YES on I-522 - Food Labeling Matters - Here's WHY!

About two weeks ago,

I decided to share how food labeling

matters to a Mother, an American Citizen,

a Shopper, and me.

I wrote several small articles about actual

experiences and did some independent research.

Even got in some arguments which actually

helped me clarify my views.

THEN, I wrote a letter to Jay Inslee, to 

encourage him to go public in support of I-522.

At the time, I decided to pull together a blog

and put all of my personal experiences/articles

into the blog!

The name is easy to remember:  

www.522matters.blogspot.com

Please take a look, and consider sharing with 

your friends, your family, and our fellow citizens.

Sincerely,

March Twisdale

Moving onward...

Greetings my dear Esperanza Farm Community viewers!

As you can see, I have not posted recently.  This does not mean my garden is not still growing, though. Indeed, we expand every year!

In 2011, we plowed a new section of land, about 100 x 40 feet, and then covered it under a HUGE tarp for the winter.  End result?  Easy to sift soil, mostly dried out, with a light dusting of easily uprooted weeds...

The following Spring of 2012, we invited new friends from the Occupy Movement of Seattle to come out for a day on the farm...and in two such days, the land was tilled, shaped, and planted!  A huge harvest came of that season, with over a dozen families sharing in the many months of harvest.

This Spring, we are down to three families...and my efforts to finish my first novel leave me with only a single day's worth of gardening time per week.  We meet on Wednesdays for six hours of communal gardening, and the first harvest of the season has already begun!  

Wildly growing greens, a final burst of Spring Broccoli, radishes and last year's carrots, beets and their leaves, kale and chard, leeks and onion greens...fresh, new cilantro and parsley...yum!  Of course, hundreds of pounds of strawberries are on their way, the plums are small, green, and hard on the trees...our cherries and apples are covered in blossoms, and the berry bushes...oh my!  The Goumi berry crop will be huge this year...as well with currants and gooseberries and blueberries, raspberries, and thornless blackberries!

Of course, we still have many lovely chickens...including our "house chicken," who spent five weeks coming into our home every morning to lay her eggs, then three weeks sitting on them (and going out on her own each day to poop!), and over the past night and day...she has successfully hatched eight chicks!

BUT...why am I not posting photos and making regular posts?  The simple answer is that I have two new projects on my plate, and I think you may find them interesting.

In fact, I have two new blogs:

vaccinesandbeyond.blogspot.com

marchtwisdale.blogspot.com

(1)  After several years of polarizing debates about improving our community health through "increased vaccinations alone," a close friend of mine and I decided to tackle this complex issue head on.  We now have a 12-month newspaper series that is being published in The Loop, on Vashon Island.  If you'd like to hear a balanced, respectful, curious and questioning viewpoint on the issues of "community health," you'll enjoy our blog.  We post our monthly series and other "support material" for people around the world to learn from and all are invited to the discussion @ Vaccines & Beyond

(2)  My second blog is designed to highlight and support my basic life-platform:  inspiring social change, one day at a time, one person at a time.  To achieve this goal, I do many things.  My farm is one way in which I have positively impacted people from teaching them to feeding them.  My lifestyle, as we homeschool our children and hope to raise aware and enlightened individuals is another.  Then, you have my new RADIO SHOW, which is scheduled to come out in August.  And, of course...there is my novel, The Ghost Lords.  It is through this work that I discovered the "power of fiction" to change people where it matters most.  In their hearts.  And so, you are invited to join me in this journey at my second blog, Inspiring Social Change Through Fiction.

I hope that every day of your life,

you hold onto your faith in the goodness 

present in every man, woman, and child.

A hidden gem is not lost...it simply needs to 

be regained...found again.  And, only by 

seeking, do we have a chance to do so.

Sincerely,

March Twisdale

Esperanza Farm Community Meeting #1

Esperanza Farm Community began Spring 2012 and is continuing to grow...photos will come later.  Here are notes from our first meeting on Sunday, August 26th...

Sunday Work Done:

Chicken Village Thoroughly Cleaned 

Plums Picked

Blackberries Picked

Green Beans Picked

----------------START MEETING #1 NOTES----------------

Attendees:

Kyrick, Keanu, Kyle, Mexico, Dakota, Claudia, Roman, Jordi, March, Lulu, Shannon, Grace, Karen, Sam, and Tera!!!

There were various conversations during the meeting.  We had a timer, facilitator, caller, and note-taker.  These notes are in the new Esperanza Farm Community Binder.  Read them in detail if you wish.  Below is a list of Meeting Decisions & Jobs Accepted:

(1)  Farm Open Days

Sunday, Wednesday, Friday

6am-7pm

(2)  Umbrella Woman and Farm Binder!

March is the "go to" person when you have questions on everything.

