With prices at the grocery stores shooting up steadily, some among the urban hip have reacted. Their back yards have been turned into farms. That's how you can tell they're hip -- it's always been cool to be as self-reliant as possible.
This summer their families have been eating fresh produce that had only to travel from the back yard to the table. In their pursuit of gardening bliss, some of these green hipsters have been networking. Now there's something of a movement afoot in Richmond.
Curious about urban farming?
Click here to visit River City Harvest.
Since 1985, in various formats, SLANT -- an independent voice based in Richmond's Fan District -- has offered its readers original commentary on politics and popular culture, including cartoons and selected sundries. Warning: Sometimes that means satirical content. All rights are reserved.
4 comments:
Heh. Some of these "urban farmers" charge even more extortionate prices for their produce..
anonymous,
Huh?
Some of them flog their produce at rates higher than the farmers at the weekly markets..
Well, I guess they don't sell much then, eh? In my trips to the markets I've only seen the local farms represented, so I'm unfamiliar with back yard gardeners selling their stuff there.
Seriously though, back yard 'farming' is the antidote to higher priced local produce. For many people the locally grown produce available at the farmer's markets and at Ellwood Thompson's is simply out of reach economically. Growing your own produce is much more affordable and much easier than a lot of people realized. The movement to turn the back yard or balcony or front porch into a kitchen garden is being driven by issues of food safety, land use, food stability, and environmental consciousness, not profit. I'd be really surprised if someone managed to make any serious cash off of their back yard zucchinis.
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