Tag Archives: KCC Urban Farm

Upcoming food & green career panels & job fairs

Some upcoming opportunities to network and learn about jobs in the green world and beyond…
  • Urban Agriculture and Green Careers Symposium – Friday, 3/25, 1pm-4pm – RSVP HERE – The Brooklyn College Student Center at 1 Campus Rd, Brooklyn, NY 11210 in the Alumni Lounge (4th Floor)
    • When you picture careers in sustainable agriculture in the 21st Century, we want you to think beyond Old McDonald and his farm. At the Urban Agriculture and Green Careers Symposium, get inspired by a panel of  industry professionals who are thinking differently about the ways we produce food, the spaces where we farm, and the communities that are involved in agriculture. We’ll be speaking with New York City industry leaders about their personal path to these non-traditional careers, the
      opportunities for education and job pathways in this sector, and their vision for the future of agriculture in our cities. Remember to bring a photo I.D. with you in order to access this event.

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A Community Chef for Bringing it Home

Bringing it Home (BiH) has begun! Well, not quite yet. Our Community Chef, Maya Stansberry, has just come on board to organize and lead BiH. It’s a big task, but we have no doubt of her ability to make BiH a huge success! Check out her background:

10615500_786735728015111_2491788180558449339_nPrior to taking on the responsibilities of BiH’s Community Chef, Maya was a student of Kingsborough’s Culinary Art’s program and also worked as a student aide at KCC Urban Farm. After graduating in 2015, she went on to study sustainable agricultural practices at the University of California Santa Cruz. In the midst of getting her hands dirty, Maya deepened her awareness of the inequalities throughout the current food system, further fueling her desire to be a resource to others and develop ways to make cooking a part of their unique lives. In addition to her work with BiH, Maya is attending Hunter College’s Food Science and Nutrition program.

Please join us in welcoming her!

Read more about Bringing it Home at the program’s homepage.

Dahlias: from the Aztecs to Brooklyn

 

IMG_4802By Anastasiya Novikova, KCC Farm Student Aide

When I recently began working at the farm, the first thing that came to sight were all of the Dahlias in the hoop house. They were all in full bloom on an early September day. My admiration came from the colors. They were beautifully sprouting yellows, purples, whites and pinks. I also analyzed how the petals create a very interesting shape. I knew from that day on that I wanted to maintain and keep them growing to the best of my abilities. A couple of months passed at work and I grew a deeper appreciation for these flowers when it came to arranging bouquets with our Farm Manager, Cris. I was so happy to learn a new skill and decorate our vegetable distribution for students with our carefully sorted flower bunches. The best part was after our mini farmers market, I got to choose my favorite vase with Dahlias the size of my face.

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Social Innovation Fund’s Project Rise Evaluation

In our 5 years Kingsborough’s Project Rise has seen so many program and student accomplishments and we couldn’t be more proud. MDRC and the Social Innovation Fund just released a report, Engaging Disconnected Young People in Education and Work, that evaluates Project Rise in its 5 sites (Kingsborough, FEGS, and Henry Street Settlement in New York, Rutgers in New Jersey, and the Full Employment Council in Kansas City, MO).

In this report, KCC’s Project Rise was recognized, among other things, for our collaboration with the College that provided resources to both staff and students—KCC Urban Farm as the pre-internship site, referrals to KCC’s Single Stop for social service benefits, the opportunity to bank college credits, etc.

In a message to her staff, Associate Director of KCC’s Project Rise, Dina LiMandri, said: “There’s a story that the report won’t tell. One about growth and development, leadership and management, interdisciplinary team approaches, and what it takes to create a culture of engagement.” Without a team that brought “a perfect balance of creativity, organization, temperament, and strategy…” our services would look completely different.

Across all sites, Project Rise has been wildly successful:
Project Rise SIF report 2015 cover-1

  • More than 91% received some HSE preparation.
  • About 72% began internships and over half of those worked more than 120 hours.
  • Within 12 months, 25% earned a high school equivalency credential or high school diploma.
  • About 25% entered unsubsidized employment.

