Wednesday, June 29, 2011

farm tours

It has been a busy and exciting couple weeks, so this post is considerably later than I had wanted to be.


For the past couple years Peoples Food Co-op has gotten together with the other 2 food co-ops in town and taken people to see where some of their food comes from. This year we went to 3 different urban farms whose focus, in one way or another, is on food security. The farms that graciously let us wonder as they educated us on what they do, how they do it, and why are:  Adelante Mujeres, Food Works, and Zenger Farms. They are all doing amazing work getting healthy foods to people who do not usually find themselves with access to anything other than cheap junk food. All the farms are community based and non-profits. They all captured my heart in different ways, but I must say a piece of me is still off gazing from the top of the hill, across the land towards the stream at Adelante Mujeres, and it was the first farm we toured, so lets start there.


to say I love this farm is an under statement

On the bus ride out, we were educated on and questioned about food security issues. It was great to hear that the Oregon Hunger Task Force and Oregon Public Health Institute has gotten into the communities that are most experiencing hunger in our area, and are talking to people about what the issues are and how we can all come together to ensure fewer people go through the days and nights hungry and malnourished. And important point is that people should not necessarily be looking at how can we make food cheaper (we have some pretty damn cheap food in this country), but how can we get people access to good food and jobs to pay for that food.... that is a different post that I will be working on soon.

Back to farms. The people that farm Adelante are amazing! It is comprised of families (don't try to define it more than being a group of people that consider themselves family) that work the land collectively.  As we descended upon the farm land, there was a group of small kids kicking around a soccer ball... just kind of felt like home.

There are so many ways to talk about how this entire organization was developed to work on the issues in this immigrant community, but lets just focus on Adeanted Agricutura. Here is how they define their program "Adelante Agricultura is the sustainable farming project of Adelante Mujeres’ Micro Enterprise program. The mission of this project is to achieve social justice and equity through ecological land management and economic viability. Our overall goal is to provide resource-limited, aspiring Latino immigrant farmers and farm workers with the training and skills necessary to farm using organic methods and to successfully market their produce". They have a sustainable farming course that they go trough. One of the major goals is to work directly and with respect for the land. The food and plants both feed their families, and are sold at the Forest Grove farmers market. The farm is actually called La Esperanza. It is a 12 acre farm in Forest Grove and supports farmers in what they learned in the farming class, and then transition to independent farming enterprises. 

Their CSA program is actually a capital exchange project. People pay a certain amount, or loan tools/supplies and then that goes as credit at the farmers market. Therefor there is no need to do up these boxes for pick up or delivery. People just go to the market and get what they want. They currently have 10 members.


Back to the actual farm... The tour for me started in the green house. It is heated with passive solar using  50 gallon barrels filled with water. With the little sun we have had this year, the new greenhouse has given them a head start at the farmers market with plants to both sell at the market, and get started into to transplant as soon as warms up enough. The 3 men there to talk to us really didn't have much to say... they work all day at other jobs, then they come to the farm and work the evenings and weekends. Some came to the farm because their wives had gone through another one of the programs offered, and therefor able to come onto this project. To watch them handle the delicate little seedlings was beautiful. They certainly preferred to do the work than talk about the work, and they preferred to speak Spanish when talking... and then the passion came out a bit more.



he certainly enjoyed telling us what he does in the greenhouse, but seemed to be wanting to get back to the work. very patient with our questions


the view from the greenhouse was grand


plants to plant and to sell




We then moved on to the fields... all in nice little rows. Here 2 other farmers talked about how the fields work. I loved the way Alajandro talked of the drip irrigation system that they have (there is no electricity on the farm anywhere, only a gas powered pump at the stream, then its all gravity). He said, "We give the plants not too much water, and not too little water, just enough for the flavor." He, as the director of the farm program, believes that you feed the soil and the soul feeds the plants.





nice view of the land


fields and the irrigation barrels. the tree line is where the creek is that they get their water from.


Each family gets 1/2 acre of land, and they all work it after they have worked their other jobs. The plants are a mixture of things one commonly finds at the markets, plus so many different varieties of peppers I was blown away! And now they are trying to bring more plants and spices that are more common in their traditional foods.


