Fresh, organic veggies — grown at Concordia!

Looking for fresh, organic produce? It’s closer than you think.

Every Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m. between June and October, students from the City Farm School urban agriculture program host a market stand on Concordia’s Loyola Campus. 

The first one takes place June 6 and will offer vegetable seedlings, herbal tea samples and the early greens of the season. Weekly produce lists are updated on the City Farm School Facebook page to let the community know what’s coming next.
 

‘Small-scale and diversified’

Located behind Hingston Hall, the school grows 30 types of vegetables in over 100 different varieties. That means they don’t just sell red tomatoes, but heirloom yellow, orange, purple and even striped ones.

“Our produce selection varies throughout the season,” says Andrew Alford, City Farm School growing coordinator.

“Our spring and fall markets have more greens and roots and our summer markets offer more fruits like tomatoes, peppers, raspberries and zucchinis.”

In addition to produce, the medicinal herb educational program produces teas, balms and other health products each week.

The food on offer comes from the farm’s production plots run by a team of more than 30 students alongside Alford.

“The site is a beautiful living, breathing space to discover what a small-scale, diversified farm looks like,” he says.  
 

From the classroom to the field

While fun and convenient for the community, the market is also educational, striving to bridge the gap between in-class and in-field research. 

“Our training program is designed to prepare students to become leaders in the emerging urban agricultural movement,” Alford explains.

“Participants build their experience in selling, marketing, harvesting and packaging produce.”

The funds from the market go toward the overall budget of the Concordia Greenhouse, programming services on campus, material costs and subsidization of tuition costs for students at the City Farm School.