Some funny but actually not funny political cartoons related to news the last few years. Its pretty crazy what kinds of food we pay for and eat.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26890040/ns/health-political_cartoons/displaymode/1107/s/2/
But, if you grow your own food or buy from someone/some place that you trust (ideally actually see and participate in the production process like a CSA*), then you can eat in health and happiness.
*Community Supported Agriculture
Monday, May 31, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Thoughts on natural farming/gardening 1
WHAT IS NATURAL FARMING? 自然農とは。。。
It depends (the answer to most questions here at the Bullocks).
A simple summary of what I understand shizen no (shizen-nature/natural and no-farming/gardening) is growing food without tilling, fertilizing, or weeding. Those are the 3 elements that both Fukuoka (One Straw Revolution) and Kawaguchi (the one I met) use as the foundation of their gardening method.
But to reduce shizen no to only the above would be misleading and disrespectful. There is a deep spiritual dimension to our relationship to the web of life, and shizenno is an intentional relationship with nature, to grow food in harmony with all life. It is an art, a spiritual practice, and a path that will help us look deeper into how everything is connected. Similar to permaculture, its not another farming method or style, it is not just about growing food, it is a way of life. Well, at least that is how I receive it. I'll share more as I learn on my first adventure actually doing it. My intention is to share in a nourishing way without becoming dogmatic, which is a common criticism about Fukuoka. And please let me know how I can support your interest in shizen no.
Kawaguchi, who has been doing shizen no since the 70s, says "growing food in a way where we do not till, we do not fertilize, we do not spray pesticides, and we do not treat weeds and bugs as our enemy." His main principles are, "no tilling, no importing materials, and no exporting materials." Respecting all life by not straining our environment.
This is an invitation to try it out with me and enjoy a new way of growing food, a new understanding of life. There may not be any epiphanies, much "production", and you might struggle with the pureness of your experiment, but until you do it natural farming will only be an idea.
The picture on the top is the site of my experiment before any of my interventions. Looks quite lush with volunteers. The bottom is after I cut all the grass with the kama, Kawaguchi's tool of choice. I also staked it with bamboo to help envision the dimension of the garden beds.
It depends (the answer to most questions here at the Bullocks).
A simple summary of what I understand shizen no (shizen-nature/natural and no-farming/gardening) is growing food without tilling, fertilizing, or weeding. Those are the 3 elements that both Fukuoka (One Straw Revolution) and Kawaguchi (the one I met) use as the foundation of their gardening method.
But to reduce shizen no to only the above would be misleading and disrespectful. There is a deep spiritual dimension to our relationship to the web of life, and shizenno is an intentional relationship with nature, to grow food in harmony with all life. It is an art, a spiritual practice, and a path that will help us look deeper into how everything is connected. Similar to permaculture, its not another farming method or style, it is not just about growing food, it is a way of life. Well, at least that is how I receive it. I'll share more as I learn on my first adventure actually doing it. My intention is to share in a nourishing way without becoming dogmatic, which is a common criticism about Fukuoka. And please let me know how I can support your interest in shizen no.
Kawaguchi, who has been doing shizen no since the 70s, says "growing food in a way where we do not till, we do not fertilize, we do not spray pesticides, and we do not treat weeds and bugs as our enemy." His main principles are, "no tilling, no importing materials, and no exporting materials." Respecting all life by not straining our environment.
This is an invitation to try it out with me and enjoy a new way of growing food, a new understanding of life. There may not be any epiphanies, much "production", and you might struggle with the pureness of your experiment, but until you do it natural farming will only be an idea.
The picture on the top is the site of my experiment before any of my interventions. Looks quite lush with volunteers. The bottom is after I cut all the grass with the kama, Kawaguchi's tool of choice. I also staked it with bamboo to help envision the dimension of the garden beds.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Deep Quotes
Hello friends,
I'm working on my write up of the intro course but its really hard to sit and face a computer when I can hang out with cool people, feast, and garden. But, I'll quit whining and get my act together (5/28 finished it! Its actually below this entry). In the mean time, I want to share a few quotes that really resonate with me from those I call my teachers. Some of you might recognize these.
When you understand, you love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people. -Thich Nhat Hanh ティク・ナット・ハン（禅の先生）
Farming is a way of life in which one constantly reaffirms the source of life. - Fukuoka Masanobu 福岡正信（自然農法）
Work is energy. Two crises of our times are intimately connected — the climate crisis and the unemployment crisis.....To make the energy transition beyond oil, we need to bring people back into the economy, bring human energy back into production, respect physical work, and give it dignity. - Vandana Shiva ヴァンダナ・シヴァ（食料システム活動家／エコフェミニスト）
I'm working on my write up of the intro course but its really hard to sit and face a computer when I can hang out with cool people, feast, and garden. But, I'll quit whining and get my act together (5/28 finished it! Its actually below this entry). In the mean time, I want to share a few quotes that really resonate with me from those I call my teachers. Some of you might recognize these.
When you understand, you love. And when you love, you naturally act in a way that can relieve the suffering of people. -Thich Nhat Hanh ティク・ナット・ハン（禅の先生）
Farming is a way of life in which one constantly reaffirms the source of life. - Fukuoka Masanobu 福岡正信（自然農法）
Work is energy. Two crises of our times are intimately connected — the climate crisis and the unemployment crisis.....To make the energy transition beyond oil, we need to bring people back into the economy, bring human energy back into production, respect physical work, and give it dignity. - Vandana Shiva ヴァンダナ・シヴァ（食料システム活動家／エコフェミニスト）
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Intro to Permaculture Course
*ゆっくり翻訳中です。
Last weekend was the annual Permaculture Intro Course, starting on Friday evening and concluding on Sunday afternoon. About 30 folks including 2 super enthusiastic permy kids attended the learning party.
先週末、毎年恒例のパーマカルチャー入門コース（二泊二日）がここで行われました。だいたい３０人ぐらいの参加者が来て、その中にやる気満々の子供二人もいました。
The schedule was something like this
こんなスケジュールでした。
Friday was arrival day and it turned out to be a glorious day.
金曜日は到着日で太陽も久しぶりに顔を出していました。
Saturday 土曜日
730-830 Breakfast 朝食
830-1230 What is permaculture (Pc), History of the Bullocks brothers and this site, Pc ethics and principles.
パーマカルチャーとは何か？ブロックス兄弟の生い立ち、パーマカルチャーとの出会い、この土地の歴史と未来のビジョン。パーマカルチャー倫理（詳しくは４月１６日のブログエントリーを参照してください）と原理。
1230-1400 Lunch 昼ご飯
1400-1700 Tour of the site in 3 groups 三つのグループに別れて、ブロックスホームステッドの三時間パーマカルチャー・ツアー。
1700-1800 Free time 自由時間
1800-1930 Dinner 晩ご飯
Dave and Doug on tour of the property. In 3 hours I feel that they just scratch the surface because the site is so dense with permaculture goodness. The tour is a good workout and therapeutic too. Lets call it the permaculture diet, good for you, good for the planet. The site tour is definitely one of the coolest parts of the course as you see best practices and failed experiments in action. And there is a story to every piece of it.
デーブ（研修生６年目でコースの先生の一人）とダグがツアーを行っている所です。あまりにも色々盛り込まれている土地なので、三時間では全然足りない気がします。コースの見所の一つはこのツアーです。パーマカルチャーを実感する事ができて、色々質問をしながら学んで、どういう過程であらゆるシステムが発展して、失敗した実験などを体験できます。何十年分もの経験と汗が詰まった、三時間ツアーです。面白いお話もいっぱい聞けます。
Sunday 日曜日
730-830 Breakfast 朝ご飯
830-915 Q and A 質問の時間
915-945 Introduction to the work project (Guild planting in Zone 4 Walnut orchard) みんなでやるワークプロジェクトの説明。今回はゾーン４（パーマカルチャー用語）にあるクルミ園のギルドの整備。
945-1000 Break お茶とトイレ休み
1000-1230 Work project ワークプロジェクト開始
1400-1445 Pc network/resources: Global, North America, Pacific North West パーマカルチャー関係の国際、北アメリカ大陸、そして現地（ワシントン州とカナダ西海岸）のネットワークとリソース
1445-1500 Closing circle 締めくくりの輪（参加者への感謝と参加者の感想）
Most people were off to the ferry. 殆どの人はすぐにフェリーに向かいました。
1900 One of the course participants talked about pedal power and the organization he is part of, Maya Pedal (http://mayapedal.org/machines.html)
参加者の二人が、夕食後に飛び入りでペダル・パワー（人力自転エネルギー：自転車と同じ原理）の説明会をしてくれました。詳しくは、上のホームページを見てみてください。ペダル・パワーの実用性、どういう作業に適切で適切ではないかを丁寧に話してくれました。彼らの活動は主にガテマラのNPOマヤペダルで行っているみたいです。
The food was cooked by the wonderful team of Yuriko and Maria, and without going into any detail, lets just say it was delicious.
食事はゆりこさんとマリアさんの名コンビが作ってくれました。とても美味しかったです。
I was reminded of how impressively knowledgeable and articulate the course teachers (Sam and Doug Bullock, and Daver) are, especially their ability to thoroughly address different elements of Pc and field questions. That was a major element that drew me to this internship program. They are also jokers with an an endless repertoire of stories.
Something that stood out to me was the Bullocks sharing about how having mechanical, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and other trade-skills helped them immensely in the permaculture adventure. I think they also have experience in the commercial nursery trade. I don't think any of them have a college degree, and here I am with a lot of education and very little to show for it....well I have a fancy piece of paper somewhere. Much of what I am learning are these very skills that they probably taught themselves or learned on the job. Its quite an opportunity to learn these skills pretty much for free with such exceptional teachers in a beautiful environment with other enthusiastic youth. That just seems too good.
A few notes from the Pc Ethics discussion
Care for the Planet:
Careful Process:
On this topic of biological resources, I also thought about Vandana Shiva's quote that I wrote in the next blog entry on work and human energy. I think we have an opportunity to replace fossil fuels, machines and chemicals, that displaced people from work and nature, with the massive population of growing unemployed people! Many of whom are young and disenchanted in our current politico-economic landscape, which can lead to social instability and political volatility. Of course we need to do this in a dignified way and not just creating more wage slaves or slave slaves. E.F. Schumacher is a good person to look up on this issue. His book Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered had quite an impact on me.
