bitter eggplant Archives - Good Food St. Louis

Burmese woman picking bitter eggplant grown in an urban garden near her home. The vegetable sells for more than $6 a pound. (It’s an acquired taste.)

When the first immigrants settled in Jamestown, they survived by learning how to plant and grow corn—thanks to the Native American. Here in St. Louis immigrants and refugees from Africa and Asia are learning some of those same planting techniques today, one called The Thee Sisters,* where corn, squash and beans are planted in the same mound. (More on that method at the end of this post.)

It’s all part of an organic farming program sponsored by the International Institute and conducted in two city locations each with approximately an acre of land. The institute has been around St. Louis since 1919 and today serves more than 7,500 new Americans from 75 countries.

summer jensen north garden international institute *

AmeriCorps member, Summer Jensen, at the North Garden site at Hodiamont and Plymouth. Those who care for the urban garden live in the nearby apartments.

Joel Walker, farm manager, and Summer Jensen, with AmeriCorps, gave me a tour of the farm locations: the North Site at Hodiamont and Plymouth and the South Site on Folsom in the Botanical Heights neighborhood. A third site is in the works and is located on Cabanne in the West End neighborhood

Those who were once farmers in their homelands or want to become part of the agricultural scene in St. Louis can learn the needed skills for farming in the Midwest. Participants are able to grow fresh, inexpensive food for their families and market the excess.

Debra. Austin and Jean Carnahan view urban garden in St. Louis

My grandson, Austin, an AmeriCorps member, shows the fine points of the South Site to me and his mother, Debra. The tall plant is a variety of okra.

Immigrants not only learn about new fruits and vegetables, they’re able to plant familiar foods, such as bitter eggplant and roselle, a species of hibiscus grown in the tropics. Participants also take classes in finance, business, and English to facilitate their adjustment to a new culture. Those completing the Global Farming Program will be eligible to apply for a loan to buy, or lease, small farm plots.

Below are some photos of the unusual vegetables raised this year, varieties I’ve never seen raised in a garden.

squash from urban garden international institute

Unusual varieties of squash are scattered throughout the gardens.

bitter melon from the international institute garden

This warty-looking vegetable is called a bitter melon and is considered useful in the treatment of diabetes.

Roselle, hibiscus tea from International Institute urban garden

Roselle, a species of hibiscus makes excellent tea.

Velvety Bean grown in urban farming gardne

The name of this vegetable, Velvety Bean, comes from the feel of the pod.

Jerusalem artichoke or sun chokes grown in international institute garden

Jerusalem artichokes, or sunchokes, have lovely flowers and a nutty-flavored root.

This plant is aptly called a Thai Long Bean.

I know you need hops for making beer, but had no idea what they looked like.

urban farming with International Institute

Joel Walker, farm manager, said that two families each made $4000 in extra income from the sale of their produce this year. Produce is available at City Greens Market, Local Harvest Grocery, and SLU’s Fresh Gatherings Café.

Farming and gardening help new American families participate in something familiar, when everything else in their lives is rapidly changing. Soon after resettling many immigrants experience a period of mourning from the loss of their culture. Urban gardening not only helps provide an activity that is familiar, it also puts food on the table and helps preserve the family’s culinary history.

*More about the The Three Sisters

According to Iroquois legend, corn, beans, and squash are three inseparable sisters, who only grow and thrive together. Corn provides a natural pole for bean vines to climb and bean vines help stabilize the corn plants, making them less vulnerable to wind. Shallow-rooted squash plants become a living mulch, shading emerging weeds and preventing soil moisture from evaporating.