Braddock Farms

Braddock farms was my last stop, but first I attended Power Shift, a youth convention talking about issues of climate change and youth empowerment. I met up with friends, and met some future Oberlin schoolmates. Naturally I went to all of the food focused seminars, discussions and panels. It was all so fascinating.

Plus I was that close to Bill McKibben. How cool is that?

I was housed in hostel that was a converted convent. It was right across the street from a steel mill.

The farm was just down the street from the hostel. Both were in Braddock, PA, which is in the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Braddock had been a booming city because of the steel mill, but in the 1980s a series of layoffs forced 90% of the inhabitants out of the city. Braddock became a ghost city.

    (Graffiti near the hostel)

Slowly but surely Braddock has started to get back on it's feet. They have a new mayor who is implementing positive changes and renovating buildings. He's decreasing gang violence, helping schools and many other great things (including the pictured signs).

While at Power Shift I learned that the biggest rubber duck in the world was stationed less than a quarter mile away from the convention center. Naturally we had to visit.

                                      (Necessary selfie with the duck)

The farm was part of Grow Pittsburgh (a program promoting urban farms). A couple years ago they took over an abandoned lot and turned it into a farm. Right next to the steel mill.

Urban farming is pretty similar to rural farming except that instead of having quiet you have truck drivers honking and whistling while you're weeding... The farm is a non-profit organization run by Marshall. He was gone for the week so I worked with his assistant for the summer, Kristen. Being a non-profit they were able to make their vegetables accessible to the people living in Braddock. They tried to have their (local, organic) vegetable prices compete with Food Lion's prices. We had lots of people come and pay for their veggies with WIC checks. Each check was for $5 and only redeemable at a farmers market. We had people bring three or four (15 or 20 dollars) and we sent them home with at least 5 bags bursting with produce. The program was a win-win for everyone.

The best part about living on my own was cooking for myself. This is lentils, wild rice and kale.

 I made pesto with garlic greens (that I rescued while we were weeding) and spinach.

Curried tofu and wild rice.

Roasted vegetables (mainly from the farm) and swiss chard (from the farm) omlette

The woman who ran the hostel had just adopted a puppy named Colby and he was like the cutest thing ever.

We mulched with aspen shavings, which made the farm so pretty.

Laurel