NYUSH’s First Garden Harvest!

At New York University Shanghai (NYUSH), the inaugural harvest from the community’s rooftop farm was cause for celebration. On September 27th, a dozen fresh eggplants, ripe and bursting with flavor were picked from the seventh-floor rooftop farm.

Together with a few students from the Urban Farming course, we took initiative and set up a little cooking stand right outside the cafeteria. We wanted to get everyone to taste these amazing eggplants straight from our rooftop garden. Freddie and Hansa sliced and prepped those eggplants. Hansa’s also drew by hand a poster to attract people to have a try. Eadin was our photographer, capturing every smile and taste-test moment.

The aroma of cooking eggplants lured curious onlookers, they kept asking “What ’s going on? What’s cooking?”. We talked about our rooftop garden and explained that the eggplants had just been harvested. Everyone was happily surprised to learn about it. Freddie was on chef duty, making these eggplants sizzle in olive oil, sprinkling a bit of salt and black pepper to boost up the flavor, and then serving them on bread slices, Spanish tapa-style.

We received great feedback and great smiles. Student faculty and staff gave it a try and were not only impressed by the taste but also by the realization that we had grown these on campus and that it only took a couple months to get so many eggplants.

The event served as a catalyst, igniting enthusiasm for our rooftop farm and rallying more participants for our weekly gardening sessions. Beyond the gastronomic experience, it also fostered a sense of community and sustainability. Engaging over locally grown, fresh produce made everyone have a deepen appreciation for organic and homegrown food.