1% For the Planet

You may not be familiar with Clif Bars. They are similar to many other energy bars, but they are made locally of mostly organic ingredients right here in the Bay Area. In this author's humble opinion, they are pretty good.

Once day, I realized this small logo on the back of the packaging. 1% For The Planet, it read. What does it mean?

This solution is dead-simple, but elegant. It also says a lot about the companies involved. How many of us would agree to donate 1% of our income to charity? Even just 1%? Now take that same idea, and apply it to the profits of an entire company. That's big.

There are currently 1,386 companies donating to 2,158 environmental organizations worldwide. And you don't have to donate 1% of your income to help. Just buy anything these companies make. Simple.

Humane Certified Egg Whites

These egg whites purport to be "humane certified." That led me to the American Humane Certified site. While I'd heard of free-range eggs, I had never seen this before. I didn't know what to think. At first, I thought this must be good for the consumer. However, once I looked at the requirements of becoming a certified producer, I found a byzantine maze of legal and scientific jargon. Those farms that make it through the gauntlet of tests then have the privilege of signing a license agreement to use the logo in their products. While American Humane does not appear to make a profit from the fees it collects for the certification process, there are some interesting allegations on the Peta site and others questioning AHA's practices.

While I question it's impartiality as well, perhaps it's time for the FDA to step in and regulate organic and free-range produce? It's the devil we know.

Belly Burger - Niman Ranch Beef

I can't be out all of the time saving the world one tree-stranded cat at a time. Even I have to eat. This particular evening I found myself at Belly Burger on Geary. I wound up getting a turkey burger with avocado. But for the sake of argument, let's consider the Niman Ranch beef served (upon request, with surcharge) at Belly Burger.

The cattle are handled according to strict protocols from pasture to plate, from field to fridge. Even the slaughter is regulated. Every individual animal is traceable to an individual farm.

All of this is good. However, they don't make Niman Ranch beef like they used to. In August 2007, founder Bill Niman was forced out of the company by a hostile board of directors over the operations and animal handling procedures. Substances which Bill Niman refused to use began to be used soon thereafter. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss much worse than the old boss.

Certified Organic

What does this phrase mean, "certified organic." It depends on who you ask. There has been significant legal wrangling over the term "organic," and what must be done (or not done) in order to lable a product as such.

With the "USDA Organic" seal stamped on its label, Anheuser-Busch calls its Wild Hop Lager "the perfect organic experience."

But many beer drinkers may not know Anheuser-Busch got the organic blessing from federal regulators even though Wild Hop Lager uses hops grown with chemical fertilizers and sprayed with pesticides. [...]

[...] Many nonorganic ingredients, including hops, are already being used in organic products, thanks to a USDA interpretation of the Organic Foods Protection Act of 1990. In 2005, a federal judge disagreed with how the USDA was applying the law and gave the agency two years to fix it. [...]

[...]

"There is no effective mechanism for identifying a lack of organic ingredients," complained executives of Pennsylvania Certified Organic, a nonprofit certifying agent, in a letter to the USDA. "It is a very challenging task to 'prove a negative' regarding the organic supply."

All of this is quite frustrating. The law was clearly not intended to be used in this way, and yet here it is being twisted by large moneyed interests.

Fortunately for me, the certifying authority for the apple, IMO Control, is using the a standard adapted from and meeting two European Union organic certification standards. While this may not be to the caliber of Demeter International organic certified grapes, we are moving in the right direction, but it seems like it's two steps forward and one step back with organic certification.

Articles like "Towards a post-materialist understanding of science – lessons learnt form the interface of biodynamic agriculture and research"give me hope for the future of this movement:

Sustainability-oriented development research aims to contribute to reshaping current relations between ecology, society and economy as part of a social learning process. This requires that the role of science be redefined as part of a societal form of knowledge production. This means to integrate science and so-called ‘local knowledge’. Local forms of knowledge cover a wide range of issues related to organic and biodynamic agriculture, complementary medicine, solidarity based economy and currency systems. Science and scientists are playing an important role in these movements. But by bringing science into a process of social change science becomes transformed form a disciplinary towards a transdisciplinarity framework of orientation.

