Allison's NOFA Experience

As classes start up and we get into the swing of our schedules, I've been thinking about the NOFA conference quite a bit.  It isn't just that my classes include elements from the conference (from smart, efficient architectural design ideas to the texts we use in class) or that organic and local food has been the center of many conversations I've had of late (though these statements are true).  NOFA was also my pre-fall '12 introduction to attending lectures, expanding my knowledge, and becoming engaged in topic matter.  This said, I'd like to reflect upon my NOFA experience (however overdue) and say what it means for this semester.

I attended a slew of workshops at NOFA in August (the 10th-12th), including:
1) Edible Forest Gardens, a workshop about biodiversity, modeling nature in the home garden, gardening like the forest, and self-renewing fertility (among other things!)
2) Mushroom Cultivation, giving the how-tos for at home mushroom cultivation (with the end result of selling them to restaurants at at markets)
3) Urban Bioshelters - (MY FAVORITE) with Scott Kellogg, a professor in the SUNY system
4) Systems & Species: A Peak-Oil Homestead Example
5) Arcosanti & Paolo Soleri, a workshop about the history of Paolo Soleri's futuristic architecture and ideas to combat urban sprawl
6) Urban Gardening
7) Coppice Agroforestry
8) and a workshop about Value Added products.

Needless to say, I was packed to the brim with new, exciting information after the NOFA conference!  The workshops that left the biggest impact on me were Urban Bioshelters and Arcosanti & Paolo Soleri.

Scott Kellogg has dedicated his life to ecological studies and, within the past year, has started a bioshelter in Albany, NY, as a center to educate youth about ecology, biology, and sustainability in a completely hands-on, interactive manner.  He was so in-tune with the ecological, social, and economic intersections within sustainability, and his application of them to a youth education center was, to me, the perfect way to manifest his interests.

His bioshelter had an aquaponics system that grew plants, provided heat for the building (especially in the chilly winter months in upstate NY), fed fish, filtered water, and ultimately served as an educational tool for students.  They also have small livestock there, a greenhouse, and a building maintained by passive convective cooling/ventilation.  I was excited by his smart architectural design ideas, multi-purpose use items (from the water system heating the building to the livestock living there providing heat just from living!), and his ability to encourage ecological education in the area.  He recently published a book, "The Toolbox for Sustainable City Living", which perfectly explains his sentiments toward the issues with city living now and how we can alter it to become sustainable, albeit urban.

This sort of connected to the next topic I was very interested in, the workshop on Arcosanti & Paolo Soleri.  Soleri coined the term "arcology" - a hybrid of architecture and ecology - and applied it to ideas for mega-buildings that would combat urban sprawl, personal vehicle use, and inaccessibility to resources by building up rather than out.  Although his plans were for futuristic buildings that look near impossible to build, the implications these designs had for ecological sustainability, responsible resource use, and ways to combat pollution are more important than their actual construction.

These workshops truly fueled my preparation for the fall semester as I am currently delving into an architecture course (Sustainable/Adaptive Reuse Architecture), a political ecology course (mainly studying the implications of power relations and resource use/distribution where resources are competed for), and a course on the biogeography of the African continent.  I have been able to refer to notes from the conference to remind me about what really gets me excited academically to better prepare for my junior year - a year of planning for both the end of my education and my future after college.

On that note, may you all delve into studies of your own and get absorbed by the whirlwind that is classes, social life, and more at Mount Holyoke (or wherever you are!).

Best,
Allison

Oh, you know, just another cow in the crowd.

 Keynote speaker and State of Maine Representative Chellie Pingree addresses the importance of healthy food options in schools.

 The (super awesome) NOFA tees - I wear mine all the time:)

 My notes on Scott Kellogg's description of passive convective cooling/ventilation, how he composts, and more.

SO good.

Ginger beer - so tasty!! - and

NOFA: A Formal Reflection

Northeast Organic Farming Association Summer Conference

The NOFA Summer Conference, held this year from August 10^th to August 12^th, is a symposium aimed at sharing and learning about sustainable agriculture through local organic methods. The conference includes workshops ranging from ones about permaculture to soil health to mindful eating and organic land care including a number of exciting workshops for teenagers and children.

The conference also included lectures by keynote speakers Chellie Pingree and Jeffery M. Smith. 

