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| Writer | Seyeon Kim | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone number | ******** | ||
| w********************* | |||
| Subject | “Growing Your Own Vegetable; a Pure Delight” | ||
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“Growing Your Own Vegetable; a Pure Delight” [City-grown “City Farmer”] ＜2＞ What I’ve raised with my own hands tastes far better At 5’o clock at dawn, Mr. Shin Taeyoung (61) started to car from the apartment parking lot. His wife, Mrs. Kim Yonghee (63) put two boots, giant red baskets, and a bunch of tools in the car trunk. The car that drove them headed not to Gu-ee dong where the restaurant was, but to Yangpyeong, Gyeongui. After a 40 minute drive, the car arrived at the 16 square meter garden, provided by the city office. Mr. and Mrs. Shins’ Gogi restaurant has been running in the same place for over 20 years. Popular menus include pork galbi. The place offers home grown chicory, kale, lettuce and chili. They are vegetables grown from the gardens since April until October. The couple were motivated to offer garden-grown vegetables one day, seven years ago. Their neighbor next door brought them some cabbages and lettuce from her garden. The couple, who were used to the taste of mass-purchased vegetable used at their restaurant, were shocked at the pleasant taste. They signed up for a vegetable garden right away at the city office. “Because they were grown from nutritious soil nearby under sufficient sun, the vegetables taste superb. Since then, we have been growing the vegetables. It’s been 7 years.” The change the garden brought was huge. Some customers returned to the restaurant, saying “The lettuce tastes fantastic!” When the vegetable price skyrocketed and all restaurants had to charge extra \1,000 for the vegetables, the restaurant stayed stable. They picked 20kg of lettuce every 4 days, and lettuce always ran plentifully. When the couple first started farming, they were misled young farmers. But after hours of reading books on agriculture and seasons of experience, they are well experienced “city farmers.” In the beginning, the couple only raised one or two types of plants. Now, they grow twelve kinds. The couple commented “We really feel motivated when we see customers enjoying our fresh vegetables.” Seoul city is assigning gardens as wide as 113,850 square meters across Yangpyeong, Gwangju, and Goyang area so couples can grow organic vegetables like the Lees. 6900 people can utilize it. Every year, for two months from the start of February, Seoul city opens sign-ups for the organic garden on its webpage. For a small fee of 30,000, 16.5 square size garden is given. The city also provides organic fertilizers. Not only organic gardens but box gardens installed nearby are also the newest trend. These box gardens can be set up on apartment balconies or on rooftops. Gangdong-gu provides 50x120cm garden box to 446 families within the district. Ms. Son Sunhae (35, female, Dunchon-dong, Gangdong-gu) is planning to plant tomatoes. Her 7-year-old daughter loves the food cooked with garden vegetables. The Gu staff remarked, “The people who signed up for the garden this year are mostly in their 30s and 40s. They are couples who find joy in raising and cooking garden vegetables with their young children. A family can get only 5 sets each, but most frequently ask for more. Kim Danbi kubee08@donga.com |
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