Ridgefield Hydroponic Farmer and Beekeeper to Be the Featured Presenters at #HandsOnHistory: Living Off the Land Special Exhibit at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center on October 27, 2019; Closing Weekend for #HOH: Living Off the Land
An abandoned shipping container might not be the first image that comes to mind when one thinks of a farm, but that is precisely the home of High Ridge Hydroponics (HRH), a vertical farm located in Ridgefield, Connecticut.
Joe Alvarez, the founder of HRH, operates a 320 square-foot farm inside a climate-controlled vessel on West Lane Farm, owned by John Papa. Both will be the presenters on Sunday, October 27, 2019, in the Carriage Barn at Keeler Tavern Museum & History Center (KTM&HC) as part of the #HandsOnHistory, Living Off the Land exhibition.
While the exhibition demonstrates how Ridgefielders of yesteryear sustained themselves from the 18th through early-20th centuries, Mr. Alvarez and Mr. Papa will discuss the future of farming, demonstrating how HRH grows as much produce in 320 square feet as traditional framers do on 2 acres, even during harsh New England winters.
“It is fitting that Mr. Papa and Mr. Alvarez will round out our Sunday speaker series,” said Catherine Prescott, assistant museum director and lead curator of the exhibition. “#HandsOnHistory Living Off the Land demonstrates the way families used technology to create simple machines to grow and harvest food over 200 years ago; these speakers will discuss ways we can employ modern technology to produce crops into the future.”
A third presenter, Tony Steger, superintendent of the Ridgefield Golf Course, will also be on hand to discuss a passion of his, beekeeping, and its relationship to farming. The #HandsonHistory Living Off the Land exhibition is open Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m. through October 27. Mr. Papa and Mr. Alvarez’s presentation on October 27, also 1 to 4 p.m., is the final Sunday family workshop in the series. For additional information about the full exhibition, including other workshops, visit http://www.keelertavernmuseum.org/events/123/living-off-the-land/.
School and youth groups may schedule private guided tours of the exhibition Monday through Friday through October 25 by calling the Museum office at 203 438-5485 or emailing education@keelertavernmuseum.org.
KTM&HC tells 300 years of the town’s—and nation’s—history through the lives of its past residents. The 4-acre historic site, including the Keeler Tavern Museum, Cass Gilbert-designed Garden House, Carriage Barn and Gardens, is open for visitors Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Additional information about the site, including rental of the Cass Gilbert-designed Garden House and Walled Garden for private events, can be found at keelertavernmuseum.org or Facebook.com/KeelerTavernMuseum. Follow KTM&HC on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.