The Road Always Leads West

more valle pintado...

2009-07-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

me, early morning, across from the inter-planted flax and buckwheat...
view of community space from the garden
new years day on a hike down the rio azul
kitchen corner
community meal with the family.

2009-07-27T16:58:00.000-07:00

the cobb oven at a later stage
Rachel with our breakfast of oats and coffee
the mixing pits for the community building project
how to cobb a window
The rio Azul, running through our back yard, this was our place for rest, inspiration, reflection and our bathing and drinking water.

2009-07-27T16:51:00.000-07:00

our outdoor sink and dish storage
cobbed oven, made out of an old 50 gallon drum
Rachel and I were lucky enough to help with the construction of the community building, an ongoing project for the time we were there.
hoeing in the fields
the garden in early summer.

arrive at the valle pintado!

2009-07-27T16:43:00.000-07:00

The community building at Valle Pintado farm
Alex's House up the hill from the fields
my home for a few months
compost toilet to the left and tool shed to the right
picture of the garden from above...

2009-07-27T16:39:00.000-07:00

traveling to Chile for a week before heading down to El Bolson Argentina to work on the farm

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Valcon Lanin, Lago Tromen and araucaria forest

2009-07-27T16:22:00.000-07:00

to walk around a crystal clear lake on black sand beaches next to a volcano with some of the oldest living trees in the world....doesnt get more magic than that.

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city street downtown

ARGENTINA-Nov 08-March 09

2009-07-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

flew into Buenos Aires and walked around for several days, trying to get a little grounded. Here is some public art from the city center.

THE FEAST

2008-10-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Aprovecho's harvest festival drew almost 200 people out to the farm. The day ended with an elaborate 100 mile feast- one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Hope this fall is finding everyone healthy and happy! I wish you all a bountiful harvest.

2008-10-29T17:49:00.000-07:00

The C.E.O. and cutest resident of Apro-Raven and myself.

2008-10-29T17:46:00.000-07:00

We share this cider press with 3 other families, and it has made the rounds this season! We have pressed 100's of pounds of apples this fall. We just bottled over 100 bottles of hard cider this week! The press by far my favorite piece of machinery.

2008-10-29T17:43:00.000-07:00

welcome to Aprovecho...

2008-10-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

Kyle and the cider press.

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Lili's fermentation workshop

100 mile diet-harvest festival

2008-10-29T17:34:00.000-07:00

Volunteers arriving in the morning.

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Downtown on Main St. Cottge Grove, OR

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more outdoor kitchen

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outdoor kitchen..all wood fired.

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garden shed above my tent platform...a second home.

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By far my most favorite place to be.

greenhouse

2008-10-29T17:18:00.000-07:00

Dino kale

2008-10-29T17:16:00.000-07:00

Teaching Rosie how to hold a chicken

2008-10-29T17:15:00.000-07:00

2008-10-29T17:12:00.000-07:00

Rosie and my pops came to OR for a few days to look at colleges for Rosie. They also got to come and hang out at Aprovecho for a bit. It was great to take them around and also have them here for the harvest festival!
This one is of me and Rosie chatting at the mushroom logs.

HOME

2008-10-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

This one is for Bridget, who has been waiting for me to post a picture of my tent home. I felt very much like a garden gnome all season, with my little home off to the side of the garden tool shed.

2008-10-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

Rachel Drying tomatoes and plums. There is pretty much a full drier going 24/7, we are preserving something at all times....just one more way in which our days are full of food.

Honor

2008-10-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

Abel standing with our 100mile Chili second prize ribbon and award! It should also be said that the sun did come out in the afternoon and it turned into a really nice day.