Prepackaged Nightmare

I found this gem in Burlington Coat Factory in San Francisco, of all places. They appear to be s'mores, but not like you know them. The dubiously named Fun Pack Foods ships these from their factory… somewhere in the USA. This isn’t even the most recent iteration of this roasted-marshmallow chocolate treat. Look what I found online with a little detective work:

I find this product fascinating. The prospect of conveniently processed s’mores is not completely unappealing to me. However, I only use the finest ingredients. How can I trust this product? There isn’t even a discernible brand name logo on the product. This is a red flag. Second is the name of the product. Even generic food isn’t this bad. With such low production values on the packaging, I can’t be too confident about what I find inside. There appears to be nothing at all appealing about this design.

From the product page:

Everything you need for all camping fun. Kit Includes: 4 roasting sticks, 1 bag of chocolate, 1 bag of marshmallows, 1 package of graham crackers, campfire songs and the history of s’mores

I don’t know where to begin. I find it laughable that I need nothing more for camping fun. However, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. I had neither the opportunity nor the desire to sample the product.

I find the non-food items to be most interesting. Campfire songs are an obvious value-add to the product. Many products use this technique, usually to better effect. I can only imagine what the history of s’mores entails, but I’m sure it’s a great yarn to tell around a campfire. Maybe this would be fun? We could throw up the tent in the backyard, maybe build a fire. The kids would have a good time, and my wife would turn to me and say, “Honey, I love you.”

The preceding is a work of satire. Of course, we probably don’t think consciously think about all of these things when we look at a product, especially one as important as food. Processed foods dominate most grocery stores, and even the most selective consumer would find it difficult to avoid them entirely. That is why it’s so important to concentrate while shopping. Entire marketing departments spend millions of dollars to design packaging that creates an emotional bond with the customer: you. Critically analyzing what you are buying is vital.

Chinese Ginger Truck

This truck or another one like it comes every morning to the Chinese food wholesaler next door to my sister's house. Unsurprisingly, all of the food has been imported from China. However, that in itself is interesting. This food has been shipped, flown and rolled halfway across the world. Yet it is still cheap enough to be sold at least twice more at a price the public will pay. How is this possible? The workers growing this food are unlikely to be paid well. Is it even possible to know where this food was grown, really? China is a big country. This company may have multiple operations. This kind of abstraction is bad for the environment, it's bad for the workers, and it's bad for our health.

Dole Organic Bananas

Perhaps you have seen this label on a bunch of bananas at the grocery store. Dole is a household name, yet the organic label is somewhat new, only being introduced in February 2007.

According to The Organic & Non-GMO Report,

Dole is launching this innovative system in response to demand from consumers who increasingly want specific information relative to the farms where the Dole organic bananas are grown or purchased from growers.

Using the tool, found at doleorganic.com, I was able to "visit" the Marplantis farms in Ecuador. The company's procedures of organic banana production are described in detail and photographed. There is prominently displayed address and contact info on the page. The bananas are certified organic by both Ecocert and Global Gap. All of this serves to build confidence in the end product - the bananas themselves. This kind of transparency is notable from a company such as Dole. They are no stranger to pesticides and their devastating effects on the farm workers exposed to them. I sincerely hope that these steps toward organic production methods include at least a modest improvement in the workers' conditions.

Kewpie Mayonnaise

You may well be wondering why I took a picture of a popular brand of Japanese mayonnaise. Keep wondering.

More to the point, what is really going into the condiments many people eat every day? To answer that, I went right to the source. On Kewpie's English site, they list many of their "fine chemicals" under the "food field."

I don't doubt that preservatives such as these are in many products sold and consumed today. While i did not find any specifically negative literature about egg white lysozymes, they can potentially trigger egg allergies in those susceptible. Egg ingredients may be included under any of these ingredients:

• Artificial flavoring
• Lecithin
• Natural flavoring
• Nougat

This is particularly troubling, as these ingredients need not be further broken down on food labels. It seems impossible for a person with egg allergy to know definitively whether foods with these ingredients contain eggs without potentially unpleasant tasting.

Surely this is not the best we can do.

Vegeta All Purpose Seasoning

Oh, Croatia. Even your humble seasoning blends have been sullied by added MSG. Monosodium glutamate. The name sounds as gritty, grainy as the naturally occurring sodium salt that it is.

Food additives such as MSG have been used for hundreds of years, but not in the processed forms they are in today. MSG, for example, is naturally occurring in many high-protein foods. However, it is now produced in industrial quantities using bacteria or yeast.