And now for some more pictures. These are from the guild planting work project. We explored the concept of guild planting, useful guild plant functions (nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, barrier plants, insectary, etc), and looking into the successes and failures of the zone 4 walnut orchard guild on the property. The work project not only was an opportunity to learn and spend time outside doing stuff, it also fulfilled a need on the property to give these plants some attention. It was also a fruitful space for deeper interaction with all the cool people who were out there.
Everybody is hard at work. About 3-4 people clustered around each guild planting with someone explaining what plants were there, and what we needed to do to improve the condition (a lot of weeding, mulching, and deer proofing).
全員でワークプロジェクトを太陽の下で楽しんでいる所です。だいたい３〜４人一組が一つのギルド付き、植物の説明を研修生または先生がしてから、そのギルドのメンテナンスをしました。
Daver gloriously explaining about the plant guild as the other men toil beneath him. I think this is a sterile French broom x2 (nitrogen fixer), autumn olive (n-fixing shrub with edible fruits), walnut sapling guild.
デーブがギルドの植物について説明している中、研修生と参加者が草抜きをしている所です。このギルドには、種のならないフレンチ・ブルーム（バクテリアと共同に窒素を土に固定する）、オータム・オリーブ（実のなる茂みで窒素固定機能を持つ）とクルミの子供（主役）があります。
The permy kids showing everyone how its done. We need more permy kids!!!
パーミィーキッズが大人達にやり方を見せている様子。僕たちの社会にはもっとパーミィーキッズが必要です！！
Last weekend was the annual Permaculture Intro Course, starting on Friday evening and concluding on Sunday afternoon. About 30 folks including 2 super enthusiastic permy kids attended the learning party.
先週末、毎年恒例のパーマカルチャー入門コース（二泊二日）がここで行われました。だいたい３０人ぐらいの参加者が来て、その中にやる気満々の子供二人もいました。
The schedule was something like this
こんなスケジュールでした。
Friday was arrival day and it turned out to be a glorious day.
金曜日は到着日で太陽も久しぶりに顔を出していました。
Saturday 土曜日
730-830 Breakfast 朝食
830-1230 What is permaculture (Pc), History of the Bullocks brothers and this site, Pc ethics and principles.
パーマカルチャーとは何か？ブロックス兄弟の生い立ち、パーマカルチャーとの出会い、この土地の歴史と未来のビジョン。パーマカルチャー倫理（詳しくは４月１６日のブログエントリーを参照してください）と原理。
1230-1400 Lunch 昼ご飯
1400-1700 Tour of the site in 3 groups 三つのグループに別れて、ブロックスホームステッドの三時間パーマカルチャー・ツアー。
1700-1800 Free time 自由時間
1800-1930 Dinner 晩ご飯
Dave and Doug on tour of the property. In 3 hours I feel that they just scratch the surface because the site is so dense with permaculture goodness. The tour is a good workout and therapeutic too. Lets call it the permaculture diet, good for you, good for the planet. The site tour is definitely one of the coolest parts of the course as you see best practices and failed experiments in action. And there is a story to every piece of it.デーブ（研修生６年目でコースの先生の一人）とダグがツアーを行っている所です。あまりにも色々盛り込まれている土地なので、三時間では全然足りない気がします。コースの見所の一つはこのツアーです。パーマカルチャーを実感する事ができて、色々質問をしながら学んで、どういう過程であらゆるシステムが発展して、失敗した実験などを体験できます。何十年分もの経験と汗が詰まった、三時間ツアーです。面白いお話もいっぱい聞けます。
Sunday 日曜日
730-830 Breakfast 朝ご飯
830-915 Q and A 質問の時間
915-945 Introduction to the work project (Guild planting in Zone 4 Walnut orchard) みんなでやるワークプロジェクトの説明。今回はゾーン４（パーマカルチャー用語）にあるクルミ園のギルドの整備。
945-1000 Break お茶とトイレ休み
1000-1230 Work project ワークプロジェクト開始
1400-1445 Pc network/resources: Global, North America, Pacific North West パーマカルチャー関係の国際、北アメリカ大陸、そして現地（ワシントン州とカナダ西海岸）のネットワークとリソース
1445-1500 Closing circle 締めくくりの輪（参加者への感謝と参加者の感想）
Most people were off to the ferry. 殆どの人はすぐにフェリーに向かいました。
1900 One of the course participants talked about pedal power and the organization he is part of, Maya Pedal (http://mayapedal.org/machines.html)
参加者の二人が、夕食後に飛び入りでペダル・パワー（人力自転エネルギー：自転車と同じ原理）の説明会をしてくれました。詳しくは、上のホームページを見てみてください。ペダル・パワーの実用性、どういう作業に適切で適切ではないかを丁寧に話してくれました。彼らの活動は主にガテマラのNPOマヤペダルで行っているみたいです。
The food was cooked by the wonderful team of Yuriko and Maria, and without going into any detail, lets just say it was delicious.
食事はゆりこさんとマリアさんの名コンビが作ってくれました。とても美味しかったです。
I was reminded of how impressively knowledgeable and articulate the course teachers (Sam and Doug Bullock, and Daver) are, especially their ability to thoroughly address different elements of Pc and field questions. That was a major element that drew me to this internship program. They are also jokers with an an endless repertoire of stories.
Something that stood out to me was the Bullocks sharing about how having mechanical, plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and other trade-skills helped them immensely in the permaculture adventure. I think they also have experience in the commercial nursery trade. I don't think any of them have a college degree, and here I am with a lot of education and very little to show for it....well I have a fancy piece of paper somewhere. Much of what I am learning are these very skills that they probably taught themselves or learned on the job. Its quite an opportunity to learn these skills pretty much for free with such exceptional teachers in a beautiful environment with other enthusiastic youth. That just seems too good.
A few notes from the Pc Ethics discussion
Care for the Planet:
- Pc is not about taking a pristine ecosystem and bulldozing it to plant fruit trees.
- Since our modern life-styles have degenerated much of our life-support system (aka nature), working toward sustainability is not good enough at this point. We need regeneration!
Careful Process:
- Changing the mentality from scarcity to surplus and distributing that surplus. Like the Bullocks share their knowledge, living space/experimental and education farm, and palnt materials among other things. Love and enthusiasm too!
- Transitional Ethic: we want to invite everyone so we need to be welcoming not discriminating
- Use of appropriate and intermediate technology while using high-tech minimally
On this topic of biological resources, I also thought about Vandana Shiva's quote that I wrote in the next blog entry on work and human energy. I think we have an opportunity to replace fossil fuels, machines and chemicals, that displaced people from work and nature, with the massive population of growing unemployed people! Many of whom are young and disenchanted in our current politico-economic landscape, which can lead to social instability and political volatility. Of course we need to do this in a dignified way and not just creating more wage slaves or slave slaves. E.F. Schumacher is a good person to look up on this issue. His book Small is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered had quite an impact on me.
And now for some more pictures. These are from the guild planting work project. We explored the concept of guild planting, useful guild plant functions (nitrogen fixers, dynamic accumulators, barrier plants, insectary, etc), and looking into the successes and failures of the zone 4 walnut orchard guild on the property. The work project not only was an opportunity to learn and spend time outside doing stuff, it also fulfilled a need on the property to give these plants some attention. It was also a fruitful space for deeper interaction with all the cool people who were out there.
Everybody is hard at work. About 3-4 people clustered around each guild planting with someone explaining what plants were there, and what we needed to do to improve the condition (a lot of weeding, mulching, and deer proofing).全員でワークプロジェクトを太陽の下で楽しんでいる所です。だいたい３〜４人一組が一つのギルド付き、植物の説明を研修生または先生がしてから、そのギルドのメンテナンスをしました。
Daver gloriously explaining about the plant guild as the other men toil beneath him. I think this is a sterile French broom x2 (nitrogen fixer), autumn olive (n-fixing shrub with edible fruits), walnut sapling guild.デーブがギルドの植物について説明している中、研修生と参加者が草抜きをしている所です。このギルドには、種のならないフレンチ・ブルーム（バクテリアと共同に窒素を土に固定する）、オータム・オリーブ（実のなる茂みで窒素固定機能を持つ）とクルミの子供（主役）があります。
The permy kids showing everyone how its done. We need more permy kids!!!パーミィーキッズが大人達にやり方を見せている様子。僕たちの社会にはもっとパーミィーキッズが必要です！！
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Beautiful Creatures
これは、入門コースのツアーをしてるときに見つかった虫です。きれいですねー。
This is a bug we encountered during a tour of the site for the Intro to Permaculture Course.
A banana slug look alike crossing the path. After living in Santa Cruz and co-existing with bright and mustard yellow banana slugs, I've become a fan of them. Never thought I would be excited with slugs. But, I just found out these guys are called European Red Slugs and is a "pest" in the Bullock's gardens.
道を渡るバナナスラッグに似たナメクジ。サンタクルーズ（カリフォルニア州）に住んで以来、大好きになってしまいました。巨大な赤杉の足下でゆっくりと進むまっ黄色の大きなナメクジ。まさかナメクジが好きになるとは、思っていませんでした。でも、これは色が赤くヨーロピアン赤ナメクジらしいです。ブロックスホームステッドの畑の中の植物をいっぱい食べているようです。
Below is a Banana slug I took (a picture) in Santa Cruz. Such beautiful creatures.
This guy is the famous mascot (Pulp Fiction anyone?) of University of California Santa Cruz. I think the sports teams suffer from a lack of edge from their mascot, but most people love them.
下の写真はサンタクルーズのバナナナメクジです。なんと美しい。
因に、僕が通っていたカリフォルニア州立大学サンタクルーズ（UCSC)のマスコットは、このバナナスラッグなのです。
This is a bug we encountered during a tour of the site for the Intro to Permaculture Course.
