When life gives you apricots, make....everything.
I most certainly underestimated the total farm´s total production of apricots. From these few trees, we get about seven kilos a day. This may not seem like a lot, but it is...and it´s a full time job. Every morning, the floor is peppered with fallen apricots. By noon, after we have swept them up, cleaned them, pitted them, and cooked them, more has fallen.
So what, then, does one small farm do with so many apricots? We make jam (the must sugar-filled jam I`ve ever had), dried apricots, aapricot bread, apricot ice cream, apricot and straw concoction for the animals.
Such a simple food with such a wide range of uses. They benifit us now and they`ll benefit us months from now. It`s pretty neat. Although, I think it is safe to say that once I leave here I will never want another apricot again.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
La Granja como un proceso (Saturday November 20th--Day 9)
As I said before, Pedro and Lucia began their work on the farm a little over two years ago. Before, their 15 hectors of land consisted of a small house, a field of rocks, wild trees, unruly bushes, and loads of grass. Under any circumstance, the current state of the farm is something to marvel at. However, what makes the granja´s progress even more remarkable is a combination of its piecemeal construction and longterm vision. Imagine...Pedro and Lucia (with suggestions from various volunteers) have detailed what they want this farm to become. As workers and WWOOFers, we stay for a month or two, complete or improve a few projects, and leave. We don´t see a final masterpiece, but we know what has already been accomplished and we trush in edro and Lucia´s leadership.
The best example I can provide is the current construction project. Four months ago, WWOOFers began to construct a small, hexagon-shaped building made from earth, rocks, and wood. This project--produced and designed almost entirely by Antonio the French--has had the help from dozens of volunteers over the months. Everyone contributes a small detail and piece by piece, with Antonio´s guidance, this building has come together. And although I personally may never see the final touches, I know it will be a glorious addition to a growing and changing property.
Vision, trust, leadership, hard work. All there. And little by little the granja transforms.
The best example I can provide is the current construction project. Four months ago, WWOOFers began to construct a small, hexagon-shaped building made from earth, rocks, and wood. This project--produced and designed almost entirely by Antonio the French--has had the help from dozens of volunteers over the months. Everyone contributes a small detail and piece by piece, with Antonio´s guidance, this building has come together. And although I personally may never see the final touches, I know it will be a glorious addition to a growing and changing property.
Vision, trust, leadership, hard work. All there. And little by little the granja transforms.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Buen Provecho: Part 1 (Friday November 19th--Day 8)
Welcome to the world of glorious food. As Pedro--the farm´s owner-- so insightfully stated: ^We have barely finished this meal and already we´re planning tomorrow´s.^
Let me explain how meals work around here. And by `here`I mean Argentina in general. For breakfast, you wake up and eat whatever small substance you find lying around. Usually, this means bread and mate, or the occasional oatmeal and pastry. For dinner, you also eat whatever you can find lying around. More bread and mate, or leftovers. Now lunch. Lunch. There´s a meal. There´s an experience. Everyone--friends and family--stop whatever they were doing to come together to share a huge meal that someone has spent all morning cooking from fresh, local ingredients.
Already on the farm, I´ve had the most deliciously fresh chicken soup, homemade meatballs, a rice and meat dish, fresh ice cream, tons of meat, liver and potatoes, some more meat, sausage, and more meat. It´s all cooked to perfection. The ingredients are seasonal. The cook spent hours preparing it. And you´re sharing it with a fantastic group of people over great conversation. Like I said, perfection.
Let me explain how meals work around here. And by `here`I mean Argentina in general. For breakfast, you wake up and eat whatever small substance you find lying around. Usually, this means bread and mate, or the occasional oatmeal and pastry. For dinner, you also eat whatever you can find lying around. More bread and mate, or leftovers. Now lunch. Lunch. There´s a meal. There´s an experience. Everyone--friends and family--stop whatever they were doing to come together to share a huge meal that someone has spent all morning cooking from fresh, local ingredients.
Already on the farm, I´ve had the most deliciously fresh chicken soup, homemade meatballs, a rice and meat dish, fresh ice cream, tons of meat, liver and potatoes, some more meat, sausage, and more meat. It´s all cooked to perfection. The ingredients are seasonal. The cook spent hours preparing it. And you´re sharing it with a fantastic group of people over great conversation. Like I said, perfection.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
La Granja Tia Nora: Primeras Impressiones (Thursday, November 16th--Day 7).
So I have been on the farm for nearly 2 and a half days now. Already I could write pages upon pages about what I have learned. But I´ll spare you for now. Besides...I have yerba mate to drink. So here then is a very basic breakdown of where I am.
