Erie Community College (ECC) is getting onboard the grassroots gardening bandwagon this summer, by offering a new farm-to-table program that gives students a chance to explore the food industry from a whole different level. The first of two farm-to-table courses began this week, with students descending upon Canalside, where they are currently tending to a substantial plot of land donated by the Erie Canal Harbor Development Corporation (ECHDC). Additional land is also being made available at the college campus.
Along with the ins and outs of planting, tending and reaping, the students will be learning about the benefits of organic foods, as they pertain to growing, cooking, eating, and even distribution. The harvests reaped throughout the growing season will ultimately make their way to local restaurants and food banks. Program leaders also hoping to sell produce at the Canalside Saturday Artisan Market.
From soil health to healthy cooking, the two sessions aim to teach students about the benefits of growing sustainable food in their own backyards. A number of local chefs and speakers will help by offering valuable information regarding what to grow, when to reap, and how to best get the produce on the plates.
From ECC:
- The first course, currently underway, HC 142 AB, “Learning in a Working Garden I,” covers topics such as soil health, choosing plants and growing plants from seeds. It runs from 8:30am to 10:45am Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during Summer Session 1, May 26 – July 2.
- The second course, HC 143 BB2 “Learning in a Working Garden II,” will cover cooking and the nutritional value of eating fresh local produce as it becomes available. It will run from 8:30 to 10:45 a.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays during Summer Session 2, July 6 – Aug. 14.
For more information, visit this Facebook page. You can also register at ECC or online. You don’t have to be working toward a degree to take the courses. These are three-credit courses. This course will be offered as part of the ongoing ECC curriculum.
*Both classes are being taught by Jody Allsbrook, a chef who started a rooftop garden at the Buffalo Club and a satellite garden at Organic 3 Cafe in the Elmwood Village, and Kristin Goss, assistant professor of culinary arts at ECC.
Harbor Center | 100 Washington Street | Buffalo, NY
Lead image: Tomato seedlings from ECC garden – Photo courtesy the Learning Garden by Erie Community College at Canalside