3-7-10

MOBILE BUS STOP

994 MILES FROM HOME

WHAT COULD BE BEHIND THIS DOOR?
(ANSWER: IT'S STILL THE KITCHEN)

OLD FARM EQUIPMENT


Last night we made our arrow for Laurie and Will's "Oh, the Places You'll Go!" sign post. Everyone who stays with them makes a sign and we think ours turned out alright. Our last night was a Mexican fiesta, complete with rice and beans, tortillas, salsa, and margaritas. It was a wonderful finish to our wonderful two week stay. Our visit at Moore Farms reaffirmed our passion for local food, through our actions, discussions, and readings.

One topic we learned about and haven't mentioned yet was the affect of Kudzu on the Southern landscape. Years ago in the south, cotton plantations were numerous. Over the years, soil erosion became problematic, because planting cotton over and over and over again on the same soil made the ground susceptible to eroding. A proposed plan to stop the soil loss was to plant ivy, which grows deeply into the soil, and therefore prevents soil runoff in bad weather. Kudzu was the ivy of choice, a plant native to Japan. The Kudzu succeeded in halting erosion, but there was an unexpected result: it spread like wildfire. Japan, in contrast to the Southern US, has much colder winters. During the freeze, the ivy stops growing, or at least is held in check. But in the south, with milder winters, the Kudzu grows year round, ever growing, and ever spreading. It takes over fields, houses, barns, abandoned chimneys, and forests. Everywhere you look, there is Kudzu. It's a serious weed problem, and Alabama farmers have two options for destroying it: spray poisonous chemicals, or let pigs root and eat the vines. This is why two new pigs arrived last week. They will eat the Kudzu with zeal, and leave behind nutrient rich soil, instead of poisoned eroded soil. Introducing foreign plant species always has multiple effects. If you want to plant a tropical plant in your backyard in the northeast, don't forget to expect the unexpected.

BIRTHPLACE OF AMERICA'S MUSIC

BABY CALF DRINKING MILK


We left Moore Farms early this morning and headed southwest for Mississippi. We stopped in Montgomery in search of breakfast and again came up empty-handed. Maybe it was because there aren't many restaurants in Montgomery. Or maybe it was because it was Sunday morning and every body was in church so many restaurants were closed. Maybe it was a combination. Either way, we drove around aimlessly for a while and decided yet again the only choice for food was to stop at the grocery store. Bread and fruit in hand, we hit the pavement.

We got to Mobile at lunchtime with higher expectations. We managed to find a cute place and enjoyed lunch al fresco with the sun warming our backs. Salad, sandwiches and sweet tea satisfied our stomachs. Mobile was nice, at least for the little time we spent, but again, not many people were out and about. We have to speculate that Sundays really are the day of rest in the South. People go to church and then do nothing else all day...and almost everyone goes to church. We went to two of the three most densely populated cities in the state, excluding Birmingham, and thought, "well, that was a cute little town." Everything can't be New York City.

We arrived at New Tavalan Farms before dusk and met our mentor for the week, Bhakta Blake. New Talavan Farms is a Krishna consciousness eco-village. There are about 20 people who live, work, play, and pray here. Everyone is extraordinarily and genuinely friendly and welcoming. We can't stress how sincerely friendly these people are. Prayer starts at 4:30am daily, and we plan to attend services, meditation, and discussion tomorrow morning in the temple. There will possibly be yoga as well. To be honest, we're not exactly sure what to expect, but we are here with open minds and we want to learn. All our meals are vegetarian and cooked for us, but we hope to get a peek in the kitchen and learn some of the secrets to Indian cuisine. We are sure this week will be quite different than the farms we've stayed at already, but are eager to learn new farming skills, as well as many other ways of life. If it was good enough for George Harrison, there's gotta be something worthwhile to learn.