Go Project Rise!

Bringing it Home at KCC Urban Farm

KCC Urban Farm was just awarded a grant from Ample Table for Everyone, a non-profit that works to “mitigate food insecurity in the five boroughs of New York City by addressing the key causes: lack of time, lack of money, inaccessibility to nutritious food, and unfamiliarity with a variety of healthy ingredients, cooking methods and recipes.”

distribution fall15Our program, Bringing it Home, will teach participants basic cooking skills using both familiar and unfamiliar produce. BiH will empower everyone with the skills and confidence to cook at home for themselves and their families.

Visit Bringing it Home on the blog to find out more about the program including the schedule of workshops and recipes that have been created by students and staff.

See you on the Farm!

 

KCC Urban Farm Veggie of the Week: Ground Cherries

groundcherries

Recipes by student Farmer Chef Lilja with the assistance of Farmer Mike

KCC Urban Farm Veggie of the Week: Ground Cherries (Physalis Pruinosa)

FACTS

  • Ground cherries are thought to be originated in Central and South America.
  • The ground cherry is a species of Physalis, and it is technically a fruit. It is part of the nightshade family, which includes tomatoes, eggplants, and tomatillos.
  • It is best to plant ground cherries indoors 6-7 weeks before transplant. Transplanting takes place after the danger of frost has passed, and the soil is warm.
  • Ground cherries can produce up to 300 fruits per plant, and can keep going until frost season.

RECIPES:

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A Slice of Farm Life: Mount Compost

By Benjamin Hanon, KCC Urban Farm student aide10559659_777328102289207_4604875111502288765_n

 

Today’s story is about turning our compost pile, with the help of the nice folks over at the Liberty Partnerships Program at Kingsborough.

In the deepest depths of the kingdom of Kingsborough’s Urban Farm, towards the T1 building and behind the student beds lies the mysterious Mount Compost. Rumor has it that this mountain is made of garden waste and the bodies of fruits and vegetables that never get eaten. They say that mysterious figures wearing sun hats and farm clothes add to the mountain every week. It is believed that otherworldly forces transform this plant matter into soil. I know the truth. Mount Compost is made of much more than just the bodies of our fallen plant brethren. Mount Compost is composed of a network of of Bacteria, Fungi, and Protists that digest plant matter and convert it into the rich soil that we use on the farm.

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Farm Hands

By Lilja Walter, KCC Urban Farm student aide11222936_1021180417903973_6387449318426881408_o

Every day I look at the progression of the tan on my arms. I trace over the marks and splotches that the plants have bestowed upon my epidermal layer. They are the gentle kisses that the farm leaves behind after a hard days labor. On the train I am wrapped in my cozy dirt blanket. The light dusting protects all of my exposed parts from the cold train car, allowing me to rest rather than shiver. As I am lulled into sleep I admire the soil locked behind my fingernails. I feel my fingers worming through the land as I try to free my loves from the saboteur weeds stealing their nutrients.

I dig my arms deeper into the soil.

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A Slice of Farm Life: Tales From the Field

By Ben Hanon, KCC Urban Farm Student Aide

11728985_1018128301542518_8488368696964078306_o

Today’s story is about staff distribution, one of the most exciting times of the year. We hope you enjoy!

The sign outside the farm gate seemed simple enough. It told the staff and faculty what time the distribution of vegetables began. 11:30 A.M. on the dot, never a second too early, and never a second too late. From the back of the farm looking out, the farm crew could see a sea of bodies. Bodies of people who had dedicated themselves to two things. The first was serving the Kingsborough community to the best of their ability, the second was getting their farm fresh organic veggies before our stock ran low. This crowd had been waiting all year as students came and went as they pleased to student only distributions of produce. They were ready, they were hungry, and we were ready to serve them.

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