Friday, September 23, 2011
Technical Blog - Medicinal Mud
Best taken from subsoil with a high clay content. Take care to use soil from non-polluted sources (i.e. hasn’t had chemicals/pesticides/etc. dumped on it, not near a road, etc.).
Dig down at least 30 cm (about a foot), and dig up however much subsoil you feel that you’d like. Lay it out to dry on a tarp or something in a cool, shady spot protected from the elements and animals for at least 10 days. It must be completely dry. Put it through a fine sifter (like the one in your kitchen, or slightly bigger). Bottle and store in a way that moisture can’t leak in. You can bottle it with dried calendula flowers or dried plantain (again, the ground plant, not the banana cousin) for added benefits.
Proponents of medicinal mud have claimed many and varied benefits from ulcers, arthritis, thyroid imbalance, phlegm, getting rid of parasites, ovarian cysts, bug bites, facial scrubs, chest cold relief, etc.
Internally:
Mix about 1 cup water with about 1 tablespoon of the dried mud (use less for kids). You can either mix it up and drink the whole sloshy mixture OR, you can mix it, let the bigger pieces settle, and then drink the cloudy water on the top. Take it on an empty stomach (1/2 hour before food or 2 hours after) i.e. before breakfast and lunch. Take once a day for a general cleanse. Or take 2 times daily, three times a week and then take 15 days off.
Externally:
Mix with a bit of water, apply in circles. Can apply externally for ovarian cysts, rub on for 40-50 circles. Use once a week as a facial scrub. Apply to chest during colds.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Gardening I
We started our new beds using a double-dig system. You can read more about it in THIS amazing, amazing book, and here’s a picture.
If that doesn’t make sense (it didn’t to me), think about those number games you had as a kid. There was one hole and all the other number squares were jumbled around and you had to rearrange them in the correct order. Well, double-dig is like taking out the whole bottom row of numbers (or soil in this case) and setting it aside. Then you move the second-to-bottom row into the empty space where the bottom row used to be, and so on until the top row is open. Then you take the soil (bottom row of numbers) you set aside earlier and put it into the top row.
Why? This aerates the soil without disrupting it too much. If you jumble all the soil around, then you’ll get subsoil on the top and topsoil on the bottom. This means that the anaerobic organisms that don’t like air will be freaking out on top and the aerobic organisms that need air will be suffocating on the bottom. No bueno.
After double digging, we covered it with a layer of old, partially disintegrated cardboard that was lying around from last year. We waited a few days. Then we added our Soil Mix (see below) and mulched it. We had some tall grass that had been cut from the orchard so we used that to spread a thin layer over the Soil Mix, and then we watered it. The amount of water you use would depend on your area.
Soil Mix. You have to know what kind of soil you have…ask around. This recipe is for the very clay-ey soil that we have here. Why use a soil mix? Especially in clay soils, mixes provide structure so that the dirt doesn’t become so compact that the roots can’t grow, it holds in moisture, and provides lasting nutrients for the plants. We used part sawdust (it was from a mill that doesn’t treat its lumber with nasty chemicals), part topsoil from the large hole we dug to make a pond, part compost, part sand (a bit less of this), and effective microorganism liquid from the bananas we had let ferment.
If I remember correctly, we didn’t mulch all of our existing, established beds. We put a layer of compost, a layer of mulch (on the ones that were not already packed with plants), and then watered it.
Seriously check out that book if you have an interest in gardening. It teaches you from the get-go beginner level on up to the established, experienced gardener. It talks about when to plant, when to weed, when to move seedlings, etc. It talks about companion planting so you can plant a few plants in the same area that help each other out. A group that work well together is called a guild and the classic example is corn, beans, and squash. You can plant all three seeds in the same hole. We’re giving the corn a head start. The corn provides a stalk for the beans to grow up and the squash provides ground cover to keep nutrients in. And the beans provide the nitrogen that one of the other plants needs. So you end up planting WAY more plants in a smaller area than you were using before. And there’s just a ton of other good info, period. Happy gardening.
See you around, freaks!