A banana slug look alike crossing the path. After living in Santa Cruz and co-existing with bright and mustard yellow banana slugs, I've become a fan of them. Never thought I would be excited with slugs. But, I just found out these guys are called European Red Slugs and is a "pest" in the Bullock's gardens.道を渡るバナナスラッグに似たナメクジ。サンタクルーズ（カリフォルニア州）に住んで以来、大好きになってしまいました。巨大な赤杉の足下でゆっくりと進むまっ黄色の大きなナメクジ。まさかナメクジが好きになるとは、思っていませんでした。でも、これは色が赤くヨーロピアン赤ナメクジらしいです。ブロックスホームステッドの畑の中の植物をいっぱい食べているようです。
Below is a Banana slug I took (a picture) in Santa Cruz. Such beautiful creatures.
This guy is the famous mascot (Pulp Fiction anyone?) of University of California Santa Cruz. I think the sports teams suffer from a lack of edge from their mascot, but most people love them.
下の写真はサンタクルーズのバナナナメクジです。なんと美しい。
因に、僕が通っていたカリフォルニア州立大学サンタクルーズ（UCSC)のマスコットは、このバナナスラッグなのです。
Saturday, May 22, 2010
トマト植えとクイズ Planting tomato and quiz
A few days ago Yuriko gave me 3 Japanese tomato starts. 2 Momotaro (Peach Boy) and one Odoriko. She told me that Momotaro is one of her favorite tomatos, and knowing her as a gardener and cook, I trust her judgment. I like black and wine colored tomatoes a lot, and one of the ones I had fun growing in Costa Rica was Tommy Toe from Seed Saver Exchange. Huge loads of very large cherry tomatoes. I'm a fan of cherry tomatoes.
数日前ゆりこさんから日本産のトマトの苗を頂きました。彼女お勧めの桃太郎２つに踊り子１つ。僕は黒やワイン色のトマトが大好きです。西海岸ではブランディーワインという種類が人気です。コスタリカでNPO Seed Saver Exchangeが販売しているトミトーというミニトマトに惚れました。大きな梅／アプリコットの大きさで大量に収穫できます。どちらかというとミニトマトを育てる方がお手軽なので好きです。
For tantalizing tomato varieties and pictures see the SSE site (below)
下のリンクで美味しくて美しいトマトのあらゆる種類を官能してみてください。
http://www.seedsavers.org/Items.aspx?hierId=43
Sam suggested to plant the tomato into 50% one year old steer manure that he got, and 50% soil mix (made on-site) for drainage. Both Sam and Doug mentioned that tomatoes grow in straight manure and even sewage sludge.
サムにトマトの植え方を聞いた所、近所から持って来た一年ものの馬糞５０％に水はけのために土５０％混ぜたら良いと言われました。トマトは糞１００％でも下水泥状物でも元気に育つとサムもダグも話してました。
The tomatoes on the site here are grown in pots in the green house or in a garden bed with a hoop-house over it.
ここでは、トマトを大きな鉢に植えて温室で育てるか、ポリトンネンルを被せた畝に植えています。
(Front Row: Momotaro, Momotaro, Odoriko)
QUIZ
Where did tomatoes originate? What kind of environment did they initially come from?
トマトはもともとどこで発生していたのでしょうか？そこはどのような環境ですか？
What are dry farmed tomatoes?
They tend to be much more flavorful, I love them.
ドライ・ファーム(乾地農法?)トマトとはどういう意味なのか？
味が凝縮していてとっても美味しいです。
What are the top 3 tomato producing countries?
トマトの三大生産国はどこか？
How did tomatoes become such a key ingredient in Italy?
なぜイタリア料理でトマトが中心的な存在になったのでしょうか？
数日前ゆりこさんから日本産のトマトの苗を頂きました。彼女お勧めの桃太郎２つに踊り子１つ。僕は黒やワイン色のトマトが大好きです。西海岸ではブランディーワインという種類が人気です。コスタリカでNPO Seed Saver Exchangeが販売しているトミトーというミニトマトに惚れました。大きな梅／アプリコットの大きさで大量に収穫できます。どちらかというとミニトマトを育てる方がお手軽なので好きです。
For tantalizing tomato varieties and pictures see the SSE site (below)
下のリンクで美味しくて美しいトマトのあらゆる種類を官能してみてください。
http://www.seedsavers.org/Items.aspx?hierId=43
Sam suggested to plant the tomato into 50% one year old steer manure that he got, and 50% soil mix (made on-site) for drainage. Both Sam and Doug mentioned that tomatoes grow in straight manure and even sewage sludge.
サムにトマトの植え方を聞いた所、近所から持って来た一年ものの馬糞５０％に水はけのために土５０％混ぜたら良いと言われました。トマトは糞１００％でも下水泥状物でも元気に育つとサムもダグも話してました。
The tomatoes on the site here are grown in pots in the green house or in a garden bed with a hoop-house over it.
ここでは、トマトを大きな鉢に植えて温室で育てるか、ポリトンネンルを被せた畝に植えています。
(Front Row: Momotaro, Momotaro, Odoriko)QUIZ
Where did tomatoes originate? What kind of environment did they initially come from?
トマトはもともとどこで発生していたのでしょうか？そこはどのような環境ですか？
What are dry farmed tomatoes?
They tend to be much more flavorful, I love them.
ドライ・ファーム(乾地農法?)トマトとはどういう意味なのか？
味が凝縮していてとっても美味しいです。
What are the top 3 tomato producing countries?
トマトの三大生産国はどこか？
How did tomatoes become such a key ingredient in Italy?
なぜイタリア料理でトマトが中心的な存在になったのでしょうか？
Friday, May 21, 2010
Tranformation: farming with fashion
Coming to the Bullocks is a transformative experience. Life-changing. For example, this homeless-looking dirty young man has turned into a clean hardworking happy gardener fit to be an acceptable participant of normal society. Come to the Bullocks and you will be prepared to sneak back into the mainstream and become a covert Permaculture operative. Spread the seeds of creativity and nourishment.
これからの時代は、ファションセンスを鍛える農業。やっぱり農はかっこいい！
西洋桑で畝の間の草かり！僕は今日、ニラの種をまいて、４０日で実がなるゴーヤの種と姫大根の種をゆりこさんから頂きました。こんな寒い所でゴーヤに成功するのでしょうか？
お花 Flowers
I've been appreciating the abundant beautiful flowers that I am immersed in. So trippy and alluring. I hope some of my amazement will translate through the limits of blogging. You can click on any of the pictures on the blog and I think they will enlarge. Yes flowers! And what are those exciting things that follow flowers! Bees! Yes, that's cool but something that happens after the bees hang out and pollinate. Fruits and nuts and seeds! Yeah! Thus, much appreciation to the existence of flowers. I feel blessed to be in a world with flowers.
By the way, the Japanese word for flower is ohana (read phonetically). In Hawaiian, ohana means family (not limited to blood/legal family).
最近は自分の周りに咲き乱れるお花達に感動しています。毎日生命感で輝くお花に吸い寄せれてしまう感じです。道の真ん中でぼーっと立派なお花の塊を見ていたりしています。お花最高！と言わんばかりに。（写真にクリックをすると多分拡大されます）本物をこうやってブログに載せても感動が伝わらないかもしれないので、是非近くで咲いているお花と時間を過ごしてみてください。１分でも５分でも。毎日お花見をする生き方をお勧めします。お花の後にやってくるワクワクする物体は．．．．蜂！ま、それも好きだけど、蜂達が花粉を移動してから現れるものは果物！に木の実！に種！お花達に感謝。お花に囲まれた生活に毎日感謝しています。
因に、ハワイアン（ハワイ語）でオハナは家族という意味。血のつながりや法律上の家族だけではなく、精神的なつながりのある人すべてを差します。
Yup. Thats James, Lover of food and excitement. A stimulator. He sort of just pops up like that. He might keep appearing on the blog. He's that sort of guy. Tahini.
ジェームズ。なかなかキャラがこい一番若い研修生。とにかくハイテンションでとってもポジティブ。食べ物愛好家。
By the way, the Japanese word for flower is ohana (read phonetically). In Hawaiian, ohana means family (not limited to blood/legal family).
最近は自分の周りに咲き乱れるお花達に感動しています。毎日生命感で輝くお花に吸い寄せれてしまう感じです。道の真ん中でぼーっと立派なお花の塊を見ていたりしています。お花最高！と言わんばかりに。（写真にクリックをすると多分拡大されます）本物をこうやってブログに載せても感動が伝わらないかもしれないので、是非近くで咲いているお花と時間を過ごしてみてください。１分でも５分でも。毎日お花見をする生き方をお勧めします。お花の後にやってくるワクワクする物体は．．．．蜂！ま、それも好きだけど、蜂達が花粉を移動してから現れるものは果物！に木の実！に種！お花達に感謝。お花に囲まれた生活に毎日感謝しています。
因に、ハワイアン（ハワイ語）でオハナは家族という意味。血のつながりや法律上の家族だけではなく、精神的なつながりのある人すべてを差します。
ジェームズ。なかなかキャラがこい一番若い研修生。とにかくハイテンションでとってもポジティブ。食べ物愛好家。
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
植物クイズ Plant Quiz 4
Hint: The ground seeds are an awesome seasoning for fresh water eel (best braised over wood coals).
