As the demand for fresh and local food increases nationwide, Ingleside at King Farm (IKF) has doubled down on its commitment to provide residents with high-quality farm-to-table meals. The senior-living community recently installed a Babylon Micro-Farms Hydroponic Garden in its Courtyard Café, an initiative set to rework its dining program and further support resident wellness.
Built on the basis of sustainability, this indoor garden produces 1,000 pounds of nutritious, home-grown vegetables each year — many of which can’t be purchased from IKF’s traditional produce vendor. The Babylon Micro-Farms Hydroponic Garden is remotely managed through cloud-centric apps and digital alerts. It even contains sensors that relay performative data and ensure plants receive optimal amounts of water, light, and nutrients with 96% less water, 65% less fertilizer, and 0% pesticide threat.
Crops grown from the Babylon Micro-Farm are proven to be healthier with more health benefits compared to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards. Better yet, this new installment has been one of most well-received and highly-talked-about initiatives at IKF.
“What we grow will be used in as many dining areas as possible,” said Teddy Demessie, General Manager at IKF. “We can add the lettuce we grow to the café salad bar, use the herbs we grow for cooking and garnishings, and we can even use our produce for fresh green juices at the coffee shop. The possibilities are endless.”
Farm-to-table dining has been around since the 1960s, but it has seen a resurgence in recent years — especially in the senior living industry. Senior homes are constantly looking for ways to improve nutrition for residents. By partnering up with local farms or creating accessible ways for fresh produce to be utilized, communities like IKF can boost resident consumption of vegetables by up to 35% in a year, Babylon reported.
“We’ve had several reasons for purchasing the indoor garden,” Demessie said. “We believe that both the senior living and culinary landscapes are changing rapidly, and we feel this is a good investment to keep up with these trends.”
This Babylon hydroponic garden is among many initiatives Ingleside launched to promote sustainability and residents’ wellbeing. During Earth Month, for example, Ingleside at King Farm hosted an electric vehicle showcase while other locations organized educational gardening events and community clean-ups. Demessie said the Babylon garden’s planting, transplanting, and harvesting process will soon evolve into a resident-led partnership.
“The goal is to introduce fresh ideas that will impact our residents’ lives positively,” Demessie said. “We want to continue to be the trendsetters in senior living.”
For more information on Ingleside at King Farm’s sustainability efforts or dining program, contact (240) 557-2918 or visit https://inglesideonline.org/ingleside-king-farm/.