100 mile diet

2008-10-11T15:05:00.000-07:00

List of all the foods we ate over the last month and where they are coming from-

WHAT WE ATE &WHERE IT’S FROM

Cooking Oils-
Butter –Noris Dairy
Beef Tallow- Full Circle Farm
Pork Lard – Sweet Brier Farm

Meats-
Whole Chickens- Brice Creek Croft
Ground Beefalo- Polyrock Ranch
Stew Bones/meat- Deck Family Farms
Duck- Aprovecho

Dairy-
Cow Milk- Polyrock Ranch
Cheese- Willamette Valley Cheese C.O.
Yogurt- Nancy’s

Nuts-
Filberts- Kronke Family Farm
Acorns- Aprovecho

Grains-
Durum Wheat- American Wheat Growers
Red Fife Wheat- American Wheat Growers
Triticale- American Wheat Growers
Rye – American Wheat Growers

Beans-
Kidney- Full Circle Farm
Black- Full Circle Farm
Bumble Bee- Full Circle Farm
Buckskin- Full Circle Farm
Dried Peas- Slo Farm

Fruit-
Cherries- Slo Farms
Apples- Slo Farms & Kizer Creek & Aprovecho
Pears- Slo Farms & Rivers Turn Farm & Avalon Stables & Aprovecho
Plums- Slo Farms
Blueberries- Brewers U pick
Blackberries- Avalon Stables
Rasberries- Rivers Turn
Cantaloupe- Hayhurst Organic Farm and Nursery
Figs- Aprovecho
Grapes- Aprovecho

Vegetables-
Carrots- Wintergreen Farm
Potatoes- Wintergreen & Aprovecho
Onion- Wintergreen & Aprovecho
Beets- Aprovecho
Parsnips- Aprovecho
Tomatoes- Slo Farm & Aprovecho
Cucumbers- Slo Farm & Aprovecho
Peppers- Crossroads Farm & Aprovecho
Eggplant- Aprovecho
Collards- Aprovecho
Swiss Chard- Aprovecho
Kale- Aprovecho
Lettuce- Aprovecho
Cauliflower- Aprovecho
Green and Purple Cabbage- Aprovecho
Green Beans- Aprovecho
Summer Squash- Aprovecho
Winter Squash- Aprovecho
Sweet Peas- Slo Farm
Sweet Corn- Henson’s via Slo Farm
Shitake Mushrooms- Aprovecho
Garlic- Wintergreen Farm
Sweet Potatoes- Aprovecho
Green Beans- Aprovecho

Herbs (All from Aprovecho) -
Basil
Parsley
Mint
Thyme
Oregano
Rosemary
Chives
Sage
Epazote
Scallion
Marjoram
Tarragon
Tulsi Basil
Lemon Balm

Other Seasonings-
Dried Dill Seed- Aprovecho
Sea Weed- Pacific Ocean
Dried Peppers- Crossroads Farm
Dried Cinnamon basil- Aprovecho
Salt- Pacific Ocean
Apple Cider Vinegar-Aprovecho
Honey- Hummingbird Whole Sale Distrabution (Cottage Grove)

Leavening Agents-
Sourdough- Aprovecho

COOK-OFF

2008-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

Aprovecho entered the chili cook-off of Cottage Grove. This was quite the scene, the fire dept entered along with many others in what it turns out is a very competitive contest. These people love thier chili! We entered ours as "100mile chili"- so no chili powder, or other non 100 mile spices. Lili, Kyle, Rachel and Myself rose before sunrise and in the pouring rain to load up the truck with tables, posters, food, propane stoves and headed down town, where Main st. had been roped off for the contest. We were greeted by other hardcore chili makers who were already getting their stuff simmering. We set up and got cooking! Mostly we saw this as an educational opportunity for people, fun and good eating for us! But low and behold, WE WON SECOND PRIZE for our dank chili! YAY! What a highlight, and total conformation to us what our diet is not only postive socially but also super tasty (not that we didnt already know that)!!!!!

2008-10-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Kyle King of Sunflowers....

bobbing for apples

2008-10-11T11:46:00.000-07:00

Lili bobbing for apples....it may just be the best and most fun game ever.

bread and butter

2008-10-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

Kyle taught a bread making class at the start of the diet. We had no yeast, so we were making sourdough for the duration of the program. This an image of the outdoor kitchen ( all cooking is down on wood fired stoves).

When the sky was still blue...

2008-10-11T11:27:00.000-07:00

Its been a few weeks since I have made any posts, but I'm back and have some pictures to share! This is looking up at the community building from the bottom of the garden (before the rains came). Currently, the rain is around most days and it has started to get pretty cold, thank God for wood stoves, warm blankets and whiskey. The fall internship program ends this Sunday. We all have been on the 100 mile diet for a month now, and are feeling great, well fed and happy!

