BU Urban Ag Course Wraps up with Potluck
Students in Boston University’s Urban Agriculture course celebrated the end of classes at a potluck held in the Victory Garden on June 28. The course, led by Professor Rachel Black, gave students an overview of the social, cultural, political and city-planning aspects of growing food in the city, as well as an opportunity to learn basic cultivation skills.
The abundance of tomatoes, peas, radishes and marigolds the students planted and in the Accessibility Garden gets an A-plus.
Urban Agriculture student Dan Amstutz looks after the class’s radishes
The evening opened with Prof. Black asking her students, some of whom are first-time gardeners, to share their impressions about the hands-on experience. One student mentioned the need for patience and another how eagerly she awaited rain so she wouldn’t need to water — welcome to gardening! The students then gave summaries of the class projects they carried out. The scope of the projects was vast, ranging from the politics and perception of the public space to the challenges facing the restauranteur wishing to cook with locally grown food to gardens for children.
After closing remarks by Prof. Black in which she thanked the Fenway Garden Society, FGS president Mike Mennonno, and her students for a successful collaboration, it was down to the business of sampling the goodies the company brought to the potluck.
Helping herself to more salad
What’s next for the Urban Agriculture students? Prof. Black says, “The students have agreed that they want to keep tending the garden. Next year we’re thinking of applying for a garden as a communal plot on behalf of the BU gastronomy program.” In the meantime, check out http://gastronomesgarden.wordpress.com/ to dig deep into urban agriculture.
(Photos and story by Bruno Rubio)