ヒント：この植物の実と昆布の佃煮は最高に合います！一度小豆島を自転車で走ってたら、佃煮屋さんを見つけて、そこで始めて味見をしました。今まで食べた佃煮の中で一番美味しかったです。椎茸も入っていたかもしれません。分からない方は、英語のヒントを読めばすぐに分かると思います。
Recent scenes from the Bullocks
Croissant making or as Dave calls them, Butter Horns. Made with local fresh raw butter. mmmm.クロワッサン作り！美味しそう。残念ながら今は小麦粉が食べられないのでパス。でもやっぱり食べたいから再来週まで一つ冷凍する事にしました。焼きたてが食べたかったな〜。今度作ろ〜っと。バターは、近所の新鮮なオーガニック生バターを使っていました。
The Beer Brewers Annonymous Club. Surprisingly there is not much alcohol drinking in this group.....but maybe that might change.ビール作り屋達。研修生の殆どはあまりのまず、何人かが週一回ぐらい飲む珍しい若者達です。僕ももう一年以上前にお酒は飲まなくなりましたが、こんなに飲まない人達といるのも不思議です。この自家製ビールで状況が変わるかもしれませんが。
研修生の一週間
僕たちの一週間のスケジュールにはそれなりの自由があります。スケジュールされている日、金曜日から月曜日までは朝ご飯が７：３０からで、お昼は１２：３０、晩ご飯は６：３０です。研修生が交代しながら作っていて、びっくりするほど時間通りです。町に住んでいた頃は、晩ご飯を９じから夜中の間に食べていた頃を比べてしまいます。ご飯を消化してから寝るのが健康的と言いますよね。
研修生のスケジュール
金曜日：ファーム週間の始まり。
理想的には８：３０にブロックスと研修生でアロハロッジに集まって、白版を見ながらやらないと行けない事を挙げていきます。常にやる事は山ほどあるので、経験豊富のここの住民ブロックス兄弟が優先順位を決めていくのです。そして、一、二時間後に作業に取りかかります。例えば、ジャガイモを植え、電気フェンスを使ったアヒルや鶏トラクターの移動、接ぎ木、剪定、ソーラーポンプの修理、車の整理などなど。その日その日によります。だいたい晩ご飯まで続けますが、晩ご飯後も作業を続ける研修生もいます。
土曜日：ナーサリー（種苗場）の日
ブロックスホームステッドのナーサリーは、ここで植える植物と販売している植物を育てています。研修生（一年以上ここにいる人）の一人が担当していて、この島のファマーズ・マーケット（農家市場？）やここから直接売っています。その収入はランド・ファンド（土地資金）となり、ブロックス・ホームステッドでのプロジェクトや道具などを買うための資金となります。基本的に収入は（多分）全てこの土地に投資されます。それは、ブロックス家族の生活、彼らの子供達（参加族の間で６人かな）、ここで勉強する研修生、また持続可能な生活のモデルへの投資だと僕は理解していています。過去のナーサリーの日には苗木の鉢植え、防鹿のフェンス立て、鉢に植えられた木の整備と有機肥料（蟹と鶏の糞）撒き、撒水システムの整備（水はブロックス・ホームステッドが共有している沼から来ていて、家庭用水は井戸から来ています）、雑草抜きなど。ワシントン州に住んでいる人ならここで植物を買う事をお勧めします。彼らは植物愛好家．．．いやマニアです。世界中のレア、機能的、最高に美味しいあらゆる多年草を専門に集めています。彼らの植物やミクロ気候の作り方や使い方に対する知識は凄いです。しかも、ここまで来て植物を買いにくれば、彼らのホームステッドを見学してここの豪華な食事にも参加ができますよ〜（その日によりますが）。ここには面白い人がいっぱいいますし。
日曜日：持ちよりパーティーの日
＊パーマカルチャー・コースが行われている場合は中止
朝ご飯の後には大掃除をしてホームステッドをすっきりさせます。清潔で整理された所で生活するヒッピーの所の方が居心地よいですよね。ご飯に人を招くのなら掃除ぐらいするのはあたり前かもしれませんが。。。掃除の後は金曜日の集まりで決めたプロジェクトに進みます。例えば、先週の日曜日は新しいアウト・ハウス（野外トイレ）を作り始めました。今週末のパーマカルチャー入門コースに備えて、町から来た人達でも気楽に使えるものを作っています。時には午後をガーデニングの時間に割り当てます。
月曜日：予備日
終わらなかったプロジェクのの続きなど。昨日は、アウト・ハウス作りの続きをしました。大工経験のある研修生はさっさと進みましたが、僕みたいにまだ道具の上手な使い方を学んでいるような人達はカタツムリ・スピードでした。
夜には研修生の集会があり、呼吸を整えながら、研修生全員で決めないと行けない事や生活をより心地よくするための提案などをします。食料の注文もこのとき行われます（先週は一ヶ月分の食料を注文して＄８００も使いました！注文するもの殆どはオーガニックなので倍以上お金がかかります。）。その他、スキル・シェア（何か特殊な技を教える行事）もやっています。例えば、最初のスキル・シェアでは、僕が専門としていた効果的な集会のファシリテーションについて教えました。他には、ここでよく使う紐の結び方、タイマッサージ、又南極での温室を担当していた人のプレゼンテーションもありました。
この集会で僕が一番大切だと思っている行事は、チェック・インの時間です。この時、一人ずつその週の感想や悩み、喜び、必要な事、期待などについて話します。このような空間は集団生活に欠かせないものだと思います。個人と団体のバランスと成長につながると僕は考えていています。
今日の集会は２０分間のマッサージ・パーティーで始めました。みんな大工作業で体が疲れていたので、とても良い企画でした。みんな結構マッサージが上手で良かったです。ビジネスマンや政治家もミーティングの最初にマッサージをし合えば、より利口で平和な結論に到達すると僕は思うのですが。。。
火曜日：自由（予定のない）日
この日は基本的に好きな事ができるので、休んだり、お金を稼ぎに働いたり、食べたり、「町」やフェリーで他の所に出かけたり、個人プロジェクトをしたり、もっと食べたり、ハイキングなどなど。
水曜日：上と同じ
今までは、午後にゆりこさんの家でごちそうを頂いていました。これからは火曜日に変更されましたが。おいしい和食が食べれて幸せです。和菓子が恋しいですが。僕の大好物は、些々団子！
木曜日：またも上と同じ
夜には研修生が集まれば映画会を開催しています。今の所はコメディーを中心に見て来てます。今度、タンポポとAlways三丁目の夕日を見せたいと思っている所です。
そして、また楽しい勉強とプロジェクトの豊富な４日間が始まります。数日泊まりにくれば、僕たちと一緒にこの生活を体験する事ができますよ〜。
研修生のスケジュール
金曜日：ファーム週間の始まり。
理想的には８：３０にブロックスと研修生でアロハロッジに集まって、白版を見ながらやらないと行けない事を挙げていきます。常にやる事は山ほどあるので、経験豊富のここの住民ブロックス兄弟が優先順位を決めていくのです。そして、一、二時間後に作業に取りかかります。例えば、ジャガイモを植え、電気フェンスを使ったアヒルや鶏トラクターの移動、接ぎ木、剪定、ソーラーポンプの修理、車の整理などなど。その日その日によります。だいたい晩ご飯まで続けますが、晩ご飯後も作業を続ける研修生もいます。
土曜日：ナーサリー（種苗場）の日
ブロックスホームステッドのナーサリーは、ここで植える植物と販売している植物を育てています。研修生（一年以上ここにいる人）の一人が担当していて、この島のファマーズ・マーケット（農家市場？）やここから直接売っています。その収入はランド・ファンド（土地資金）となり、ブロックス・ホームステッドでのプロジェクトや道具などを買うための資金となります。基本的に収入は（多分）全てこの土地に投資されます。それは、ブロックス家族の生活、彼らの子供達（参加族の間で６人かな）、ここで勉強する研修生、また持続可能な生活のモデルへの投資だと僕は理解していています。過去のナーサリーの日には苗木の鉢植え、防鹿のフェンス立て、鉢に植えられた木の整備と有機肥料（蟹と鶏の糞）撒き、撒水システムの整備（水はブロックス・ホームステッドが共有している沼から来ていて、家庭用水は井戸から来ています）、雑草抜きなど。ワシントン州に住んでいる人ならここで植物を買う事をお勧めします。彼らは植物愛好家．．．いやマニアです。世界中のレア、機能的、最高に美味しいあらゆる多年草を専門に集めています。彼らの植物やミクロ気候の作り方や使い方に対する知識は凄いです。しかも、ここまで来て植物を買いにくれば、彼らのホームステッドを見学してここの豪華な食事にも参加ができますよ〜（その日によりますが）。ここには面白い人がいっぱいいますし。
日曜日：持ちよりパーティーの日
＊パーマカルチャー・コースが行われている場合は中止
朝ご飯の後には大掃除をしてホームステッドをすっきりさせます。清潔で整理された所で生活するヒッピーの所の方が居心地よいですよね。ご飯に人を招くのなら掃除ぐらいするのはあたり前かもしれませんが。。。掃除の後は金曜日の集まりで決めたプロジェクトに進みます。例えば、先週の日曜日は新しいアウト・ハウス（野外トイレ）を作り始めました。今週末のパーマカルチャー入門コースに備えて、町から来た人達でも気楽に使えるものを作っています。時には午後をガーデニングの時間に割り当てます。
月曜日：予備日
終わらなかったプロジェクのの続きなど。昨日は、アウト・ハウス作りの続きをしました。大工経験のある研修生はさっさと進みましたが、僕みたいにまだ道具の上手な使い方を学んでいるような人達はカタツムリ・スピードでした。
夜には研修生の集会があり、呼吸を整えながら、研修生全員で決めないと行けない事や生活をより心地よくするための提案などをします。食料の注文もこのとき行われます（先週は一ヶ月分の食料を注文して＄８００も使いました！注文するもの殆どはオーガニックなので倍以上お金がかかります。）。その他、スキル・シェア（何か特殊な技を教える行事）もやっています。例えば、最初のスキル・シェアでは、僕が専門としていた効果的な集会のファシリテーションについて教えました。他には、ここでよく使う紐の結び方、タイマッサージ、又南極での温室を担当していた人のプレゼンテーションもありました。
この集会で僕が一番大切だと思っている行事は、チェック・インの時間です。この時、一人ずつその週の感想や悩み、喜び、必要な事、期待などについて話します。このような空間は集団生活に欠かせないものだと思います。個人と団体のバランスと成長につながると僕は考えていています。
今日の集会は２０分間のマッサージ・パーティーで始めました。みんな大工作業で体が疲れていたので、とても良い企画でした。みんな結構マッサージが上手で良かったです。ビジネスマンや政治家もミーティングの最初にマッサージをし合えば、より利口で平和な結論に到達すると僕は思うのですが。。。
火曜日：自由（予定のない）日
この日は基本的に好きな事ができるので、休んだり、お金を稼ぎに働いたり、食べたり、「町」やフェリーで他の所に出かけたり、個人プロジェクトをしたり、もっと食べたり、ハイキングなどなど。
水曜日：上と同じ
今までは、午後にゆりこさんの家でごちそうを頂いていました。これからは火曜日に変更されましたが。おいしい和食が食べれて幸せです。和菓子が恋しいですが。僕の大好物は、些々団子！
木曜日：またも上と同じ
夜には研修生が集まれば映画会を開催しています。今の所はコメディーを中心に見て来てます。今度、タンポポとAlways三丁目の夕日を見せたいと思っている所です。
そして、また楽しい勉強とプロジェクトの豊富な４日間が始まります。数日泊まりにくれば、僕たちと一緒にこの生活を体験する事ができますよ〜。
Sunday, May 16, 2010
A typical week at the Bullocks
Our typical weekly schedule
Breakfast is served by interns around 7:30, lunch at 12:30, and Dinner around 6:30pm. We're not always on schedule but I'm pretty surprised at how well we do follow a schedule. I used to eat dinner between 9pm or 12am when I lived in the city!
