I’d like to mention a few small-scale farm programs that are working with veterans.

Nadia McCaffrey is the mother of a soldier killed in Iraq. She recognized that many folks returning from Iraq and Afganistan were struggling. In 2007 she created Veterans’ Village. An organization that acquires farmland where veterans can work, rehabilitate and learn new skills.

The first location is in Sonoma County California with plans with additional locations in upstate New York and North Carolina.

Farms Not Arms is an organization that helps connect vets with seasonal jobs and internships on farms.

Farmer-Veteran Coalition is helping to match up vets and farmers.

Veteran Homestead built “Victory Farm” – a housing work program for vets on an 80-acre New Hampshire organic farm.

A person can find a lot of peace and fulfilment working the land.

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While we don’t have a fig tree in our own yard, our generous neighbors have four huge fig trees (one green Calmyrna and three purple Black Mission) – they let us help ourselves every year. This is the time of year you may find us marching down the street with a 12 foot ladder.

A childhood favorite, figs were popular in my family whether in the form of fig newtons in our lunch boxes or fresh off Mom’s tree in our backyard. 

For the rest of human kind, figs have been enjoyed for over 5000 years.  Figs have been found in Egyptian tombs to provide a healthy snack in the after world.  The Greeks and Romans used figs fresh, roasted, dried and as a sweetener before sugar was discovered.   It was the Romans who were instrumental in introducing figs to other parts of Europe.  In turn, during the late 1700’s the Spanish missionaries introduced figs to California.  Today, you will find fig trees growing all over California.

Figs, a soft super sweet fruit with numerous edible blossoms and seeds encased in a thin edible skin, are a member of the Mulberry family and has two fruiting seasons.  A short one in the Spring and a longer more abundant one mid to late Summer lasting into Fall.  Some common varieties you will find are the green ‘kadota’ and ‘calmyrna’, the brown ‘brown turkey’, and the purple ‘black mission.’ The best way to enjoy a truly ripe fig is to grow your own; have generous neighbors, family or friends; or purchase at your neighborhood farmer’s market.

It is important to pick only ripe figs as figs do not ripen off the tree. Figs are ripe when they are plump and soft. I find the ones with fine lengthwise cracks in the skin are the best tasting – literally bursting with flavor. To harvest, gently cup the fig in your hand and grab the stem with your fingers. Then give a twist – the fig should come right off the tree.

We love figs fresh but with such an abundance of figs we use our American Harvest Food Drier to dry most of the harvest.

• First we wash the figs then cut off the stem and slice in half. 
• We lay in a single layer on the trays and dry at 115F to 120F. Note that raw foodist like to keep the temperature at or less than 115F to keep the temperature sensitive enzymes viable.
• Dry until the figs are…well, dry. This will usually take 24+ hours depending on the initial moisture content and the size of the fruit.
• Store in glass jars with tight lids or in well sealed plastic bags. To extend the shelf life further you can freeze.

Other ways we enjoy the figs are sliced in salads; marinated in balsamic vinegar, honey and mint and grilled or broiled; in muffins; in Lamb Stew; stuffed in chicken breast; or on crostini.

Nutritionally, figs beat out some well known foods…ounce for ounce figs have

• more fiber than prunes
• more potassium than bananas
• more calcium than milk

One thing I have noticed about gardeners is that no matter the season – generosity is always in abundance. What better way to get to know your neighbors than sharing the bounty of the garden…kind of like breaking bread only better for you.

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Since then his organization – Growing Power – has produced $500,000 of affordable fresh produce, meat and fish in an area characterized as a “food desert”. “Food desert” is a label applied to inner city areas that don’t have access to grocery stores and fresh produce.

Along the way he’s brought health and food appreciate to low income folks and has trained a couple thousand neighborhood volunteers.

Mr. Allen was just granted a “Genius Award” by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

His dream: to create a five story, off-the-grid eco-system.
He’ll grow food and raise animals. He’s working on turning food waste into fertilizer and methane gas, then using the methane as a power source.

This sounds similar to the “vertical farm” concept discussed in this post.

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Slow Food Nation ‘08 San Francisco City Hall

A beautiful sunny day, we arrived via BART for the first day of the Slow Food Nation ‘08 Celebration to tour the Victory Gardens in front of San Francisco City Hall.

