Patriotism Be Knockin Atchya Door

~ Valley Center, CA ~

Helping Soldiers Trade Their Swords For Plows

photo credits - nytimes

Be you an Independent, a Democrat, a Republican or the Campaign Manager for Jon Stewart, our food - produce, meat and dairy, to be exact - where we get it, how it's produced, and the Farmers behind your next Salad, Burger, or late-nite Milk and Cookie snack, is a concern we can all pay attention to!

* Read on ! * 

 photo credits - nytimes

"...Sgt. Matt Holzmann, 33, a Marine at Camp Pendleton who spent seven months in Afganistan. He did counterinsurgency work and tried to introduce aquaponics, a self-replenishing agricultural system, to rural villages. 

His zeal for aquaponics led him to the farming class. "It's a national security issue," he said the other day outside a garage-turned-classroom filled with boxes of Dr. Earth Kelp Meal. "The more responsibly we use water and energy, the greater it is for our country..."

 photo credits: nytimes

- Mentioned in This Article:

* Archi's Acres
* Aquaponics (An Answer to Sustainable Farming)
* Earth Day
* Food Security
* Dr. Earth Kelp Meal (!?)

 photo credits - nytimes

Depriving Liberties, or Enforcing Safety Regulations

-Montesano, WA-

Estrella Farm - Photo via Estrellafamilycreamery.com via Tacoma News Tribune

Kelli Estrella a small artisan cheese maker of Estrella Creamery is defying F.D.A orders that declare her cheeses unsafe for consumption. While the F.D.A says that a listeria bacteria has contaminated all her products, she does not want to accept that the government orders are simply in regards to food safety. 'She says she believes that the F.D.A's crackdown is part of a larger campaign against raw milk, and she is fighting for her customers' right to eat whatever they choose. "I don't think this issue is about bacteria and it's not about cheese," she said. "I think that we are loosing our freedom." '

Functioning Like a Forest

- Portland, OR -

Echinacea, on TLC Farm

 "TLC Farm likes to think of a forest as a visionary model. A forest symbolizes chaos and all that is unplanned and unruly, yet forests are peaceful and comforting, not to mention efficient and resilient. It is their seemingly unintentional and symbiotic relations that makes them beautiful. The community's organizational structure and leadership of the Farm are based on the theory of permaculture, which mimics a natural ecosystem. Permaculture is a holistic design technique, as well as a way of life, encouraging beneficial connections between elements in order to create sustainable, regenerative systems. It is also about cultivating relationships that make sense in order to decrease energy input and increase longevity of systems."

Dancing Cricket

- Bowdoinham, ME -

To Have Wwoofed

Dancing Cricket in Bowdoinham, Maine was the best wwoofing experience one can ask for.

Started by some University of Vermont Alums, and a traveling vagabond, this 75 acre farm with 4 acres of organic vegetables, flowers, and herbs focuses on CSA, and sustaining an off the grid lifestyle.

With only a few but strong seasons under their belt, Dancing Cricket has yet to build a farm house - allowing participants a gorgeous environment of living, cooking, working and sleeping outdoors...