Lessons from the Tropics

View from the edge of the caldera in El Valle

As the plane began to pick up speed on the run-way, the woman next to me closed her eyes and marked her upper body with the sign of the cross — shoulder to shoulder, brow to heart.  Dios mio, here we go…  The day before, Phillip and I decided to take a bus 5-6 hours (east) to Panama City to catch this small plane (west) to David, Panama.  We had been hoping to cross the border from Panama into Costa Rica about 5 days before this and were not able to cross.

Map of Panama

The indigenous group, Ngobe-Bugle, had been staging a protest to stop the beginning of a mining project that had been signed over to Korea by the Panamanian President Martenelli.  The  Ngobe (pronounced ‘Noobay’) were protecting their land which sits on top of one of the world’s largest deposit of copper.  Rocks, downed trees, and their bodies were present on the western part of the only highway that spans the country of Panama.  They wanted to make sure that the government listened to their needs and responded to their demands.

Phillip and I were really inspired by their perserverence and devotion to their land.  And, many conversations with locals and non-locals alike revealed the solidarity with the indigenous peoples and the disdain for the actions of a historically greedy president.  They also called to the end of a hydro-electric dam that would affect their land and watershed.

However, for Phillip and I…we did not know when we would be able to cross the border into Costa Rica.  We had spent a month in Panama with local farmers, the ocean and the mountains.  Phillip had a permaculture course that he had signed up and paid for in Southern Costa Rica that we were trying to get to.  So, without knowing if the blockade would escalate and lock-down more areas of the country, we made our way to Panama City to fly north and cross the border.

While flying over Panama, I felt the artificial buoyancy achieved when riding in the plane; ‘rising’ above the mundane and fast-tracking our way to the next place of comfort.  In a way, I understand our need to fly and make our way to our destination.  In another way, I know that the Ngobe struggle is being witnessed all around the world and its not going away anytime soon; many sacred, beautiful pieces of land are being jeopardized by big investors and corporate interests — from Tibet to Brazil to Canada to Panama (we’ve got to pay close attention people!).  We do not have to look far to find this struggle over and over again.

The Ngobe people deepened my realization that indigenous people are connected to the land that they live on; there is nowhere else to go.  Many other people can just move somewhere else and ‘start over’ again.  Well, what if your language and your very way of life is interconnected and interdependent with a place?  This is a question that the modern mind cannot fathom as it has been rootless for some time and has forgotten what it means to be a part of a place.  But, I digress…

We did make it to Costa Rica.  The border town, Paso Canoas was very easy to get through considering that traffic had been greatly reduced because of the blockade.  A border crossing normally takes around 2 hours because the lines can be so long.  We were able to make our way through in roughly 30 minutes.  And, now…after being in Costa Rica for about two weeks…I have the chance to reflect on and write about the beauty and complexity of my time in Panama.

Our first stop upon entering Panama was to do some volunteer work and skill-sharing with Cocecha Sustainible Internacionale (Sustainable Harvest International – SHI).  My old friend Sebastian Africano, who works for Trees, Water, People suggested I connect with them if I go to Panama.  He had worked with SHI on some fuel-efficient, appropriate technology stoves some years ago. After being in Panama City for one night, we quickly got out the endlessly noisy city and make our way to Penonome to meet with Daysbeth, our guide from SHI.

Daysbeth prepping a small garden bed at a participating family farm

Phillip and I quickly learned that Daysbeth was an amazing link to be in contact with in the area.  She was diplomatic in every way — walking the fine line between her needs, our needs, and the SHI participating family’s needs.  She was patient with our developing Spanish and very good at helping us communicate with locals.

A Peace Corps volunteer named Katie also joined us in Penonome to tell us the ins and outs of the area.  She had been a volunteer for a little over a year in the nearby village we were also going to stay at — Tranquilla (just outside of Anton).

Map of Cocle Province:  about 2 hours by bus west of Panama City

The next day, Daysbeth and Katie met us in Penonome to go to a former Peace Corps volunteer’s farm — Finca de los Perezosos (the lazy man’s farm).  Don “Perezosos” (he calls himself) bought land three years ago and reforested the land using what he learned from permaculture.  We went out to visit and get a feel of what’s happening in the permaculture world in Panama.

Don with Peace Corps volunteer, Brandon

Entrance into the garden

Cluster of bananas

Tropical chickens

Calobaso (bowl gourd) tree; indeed, used to make bowls and such

His place was definitely a good lesson in what is possible after just 3 years of planting in the tropics.  Plants and trees really grow vigorously and fill out quickly.  Don hopes to encourage other farmers and land-owners to consciously cultivate their land with as much diversity as possible, instead of farm rows and chemical-use.

Also, one of Don’s favorite things to do is to go into schools and educate children on the use of the ‘magic circle.’  This is what he considers his ‘teach a man to fish’ technique.  The idea of the magic circle is a simple and elegant system of composting in place to support the nutrient needs of growing plants.  One example of this method is simply digging a hole, filling it with organic matter over time (leaves, food scraps, etc) and planting banana trees on the outside of the circle.

After a day at the farm, Daysbeth took us to the family that was to host us for a week and a half, while we visited other family farms in Tranquilla.