Surreal View of City Hall Through the Victory Garden

It seemed almost surreal to see what was once a neatly manicured lawn now planted with such a variety of summer vegetables.

But once I realized this was all real I reveled in the abundance of food this garden was producing

Field of Chard in Front of San Francisco City Hall

 

Victory Garden Broccoli

Companion Gardening – Three Sisters: Summer Squash, Corn and Pole Beans

There was the classic example of companion gardening used by the American Indians called the ‘Three Sisters.’

Here the summer squash shades the ground for the corn to grow without competition from the weeds; the corn is the ‘pole’ for the green beans and the beans add nitrogen to the soil to feed the summer squash and the corn.

What a great collaborative effort in the name of survival – we can all learn from that even if we don’t eat our veggies.

Bricks made of worm castings to be added to your garden

There was also a compost demonstration area along with a section on worm composting. They had made some bricks out of worm castings that they plan to give away on Sunday. Other freebies included seeds from Ecology Action and the Food Network.

To round out the Slow Food Nation celebration – on one side of the Victory Garden, there were stands from a number of local sustainable farms showcasing one example of their many summer crops. Most of these farms attend many of the Farmer’s Markets that happen through out the week in cities around the Bay Area.

On the other side of the gardens were food stands selling hand crafted foods – most local and some from other parts of the US.

The Topsy Turvey Bus

All in all it was a great afternoon – educational and full of inspiration. In this topsy turvey world of food choices (what the heck should I eat?) and questions of food safety, there’s hope some will walk away with the desire to plant a few seeds.

After all, what’s healthier than home grown veggies? …and you’ll certainly know the source. So grab your worm casting brick, your packets of seeds and hop on the bus!

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Slow Food USA is a non-profit educational organization dedicated to supporting and celebrating the food traditions of North America through programs and activities dedicated to Taste Education, Defending Biodiversity and Building Food Communities. Slow Food USA believes that pleasure and quality in everyday life can be achieved by slowing down, respecting the convivial traditions of the table and celebrating the diversity of the earth’s bounty.

Slow Food Nation ’08 is part promotion for the cause, part education and part celebration of how far we’ve come since the Slow Food movement began in Italy in 1986. It is expected that 50,000 people will be participating in the festivities. We’re mainly interested in the Victory Gardens so will pop over to tour that.

Change

The point is that we can and do have a say in how our food is grown and we do not have to succumb to the industrialization of our food supply…we do not have to live the life of the Fast Food Nation.

While the Slow Food Nation event in San Francisco seems to celebrate perhaps the more gourmet (and costly) items on the food palate – certainly foods that are outside the budgets of the average person – we can take the message…the mission of Slow Food USA and find ways to make the changes that make sense in the context of our living situation.

For what is at stake – but the most precious possession of all – our health.

Industrialized food has been implicated as the cause of most of today’s chronic diseases. Study after study shows people who eat more fresh vegetables and fruit (read: less processed foods) are healthier.

Industrialized food’s dependence on oil is undisputed

• 10% of fossil fuel used in the US goes towards food production
• 40% of the energy used for food production is used for producing pesticides and fertilizers – that’s 5 ½ gallons of fuel per acre
• Fertilizer runoff is responsible for a ‘dead zone’ the size of New Jersey at the mouth of the Mississippi in the Gulf of Mexico
• 23% of the energy used for food production is used for processing and packaging
• The food in the typical grocer has traveled an average of 1,500 miles

Industrial food has decreased our food diversity

• Historically we cultivated up to 7000 species of plants
• Today, 90% of our food comes from 15 plant and 8 animal species
• Biodiversity is important because a varied gene pool helps with natural pest and disease control as well as providing a more complete nutritional profile for our plate

Industrial food increases our chances of food borne illness

• Many processed animal products are made from a pool of thousands of animals from multiple sources. One diseased animal can contaminate thousands of pounds of product
• Even fresh produce can be pooled and repackaged before sent out to retailers
• These practices and others make it all the more likely for contamination and food borne illnesses to occur.

Fresher food, grown locally without chemical fertilizers and pesticides IS no doubt healthier for us – more nutrients, less contaminants – both chemical and microbial, less green house gasses, less pollution.

