My Joy peaked when I saw the clouds arrive at 3 pm. I had been working under the sun in the lettuce field all day; weeding and planting. I noted in the morning that it was a cloudless sky. We seem to get lots of those here in the Central Valley. The entrance of faint whispy clouds in the north allowed me to exhale deeper and fully rest into my free time in the shade.
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There is a card in the tarot deck that sums up my day-the hanged wo-man. I planned to attend a workshop downtown and was locked out of the building upon arriving only 5-minutes early. It threw me into a tailspin. I had just commuted in to town and didn't want to turn around right away. I sat on a bench in front of the shop until I was inspired to do something else. Plan B plan failed too because of strong winds and an inhospitable outdoor environment in the first 2 weeks of January. I felt upset and confused. I had 4 hours until my next appointment and wanted to get the most out of my day. I took care of one errand that was over too soon, then I started reaching out to my friends. Caroline reminded me that there was a farmers market happening, so I met her there. It changed my whole mental state. In the span of 20 minutes, I went from a floating disillusionment to a grounded peace. At the farmer's market, time stops, and life living starts. Laughter is more free flowing, genuine smiles abound, and my heart soars with the other spirits living their dreams. I like to imagine that the farmers carry extra protection from their awesome stewardship to the Earth that the environments they create are free of conflict and turmoil. In this newly available time, I afforded myself the pleasure to spend time in places I don't often get to visit. i could have let my mistake ruin my day, but I'm able to see past those limiting beliefs. Once you fully embrace the fact that you create your own emotions, no setback is too big to bounce-back from. And remember that we all bounce when we fall. The kale we transplanted 3 weeks ago is ready for harvest this week. I'm starting to get the hang of it out here. Bo had some family visiting and helping us on the farm. Some of them asked me questions about how to do our tasks or identifying things, and I was able to provide answers :) I feel confident, like I could do this on my own. Although, I don't want to be solo. Dirtworks is such a great place because you are never alone out there. With five farm plots in one piece of land, you are usually guaranteed to see another face and have a conversation if you need it. I just want it ;) so I make a point to talk with everyone. I am grateful to work at one of the only farms in America to be growing Roselle for Hibiscus Tea. Bo planted this variety of fruit tea as a souvenir from his time in Thailand. Once the flower withers, a large seed pod is formed. The outer petals of the flower, or sepals, turn into the husk for a seek, or calyx. It is succulent and rich in color-quickly staining your skin. Harvest the calyx when it is largest and use in tea fresh or dried. I've been enjoying this tea often since our first harvest this Fall. I feel very vital when I drink it. In addition to the well known Vitamin C potency, Roselle also offers Iron, anti-oxidants, and reduces blood pressure. In Thailand, it's a perennial plant, we're not sure what will happen over Charleston's mild winter. Check out this video of removing the seeds before drying: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtMYP2vE6TY Thai people consume a lot of this tea. Harvesting this plant was super fun :) The tall stalks look similar to okra, but grow bushier. It probably thrived better through the hot moist summer than any other crop at Sol Haven. It's taller than me and it blooms from two to five feet off the ground, so I was crouching and stretching and engulfing myself in Roselle! It's no surprise I love this plant so much, we both come from tropical climates! While we spent over an an hour clipping 10 gallons of Roselle, Bo asked me how I imagined the first human thought to make tea out of this plant. The first thought to pop into my mind was, 'The plant told them.' I literally mean that the human intuited a message from the plant through the great cosmic goo that binds us all together. See my video on meditation to see my view: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtMYP2vE6TY There is a duality on how to care for plants. One one side, they get overwhelmed by rapid change, lose stamina in the heat, and need lots of nutrients to reach peak potential. The other side says, rain, wind, and sun are my playmates-I live outdoors! Farmer Bo takes a middle path. It's a two hour spa journey to get these babies into the ground. First, we establish an irrigation system in the freshly plowed row, and turn it on. The grey sandy soil darkens and covers the row with evenly spaced freckles. We go to the greenhouse and water the seedlings in their plastic trays. Out of three ties as many, only 5 kale trays (72 starts in total) are viable for planting in this heat. The broccoli will have to be restarted. Same thing happened to me at home. I started broccoli at the new moon in August and they all perished in the heat. Second, Farmer Bo pegs the 2 rows with a stick where the plants will go. I follow behind and dump a tablespoon of organic fertilizer in each hole where the soil is darkening at the irrigation drip. It's very efficient, elegant even. Third, the baby kale seedling is popped out of the mother tray and placed into the mother earth. Human hands press lovingly around the wound and seal in a nourishing intention. The water keeps flowing at a trickle Planting days are tops for me. Maybe more so than harvest. My work mantra has been 'Peace for everyone, everywhere', 'I love Syria' ... stuff like that. 'this Plant brings me Peace.' That's what prayer before meals is. Asking the food to forgive and love you. So we must show gratitude to the plant. Baby Kale, I appreciate you! Charleston, SC: New Island, New Farm :) New way of life