When we moved on to the market stations where families that work the market talk about what it is like to have this opportunity. Women shyly talked and apologized for their English (we should have apologized for our Spanish), talked about how happy they were to have the opportunity to grow healthy foods for their families and, in turn, provide/sell healthy food for other people to feed themselves/families. I highly recommend that you look further into  Adelante Mujeres  for they are amazing, and if you find yourself in the Forest Grove area on a Wednesday between 4 and 8pm, stop in at the farmers market for a good pepper!



the greenhouse with the barrels for heating/cooling




The next farm was Food Works as a part of the Janus Youth program. Ground works has a beautiful space out on Sauvie Island. The project is for ages 14 to 21 as an empowerment and employment program. You can learn more about this deeply inspiring project through the Janus program and if you want to know what this community is doing you should check out Janus Youth Programs. The youth come out from the New Columbia and St. John's Wood communities in North Portland.


On this 1 acre of land, they are able to grow 4,000 pounds of produce a year, and I have to say my new favorite salad green mix. I haven't had a mix like this since leaving the Wakarusa farm outside Lawrence, KS. It has just the right mix of spicy mustard greens that keeps my attention when I normally get board with salad mixes.




ohhh fields



our caters having a little fun


telling us how it all works


field A, I think


really who doesn't love an old tractor?





produce washing station

What amazed me the most about watching the youth move between working in the fields and giving us a tour of the land, was just how much true confidence they held while having fun and getting work done. Especially when you consider it was a group of young kids of color, many immigrants of East Africa, talking to a group of mostly older white folks. I would have been nervous and intimidated, but our guide was not, she remained quite poised and sure of herself. She was also able to laugh at the learning curve they have experienced, like how many days it took them the first time they transplanted a row for the first time, and then this year it just took them 30 minutes. 


As well as getting paid just a bit for this work, they also get school credit, and can apply for a college scholarship. So far 5 students have received a scholarship. 


Oh and we got to have a great lunch, sitting on the grass next to the field of greens. It was very peaceful... I do love to go out to Sauvie Island (Ursula Le Guin has a great article on this historic farming island out there), but this is a very special journey. 


You can purchase their delicious produce at the PSU farmers market in downtown Portland as well as the St. John's farmers market. Go get some of that salad mix... for real... I eat it straight up out of my bag.


Our final farm was Zenger Farms. Very beautiful piece of land in outer SE Portland along the spring water corridor for you fellow bikers. There is 4 acres of farm and and 10 acres of wetland. Ulrich Zenger, a Swiss dairy farmer took over the land in 1913. I've heard it told that not only was he super progressive in wanting to protect the wetlands, he was also one of the few vegetarian dairy farmers of the time. His animal stewardship was suppose to be exemplary. 


His son took over the land, but did not take over the commercial farming practice. As he got older, he wished for the integrity of the land to continue, so he created some assurances. Upon his death, the land began being managed my Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services. In 1995, the land became a working farm again, as well as an educational and environmental resource. There is now a 50 year lease with Friends of Zenger Farm to ensure that the vision of the family and community are followed.






the middle part of these plants is rented by another farm and will feed 150 families with their CSA!


to the left is farm


to the right is wet land






an elder tree in bloom... so amazing


the 2 water collection tanks 


educational worm bin


solar panels


The land is outstanding. To walk it feels like walking on sacred land. We were able to nibble on a great piece of spinach while gazing off over the wetlands of the Johnson Creek Watershed and watching so many birds fly around us. I have to say the huge bee area here still has a little piece of me buzzing around. 


that grand spinach





and the bees! their home is under construction. I love bees!


They started a pilot CSA project this year of 20 members. 10 of which can purchase there share with their EBT card, 2 are scholarships, and the other 8 are paid in cash. They want to see if they can keep up with all the farmers markets and places they sell their food before expanding the CSA program. 


What did I come away with this tour with, besides a little sun and a lot of fun inspired by a toddler that danced with me at the very end of the journey? Well, with some work, some land, creativity, and a huge sense of community we can feed people in the urban setting. Not only can we be fed, we can be fed good local organic food. We can take back the bullshit that the government wants to subsidize and put out healthy food so that people aren't on shitty medications from all the heart disease and diabetes that the "rations" dish out.


Mostly its about community. And I believe that this is where the revolution will occur. Very quietly, communities are developing their leaders. I say quietly, because they are dong the work and not spouting off about how great they are... they just do it.

6 months down and to go

Well there may be a slew of posts coming in the coming days. I'm a little backed up as I have been a little busy.


Pearly (whom I keep calling Opal) who Kim-sits while I house-sit... she is so fun!


Yesterday marked the half way mark in this one year adventure. It is looking like this will be more of a whole lifestyle switch, so I am a little hesitant in that statement, but will stick with the initial goal and make broader statements later.

