Resilient Farms -- Today, for The Herald

See     http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/06/03/v-print/2044372/alert-consumers-committed-to-protecting.html

More Food for Thought

Agroecology class, in the field with farmers, and specialists

At Randy Honcoop's berry operation

With Steve Groen

With WSU's Colleen Burrows

With Brian Kerkvliet

Also, teaching each other, in the classroom (amidst, literally, buckets of food)

Teaching double-digging techniques (not to scale!)

Feta cheese (with fresh goat's milk)

Although the WCC-sponsored cheese-making class was quite lovely several weeks ago -- I find this well-known website also quite good .... http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/cheese/cheese.html

I find that one gallon of high-quality milk makes almost 2 pounds of cheese 

Checking that the whey has started to separate (after heated- and rennet-treated- milk has settled overnight)

Checking for the "clean-break" in the morning

Cutting curds

Preparing for 2-4 hours of settling, final separation of whey from curds

Home-made press, overnight settling

Final cutting of curd

Fresh feta placed in the brine (made from whey) for several days of "pickling"

FOOD -- planned, slow, delicious

Garden planning, farm planning is a focus of our agroecology work, bearing in mind physiography and other constraints. Here, planning discussion in progress.

Our food system: where everything has a price and nothing has value -- except.....with value-ful food providers here such as Ciao Thyme -- is it possible to provide such Slow food for 100 young musicians (as at Summer Sounds summer camp). Yes. And also for our resilient farms workshop farmer-participants as well.

Slow Food class to Italy, University of Gastronomic Sciences

Locally-produced lentils, sausage, tomatoes (unbranded)

 and with the Demeter labelling...........

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