While there is little evidence to suggest that MSG causes adverse reactions, not all food additives are without their side effects. Many additives banned in the European Union, such as Red 40, continue to be used in the United States to this day.

Medical Cannabis Edibles

I had some misgivings about posting this pic, but what the hell. For full disclosure, I'm a medical marijuana patient, and I legally acquired the brownie in question. Now that's out of the way, on with the show.

The cannabis plant itself is one of the most versatile plants around, let alone its medicinal value and the nutritional value of hemp seeds. There is no difference in species between a cannabis plant grown for medicinal uses and one grown for hemp seeds for food and/or fiber for textiles. The only difference is that so-called hemp plants are bred to have minimal levels of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), one of the main psychoactive compounds present in the plant.

As far as nutritional value, hemp seeds are one of the few seeds to contain all of the essential fatty acids. The plants themselves are high-yield and low-maintenance. Large amounts of pesticides and herbicides are usually not necessary, as the plant is very hardy.

Cannabis plants high in THC are commonly known as marijuana or pot plants. These plants must be carefully monitored for their sex, as only the female plants of this variety are desirable for consumption. However, the plants readily change genders, so careful monitoring of each plant is necessary. This is to prevent the female plants from becoming fertilized, which takes the plant's energy away from THC production and redirects it to reproduction. Because any plant could switch genders from female to male, male plants must be spotted quickly and removed from the area to prevent pollination of the nearby female plants.

To say nothing of medical marijuana's amazing effectiveness on a variety of ailments, the prohibition of this plant is causing more harm than any recreational use ever could have. Tens of thousands of people go to jail every year for simple possession of marijuana. This creates an enormous burden on the already taxed judicial system. Also, police forces are redirected from more violent crimes to other, so-called victimless crimes.

In order to end this wasteful spending and needless loss of freedom, many citizens of California have come together to support the passage of Proposition 19, or the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. In addition to other provisions, the provision legalizes possession of up to an ounce for personal use . This single change would reduce arrests, trials, and convictions almost overnight. Also reduced would be the significant human cost of the war on drugs, in this case marijuana. All of these reductions in expenditures are essentially for free. The estimated $1.5 billion in tax revenue only serve to illustrate the folly of continued marijuana prohibition. Every public, taxed sale is one less sale supporting violent Mexican drug cartels. Also, buying locally allows for better quality control.

With all of this evidence on the side of legalization, will California become the first state in the Union to legalize and tax marijuana? The polls are showing a slight majority in favor of passage, but anything could happen in November. If you believe in lower prices for patients, more personal freedoms, less structural violence in the judicial system, and increased tax revenues to balance the state budge, the choice is clear. Vote Yes on Prop 19!

Vegetarianism and Veganism.

One of the first things that struck me when I moved to the States was the copious amount of vegetarian and vegan choice I could find in any food place. Not only was I struck but I was also highly skeptical. I considered the choice of vegetarianism or any of its derivation to be a picky whim of childish ideology that one should not kill animals because 1. They’re cute 2. It’s cruel.

I saw a headless veal hanging by a rope when I was four; it did not traumatize me. I saw it being barbecued that night and enjoyed every bite of it (not the entire animal obviously). What I did not know was how meat was treated here.

Fate made that I had a vegetarian roommate for my first year in college. Through conversation I learned about the atrocious process of meat production like chicken that are locked in enclosed spaces where they are force-fed and unable to carry their own weight (if they have the possibility to move). I will not even venture to talk about what they are fed with.

I soon understood that far from being a narrow-minded choice, vegetarianism is a way to go against the United States’ food production process. Watching a movie like Food Inc added graphics to words and made me consider for a split second to stop my own consumption of meat while in this country. This possibility never carried through but my consumption did decrease a lot. Now I am extremely cautious with my choice of meat no matter the price and even if I still believe that many vegans take the issue too far, I’ve stopped teasing them about their lifestyle.

Nut Nightmare.

Another thing that surprised me was the number of people allergic to specific ingredients. I can assure you that not one population outside of the States is this allergic to food.

This large display of nuts is the nightmare of some of my friends (all American). I’ve never had to be this careful when preparing a meal for others (which can be bothersome), and this change made me think about the cause of this phenomenon. Beyond the quality, it is the food itself. What constitutes our plate?