Walking up the path to our host family

Our little wattle and daub casa for the next week and a half

We stayed behind the family’s main house (which is cinder-block).  Cinder block houses have become the norm and it is very rare to find these wattle and daub or thatch houses anymore.  And, actually Phillip and I planned to sleep in our tent outside (as they only had a single-sized bed for us) for the remainder of the time until we discovered that the only place to camp was in proximity to the dawn-crushing vibrations of the chicken and rooster tree. So, after one night of this madness we moved inside and bought earplugs.  Just so you know, the Panamanians and roosters must have a deep appreciation for each other.

The tree that shivered with rooster cries all morning!

So, here begins our time in Tranquilla and with lots of amazing families doing the best they can with what they have.  And, with Panama being the top country in Central America with the fastest growing disparities between the rich and the poor, organizations like SHI (that has been around for 30 years or so) are indispensable!  SHI has a very thoughtful and methodical five-phase approach in their partnership with local families that are moving to self-sufficiency (in the quickly changing landscape of their country!).  Most of the families we visited were in the first phase of this process.

Considering that the theme for Panama has been thus (well, since the Spanish settled there 500 years ago) —  clear the land, raise cattle, and more recently mine the land for everything it is worth — there was definitely more pasture and deforested land then we expected.  Where there’s cattle, there’s big money.  So, the story goes that only the five wealthiest families of Panama own the land and raise cattle on it (bye-bye jungle and natural habitats!).  And, the recent blockade by the Nogbe is in response to that third step in total annihilation of a ‘place’ — mining.  Of course, the past history and stories of Panama are riddled with the ghosts of gold mining.  However, ‘they’ are coming back for more.

To me, this is why efforts like SHI are important.  They get people out of the cowboy mythology of the Spanish and back in touch with ways to steward their own self-sufficiency with the land.  (There is even a ‘national park’ in Panama, along the East-coast, near Venao, that is a monument to what cattle raising does to the tropics — yes, you guessed it, the only desert in Panama — and, now a national park).

Our first family stop was at the home of Magdalia’s (who cooks SO DIVINE by the way), where we used the SHI super-tropical compost, sifted dirt, and ash to plant balo seeds in for the community (balo is a nitrogen-fixing plant):

Magdalia’s pineapple farm

Baby pina, maturing

Pabo the ever-strutting farm turkey

Sugar cane (to make cane syrup or raspadura)

SHI’s super-tropical compost mix (ready in one month) — chopped banana leaves,ash, sand, chicken poop, and balo leaves (N-fixer)

Pounded, sifted soil mixed with the compost and more ash

Planting balo seeds

More than 200 seeds later, lots of N-fixing trees for the Tranquillo community

The next day, we spent some time prepping some garden beds at our host family’s house.  Basically, they needed two beds prepped and a hard-pan field nourished with some ground-breaking roots and Nitrogen.  So, we harvested N-fixing macoona seeds nearby and planted them into the hard-pan area, watered the are, and covered it with dried banana leaves (to hold the moisture in as we were doing this during their dry season).

We also prepped the garden beds.  One bed, we did the standard way (chicken poop, tilling and such).  The other bed, we got a little more creative.  We added the chicken poop and chopped fresh banana leaves (Nitrogen and organic matter).  Then, we watered it thoroughly and covered it with dried banana leaves in hopes that the soil would attract beneficial microorganisms and other beings of the soil so that the soil could develop more structure.  Phillip really took off with this project and designed a beautiful bed with water catchment on the edges and all.  Planting in this plot would be ready in a month or so.

Katie standing by the prepped garden bed

SHI also took us further out into the rural area, almost to El Valle, to visit another participating family.  We took a bumpy bus ride down a gravel road and got off…well…at what felt like the middle of nowhere.  Then, we crossed the road and Daysbeth darted into the forest and down a path, disappearing.  We followed…  After crossing a stream and hiking up a steep hill, we found ourselves at a homestead that made raspadura (cane sugar) for market.  Raphael (the grandfather) was 80 years old and had been making the sugar for 40 years.  That day we watched Raphael make raspadura, we transplanted culantro (an herb that smells/tastes like cilantro), made coconut oil and cocada (coconut desert).  A little history…sugar cane (canya) found its way to Central America via the Spanish — it is what I refer to as a colonizer’s crop.

Side note on Panama’s awesome elders:  Raphael was one of our favorite Panamanian abuelos (grandfathers).  He said that he hadn’t gone to a doctor for 70 years.  At age 7o, he actually had a medical problem and went to the doctors for help.  They gave him medicine and he said that the medicine made things worse.  He then said that he thinks that the doctors are not trying to help people heal and get better.  Phillip and I looked at each other and nodded…Raphael, we hear ya.