Here it goes:
*so much goes on that I forgot what we did, so I'll double check the examples here
FRIDAY: Our farm week (these are our "weekdays") begins.
We start out with a meeting ideally around 8:30 at the Aloha lodge figuring out what has been done and what needs to be added to our to-do list. The Bullocks usually keep us aware of needs and priorities. Then we just get into it. We have planted potatos, moved the electric fencing larger-scale chicken and duck tractors to new areas, grafted, pruned, fixed water pumps and solar panels, etc. It all depends on the week and there is no shortage of things to do.
SATURDAY: is Nursery Day.
The Bullocks have a nursery that helps fund permaculture and other basic projects on the site. One of the interns is the main manager of the nursery and sells the plants on-site and at Eastsound Farmer's Market. So, this is the day we help with the needs of the nursery (spread into several parts of the homestead). We have potted bare-root trees, put up a new nursery fence (to protect from deer), fertilized (organic) fruit trees and all sorts of other plants in the nursery, set irrigation up, weeded, mowed, etc. I'm super biased, but if you are in the area, this is the place to buy plants. These are some of the most nerdy and knowledgeable people on plants, micro-climates, and all sorts of serious and absurd stuff. Lots of the best fruit varieties (because they are super into it), rare plants (plant-maniacs), and amazing tips and tricks. Also, if you come to the site to buy plants, you can check this blissful place out! Some nights we do parties, usually in appreciation to the Bullocks, who invited us to live and learn on their home, and are welcoming, patient, and fascinating people. Great people to know and study under/with.
SUNDAY: Sunday is community potluck day (except when there is a course).
We start the morning with a cleaning party, and try to make the place look nice and tidy. You don't want to invite people to a hippy place thats dirty, it can ruin the experience. Then we jump into more stuff that needs to happen, like building projects and preparing for the Intro to Permaculture Course that will happen this weekend. Sometimes we take the afternoon to work on our gardens.
MONDAY: Overflow day.
We just keep going and finish up projects that need to happen, garden, and enjoy the last day of our farm days. Today we continued on necessary building projects. We also have weekly intern meetings after dinner where we breath together, address general logistics, do the food order (last week we order $800 worth of food for at least the next month), have a skill share or presentation (e.g. how to facilitate effective meetings, how to tie essential knots, Thai massage, living and managing a greenhouse in Antarctica, etc). Also, maybe the most important part of the meeting is a check-in. Its a space where the whole group listens to whatever you want to say, but usually geared toward how your week was, feelings and emotions, experiences, gratitude, needs, etc. Its a very beautiful space and I think not only helps groups function but it is also necessary for the evolution of people and communities. Today we started the meeting by grouping into pairs and doing a 7 minute massage that turned out to be 10 minutes each. What a great way to start a meeting. Imagine people in corporate board meetings giving massages to each other in their suits, and taking breaths to be present, clam, and aware.
TUESDAY: Unscheduled? or free? days.
This is when people rest, hike, eat, go to town or other further places, garden, hangout, eat, work on personal projects, snack, work for money, etc.
WEDNESDAY: same as above.
In the past weeks Yuriko has been inviting us for onolicious (as they say in Hawaii) dinner, prepared with two of us interns.
THURSDAY = same as above - Yuriko's dinner party + Movie night (so far we watched, Dark Crystal, Best in Show, Men Who Stare At Goats, Office Space. Of course, this is part of permaculture).
And back to another exciting farm week of action packed learning, fun, and transformation.
Breakfast is served by interns around 7:30, lunch at 12:30, and Dinner around 6:30pm. We're not always on schedule but I'm pretty surprised at how well we do follow a schedule. I used to eat dinner between 9pm or 12am when I lived in the city!
Here it goes:
*so much goes on that I forgot what we did, so I'll double check the examples here
FRIDAY: Our farm week (these are our "weekdays") begins.
We start out with a meeting ideally around 8:30 at the Aloha lodge figuring out what has been done and what needs to be added to our to-do list. The Bullocks usually keep us aware of needs and priorities. Then we just get into it. We have planted potatos, moved the electric fencing larger-scale chicken and duck tractors to new areas, grafted, pruned, fixed water pumps and solar panels, etc. It all depends on the week and there is no shortage of things to do.
SATURDAY: is Nursery Day.
The Bullocks have a nursery that helps fund permaculture and other basic projects on the site. One of the interns is the main manager of the nursery and sells the plants on-site and at Eastsound Farmer's Market. So, this is the day we help with the needs of the nursery (spread into several parts of the homestead). We have potted bare-root trees, put up a new nursery fence (to protect from deer), fertilized (organic) fruit trees and all sorts of other plants in the nursery, set irrigation up, weeded, mowed, etc. I'm super biased, but if you are in the area, this is the place to buy plants. These are some of the most nerdy and knowledgeable people on plants, micro-climates, and all sorts of serious and absurd stuff. Lots of the best fruit varieties (because they are super into it), rare plants (plant-maniacs), and amazing tips and tricks. Also, if you come to the site to buy plants, you can check this blissful place out! Some nights we do parties, usually in appreciation to the Bullocks, who invited us to live and learn on their home, and are welcoming, patient, and fascinating people. Great people to know and study under/with.
SUNDAY: Sunday is community potluck day (except when there is a course).
We start the morning with a cleaning party, and try to make the place look nice and tidy. You don't want to invite people to a hippy place thats dirty, it can ruin the experience. Then we jump into more stuff that needs to happen, like building projects and preparing for the Intro to Permaculture Course that will happen this weekend. Sometimes we take the afternoon to work on our gardens.
MONDAY: Overflow day.
We just keep going and finish up projects that need to happen, garden, and enjoy the last day of our farm days. Today we continued on necessary building projects. We also have weekly intern meetings after dinner where we breath together, address general logistics, do the food order (last week we order $800 worth of food for at least the next month), have a skill share or presentation (e.g. how to facilitate effective meetings, how to tie essential knots, Thai massage, living and managing a greenhouse in Antarctica, etc). Also, maybe the most important part of the meeting is a check-in. Its a space where the whole group listens to whatever you want to say, but usually geared toward how your week was, feelings and emotions, experiences, gratitude, needs, etc. Its a very beautiful space and I think not only helps groups function but it is also necessary for the evolution of people and communities. Today we started the meeting by grouping into pairs and doing a 7 minute massage that turned out to be 10 minutes each. What a great way to start a meeting. Imagine people in corporate board meetings giving massages to each other in their suits, and taking breaths to be present, clam, and aware.
TUESDAY: Unscheduled? or free? days.
This is when people rest, hike, eat, go to town or other further places, garden, hangout, eat, work on personal projects, snack, work for money, etc.
WEDNESDAY: same as above.
In the past weeks Yuriko has been inviting us for onolicious (as they say in Hawaii) dinner, prepared with two of us interns.
THURSDAY = same as above - Yuriko's dinner party + Movie night (so far we watched, Dark Crystal, Best in Show, Men Who Stare At Goats, Office Space. Of course, this is part of permaculture).
And back to another exciting farm week of action packed learning, fun, and transformation.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
A different kind of luxury
This is a book my friend Andy, who I met at a Japanese Cultural Festival in Santa Cruz wrote. The blurb on amazon goes, "Raised in the tumult of Japan’s industrial powerhouse, the eleven men and women profiled in this book have all made the transition to sustainable, fulfilling lives. They are today artists, philosophers, and farmers who reside deep in the mountains of rural Japan. Their lives may be simple, yet they are surrounded by the luxuries of nature, art, contemplation, delicious food, and an abundance of time......" (you can read the rest on Andy's blog, below, or amazon).Andy persistently encouraged me to go meet some of these folks and I was able to visit 3 of them in Kamikatsu of Tokushima prefecture with my dad (thank you dad!). They had a similar energy to Kawaguchi (the natural farmer), extremely friendly, grounded, and aware of our connection and responsibility to the earth. We stayed at Atsuko and Gufu Watanabe's house and they fed us great food, fired up a bath, and showed us around the town like we were old friends. Gufu is a potter and farmer, and if I remember correctly Atsuko is an elected member of the local government among many other things. Although they have never really heard of permaculture, they live in a food forest and are a great example of living permaculture. I think both Andy and Atsuko were involved in the Zero Waste Policy in Kamikatsu.
Here is a short BBC article about it,
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7502071.stm
I also met Mr. Nakamura who lives extremely simply and seemed to organize every detail of his living space beautifully. He was in the process of transforming an old farm house into his home. I didn't get to spend too much time with him but I left with the impression that he is someone with much experience in the art of living. I learned a lot about simple living and permaculture Japanese style. I know there is a lot I can learn from these unique Japanese people, and I hope I will have an opportunity to meet more of them in the near future. I heard that they all get together at the Hanamatsuri (Flower Festival) in Nagoya, presenting a Nepalese and Indian themed event (?). I think a few of them, like Atsuko, can speak English so check it out if you are in the area.
FYI, Andy is currently doing tours to promote his book. In some ways its a really trippy book, since this is sort of the romanticized "Japan" or "Japanese" that actually exists and lives. The pictures are exquisit and make me want to just go there and start living!
