tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7295860848293958832024-03-13T06:53:15.110-04:00AMS Farms and Food Field Trip 2011Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-16313324937414662752011-03-15T12:58:00.000-04:002011-03-15T12:58:44.898-04:00Day 15 - by Anna Zakelj and Emma Santoianni<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today Michelle tried very, very hard to wake us all up at 7:00, which to us was actually 6:00 because of the daylight savings. Her attempts were not very successful at first, as only five of us were present at circle, but eventually (after a bit of harassing) the remaining five trip members dragged themselves out of their tents in order to devour the available and scrumptious camping-classic cream of wheat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After breakfast, we packed up relatively quickly and were driving out of camp at exactly 8:31, on our way to White Oak Pastures, a certified organic cattle ranch not far down the road.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>At White Oak we met with a woman named Jenni Harris, the fifth generation of the Harris family to work the ranch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The first thing she showed us was the kill floor. It smelled similarly to the yearly AMS turkey slaughter. We saw a recently-deceased cow early in processing, right after skinning. Jenni explained to us that the cows are slaughtered humanely and completely by hand. Then<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jenni took us outside and showed us a little house thing where they were raising<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>black soldier flies so the chickens could eat their larvae and so that the flies could eat the dead cows’ insides to turn them into compost. Then the gay garden manager who Michelle is going to marry someday told us about the soon to be certified organic garden. Then Jenni took us to see the chickens who have no fencing and are fed very little food by humans. Then we went back to the main office and picked up yummy grass fed beef to take back with us.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We listened to Harry Potter and consumed delicious cherry Garcia ice cream while driving to Keely’s house. When we got there we were greeted by Nicole Seals whose shoulders immediately struck me as very similar to Michelle Obama’s. She led us into the house where we feasted on chocolate Easter eggs, humus and pita chips, and strange but good chocolate covered pomegranate things. The boys were immediately sucked into the addictive and horrible powers of the wii. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then Patrick, being the ace that he is, grilled us hamburgers made from the White Oak Pastures meat. Yummy. Then Isaac Ashcraft got crazy and broke a window with his butt which resulted in no window and glass in Isaac’s butt.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>THE END</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Emma\Anna</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-55210699188523547122011-03-15T12:54:00.000-04:002011-03-15T12:54:20.957-04:00Day 14 - by Isaac Ashcraft<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today we woke up in our dew covered tents and were attacked by the swarm of gnats again. Ughhh!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We folded up a Vietnam hospital tent for Nick at the Crystal River Archeological Preserve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There were many giant fire ant mounds under the tent which was scary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then drove for “six million hours!!!” says Michelle Rehfield and Anna Zakelj.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was about 6 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We arrived at Kolomoki Mounds and were all very tired.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We set up tents and had a super good curry made by Pete.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We then went to bed and I slept terribly! YAY!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See you soon peeps!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span>Isaac Ashcraft</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-40029049382553011172011-03-15T12:51:00.000-04:002011-03-15T12:51:08.603-04:00Day 13 - by Reginn Ramsey<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Today, we woke up around nine and started packing our stuff. I was the first one packed for the first time this trip! Maybe because I had decided not to use my sleeping bag and just sleep on the COLD, hard floor. After we packed, we ate some granola, grapefruit and some tangerines. We started eating outside until we were attacked by a swarm as big as Jupiter of gnats. Everybody then decided to eat inside. After we ate, we didn’t know what to do the rest of the day, so THE staff (Pete) decided that we should go swimming with manatees. After a long time of calling, we were finally on our way to the “mantees”. So after our drive, lunch, and hours of watching a video about “mantees” we were on our way. I felt a little bit nervous with Pete driving the boat. We saw trillions of “mantees” and got to pet a lot of them. After that, we went back to the site we were staying at, ate some delish pasta, and tried to sleep. Unfortunately, the “Jupiter Gnat”-bites kept us awake.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">Sincerely,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Reginn (ray-in)</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-24415362022452959772011-03-15T12:39:00.001-04:002011-03-15T12:50:14.588-04:00Day 12 - by Keely SealsToday, we drove. A lot. We arrived at an organic grapefruit grove around lunchtime, and we traversed the rows of grapefruit trees, chomping down on as many grapefruits as we could stuff into our mouths. Not really. We just ate a few, and then we crossed a dam and picked tangerines and grapefruits alike. They were yummy-licious and I liked them a lot. We also learned how to sectionize grapefruit, which makes eating them a whole lot easier.<div><br />