Large, earthen oven behind the house

Walking up to the sugar shack

The horse-drawn sugar cane press (similar to sorghum in the Deep South/Appalachia)

Raphael pushing the sugar cane through

Horse powered sugar makin’

Thatch sugar shack roof

Wooden wheels to press the sugar cane

Raphael then cooks the liquid and adds herbs to draw out impurities

Katie and young boy share fresh sugar cane syrup

Pouring the oxygenated and cooled raspadura into forms

Now begins a photo illustration of our time with coconuts.  I was surprised to find out that is difficult if not impossible to find coconut oil for sale in Panama.  Very few people still make coconut oil because they simply purchase refined vegetable oil or palm oil from the store.  Similar to India and Thailand, I assumed that this tropical, coconut-loving place would also have the oil as it is such a life-affirming, nourishing oil to cook with.  So, we made coconut oil at this farm and cocada (sweet coconut dessert) from the left over coconut shreds (from making coconut oil):

Hard core:  husking the coconuts

Grating the coconut flesh

A little water is added to the coconut flesh and then squeezed to release the coconut ‘milk’

The milk is lightly boiled to separate the oil (clear liquid); you just pour off the clear liquid and there you go — coconut oil

After squeezing the milk from the flesh, it was put in this pot along with chunks of coconut, raspadura, cloves, ginger, and cinnamon

Forming the sweet, sticky goo into balls (making cocada)

Yummy snack — cocada

That weekend, we took some days to explore the area.  Katie suggested that we go to El Palmar, a beach between Anton and Panama City.  We back-tracked, took a bus and walked down to the beach for the day.

At the start of the next week, we were off again.  This time — a community water wheel project and a visit with the cacao tree.  This water wheel was being constructed to provide water to the garden beds during the dry season.  I’ll also visit the water wheel again in a later portion of this blog entry, as another site had a water wheel and tank system, as well.

And, regarding the cacao visit…  We visited a woman and her family…  She had probably three or four cacao trees.  They were a different variety from the ones in the mountain she told us.  She said the mountain varieties were more bitter.  When we asked if we could taste her cacao, she literally ran off in enthusiasm to gather her beans and share them with us.  I can’t explain to you how wonderful it feels to be given something with such enthusiasm and from someone who doesn’t expect anything.  Maybe cacao does this to a person???

Constructing an appropriate technology water wheel to pump water from the stream into the garden/farm area

Cacao flower

Ripening cacao pod

Roasted, pressed cacao mass (left) and roasted cacao pods (right)

Grinding the cacao beans to make hot cocoa (you can shell the bean to get the cacao meat inside only or leave the outer shell on)

And, sticking to the topic of awesome abuelos, we also visited Magdalia’s father’s farm — Lorenzo.  He had a terraced area behind a gravel processing plant (newly developed and sometimes kept him up at night — grrrrr).  The project that day was to water the land and cover the area with bagaso (squeezed sugar cane, ‘waste-product’ from making raspadura), a great mulch in the tropics!  Lorenzo had a way with birds and could swim like fish.  In a country filled with ‘macho, macho’ men…this was a relief — to be around a mellow, light-stepping, bright-eyed abuelo.  Here’s a picture of his small farm.

Terraced garden mulched with bagaso

We then visited El Valle, the site of a huge caldera.  After a teeth-shattering, dust-kicking, cliff-hugging ride up and down the edge of the caldera in a bus (of sorts), we arrived in the lovely town of El Valle.  They have a rather good farmer’s market and craft market (and they have recycling!).  El Valle, obviously, holds a very ancient place in Panama’s heart; however, recently it has become a ‘hot’ tourist destination and homes and land have been bought up by mostly Europeans and folks from the US wanting to live part-time or relocate to Panama.  None-the-less, we visited a rock with beautiful indigenous carvings…we hiked around the mountains…and soaked our feet in its streams…and admired El Valle.

 Young man recites his understanding of the carvings

This carving is a ‘map’ of the El Valle greater region; it also explains how things came to be in that area (a cosmological narrative)

Another carving

This design is said to be common in the functional art-work of the indigenous people (clothing, textiles, etc)

A climb up the side of the caldera

Phillip perched on a rock

And now, it’s time to get a little more funky.  Near the end of our time with SHI, we visited a few more families that were near the second and third level of the SHI five-phase process (mentioned near the beginning of this article).  At this phase, the families have introduced small-scale, chemical-free farming and are ready for a composting toilet and a water filtration system.  Indeed, it is VERY important for composting toilets to be a part of the culture in Panama.  This returns precious nutrients back to depleted (deforested) soils and keeps fecal matter out of the waterways.

And, a little on soil health in the tropics…  Basically, most of the nutrients in the tropical forests are in the trees and canopies of the jungle.  It’s not in the soil.  It’s really held above ground.  So, deforesting the tropics is just devastating to the soil — soil erosion, nutrient depletion, etc. etc.  That is why SHI focuses on Nitrogen-fixing plants, compost and soil production, and yes — smart use of poo.  Luckily, Panama is a tropical place — it gets super hot.  And, this is the perfect variable for frying your poo and killing pathogens.

Composting toilet:  small ‘fly-catcher’ (reused soda bottle) just to the left of the white piping (air vent); metal grate to the left helps fry the poo; pipe out the back for diverted urine (can dilute 1 to 10 for garden — Nitrogen!)