I am on a small family owned farm near the town of Albardon, Argentina. It is owned and operated by a couple, Pedro and Lucia, who were formally investment bankers. Four years ago, they acquired this land from their family and two years ago they began to dedicate their life to this place. As of now, it is a fully operational farm and educational center. We receive schools from around San Juan and host them on the farm for a day. As of right now, we have a pool, a greenhouse full of plants, two horses, five cows, ten goats, countless chickens, many rabbits, a few llamas, a peacock, brand new kittens (maybe 2 weeks old), and old one-eared dog, apricot trees (that produce 2 kilos of apricots every day), a garden with fruits and vegies, a vineyard, a wooded playset, and tons of flowers (including daisies). Right now, the WWOOFers are working to improve and maintain the farm so that one day it can become a restaurant and eco-tourist destination. We are building a store, planting a lot, clearing land, and making TONS of food (including bread...there is SO much bread). Along with me, there is a lovely couple from Australia, two girls from Germany, two Antonios (one from France and one from the check-republic, and two Americans from California who left today). We spend our time working, cleaning, hanging out, speaking tons of Spanish, drinking matte, and loving life. It´s incredible.
Expect more updates very soon about food, about some recently acquired skills, and about a theory I am developing on the yoga of farming.
Un gran abrazo.
I am on a small family owned farm near the town of Albardon, Argentina. It is owned and operated by a couple, Pedro and Lucia, who were formally investment bankers. Four years ago, they acquired this land from their family and two years ago they began to dedicate their life to this place. As of now, it is a fully operational farm and educational center. We receive schools from around San Juan and host them on the farm for a day. As of right now, we have a pool, a greenhouse full of plants, two horses, five cows, ten goats, countless chickens, many rabbits, a few llamas, a peacock, brand new kittens (maybe 2 weeks old), and old one-eared dog, apricot trees (that produce 2 kilos of apricots every day), a garden with fruits and vegies, a vineyard, a wooded playset, and tons of flowers (including daisies). Right now, the WWOOFers are working to improve and maintain the farm so that one day it can become a restaurant and eco-tourist destination. We are building a store, planting a lot, clearing land, and making TONS of food (including bread...there is SO much bread). Along with me, there is a lovely couple from Australia, two girls from Germany, two Antonios (one from France and one from the check-republic, and two Americans from California who left today). We spend our time working, cleaning, hanging out, speaking tons of Spanish, drinking matte, and loving life. It´s incredible.
Expect more updates very soon about food, about some recently acquired skills, and about a theory I am developing on the yoga of farming.
Un gran abrazo.
Este Gran País (Sunday, November 14th--Day 3)
Today, I realized the sheer size of this country. Or, maybe it is more accurate to say that today I realized I will never be able to fully grasp just how HUGE this place is. I took a bus today from Cordoba to San Juan. On the map, this distance is represented by a half an inch. At best. In reality, these couple of hundred kilometers are covered in ten hours. Conceptually, this is similar to an eight hour road trip through Pennsylvania or a nine hour jaunt through Nebraska. A few towns, hoards of empty land, and an extreme change of scenery. Oh but except here...these towns are small Argentinian farming villages with cement houses and rooftop water heaters, the ¨empty land¨ consists of stretches of land for cattle grazing, and the scenery changes from the dry, arid Central Sierras to even dryer, more arid Andes (with a few mountain ranges in between). And instead of driving in my jeep blasting 90´s music, I am on a double decker traveling hotel partaking in Spanish conversations. But other than that...it´s practically the USA. Not.
The point is, Argentina is HUGE. On this on leg of my journey, covering 1-50th of the country, I´ve seen wild horses, the Air Force Academy, roadside shrines to Saints, the Vegas of Argentina (Carlos de Paz), a tractor museum (Iowa, much?), green and jagged mountains (picture the Rockies meeting the Appalachians), the movie Invictus, countless above ground cemetaries, numerous family picnics, a few dozen fields of plastic bags, a public park in a town with a population of 40, a impressive road network (thanks, military dictators!), and salt fields. Did I mention this is my third day?
And what am I thinking as the climate, land, and living conditions become seemingly more and more extreme? Am I ready for this? Can I really commit myself to this entirely? Is this what I really want? The unanimous answer...hell yes.
¨But how do we get them to be better then they think they CAN be? That is very difficult, I find. Inspiration, perhaps. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?¨ -Invictus
PS. I should mention, I am writing this in a small town´s internet cafe that is BLASTING the song ¨Get Low.¨ Brilliant.
The point is, Argentina is HUGE. On this on leg of my journey, covering 1-50th of the country, I´ve seen wild horses, the Air Force Academy, roadside shrines to Saints, the Vegas of Argentina (Carlos de Paz), a tractor museum (Iowa, much?), green and jagged mountains (picture the Rockies meeting the Appalachians), the movie Invictus, countless above ground cemetaries, numerous family picnics, a few dozen fields of plastic bags, a public park in a town with a population of 40, a impressive road network (thanks, military dictators!), and salt fields. Did I mention this is my third day?
And what am I thinking as the climate, land, and living conditions become seemingly more and more extreme? Am I ready for this? Can I really commit myself to this entirely? Is this what I really want? The unanimous answer...hell yes.