Do we need yet another multi-million dollar study to prove this to us? Don’t you know it in your gut?

It’s within our power to choose to commit to the principle of supporting sustainability and biodiversity for our food supply, though it’s not always the easiest (but surprisingly sometimes is) route to getting a meal into our stomach.

The beauty of moving toward a healthier food model though is – it isn’t an all or nothing proposition. We can slowly take steps towards improving the quality of what we put into our bodies. After all, we are worth the effort.

One way to start no matter where you shop is to cut back or stop eating altogether, processed foods: frozen dinners, canned soups, baked goods, etc. Buy and eat more vegetables and fresh meats. While many items may not be local you are reducing your consumption of industrialized foods.

Another place to start is your local farmer’s market as these markets have rules ensuring vendors are local. Peruse the items, shop, taste – learn what’s in season. Take home something new to try.

Another way to eat local and fresh is to plant a vegetable garden. Yes!
It can be anything from a few pots in a sunny spot on the front stoop or balcony to your entire backyard or maybe even replacing your front lawn.

It may very well be that the Victory in the Victory Garden is that of reclaiming our food – the source of our energy, vitality and health.

No matter how or where in the process you start, the important thing is to remember that every step, big or small, is a step towards a healthier food model which translates into a healthier you.

Eat your veggies!

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I was on a walk the other day and spied this garden tucked away on a garage roof.

Some folks don’t have space in their yard or even have a yard. As they say, where there is a will there is a way.

If you are considering a roof garden – be sure the roof and the building below is structurally able to handle the extra weight.

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The intentions were similar… have the population produce most of the food they need to free up large farm-produced food and transportation resources for the troops and allies. The tone was different tho.

Laura Lawson details “Community Gardening” in City Bountiful: A Century of Community Gardening in America.

There’s a great recap in Remembering the Victory Garden in the San Francisco Chronicle.

The languaging is quite interesting…
~ Sauerkraut was renamed “liberty cabbage.” (Hmm, remember “Freedom Fries” a couple years ago).
~ In kicking off the festivities it was declared “the first food gun of the nation” had been fired.
~ Participating school children were called “soldiers of the soil”.
~ Land that wasn’t put to productive use was called “slacker land.” (Umm, gee, sounds like something I’d say).

The War Garden project was more militant in tone than the Victory Garden project. It was quite successful – 5 million gardens and $875 million worth of food grown. However, the Victory Garden project produced 20 million gardens.

Victory Garden leaders did position them as “for the cause”, but also emphasized the health and morale benefits.

I suspect folks acted more in National interests back then rather than self-interest.

Today’s gardeners – I believe – are acting partly in self-interest (economic, health, environmental), and partly in global interests (climate challenge, environmental pollution and population health).

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Craigslist is a rather interesting resource.
It started out many years ago as a type of bulletin board for San Francisco area folks. Initially it was mostly about events/places/things to do. It expanded from there to a huge classifieds type site. Real estate for rent and for sale. Jobs, gigs, services. Stuff for sale, stuff wanted. Community and personal sections were added.

I’ve used Craigslist off and on over the years. But recently I’ve been hanging out in the “Free” section and also checking the “Materials” section and “Farm+Garden” section.

Since we’re planning on adding 4-6 raised beds I started looking for free or cheap wood.
The best wood to use for a raised bed is 2″ thick Redwood.
2″ because it’s much less likely to warp. And Redwood because it holds up well in the “elements”.
Cedar works well also. But Redwood is quite expensive, cedar slightly less so.

We added 4 Redwood beds about 5 years ago. They were 3′ x 6′. The boards were 2″ thick, 10″ wide. The wood was around $500. We got nice wood… the kind you would use for a deck.
You can opt for less nice wood to bring the cost down some… but I’m looking for much cheaper.

Well after spending about two weeks searching, I can say:
good stuff moves lightning fast and seldom does anyone give away any decent wood.

Wood was what tempted me, but once I started checking multiple (many multiple) times a day, my interests expanded…

We have a driveway. Two strips of not in great shape concrete. Not level. Dirt in between that turns to mud during rainy season. Grassy weeds that grow in the dirt and requiring maintenance.

I didn’t like dealing with the gassy weed so last fall I took pick ax to it and dug it up… much work.
I’m sure the driveway is a mile long… more or less.