</div><div>After we left the grove, we went to the Crystal River State Preserve, where we met Nick. He was really cool, and let us watch the movie Captain Ron, which was funny. We camped there, and ate more grapefruit. Overall, today was an excellent day.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Keely Seals.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-79901230803419243842011-03-14T20:10:00.000-04:002011-03-14T20:10:39.522-04:00Day 11 - by Ethan Rountree<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">March 10, Day 11</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Today (aka three days ago) we woke up at early (very very early) to get to Monsanto by 10:00. While we (Pete) were driving we got caught in a hurricane which picked up cars and flooded some small towns. Luckily Pete has ninja driving skills and didn’t let us die. When we got there the guy, named Tim, took us inside and gave us all water bottles and pens sporting the catchy slogan ”<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Monsato</b>gether”. Then he talked to us about Monsanto and what they did which consisted of “staying one step ahead of evolution.’’ Interestingly enough the products that have not been tested in the US can be used in other poorer countries. He then showed us around the test greenhouses where they were growing cucumbers, bell peppers, and tomatoes. We ate lunch in their cafeteria where we had our food in buckets that had bumper stickers saying “eat organically, local, and fairly made”.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Then we drove to Sarasota where we stayed in a nice house. We then walked to the beach where we did not swim but instead wrote in the sand and sat around. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>For dinner we ate at “hungry Howies” an all you can eat pizza buffet. All you can eat pizza however is not necessarily a good idea because I think we all felt relatively sick afterwards.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Finally we went back and sat around and went to bed.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Extremely </b>sincerely,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 3;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ethan<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-48266478157991078142011-03-14T20:03:00.002-04:002011-03-14T20:07:50.058-04:00Day 10 - by Emma Santoianni<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Today was our last day at the Winsburg’s. We woke up at a somewhat reasonable hour, like 8:15 or something. At 9:30 we walked about five feet out of the door to meet with a nice lady named Nancy. Michelle is going to be just like Nancy when she grows up. Nancy runs what remains of Green Cay farm. She showed us the farm and talked about the different plants and let us eat some of the herbs. We also saw the old empty silo where owls live. The floor of the silo was littered with mouse bones. We collected some skulls. When our tour was done, Ted Winsburg pulled up in the tractor and told us if we got on the trailer, he’d give us a ride back to the barn place where we were staying. Afterwards, Ted gave us some papayas.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">We went into the apartment thingy. We was super tired. I took a nap. Also, other people took naps. Then Michelle, Anna, Reginn and I had a blonde party upstairs. But not really a party kind of party. More like a, “Holy buns, am I fried or what? Let’s lie here and talk drowsily” sort of party. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">At this point in the day, since we’d woken up at such a perfectly reasonable hour, it was only lunch time. So we ated quesadillas. Then we walked to Publix and bought some popsicles. Then we walked back. Then we had a super crazy dinner with a whole turkey and some sweet potatoes and salad. Then we cleaned the whole house. Then the boys and Pete decided to have exclusive dude time upstairs in the room that you have to go through to get to the bathroom. Keely and I decided to hang out outside on the porch. Anna joined us and we made up a handshake and a tribal dance, then pulled up our pants really, really high.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Bedtime. Yay.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Not-necessarily-so-sincerely,</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"> Emma</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-25362042701785649362011-03-08T21:26:00.001-05:002011-03-08T21:26:14.539-05:00Day 9 - by Isaac Galton<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">Today was our day to chill and relax. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">In the morning, we slept in. Most everyone was awake by nine-thirty and we ate some breakfast burritos around ten. We sat around for a while and finally Keely bugged/convinced us to go to the beach. We got into the van and drove for like half an hour. The drive, especially the one through downtown Delray reconvinced me that Florida is ugly and fake looking, with all their lush, green lawns;<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>their perfectly trimmed hedges and ornamental plants, and red mulch. Once at the beach we enjoyed the company of lots of old, tan, fat, white people with also some middle aged, tan, fat, white people and some young, tan, white people. Almost everyone got stung by jelly fish within minutes of entering the water so we ended up mostly just making sand creations and sunbathing. We ate lunch, trying to avoid the defecating seagulls overhead. Many people were very happy to leave once we did. Sunburned, hot, sandy, and dehydrated, we walked to the nearest Ben & Jerry’s and spent some kitty money. I got a new flavor with chocolate-covered potato-chip chunks, and it was delic… sorta good. Then we drove back and showered (not at the same time). After games and reading and relaxing we ate and then did some more of that stuff. I’m really happy right now cuz I didn’t put any sunscreen on my ears and not enough on the rest of my body. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sincerely, your Clerk/blogger, Isaac Galton</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-78323384888512024812011-03-08T21:25:00.003-05:002011-03-08T21:32:48.848-05:00Day 8 -by Anna Zakelj<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4-G7aZV6fLE/TXbmujNqNFI/AAAAAAAAABY/hP-qx4tjAjI/s1600/DSC_0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4-G7aZV6fLE/TXbmujNqNFI/AAAAAAAAABY/hP-qx4tjAjI/s320/DSC_0852.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Ted Winsburg took us to the Bedner’s you-pick farm where we got a tour of the fields. They grow peppers, tomatoes, squash, corn and strawberries. Then we went to a nature center where we took a virtual air boat ride and listened to the nighttime sounds of the everglades narrated by a grandfather that sounded like a vampire. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">After lunch we went to the Bedner’s giant non-you-pick pepper farm. The farm mainly employed Guatemalans. We watched them picking and packing peppers into boxes so that they were ready to be sold. They did all of that on one big truck thing that Ted invented. Each worker had a bucket that they picked the peppers into. Then they ran with the full bucket to the truck where they dumped the peppers on a conveyer belt. The peppers rode around the truck where women sorted out the blemished peppers and threw them on the ground and then put them in boxes which were then put on a truck to be driven somewhere to get sold. Later we looked up how much a box would get sold for and it was around $24. Lauren asked one of the workers how much they got paid per bucket which is more than a box worth of peppers and it was $0.50. It was by far the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone pick peppers. Ted really stressed how efficient it was. He also said that the Bedner’s worked their workers much harder than he ever had.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Then we watched <u>The King’s Speech</u> and found a large pile of assorted kinds of bread in the theater parking lot. Once we got home, Michelle practiced her first aid skills on me. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">The End</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Anna</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-72471888080540305652011-03-08T21:17:00.001-05:002011-03-08T21:24:46.488-05:00Day 7 - by Isaac Ashcraft<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hello, Isaac Ashcraft here and it is finally my clerk day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>BLOG TIME!!!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too bad today we were in the car for 6 hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice reward though when we got to Green Cay Farm and met Ted Winsburg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For those of you who don’t know him, Ted and his family gave the money to the school to build the Green Cay building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ted has lived in Boynton beach for 55 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They own and operate Green Cay farm and The Green Cay Nature Center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ted and all of us visited the Nature Center and we are now at the apartment building at the Winsburg’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know to some people this is very redundant, but I find it cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>30 years ago when my dad Scott Ashcraft was at AMS, he and his field trip visited the Winsburgs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find this cool and nostalgic, but oh well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had chicken burritos for dinner and are now hanging out at the Winsburg’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am listening to Comfortably Numb by Pink Floyd and all is well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everybody is getting along and we are all having fun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Well this is Isaac Ashcraft saying goodbye, I hope you liked my first blog post ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See you next week!