vegetables and chickens and vegetables, oh my!

Feast on this!  Some of the delicious foods available on the farm right now...

We learned that vegetables that are raised with too much nitrogen might become big, but they probably will be nutritionally hollow.  Most grocery store produce is big and cheap, but doesn't give you nearly as much energy and nutrients as healthily grown veggies do.  Insects seek plants or parts of plants that are unhealthy because unhealthy plant parts are defenseless against them.  Therefore insects are not pests but indicators of plant health; healthy crops don't need pesticide.

You may have noticed that there aren't any soybeans pictured above.  We don't have soybeans here because almost all soybeans are poisonous whether they're "organic" or not.  We learned that soy beans were engineered to be grown in harsh conditions by being submerged in toxic substances like petroleum and then planted.  Because of natural genetic mutations, a small number of the soy bean seeds actually grew into plants.  The plants that survived became the new soybean plant that could thrive almost under any condition but is also toxic because of its modified protein structure.

We continue to eat like royalty.  Last night a culinary graduate from New York (a female who just happens to have been born on October 31) made a meal that would knock your socks off; a lentil cheese bake with a fennel cream sauce, squash curry with rice, and a fresh mixed salad full of greens and herbs (we need to start photographing these gourmet meals).  

This is what a really good salad might look like if it was planted in the ground.  Kale, chard, and a variety of lettuces.  We interns have our own gardens around our housing.  The idea is for us to experiment and learn as many lessons as possible while not fouling up the main crops that are sold for income.  We are free to plant and harvest our crops as we please, and we are also free to take vegetables from the main crops with permission. We are well taken care of around here... we almost have it as good as the chickens do.

This is the entrance to the iron workshop.  We haven't done any work in there yet, but hopefully we will soon... more pictures to follow (the inside is AMAZING).  There is also a wood shop that we will begin lessons in soon.

 Here the chickens are playing 'chicken of the mountain' and enjoying the view of the vineyards.  Laurel is currently on chicken duty and has the joy of feeding and watering them, taking them compost and fresh greens, collecting their eggs, and scraping their poo.  We are in the process of improving their nest boxes and getting their coops cozy for the winter.

Next time we will include some pictures of the goats and the farm store.  The farm store is amazing and sells produce, eggs, oil, and a variety of preserves, sauces, and glazes to the public.  Our master farmer manages several farms and vineyards in the area and sells to the famous restaurant Chez Panisse.  Tomorrow we are going to his house to pick olives and eat lunch.  We will visit some of the other properties during our 3 months here including the Jacuzzi winery, as well as a wild land preserve; lots of great stuff going on down here!