On Saturday we learned about urban gardening and enjoyed a fresh homemade meal at the 7th annual FEASt Fest!
After our recent travels to Mexico and Ireland, it was nice to have a fairly relaxing Something Saturday at a community event. FEASt Fest took place at City Hall and was organized by Food Action Education St. John’s (FEASt), a community organization that supports sustainable, local food initiatives. This year, FEASt Fest consisted of workshops and activities related to local food production, booths from community organizations, a homemade lunch, and a panel discussion on gardening later in the afternoon.
After we arrived, we walked around the various information booths until the rotating workshops started. The first workshop we attended was about growing plants indoors using LED grow lights. It was fascinating to learn how LED technology has been applied to gardening and how useful the lights can be. LED grow lights only emit the wavelengths that can be absorbed by plants and their reduced power consumption means that they can apparently last 8-12 years with everyday use! It's amazing to see how technology can revolutionize something as fundamental as growing plants.
The next station we visited was about sprouting and microgreens. Sprouting seeds and growing microgreens can be done on a much smaller scale than other productions, and both require a minimal investment when it comes to equipment. So naturally that piqued our interest.
The next station we visited was about sprouting and microgreens. Sprouting seeds and growing microgreens can be done on a much smaller scale than other productions, and both require a minimal investment when it comes to equipment. So naturally that piqued our interest.
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Sprouting can be done in a mason jar while microgreens can be grown in a small tray with a bit of soil. Lots of different types of seeds can be sprouted although there may be slightly different directions for each type. Apparently sprouted seeds provide additional nutritional benefits, and you can often eat both the root and the sprout.
The last workshop we attended was about fermenting food as a form of preservation. The girls at the table showed us how to make kombucha and sauerkraut. Kombucha is a fermented black or green tea, while sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. Learning about the processes, and seeing them in action, was eye-opening. One of the things that we liked about the entire event was that there were small groups at each station so the attendees were fairly comfortable asking questions.
Then it was time for the community lunch! There were lots of fresh, local, homemade items on offer and it was set up in a buffet style. It was one of those meals that was delicious to eat and we felt energized afterwards.
The last workshop we attended was about fermenting food as a form of preservation. The girls at the table showed us how to make kombucha and sauerkraut. Kombucha is a fermented black or green tea, while sauerkraut is fermented cabbage. Learning about the processes, and seeing them in action, was eye-opening. One of the things that we liked about the entire event was that there were small groups at each station so the attendees were fairly comfortable asking questions.
Then it was time for the community lunch! There were lots of fresh, local, homemade items on offer and it was set up in a buffet style. It was one of those meals that was delicious to eat and we felt energized afterwards.
Considering that entry to the event was by donation only, it was definitely worth the money! Looking back, we should have paid more than we did because the event was well done and very educational. We ended up leaving before the panel discussion in the afternoon, but since we don't have a garden we may not have gotten much from it...
However, after leaving the event on Saturday, we were motivated to start some sort of growing project. So out of all of the things we learned about on Saturday, we picked the one that involved the smallest investment of time and money - sprouting! On Sunday, we started our own little project sprouting lentils and we opted to go for the most basic method which requires a mason jar, an elastic band, some mesh, and some seeds.
Sprouting involves
1) rinsing your selected seeds;
2) soaking them in water in your mason jar contraption for 8-12 hours (times vary based on the seed);
3) letting them air dry for a few days, rinsing them 2-3 times per day; and
4) putting them in sunlight for 12-24 hours after they start sprouting to finish off their growing process.
And here are the results:
However, after leaving the event on Saturday, we were motivated to start some sort of growing project. So out of all of the things we learned about on Saturday, we picked the one that involved the smallest investment of time and money - sprouting! On Sunday, we started our own little project sprouting lentils and we opted to go for the most basic method which requires a mason jar, an elastic band, some mesh, and some seeds.
Sprouting involves
1) rinsing your selected seeds;
2) soaking them in water in your mason jar contraption for 8-12 hours (times vary based on the seed);
3) letting them air dry for a few days, rinsing them 2-3 times per day; and
4) putting them in sunlight for 12-24 hours after they start sprouting to finish off their growing process.
And here are the results:
 Before |  After |
It was a fun little project and a great way to put our newfound knowledge to use!
Lately, we have been watching a show on Netflix called Chef's Table which ties nicely into the urban gardening/fresh food movement. A different chef is featured every episode and while all of the chefs are different, they are all interested in high quality ingredients and where the ingredients comes from. It is worth a watch, and has given us some extra motivation to think more about local, sustainable food - in addition to what we learned at FEASt Fest.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed FEASt Fest on Saturday and took away a lot of useful information. Here are a few more photos:
Lately, we have been watching a show on Netflix called Chef's Table which ties nicely into the urban gardening/fresh food movement. A different chef is featured every episode and while all of the chefs are different, they are all interested in high quality ingredients and where the ingredients comes from. It is worth a watch, and has given us some extra motivation to think more about local, sustainable food - in addition to what we learned at FEASt Fest.
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed FEASt Fest on Saturday and took away a lot of useful information. Here are a few more photos:
