My name is Sinclair Welch, currently a sophomore at the University of Vermont majoring in Environmental Studies concentrating in Food Systems. Prior to my studies at UVM, I attended the Institute of Culinary Education in Manhattan, where I received a culinary degree. This summer I am working for Barcelona Wine Bar and bartaco in their South Norwalk offices with Farah Masani, a farmer and the Director of Culinary Procurement helping with food sourcing, inventory, distribution and farming. I will be writing weekly blogs to give you a peek at what goes on behind the scenes.
I have spent the last week installing a roof top garden at our offices.
The first step was to make multiple trips to a local farm in Easton, CT to get the best soil for our plants — a half and half mix of compost and soil. I then packed all the soil into my car and brought it back to the office… spilling only a little!
Once all the soil was at the office, and after the 50 trips up the stairs were made to our outdoor deck, it was off to Farah’s Farm in Wilton, CT to get our plants.
Then it was time to plant. We have about 50 plants in our 1,200 square foot garden. In order to be as green as possible, we used things like old feedbags, wooden crates, flats and burlap sacks as planters.
We planted eggplant, cucumbers, a variety of tomatoes, our signature Padron peppers, kale, herbs, and beneficial flowers that attract good bugs.
Visit this page next week to learn all about my trip to the Westport Farmer’s Market with Barcelona Chefs Mike Hazen and Frank Proto.