Poo and pee sections

And, here’s where the ‘gifts’ fall; lots of wood chips in there right now because (they said) that someone ‘used it wrong’ (meaning they mixed urine and poo too much) and they were letting the compost toilet rest for a month (dry out, I guess?), before resuming use again

Water filtration:  basically, water comes up from the stream, goes through the large pipe (large rocks in there), then through the blue barrel on the left (higher up in the barrel medium-sized rocks on down to the bottom where there is sand — all for filtration of the water), then the water goes to the holding tank on the right

Water ‘wheel’ system (for watering garden/farm):  this is one of our favorites; a simple small rope with ‘pulleys’ tied at approx a yard apart are sent down to the water and then up the pipe by a simple hand crank on the land; the water is carried up the pipe (by suction) and then emptied into a tank

Bicycle tires turn the ‘gears’ and there you can see the small pipe carrying the water leading to a larger pipe which empties the water into the holding tank

Turning the gears and filling up the water tank

We had an amazing time with the folks in Tranquillo and with SHI.  In a country that is so complex — from a rich, indigenous past to Spanish occupation  – to the deepening divide between the ‘have’ and the ‘have-nots’  – to the remaining wild tropical forests and the heavily grazed, clear-cut lands for cattle — SHI, I believe, is providing the means for everyday-people to work with the land instead of against the land…to maintain family security and to ensure people that they can be self-sufficient.

Thank you to the many people that opened the doors to their homes with us and shared food with us.  Thank you for the stories you shared and thank you for listening to our stories.

May you all be nourished.
May you all be protected.
May you all know loving-kindness.

May we be nourished.
May we be protected.
May we know loving-kindness.

Oh yes, one more thing…  The foodie/nutritionist in me CAN’T resist.  Food is medicine…  My four food wishes for Panama are:

1 — No refined oils — Start making your own cold pressed, extra virgin oil from coconut and palm (you have plenty of them and these oils are VERY good for you!)

2 — No refined sugars — Ok, ok, ok — you have mineral rich raspadura…  However, sugar cane is not only a colonial crop, it is an annual.  Plus, more people are eating white, refined sugar than anything else right now, and that is a sure road to Diabetes!  What about coconut sugar (like in Thailand?) that has a very low glycemic index OR palm sugar (called jaggary in India)?

3 — No refined flours — Wheat flour is everywhere and it is a very processed wheat flour.  If something can last on the shelf for years — we really shouldn’t eat it.  I have heard that using cashew nuts for simple, flat breads was part of the traditional cuisine in Panama — what about returning to that?  And, what about more maize (make sure to nixtamalize!).

4 — No chemical salt — The salt in those shakers is just a chemical — NaCl.  It’s made in a lab.  It’s not salt.  Get salt from a salt marsh or deposit — or from the ocean!  Chemical salt — like refined sugar — literally robs the body of nutrients so that it can be digested.  Sea salt actually provides the body needed trace minerals for healthy growth of tissues and to fuel metabolic functions.

Sigh…  Ok, it’s true.  I would have these kinds of suggestions for most countries that are going head-to-head with the beautiful speed of the modern world.  Nutrition just falls to the wayside.  And, with that — traditional food ways, the Mother Consciousness, and deep nourishment.  It’s hard to watch…but, I see it all the time no matter where I travel.  It’s something we all are facing and coming to terms with in the world — because something is fast does it make it better?

That’s all folks — keep it real.

Reflections

What a year it has been! In less than 12 months, it feels as though we have learned enough about living in close relationship with the earth, growing our own food,  being mindful of our impacts on this planet, and how best to be sustainable  in today’s society and culture to last a lifetime.

There were times when we could look down at the food on our plate, and know that we had either grown it all ourselves or had sought what we couldn’t raise from our own land from those just down the road in our community. How amazing it is to know where your food comes from; to know that it has been treated with the love and kindness that it deserves! Knowing these things brings a wonderful sense of what it truly means to be a spiritual person, mindful of your actions, and always doing what you can to maintain balance.

Along the way, we’ve met many wonderful people, strengthened our relationships with our neighbors and friends within the local community, and have done our best to give back to the land at every opportunity.

We are so grateful to all the WWOOFers that wandered through our little patch of land. Your sweat, your tears, your love and your laughter will continue to sing throughout these hills, setting a foundation for any who might join us in the future. We hope that we were able to assist you on your paths and provide you with a good basis of learning what it means to live a life connected to the earth, and rooted in nourishment.

Amy and Emily helping to sheet-mulch

We are also grateful to the land, for providing us the space to live out our humble desires and wishes, and to better understand how to live with nature. Thank you to the plants, animals, minerals, and spirits that helped nurture and guide us along our way. We hope that you continue to grow and flourish, as you help any others in need.

Trout Lily Fall 2011

Oh Great Mother, how you have nurtured us through this year, through the highs and the lows, your wisdom and guidance has been ever present in our journey through life, and we are most certainly grateful!

Transplanting blueberries

Now, as the season draws to an end, the farm must be tucked in for the winter.  Mulch is spread on top of the soil to help retain heat and moisture, while also helping to ensure that weeds will be properly suppressed where it is needed. Over time, any organic material that is used as mulch will be turned into soil, and help maintain a high level of available nutrients for all future plants and animals. A healthy soil is the foundation for healthy plants and animals, including humans!