That is an actual quote from the guy we went to visit today for our "field trip." Name - Eric Barney. Specialty - alternate energy. Did I understand what was going on - no. Was it still really cool - yes.
So basically he showed us around his house with all the alternate energy systems that he's using and explained how they all worked. I had the technical knowledge to understand about 30% of the presentation, but my more technical compañeros were super excited and into it, so I took that as a very good sign. We saw several wind turbines, hydro electric systems, solar energy systems, cooking stoves, steam cleaners, etc. And then we bought organic yerba mate from him. Hopefully I will not drink it all before I come home and share with everyone. Check out the pictures on my facebook. I'd post them here, but I'm running out of time and don't feel like posting twice. :)
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Whoops.
Vocab changes from from one Spanish-speaking to another.
So apparently,
I've been asking where I can fuck the bus.
I FINALLY HAVE WIFI!!!
What a technological miracle. I spent my whole day off last time traipsing around town looking for wifi that actually worked and did the same thing again this morning for an hour. Finally I found this bar with it. Hallelujah. It's a bit slow at the moment, but I am still grateful! New post up about fermentation. Possibly coming up...a post about gardening. I realized that part of the world is well versed in the basics of gardening, but it all feels like rocket science to me right now.
On a non-technical level, things are going even better. I was frustrated for a while, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But then I had some basic lightbulb moments "Lightbulb!" (10 points to the first person to name that quote) where I realized that eating dairy/gluten while the sun is not shining for several days (thus making everything cold and damp...like in the 30's fahrenheit cold and damp) AND being about to start my period was all a nasty combination. So I've been slipping off during the sunny moments to walk in the "river" and listen to some tunes, etc. And when the Red Plague lifts, hopefully I'll get some running going, too. Wexcellent.
Anyone who sends me mail wins a free postcard complete with a short message AND my world-famous signature. Just sayin'.
On a non-technical level, things are going even better. I was frustrated for a while, and all I wanted to do was sleep. But then I had some basic lightbulb moments "Lightbulb!" (10 points to the first person to name that quote) where I realized that eating dairy/gluten while the sun is not shining for several days (thus making everything cold and damp...like in the 30's fahrenheit cold and damp) AND being about to start my period was all a nasty combination. So I've been slipping off during the sunny moments to walk in the "river" and listen to some tunes, etc. And when the Red Plague lifts, hopefully I'll get some running going, too. Wexcellent.
Anyone who sends me mail wins a free postcard complete with a short message AND my world-famous signature. Just sayin'.
Technical Blog: Fermentation (effective microorganisms, kombacha, kefir, yogurt)
So you know those expensive probiotics in the store that cost anywhere from $15-40 per month? No more. Here is a way to reload your system with healthy microorganisms that have been killed off by being sick, taking antibiotics, or by the plethora of germ-killing solutions we use to clean our houses and bodies.
Note – when making anything involving live microorganisms it is important to NOT use metal. Metal utensils, bowls, etc. have a way of killing the organisms.
Yogurt: Boil raw/unpasteurized milk and let cool to [I forget the temperature, just google it. It’s warm enough to foster growth, but cool enough to avoid killing the bacteria] degrees. At this point you’ll need a starter culture. Plain yogurts that specifically say the bacteria they have will work. (Careful, I think Dannon was in a scam not too long ago where they claimed to have live cultures but it was just gelatin or something.) Basically legit yogurt that without flavorings, fruit, etc. Fill a jar about 1/5th full of the starter culture, add your cooled milk. Incubate (i.e. in a cooler, or wrapped up in a blanket, or in a plastic bag surrounded by your jacket, etc.) for about 6 hrs. Too much more than this and it will start to sour. Once this is done, remove from incubation and refrigerate. Be sure to save some of this yogurt to use as your next starter culture
Kefir: Most of you know this in its yogurt form. You can also make it in water, both clear and leftover from boiling vegetables, etc, and there are probably a lot of other ways to make it, too. We focused in milk kefir and water kefir.