2008-08-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Summer........

2008-08-16T13:13:00.000-07:00

Top of the watershed for sunset, Kyle greets the sun as he simulates flight atop the arch he and Josh constructed.

It should also be noted that these beautiful pictures were taken by Mr. Josh Jedediah Tsvi Hubing-Cooper.

GREEN GARDEN

2008-08-16T13:10:00.000-07:00

chillin out, maxin, relaxin all cool...in the garden is where I spend most of my days.

Living Routes Reuion

2008-08-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

All four of us (molly, Kyle, Jack, Josh) did A Living Routes program (either Scotland or India) and are now at Aprovecho...how small the world is!

2008-08-16T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is the start of the outside classroom being build to the side of the straw bale. We have been holding outside movie nights here the last week (mostly planet earth videos). We took several mattresses out and set up the projector and a sheet. Hands down best movie watching venue ever! We also made some dank popcorn-involving coconut oil, Cinnamon and honey....try it, you wont be let down!

Summer Internship Finale

2008-08-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Yes...two kegs were stored in our spring. They stayed icy cold for our party on Friday which was total blissful chaos. We had a tremendous oatmeal stout and IPA from Ninkasi brewery in Eugene. Oh how delightful summer is!

Me at the top of the watershed

2008-08-06T00:29:00.000-07:00

Josh and I took a hike to the top of our watershed the other day. So many clear cuts, but the up side to that is how far we are able to see in all directions. we were able to see our little valley and all around it! it was quite a site, really made me even more in awe of this beautiful land, and also saddened by all the clear cutting that takes place here. The summer internship ends at the end of this week and Josh leaves to start school early next week, I am so sad to see everyone leave and to feel the summer coming (slowly) to a close. I will really miss Josh when he goes. But I am also looking forward to this abundant fall season and for our fall internship, four weeks of which will be spend going the 100 mild diet. We had a meeting about it tonight and I am sooooooo excited for it! I cant want to eat nothing but what we can get from within 100 miles of us. It looks like we will be eating lots of veg, fruit, meat and dairy. Beans, grains, oils and spices will be harder to get, but we are creative and I think it will be a really powerful experiment and will help us all become more connected to what we eat. at the end of the program we are hosting a gathering called "eat here now" which well be at the end of our month long diet and a harvest feast! I feel like I am learning so much in the garden and am so inspired by what the people around me are doing to help this earth. I am so positive about how much more there is to learn in the coming months!

2008-08-06T00:25:00.000-07:00

Random image of our exploding potato patch! they are all flowering now, I think they should be ready to harvest by September.....I feel like my whole sense of time has changed being here. I measure the time passing by when the vegetables are ready to eat rather than in by clocks or months.

back at aprovecho

2008-08-06T00:20:00.000-07:00

Here are friends Lily and Kyle cooking up some lunch in the outdoor kitchen where all our meals are made. The garden is right behind, its so great to pick all the vegetables and salad you want (meals for 30 people everyday) and then just use what you just picked. there is nothing like it! I am blessed to be surrounded by amazing cooks and such creative people who make amazing food ALL the time. There is always somthing good cookin up in the kitchen. All our stoves and ovens are wood powered and outside...I have never eaten better!

2008-08-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken on a hike from last weekend on our quest to get to some hidden hotsprings. we made it to this roaring river and found several little hotspring pools along the side. we had to scale some cliffs to get there though and cross an old wire bridge (seen above), it was well worth it though. Josh and I were the only two brave enough to get into the cold river water, but it made the hotsprings that much warmer!

2008-08-06T00:11:00.000-07:00

Evan, Aliza and I hung out in Portland last weekend and saw the sassy soulful Sharon Jones play at the Portland zoo. We got a bangin breakfast and then hung out for a while in one of Portland's many rose gardens. really great to see Evan and Aliza, I feel so lucky that they are both here this summer, I feel like I have family really close by! My friends Rachel and Josh from Apro also came for the weekend, it was really great to share the gospel of Sharon Jones with them!

