Intro to Aquaponics Instruction - Why are We Doing This at The Kid's Culinary Academy of Vermont?
Yes, we are a 5 Star Kid's Culinary Camp, but we also offer instruction in food-related topics giving our campers a farm to table experience. As our global population grows, people have forgotten how to work with nature to recycle waste, and have forgotten how to return their foodscraps back to the land through composting. 100 years ago half of the people lived on the land and were farmers. Today only 3% of people farm or garden. Ecological and integrative farming offers a life-sustaining solution to overpopulation, by restoring the ecological relations between people, fish, animals and plant and microbes. Where can our children learn about this and learn to cook at the same time? Even in a city, anyone can live ecologically by composting their foodscraps, and growing a garden and fish pond in their backyard or rooftop . These valuable skills are taught at The Kid's Culinary Academy. To learn more you can watch the videos by clicking anywhere on the box below..
You can also go to our main camp site and read about The Kid's Culinary Academy summer cooking camp by clicking the website link www.kidsculinary.com or continue to read below.
Aquaponics
Aquaponics is a farming method inspired by ancient farming systems from the Aztecs to Egypt, based on the recycling of nutrients in nature. In the aquaponic fish tank, the fish consume food and excrete manure, algea grows in the nutrient-rich water, and uneaten fish food falls to the bottom. These unused nutrients would build-up and contaminate the fish tank, but instead are recycled as a liquid fertilizer for plants. The plants are a natural biofilter for the fish waste. Beneficial bacteria in the gravel and on the roots have a key role by recycling the wasted nutrients into food absorbed by the plants, while cleansing and purify the water. Wthout these microorganisms the whole system would stop functioning. Uneaten food and foodscraps from people are also recycled back into the system. Earthworms metabolize the fish waste solids, old plants and food scraps from your table. The waste products of each organism, fish, plants and people, becomes food for another in a continuous cycle of life. There is no waste and no pollution.
Aquaponics is the creation of a complete cycle of symbiotic relationships where the fish help plants and the plants help fish. The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm simulates the rhythms of nature in our climate sensitive greenhouse. Feed and heat (solar collected) are given to the fish water which then flows through natural filtration resulting in nutrient-rich water. This water then flows through the plant roots providing complete nutrition for the thousands of root hairs which in turn act as tremendous filtering surfaces, returning crystal-clear water to the fish.
Environmentally Sustainable
The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm aquaponics maximizes the efficient use of resources making its own ecosystem, requiring less energy and producing no waste.
Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires one tenth of the water needed for field plant production and only a fraction of the water traditionally used for fish culture. Many culinary schools and tech centers teaching cooking are focussed on aquaponics. Aquaponics uses no chemicals, requires one tenth of the water needed for field plant production and only a fraction of the water traditionally used for fish culture. It's a zero footprint system.
The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm creates a complete balanced eco-system for natural production of herbs and vegetables.
Fed by nutrient-rich fish water, The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm plants grow healthier, more flavorful without the use of chemical fertilizers.
The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm’s commitment to healthy food production includes the use of natural pest management utilizing beneficial insects like ladybugs.
The use of sustainable balanced growing systems means a healthier community and environment.
First pond-farmed in Egypt over 4,000 years ago, Tilapia was the first cultivated fish in the world. Pictures of Tilapia were found in the Pharaohs' tombs.
Tilapia is the second most popular fish in the world and the fastest growing fish in popularity in American restaurants.
The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm's state-of-the-art fresh-water recirculating system provides a super-clean and healthy environment for clean healthy fish.
As herbivores, Tilapia are naturally freer of the toxins that are now more common than Salmon and other farm-raised or wild fish. No medication, antibiotics or growth hormones are ever given to The Kid's Culinary Academy Farm fish.
Visit our Main Site to LEARN MORE ... www.kidsculinary.com
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