A Seedling Project: The Gastronomy Gardening Club
By Mayling Chung
During the past two Sundays, the Gastronomy Gardening Club worked on its new plot in the Fenway Victory Gardens. For the first work day, we cleared along the fence line as an important first step in planning the garden. We wrestled with invasive plants, discovered some items and plants we’d like to reuse, and couldn’t help but chat about our sensory experiences as we worked. Wafts of thyme floated into our nostrils, then mint; sunny yellow black-eyed susans swayed together; thorny branches kept us aware of our movements; the low hum of both honey and bumble bees; and the feel of soft soil releasing the roots of the plants. Ah, gastronomes in the garden!
The Gastronomy Gardening Club was recently created for Gastronomy students and affiliates with interests in gardening and related activities. It is intended for any and all levels of gardening experience and we want to learn from one another while getting our hands on some plants and in the dirt. Dr. Rachel Black planted the idea at the end of end of the Urban Agriculture course, and since then a small group of students have been working to organize a variety of opportunities for growing food and interacting with garden communities.
There was a lot of progress made and there is more work to be done. Our hope is to create a welcoming place for gathering, growth, connection, and inspiration. The Fenway Victory Gardens has been a wonderful source of support and partner with a shared passion for education and collaboration. We are really excited to continue to interact with and be a part of their garden community and we hope to make more great connections through the gardening club.
Please stay tuned and we would love to hear from you! One of our plans is to transition the Urban Agriculture course blog into a platform for the club so we’ll be looking for gardening-related write-ups. Send any ideas for educational opportunities, volunteering, and ways to give back to the FVG community to maylingc@bu.edu or Erin Ross at rosserink@gmail.com.