2008-08-06T00:06:00.000-07:00

This is from a really nice hike we took to a huge waterfall. This is Rachel and I trying to ID some wild plants. I am working really hard on learning the plant life in Oregon's green green forests. I am so lucky to have some amazing teachers here who know just about everything about plants and their uses.

2008-08-06T00:04:00.000-07:00

This was the camp at tayberry. we spent the whole weekend creating additions and more shade, we at the end had about four tents all linked up together. it was a great retreat for shade, naps and snacks.

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hanging out with coco the donkey and strawberry the pony......

2008-08-06T00:01:00.000-07:00

Josh and I at Tayberry Jam, hanging out during out "work" shift...telling people where to park.

2008-08-05T23:58:00.000-07:00

cherries in all its forms!

cherry madness!!

2008-08-05T23:50:00.000-07:00

These were taken during our days of cherry madness. we preserved cherries every way one can.... Juice, mush, pitted, non-pitted, with sugar and without....sooooooo many cherries! I am learning all about canning and food preservation, really cool stuff.

2008-08-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

back on the blog wagon...

2008-08-05T23:43:00.000-07:00

has been a few weeks since my last "post". Wanted to check in while I am sitting here and thinking about it. Life on the farm in the summer is always busy, full of life, vegetables and love. I had an amazing 23rd birthday, which happened to take place the night of July's full moon and also the first night of Tayberry jam. Thank you to all my friends and family who made it so special. I really could not be happier. I feel so blessed to be where I am and be able to do what I am doing.

First I wanted to post a few from before I left the east coast of Rosie and I at the beach. Rosie just sent these and I love them! (although seeing them made me miss Rosie a whole bunch!!)

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As I entered the gates of the fair, a painted man on stilts shouted at me "hey there red-can I steal a freckle" Shout out to my red2red's out there-Yhaaaa Abby! B Kane!

2008-07-13T21:40:00.000-07:00

Aliza and I went to the Oregon Country fair this Friday and had a really magic filled time! The Land was sold to Bob Weir in 1969, who then created the space the fair is held. It is a wooded fairy land with music, art, crafts and costumes....oh the costumes.

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This is the festival coming up that the Apro Family is getting ready for these next weeks. Should be pretty amazing....

http://www.tayberryjam.com/

2008-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is another view of the garden...the garden expands down a rolling hill on over an acre of land. such lush landscape!!

2008-07-02T21:53:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from inside the strawbale house where we have meals, dorms, living room, storage space and as you can see an amazing wood stove.

In the middle of week three here at Apro, settling into a grove and rhythm here. I am awed everyday at how amazingly beautiful the place and the people are here. I am continuing to learn so much about plants, gardening, fruit trees, and food preservation. Last week we did a bunch of pickling, which was really interesting (and tasty). This week we harvested a bunch of cherries and thinned apple trees for the most part. It is so easy to get lost in the trees for hours, it will be time for lunch and I will feel like we had just started. There is something very meditative about working in a garden. There is just a different sense of time. I love working to live and not living to work. I know that the work I do goes into sustaining my life and the community here and that feels really good, it is a very different feeling then having your work be worth a set dollar amount for a set number of hours. I work and live in the same place, but my work seems like just the kind of thing that you have to do to maintain and live on a farm. Really different than living in an urban setting and the work I am doing is just so satisfying.
We have worked on several different farms at this point and it is so neat to see the different styles of farming going on. Also I have eaten enough cherries to last a lifetime! Sooooo good! Living in community again is wonderful. Learning about group process and conscious dissension making really valuable and really rewarding. I got to see Evan and Aliza this weekend at Seattle Pride, which was so nice, and really fun. I also found out that my good friend Josh from my India program is coming back to the farm for a month this summer to help out, so I am super pumped for that! Alright, got to get back to work…we are drying cherries on the solar dryer today, ad trying to find a way to preserve 20 gallons of fava beans! More soon.
Much love.