</div></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-34641446786080958022011-03-08T21:15:00.003-05:002011-03-08T21:35:45.226-05:00Day 6 -by Keely Seals<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Hello. I am not Reginn Ramsey, who should be blogging right now.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">This morning, we got up and went to breakfast at the Golden Corral with Hector and Dr. Davis. It was fun and delicious. It made our ride to Jacksonville a lot faster, that’s for sure—no stopping for snack so soon!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">We drove for about seven hours today. At one point, we played Frisbee at a rest stop in South Carolina—later, when we ate snack, we fed the local wildlife at a rest stop in Savannah, Georgia. They began to trust Ethan, which either meant that he is the new Bird Whisperer or that he just has a ton of food. Who knows?</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">When we arrived at the Geigers’, who are our hosts, we were immediately magnetized to the trampoline and rope swing, and we were so enthralled that we completely missed the zipline until later on. We had curry and rice for dinner, and ice cream for dessert; personally, I felt amazing.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">I’m sitting in this cool office-place right now- it’s so cool! It’s nice and warm, and the shower was comfortable in every way. I’m in the mood for a dance party!</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Keely Wednesday, signing off ONCE AGAIN. >:C</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">…even though I volunteered for this.</div></div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-75096205918980106872011-03-05T21:49:00.002-05:002011-03-08T21:38:36.030-05:00Day Something-or-Other, aka 5. By Keely Seals.<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nAUzOl4TSGQ/TXbnyOWDXNI/AAAAAAAAABo/VB6SIq2iGy8/s1600/DSC_0519.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-nAUzOl4TSGQ/TXbnyOWDXNI/AAAAAAAAABo/VB6SIq2iGy8/s320/DSC_0519.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Today, we woke up in the morning, again. What a coincidence! We had a hardcore party, and we listened to epic thrash metal whilst shaving our heads and dyeing our Mohawks blue. Not really. We just ate some eggs from Fickle Creek.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">We went to the Sunset Ranch Organic Farm, where we helped spread organic-certified fertilizers and lay black plastic. Reginn and I built funny-looking sand castles and destroyed them. We also met Hector, who worked at a Smithfield plant for ten years. He told us a lot about Smithfield, and how if one were to stop the conveyor belt, they would be fired almost immediately. And that a single accident makes you ‘accident-prone’, which makes you go bye-bye! A particularly sad bit is that when a buyer is going to the plant, they’ll lead you around into a meeting room and show you a nice little video about the cuts of meat available, completely skating over the way the animals are killed. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Afterward, we went canoeing/kayaking on the Lumbee River with Mac Ledgerton, wandering around the cypress knees and generally being really happy and not tipping over. Even though I learned that I am probably the single worst kayaker on the face of the planet, I still enjoyed it immensely.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">We had spaghetti for dinner, with sausage from Fickle Creek Farm. It was yummy and I liked it a lot. Om nom nom.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iOZo8USg1Fc/TXbntn-2egI/AAAAAAAAABk/_Y5bD-gpLxs/s1600/DSC_0559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iOZo8USg1Fc/TXbntn-2egI/AAAAAAAAABk/_Y5bD-gpLxs/s320/DSC_0559.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uns0n35Vkkc/TXbn_snB4QI/AAAAAAAAABs/hCmu67YGong/s1600/DSC_0622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-uns0n35Vkkc/TXbn_snB4QI/AAAAAAAAABs/hCmu67YGong/s320/DSC_0622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Keely Wednesday, signing off again.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-40871457498938217972011-03-05T21:28:00.003-05:002011-03-05T21:30:26.637-05:00The Fourth Day, aka Staff Appreciation Day. Keely wrote this.<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Today, we did a lot of driving. What was supposed to be three and a half hours turned into five and some. It really only affected the staff, though, which is funny because today was Staff Appreciation Day. When we arrived here at the River Way center, we looked at the Lumbee River and climbed a rock wall. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Some people </i>were show-offs, and they played games like ‘Let’s Do Chin-ups on the Wall!’ and ‘Climb Sideways across the Wall!’</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">This made me jealous.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">With us at the River Way center was this really cool dude named Mac Ledgerton. He showed us around, made us bring in firewood, and led us to a showcase of the Indian Education Cultural Academy. We got to see the projects of the students, who were mostly in fourth grade. But we missed the door prizes, which made me sad. I wanted to win some lye soap.