FOOD
CAROL MICHEL
Urban Farms Continue to Grow in Indy
PHOTOS: COURTESY OF CAROL MICHEL
On a busy street that serves as one of the south side gateways to downtown Indianapolis sits South Circle Farm on 1.5 acres. Hundreds— if not thousands— of commuters driving from the southern suburbs to downtown Indianapolis pass by it daily. On a fall Sunday afternoon, if the roof of nearby Lucas Oil Stadium is open, workers at the farm can probably hear the roar of the crowds gathered to watch NFL football featuring the hometown Indianapolis Colts.
Across the street from the farm there is an aged neighborhood, waiting patiently, hopefully, for its chance to be transformed. Maybe that will happen sooner rather than later. After all, just a few blocks up the street, the mother and daughter team from the HGTV show Good Bones has started to flip a few houses.
The area to the west of the farm might be described optimistically as“ industrial.” Recycling is one of the predominant industries, with a few trucking companies thrown in to complete the picture of an area paved over with old asphalt, concrete and gray limestone rock.
CHALLENGED NEIGHBORHOODS
This location seems like an improbable place to put a farm, but the owners of the land, the non-profit Gennesaret Free Clinic, which serves the healthcare needs of homeless and low-income residents of Indianapolis, wanted the land and adjoining historical building to be used in an environmentally responsible way.
I’ ve driven by South Circle Farm at least once a week and from afar have watched as the farm has grown from its beginnings in 2010. First came the rows of vegetables, announcing to passersby that this unused parcel of land was going to be a farm. In subsequent seasons, they added low tunnels to extend the harvest in early spring and late fall. This past summer, high tunnels appeared, protecting tomato plants that will produce fruit long after my own tomato plants have withered away.
Many industries in the area put up tall, chain-
Above: South Circle Farm is located near downtown Indianapolis. Below right: At Fitness Farm, they grow vegetables and host a variety of events.
link fences to keep others out. There is no such fence at South Circle Farm. Instead, a low, white farm fence surrounds it, which invokes Robert Frost,“ good fences make good neighbors.” The farm is open to visitors and it offers programs for children and adults. For a suggested donation of $ 2, visitors can go on a self-guided tour or call ahead to schedule a guided tour. A new sign out front proudly proclaims a church whose members volunteer there.
PROGRAMS FOR KIDS AND ADULTS
Under a large pavilion, the farm hosts weekly classes for“ Kids Grow Green,” which is taught in cooperation with a neighborhood center that hosts numerous programs for area children and senior citizens. Each week through the growing season,“ Kids Grow Green” brings neighborhood children to the farm where they are taught how to grow and eat vegetables. At the end of the season, the farm hosts the kids and their parents for a harvest celebration, which includes a meal the kids prepare and share with their parents.
Just 10 minutes north and west of the center of Indianapolis is another urban farm, a non-profit named Fitness Farm. It sits in the middle of a predominately residential area, not far from the Indianapolis Museum of Art, on a parcel of land donated by Dr. Cory SerVaas, former publisher of The Saturday Evening Post, and her family.
Fitness Farm devotes approximately 20,000 square feet of its 22 acres to growing vegeta-
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