By the way, the rice paddy picture on my blog was taken on our way back from visiting the Watanabe's in Kamikatsu. Many of these paddies are now planted with Japanese cedar as there are less and less people able and/or interested in taking care of them. A major challenge in Japan is depopulation of young people from rural areas, thus the knowledge of the land and the skills passed down from generation to generation is slowly disappearing each day. I'm hoping to reverse that trend as it will need to happen one way or another for Japan to function peacefully. Andy's blog for the book is below so check it out and see if it might be of your interest.
友達のアンディーさんが書いた本を簡単に紹介します。”「日本の経済急成長時代の中、大衆に流されずよりサステイナブルで充実した生活への道を歩んだ１１人の日本人のお話です。彼らは日本の山奥で生活をしている芸術家、哲学者、農家などです。シンプルライフを送りながら、森林、芸術、沈思黙考、自然の恵み、と豊富な時間という贅沢に囲まれて生きています。」アンディーさんに積極的に押されて、去年彼の本の中の人物とお会いする事ができました。徳島県の上勝に住む、渡辺あつこさん、渡辺ぐふさん、中村おさむさんの三人にお目にかかりました。とても良い人達で生き方について色々と学ぶ事ができたです。渡辺さん達の家はまさに食べ物の森でした。パーマカルチャーと言う言葉は殆ど効いた事がないようでしたが、彼はLiving Permacultureの良い見本だと思います。僕も、日本産のパーマカルチャーについてもっと勉強していきたいです。中村さんは人生の達人という感じでした。因に、アンディーさんとあつこさんはイギリスのBBCでも取り上げられた上勝のゼロ・ウェイスト政策に取り組んでいたらしいです。
詳しくは、http://www.kamikatsu.jp/zero-waste/frame.htm
近いうちに彼の本で紹介された他の人達にも会いたいです。自分のビジョンを実現するための貴重な勉強がきっとできると思います。聞いた話では、本の中の１１人は名古屋の花祭りでネパールとインドをテーマとしたイベント？で毎年集合しているそうです。再来年に行けるかも。
彼のブログ（英語）：
Andy's book blog
http://adifferentkindofluxury.blogspot.com/
Friday, May 14, 2010
Translating Natural Farming (Book 1 Prologue)
去年の夏、自然農を育んでいる川口さんから頂いた本です。彼は最高です。この本を選んだ理由は、日本中にいる自然農を実践者達のお話ときれいな写真が載っていて、アメリカでも自然農の種を植えるのにちょうど良いと思ったからです。簡単に翻訳をしてます。僕が自然農テーマで始めて読んだ本は、福岡正信さんの"The Natural Way of Farming: The Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy"です。そして、この本が第二番目。今度本屋さんで見てみてください。きれいな本です。There are 2 natural farming books I brought from Japan. One of them is the book to the left titled, "People who live natural farming" that a photo journalist published. This was full of pictures and I was looking at it when I went to Kawaguchi's house. I only had a 5000yen bill and he told me "just take it", and gifted me this book after spending half a day talking to me. He is someone I definitely hope to learn more from, very grounded, humble, and light-hearted.
This book basically holds the stories of various people who were inspired by Kawaguchi and are practicing natural farming all over Japan. Each story is accompanied by a picture of their gardens, full of weeds and garden plants or rice. Beautiful!
I'm hoping to contact the author soon for some of the pictures, but for now I will informally share some of my translations. I hope this will help people explore post-Fukuoka natural farming. As an aside, from what I understand Fukuoka was not the only person practicing and promoting natural farming, nor was he the first. But he did have a huge influence on many farmers in Japan and the world, including Kawaguchi. So, I think of our present time as the post-Fukuoka natural farming era....something like that.
Here is the Prologue (first draft of translation):
"Near the roots of the rice there are living insects. Weeds are growing. There are small creatures living in the nakigara layer. Microorganisms are flourishing. This is also where humans live. We are able to live only where other life thrives."
The "natural farming" Kawaguchi Yoshikazu practices in Nara province Sakurai city, is a farming method where you plant what is appropriate for that environment, and you intervene only when necessary in the cultivation of your crop. Recently, there have been an increasing number of people from Hakkaido to Okinawa Japan who practice Kawaguchi's method of rice and vegetable farming. His guidelines are, "no till, no use of fertilizers or pesticides, and not to treat weeds or bugs as your enemy." Just like a tree in the forest naturally grows tall, and the way edible forest plants sprout every year, rice and vegetables are grown in line with the natural order.
Nature will flourish in abundance if people do not excessively interfere. By cutting the weeds above the ground and leaving the roots in tact, then laying the tops on the ground, the soil is enriched as the weeds compost and become accessible nutrients. Wild plants will grow anywhere if the conditions are right. I am impressed by the life force of a weed growing out of a crack in the concrete of the city. If you consider vegetables to be a variety of weeds, as long as the conditions are right, it will grow. On the other hand, even wild plants will not grow on land with bad conditions.
The first time I heard of Kawaguchi was in a documentary film "Natural farming -The World of Kawaguchi Yoshikazu - Records of 1995." (Gendai Group productions) Depending on the listener, Kawaguchi's words may sound religious, and his appearance resembles that of a spiritual leader or philosopher.
Eventually, I was able to meet Kawaguchi at a farm study group at the "School of Kenji" in Tokyo. Unlike the image in books and in films, he seemed like an ordinary old farmer in any neighborhood, making jokes here and there to get everyone to laugh.
Of course, when Kawaguchi began natural farming in his neighborhood, the farmers around him complained. Weeds would spread seeds into their farms and there would be major outbreaks of pests, so he needs to weed. That was their attitude. Kawaguchi would not argue back and in his mild rural Nara accent respond, "I apologize. Let me think about that." But as time passes, it becomes apparent that even if there are weeds growing in his rice paddies and gardens, it does not adversely affect the surrounding gardens.
When I heard this story, I knew this man was the real deal. It is difficult for people to accept different perspectives. If we argue, we may hurt the other person. Without dismissing these farmers, Kawaguchi demonstrates through his actions. Kawaguchi's character most likely has a lot to do with the increase in people practicing natural farming all over Japan."
Natural Farming Experiment begins!
I'm slowly moving into my Natural Farming experiment as I finish my allocated main gardens which I am doing more or less the Biointensive garden method I learned at the University of California Santa Cruz Program in Agroecology and Community (PICA), Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems (CASFS), and the Homeless Garden Project. I've gotten better at it over the years but it just seems like a lot of work and something about it seems "unnatural" to me. Especially weeding. I really don't like weeding, and I think the weeds don't like it too. Also, with the CASFS organic garden apprenticeship, the focus seems to be in production and surviving/thriving in our current economic system as a small-scale organic farmer. In a world where our economic system doesn't fully respect and appreciate farmers and our environment, it seems like an unnecessarily hard path to take. Maybe things are getting better slowly now. I also don't want to mix growing food with money. Growing food and taking care of the earth is a spiritual practice, a necessity for us to survive and live. But, as many will respond, that's too idealistic. We will see about that, after all don't ideals help us to transform and evolve?
NATURAL FARMING
I heard about natural farming from one of the gardeners at UC Santa Cruz. He talked about the book "One Straw Revolution" and mildly got me excited. But, I never read that book and instead read "The Natural Way of Farming: Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy" while farming in Costa Rica. That made me want to learn more about the topic and actually see it in practice. In permaculture circles natural farming comes up here and there and it is always associated with Masanobu Fukuoka. And although I met people who have met him (at UCSC and elsewhere), I could never find anybody practicing his method.
Then last year when I went back to Japan I started to hear about a natural farmer Yoshikazu Kawaguchi. In Japan, when natural farming is mentioned, Kawaguchi is the person people talk about. A friend invited me to meet and interview him at his home and I was able to explore his beautiful weed filled rice paddies and gardens. I asked him about Fukuoka and shared a bit about permaculture and food forests. I might write more about that later, but for now I'd rather share some translations about him and the natural farming he teaches. Followed by updates on my own natural farming experiment here in Washington.
A little on Yoshikazu Kawaguchi. He was born in 1939 in Nara prefecture. He suffered mentally and physically from chemical (conventional) agriculture and begins to explore natural farming in the mid-70s. He now advises and teaches natural farming all over Japan. He's written a few books such as (roughly translated) "Standing in a strange garden" (1990), "Natural farming-the world of Yoshikazu Kawaguchi" (2000), "The path of natural farming" (2005), and a couple of others. I don't think any of them have been translated.
NATURAL FARMING
I heard about natural farming from one of the gardeners at UC Santa Cruz. He talked about the book "One Straw Revolution" and mildly got me excited. But, I never read that book and instead read "The Natural Way of Farming: Theory and Practice of Green Philosophy" while farming in Costa Rica. That made me want to learn more about the topic and actually see it in practice. In permaculture circles natural farming comes up here and there and it is always associated with Masanobu Fukuoka. And although I met people who have met him (at UCSC and elsewhere), I could never find anybody practicing his method.
Then last year when I went back to Japan I started to hear about a natural farmer Yoshikazu Kawaguchi. In Japan, when natural farming is mentioned, Kawaguchi is the person people talk about. A friend invited me to meet and interview him at his home and I was able to explore his beautiful weed filled rice paddies and gardens. I asked him about Fukuoka and shared a bit about permaculture and food forests. I might write more about that later, but for now I'd rather share some translations about him and the natural farming he teaches. Followed by updates on my own natural farming experiment here in Washington.
A little on Yoshikazu Kawaguchi. He was born in 1939 in Nara prefecture. He suffered mentally and physically from chemical (conventional) agriculture and begins to explore natural farming in the mid-70s. He now advises and teaches natural farming all over Japan. He's written a few books such as (roughly translated) "Standing in a strange garden" (1990), "Natural farming-the world of Yoshikazu Kawaguchi" (2000), "The path of natural farming" (2005), and a couple of others. I don't think any of them have been translated.
Thank you sunshine
Today was such a nice sunny day!
Oh so nice.
The sun has been rising around 6am and setting well past 8pm. Its still light around 9pm.
