I attended the most of a spaghetti dinner and presentation on Food in the City tonight (missed the 'ghetti unfortunately). With presentations on everything from backyard poultry to a yogurt-making-and-sharing cooperative to subirrigated gardening to the 'ag bag' project (tyvek growing bags slung over windowsills, staircases, fences, you name it, started in NYC and coming to Boston soon), it was a great time.
Perhaps even better than the evening's program was visiting its venue: Sprout. This is an incredible space, basically a big 2 story garage that has been converted into the following (their website says it better than I can): "a community education and research organization devoted to creating and supporting the community-driven learning, teaching, and investigation of science...united by a passion to reclaim science as a richly personal and creative craft."
Basically, as the evening's moderator described it, Sprout is dedicated to fostering playful, practical, and approachable science-based inquiry into people's problems and interests. It is an open studio of sorts, an incubator, a communal laboratory, and it seems really cool. I had no idea something like this even existed, but then again I know very little about what goes on in Somerville. I don't know the everyday logistics or what goes on there besides tinkering and events, but I will be going back 2 weeks from tomorrow (okay, really from today) for a project night on ag bag construction. I hope to come home with my very own ag bag so I can be part of this nifty urban agriculture experiment.
Did you know snails are the fashionable new urban meat? Who can say no to a vertical grazing animal? Hmm...I don't think any snails will come with the bag.
Speaking of creepy crawly critters, there is a tub of worms sitting in the basement of the Hive! I am excited for this chance to dabble in vermiculture, and I hope that I can use the castings to help grow some tasty vegetables this season.
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