Carpenter is an urban farmer and author. On April 29 she is going to give a talk at the Arlington Central Library Auditorium and promises to teach Arlington how to eat healthier for less money (http://arlingtonreads2010.wordpress.com/events/).
Why are people getting more involved with the urban farming movement, even on Facebook these days?
I think it’s because people are alienated by technology and there’s something nice about coming home and picking your own lettuce. And with the recession, urban farming is a way of growing your food and saving some money. Instead of being, “I can’t afford organic food,” now people can grow food themselves. I am growing leeks, lettuce, artichokes, kale, and those kinds of things. I also keep goats now. I have two Nigerian dwarf goats which I milk every day. I have rabbits for meat, and chicken, and I have 15 ducklings in my living room right now.
Is this why you started it?
I started urban farming because of my parents. I was born on a farm, but I find the country to be kind of lonely. I really enjoy living in the city [Oakland, Calif.]. That’s how I can be in touch with my cultural identity.
Farming sounds like a hard thing to do in the city?
You really have to be like a farmer, crafty, in terms of what to feed them with. When I first started, I raised a Thanksgiving turkey. I started with three and I ended up with one. It was a disaster. I spent a ton of money feeding them. So I started looking in Dumpsters in Chinatown. So … I started to use urban waste products, old food from friends, that kind of stuff.
Do you think the urban farming stream is going to become even more popular?
The whole Michelle Obama thing with the garden is starting to have some more spike. When I planted my garden, my friends thought I’m crazy. When she did it, they thought it’s cool.
— Hristina Ninova