Dairy: Take about 1 TBSP Kefir grains, a bit less than a gallon of pasteurized milk, and about a cup of sugar. Mix them all together and wait. When it starts to solidify and look more like yogurt than milk, it’s time to add more milk and a bit more sugar (a few TBSP). Pretty simple. The kefir keeps multiplying as long as you keep adding milk. You can then harvest what you want to eat. If you find that you’re having to add milk every day and it annoys you, you can remove some of the kefir grains which have multiplied by now and start another jar or give them to someone else to start. From start to harvest takes around 2-4 days. Putting the mixture in the fridge slows the process if you’d rather monitor it less.
Water: Same process, but use water instead of milk.
Kombucha Tea: This drink is still effective but gentler than the Effective Microorganism recipe (next), so if you find that the E.M. recipe is so effective at regulating your system that you are spending more time on the toilet than with friends, try Kombucha.
Kombucha is started easiest by getting a mother cell from someone else. Check Craigslist or google your area. Mother cells can multiply easily and people are apparently eager to welcome others into the Fermentation Brotherhood/Sisterhood and will gladly give you one.
Once you have your mother cell, brew some black or green tea (must be caffeinated) w/ 3+ spoonfuls of sugar and cool it. Add the mother cell. Cover the top with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. It should be stored in a cool, dark place, so it is helpful to wrap the jar in an old paper bag. Let it sit for 7ish days. You can then harvest some of the liquid. Experiment with how much is helpful to your body. Start with a shot glass sized serving. Take straight, mixed with water, juice, etc. As the liquid gets lower in the jar, add more water and sugar.
If you don’t have a mother cell, you can make your own. Our instructor made hers on accident, so you’ll have to experiment with this suggestion. The main components are fruit, sugar, darkness, and time. When she made the mother cell, it was super hot weather-wise. She mixed some non-citrus fruit, added sugar to the bowl, shoved it under a shelf and forgot about it for a several months. The mother cell formed. It looks like a thick, light brown membrane. You can pick the whole thing up and it shouldn’t tear.
Effective Microorganisms for health:
Start by purchasing non-citrus local fruit. The more local, the better. As in, grown in your backyard, town, or at least for the local farmer’s market. The reasoning—the organisms that grow locally are ones that are suited for fighting off diseases that grow locally. Again you just need ripe fruit and sugar. We used local bananas.
Don’t wash the fruit. Mature, but not rotten to the point of being moldy, fruit is best. Fill a 5 gallon bucket with the fruit. Add about ½ pound sugar on top. Put the lid on, but don’t seal it. You use a lid to keep insects out (instead of a cheesecloth) and keep it dark, but you also want air to be able to circulate. Shove the bucket in a dark corner and let it sit for around 3 weeks.
To harvest, strain off the juice that has formed, bottle it with a narrowed cork (again to let air in and out), and enjoy. Be sure to add more sugar to your existing bucket so that it will continue to create more juice. You can repeat this process until the fruit has entirely dissolved into liquid that you have harvested all along.
E.M. is best drunk right when you wake, about 15 minutes before eating. If the E.M. tastes very strong and makes your stomach burn a bit, like heartburn, drink plenty of water (which you should do anyway). Then next time dilute the E.M. in water when drinking.
Note: mold. During any of these processes, especially for newbies like me, you will see things that look “gross” and smell “gross”. However, as you go along, you’ll learn what is fermentation and what is unhealthy. Mold and large bugs are not okay. In the E.M. process if you should discover those things, use the mixture in your garden instead (more on that when I learn it). In Kombucha, pick a healthy cell without mold on it and start a new culture. In Kefir, find the grains, rinse all the dairy off, and start a new culture. I am not sure about yogurt. Buen provecho!
Update: It’s been a few weeks, so we were able to harvest the juice of the medicinal e.m. mixture. The pictures show us scooping it out, running it through a cheesecloth filter, and bottling it. We then put more sugar on the leftover fruit, covered it with cheesecloth, loosely replaced the lid, and then put it back in its dark corner to await another harvest. Our Kombucha tea isn’t doing so hot. Our mother cell was taken from a mixture that had mold. While we took a healthy-looking cell (one that didn’t have mold), I think it might take a few cycles to produce a tea that doesn’t have any mold on it. The yogurt continues to cycle and we make a new batch about every week with cultures from the previous batch. The kefir is going strong, too. Occasionally you have to replace the kefir grains with fresher ones to keep the fermentation going strong, but so far these grains are doing well.