At this point, here are some things I've noticed. Already eating fairly seasonally and local first made a smoother transition. Being vegan also makes this so much easier! This may be the first time I've been able to make that statement about buying food and going out to eat. Maybe I just stile have too many memories/nightmares of the daily struggle of being vegan in the mid-west.

Tortillas made fresh at home are so much better. Actually, Its getting harder and harder to eat out because few things taste as good as making it myself. There is also this strange sense of freedom in "oh, I can make that!" I must also say here, that making food with friends, and sharing the food is one my favorite ways to be with people. It is so satisfying and feeds everyone in so many more ways.

I no longer strain my hemp milk, especially if I am just going to put it on granola or make a smoothie with it. I add hemp seeds to most of those things anyway, so....

Cashew cream freaking rocks! And I mean ROCKS my world... thick like whipped cream or thin for coffee/tea/dandy blend. Really its a drug of choice for me.

My body also seems to be going through some changes. With the exception of the more-than-occasional Dovetail Woopie pie, I am only eating whole grains and greens and fruit. My body is content with less, even though I insist on eating a lot. I am feeling general shifts in my body. Its getting leaner and stronger in very subtle ways.

Also, I believe that my hair is reverting back to the red of my childhood. I am hesitant to say much about it, but as I pulled the clippers out last month, I noticed that the grey is in the tips and there is red at the roots... Its odd.

My eyesight is changing... again. I loose my glasses every time this happens. The first time was a few years after becoming vegan. It was to prevent losing them at a party I was heading off to. And I lost them again when I was trying to make sure that I didn't... strange and boring story not involving a party, so I'll spare you. So I swung in and picked up a $10 pair of reading glasses and running around eye ware free.

What I am enjoying the most are all the conversations. There was a blurb about it in the coops summer newsletter, so people have stopped me all around town to ask questions or tell me what they are doing. The questions range from what do I do about______ to transportation choice (mostly fly vs. car or train). At the beer cart I almost always end up in a fantastic conversation with someone.  It is all very exciting. Can't wait to see what happens after the article in In Good Tithe comes out.

I've been thinking about taking a train trip in December back to Kansas to see how a week of no packaged food would go, but I think I am deciding against it. Being vegan and not wanting to shop at the big chains for food already stresses my family out, and this might send them over the edge. I'm not sure I am up for it on top of the holiday season... so maybe spring as a post-graduate project.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive, encouraging, and inspiring... popcorn bars rule!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Too many words

I've been reading some. And I've been thinkin' some about words and how we use them, and how many of them we use. Seems there was a time when good honest hard workin' folks used few words. Their actions spoke for em. People who use a great many words, without much action, are most likely tryin' to bury some kind of lie with lots of words... or they want to tell you a good story. One can usually tell a difference.

Let's take Cormac McCarthy's trilogy on cowboys. The main characters that are strong in their believes and convictions just live and do their work. When things get tough and emotional, they don't go on and on about it, they just work it out. And say things like, "well the last time I was in the city was back in nineteen and twenty-nine." Or, "There aint no virtue in quittin what you aint able any longer to do in the first place."

Can also take Winnona LaDuke's book, "Last Standing Woman". I was all prepared for a book writhe with emotion and drama about a tribe rebelling and taking back the land that was stolen and abused by the invaders that eventually called themselves American's. But no, that was not the story. The people lived their lives. They lost land. They lost language. They lost loved ones, and family, and a way of life that fed all parts of their being. Sure they were mad... they are mad. But the activists took hold and fought with action. Some words, but mostly they just did. In speaking the truth and in trying to make right, its action. That's an activist.

Seems like maybe, there aint a good reason to talk about the deep scars that fill us so deeply sometimes. What words can convey the pain and anguish that we feel when we loose something so precious to us? When someone we loved has been pained so deeply that the tears will never again make us  unsullied and innocent.

What does any of this have to do with packaged food?

So glade you asked. Mostly it just kind of hit me that people doing good work don't need many words. You go to the farmers market and talk to a good farmer, they probably have few words to say. But you get someone that is using a bunch of crap on or in their food, and they have a lot to say. Good work and good food speaks for its self.

Some of this also comes from going on a great urban farm/food security tour last weekend. Most farmers didn't have much to say. They worked with "family" however it was defined. They grew good food for folks to feed their families. They don't want to use any chemicals. That's it. More on that soon after I sort some notes and pics.

All this talk about needing labels for GMO or organic or whatever, is because our food is not our food any longer. Its because people are trying to tell us stories about how our food gets to our plates that includes things that are not much desired by most folks. So a story unfolds. And not the kind you want to tell someone you love before they drift off to sleep.

