Who gives a fig? Ivan Stoilov, that's who. The Dittmer, Missouri, farmer wanted to grow the fruits and vegetables his Bulgarian family missed, without having to move back to Bulgaria. Using high tunnel greenhouses heated by alternative energy sources, Stoilov succeeded in producing a dozen varieties of delicious figs, aided in part by a grant from the Missouri Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Awards. So if you're keeping score at home, that's ingenuity, alternative energy, family values and sustainable agriculture, all for the love of the fig. Stoilov is August's guest lecturer at SLOWednesday, tonight in the Crown Room at Schlafly Bottleworks (7260 Southwest Avenue, Maplewood; 314-241-2337 or www.schlafly.com). Arrive at 7 p.m. to order drinks and food; farmer Stoilov begins his presentation at 7:45 p.m. on his solar and geothermal greenhouses, and you don't want a rumbly tummy. Admission is free, as always.
Wed., Aug. 13, 2008
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