In the Garage, near the "soon to arrive" refrigerator, will be the Farm Binder!  Still to be organized,it will include a location to leave notes, a map of the farm, a list of things needing to be done, and an area to track hours put in and pounds of food taken home.

(3)  Reality Check!

We acknowledge that feelings will get hurt and there will be confusion or miscommunication at times.  We acknowledge this is normal.  All who spoke expressed a willingness to be approached if there is a problem involving themselves or their children.

(4)  Watering is a problem...so we need a solution in place by April, 2013.

New Water System Guru:  Claudia

Water Guru Support Team:  Shannon (co-guru), Keanu (muscle-man), Grace & Karen (interested in rain barrels and supporting the effort, in general)

(5)  Food Preservation Fun & Sharing are NOT part of Esperanza Farm Community

We expect to do so organically and spontaneously, but it will not fall under the purview of EFC directly.

(6)  MEALS & Cooking Supplies/not using too much of March's Family's food stores

In order to avoid over-use of March's Family's food stores (such as salt, tortillas, olive oil, etc), we expect people to bring their own snacks (or eat before they come) on all days EXCEPT the monthly work party/meeting.  On THAT day, we will all POTLUCK the meal, with ONE dish being created with the currently harvested yummies from the farm.

(7)  Monthly Meetings were deemed necessary (instead of 4 a year).  They will fall, generally, on the first Sunday of each month - with a goal of avoiding holiday conflicts & ensuring that March's family can be present to host.  

Sunday Work Party is 9am-11:30am, then Meeting from 12pm-2pm:

Sunday, September 23rd

Sunday, November 4th

Sunday, December 2nd

Sunday, January 6th

Sunday, February 3rd

Sunday, March 3rd

(8)  Karen Winter is our "Monthly Meeting Coordinator!"  She will....

• Remind everyone with an email
• Plan the "farm dish" & coordinate the potluck (minimally)

(9)  What resources can you offer?

All members will consider what they have lying around the house that might, at some point, be useful for the farm.  Buckets for cleaning and harvesting, sink for outdoor cleaning, hoses, tools, sun hats, sprinkler heads, seeds, etc.  

BRING LIST TO THE SEPTEMBER MEETING - OR EMAIL IF YOU CAN'T MAKE THE MEETING

(10)  Refrigerator Project

A fridge was donated, and the following have volunteered to help with moving it to the Farm:  March (truck), Keanu, Kyle, Jose, and maybe Wolfgang and Christian?  

Project Completion Goal:  Sept. 20th?

(11)  Wash Table Project

A large, stainless steel outdoor sink for washing veggies and capturing water used in a bucket for 2nd use irrigation is being donated by Shannon's Family.  

March & Shannon will organize the delivery of the table.  

Work Party on September 23rd will include a team to finish the set up; unless it is already done!

(12)  GARDEN MAP

March will create a map.  

Keanu and Shannon will create stakes for each "numbered area."

Project Completion Goal:  Oct. 15th?

 

(13)  Community Education Fundraisers 

Claudia suggested great learning opportunities for people around the island to come and participate in a project (for a fee) - so we get work done, learning spreads, and funds are raised.  

(14)  Commitment Level  (minimum level per MONTH that you are able to offer, barring emergencies)

Grace:   20 hours 

Shannon:   13 hours

Keanu: 20 hours

Kyle: 16 hours

March: 40 hours

Karen: 13 hours

Claudia: 20-25 hours

STILL NEED:

Swaneagle:

Sonya:

John:

(15)  Fall Planting Wish-List!  By preference (we did a dot method)...

Carrots, Kale, Broccoli & Cabbages, Spinach, Mixed Greens (including Arugula & Cilantro), Beets, Peas, Onions & Leeks, Garlic, Chard, Fennel, Radishes, Brussel Sprouts

(16)  POST-MEETING ADDED COMMENT BY MARCH (UMBRELLA-LADY)

It would be excellent to see conversation before work days...so people had a sense of who was coming and when.  What's the point of having 3 people at 3 different times, if they all could have come at the same time and gotten one project finished as a group?  HOW to do this?  You can hit "reply all" and email the group, of course.  I also think there are "conversation" opportunities on my blog.  OR, we could create a Yahoo-Group.

What do you all think???

----------------END OF MEETING #1 NOTES----------------

Starts vs Wintered Over!

The measuring stick is placed on the surface of the soil...so, these baby lettuce starts are only about 3 marks high.  Now...see what I just found in my little greenhouse outside...

These are about 6-7 marks high

and with no effort on my part at all!

These are my other favorite green - they grow outside without needing any protection at all!  And, as you can see...they are about 4 marks high.  Which is all they ever get anyway.  This is a very small, low to the ground, growing green.