Piles of organic material ready for mulching

Perhaps, almost more than anything else, we must give back to the soil all that it has given to us. Healthy soil really means healthy micro-organisms, which in turn help to produce healthy plants, which feed and nourish the animals that eat them. If plants are grown in unhealthy soils, the plants themselves won’t have a high nutritive content, and thus, the animals that eat them won’t receive the proper nutrition.

Grass-fed cow manure from local farm

This is part of the problem with conventional agriculture, which uses potent fertilizers to maintain plant growth in already unhealthy soils. Most people know of N (nitrogen) P (phosphorous) and K (potassium), which are used world-wide to assist in plant growth. These nutrients are essential to healthy plant growth, however, they are not the only things plants need to grow.

Sheet-mulching is an excellent way to quickly enhance the nutrients in the soil

Truly healthy plants require a healthy soil biology – this means earthworms, bacteria, fungi, and all the other micro-organisms that help to break down organic matter and turn it into rich hummus, while also feeding the plants themselves. Thats right, without these organisms, plants literally would not be able to properly feed themselves, and this is what happens in unhealthy soils.

Mycelium breaking down wood chips

When synthetic fertilizers are used, the result is absolute disaster! The fertilizers are mostly comprised of salt, which immediately kills earthworms and creates unhealthy conditions for the tiny microbes that live in the soil. And, just as in animals, excess salt leads to a higher retention of water – thus you have big, juicy plants, that look healthy, but actually contain very little nutritive value. This is the basis for how important it is to eat organic food.

Remember this – unhealthy soils = unhealthy plants = unhealthy animals and humans = poor quality of life (disease, cancer, depression, etc).

Newly planted chinese chestnuts, ready for winter

As part of the overall plan for Trout Lily Farm, we have begun to explore many different techniques for maintaining proper soil health and fertility, using organic methods. These methods include permaculture, polyculture, and biodynamics.  Permaculture, which means “permanent agriculture”, is perhaps the ultimate goal of any sustainable farm. The focus in permaculture is using systems in nature to mimic the availability of food, for all living creatures. In this kind of system, perennials are a focal point for the intelligent use of the land. By incorporating as many perennials, in a multitude of different applications, throughout the land, you increase the amount of food produced per square foot, while greatly reducing the overall input required by humans. Basically – more food, less work!

Shiitake logs!

Of course annual crops are also included in the overall permaculture design principles, but the focus is on perennials. During the Fall, 2011, we have really focused on implementing more perennials, and starting to create an overall plan for the land, that will maximize output and minimize input. Every piece of land is different, and considering our micro-climate and seasonal fluctuations, we must consider carefully which kinds of perennials we use, focusing intently on cold-hardy varieties.

Old heirloom apple tree

Already, we have many perennials that are currently being cared for on our land. Apples trees in particular are especially suited to this environment, as they actually require a certain number of sub-freezing days throughout the year to ensure fruit production. And, not only that, but the heirloom apples, which have a higher requirement than most conventional apples, and which are historically grown in this area, grow the best and produce fruits with for more flavor than any store-bought apple could ever wish to achieve. Thus, our most abundant crop  at Trout Lily is heirloom apples, and lucky for us it is of course a perennial!

Perennial nursery/herb garden

On top of apples, we also currently grow many other perennials, including blueberries, aronia, asparagus, rhubarb, goji berries, peaches, chinese chestnuts, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, strawberries, passionflower, and grapes, as well as many perennial herbs and flowers. The list of perennials that can grow in this climate is only limited by the imagination of the person stewarding the land, and in time we hope to continue to increase the overall bio-diversity as much as possible.

Asparagus & Rhubarb bed

Now that Winter is here and the farm and garden at Trout Lily is tucked in and cozy…the soil resting well as the microbes, bacteria, and fungi do their hard work of creating dynamic balance…we are off to the country of Panama.  We intend to rest, replenish and deepen our knowledge of beneficial microorganisms, permaculture, and tropical farming.  Thank you all for reading our blog over the past year and we look forward to writing many more nourishing entries.

Pressin’ Cider in “Apple-atcha”

“It is remarkable how closely the history of the Apple-tree is connected with that of man.” — Henry David Thoreau, Wild Apples

This past Thursday we partook in a great tradition, stretching back through the ages, to create something truly delicious from one our most “fruitful” crops, the humble apple.

The History of Apples and Cider

 The history of apples is deeply rooted with the history of humans, and embodies one of our most basic ideals when it comes to living with nature: the Garden of Eden. Apples can be traced back to at least 8,000 B.C. There is evidence that they existed along the Nile, the Tigris, and the Euphrates, embodying the fertile crescent of ancient times. Throughout their existence, apples have been associated with love, beauty, luck, health, comfort, pleasure, wisdom, sensuality, and fertility.

The use of apples for making cider is also steeped in history, and came about some time before the Romans arrived in England. By the beginning of the ninth century, the popularity of making beverages from pressing apples was well established. During medieval times, monasteries where known for making vast quantities of spiced cider, that they then sold to the public. Almost every farm by the seventeenth century contained an apple orchard, and farm laborers were known to receive a cider allowance as part of their wages.

