh produce and whole grains. If...
The plot of land where the old Alaska Native Medical Center used to be near Ship Creek is getting a makeover. The 10-acre tract of land at Third Avenue and Ingra Street has been vacant since the hospital came down in 1992. While the overall plan for the entire space is still being discussed, the University of Alaska Anchorage and the Alaska Food Policy Council...
Growing health, fitness and fresh food movements are fueling the rise of urban backyard gardens across the country. As studies identify food as a primary component of disease prevention, people are turning away from commercial, processed and packaged foods, instead working fresh food into their diets. Gardening itself has physical and mental health benefits. The...
A new state initiative will bring an urban farm to a vacant lot in West Baltimore, but instead of growing fruits and vegetables to eat, the focus will be on plants that can be turned into natural dyes for artists, Gov. Larry Hogan’s office announced Wednesday. The inspiration comes from the governor’s trade mission to Asia in 2015, and a 2017 visit by first lady...
Ikea doesn’t just want to sell you furniture–it also wants to sell you on sustainable living. And how best to live sustainably than to grow your own food? That’s the idea behind a new line of products the Swedish company is developing with British industrial designer Tom Dixon. Due to be announced in May 2019 and released in Ikea stores in 2021, the products...
Women have been contributing to American agriculture (often invisibly) for centuries. Now, they’re stepping into the profession’s spotlight in a new way. When the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) surveyed more than 3,500 farmers under 40 in 2017, 60 percent of the farmer respondents were women. And in 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)...
“Urban farms cropping up all over Richmond are more than backyard gardens on steroids. Joe Jenkins and his wife, Whitney Maier, were growing more organic vegetables in raised beds in their backyard in North Richmond than they could eat, so he started taking some to his job at a restaurant to give to co-workers. The chef there said the arugula was better...
“The growing information about possible negative health effects caused by over-processed foods and artificial additives like artificial sweeteners has fueled interest in eating clean. Now more people are opting to eliminate artificial additives, such as flavors and preservatives, and replace them with simpler whole ingredients like fresh produce and whole grains. Watch...
“There is a small bacteria called mycobacterium that people who are suffering from depression, anxiety, or other similar issues, should know all about. Scientists claim that this – and maybe other microorganisms – has a comparable positive effect on humans as pharmaceutical have. However, it is important to mention that the negative side effects, observed...
“A real estate development in the works for Silicon Valley is bringing together affordable senior housing with an urban farm, as part of the “agrihood” movement. The project exemplifies the growing trend of combining farming and senior living, as well as the trend of multi-generational housing. An agrihood places agriculture right in the midst of residential...
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Many city residents have come to rely on small urban farms to put fresh crops on their tables as they supplement what they buy at the grocery store. “Right now we’re in the fall season so we’ve got lots of greens, you’re looking at lettuces, kale, collards, mustard greens, cabbage, radishes, all that fun stuff,” said Charlotte Haase,...
“Eco-consciousness is a hot trend. It’s become a common occurrence to see shoppers with reusable grocery totes at the supermarket. Bamboo straws are flying off shelves as people opt for eco-friendly products. Urban gardening and composting, too, has taken root as consumers try to minimize their carbon footprints. These small actions are encouraging first steps,...
“The Apprentice sent its remaining contestants into the brave new world of urban gardening in last night’s (November 14) episode, with the not-so-green-fingered candidates being asked to make London a little bit brighter. The task saw the teams set up their own urban gardening businesses, where they carried out commercial and domestic jobs for their (often...
“In the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, locals stroll through Greensgrow Farms. A couple picks up baby spinach and collard greens grown on site, while a few teenagers greet Milkshake, the farm’s resident pet pig. Neighbors ask each other for recipe ideas as they reach for bundles of fresh herbs. Looking in on this lively urban farm, it is hard to...
“Horticulture and red wine were served up the other night at the Sill, a boutique on Hester Street, as Christopher Satch, a botanist wearing a T-shirt that read, “Plants Make People Happy,” the company motto, led a workshop on carnivorous plants. It was plant stand-up — slightly blue patter with quick takes on Linnaeus and Darwin; binomial nomenclature...
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