Thank you to everyone who attended the first Schenectady Seed Share on Saturday! There was a great turn out for the first event of its kind hosted at the SiCM Community Hub. Our goal was for people to learn to garden, grow in their homes, find alternative ways to increase access to food, or participate at Schenectady Urban Farms.
The front of the building was where Farms Manager Melissa MacKinnon met and greeted the folks interested in exchanging and picking up new seeds. This front area was where the seeds and beans were shared. Angie and Hassleer from Cornell Cooperative Extension were inside St. Joseph’s Place meeting room to get folks signed up for the Seed to Supper program. Evening classes are still available so sign up by contacting Angie at (518) 708-9567 or emailing her at [email protected] today.
In the Resource Room was where you could find Georgia and Leah making seed balls. Down the hall through the Community Learning Kitchen was where you could find Tom, Food Justice Initiatives and Pantry Operations Manager, serving delicious locally-sourced cheese and sundried tomato stuffed focaccia. Farm Coordinator Suzanne was serving Farmer Leah’s famous Lavender Lemonade and a savory potato and bean soup. Rhonda of Cornell Cooperative Extension Schenectady County served a cucumber and grape salad.
Leah and Georgia demonstrated making seedballs to guests who were invited to make some for themselves. To make these seedballs, first you must shape some non-toxic air-dry clay into balls, then make a small pot and put in a pinch of soil and a pinch of native mixed seeds. Then mold it back into a ball, let it dry out and, once the ground thaws, these seedballs can be deposited anywhere native pollinator plants are lacking and let it grow. The seed mix included early sunflower, joe-pye weed, black-eyed Susan, turtlehead, wild blue lupine and blue false indigo.
More photos from the event are below!
