Exploring Aquaponics: A Sustainable Food Solution

1. Vegetables in the Ford Garden The Written Word

2. Aquaponics • Aquaponics combines aquaculture with hydroponics. • Fish produce ammonia (NH), which bacteria convert to nitrate (NH3). • The water is sent to plants, which absorb nutrients that they need. • The water returned to the fish. • Mexico: Aztecs built rafts (chinampas). Waste from canals and cities irrigated the plants. • Asia: Farmers combined rice in paddies with fish to grow both.

3. Spinach: Spinacia oleracea • Vitamins A, C, E, K, cal- cium for eyes and brain. More iron than meat ! • Too bad Popeye ate out of a can. Loses color and vitamins when processed. • Yummy in salads. • Likes cool weather. Nearly all grown out West. • Origin: Persia, Nepal

4. Aquaponics • Will nitrogen grow plants better in the soil or the water ? • What bacteria are best for plants? What do they do? • How do fish help plants and plants help fish? • Is this a new idea or has it worked for millions of years? • Can this knowledge help us grow food in the city? • Can it feed people who don’t have enough water?

5. TaroFamily-Araceae • Tropical plant, grown for its roots (corms), leaves. • African and Asian staple, starchy like potato. • Origin: India - one of the early cultivated plants. • Toxic when raw. Baked roasted, boiled. Sugars are sweet, nutty. • Called dasheen, gabi, elephant ears, name, yam, cocoyam, inhame.

6. Radish:Raphanus sativus • Root crop, same as beets, garlic, potato, carrots. • A bit bitter. Grown for oil. • Rich in B6, ascorbic acid, potassium. • Grows in 30 days. • Cultivated thousands of years ago in China and Greece – here in 1629.

7. Tomato:Lycopersicon • Romans called it wolf peach. Italians: golden apple. • 90% comes from the West and sprayed. • 7,500 varieties: really a fruit. Grown in greenhouses in cool climates. • Served in salads and cooked, as in pizza, sauces. • Like most veggies, 90% water. • Origin: South America

8. Corn:Zea mays • No. 1 US crop. Used to produce eggs, milk, meat, fuel, cooking oil, whiskey, dog food, plastic. • Major source of starch. • Sweetens cereals, tonic, peanut butter. Too much sugar ! • Yellow, red, pink, black, and blue. Kernels grow on ears, protected by silk in a husk. • Origin: Mexico 9,000 years ago. Called maize.

9. Collards:Brassica oleracea • Leafy like cabbage, kale, broccoli. Blue green leaves. Slight bitter taste. . • Southern favorite. Loves hot weather and the cold of late autumn. Flavor enhanced by light frost. • High in fiber, vitamin C, coun- ters cancer, virus, bacteria. • Also called berza, couve. • Origin: Asia Minor

10. Pea :Pisum sativum • Edible seeds grow six feet in pods. Tendrils help it stand. • Leaves have 1-3 leaflets. White flowers, purple blossoms. • Used in soups, salads, snacks. High: protein, vitamins A, C. • Cousin of beans and peanuts. • Mendel used them to found study of genetics. • Origin: Georgia (5,000 BCE)

11. Bean:Fabaceae • High in protein. Can be stored for years. Soaking revives. • Some boiled to destroy toxin. • 4,000 types; kidney, soy green, pole, string, snap, refried, black, pinto, etc. • Beans, beans, the magical fruit.The more you eat, the more you toot.The more you toot, the better you feel.Lets have beans with every meal ! • Origin:Mid-East, Americas

12. Long BeanVigna unguiculata • Grows to three feet: tastes best at 18 inches. • Used in casseroles, stir-fry, soups. Blanch and fry with garlic and olive oil. • Called yard-long, asparagus snake bean, cow pea, bora. • Same plant family as black-eyed pea. • Good source of protein, vitamin A and C, thiamin, iron, folate, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, manganese.

13. Blueberry: Vaccinium • Perennial: grows on a bush. • Turns from green to purple to blue. • Low-bush benefit from fires. • Pruned or burned every two years to manage pests. • Maine crop is largest low-bush: uses 50,000 beehives. • Helps with infections, strokes, cognition, blood pressure. • Canada’s largest fruit crop.

14. Bok Choy: Brassica rapa • Related to cabbage, turnip; • Studied in Ming dynasty for medicinal qualities; • Pekinensis: broad leaves with head; • Chinensis: no head, more like celery or mustard; • Winter-hardy • In small amounts, may prevent cancer. Toxic in large amounts.

15. Beets:Beta vulgaris • Red-purple, white-red roots. Bleeds during cooking. Sweet taste – made into sugar. • Roots crunchy and buttery. Leaves are bitter, can be boiled. • Made into soup (borscht). • Lowers blood pressure, fights tumors, laxative. • Rich in vitamins & minerals. • Origin: No. Africa 2,000 BCE

16. Chives Allium schoenoprasum • Smallest of onions, perennial. • Stems serve as leaves. • Repels insects, attracts bees. • Rich in vitamins A and C, calcium and iron. • Cut back, it continues to grow. • Its use dates back 5,000 years.

17. Carrots:Daucus carota • Favorite of Bugs Bunny. Will eating carrots improve your eyesight? High energy food. • Orange, white, yellow, purple, red. The root is eaten. crunchy, sweet. Feathery leaves bitter and toxic. • Made into juice, cake, pudding. • Helps with digestion, parasites, constipation. • Origin: Asia, Middle East

18. Pepper:Capsicum annuum • Comes out of the flower. • Natives used it as seasoning. • In tropics, grows several season. Here an annual. • A thick, fleshy wall surrounds the seeds like fruit; wall is eaten. • Hot peppers are jalapeno and habanera. Eat at own risk ! • Origin: South America

19. Eggplant:Solanum melongena • Large, egg-shaped. Purple variety in U.S. since 1860. Low in vitamins / calories. • White, brown, yellow, or striped fruits. • Grow in tropics. Fruit grows out of gray-green hairy leaves as large as a football. • Some thought it caused bad breath, madness, leprosy, cancer. • Origin: Northern India

20. Cauliflower: Brassica oleracea • Looks like broccoli, opens outward with green florets, white flowers. • Loves cool, moist climate. Heavy leaves protect flowers from sun. • Low in fat, high in vitamin C, fiber, and carbohydrates. Cancer-reducer? • Eaten raw, cooked, pickled. • Origin: Asia Minor

21. Lettuce:Lactuca sativa • Used in salads; few calories. High in calcium, iron and vitamin A. • Types: Romaine, Bibb, Iceberg, Chinese. • Large leaves grow close to the ground on short stems. Dislikes dryness. • Important farm crop, mainly grown out West. • Origin: Middle East as early as 550 BCE.

22. Cabbage:Brassica oleracea • Easy to grow, frost-hardy. Lots of vitamin C. • Family: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts. • Types: white, red, savoy. Savoy is wrinkled. White cabbage (pale green) eaten in salads, cooked, pickled as sauerkraut. • Problems: snails, slugs, worms. • Origin: Europe, Mediterra-nean. Called “wild mustard.”