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Currently, we just finished dinner, in which we had delicious tacos. Yum yum.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Keely Wednesday, Blogger-in-Chief. I like your face.</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-19821691185890421122011-03-05T21:23:00.003-05:002011-03-05T21:23:32.444-05:00Day 3 -by Emma Santoianni<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Today we woke up in the morning, as people often do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For breakfast we had granola and fruit. Then we got into the van and drove for an hour to Union Grove, NC, to visit Tom and Sandy Colletti, a new order Amish couple. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as we got there, we started a work project planting potatoes. Isaac Ashcraft looked funny using the rototiller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We worked for a while. Then we ate lunch. Then we did more planting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Even after tilling and planting and hoeing, we all still had a ridiculous amount of energy, which we let out by running around on and tumbling over really big mounds of dirt and getting very dirty. </div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">Afterwards, we walked to the Shiloh General Store a little over a mile away. On the walk, Anna, Keely and I planned the treehouse castle in our future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s going to be awesome. Pete and Lauren will live there, too, but Pete will live in the dungeon. He will eat lots of lasagna and dairy products down there.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we got back from the store, we had a ton of spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. After dinner, we took a ride in a horse-drawn cart down the road and watched the sky turn orange. Back at the house we had apple crisp for dessert and told jokes with Tom. Now people are playing music in the living room. I am not. I am typing a thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But now I’m done typing my thing so I’m gonna stop and go do other things that do not involve typing. Today was a fun day.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 84.75pt;">In case you didn’t know, this is Emma. (And Keely made paragraphs.)</div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-76079377694435771172011-03-05T21:20:00.002-05:002011-03-08T21:42:55.679-05:00Day 2 -by Keely Seals, Ethan Rountree, and Isaac Galton<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-05BwidI0WmI/TXbpF7NpWnI/AAAAAAAAAB8/VUa_dHO2XtA/s1600/DSC_0194.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-05BwidI0WmI/TXbpF7NpWnI/AAAAAAAAAB8/VUa_dHO2XtA/s320/DSC_0194.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Today is Pete’s birthday. We woke up at the Friends’ meeting in Greensboro to some delightfully thick pancakes. Unfortunately, some couldn’t have syrup because of the corn products. After breakfast, we promptly entered the Magic Van and drove to the North Carolina A&T research farm. Doctor Nikki spoke to us about goats, goat breeds, and various things that inhabit goats’ intestines. </div><div class="MsoNormal">Then, we went to the more agriculture-heavy part of the A&T research farm, where they tried to find the best varieties of lettuce to plant at different times in the planting season. They also grafted tomato plants to each other—the disease-resistant rootstock to the heavily-fruiting upper half. Although some didn’t survive, the ones that did sure did look neat!</div><div class="MsoNormal">Afterward, we went to Fickle Creek Farm, where Ben showed us around. He had a unique story- he’d purchased this gross, clear-cut, nutrient-depleted land surrounding a high- tension power cut and made it into a beautiful farm, where every animal had a job; not only did they serve as meat, egg, or dairy, they served as a natural rototiller, or a weedwhacker, or a stump-muncher. One of the first things he did to improve the land was actually to put goats all around the depleted areas- they dug the roots and ate some scrub, and their manure added good nutrients to the soil. Although they don’t have goats now, they still have 1400 chickens, quite a few sheep, three cows, and approximately fifteen pigs, as well as growing beds currently full of mainly cover crops. Before we left, we grabbed a few sausages for the road :D</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then, we went to our host’s house. Her name is May Toms, and she fed us some yummy lasagna, with salad and bread munchies. Because it was Pete’s birthday, we went out for ice cream.</div><div class="MsoNormal">INTERESTING THINGS THAT HAPPENED:</div><div class="MsoNormal">Isaac Ashcraft touched the electric fence and pained himself. We laughed.</div><div class="MsoNormal">Ethan drank way too much water and almost exploded his bladder. We laughed.</div><div class="MsoNormal">I fell down the stairs whilst bragging about how strong and capable I am. Pete laughed. Then everyone else laughed.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bdiB_yDbJKg/TXboyp4yJKI/AAAAAAAAAB0/uQHAC4NXwbQ/s1600/DSC_0196.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bdiB_yDbJKg/TXboyp4yJKI/AAAAAAAAAB0/uQHAC4NXwbQ/s320/DSC_0196.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-at30oO1O_yk/TXbo5pysSnI/AAAAAAAAAB4/mfusaP3nh8w/s1600/DSC_0224.