Note – when making anything involving live microorganisms it is important to NOT use metal. Metal utensils, bowls, etc. have a way of killing the organisms.
Yogurt: Boil raw/unpasteurized milk and let cool to [I forget the temperature, just google it. It’s warm enough to foster growth, but cool enough to avoid killing the bacteria] degrees. At this point you’ll need a starter culture. Plain yogurts that specifically say the bacteria they have will work. (Careful, I think Dannon was in a scam not too long ago where they claimed to have live cultures but it was just gelatin or something.) Basically legit yogurt that without flavorings, fruit, etc. Fill a jar about 1/5th full of the starter culture, add your cooled milk. Incubate (i.e. in a cooler, or wrapped up in a blanket, or in a plastic bag surrounded by your jacket, etc.) for about 6 hrs. Too much more than this and it will start to sour. Once this is done, remove from incubation and refrigerate. Be sure to save some of this yogurt to use as your next starter culture
Kefir: Most of you know this in its yogurt form. You can also make it in water, both clear and leftover from boiling vegetables, etc, and there are probably a lot of other ways to make it, too. We focused in milk kefir and water kefir.
Dairy: Take about 1 TBSP Kefir grains, a bit less than a gallon of pasteurized milk, and about a cup of sugar. Mix them all together and wait. When it starts to solidify and look more like yogurt than milk, it’s time to add more milk and a bit more sugar (a few TBSP). Pretty simple. The kefir keeps multiplying as long as you keep adding milk. You can then harvest what you want to eat. If you find that you’re having to add milk every day and it annoys you, you can remove some of the kefir grains which have multiplied by now and start another jar or give them to someone else to start. From start to harvest takes around 2-4 days. Putting the mixture in the fridge slows the process if you’d rather monitor it less.
Water: Same process, but use water instead of milk.
Kombucha Tea: This drink is still effective but gentler than the Effective Microorganism recipe (next), so if you find that the E.M. recipe is so effective at regulating your system that you are spending more time on the toilet than with friends, try Kombucha.
Kombucha is started easiest by getting a mother cell from someone else. Check Craigslist or google your area. Mother cells can multiply easily and people are apparently eager to welcome others into the Fermentation Brotherhood/Sisterhood and will gladly give you one.
Once you have your mother cell, brew some black or green tea (must be caffeinated) w/ 3+ spoonfuls of sugar and cool it. Add the mother cell. Cover the top with cheesecloth and secure with a rubber band. It should be stored in a cool, dark place, so it is helpful to wrap the jar in an old paper bag. Let it sit for 7ish days. You can then harvest some of the liquid. Experiment with how much is helpful to your body. Start with a shot glass sized serving. Take straight, mixed with water, juice, etc. As the liquid gets lower in the jar, add more water and sugar.
If you don’t have a mother cell, you can make your own. Our instructor made hers on accident, so you’ll have to experiment with this suggestion. The main components are fruit, sugar, darkness, and time. When she made the mother cell, it was super hot weather-wise. She mixed some non-citrus fruit, added sugar to the bowl, shoved it under a shelf and forgot about it for a several months. The mother cell formed. It looks like a thick, light brown membrane. You can pick the whole thing up and it shouldn’t tear.
Effective Microorganisms for health:
Start by purchasing non-citrus local fruit. The more local, the better. As in, grown in your backyard, town, or at least for the local farmer’s market. The reasoning—the organisms that grow locally are ones that are suited for fighting off diseases that grow locally. Again you just need ripe fruit and sugar. We used local bananas.
