the dirt on food meets

coming from a long line of pastors, teachers and farmers, i can't help but notice that three professions have the act of "cultivation" in common. no wonder i get so excited about people's spiritual journeys and adventures in learning. i also love to cultivate the land.

now i wish i'd paid more attention when i was growing up. seriously, my parents were "green" and "organic" long before it was cool to be that way. we've had gardens ever since i can remember. composted. bought in bulk. bob's red mill was our mascot. oh, and made our own yogurt and experimented with textured vegetable protein. i can live without that last one, but now that i'm older and live in prime farming community with like-minded friends and neighbors, i see what valuable experiences these were. how much i have to learn!

"raise chickens, keep bees, learn to can, drive a tractor and practice espalier tree techniques" are freshly-written on my bucket list. and, tonight's newberg food meet taught me almost everything i need to know about each one of them (except for john deer). my friend kristen gave a talk on chickens within the city limits. canning tips with lacey. maybe i'll even audit dan's earth-keeping class.

i never thought i'd say this, but joining a food co-op sounds fun. and my goal for the end of may is to put in a french intensive layered garden. but first, i'm going to watch "dirt: the movie" a documentary about soil around the world from the perspective of scientists and farmers.

i'll be hitting up coffee shops alright, but for nitrogen-rich grounds, not just lattes. and, if you need me for anything, you'll find me out back with my overalls on.