Post Grad: Week 1

Packing has begun... actually, it is in full swing. By May 20 I'm out of my cozy downtown bungalow. I've decided to sublet to a young lawyer to be- who will be preparing for the Bar exam, this will save me two months rent, which would be better spent on travel. By June 1, I need to be out of my University provided studio space, which happens to be 3 times the size of my apartment.

The unearthing of materials and work, books and papers, plants and life- I see as an opportunity to purge, rethink, and reorganize my material meanderings and mental framework.

I have decided to apply for a scholarship/internship with 'Terrefarm', a productive (green) urban laboratory and design/grow collaborative located in Brooklyn, NY. A workshop will take place, for alternative urban agriculturists July 12th-30th. (LINK).

I checked out this project, and was enchanted: (here)

Urban agriculture, and learning more about how to transcend the difficulties presented by current and developing practices are on the brain.

I went morel hunting this weekend (Forest Hills area), and though I didn't find any, I had enjoyed the hike through a old and new growth forest, and had plenty of time to think about how many edibles ("wild") surround us, yes even in the city. I'm learning more and more about collecting urban wilds, a hobby of sort, that began when I discovered Chrisytopher Nyerges, author of 'Urban Wilderness: A Guidebook to Resourceful City Living", an oldie but goodie (Peace Press, 1979).
In effect, I am increasingly interested in expanding my creative practice in ways that will help educate about collecting "wild" edibles, especially within city limits.

I think an interesting dichotomy arrises in such a pursuit- the tension between the bo-ho (urban hippie) nature of collecting wild edibles, and the ho-hum song of foodie gourmets. My bet is, if you take a gander of the dinner menus at the finest and haute of restaurants in your town (from the Michigan heartland to NYC), you will find a showcase of fidddleheads (baby ferns), ramps (smallish green and purple, garlic meets onion flavour, with the look of a scallion), morels (picture above, the divinest of mushrooms, if you ask me), and dandelion greens. If you can identify your own foodie gourmet edibles, your bound for a epicurean delight in the kitchen and at the table. Even if you aren't in the mood for edible hunting, chances are your local farmers market with have a plethora of options.