Residents get to the root of things

The Pekin Daily Times By Brian Leaf, Rockford Register Star Posted Jun. 20, 2014 @ 9:36 pm ROCKFORD(AP) — Kenyatte Moore, 28, a self-professed carnivore, liked veggies after learning how to grow them.“After working here and using some of the harvest to eat,” he said during a break last week at the 12,000-square-foot farm at Rockford Housing Authority’s Blackhawk Courts, “I thought eating this is very nice.” Moore, a Blackhawk resident who was laid off from a temporary factory job, and 20 others will earn paychecks this summer as they till, seed, plant, treat, harvest, market and sell produce from the housing development’s urban farm. They’ll work with kids from the neighborhood, teaching them how to grow healthy food and why its important to eat it. Moore thought gardening was just throwing seeds into the ground and waiting for them to grow, until he started working the land. Last week he and Spencer Ellsworth of Angelic Organics talked about protecting plants with neem oil, a natural pesticide, and about how incorporating fish emulsion into the ground would promote the growth of fungi that provide nutrients to the plant. “That’s the word, symbiosis,” said Moore. “It’s definitely a science experiment around here,” said Ellsworth. The Blackhawk Courts Farm and Garden is in its third year. It’s a resident-driven project, where they plan what they want to grow on a half-acre of land that produces more than food. Participants also learn business skills, leadership, how to make healthy meals for their families and how to create community in a housing development where cohesion can be difficult to build. “The reason we choose Blackhawk is that it’s one of our most disconnected developments where people barely talk to each other,” said Ron Clewer, RHA’s CEO. RHA, Angelic Organics Learning Center and Zion Outreach are partners in the urban farm. The RHA has a contract with Angelic worth about $130,000, Clewer said, which includes capital investments in fences, trailers and extending water service to the garden for an irrigation system. Clewer said that if you take out those investments, the budget is similar to other self-sufficiency programs his agency supports. Last year their program helped residents grow two tons of vegetables, most of which were sold at a 32 market stands and through 15 shares in a Community Supported Agriculture program where investors received weekly bags of fresh organic produce. Revenues, according to an RHA report, were $2,333. Blackhawk Courts residents, who were also allowed to pick produce for free from a 2,200-square-foot community garden, were among the biggest farm stand buyers. “There were statements made quite awhile ago that folks in public housing don’t want healthy food choices,” said Clewer. “Our residents want healthy food. They’re using it. They’re eating it. They’re learning how to cook it.” Read more: http://www.pekintimes.com/article/20140620/News/140629883#ixzz37C7FSMpA]]>