FarmGirl Visits the USDA on national mall in DC

I was amazed at the lack of interaction the USDA offered visitors.

Thousands of folks walk by every day, in the mood to see interesting items,

They are willing to learn, they want to learn! Yet all I saw were a few

Computers, some $800 aeron chairs and some reading materials. There were a handful of interactive monitors and talks, but the purpose was definable only as a PR MOVE FOR President Bush.

The food guidelines were outdated and there was one piece of literature in Spanish. Most discouraging was the fact I had to convince the guard that I really wanted to see the exhibit no matter how puny.

Two blocks in any direction were some of the most visited sites in DC: The holocaust museum, the American history museum, Washington monument. Talk about an opportunity missed. Fellow Muddfielders, we have a job to do!

Three-sisters

The "Three Sisters" are also the three basic agricultural crops of Native Americans in North America, squash, maize (or corn), and climbing beans.

In a technique known as companion planting, the three crops are planted close together:

  1. build flat-topped mounds of soil for each "cluster", about a foot high and 20 inches wide
  2. plant several corn seeds close together, in the very center
  3. when the corn is 6 inches tall, plant beans and squash around the corn, alternating between beans and squash

The three crops benefit from each other:

  • The corn provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles
  • The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants remove
  • The squash spreads along the ground, monopolizing the sunlight to prevent weeds
  • The squash also acts as a "living mulch," creating a microclimate to retain moisture in the soil
resource: http://www.free-definition.com/

Washington, DC

Wahoo! FarmGirl and the MuddField Gang just returned from Washington, D.C.:

Day 1
The plane bumped slightly on the landing. Knowing that hurricane Ivan was lingering had not seemed important. The airport closed just prior and right after our landing due to tornadoes. The Gang collaborated over dinner and pulled their act together: This mission is crucial.

Our first guise was to attend the opening of the new Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indians. Wow. The content was unexpected, creating a refreshing mind challenge that continues today.

We scoured the exhibits for pertinent information and yes, there was enough to warrant a part in the new agricultural promotional tour which will start at the USDA on the National Mall.

We have a lot to do for the USDA does not know about their new educational tour.


Yet.

Learn new words

Introduce yourself, friends or family to a new, yet scary word!
Frankenfood
What is Frankenfood?
a. Food created by Frankenstein
b. Food modeled after Frankenstein
c. Food eaten by Frankentstein
d. Food from Frankfurt, Germany
noun. Food derived from genetically modified (GM) plants and animals.
Globesity
(gloh.BEES.uh.tee) n.
What does globesity mean?
a. excessive globetrotting
b. obsessive compusive disorder centered around earth
c. having the physical appearance of a globe
d. worldwide epidemic of obesity
The worldwide epidemic of obesity
http://www.wordspy.com/words/globesity.asp
ape diet
AYP.dye.ut) n.
What is the ape diet based on?
a. eating only apes
b. sir roger ape iii
c. primate preferences
d. FarmGirl’s banana soup(
noun. A vegetarian diet that emphasizes soy protein, soluble fiber, nuts, and leafy green vegetables.
http://www.wordspy.com/words/apediet.asp
-FarmGirl
FarmosaFarms.org
818.585.5660
promoting agriculture for good health

Quote this

“To get to the zone of intuition many people have to walk through the gate of another fear: being crazy.”


Hendricks and Ludman, The Corporate Mystic

Thank you to MsJones Design!

We have never properly thanked the team at MsJones Design and we feel horrible! If it were not for Ms Jones, the farm would only have been a suffocated dream. Thank You, Erika, Bobby and little Conor for all of your inspiration, support, patience, instruction, patience, laughter, patience. We love you! We will beat the Evil Captian Sludge and get the sludge out once and for all and we are in your debt.

xo,
Farmgirl, Slam, Boopadee, EllieBelly and the Buzzinator, who will forever be a guiding spirt for the Farm.


2 September 2004

Imagine an organic farm acting as a neutral zone for the Bounty Hunters, Bloods and Crips? If you are not familiar with these terms, welcome to the projects of Los Angeles, where one lady is changing the world.

Anna Marie Carter, aka the Seed Lady of Watts, started with an idea, a chair and first and last months rent. Less than three years later, Ms. Carter runs the Watts Garden Club where she teaches, leads and encourages over 350 children from the surrounding hoods with one goal in mind: To create a self-sufficient, urban farm. And they are making it! After continuous hard work, the students have sold enough organic soaps to make a down payment for their urban farm.

But inner city farming is tough; between the politics of gangs and the need for food to survive, everyday is a battle. The Watts Garden Club has received several grants to help their cause, with one coming this fall to specifically take the student on tours outside of Watts to see how agriculture and farming works beyond drive-bys and bandanas. With an accumulation of $6K in donations, the Club will receive $10.5K in donations. Not a bad investment at all!

We must help Anna reach the $6K by the end of September. This is coming up very quickly. Please, find it in your heart to help her and the children of Watts build their dream. Donate Now! All donations are tax deducatable through the Earthways Foundation.

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Farmosa Farms is a proud supporter of the Watts Garden Club. Our mission is to promote agriculture for good health within all communities, what better way then to support the Seed Lady of Watts. Please, help us help the world!

xo,
Farmgirl