2008-06-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

This is a picture from the garden where I live and work. My tent is located off to the side (sweet view, right?!) First week here went by super fast, I just kind of jumped into things here and am starting to get a handle on how things work. This week we pruned the fruit trees, planted all our many verities of tomato's, seeded a ton of beans and weeded everything! There are also chickens, ducks and a rooster named Demetre (who wakes me up in the morning). The garden seems about to explode, we are right on the cusp of being able to harvest a lot of our plants. The summer internship started this week too, so we have quite a full house (16 interns, 3 work-traders, and 8 staff)! we have three communal meals a day 5 days a week. Many fine cooks and lots of yummy food from the garden and other farms near by. We had an amazing dance party in the woods on Wednesday to honor the full moon. I am having a great time exploring cottage grove and the forests around Apro!
love.

2008-06-16T22:20:00.000-07:00

footnote-
if you want to look at the pictures from our drive chronologically you have to start with my first post in the archives and then work back. If you don't care, then it can be enjoyed from finish to start....its up to you.

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It should not be denied. . . that being footloose has always exhilarated us. it is associated in our minds with escape from history and oppression and law and irksome obligations, with absolute freedom, and the road has always led west.

--Wallace Stegner

2008-06-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

This was one of the last photos we took before getting to Berkeley CA, where Emily and I spent a couple days. Emily flew back to Philly on the 11th, where she is living until she leaves for her year long Adventure in China! Hope y'all enjoyed this taste of our journey. I can not express how much gratitude I feel toward her for coming with me and supporting me while I make this move. I have felt so lucky to have the friends and family I do, who have been so wonderful over these last months in this whirlwind of change.

As for me, I got to my final (at least for now) destination yesterday. Cottage Grove, Oregon. I am living and working at The Aprovecho Community- center for sustainable research until mid October. I am working on their wonderful garden and living and working in the beautiful lush green that is Oregon.

I will post more as more comes along, I am new to the blogging world but am trying to be more hip to all this stuff.

much love to all.

2008-06-16T21:59:00.000-07:00

Views from Route 1.....quite the drive!

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ELEPHANT SEALS!!!! a whole beach full of the amazing creatures, found along route 1 up the coast on our way to Northern Cal.

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WE MADE IT!!! Emily and I get our feet wet in the beautiful Pacific Ocean....

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A close up of "Das Van"

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This is the van of a friend we made in Santa Barbara CA.

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One of several delicious stops we made on our tour of L.A.

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And from Flagstaff to L.A. What a bizarre city. Emily and I stayed with her Uncle Mike, who was such a wonderful host to us and took us all around the city!

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Here we are...if you notice I am standing about a foot or more in front of Emily. It took me about 30 min to work up the courage to stand so close to the ledge. A fear of heights is not super useful when visiting the grand Canyon.

2008-06-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Where I feel at home....

2008-06-16T21:38:00.000-07:00

More fun with photo opportunities at the grand Canyon.....

2008-06-16T21:36:00.000-07:00

After several attempts we got the perfect "Emily in the air" shot. One for the grandkids for sure

2008-06-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

sight seeing at the grand canyon....

2008-06-16T21:32:00.000-07:00

We made some bangin chili our second night! I have learned that everything tastes better when you are camping.

2008-06-16T21:30:00.000-07:00

This is our campsite in Flagstaff. We camped for two nights and sent a day at the grand Canyon. many people stay here when they are exploring the canyon of grandeur. we had a grand time to be sure!

2008-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Emily and I checking out the sites and generally being in awe....

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Also for Bridget....

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This picture is dedicated to my dear friend and trip guru, Bridget Kane. I wish I had a real giant bunny to ride....maybe someday.

2008-06-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Our last stop on the way out of Holbrook....

2008-06-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

yeah...thats right! I hump public art, you dont?

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This is outside of this great little diner were we started our day with enchiladas, eggs and coffee....I think I could get used to this.

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And this is where we spend the night....our very own concrete wigwam! Total bliss!

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Holbrook is called the "city of petrified wood"and there are many cool places to look around and find some, this being one of those places.

2008-06-16T21:08:00.000-07:00

In the town of Holbrook Arizona we found many treasures....

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amazing weird place on the side of the road

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random beauty

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Outside the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari, New Mexico....

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And here is Emily getting serious about her steak....