I guess I'm just longing for the days I never really knew. When a tomato was a tomato and not part tomato part salmon. I long for the days when a person's work was their word. It seems simple. It seems true.

Monday, June 6, 2011

water land death food

Three things happened recently that are having some lasting effects on my mind and leaving my heart a little heavy.

But lets start with food first! Thai coconut curry in pictures:



first you start with a coconut





drain the coconut to capture the water then crack it with a hammer until you get pieces to the size that is easy to peal and scrap out. extra points when you hit the targets from across the room with flying pieces of coconut!


all that milk from one coconut



why not make it double as the tofu press


veggies all a saute




add coconut milk and the curry paste (that turned out amazing! but i didn't photograph it because well it looked like a crazy green paste of experiment. but it was spicy and sweet with the great combination of fresh lemongrass and basil.



crispy tofu... not much to say... tasty.... crispy


top with fresh cilantro and basil, add a little cucumber basil salad, and captured by porches ipa



and its one happy plate of food

Hammering aside, this meal was so easy to make that it really surprised me just how delicious it was. However, really having my hands in the coconut so much; feeling the oil drip down my hands when I pressed it to separate the creamy milk from the shredded coconut out (to be used for granola later), really made think and think about this food and its crazy popularity right now. This happen a great deal with me during most meals as I reflect on where the food came from, who grew it and how, how it got to the store/market, how the workers where treated, etc. And the coconut craze is driving me crazy.

Don't get me wrong, there was a time when I would slam a can of coconut water when I was deeply dehydrated... mostly when i was hungover. But I gave it up a couple years ago when I was learning about the connection between damns and aluminum plants. Now so many things at the co-op have coconut oil in them. Then there are the cans of coconut milk, cartons of coconut milk (like soy milk), coconut yogurt, amino acids (like bragg's), flour, sugar.... its a long list. And we were recently informed that the amazing price increase in coconut product is a direct result of the high demand and limited resources.

What is it about Americans, that we want what does not come from around us? We stress another eco-system. We make people grow what we can not....

About the time all these thoughts were running though my head and bouncing off my skull, I learned about 2 land activists that were murdered in Brazil last week. They were out on the land that they were trying to save from large corporations.

The piece of rain forest those 2 activists were trying to save reminded me of something I read about the landless workers movement that started over 20 years ago. Back in like 1985, I think, some daring folks started a huge landless movement in Brazil. At the time only 2% of the population owned half the land. With really the only options being to become little more than a slave on large farming operations, or move to the city and live in deep deep poverty. So a group gathered and took over several hundred hectares of unused land. They worked together and held it for over a year, building schools, homes, and health clinics. Eventually the government gave in, the Brazilian dictatorship was over thrown, and agrarian reform began.

20 plus years later that group of people that started the MST (Landless Workers Movement) has expropriated 35 million acres of land that is occupied by 400,000 families. Most all of the settlements are cooperatively worked with farms, homes, schools, and health care clinics all started by those that start the settlements. The original families are seeing their children live lives that would not have been possible before.

But Brazil still works with the IMF, WTO, and northern governments. Most of the land continues to be held by major corporations. The land that these particular activists had been trying to save (amazonian rain forest) is being threatened by loggers and ranchers (or to grow soy crops for livestock). They were also killed the very day that the government announced that they were going to change the forestry code so that it would be even easier for loggers and ranchers to clear more forest. And as a reminder, the cattle ranchers in this area of the world are mostly for cheap fast-food of the global north. It is not to feed the global south... just saying...

These murders are not unusual or rare. In fact the past 20 years, while the MST has been so successful, 1500 rural activists have been murdered. Less than 100 have even gone to court, while only 15 of the people that hired the gunmen have been found guilty.

These thoughts were getting a little tiring, so I went to watch a movie. For some reason I thought "Even the Rain" would be calming and relaxing. And it is a really good movie, but its about the making of a movie about Columbus and his desecration of everything he touched. In the movie you can't help but make the connection of his demand for gold, for the new demand for other resources, like land and water! The movie presents the effects of privitized water situations, and that people are having to risk their lives for the something most of us take for granted.

So these 3 experiences have led to my next "well so much for that" moment. And that moment is that coconut is out of my life, or at least for a spell. I am sure that there are much worse crops out there, but most of those I have already given up. Does this mean no more Thai Curry dinners? Heck no! I'll just use hazelnut milk or hemp milk or almond milk... There are always so many options, and most of those can be found in creative mind and local farmers market.

Bet you can't wait for my rant on cherries coming into the co-op in plastic bags!