Emerging Patterns and Goals

Emerging Patterns

At first, for this class I was thinking of using my parents backyard but after thinking about it a little, I figured that I could use the back yard to my apartment. Though, my land lord might a something to say about me turning her back yard into a garden.

Emerging Patterns

As a Chef at UMass dining I’ve been fortunate to have worked with some of the Sustainable Team members that developed three premature culture gardens on campus. What I didn’t know was how to plan one myself. I’m extremely excited to take this class so I can understand and appreciate what they do and how they add to the overall dining program here at UMass.

Emerging Patterns

For this assignment, I started to think of all the things I’ve seen in my past that I thought were good ideas and maybe a few that weren’t. I’ve been fortunate to come of age in the Pioneer Valley where there are many people who are passionate about farms and local food! Cushman Market sells organic and local products and is just around the corner from my apartment!

Emerging Patterns

For my flash cards I came up with four different groups for a total of 20 cards. Structures, vegetable and fruits, cooking equipment and decorative. I thought that this might be smaller than the average list but when I thought about it I’m not married, don’t have kids and work long hours at my job. So maybe…. not having to many features to start isn’t a bad thing.

Emerging Patterns

So the practical side of me comes out first in any project and when I think of gardens I think of soil, water, and tools. So a nice tool shed with water collection made sense, along with a compost bin. The other feature are a chicken coop, greenhouse, fish pond for relaxing and an outdoor sink for washing vegetables, which is such a chore inside

Emerging Patterns

The next list is Vegetable and Fruits. Of course this makes sense to me being a chef. The usual suspects are there herb garden, berry bushes, fruit trees, plant stacking bed, potato patch (also part of plant stacking) and a few extras that are from my past, Korean vegetables for Kim Chi and Chestnut Trees. My parents always planted chestnut trees where ever they lived. In Korea they are a symbol of good luck and they taste great roasted in late fall.

Emerging Patterns

Again, as a chef I love cooking! Especially for friends, and what better way to cook than outside on a beautiful summer night. The two musts are a grill pit, to make tasty vegetables and maybe a marinated steak . The other, a stone pizza/bread oven. My parents owned a Italian American restaurant and I just love carbs, especially fresh baked! Lastly, after watching the documentary in this weeks course work, I never new a solar oven existed. I can smell the Tuscan Roasted Chicken right now!

Emerging Patterns

So after cooking all that great food I would need someplace to eat and what better way on a home made picnic table, next to a flower and bamboo garden under a natural arbor with grape vines. Oh! I forgot a bee hive, for wax to make candles and honey. This would be a perfect night, grilling great food, hanging out in a beautiful garden with great conversation and even better friends!

Emerging Patterns ConclusionsAs I’m thinking of the possibility of owning land and what I would do with it became very exciting to me. The interconnecting of the garden is really a place to grow, cook, and eat all in one place. Enjoying what nature has to offer and become less reliant on the commercial food system is very applealing. Additionally, food taste better when its fresher and cooked minimally. On item that I had a hard time categorizing was the fish pond. My initial thought was to have a Koi pond but after thinking about it, is a Koi pond the best use of the water? Maybe stocking with a few trout frys would be more useful. My concern is how large and how deep the pond would need to be to support the trout. Lastly, telling a story and how the produce is grown adds to the overall enjoyment of the food experience and what better place to eat than outdoors in a garden.