It was so nice out I enjoyed some naked gardening for the first time. Quite a pleasant experience. Highly recommended if you are in the right environment. And this is definitely the right environment. Other styles I have seen are Donald Duck (just a T-shirt), underwear, and loin cloth gardening. I have a vision to garden in a full business suit to encourage "salary men" and "office ladies" in Japan to garden....but probably I will just be amusing myself while profusely perspiring.
What kind of fashion will lure more people into gardening?
That is the question on my mind.
Oh so nice.
The sun has been rising around 6am and setting well past 8pm. Its still light around 9pm.
It was so nice out I enjoyed some naked gardening for the first time. Quite a pleasant experience. Highly recommended if you are in the right environment. And this is definitely the right environment. Other styles I have seen are Donald Duck (just a T-shirt), underwear, and loin cloth gardening. I have a vision to garden in a full business suit to encourage "salary men" and "office ladies" in Japan to garden....but probably I will just be amusing myself while profusely perspiring.
What kind of fashion will lure more people into gardening?
That is the question on my mind.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Deer shot
Rise up this morning
Smile with the rising sun
One big deer
Hanging from the woodshed
After waking up, the first thing I witnessed was a skinned deer hanging from the woodshed. I think it was shot at 3am, by Doug (he doesn't consume meat). From what I have heard the deer here have few to no predators and are over populated. They also damage the fruit trees, nursery, and the gardens.
I am not sure how I feel about the whole situation but I guess its a great opportunity to look deeply into how we interact with our environment. For instance, what about volunteers (aka weeds)? Or fungus and bug pests? In Japan monkeys are a vector. Is it necessary and justified to kill monkeys that take from your garden? I remember someone talking about how a natural farmer said he will kill monkeys for the same reasons the deer was killed here. And I have heard of some stories about permaculture bunkers to defend against potentially armed hungry people, when the serious effects of peak oil begin and people do not have enough food. That sounds like an intense way to live.
It can be an uncomfortable topic but its important to look deeply into life and death, and what we need in relation to what we want. A nice opportunity for some introspection. Will I kill for the same reasons if it were my site? Why am I vegetarian? Why not eat meat that is harvested on the land? My answer for now is my sprouts of compassion are still small and I want to grow them stronger before I can even consider taking life compassionately. I do know that I have a pungent desire to kill less and grow more, and that's what I am learning about here.
This picture is after the guts and skin was removed at the woodshed, site 2 of the dressing process. I love the irony that the processing of the animal migrated next to the lone vegetarian having his breakfast.
I will put this in the unique meals memory-box with the time I was having dinner while naked people came out of the sauna, passed in front of the "dinner table" to the shower, and back into the sauna.
今日の朝３時頃に撃たれた鹿です。
Smile with the rising sun
One big deer
Hanging from the woodshed
After waking up, the first thing I witnessed was a skinned deer hanging from the woodshed. I think it was shot at 3am, by Doug (he doesn't consume meat). From what I have heard the deer here have few to no predators and are over populated. They also damage the fruit trees, nursery, and the gardens.
I am not sure how I feel about the whole situation but I guess its a great opportunity to look deeply into how we interact with our environment. For instance, what about volunteers (aka weeds)? Or fungus and bug pests? In Japan monkeys are a vector. Is it necessary and justified to kill monkeys that take from your garden? I remember someone talking about how a natural farmer said he will kill monkeys for the same reasons the deer was killed here. And I have heard of some stories about permaculture bunkers to defend against potentially armed hungry people, when the serious effects of peak oil begin and people do not have enough food. That sounds like an intense way to live.
It can be an uncomfortable topic but its important to look deeply into life and death, and what we need in relation to what we want. A nice opportunity for some introspection. Will I kill for the same reasons if it were my site? Why am I vegetarian? Why not eat meat that is harvested on the land? My answer for now is my sprouts of compassion are still small and I want to grow them stronger before I can even consider taking life compassionately. I do know that I have a pungent desire to kill less and grow more, and that's what I am learning about here.
This picture is after the guts and skin was removed at the woodshed, site 2 of the dressing process. I love the irony that the processing of the animal migrated next to the lone vegetarian having his breakfast.
I will put this in the unique meals memory-box with the time I was having dinner while naked people came out of the sauna, passed in front of the "dinner table" to the shower, and back into the sauna.
今日の朝３時頃に撃たれた鹿です。
手巻きすしパーティー Sushi Party (itadakimasu)
ほぼ毎週ゆりこさんの家で和食パーティーをしています。交代で研修生二人に和食の作り方を教えながら、ごちそうを用意してくれます。この日は手巻き寿司！サーモン（この周辺で収穫されたもの）、アボカド、ごぼう、卵、椎茸、揚げ豆腐、などなど。自家製のお酒も毎回出ています。せっかくだから、みんなに日本人らしくピースをしてもらいました。ピースって平和の事ですよね？ゆりこさんの家で和食パーティーは拍手、歓声、笑い声で一杯です。みんなで楽しく食事をするのは和を育む方法だと思います。ゆりこさん、ブロックス、研修生のみんな、地球に感謝。
頂きますも教えました。だから、ゆりこさんの家ではみんなが座るまでま待って、一緒に頂きますを言います。バラバラに食べるよりは僕はみんな一緒に頂きますを言って食べるのが好きです。
This is a picture of a temaki sushi party at Yuriko & Sam's house. Almost every week we have a Japanese food party there, where 2 interns cook with Yuriko to learn the art of washoku. Then we feast Japanese-style, beginning with "itadakimasu." The sushi ingredients included Alaskan salmon she buys from a fisher-person, avocado, burdoc root, fluffy eggs, shiitake, fried tofu, etc. She also shares home made wines (e.g. plum and blackberry wine, mead, etc). Since its a Japan themed night, everybody did the official Japanese "peesu" (peace) sign, that defines you as a Japanese person posing for a picture (or at least a wannabe). Yuriko's parties are filled with festive clapping, dancing, cheering, and laughter. I think the technical term is, blissed out.
Eating together is probably one of the most important practices for peace and community-building. Its also an excellent space for cultural exchange.
ABOUT いただきます
itadakimasu is a greeting that Japanese (not all) say before eating. It literally is a formal way of saying "I am receiving this." Some people put their hands together and bow as they say it. When I was in elementary school in Japan, students would serve each other food and we would wait until everybody was seated with their food. Then we would all sing or shout (me) "itadakima-su" together and start eating. I do this before almost every meal as a way to fully be aware of how amazing it is to have nutritious food, to be alive, to be present, and to eat with others. It also helps me slow down and not just chow down the nourishing food before me. Its a good opportunity to give thanks and send prayers to those who are not so fortunate, as there are many. Sometimes I think about my ancestors who were starving during WW II. I remember reading about children fighting over grains of rice, and soldiers eating maggots off their wounds in jungles they would rather not be in. Its easy for me to forget that having nutritious food, from all over the world, all the time, is a luxury. So, I want to make sure that I am eating it with respect and using that energy to find ways to build a peace-filled sustainable world for all.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Robo-farmer 2015
Thought I would add a surreal element of reality to this blog. I believe this student is pulling out a daikon raddish.Perhaps the increasing unemployed tech-youth will find their niche in techno-farming. It still has yet to be mounted with auto-sensor laser beams to toast bugs and weeds, and water canons to clean veggies. Maybe solar panels and auto-pilot would be good too.....oh, then we could just get rid of the student (representing the aging population of Japanese farmers) and make robo-farmer 2015.
You know the Japanese will go there.
Here is the full article (thanks Marley)
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5hc_NmgA0Nxdu7CkAj1VmVZQpjNDg
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
ここに来るには
おこしになりたい方は、info@permacultureportal.comに連絡ください。
ブロックスホームステッドの楽しみ方はいくつかあります。
１．一日見学／参加をする。日曜日の昼はポットラック（持ちよりパーティー）です。一日の作業に参加したい方は金、土、日、月に来てください。火、水、木は研修生の休みの日なので来てもみんな休んでいるかもしれません。
２．数日泊まる。研修生と一緒に生活ができます。自分のテントや寝袋を持ってきてください。ここのすばらしさを満喫するには一週間ぐらい泊まる事をお薦めします。一日の食料費はだいたい＄８！ここのご飯は豪華です。宿泊料はとっていないようなので、費用は食費または何らか寄付／交換だけです。パーマカルチャーに興味なくても、ここに泊まりにくる良い理由です。（これが、団体と「家」の違いなのでしょうか？）。
３．入門コースまたは三週間のパーマカルチャー・デザイン・コースを受ける。僕はデザインコースを受けたのがきっかけで研修生に応募する事にしました。人生で一番質の高い教育だと思いました。詳しくは、ホームページを見てください。数週間で満員になってしまう人気のコースです。
４．研修生になる。お薦め！四月から十月いっぱいの期間です。結構倍率が高くなってきたようで、僕の他二人は去年落ちて今年入りました。一人はプロの大工で、もう一人はプロの庭師。僕は．．．カリスマぷ〜？ここに入るコツは、ブロックス兄弟と直接あって話す事です。
５．三時間ツアー。大人は一人あたり＄１５で学生は＄１２です。最低人数１０人または＄１５０とホームページに書いてあります。二十年以上発展され続けられているあらゆるパーマカルチャー・システムを（例えば、micro-climates, エッヂ作り、チナンパ、様々なソーラーシステム、エコ建築、植物ギルド、などなど）じっくり見学できます。質問は大歓迎です。また、特別なリクエスト（例えばワークショップなど）も受け付けているようです。日本語、ロシア語、スペイン語、ポーランド語の通訳も可能だと思います。
パーマカルチャー生活を実感したい人は是非来てみてください。ここは、団体や教育施設ではなく、ブロックスの家です。とても居心地がよく、パーマカルチャーを生きる人達から学ベます。特に、土地／気候(micro-climates)への理解と食べ物の森に関しては、ここが特別優れていると思います。好きな果物がなる期間に来る事もお薦めします。去年、僕はプラムの食べ過ぎでお腹を壊してしまいました。それでも、食べてない新しい種類を毎日のように見つけてしまったので、苦しみながら味わいました。食への欲は恐ろしいものですね。
では、お待ちしていま〜す。
ブロックスホームステッドの楽しみ方はいくつかあります。
１．一日見学／参加をする。日曜日の昼はポットラック（持ちよりパーティー）です。一日の作業に参加したい方は金、土、日、月に来てください。火、水、木は研修生の休みの日なので来てもみんな休んでいるかもしれません。
２．数日泊まる。研修生と一緒に生活ができます。自分のテントや寝袋を持ってきてください。ここのすばらしさを満喫するには一週間ぐらい泊まる事をお薦めします。一日の食料費はだいたい＄８！ここのご飯は豪華です。宿泊料はとっていないようなので、費用は食費または何らか寄付／交換だけです。パーマカルチャーに興味なくても、ここに泊まりにくる良い理由です。（これが、団体と「家」の違いなのでしょうか？）。
３．入門コースまたは三週間のパーマカルチャー・デザイン・コースを受ける。僕はデザインコースを受けたのがきっかけで研修生に応募する事にしました。人生で一番質の高い教育だと思いました。詳しくは、ホームページを見てください。数週間で満員になってしまう人気のコースです。
４．研修生になる。お薦め！四月から十月いっぱいの期間です。結構倍率が高くなってきたようで、僕の他二人は去年落ちて今年入りました。一人はプロの大工で、もう一人はプロの庭師。僕は．．．カリスマぷ〜？ここに入るコツは、ブロックス兄弟と直接あって話す事です。
５．三時間ツアー。大人は一人あたり＄１５で学生は＄１２です。最低人数１０人または＄１５０とホームページに書いてあります。二十年以上発展され続けられているあらゆるパーマカルチャー・システムを（例えば、micro-climates, エッヂ作り、チナンパ、様々なソーラーシステム、エコ建築、植物ギルド、などなど）じっくり見学できます。質問は大歓迎です。また、特別なリクエスト（例えばワークショップなど）も受け付けているようです。日本語、ロシア語、スペイン語、ポーランド語の通訳も可能だと思います。
パーマカルチャー生活を実感したい人は是非来てみてください。ここは、団体や教育施設ではなく、ブロックスの家です。とても居心地がよく、パーマカルチャーを生きる人達から学ベます。特に、土地／気候(micro-climates)への理解と食べ物の森に関しては、ここが特別優れていると思います。好きな果物がなる期間に来る事もお薦めします。去年、僕はプラムの食べ過ぎでお腹を壊してしまいました。それでも、食べてない新しい種類を毎日のように見つけてしまったので、苦しみながら味わいました。食への欲は恐ろしいものですね。
では、お待ちしていま〜す。
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Party party party!
