Foodie Fridays: Saving Seeds & Stories

Foodie Fridays: Saving Seeds & Stories

Every seed tells a story. With each seed planted, the genetic story of the plant is passed onto the next generation, just as the stories, memories, and feelings associated with specific foods are passed down among our families. Learn from Niraj Ray, founder of Cultivate the City, about how to save seeds as well as the value of saving seeds from culturally important and hard-to-find crops. 

Niraj Ray – Founder & CEO, Cultivate the City

Cultivate the City (CTC) is an urban farming organization based in Washington, DC and Silver Spring, MD. In addition to managing a network of school and corporate gardens, CTC also runs a nursery where they start most of their plants and hold weekly workshops. CTC focuses on growing hard-to-find and ethnically and culturally important foods while employing environmentally and socially sustainable methods of production.

Niraj founded CTC in 2015 to inspire healthy and sustainable living by empowering local communities with the tools, training and resources for urban agriculture and vertical farming. CTC currently manages over 8 locations around DC, including a rooftop farm at the Washington Nationals Stadium. Niraj holds a B.S. in Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology from the Ohio State University and a M.S. in Integrated Environmental Science from Bethune-Cookman University. He is a 2013 National Wildlife Federation Emerging Leader Fellow and formerly worked with the US EPA – Office of Water where he first started a rooftop farm on the National Mall.

This event will be held at Josiah Henson Museum and Park