The warm sun of summer has settled me into the peaceful rhythm of Charleston, South Carolina. The coast is dotted with islands cut into the marshy landscape by rivers, like the Wando, Ashley, Cooper, and Edisto further escaping into the Atlantic Ocean. Sol Haven farm is a small patch of sandy soil on John's Island (which Wikipedia names as the 4th largest on the East Coast) and is run by a young fellow named Bo. Soil nutrition is the greatest concern of this farmer. Nutrient rich soil organically grows better vegetables with less labor. The logic here is mimicking nature for sustainable solutions. So we need to consciously add dead animal by products into the ground to release nitrogen and phosphorous from fish scraps, manure, bones, blood, and feathers--It's pretty raw out there. The farm has only been operating for a year on leased land. Homemade compost is created onsite using free waste from complimentary industry and tractor turning large piles started every week. This smelly method is an economical choice for small scale farming. The compost is used in new bed dressing. To maintain peak conditions, commercially processed organic fertilizer is applied to established plants and contains some of the above mentioned 'leftovers.' Mushroom helpers are also in full representation at Sol Haven. Spent mushroom grow-blocks (typically sawdust and mycelium) from a nearby monastary are added to the compost piles, and Mycorrhizae Innoculation is added to the field. It kind of 'turns on' the brain of the soil. In nature, endomcyorrhizal fungi colonize plant roots and create networks to source and gather nutrients to exchange. Adding animal carcasas and fungi to sand restores a natural balance of soil diversity ie. health. Then, the Farmer plants seeds, et voila! you have dinner :) Sol Haven [ http://www.solhavenfarm.com ] sells produce year round to downtown restaurants and at farmer's markets. I'm excited to be learning and growing with Bo. Often when I travel, I am broadcasting my journalist hat and ask a set of the same questions to everyone I meet. Do you know any farms? Beautiful flowers? Seen any dolphins lately? Many people pointed me toward the 'Rasta Farm' run by 'the Bushman'. Sounded like something I'd like, so I made it my goal. The three hours I spent there were some of the sweetest moments in the whole Caribbean. My first encounter with the Rastas of SxM was at the Ital restaurant on Bush road. A tiny house perched on a hill with 4 tables on an open patio is run by the Bushman's son, who taught me how to identify Purslaine (pictured below) that I gathered wild. For lunch I ate a curry roti-very popular all over the islands it was veggies wrapped in flour pancake. 100% vegan; ital = vital. Fresh juices were available in ginger, beet, or grapefruit. Once I made it to the farm on the French side of the island, I was greeted by a volunteer who was running the produce stand on the property. She was finishing a plum harvest. Also for sale that day were tomatoes, herbs, and other fruit. Two kids showed up because it was their day off school. We played together among the trees and shady pavilions. From what I understand, this is the only working farm that supplies locally grown produce. Which is surprising, because the island was originally inhabited and covered with sugarcane plantations. Later in the afternoon, I met the Bushman and his wife, both crowned with ancient dreadlocks. Real Roots Rastas. A nonviolent diet is one of my favorite elements of the Rastafarian religion. I try to eat vegan meals to balance my body and pursuit what I find agreeable. I learned that we can create our freedom through responsibility to leadership of ourselves. Like more sustained energy from plants. Learning new skills to feed myself from the soil and seeds is a blessing of freedom. I found a lot of signs for exploration among the weeds. these pictures below were taken during my walk across the Dutch, French border of Saint Martin. On my last full day in "The Rainbow City" (as their license plates read), I stumbled across the Department of Agriculture. Their motto says it all, "Farm Today or Starve Tomorrow." How True! I was a little surprised to see orange soil, like in Georgia, but more surprised at how small all the plants were. The 'local' produce I saw for sale in a grocery store consisted of tennis ball-sized bell peppers and chicken. What I learned is that the limiting factor is water. This tiny island has NO natural fresh water sources, so of course farming is a challenge! Fresh water is even a challenge for residential use. I was oblivious to this fact while staying in rental tourist villas. Once I moved to a local resident's spare bedroom (through the couch surfing network) I learned that buildings served only by 'government water' often run out of water between noon and 8 pm. So she stockpiled plastic buckets full of water in case she needed it in those 'ration hours.' I stopped at a fruit stand one day and purchased a pineapple, mango, and green (but ripe) bananas from a neighboring island to the south called Dominica. Next time I travel to the Caribbean, I want to go to the lush jungle paradise known as Dominica. They supply most of the produce to the island nations that is not imported from Florida or South America. Juan is the New York-Puerto Rican caretaker of Coldwater Gardens. He takes out the trash, plays drums, grows wheatgrass in his front yard and generally ensures everyone is enjoying their stay. He also has a large stash of paint and string to make dreamcatchers. Juan is currently in the process of breaking the world record for the largest dreamcatcher-22 feet. |
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