We had some concrete pavers that are 22″ long and 12″ wide. They were in use as a sort of patio… more like a hmm, where can I stick these.
I dug out some dirt, put down plastic and put the pavers over that… tho I didn’t have enough pavers to finish so I used some oval stepping stones.

Took care of the grassy weed maintenance and the mud issue. But didn’t look very appealing.

I noticed somewhat regular postings for free bricks. Often from a chimney that was taken down.
I thought ‘wouldn’t the driveway look nice with brick down the middle’. Ok, at least it would look less bad.

So I started scoping out posts for nearby bricks.
So far we’ve collected bricks from three places. The bricks have mortar on them and require cleaning.

Meanwhile I have to dig out the dirt deeper. I’m not 1/2 way done this project… remember I said the driveway is a mile long… give or take

But now we have a stack of concrete pavers… not to worry.
We’ve decided to construct four raised beds with the pavers. Which significantly lessens any need for wood… which was what initially led me to my digital dumpster diving adventure.

Raised beds can be made out of a lot of materials. You want to be sure the material is relatively warp resistent and is non-toxic. So you don’t want to use pressure treated wood since it’s treated with toxic chemicals.

Recycling of course is a good thing. But even higher up the chain is re-using or re-purposing.
Craigslist is a great place to find stuff to re-purpose.

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I believe the first adaptation of “War” was by the Johnson administration in the mid 1960’s – War on Poverty. Part of Johnson’s “Great Society”.
Seems a bit ironic since war is by nature destructive. I suppose this presumes destruction precedes greatness.

The sound bite certainly had emotional impact and was followed by war on drugs and various other wars. The “wars” seem to have gotten more trivial over time. Or at least they evoke less emotional response.

Wars are a big government thing.
Lots of soldiers, lots of equipment and resources.

What if you’re not big government but you want big change?
Individuals and small groups much less able to wage war.
But they can be guerillas.

I’ve long been familiar with guerilla marketing (I’m in the marketing field). I know the meaning by abstracting it.
But it’s not obvious to me out of context. I have my understanding of guerillas as a mammal. Based on that I don’t get it.

So… a little search engine work…
Guerilla means “small war”.
According to Wikipedia: the diminutive of the Spanish word guerra (war).

Back to the war thing.

A key element of the guerilla model is surprise. Working in small numbers, using “intelligence”, secrecy, deception and covert communications all contribute to stealth operations.
Speed is also important.

Guerilla-ites strive to avoid any confrontation at all… in small numbers, their strength is not brute force.

But wait, who cares about war – big or small. This is a gardening blog.

True. On point: Guerilla Gardeners.

Guerilla Gardeners are small groups of individuals that clean up neglected urban plots and plant a garden… often a flower garden, sometimes veggies. They generally swarm in over night. At 8pm you have a trashed up plot. By 8am you have a cleaned up plot with flowers and shrubs.

The movement took root in New York in the early 1970’s – credited to Liz Christy and her Green Guerilla group.
Guerilla garderners are throughout the world providing opportunities for neighborhoods to stop and smell the roses.

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The beds were planted over the weekend. Harvest is scheduled for Labor Day.

Not your typical City Hall thing to do. But this exercise is somewhat reminiscent of “Victory Gardens” which the government encouraged citizens to do during World War I & II… out of necessity.

Necessity is truly here again.
Food costs have been inflating dramatically. More people now cannot afford to eat nutritionally.

And there’s the food security issue… how many tainted food outbreaks have occurred over the past year?

And, we have global warming/climate challenge. On average, your food has traveled 1,500 miles to your plate… a not insignificant carbon footprint.
17% of our petroleum consumption is spent on farm food production and food processing, packaging, transportation and refrigeration. What you grow and harvest to eat decreases food related petroleum use.

The San Francisco Victory Garden Project is a public example and encouragement to reconsider our habits as well as our relationship with food.

City Slicker Farms is a co-creator of this project.
City Slicker Farms started in 2001 and is active in West Oakland (across the Bay from San Francisco).

Their goal is for 40% of West Oakland’s veggies and fruits to be grown in West Oakland through backyard gardens, community gardens and any plot of land they can put into production.
Noble goal.

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