 Old Orchard

In the United States, during colonial times, cider was the alcoholic drink of choice, due to the high price of grains that were mostly imported. Thanks to legendary characters such as Johnny Appleseed, apple orchards were abundant throughout the states and making “hard” cider was cheap and easy. However, due to the rise in popularity of German beers, which required less time to ferment, cider soon became limited to being produced on small-scale farms. By the time Prohibition came along, cider making had become nothing more than a past time.

Today, cider is making a comeback, not only in the United States but in Europe as well. Thanks to the popularity of microbreweries, people are beginning to rekindle their relationship with the apple and all the palette-packing flavor this wonderful fruit has to offer.

 Apple Blossom

Unfortunately, this year was not the best for apples. There were a handful of frosts in early Spring that killed most of the buds. Our neighbor, Joe, said that his was actually the worst apple season he could remember. From our trees we were able to collect just enough for one bushel. However, our spirits were not dampened completely, as we were able to collect another five bushels from an old orchard just across the mountain above Southern Dharma Retreat Center. Adding to that, it was also a very dry year, which reduced the amount of juice contained within each fruit. All of that being said, we were still able to produce just under eleven gallons, including a “toll” paid for the use of a press and grinder.

The process for making “cider”, which is actually a fermented drink, is very simple. First, you should collect at least three different kinds of apples, some sweet, and some sour, or “spicy.” All in all, we were able to collect about 10-15 different kinds. Once you’ve got the apples, you then need to grind and press. It took us about two hours to press all of our apples.

 Pressin’

Once the apples have been pressed and the juice filtered, what you have is actually apple juice. There is a difference between apple juice, cider, and hard cider. Basically, cider is apple juice that has fermented for a short period of time, and hard cider has fermented for a longer period, and therefore contains more alcohol. You can also make apple cider vinegar by letting the juice sit for about a year, allowing it to be exposed to oxygen. (Isn’t it amazing, the possibilities!) Apples contain natural “wild” yeast on their skins, which make it easy to produce cider or hard cider, by simply letting the liquid sit and ferment. (Note: if you buy apples from the store, unless they are organic, they will contain chemicals that kill yeast.)

The juice is worth the squeeze

Falling

“So here are the questions you should ask, a new form of grace to say over
your food. Does this food build or destroy topsoil? Does it use only
ambient sun and rainfall, or does it require fossil soil, fossil fuel,
fossil water, and drained wetlands, damaged rivers? Could you walk to
where it grows, or does it come to you on a path slick with petroleum?”

~ “The Vegetarian Myth: Food, Justice and Sustainability” by Lierre Keith

Some thoughts as we inch closer to Fall…

Well, this year has been an exploration of growing our own food and working with the land (above is a photo of a recent harvest).  Phillip and I have to admit — we are novices.  We are just beginning to understand the complex relationship between human and land.  We are more deeply exploring reciprocity.  We are beginning to feel the disconnection that modern agriculture and farming practices have projected onto our lives — the distancing and fragmentation due to an eruption of chemically synthesized fertilizers and soil amendments — as if the soil did not have its own intelligence and capacity to restore itself.

We are learning to farm more like a forest would farm…leaf litter…composting food like a giant surface stomach…alive with millions of microorganisms.  Recently, we have enchanted ourselves with the book, “Secrets of the Soil” and are contemplating new ways to cultivate the land.

The legacy of being stewards to the land…to the genetic resiliency of seeds…to the nourishment of ourselves and other people who eat our foods…to the microscopic  and unseen world that informs the nature of the land…is a daunting role to step into.  Again, we are learning and we are seeking…and through this enthusiasm, we are bound to find a better way.

We will soon begin preparing the land for rest — not only for this Winter but next year as well.  We discovered with this year’s harvest that some of the land is overworked and stressed; that we need to give it a good rest to heal and let the soil’s microorganisms do what they do best — encourage soil fertility and boost its own immune system.

Trout Lily Farm will continue on — she just needs to rest.  In the meantime, Phillip and I plan to continue to absorb ways of being with the land that we can transmit to our current relationship with Trout Lily.  The next year will provide us a good chunk of time to dig in and chew on some things for awhile.  So, stay tuned.  And, here are some more pics from this year’s happenings (including a pic of our fermenting honey wine — made with local sassafras root, pear, apple, yarrow, holy basil, nettles, and goji berries).

Lastly, this year made me realize the importance of community.  The reason communities were stronger in the past is because they had a center — that center was the fertility of the soil and the common understanding that its people needed to be nourished.  Our reality is far from that now in most modern societies, although many folks are trying to restore this aspect (like Three Stone Hearth in the Bay Area).

During a recent 5-day silent retreat I attended, teacher Ralph Steele said, ‘there are three things we need:  air, water and food.  And, there is a pecking order…it is in that order that they are needed.’  I’ve been thinking about this…  We need the rainforest and plants for air.  We need healthy watersheds for water.  And, we need healthy soil for food.   All these three things are at great risk if each and every one of us don’t dedicate some part of our lives to restoring them.  We are the only ones that can realize that we have stepped out of sync with the sacred cycle of life; we are the only ones that finally begin to listen to that deep, silent voice within us that calls for our total awareness, compassion and attention.

