Concrete Harvest

By: Katherine Montalto | October 04 2010
Posted in Grow It - Detroit

Photo: Katherine Montalto

Early on the evening October 1st a group of gardeners, urban farmers, beekeepers, and those that love fresh food gathered behind St. Andrews on Wayne State University campus for the third annual Seed Harvest Dinner.  The sun hung low in the sky peaking through fluffy pink clouds. The air was crisp, just cool enough to keep warm with a light jacket, the perfect temperature for touring Seed's community gardens.  Members of Detroit Fresh, Detroit Black Food Security, Garden Resource, and Green Toe Garden Bees mingled, sharing garden tips, admiring the harvest, and tasting herbs.

The first garden on the tour was the St. Andrew's Allotment Garden, each of the sixteen 4ft by 8ft beds are tended by a student group all learning how to garden organically together.  The second garden on the tour was the Warrior Demonstration Garden located behind the undergraduate library. The Warrior Garden is used as a teaching garden. The produce harvested from the garden is donated to the Capuchin Soup Kitchen or sold at campus farmers markets to help support student organizations. The third garden on campus is the Experimental Garden on the roof top of parking structure five. This garden is used by the science departments to conduct experiments related to atmospheric and soil-borne pollution of gardens by lead and other heavy metals.

The tour ended with the Harvest dinner sponsored by AVI Fresh. Most of the ingredients on the menu were sourced locally by WSU Farmer's Market, Eastern Market, and the Warrior Demonstration Garden.  The meal started with panzanella and a wild green salad, followed by a spiced butternut soup. The main dishes were a pan seared white bean cake, cornmeal dusted tofu, and quinoa pumpkin stuffing. Dessert was old fashioned baked cinnamon Michigan apples and pumpkin spice cake.

The dinner is chance for all those involved in the urban farming movement in Detroit to join minds and create new ways to expand their efforts and generate excitement in the community.

Are you involved in community gardens? What's your favorite city garden?