Most of the products are processed with preservatives, additives, conservatives etc. In my opinion, allergies are a flagrant signal of our bodies’ rejection of these fake aliments. “Good” food is considered expensive but it is not necessarily true. Even so what price can one put on health? Buying a better quality of food can prevent from future diseases, thus saving money in the long run. Furthermore, if you are not willing to privilege your food, why would your food privilege you?

Farmer’s Market.

The Farmer’s Market (in this case the one by Civic Center in SF) is one of the most evident ways to have certified local food for affordable prices. How to be sure of it? Whatever you will buy will ripen much faster than the fruits and vegetables bought in any other markets. They are also less attractive. So why buy them? Because that is what vegetables really look like and how long they should last.

That is what organic is: less importance on the visual aspect, more focus on the quality. Products are locally grown free from additives and conservatives. Instead of being packaged they are placed directly on stands. All of this diminishes the emission of fossil fuel and their sustainable techniques enable the soil to stay fertile. Click here for more information on organic food.

Products are fresh and much tastier. Try to find products that smell as good as the ones of Farmer’s Market in supermarkets… it is almost impossible even with the ones on display, that should tell you something. Also, if you do not have time to make an entire meal, you can go and get lunch from various stands without ruining your budget.

What is in season.

I went to the Farmer's Market having in mind a specific recipe but once there I could not find an item: apples. Later I went to Trader Joe's and there they were in abundance. That is when I realized how accustomed we are to obtain any ingredient at any time, not even thinking about its natural production. I myself am not very aware of what is specific to what time. I recall that pears are in autumn and cherries in summer... appalling. Yet this will not stop most of us from sleeping at night.

I decided to look online for relevant information. The first site pleased me as it was a similar case giving me what I was looking for. Yet the second site startled me. It starts with a list of food but by clicking on "bananas" I found that is was available all year long! For a site called "fruit seasons" this is ridiculous. Seasons are not defined but what one can find in a supermarket! Now I might not be familiar with what is in season but I am more critical than this. The third site was the one I connected with thanks to its graphical clarity.

Then comes the question whether "all year round" availability should be acceptable. Wanting apples, this case was convenient but could I have lived without them? of course. Considering only personal consequences eating in season not only enables us to appreciate our food more but it also permits us to get the best out of it. Seems like a winning situation to me.

Slow Food.

Nowadays we are accustomed to go to a restaurant and get served quickly. If it takes more than 10 minutes to get our order we become nervous, at least my friends and I do. Nonetheless food preparation should not be rushed, and the faster a meal is served the less fresh it probably is.

At Holy Grill, they inform you that you will have to wait before getting your order, which got me thinking about Slow Food. The title seems self-explanatory but I never really looked into it. The movement was created in the late 1980s as a reaction against McDonald’s and fast foods in general. Apart from the benefit of thought through waiting, the movement promotes local farming, traditional cuisine and a healthy relationship towards the environment… basically a sustainable way to eat. They are “founded upon connections between plate and planet”.

Holy Grill is far from being the best example but it combines the best of both worlds. I doubt the workers consider themselves part of the Slow Food movement but they adhere to the essence of it. Their burgers are far from being greasy and they are incomparably good and they do make an effort in their choice of ingredients. I never go to fast foods but I (and many others) have walked there specifically to get their food (yes it is that good!).

Grocery Shopping.

I went grocery shopping with a friend, unaware that she would be such an inspiration for this project. Food-wise, she is the antithesis of me. I have been raised to eat food I can recognize; she goes to what is the most attractive. I never thought anyone could shop like this.

I managed to stop her from buying "easy cheese", an item that I would never consider but that she apparently eats constantly. Then she got excited over a cereal box that contained a Shrek toy inside. She had a similar reaction with Macaroni and Cheese. Advertising for kids? I don't think so.

Continuing on this subject, I recall that this kind of advertising is prohibited in most European countries (at least France). You will never find a McDonald’s cartoon there and many less (if not any) TV characters on products. Wonder why American kids are fatter than European ones? This might be an answer.

By the time we were done shopping I was bewildered by her cart and her response was as simple as "healthy food is not tasty! I do not care about healthy, I could get hit by a car anytime but THIS (an onion dip) is good!"

I then made her an entire meal that she ate alright but that she finalized with her chips and onion dip. Needless to say, we are all aware of what is healthy and what is not. If you are fine with the second option, no argument will be convincing enough to change your habits. If she is ok with this, who am I to tell her to change?