Don’t wash the fruit. Mature, but not rotten to the point of being moldy, fruit is best. Fill a 5 gallon bucket with the fruit. Add about ½ pound sugar on top. Put the lid on, but don’t seal it. You use a lid to keep insects out (instead of a cheesecloth) and keep it dark, but you also want air to be able to circulate. Shove the bucket in a dark corner and let it sit for around 3 weeks.
To harvest, strain off the juice that has formed, bottle it with a narrowed cork (again to let air in and out), and enjoy. Be sure to add more sugar to your existing bucket so that it will continue to create more juice. You can repeat this process until the fruit has entirely dissolved into liquid that you have harvested all along.
E.M. is best drunk right when you wake, about 15 minutes before eating. If the E.M. tastes very strong and makes your stomach burn a bit, like heartburn, drink plenty of water (which you should do anyway). Then next time dilute the E.M. in water when drinking.
Note: mold. During any of these processes, especially for newbies like me, you will see things that look “gross” and smell “gross”. However, as you go along, you’ll learn what is fermentation and what is unhealthy. Mold and large bugs are not okay. In the E.M. process if you should discover those things, use the mixture in your garden instead (more on that when I learn it). In Kombucha, pick a healthy cell without mold on it and start a new culture. In Kefir, find the grains, rinse all the dairy off, and start a new culture. I am not sure about yogurt. Buen provecho!
Update: It’s been a few weeks, so we were able to harvest the juice of the medicinal e.m. mixture. The pictures show us scooping it out, running it through a cheesecloth filter, and bottling it. We then put more sugar on the leftover fruit, covered it with cheesecloth, loosely replaced the lid, and then put it back in its dark corner to await another harvest. Our Kombucha tea isn’t doing so hot. Our mother cell was taken from a mixture that had mold. While we took a healthy-looking cell (one that didn’t have mold), I think it might take a few cycles to produce a tea that doesn’t have any mold on it. The yogurt continues to cycle and we make a new batch about every week with cultures from the previous batch. The kefir is going strong, too. Occasionally you have to replace the kefir grains with fresher ones to keep the fermentation going strong, but so far these grains are doing well.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Technical blog: composting & composting toilet
Mama Roja uses a humanure system. That means everything from tree clippings, grass, weeds, human waste, animal waste, meat, kitchen scraps, etc. can go in the bin. It’s on a year cooking system. So when you fill the bin, you cover it and let it sit for 6 months to a year. City humanure systems go as far as cooking it for 2 years.
To start the bin, you fill it 1/3 to ½ full of dry composting materials. We used dry leaves, broken small branches, torn paper bags from the cement mix, and old grass. The main components of compost are heat, oxygen, nitrogen, and SOMETHING.
Dig a hole in the middle and put brown and green waste. We used our humanure buckets and a bucket of kitchen scraps. As you fill it, it should never stink. If it does, there’s an imbalance somewhere. The compost should stay moist but not wet and out of direct sunlight. Fill it and then cover for a year
Stage 1. In this stage, mezophilic bacteria start to do their thing.
Stage 2. In this stage, thermophilic bacteria do their thing. This is the hottest stage and these are the same bacteria that live at the center of the earth. I don’t remember if the worms come in this stage or the next stage or in the stage before. But California redworms are the way to go, apparently. They stay closer to the surface rather than burrowing deep into the ground where you don’t really need them.
Stage 3. Cooling
Stage 4. Curing
Additional note: The composting toilet here is pretty simple. It’s a 5 gallon bucket housed in a square frame with a toilet seat on top. Every time you make a deposit you cover it with sawdust and close the lid. If it stinks, you’re not putting enough sawdust in. When it’s full, you dump it in the compost and add a layer of dry compost material (we collected bags of leaves). Voilá.
Technical post: House phase 1, picture soon
So here is Kimberly and Marcelo’s future house. The plan is to build this one and then convert their old one into a cabin for interns. It’s a win win. We build the house they’ll live in, and we get to learn how to build a house from the ground up.
You’ll see three sections. The lowest, smallest section is the porch. The upper are the house. The retaining wall is built out of baked brick purchased locally and mortar. They didn’t like the idea of building with cement, but it was the least of all evils in this climate. So far we have accidentally knocked out three bricks with our wheelbarrows full of dirt.