My spinach (started indoors "against" the suggestions of the seed company) is about 3 marks high.  And, so far, they seem to be doing okay outside in the little greenhouse.

In the past, I rarely got spinach to grow at all!

Although, there is one variety that I grew successfully last Summer in the shade UNDER my tomatoes...I'll share those in May or June when I get them going.

These are sorrel - I have them growing wildly all over.  Only  had to put them out once as seedlings (and only one plant, too)...as it goes to seed and self-propagates wonderfully in our climate!

I highly recommend a large, clean tool shed.  By the way, the white pumping container typically used for spraying chemicals has NEVER been used as such on our property.  It was given to us and sits untouched, because - so far - we have never had the slightest trouble with anything except anthracnose on the apple trees.

As you can see...the slugs are happy to find Nature's bounty, as well.  This Kale plant is growing in the greenhouse and is about 2 feet in diameter!  What's nice is that the slugs we found have been eating IT instead of our more tender greens.  We'll begin the Slug-Boat in late April and early May.  Maybe 3 cruises through the garden and we'll be virtually slug-free for another year!

Here we have found BURIED TREASURE!  A very sweet and crunchy carrot from last year that went well with some peanut butter!  And, around it, our spinach starts have found a new home...we'll track their progress to see how this method works.

Bon Voyage Everyone!

We hope you enjoy many warm and sunny Spring days this April!

I'm thrilled to have this table on the porch this year so I can do more of my food prep outside and the starts and potting up projects will be so much easier, as well!

Spring 2011 - Here We Come!

This is my favorite view this time of year...

The grass is greening...the stevia is waking up...and we've got our lights

and new plant babies growing, growing, growing!

As you can see, we keep our lights VERY close to the seedlings.

DO THIS!  So often, I see seedlings about 4-6 inches away.  The trick, of course,

is to have your lights "easily adjustable" - we've done that by using hooks and chains

to hang them and then it takes about 2 seconds to lower or raise the lights.

Here we have mixed greens, broccoli and cabbages, and even spinach.

It says to plant spinach outside - but in our climate, I never get good spinach.

This way, I don't risk damaging or traumatizing the seedlings when I replant them, and I hope we'll have decent spinach - it's an experiment!

Which, of course, is how one finds the tricks of any trade.

Chard!  Yeah!  And, can you believe the color they have,

even at this young age?  Of course we have Kale which wintered over, but the Chard always gets killed off in the Winter freezes.  

Meanwhile, our garden is already filling up without our help because of all the plants that have naturalized over the last 6 years.  Next blog entry will discuss this...and we might have to turn the manure and discover just how many worms you can find in a bucket of "nature's fertilizer."

Making Salad out of Spring Greens & How about green tomatoes?!

Hello Everyone!

It has been awhile since I've posted!  Summer does that to me.  However, what we call Summer up here on Vashon Island would fall under the heading "Spring" in most of California.  I imagine you know what I mean..

But, is this a bad thing?  Not really.
Every year is a blessing to be appreciated, every month is a gift, and every day is a present.  As long as we keep this in mind, it'll also be easy to see all the good that comes with a cool Summer...

• Did you plant snow peas this year?  I am STILL picking them out of my garden - on a hot year, they are gone by June.
• Did you plant lots of tomato plants?  Well, this is our opportunity to practice growing them without ever feeling exhausted by too many tomatoes to keep up with!  (that's a stretch...I know)

But...

• How about the fact that the Fall Berry Season will be super plump this year?  Let's spend our canning energy on lots of jam that can last for years on the shelf...then on a hot year, we put up a couple or so years of tomato sauce, etc.
• I STILL have homemade applesauce from a bumper crop we had four (that's right - 4) years ago! 
• This has been the perfect year for SALAD out of the garden - while our lettuce finally bolted (most of it), my chard is soft and young, my kale is delicious, and I'm still enjoying brocolli and cauliflower and cabbage from our Spring planting.

Long story short - don't let the weather people fool you.  THEY say sunny is a good day and rainy is a bad day - we'll pumping water that is 1,000's of years old our of our aquifer on a hot day is NOT my idea of a great plan for a Summer evening!  Every rainy day is another drop INTO the aquifer...and that means another generation that can happily live on this beautiful island.

Today, as we begin the Fall properly, I'd like to toast a perfect, Northwestern Summer...here's to ya, Mama Earth!  Job well done!

Warmly,

March

Our Berries Are Headed to Strawberry Festival!!

Yum!!

We just got a call from a food vendor who wants 

to make syrup from Vashon Strawberries

for Strawberry Festival!

How fun is that?  So...our luscious berries (frozen

and fresh) will bring joy to many this coming

festival weekend!

Thanks, Nanette!

Viva la waffles with 

REAL Vashon Strawberry Syrup!