I attribute our different points of view on our education. Food education was stressed during my childhood at home and at school and it definitely shaped my relationship towards it. Yet organizations or programs to educate children about food seem inexistent here. Perhaps that I was not researching correctly (even though “food education in schools in San Francisco” should not be so out of the target) even so, this information should not be hard to find. I found a site that gave advice on how to become more sustainable but nowadays few parents have time to make such a commitment.

If one is not educated about food, how can want be aware of what is going on? It seems crucial to me to have talks at schools explaining to kids about the food pyramid and such; that is what will shape their awareness towards current issues that are otherwise passively ignored.

Frozen Food.

A healthy choice should not have such a long list of ingredients like the one shown. The first ingredient listed is corn and it is repeated many times. Chemicals are present too. How did we get to a point where those unknown ingredients are part of our daily accepted consumption? I am surprised when I do not see any on a product I am purchasing; I actually check again to make sure. Should it not be the other way around?

No one should be fooled by covers. The better the graphics of the box, the more processed I think it is. The title might be reassuring but it is false. Maybe that this choice is healthier than others but it stays a way out more than a complete meal.

Moreover, waves emanating from microwaves destroy the food’s nutrients. This fact is up to debate but I agree with it. After all how reliable is a machine sending vibes? If your phone had the application necessary would you want it to heat your food? (If you do, please consider it again but more critically this time).

I am not against frozen food, far from it, but I regard it as a way to eat by economizing time and money. What is not up for debate is that once microwaved the taste and texture of food is never exquisite.

Does this look like Fish?

Food: 1 : material consisting essentially of protein, carbohydrate, and fat used in the body of an organism to sustain growth, repair, and vital processes and to furnish energy; also : such food together with supplementary substances (as minerals, vitamins, and condiments) - 2 : nutriment in solid form - 3 : something that nourishes, sustains, or supplies

Fish: 1 : an aquatic animal - 2 : the flesh of fish used as food

I thought it would be relevant to look up common words such as “food” and “fish”. Merriam-Webster shows that fish as food comes as second. It does not seem obvious with the selection shown on the photo.

I remember hearing years ago that at the question “draw a fish” a british kindergarten boy drew a rectangle. Evidently when all you see are those frozen shapes, it is hard to assimilate this with the actual animal. I myself have a hard time relating those air-sealed pieces of flesh to my idea of the equivalent food. I grew up going to “Poissoneries” (fish shops) smelling the food before entering the space, always avoiding to look at the poor crustaceas on display which lame movements affected my youth’s sensibility (the veal I mentioned earlier was dead, they were not). I never imagined that seeing the actual seafood was a privilege.

Yet less and less people have time to prepare fresh meals and the products shown are practical and economical. The problem comes when you do not know what you are buying anymore, let alone where it comes from.

I found out there are organized trips to go fishing in San Francisco, if one ever wants to venture there.

Guess what this is.

Ingredients:

Whole white CORN, vegetable oil (contains one ore more of the following: CORN, soybean, canola and/or sunflower oil), and hint of lime seasoning (CORN maltodextrin, salt, sugar, natural flavors [including lime juice concentrate and lime juice powder], monosodium glutamate, dextrose, sour cream [cultured cream, nonfat milk], CORN bran, CORN starch, whey, sodium diacetate, and artificial color [including blue 1, red 40]). Contains milk ingredients.

First of, how many of these ingredients are you familiar with?

Second, this list describes Chips.

See I thought chips were primarily made out of potatoes and salt. Not anymore obviously.

Also "and/or"?? How can there be an an/or in a list of ingredients (and I’ve seen this on many items)? Seems that even the producers are not sure of it, how reassuring.

Sure it is junk food so one somewhat knows what to expect when buying it but writing down the ingredients definitely makes me more aware of what this snack really is.

Last minute temptation.

The best way to sell is to attract at the last minute with cheap items. No matter how reliable the supermarket you go to, they all have the counters by the cash registers, enticing you while you wait in line.

We all know it is junk food but I was stunned by what was there. How oxymoronic is a Cookie Dough Balance Protein!? Cookie dough (no matter how delicious) is not supposed to be eatable raw so using it as a flavor for a more or less healthy snack seems completely absurd; yet there it is. It is so ridiculous that I find it comical but if it is there it is because people buy it. All I hope is that nobody buys such a thing with the intention of eating something nutritious.