Chellie Pingree is in an ongoing fight to promote local organic farms across the United States. Carving her way from Minnesota to Maine, starting a knitting business that employed local community members, owning and operation a restaurant that features locally grown food, former national CEO of Common Cause, representative of Maine in the Unites States Congress and currently a member of the Agriculture Committee in Congress, Pingree epitomizes an incredibly inspirational woman marking her say in the agricultural system that is largely patriarchal. 

Jeffery M. Smith focused on the health risks associated with genetically engineered food. With a strong belief that stories leave a stronger impact than sheer numbers, Smith incorporated in his speech stories about instances where people have observed significant effects of GMF consumption along with encouraging stories about how switching to Non-GMFs could reverse the illness. In the Philippines when people were living near a particular BT corn variety, during the time of pollination, the people in the village experienced skin, respiratory and intestinal reactions. When the same seeds were used in four other villages, the consequences were the same, along with deaths of water buffalos, chicken and horses and unexplained human death. Not to mention the concerns that are raised by results obtained from scientific experiments. Yet time and time again, scientific data against GMOs has been suppressed and attacked by agricultural and food companies and the press. Smith also mentioned the political corruption that occurs within the walls of food and agricultural industries like the Monsanto and the FDA. Nine out of ten Americans want GMFs to be labeled but because the FDA is ordered to promote the biotech industry, they ignore the desire of nine out of ten Americans in order to protect the economic interests of the few GMO companies. In order to promote non-GMFs, Smith argued, it is less important to change the government policies than to have individuals change their market choices.

The first workshop I attended was called ‘We Become What We Eat’. Energies are transferred into and through the food we consume. Positive energies that go into a raising a local farm animal are transferred into our bodies when consumed. This makes us healthy both physically and emotionally. Commercially raised animals, on the other hand retain negative energetic vibes from the way they are raised and would consequently have negative impact on us. Another workshop, called ‘Mindful Eating’ emphasized on the spiritual processes of food consumption or simply the act of eating. It began with a very simple meditation technique called ‘Eat a Raisin’ which basically involved concentrating on the one raisin that we were consuming and thinking about not only its feel and taste but also recalling where it came from and the processes that was required to get one raisin on my plate. Mindful eating not only improves our eating habits but also helps us to live in the moment. My newly found interest in eating habits lead me to watching a movie at the conference called ‘Food Matters’.  While the medical industry is receiving more budget, conducting more research, developing new antibiotics and more so spreading the drug disease, ‘Food Matters’ documented health risks posed by the increasing consumption of drugs and accentuated the need for people to eat locally grown organic food and avoid symptoms as opposed to treating diseases with drugs.

Other workshops I attended included ‘Permaculture Techniques for your Garden’ that was about, as its name suggests, planning a self-sustaining permaculture garden in our backyards. ‘Urban Gardening’ presented the possibility of having ecologically friendly farms within urban areas like New York.

All in all, the NOFA conference was extremely meaningful. It gave us a chance to hear different views of people, learn about a number of issues, meet new people and share ideas with them, develop an increased interest in food production and consumption and eat delicious locally  grown organic food for three days.

Shristi 

Recipe #3 Kimchi

Ingredients
- 1 head Napa Cabbage
- 6 large scallions, sliced in half and cut into about 1 inch length
- 1 cup grated peeled carrots
- 1/2 cup daikon, match stick cup
- 1 tbs grated ginger (peeling with spoon is easier)
- 3 large cloves of garlic pressed through the garlic press
- 2 Hot pepper chopped
- 1 tsp dried chile flakes (Or 1 fresh cayenne pepper very finely chopped)
- 1 TBS Celtic sea salt
- 4 TBS whey (optional)

Preparation:
1. After rinsing the cabbage, slice it (the size that you would prefer) and put it in the bowl. Sprinkle salts on top then mix it well and let it sit for couple of hours (2-3 hrs is enough).

2. Mix the other ingredients in a bowl.
(I blended the hot pepper, and ginger)

3. Now, mix everything together.

4. After mixing everything together (above 2 pics), pack the kimchi in a clean glass jar large enough to hold it all. Or in 2 jars, which I did. Then cover it tightly.

5. Let it sit in room temperature for 3 days. (during that time, you will notice bubbles forming in the jar)

6. Serve or store it in refrigerator.

Enjoy

Love and Peace

:) Lobsang 

P.S.-learned it during the NOFA conference

Recipe #2 "Beet Kvass"

This drink is made from Beets, harvested from our own MHC student garden.

The beverage has an interesting taste, and nourishing properties.