The “frame” consists of posts surrounded by large rocks and cement. The diagonal beams support the corner posts to keep them stable while the concrete dries.
Our first phase has been moving dirt by the barrow-full from the bottom of the hill up to the top. We then level it, and stomp it out. After observing our exhaustion, K&M decided that since mules and oxen weren’t a viable option in this instance, they would hire someone with a little CAT to bring the dirt from the bottom to the top. They didn’t want to use a machine, but they made the evaluation that our current method was too much and changed the plan. More in Phase 2.
You’ll see three sections. The lowest, smallest section is the porch. The upper are the house. The retaining wall is built out of baked brick purchased locally and mortar. They didn’t like the idea of building with cement, but it was the least of all evils in this climate. So far we have accidentally knocked out three bricks with our wheelbarrows full of dirt.
The “frame” consists of posts surrounded by large rocks and cement. The diagonal beams support the corner posts to keep them stable while the concrete dries.
Our first phase has been moving dirt by the barrow-full from the bottom of the hill up to the top. We then level it, and stomp it out. After observing our exhaustion, K&M decided that since mules and oxen weren’t a viable option in this instance, they would hire someone with a little CAT to bring the dirt from the bottom to the top. They didn’t want to use a machine, but they made the evaluation that our current method was too much and changed the plan. More in Phase 2.
“Technical blog:” Living in Community Part I
(some of my views may change as time goes by)
There are 8 interns. 3 of us live in the 2 cabins and everyone else lives in tents. Our ages range from around 20 to around 30. Here’s what’s working for us (this is my opinion). Respect. We come from pretty different backgrounds but it’s working so far. Willingness to work hard and willingness to do whatever work is at hand. Teachability. We learn from our materials from K&M, from each other, and from observation. Breaks. We have our most labor intensive session in the morning when it’s coolest, then lunch/siesta and another shorter session. Shared spaces and private spaces. If you want to be with people, you come to the dining area. If you don’t, you go for a walk in the millions of places to explore or you chill in your living area. Structure with flexibility within the structure. Yeah we have a schedule, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. Like with moving heavy wheelbarrows uphill. The plan was then changes. Sense of humor. We laugh throughout the whole day. Shared, rotating duties. We have group tasks and individual tasks, including bread maker, breakfast maker, lunch helpers, garden tender, cleaners, and dinner maker. We sign up for a different chore on a different day so we all learn each task and then teach the next person the task and move on to the next thing. There are a lot more things that are working, but those are just some basic observations from the beginning stages.
There are 8 interns. 3 of us live in the 2 cabins and everyone else lives in tents. Our ages range from around 20 to around 30. Here’s what’s working for us (this is my opinion). Respect. We come from pretty different backgrounds but it’s working so far. Willingness to work hard and willingness to do whatever work is at hand. Teachability. We learn from our materials from K&M, from each other, and from observation. Breaks. We have our most labor intensive session in the morning when it’s coolest, then lunch/siesta and another shorter session. Shared spaces and private spaces. If you want to be with people, you come to the dining area. If you don’t, you go for a walk in the millions of places to explore or you chill in your living area. Structure with flexibility within the structure. Yeah we have a schedule, but sometimes that doesn’t work out. Like with moving heavy wheelbarrows uphill. The plan was then changes. Sense of humor. We laugh throughout the whole day. Shared, rotating duties. We have group tasks and individual tasks, including bread maker, breakfast maker, lunch helpers, garden tender, cleaners, and dinner maker. We sign up for a different chore on a different day so we all learn each task and then teach the next person the task and move on to the next thing. There are a lot more things that are working, but those are just some basic observations from the beginning stages.
“Technical blog” – eating ideas
Every breakfast we eat is cereal (made of oats, puffed rice, puffed wheat, corn flakes, raisins, coconut, and maybe some other ingredients that escape me, like flax), homemade whole grain bread (sometimes with butter, jam, peanut butter depending), homemade yogurt, bananas, and we usually all drink tea.