Agreeing that weight issues is its purpose (isn’t this the point of nutritious bars?), are we really in a society that lazy and frankly that stupid to believe that a cookie dough bar is helpful? Nonsense. A healthy diet can be a way out of physical exercise but this does not correspond at all. No change can happen without an effort. Sorry for those consumers but no one deserves to ameliorate his or her physical condition when buying such an item.

In any case, this discovery affirmed that the worst items are the ones that seem the most appetizing, which is why they are placed so strategically.

A cheap, healthy and variable recipe.

Since I give my opinion on food I figure I might as well put an example of an easy healthy recipe. What I like about this one is that it can be changed to any taste.

Also I never measure when I make food. I start with a little, taste and add more if necessary.

In this case you will need tomatoes, tuna from a can, mayonnaise, lemon, dill, olive oil, salt and pepper but you can also use cucumbers; other types of fish, even shrimp; fresh cheese; wine vinegar; rosemary, chive and mint or anything else that you find necessary.

Rinse the tomatoes and slice the top off (it can be used as a cap for presentation).

Take off what is inside and let them dry out.

In a bowl mix the tuna with the mayonnaise, lemon and dill.

Fill this dip in the tomatoes and serve.

If you used tomatoes, you can use what you cut off by spreading it on warm pieces of toast, adding a dash of olive oil, sea salt and pepper.

It’s tasty, fast, healthy and elegant.

Books on Food

I walked through a bookstore and found this interesting book by Raj Patel, Stuffed and Starved.
The book outlines the historical process of our current industrial food system and the crisis we are facing today. He provides hopeful solutions for a more democratic and sustainable means of food production.

Farmers Market by San Francisco City Hall

I always go to the farmers market on my way back from classes on Wednesdays. It's conveniently located by the Civic Center Bart station. This trip I came close to the end of the sale. This is the best time because you can bargain. I got a pound of white cherries, a pound of red onions, and fresh mint for $2.50. Luckily, the farmers at the cucumber stand were giving them away so I came home with 2 dozen cucumbers and gave some to my friends.

An Organic Farm in Marin

On our drive back from Point Reyes, we passed by the small town of Bolinas to visit Mickey Murch's organic farm. The farm stand is a drive-thru organic market which utilizes the honor system and you pay into a small yellow box in the front. We even helped package some fresh eggs from the chicken coup. I got fresh basil, kale, beets and zucchini for the week. The total of the bag was only $10. Compared to Whole Foods I saved $6. Plus, it supports local farmers and reduced packaging and transportation costs. Not always the most convenient grocery shopping for a city folk, but worthwhile driving back from a camping trip.
http://www.marinorganic.org/producers/producers_gospel_flat.html

Commercial Farming in the city of SF

Little City Gardens is a project started by Brooke Budner and Caitlyn Galloway in the Mission District as an experimental urban farm that markets the produce to local bars and restaurants like the one I visited the other day, Bar Tartine on Valencia. The spirit of the garden is described by the creators, " We are working toward an urban farming model that makes up for its small scale by recycling urban resources (neighborhood composting), eliminating transporation costs (deliveries by foot and by bicycle), creating active, face-to-face relationships with neighbors and customers, and enlivening new forms of community support. The more community we can build around the growing of our food, the more power we can have to change our food systems."
http://www.littlecitygardens.com/

Hayes Valley Farm

The Hayes Valley Farm is a fun place to be Sunday afternoons. This 2.2 acre lot was a freeway overpass that cut through the city. Fortunately, the community organized themselves and converted the empty lot into an urban farm. Last Sunday the farm hosted a cobble-making workshop where volunteers smashed clay and danced hay into it to create benches on site.
http://www.hayesvalleyfarm.com/

The Free Farm on Eddy and Gough

After watching Food Inc. on Hulu, my anthropology group and I walked two blocks from my apartment to peek through the fenced urban farm. Fortunately, one of the organizers was about to water the garden and invited us to take a look. The 1/3 acre project started January this year on a site that was a burnt down Lutheran Church. We ended up watering "strawberry hill" and got fresh sweet strawberries in return. Work days are Wednesday and Saturdays from 10am-2 pm. You can get more info here, http://thefreefarm.blogspot.com/