Equipment

• half gallon jar
• vegetable peeler
• knife
• cutting board 

Ingredients

• 3 medium or 2 large beets
• 1/4 cup whey (optional)
• 1 TBS sea salt
• filtered water

Preparation:

Peeled the beats and coarsely chopped about (not too small). Place the chopped beats, whey, and salt in the jar. Add filter water to fill the jar. 

Keep at the room temperature for 2 days before transfering to the refrigerator. 

Ready to drink.

Enjoy the drink

Love and Peace
:) Lobsang
P.S - next recipe coming up will be kimchi

Recipe #1 Curry Okra

Today, during the farmers' market, we were selling okra and some other vegetables. Some people came up to us and asked, "How do you cook okra?". I explained to them verbally, on how I cook okra.
So, after the farmers' market, which ended at 6pm, I was thinking what to cook for dinner.  I was like, "Why not cook an okra dish and put it on the blog, this way people can refer to the blog when cooking okra dish. And also we will be selling okra next farmers' week". So, after I made this decision, I cooked okra for dinner and here are the pictures I took, while cooking.
Just to let you know, okra goes well with potato, so I cooked with potato

Ingredients:
Okra
Potato
Oil
Onion
Tomato
Salt
Black Pepper
All purpose Seasoning
Crushed Red Pepper (Optional)
Curry(Optional)
Paprika (Optional)
Pan to cook in

Step by Step cooking
1. First pour some oil in a pan and heat it up

2. Put onion on top.  Wait till it turn little brown and put tomato on it. Sprinkle some salt on top.

 3. After that add, black pepper.

Then stir together.

4.  Put potato on top, and then add spices (all purpose seasoning, paprika, curry). If you want hot, add red crushed pepper. 

 stir it.

Then add some water

5. Put the lid on and let it cook for some time, till potatoes are about done or almost done. (try tasting the potato to see if its done or can be done by poking at the potato by fork/knife. If easily penetrates the potatoes, then its done)
6. Okra, shaped like:

 not too thick

 put it in the pan

Cover it with lid

 cook like that for couple of mins. 

 stir it together.

 taste it. (to see, if anything is missing/enough, especially salt)

 Here is a picture of my dinner:

Love and Peace

:) Lobsang

Edible Forest Gardens

There is a practice of growing and gardening that is captivating many people today, growing an edible forest garden.  However, this is neither a newly developed technique nor something even created by man.  These sorts of gardens mimic patterns of natural forest succession, providing appropriate shade and sun availability to a wide variety of plants, and growing into gardens with canopy structures resemblant of forests.  If humans choose to plant a perennial, edible garden that mimics this natural structure they are simply utilizing the design to benefit themselves (and definitely their health and their wallet!).

The edible forest garden Lobsang, Shristi, and I visited in Holyoke, MA, is called Food Forest Farm.  The property is owned and run by two passionate, eager-to-share guys named Eric Toensmeier and Jonathan Bates and boasts more than 200 varieties of perennial and self-seeding plants.  Eric, the author of Perennial Vegetables and co-author of Edible Forest Gardens (with Dave Jacke), and Jonathan, who offers site design consultations and a variety of workshops, were both so enjoyable and accessible to talk to about their visions for their designs.

"We've pretty much achieved what our original goal was, which was EATING FOR FUN, handfuls at a time as we walk through the garden." - Jonathan Bates

Edible plants, even the weeds!  Seriously!

Wild amaranth.  The leaves are edible and would be cooked similar to beet greens.  The seeds can be harvested and popped - like popcorn!

Hardiness zones of 1 (polar) -12 (tropical) classify where certain plants will be able to grow (based on heat, sunlight, resource requirements, and more).  There is a zone 8 in front of the house at Food Forest Farm, formed by the micro-climate between the asphalt of the driveway and the front porch of the house, which is similar to a zone you would find in Georgia!  Hearty banana plants, figs, eggplant, and sweet potato were some plants growing in that zone.

There is a greenhouse currently under construction and it will mimic a tropical zone.  It will feature avocado, plantain, and banana plants, in addition to an underground worm composting site.  The airflow will be maintained using passive cooling techniques (a draft will occur naturally from mesh windows at the bottom of the greenhouse and exit through vents near the top) and heat will be maintained using smart insulation designs (super insulation, use of granite in building which will attract and store heat, storing water used for plants in black bins to attract heat).  

