Saturday, January 2, 2010

Introduction: Sarah Lohman

Ok. I'm in.

After giving this project some very serious thought, I've decided to join this grand experiment.

However, my participation in the event is greatly complicated by the fact that I live in a fourth floor apartment in Queens, New York.

A little background on me:  I spend much of my time writing on my blog, Four Pounds Flour,  where I document my adventures in "historic gastronomy."  I research, recreate and consume historic recipes. I love creating something that looks, smells, and tastes just like it did hundreds of years ago. And to me, that's the next best thing to time travel: it's a window to the past that lets you understand a little bit about another way of life. I first learned how to cook these recipes over a wood stove at my first job in high school. Later, they inspired my thesis, a restaurant reinterpreting historic cuisine for a contemporary audience. Now, I do it for the daily adventure.

Sometimes, I spend a week immersing myself entirely in the foods of a certain time period, culture, or social movement.  These culinary experiments have included the miserable (but fascinating) Tenement Diet and  the bowel-moving glory of the Battle Creek Diet.

So, of course I was fascinated when Mark proposed the Starting from Scratch challenge.  But living off of what you hunt, find and forage is a hell of a lot easier in rural Ohio than it is in the middle of New York City.

Here's my plan, thus far:


  • Forage.  There is a great deal of forage available in my neighborhood, and I've had some experience gathering these wild plants.  Thanks to a nearby housing project with a large, unkempt lawn, I have ample access to violets, dandelions, wild sorrel, and lamb's quarter.  I can start gathering these plants in early May, and store them up for the big week.  There is also a pair of Mulberry trees nearby, and I know there are more wild edibles in Central Park.
  • Gardening.  Currently, I have a windowbox on my fire escape (illegally) that gets about six hours of sun.  The only thing that grows there is mint, which I cultivate soley for the purpose of summer mint juleps.  That is the extent of my personal outdoor space.  I plan on speaking with my landlords, and finding out if they would be opposed to letting me plant a small garden on the roof.  If that fails, I'm going to poll my friends and clients and ask them to donate outdoor space.  Perhaps I can grow enough food in tiny patches spread out over the five Bouroughs.
  • Fishing. Hunting in New York is definitely a no-go, because there ain't not way I am eating rat.  But I do live right on the east river, and I see Latin-American dudes fishing there all the time.  I was pretty good at fishing when I was a kid, but we just put them back in the river at the end of the day.  My family seldom ate seafood, so i have no clue how to gut and clean a fish.  And can I get mercury poisoning from NYC fish? Probablly. 

Those are my ideas.  Other suggestions?

8 comments:

  1. YAY!!!!!! I'm so excited you decided to join us, Sarah! A couple of possibilities for you garden-space wise: You can look for old people who live in nearby houses, maybe that used to keep gardens but they're now overgrown and unruly or empty--many times they will let you garden for free to make their yard look nicer or in exchange for some of the veggies; there may be areas near you where you can 'buy in' to a community garden project and have an allotment that will be all yours to garden; and if worst comes to worst, you can start geurilla gardening-- just go in and plant that housing project yard-- you've improved the asthetics of the neigborhood and grown your own food at the same time. :o)

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  2. Welcome Sarah!

    I think asparagus does alright in partial shade, though you won't get any production out of a 1st year plant. If you like asparagus you may want to put a potted one in your garden for the future.

    As for suggestions, I have two - firstly, could you convince that man of yours to join as well? He is off in the summers, no? The second - can you ask the museum to host a few potted plants on their roof or somewhere else on their grounds?

    If you want to participate in the market we could make shipping arrangements for the more durable goods.

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  3. Kathy-- can you send me that info on verticle gardening?

    Mark-- I was considering asking another museum i work with in brooklyn, that actually had a garden already. Maybe they can set aside a corner for me. But I'm going to look into my own rooftop first, as it would be the most convient. I thought about shipping for market day, but I don't know if I would have any products you would be interested in trading for. Let's talk closer to d-day.

    As far as Kyle, NYC schools are in session until July 1st; after that his elase is up and it looks like he will be moving out of the city. He's up for helping me, but can't commit as a full Challenge member.

    I am excited but nervous--this is going to be a lot of work!

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  4. You're in Brooklyn, aren't you? I've heard about corner gardens that let people use space in exchange for assistance in the garden, too. Like, if there's an elderly woman, you help her weed and things like that. Do those still exist anywhere? Garden co-op, I think it's called?

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  5. Welcome! There are some things you can grow in pots in your apartment. Tomatoes and peppers should grow fine as long as there is some window. They like direct light but some can get by with less than others. You could also get a grow bulb. They make them in fluorescent or incandescant styles. I have read of many people who have gardened on rooftops in various cities. Hopefully your landlord is open to the idea. That would greatly increase your options. Regardless, good luck and I'm glad you decided to join us.

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  6. what a fun project! to maximize space, remember that some plants can grow in hanging pots (inside or outside). bitty tomatoes do great. i have a tiny garden outside our apartment (about 3x4) and i recommend peas and lettuce-- they'll grow anywhere really easily. stay away from things that need big leaves, like zucchini, that will take up too much space. also, there are some globe carrots that have been designed to grow well in pots.
    good luck!

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  7. check out this blog for an AWESOME indoor/window garden & good luck to you!:
    gomistyle.wordpress.com

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  8. Classic! I love the zombie survival video!

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