Fruits of Labor...

The other day, one of our members finished working with some oyster mushrooms.  If you do not know, it is a tedious and time consuming process.  Spores and mycelium have to be cultivated and watched.  Mold has to be battled and we have to worry about substrates, etc.  Then one day...you have mushrooms.  Lots of things are popping out of our gardens and it is great that a lot of people are going to be getting some really great food.

There are some really great things going on with 99Knives and it is great to see a growing system where we understand every aspect of the process.  This particular member is a chef.  Is there more to be gained from eating if the person who cooked it also planted it and raised it?  We like to think that we are working on an amazing concept.  Perhaps it is not new, but the idea that food is not only prepared by chefs, but also grown by them is rare.

We are getting into this on every level that we can.  Can we look at ways to grow more food and do it with a direct result in mind?

People work hard to produce good food, but when we look at what it means to be fully engaged in our food and what it means to bring it to the table.

This chef learned to make compost and drove around and in the middle of the night collecting buckets of compostable matter.

This chef learned to grow things, how to put that compost into the soil.

This chef learned to manage earthworms.

This chef learned to grow mushrooms.

So, at what point can we say that this person is not JUST a chef anymore?

I listened to him babble forever about how the mushroom tasted and how the next goal is to duplicate it and grow many many more.  We are also growing tomatoes and onions and more.  The goal is to have food with not just a farmer's stamp of approval, but a chef's too?

Recipes for Global Warming

The high today is 75 here in Anaheim...so far.  The sun is shining with all its might and it is January.  In Queens, NY it is about 30 degrees.   It is easy to think that something is missing.  Right about now, I am often trying to find ways to keep warm and comfy.  As someone who is so immersed in culinary culture and whose life revolves around food, it is funny to see that everything that I know is changing.

Living in a new state on a new coast, yes, there are bound to be differences.  I was ready for this.  I never thought about what I would be giving up.  I never thought that I would not have the stomach to eat a nice thick, heavy with vegetables that had been meticulously stored months before.  In fact, we are even looking at growing those things now.  As I find myself buying seeds, I also find myself wondering what can go in the ground now.

It is 75 degrees outside!  Can I plant corn?  Can I put some peas in the ground?  It really does look and smell like spring outside.

Compromise seems to be the order of the day.  Several months ago, I had put up some chicken stock and it was a frozen block, mocking me, waiting to go into a nice heavy minestrone or a mulligatawny.  It now seems to know it's fate and seems to wonder why it has been awakened, like some character in a Sci Fi movie that was not supposed to be awakened until they reached Mars, but was pulled out of cryo-whatever far too early.

I take out some bacon and let it come to temperature slowly.  I add some onions, chopped into a nice dice and watch as they go from white, to gray, to a nice brown and mingle with bacon.  The stock goes grudgingly into a pot, under low heat, on the back burner.

Other veggies find their way into the pot.  Potatoes, kidney beans, carrots, and peas but they are fighting with the weather.  They need to be working to counteract the malaise of winter.  They need to be helping me think of spring.  They need to be helping me see through the evening haze and the overcast day.  Instead, they seem out of place.

There are some things that are missing.  The smell of oak in a burning fireplace.  The subtle fear that someone is going to open the door and let some of the heat out.  There is no fire and no fear because the windows are open and a gentle breeze is coming in.  I am wearing a t-shirt not a sweater.

As a sense cook, I am confused on days like this.  The weather begs me to put in basil and mint.  The time of year makes me want thyme and marjoram.

These are the things that are going to go by the way side, it seems.  Soon, it will be too hot in January to drink cocoa.  Apple cider in the heat of the day will seem silly and forced, even if it is October.

Global warming will not only change what we can eat.  It will not only change what is available; it will change what we want.  My soup today ended with a nice heavy mix of vegetables, large chunks of chicken, but was highlighted by peas and rice.  It felt like a strange mix of Spring and Winter.  It tasted confused, much the way I think it would feel to eat my mother's cranberry ginger cookies for dinner in August.

What do we owe you?