Lunch is the big meal of the day. We often have something more flavorful accompanied by a green salad and rice, pasta, or today we did boiled mandioca (yucca…it’s similar to a potato but a but chewier and sweeter). Every meal is vegetarian and includes varieties of vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, beets, celery, swiss chard, leeks, onions, carrots, etc, etc. Ingredients I’m not used to are stinging nettle, plantain, etc. Since we only light the wood stove once a day, we cook the vegetables for our dinner so that all we do is reheat it. We usually have bread with this meal, too.
Dinner is soup. We reheat the giant pot of soup and have it with bread and usually butter.
So far we haven’t eaten snacks, except for leftover salad from lunch and our never-ending supply of mandarins. No one in this group is overweight at all…I’m the plumpest one. But, at least for me, I can feel my digestive system going a little crazy as it goes through withdrawals from sugar, easy carbs, and other fats. I am also used to more protein. I think we’ll get that more adjusted as the internship progresses, however.
Lunch is the big meal of the day. We often have something more flavorful accompanied by a green salad and rice, pasta, or today we did boiled mandioca (yucca…it’s similar to a potato but a but chewier and sweeter). Every meal is vegetarian and includes varieties of vegetables like potatoes, tomatoes, beets, celery, swiss chard, leeks, onions, carrots, etc, etc. Ingredients I’m not used to are stinging nettle, plantain, etc. Since we only light the wood stove once a day, we cook the vegetables for our dinner so that all we do is reheat it. We usually have bread with this meal, too.
Dinner is soup. We reheat the giant pot of soup and have it with bread and usually butter.
So far we haven’t eaten snacks, except for leftover salad from lunch and our never-ending supply of mandarins. No one in this group is overweight at all…I’m the plumpest one. But, at least for me, I can feel my digestive system going a little crazy as it goes through withdrawals from sugar, easy carbs, and other fats. I am also used to more protein. I think we’ll get that more adjusted as the internship progresses, however.
Technical blog: balms and liniments, phase 1
We started phase one of balms. We used plantain which has antiseptic properties and is good for bug bites (1,000 and counting on my right shoulder blade alone). The plantain was harvested during a waxing moon. When the moon is waxing, it is pulling the nutrients up into the leaves (along the same lines as the tide following the moon, too). We didn’t harvest any plants that had started to flower since this means that the plant is devoting its resources to flowering and less in the leaves.
We cleaned it by wiping off excess dirt. We didn’t wash it because that removes surface organisms that are helpful and opens the door for mold even wider. Then we chopped it into little pieces, roots and all, crammed it into a bottle, and covered it with oil (we used sunflower, but you can use other pure vegetable oils). We’re letting it sit for 7-14 days. Probably closer to 7 since we all have a million bites.
Liniments are even easier. Same process, but we only used the leaves. We crammed a jar full and then covered it with rubbing alcohol. We shook it for 2 minutes. After that, you shake it for a minute a few times a day for 7-14 days and it’s ready to go.
We cleaned it by wiping off excess dirt. We didn’t wash it because that removes surface organisms that are helpful and opens the door for mold even wider. Then we chopped it into little pieces, roots and all, crammed it into a bottle, and covered it with oil (we used sunflower, but you can use other pure vegetable oils). We’re letting it sit for 7-14 days. Probably closer to 7 since we all have a million bites.
Liniments are even easier. Same process, but we only used the leaves. We crammed a jar full and then covered it with rubbing alcohol. We shook it for 2 minutes. After that, you shake it for a minute a few times a day for 7-14 days and it’s ready to go.
And here we are.
So here we are. It’s been a whirlwind, to say the least. After Houston, I safely made it to Buenos Aires and stumbled out to the cross-city bus I’d need to get to the bus that would take me out to Oberá. I definitely almost knocked a trash can over onto an old man who was saved by the person pushing his wheelchair. When I was in a remis from the last bus stop to the next big bus stop, I met some people who were there for the immigrant festival, also in Oberá…small world. I bought my ticket and then proceeded to wait for 6 hours for my bus and met Meghan and Skyler along the way. I then promptly missed my bus because the ticket didn’t match the sign.