As a global community we need to do this.  There are amazing people, largely working in silence on these issues.  They need your support — find them and support them!  Some great ways to connect with these folks are by inquiring about who they are and where they are.  You could ask the Organic Consumers Association, Bioneers, Center for the Environmental Legal Defense Fund, the 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, or Global Exchange  for starters.  They have plenty of connections with people and causes around the world.

“What have you done with the garden that was entrusted to you?”
~ Antonio Machado

Third times’ a charm! The honeybee adventure continues…

“There are certain persuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance.”

-Henry David Thoreau

If one wishes to learn lessons and wisdom that can’t be found in most textbooks, try keeping bees. I am constantly drawn to these small creatures and have developed a deep love, which is constantly nurtured through what i’ve learned, even in the small time i have been keeping bees. (This is my first year, and i got my first two hives in early April, 2011.)

This past Sunday, upon returning home, i noticed something rather strange around my bees. While checking my hives, i happened to look down and notice a large beard of bees clung to the underside of the hive i had just checked. At first i thought that they had swarmed earlier in the day, and gathered there to stay dry because Lindsay had mentioned it had rained that day around 10AM. (This is still a possibility, as i can’t be exactly sure where this swarm came from originally because i wasn’t there to witness it’s arrival.)

Being that i am a “new-bee” and my wealth of knowledge is constantly growing, i didn’t really know what to do. So, I called one of my mentors that evening, asking for some advice. She suggested, that if they were still present the next day, to smoke them a little bit, and then to comb the bees one handful at a time in to one of my nuc-boxes (nuc stands for nucleus box, and generally refers to a small hive of bees usually 5 frames, including the queen.) I actually ended up trying this technique that evening right before sunset, only to witness the bees almost immediately leave the box and swarm again. They seemed to cluster on a nearby tree, but then about 20 minutes later, i noticed they had returned underneath the same hive where i first found them. Perplexed, and further not knowing what to do, i retired from the day feeling a bit let down.

At this point i would like to say that i had an amazing dream that night where upon the bees showed me how they could be “persuaded” to stay, but i would only be shorting the wisdom of one of my other mentors, whom i sought out for advice the following Tuesday. Upon my return the next day, i felt renewed with a sense of assuredness that my newly-found tactics would work precisely as they were conveyed. Here is a good place for some wisdom, and what i feel is one of the key lessons being brought to my awareness at this time: “keep yourself open to anything, life does not follow any over-riding theme or generalization – it is free, and therefore bound to nothing other than limitless possibilities.” I say this because since i have started my adventure in keeping bees, everyone seems to ask questions as if bees all follow a certain code or list of rules when it comes to their behaviors. Now, when approached with such a question i simply say, “there isn’t a supposed-to-be when it comes to keeping bees, they simply do as they please.”

So, Wednesday, here we go. This time i soak the bees with water, this makes it so they can’t fly very well, if at all. I then begin to scoop them again, a handful at a time, and drop them in to the nuc box. At first it seems like it worked, the bees act as if they are more inclined to stay (I also removed a frame from one of my “working” hives, filled with brood, pollen, & nectar to further entice them in to staying.) I put the top on the nuc box, remove my veil,  grab a drink, and watch and wait.  Wouldn’t you know it, 20 minutes later i look up, and they’re swarming again! This time however, luck has found its way in to the equation. The bees choose to land on an apple tree about 50 ft from my hives. Perfect place for staging a capture!

With the help of one of our WOOFers, Evan, I am now prepared for a more “typical” scenario. We place a ladder against the tree, I grab a bucket to stand on, while holding the nuc box above my head directly underneath the swarm. Evan climbs the ladder, baseball bat in hand…1,2,3, go…a hard thwack, and the bees fall (mostly) in to the box. I rush them to the hive stand and close the lid. But we’re not out of the tree just yet. The bees remaining, quickly reform their cluster on the tree. Again, thwack, this time the bees fall in to a spare bucket and are immediately rushed to the nuc box and poured in…fingers-crossed.

I then watch and wait, again. This time however, the bees aren’t rushing out of the box. Instead they’re facing towards the inside of the hive, with their butts sticking out towards me, as if to warn me not to try anything else for the moment. As I continued to watch, they continued not to leave….whew, I think it worked. Feeling confident and relieved, I add some extra frames to fill the rest of the space in the box, and add a little honey to help them feel at home. As of this morning, they are still there, and have even removed some twigs from the apple tree that must have fallen in during capture. It seems they are already starting the “tidying process” and adjusting to their new home very well!

- Below is a short video of Evan and I capturing the swarm -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MACNPd3z_Nc

The Bees and the Birds

“If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live.”

