Acadia Fork and Farm Club: Growing Food as Art in the K.C. Irving Environmental Centre Conservatory
By Shelby Farmer, Acadia Fork and Farm Club President
It is weird to think one can enjoy homegrown foods amongst all the snow in Wolfville, but it sure is possible for the Acadia Fork and Farm Club, a club that fosters the interest in growing plants and focuses on connecting the Acadia student body with local farms in the Annapolis Valley. The club has had a busy winter designing and growing an aesthetically pleasing display of plants, turning food into art in K.C. Irving Environmental Centre Conservatory. The display includes three varieties of tomatoes, climbing beans, basil, Swiss chard and edible flowers. Beets, radish, kale and lettuce mixes are often planted to be harvested as microgreens for quick turnover. All food grown by the club is eaten collectively, and leftovers are brought home for salads, pastas, or stir fries, demonstrating that small acts of sustainability are possible on campus. The club began experimenting with food growth in the Conservatory in September 2014 and this year the project evolved into an edible art display, naturally adding to the most stunning building on campus.