One of the station employees was also licensed through the company to drive a remis (taxi-ish) and rushed me and all my luggage out to his car. There was a moment where I considered that he could shove me in the trunk, especially when he told me we’d have to catch the bus at the next station 45 minutes away. I went with my gut instinct which said I’d be safe and hopped in the car. The driver used the shoulder, drove in two lanes simultaneously, and was not aware he owned a turn signal, but we got there just in time, I paid him all my money and sprinted for the bus. It was an overnight bus and I could have slept quite soundly except I realized that the bus driver wasn’t announcing the stops and I was paranoid I’d miss it. Luckily this nice older couple helped me and it turns out that Neil and Tim were on the bus the whole time anyway. We got off, met up with most of the rest of the interns from the other bus, bussed into town and met up with Marcelo. We bought boots, withdrew cash, and used the internet which is in a gas station café. We then crammed 9 people into the car and headed out to the farm.
After lunch, we set about putting our things together in our tents and cabins. I love our group. We get along respectfully, humorously, and everyone has a huge appetite for learning. Well, we actually have huge appetites in general. I´m living in the Cosmic Cabin and my roommate is a Canadian named Renee.
My cabin:
The garden:
Some generalities: we have breakfast at 7:30, start work at 8:30, lunch at 12, siesta till 3, work until 5ish, dinner at 7. We have Tuesdays and Fridays off. Sunday evenings we watch documentaries, and Saturday evenings we have our meetings. We talk about things we appreciate, things we’re frustrated about, anything we want to share, show gratitude, bring up for discussion, etc. etc. etc.
I thought about reporting on my bicep size, but as of yet, there are no changes noted.
Overall, I just love it. I get cold (30 degrees the first night), hot (85+ today), tired, and reclusive, but those are a very small slice in a pie I am very grateful to have. I’m learning lots from our sessions, from the people around me, and from myself. For the first time, I’ve allowed myself an adjustment period to work through the exhaustion, culture shock, and living in a community.
And damn it feels good.
One of the station employees was also licensed through the company to drive a remis (taxi-ish) and rushed me and all my luggage out to his car. There was a moment where I considered that he could shove me in the trunk, especially when he told me we’d have to catch the bus at the next station 45 minutes away. I went with my gut instinct which said I’d be safe and hopped in the car. The driver used the shoulder, drove in two lanes simultaneously, and was not aware he owned a turn signal, but we got there just in time, I paid him all my money and sprinted for the bus. It was an overnight bus and I could have slept quite soundly except I realized that the bus driver wasn’t announcing the stops and I was paranoid I’d miss it. Luckily this nice older couple helped me and it turns out that Neil and Tim were on the bus the whole time anyway. We got off, met up with most of the rest of the interns from the other bus, bussed into town and met up with Marcelo. We bought boots, withdrew cash, and used the internet which is in a gas station café. We then crammed 9 people into the car and headed out to the farm.
After lunch, we set about putting our things together in our tents and cabins. I love our group. We get along respectfully, humorously, and everyone has a huge appetite for learning. Well, we actually have huge appetites in general. I´m living in the Cosmic Cabin and my roommate is a Canadian named Renee.
My cabin:
The garden:
Some generalities: we have breakfast at 7:30, start work at 8:30, lunch at 12, siesta till 3, work until 5ish, dinner at 7. We have Tuesdays and Fridays off. Sunday evenings we watch documentaries, and Saturday evenings we have our meetings. We talk about things we appreciate, things we’re frustrated about, anything we want to share, show gratitude, bring up for discussion, etc. etc. etc.
I thought about reporting on my bicep size, but as of yet, there are no changes noted.
Overall, I just love it. I get cold (30 degrees the first night), hot (85+ today), tired, and reclusive, but those are a very small slice in a pie I am very grateful to have. I’m learning lots from our sessions, from the people around me, and from myself. For the first time, I’ve allowed myself an adjustment period to work through the exhaustion, culture shock, and living in a community.
And damn it feels good.
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