¨But how do we get them to be better then they think they CAN be? That is very difficult, I find. Inspiration, perhaps. How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do? How do we inspire everyone around us?¨ -Invictus
PS. I should mention, I am writing this in a small town´s internet cafe that is BLASTING the song ¨Get Low.¨ Brilliant.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Bienvenido a Argentina! (Thursday November 11th-Day 2)
Well...I am here in Argentina! I have been counting this down for months and months, jumping back and forth between nervous and excited, between calm and enthusiastic. Now that I am here, it just feels right. I feel natural. I am wide-eyed, curious, comfortable, and happy. I am me.
Over the next six months, I will be traveling around Argentina and Chile. I´ll learn to farm. I´ll talk to be people. I´ll observe and participate in different lifestyles. And I´ll see some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Through all of this, I hope that with this completely new reality, I will find something real. This blog is my attempt to process some of my experiences and to share this adventure with you. I cannot promise that I will update it (some of you may remember my previous attempt at blogging during my travels to Brazil, South Africa, and Vietnam--failed). And I cannot promise this will be particularly insightful, witty, or entirely accurate. But...it is something. And something is better than nothing.
So what has happened so far? Well...after 27 consecutive hours of traveling--including 14 hours of layovers, 8 hours sleeping on hard benches, 4 dehydrated meals, and many a wonderful conversation--I arrived in Córdoba, a city of culture, youth, and sidewalks. So far I am blown away by it all. I spent the past day and a half exploring the city on foot. Whether running through the parks, strolling through the streets, or perusing the market places, I have already seen so much. Argentina´s diverse culture and rich history is preserved and presented throughout the city. Plaques, plazas, statues, and museums commemotate artists, national heroes (like Che Guevara), historical atrocities (The Dirty War), and cultural icons. My inner-urban-developer was equally impressed by the endless amount of public space and pubilc transportation. I suppose this is only to be expected, considering South America´s tendency to believe land is something to be shared by all and owned by none. But that doesn´t take away from just how diverse, grand, and well-used these spaces are. They are constantly occupied by a range of people...from kissing couples to picnicking family. Even within the city limits, the scenery is stunning.
When my explorations brought me to a town outside of Córdoba called Alta Gracia, I saw the Sierras for the first time and my I lost my breath. Such a vivid green under the bluest of skies. Wonderful.
And of course, the people. Generous. Helpful. Loving. Things haven´t changed much since Boston...I´m still talking to anyone and everyone. But what is most amazing to me is that these conversations are real. No more small talk. La pobreza. La immigración. Mi gran cambio de mi estilo de vida. El desarrollo urbano. Nuestros deseos. El idioma castellano. Todo. It is unbelievable. If I continue at this rate, I´ll meet thousands of people over the next six months. No exageration.
Now, I am off to begin farming in San Juan at Tia Granja Nora. Another adventure.
Besos.
´Pensar siempre. Lo peor es el signo de un espiritu ruin t un alma baja´-Che
Over the next six months, I will be traveling around Argentina and Chile. I´ll learn to farm. I´ll talk to be people. I´ll observe and participate in different lifestyles. And I´ll see some of the most breathtaking scenery in the world. Through all of this, I hope that with this completely new reality, I will find something real. This blog is my attempt to process some of my experiences and to share this adventure with you. I cannot promise that I will update it (some of you may remember my previous attempt at blogging during my travels to Brazil, South Africa, and Vietnam--failed). And I cannot promise this will be particularly insightful, witty, or entirely accurate. But...it is something. And something is better than nothing.
So what has happened so far? Well...after 27 consecutive hours of traveling--including 14 hours of layovers, 8 hours sleeping on hard benches, 4 dehydrated meals, and many a wonderful conversation--I arrived in Córdoba, a city of culture, youth, and sidewalks. So far I am blown away by it all. I spent the past day and a half exploring the city on foot. Whether running through the parks, strolling through the streets, or perusing the market places, I have already seen so much. Argentina´s diverse culture and rich history is preserved and presented throughout the city. Plaques, plazas, statues, and museums commemotate artists, national heroes (like Che Guevara), historical atrocities (The Dirty War), and cultural icons. My inner-urban-developer was equally impressed by the endless amount of public space and pubilc transportation. I suppose this is only to be expected, considering South America´s tendency to believe land is something to be shared by all and owned by none. But that doesn´t take away from just how diverse, grand, and well-used these spaces are. They are constantly occupied by a range of people...from kissing couples to picnicking family. Even within the city limits, the scenery is stunning.
When my explorations brought me to a town outside of Córdoba called Alta Gracia, I saw the Sierras for the first time and my I lost my breath. Such a vivid green under the bluest of skies. Wonderful.
And of course, the people. Generous. Helpful. Loving. Things haven´t changed much since Boston...I´m still talking to anyone and everyone. But what is most amazing to me is that these conversations are real. No more small talk. La pobreza. La immigración. Mi gran cambio de mi estilo de vida. El desarrollo urbano. Nuestros deseos. El idioma castellano. Todo. It is unbelievable. If I continue at this rate, I´ll meet thousands of people over the next six months. No exageration.
Now, I am off to begin farming in San Juan at Tia Granja Nora. Another adventure.
Besos.
´Pensar siempre. Lo peor es el signo de un espiritu ruin t un alma baja´-Che
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