Raised beds with a covercrop of cow pea to the left; vermicompost trenches in the middle; granite to maintain temperature used as building material; eventual garden beds to the right.

< < The worm compost (vermicompost) trenches!  When it rains they will overflow and provide nutrients to the bases of the raised beds around them, which will provide nutrients to the avocado, banana, and plantain plants!

It was extremely thought-provoking to visit Eric and Jonathan at their home and see the simplicity and ease with which they managed what could be an overwhelming project.  I was most impressed with the multi-faceted functions of the greenhouse and their complete understanding of how many processes could overlap and intersect to create one homogenous circuit within the structure.

In addition to the greenhouse and garden, Jonathan sells the overflow of plants he cultivates from his nursery.  This generates a tidy income, approximately 1/4-1/3 of his current total income.  Folks who want to learn about efficient greenhouse design and help with the project at Food Forest Farm can also pay to participate in a workshop and get hands-on experience with construction, covercropping, planting, and design.  These two forms of income are something Jonathan and Eric say they never even anticipated or thought of when they began developing their patch of weedy land in Holyoke, MA, years ago.  It has obviously helped them sustain their passion, however, and has become an important part of the process.

I hope to visit Food Forest Farm again sometime in the future.  Jonathan informed me of the Permaculture FEAST (for ecological and social transformation) design certificate course that will happen from September to December 2012 in Northampton, MA.  For more information on the design course, visit this site.

 "In permaculture we seek to mimic the patterns nature has to offer, like the use of the spiral in our gardens." - Jonathan Bates

Stay with us the next few days as we post about our individual experiences at The NOFA (Northeast Organic Farming Association) Summer Conference!

Peace, love, and gardening,
Allison

A New Entry

F.U.N

I tell them I am gardening 

''F.u.n'' they respond  

as they imagine 

me walking up to the aroma of blooming flowers

red and yellow

roses

daffodils

turn on the sprinklers and watch them blossom... all summer long.

Little do they know. 

Little do they know what it takes

to grow squash from seeds

beans while bunnies

devour on our efforts

and raise toasts of our sweat

Little do they know

the taste of drought

the feel of burning soil

and of losing lettuce to land

I tell my friends that I am gardening

and that it is s.o m.u.c.h f.u.n

But little do they know.

After two hours of driving to Dracut and one hour of wondering up and down a Bridge Street, we finally figured our way out to New Entry. We made it to our first farm visit last Thursday. Thanx to Adu who looked after our tent in the Framer's Market and sold almost everything we had and Ruby who pushed us to leave South Hadley for good.
New Entry is a sustainable farming project that began in 1998 to help immigrants and refugees  to develop commercial farming opportunities. The project entails providing local farmers with information, recourses, training and technical assistance so that they can grow local healthy food and sell them to consumers though the Community Supported Agriculture Program (CSA).
Unfortunately, we missed the tour to a water spinach farm owned and tended by an immigrant from Combodia. We visited three farms. The owners were all full time workers and grew produce as a side business. You dont have to be a farmer to grow a garden! It was encouraging to see how the farmers were so supportive of each other in terms of sharing each others issues and learning from one another to avoid the same problems. They emphasized on the need to plan early on time along with the need to make strategical marketing or business decisions. We also learned a couple of ways to improve our garden. Rule one. Wash your hands before starting. Who knew we had to sanitize our hands before working with dirt. Well..now we know. For the most part, they used tarps over the soil in order to keep the weed down and it seemed to work very well. This also requires a drip irrigation system. So it is might have to stick with mulching with hay. Besides, considering it is relatively small garden, hay only seems like a better option for us. Tim, who is having a hard time dealing with weeds at this point, suggested that the paths be reasonably wide and that the weeds should be knocked down while small. We can't agree more.
Lobsang liked the fact that they have someone (Matt) who regularly checks on the farms on a scientific basis, analyses the situation and suggests ways to improve. Matt is their speaker of trees, like Russ is ours.
Allison seemed interested in how New Entry Sustainable Farming Project differs from the Student Garden Project here at Mount Holyoke, in that the farmers there work for years, which gives them the chance to learn from their previous years and make changes in the coming years.

Glimpses of the New Entry Farms

It has been a fantastic week. We sold beets, cucumbers, basil and spinach in the farmer's market last week and will have more tomorrow.

Blooming Zinnias and Sunflowers are adding to the aesthetic appeal of the garden.

We also visited Food Forest Farm on Friday. Allison will tell us more about it in the next post.

Cheers
Shristi