DAY 1 (Platform completion tea and dinner party) Thursday evening
As a celebration of finally completing my new home, and to appreciate all the interns I live and work with, I invited everybody for a tea party on my platform. I only expected 2 or 3 people, but pretty much everyone came and shared some high mountain green tea from Taiwan a friend gave me, loquat leaf tea I made, and a kichidi inspired millet dish that turned out much better than I expected. Hope to have many more tea parties up there.
DAY 2 (Spa and Music Night at Doe Bay) Friday evening
A happy group of permies after soaking in the spa, cleansing in the sauna, putting on some clay for some smooth skin, and fluffing up our aura. 
Dinner after the spa that Gina gracefully prepared for us during the day. Permy picnic.
Then off to the live music from San Francisco.
Food prep while a fairy arranges the flowers.
Music around the fire. At one point there was probably about 6 string instruments and almost everybody singing. This is one of those experiences that just make life so much fun! Sometimes I wonder, is this for real?
DAY 4 (Sunday Potluck and Mother's Day) Sunday lunch and evening
We had a nice sized potluck for lunch with plenty of tasty goods, no mas! Its really hard to mediate food consumption when there is such good looking food....all the time.
For the evening, we had a special appreciation of mothers day meal. A bunch of us including two mothers said the names of our mothers while standing around the food, with gratitude in our hearts. I don't have a picture but the food was visually tantalizing. Flowery salad, braised whole onions, stir fried perennial cauliflower, seafood pasta, crab cakes, pesto quinoa pasta (for the "special people" like moa), and two dangerous looking desserts that I didn't eat but I think was something like a rhubarb crisp and a something-shortbread. Yuriko was the mother of honor.
As a celebration of finally completing my new home, and to appreciate all the interns I live and work with, I invited everybody for a tea party on my platform. I only expected 2 or 3 people, but pretty much everyone came and shared some high mountain green tea from Taiwan a friend gave me, loquat leaf tea I made, and a kichidi inspired millet dish that turned out much better than I expected. Hope to have many more tea parties up there.DAY 2 (Spa and Music Night at Doe Bay) Friday evening
A happy group of permies after soaking in the spa, cleansing in the sauna, putting on some clay for some smooth skin, and fluffing up our aura. 
Dinner after the spa that Gina gracefully prepared for us during the day. Permy picnic.Then off to the live music from San Francisco.
DAY 3 (Bullock's Appreciation Pizza Party) Saturday evening
James preparing the pizza for the party.
James preparing the pizza for the party.
Food prep while a fairy arranges the flowers.
Music around the fire. At one point there was probably about 6 string instruments and almost everybody singing. This is one of those experiences that just make life so much fun! Sometimes I wonder, is this for real?
DAY 4 (Sunday Potluck and Mother's Day) Sunday lunch and evening
We had a nice sized potluck for lunch with plenty of tasty goods, no mas! Its really hard to mediate food consumption when there is such good looking food....all the time.
For the evening, we had a special appreciation of mothers day meal. A bunch of us including two mothers said the names of our mothers while standing around the food, with gratitude in our hearts. I don't have a picture but the food was visually tantalizing. Flowery salad, braised whole onions, stir fried perennial cauliflower, seafood pasta, crab cakes, pesto quinoa pasta (for the "special people" like moa), and two dangerous looking desserts that I didn't eat but I think was something like a rhubarb crisp and a something-shortbread. Yuriko was the mother of honor.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
寒い（プラットフォーム完成、サムとの仕事、ヒヨコの誕生）
寒！昨日から平均四、五度！
しかも、やっと昨夜から自分のプラットフォームで寝る事ができました。プラットフォームと屋根が完成したのは昨日でした。恥ずかしながら今回ここに来て以来、僕はここに来てから一度も外で寝てません。というわけで、昨日が記念すべき最初の夜でした。四度！寝袋なしで毛布を五つ重ねて寝ました。一番きついのが、おしっこのために布団から出る事ですね。一気に一晩中蓄えた熱が寒い空気に消えてしまいました。今年の五月は、珍しく寒いようです。ま、良い修行という事で。起きると、辺り一面森が見えます。暖かければもう天国です。
今日はサムと一日働きました。サムは、仕事中丁寧に説明をしてくれて、給料をもらいつつ勉強になっています。しかも、月二日働けば生活費はカバーできるのです。つまり、僕みたいに毎週サムと一日働けば、二ヶ月分の生活費を余裕で稼ぐ事ができます。ありがたいです。
晩ご飯は毎週恒例のゆりこさんの和食。今晩のメニューは七面鳥と魚の竜田揚げ、小松菜らしきものの浸しもの、赤飯、サラダ、そしてそして、Tahiniと葛のごま豆腐！最高．僕は、特別砂糖と醤油の入っていない状態で頂きました。もう僕たちの生活は贅沢そのものです。これから、日本を中心としてこのような生き方を分かち合っていきたいです。特に精神的に、経済的に困っている人たちと。まだまだ僕はヒヨコですが。。。。。
そういえば、一昨日と昨日にかけてヒヨコが５匹生まれました！とても可愛いです。移動する最中に、母役をしている鶏にストレスがかかってしまい臭いおならと糞を出していましたが、今は大丈夫なようです。
では、また寒い夜を迎えて。
明日は畑でいっぱい働いてから、プラットフォームで中国茶パーティーをする予定です。
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Potato planting and garlic processing
今日の最初の行事は芋を植えるための草抜きと溝堀でした。溝に植えた芋の上にはだいたい１０cmぐらい土をかぶせ、芽が伸びて土から数センチ出たら、もっと土をのせてもっと伸びるようにします。溝の中には蟹の粉末を撒きます。大切なのは窒素を土に入れすぎない事です。良い芋ができないと言われました。草抜きにかなり時間がかかってしまって、半分ぐらい終わってからお昼の時間でした。
Potato planting. (left to right): potato varieties to plant, weeding and cleaning up the field, trenching the potatoes (dig a trench in a straight line, sprinkle crab meal, cover spuds with about 4 inches of soil).
日曜日は持ち寄りパーティーです。雨だったのでアロハオッジでみんなでお昼ご飯を楽しみました。火を中心としてみんなが集まっている様子は、とても良い絵になっています。
Sunday potluck in the Aloha lodge. Everybody getting cozy.
雨で芋植えは切り上げる事にして、接ぎ木組とニンニクの保存処理組に分かれました。僕はニンニク組で、たき火の周りでニンニクをローストして食べながらの作業は最高でした。熱々のクリーミーなニンニクを２０個ぐらい食べしまいました。
Garlic processing as they started to sprout and mold. We ate buttery caramelized roasted garlic around the fire.
ニンニクが存在しててよかった。
芋も。
Potato planting. (left to right): potato varieties to plant, weeding and cleaning up the field, trenching the potatoes (dig a trench in a straight line, sprinkle crab meal, cover spuds with about 4 inches of soil).
日曜日は持ち寄りパーティーです。雨だったのでアロハオッジでみんなでお昼ご飯を楽しみました。火を中心としてみんなが集まっている様子は、とても良い絵になっています。
Sunday potluck in the Aloha lodge. Everybody getting cozy.
雨で芋植えは切り上げる事にして、接ぎ木組とニンニクの保存処理組に分かれました。僕はニンニク組で、たき火の周りでニンニクをローストして食べながらの作業は最高でした。熱々のクリーミーなニンニクを２０個ぐらい食べしまいました。
Garlic processing as they started to sprout and mold. We ate buttery caramelized roasted garlic around the fire.
ニンニクが存在しててよかった。
芋も。
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)