We have been talking and talking about what we want to do and what we want to provide.  We have been talking about making the world a better place, etc.  One thing that we have not done, is ask not what we can provide those coming, but what we have to provide.  What do we owe the next group of people who will follow?

We asked our very talented incoming interns what they expect to get out of their experience with us.   These are their responses...

Samantha...

You owe me space. A big ol plot of green and brown-that kinda dirt that cleans you. You owe me the space to lay my planting grounds. To let my green vine arms run wild and free.  I want the beds to lay the foundations of new friendships and allies. The beds to companion plant some good seeds.

Speaking of seeds, you owe me seeds. A lot of them please. I need seeds to sow in the name of change. Seeds to sow into clean and free form rows. Of course, these seeds may not be GMO’ed.  I need seeds that will feed the belly of the people around us. Especially those sick and in need.

I’m sure you have your expectations of who I am and what I am going to do. But please, you owe me the space to be me and work for you the best I can be. I will need a straightforward explanation of what you need from me and how you expect our 6 months to go. What needs to get done by when, what are our main focuses, how things will be organized, etc. You owe me that guidance, and I owe you the reliance. And, at the end of the day, I will need a place to stay and an hourly wage.

Abby...

 If I could ask one thing of the generations above me, it would be suspended disbelief and a willingness to believe. After all, the way many of us see our life paths is no less then to be the brave valiant warriors of the world, out to save our planet and our people. And one must be very brave (and a bit romantic) if total salvation is the goal. There are many paths to walk in answering the call to be a part of creating a healthy people planet relationship. So next time you see a bunch of kids on you sidewalk with packs and planning a few tunes, kick them a dollar, they leave a very low carbon foot print and could be out to save the world. And if your daughter wants to drop out of college to farm and become the fermentation queen why, give her your blessing, and a pouch to start saving seeds! She is a brave and gentle warrior. Her own courage will bring her the strength to charge into holy battle against apathy and waste, but guarantee you she wants to hold your hand, and have you look into your eyes and bless her. The words every young Eco-warrior wants to hear.. "My child, go. This may not have been the path I would have chosen for you, but times are changing and so we must adjust. We must be brave, but I know we can do it. I believe in you. You will make mistakes, and when you do you should say to yourself "hypothesis proven incorrect, experiment was successful because.." And you will keep trying and keep learning. I will be here for you, and I will learn from you too. And when you are scared and do not think you can go any further, I will believe in you and hold my faith in you, until you can feel it again.Together we will learn from the greatest teachers, the earth and our own experience. When we are united in respect, and all generations are teachers and learners, we are at our strongest. We are all on this together." 

You are going to hear a lot more from Abby and Samantha in the future.  They will be writing much more about their work and many more will be joining them.  They will be asking this question of those who will follow them and helping others to realize their dreams and hopes for the world, as we hope, we can help them.

Home Sweet Home

We made a commitment for this year.  We are working to invest in our neighborhoods and build positive spaces.

What makes a community?
The main thing that we are finding is that everything about a community is a larger part that is made up of a smaller part. The world is made up of countries which are often made of states or territories, and then cities and towns.  Towns are made of neighborhoods, then streets then homes then families and people.  Smaller and smaller and each relying on the next to keep the whole going.

One of our members noticed a home in an area that we are working in.  The home was in a neighborhood that was dominated by condos and newly fabricated homes.  This home was in a row of three homes and each had seen better days.  Each was in boarded up with "no trespassing" signs on them.  The three homes were on the cusp of a disused area.  They were the weak links in the chain begin to show.  These unused homes are the weak parts of a neighborhood.

So we ask what we can do to strengthen the neighborhood.  The goal is to give a sense of ownership and permanence to the people who live in the neighborhood. These are their homes.  The best way to create a strong neighborhood is to have these homes filled with strong families and for those families to feel some connection to their community. Putting in more condos do not help.  A bright coat of paint does not help.  Protests will not help.

We need to pry off the boards covering the windows and repair them.  We need to fill those homes with people who love and care for the community.  This is our next goal.  These are the investments that we are making.

We want to get people into those homes; into these places because they are close to our gardens. We need to invest in our communities.

Home sweet home.