-Albert Einstein

So if you haven’t heard, we now have two honeybee hives living on our farm! For the past several months i have been studying with my amazing mentor/friend, Lady Spirit Moon. She lives here in Spring Creek and has been an absolute treasure trove of knowledge and experience in bees, life, and the ways of the universe. Through her i have been learning the ways of “natural beekeeping.” Unlike most of the standard commercial practices of keeping bees, natural beekeeping does not involve the use of chemicals.

friendly neighborhood beekeepers

It seems that like most things, today’s culture is obsessed with treatments, pills, and anything that is a quick-fix and/or “painless.” Not only have we willfully adopted a way of living that isn’t natural, and never will be, but a way that is extremely detrimental to not only the environment but ourselves as well.

blooming iris on the farm

Did you know that it is standard practice to ship bees from Florida to California for pollinating almonds, then ship them back to Florida before being shipped to the likes of Maine & New York for pollinating blueberries and cranberries..all in the same year?! Did you also know that until recently it had been standard practice (approved by congress) to ship bees from Australia to help pollinate almonds in California?! This practice has now been banned, thanks to the diseases the bees were bringing in to this country – go figure.

the commercial way

You might be asking yourself, why would they even consider shipping bees from another country..well, thanks to more recent farming practices such as monocroping and using pesticides we have been slowly feeding the epidemic that is CCD (colony collapse disorder).

almond fields

Imagine you are a beautiful honeybee, you are looking for a place to live and raise your young. Would you choose to live in a place that has only one kind of food, where you can only find it during one month of the year? Or would you choose to live in a place that has an abundance of different foods throughout 9-10 months of the year? Well, this is basically why the current large-scale farming techniques of monocropping require such drastic measures to produce food. It isn’t an ideal habitat for creatures of any kind. (except for pests, they love these kinds of conditions – and that’s where the use of pesticides come in!) And honeybees certainly don’t choose to live near these kinds of places. (At this point my blood is definitely starting to warm, so i’ll digress from pontificating any further.)

But seriously folks, this kind of stuff needs to stop, and it needs to stop now!

On a lighter/happier note we have many robins nesting around our porch area. One of which i noticed this morning has little baby birds bobbing their heads up and down! Oh mother nature how you amaze me – we are truly blessed to be witnesses to these wonderful occurrences.

oh robin..

Soon to Be Burried in Berries

“Wisdom tells me I am nothing. Love tells me I am everything. Between the two my life flows.” ~ Nisargadatta Maharaj

The farm constantly teaches me that I am nothing.  It laughs at me when I think I’ve done something right — a frost comes through and with a smirk on its face — curls back fresh, juicy green leaves overnight…growth fades into decay…eventually flowing back into growth.

I am quickly learning how to garden and farm in a place that actually has four seasons (after living in the eternal Spring of San Francisco for 7 years).  During  a period from late Winter to early Spring, the mountains go through temperature contractions that take you from warm days in the 80s to cold nights in the 20s (all within the same week!)…  So, to protect your plants you need to either cover the crops with straw or a thin cover secured with hoops over the rows…or spray the plants early in the morning with water…before the sun comes up (basically, frost damage is the quick transition in the plant’s cells from cold to warm…the sun bursts the water in the plant cells damaging the plant).

Ouch.  Lesson learned.

We lost all of our grapes that were just beginning to cluster except one that I recently found hiding under the deck.  Heehee — she left one for me!  I pruned them back, offered them ashes and said “I’m sorry.”  Maybe some grapes will still grace our presence this year?

The farm and garden also teach me I am everything.  Standing on the porch, looking out between blossoming apple trees — bees and butterflies skipping around — time stands frozen…minutes pass by and I stand still…I feel that I am connected to everything — the buzzing, the sweet fragrance, the warmth, the vibrant green color.  It’s for these moments that all the dirt digging, weed picking, weather navigating, bug bites, bat dodging and log moving begins to make sense…these moments when everything feels connected and linked — when life is dancing and it graciously reminds me that I’m in that dance, too.

The first picture on this blog is of an alpine strawberry — soon to fruit.  We just planted a bed of them in a four bed circle of 5 varietals of strawberry.  Phillip is really excited about these  strawberries as they are an heirloom varietal prized in Europe for its mango-like taste.

Other than our neighbor’s dog, a large Great Pyrenees, that we have rightfully nick-named “Wooly Booger”…who decided to tromp down the middle of our patch last night — the lil plants are doing great.  Oooo Wooly Booger — what are we going to do about you?

Actually, we are about to be buried in berries…  We will soon have a load of raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, elderberries (great for anti-viral syrups!), strawberries, and some black raspberries.

This blackberry bloom says it all — fruit comin’ soon!  The blackberries are especially loaded with buds that will soon bear fruit.  Starting around late June, we will be open for U-pick berries.  Just look for the sign in front of our farm for whether we are open or not.  Or, just send us an email at troutlilyfarm.nc@gmail.com if you are interested in coming by.

Lastly, our bees have arrived!  We have two hives that Phillip will be taking care of.  We are looking into other hive types as well for future hives as well as homes for native/solitary bees.  We realize our farm is a haven for all kinds of pollinators because no pesticides are used in our mountainous area near Max Patch (national forest area).  We hope to find ways to create more habitat for them as the years pass.  With colony collapse disorder (CCD) still present and growing in the US, this is yet another way we are stewarding our land.

Bit by bit,  and day by day…we discover more about ourselves, the flora and fauna of this land, and the nuances of farming.  It is surprising how many learning moments there are in a day…and I expect this to be the case until I die.  Much gratitude to the patience of nature as I catch up on how ‘to be’.  As my main yoga teacher, Katchie Ananda, always said “we are human beings not human doings.”