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-at30oO1O_yk/TXbo5pysSnI/AAAAAAAAAB4/mfusaP3nh8w/s320/DSC_0224.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Written by the new Lead Blogger in-chief, Keely Wednesday. With minor help from Isaac Galton, who is Blog chore today. I was nice enough to do it for him. Ethan didn’t really help, but Isaac wanted to say that. </span>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-89714863727867127052011-03-05T21:17:00.001-05:002011-03-05T21:17:44.771-05:00Day 1 -by Anna ZakeljWe left school at around 10:00 in the morning and drove to Kernersville where we went to Farmgirl Arts which is a small organic farm owned by Laura Fraser and Ken. Ken farms vegetables and chickens. They recently built a greenhouse, where he puts pre=germinated plants into larger flats. Then he sells the flats to ACE Hardware. The greenhouse was very organized. The floor was lined in gravel and all the flats of plants were perfect.<br />
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Laura showed us her sheep. They were rugged non-domesticated sheep. One of them had 2 sets of horns one that curled down and another that straight back. Laura said that that type of sheep can have up to 6 horns. Laura uses the wool from her sheep and Ken's dad's sheep to make felted sculptures of animals. She showed us different kinds of wool and explained how to process it.<br />
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Then we drove 5 miles to Ken's strawberry patch and cut the dead leaves off of strawberry plants so mold didn't grow on them.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-58919495991899288252011-02-27T15:16:00.002-05:002011-02-27T15:21:31.794-05:00The itinerary at last...<b>February 28th</b><br />
<ul><li> Drive to Kernersville, NC to help Laura Fraser process wool at her sustainable sheep farm, Farmgirl Arts <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/FarmGirlArts">http://www.etsy.com/shop/FarmGirlArts</a></li>
<li>Sleep at Friendship Meeting House in Greensboro</li>
</ul><b>March 1st</b><br />
<ul><li>Tour NC Ag & Tech Research Farm</li>
<li>Work project at Fickle Creek Farm in Efland, NC, a sustainable farm that produces eggs, broilers, pork, beef, and veggies <a href="http://home.mebtel.net/%7Eficklecreek/">http://home.mebtel.net/~ficklecreek/</a></li>
<li>Stay with May Toms in Greensboro</li>
</ul><b>March 2nd</b><br />
<ul><li>Plant potatoes Amish style using horse team with Tom Coletti</li>
<li>Stay with Tom Coletti at the Union Grove Amish community</li>
</ul><b>March 3rd</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Lumberton, NC</li>
<li>Sleep in River Way Outdoor Adventure and Education Center</li>
</ul><b>March 4th</b><br />
<ul><li>Talk by environmental/local food activist Mac Legerton while canoeing the Lumby river</li>
<li>Visit farms in Lumberton area</li>
<li>Sleep in River Way Outdoor Adventure and Education Center</li>
</ul><b>March 5th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Jacksonville, FL </li>
<li>Stay with Al and June Geiger.</li>
</ul><b>March 6th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Boynton Beach, FL</li>
<li>Stay with Ted and Trudy Winsburg</li>
</ul><b>March 7th</b><br />
<ul><li>Day of rest</li>
<li> Stay with Ted and Trudy Winsburg</li>
</ul><b>March 8th</b><br />
<ul><li>Visit Green Cay Farm (the one Green Cay on the AMS Campus is named after) and other local farms</li>
<li>Stay with Ted and Trudy Winsburg</li>
</ul><b>March 9th</b><br />
<ul><li> Explore the Everglades</li>
<li>Stay with Ted and Trudy Winsburg</li>
</ul><b>March 10th</b><br />
<ul><li>Tour a Monsanto/Seminis research farm in Felda, FL <a href="https://www.monsantovegetableseeds.com/Pages/Default.aspx">https://www.monsantovegetableseeds.com/Pages/Default.aspx http://us.seminis.com/</a></li>
<li> Drive to Sarasota, FL</li>
<li>Stay with Danielle Green</li>
</ul><b>March 11th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Lakeport, FL for work project at Tom Oswalt's certified organic pink grapefruit grove </li>
<li>Camp at Crystal River Preserve State Park</li>
</ul><b>March 12th</b><br />
<ul><li>Service work for Crystal River Preserve State Park</li>
<li>Swimming and tubing in the Rainbow River</li>
<li>Camp at Crystal River Preserve State Park</li>
</ul><b>March 13th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Bluffton, GA</li>
<li>Camp at Kolomoki Mounds State Park</li>
</ul><b>March 14th</b><br />
<ul><li>Tour and work project at White Oak Pastures, a sustainable cattle ranch that sells beef to Whole Foods in the southeast <a href="http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/">http://www.whiteoakpastures.com/</a></li>
<li>Drive to Marietta, GA</li>
<li>Stay with Patrick and Nicole Seals</li>
</ul><b>March 15th</b><br />
<ul><li> Visit the Children's School in Atlanta, GA </li>
<li>Meet Chef Steven Satterfield of Miller Union and learn about local and sustainable food sourcing</li>
<li>Dinner at Miller Union restaurant <a href="http://www.millerunion.com/site/">http://www.millerunion.com/site/</a></li>
<li>Stay with Patrick and Nicole Seals</li>
</ul><b>March 16th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to Comer, GA for work project at Jubilee Partners, an intentional community with a large farm used to feed its members <a href="http://www.jubileepartners.org/">http://www.jubileepartners.org/</a></li>
<li>Stay at Jubilee Partners</li>
</ul><b>March 17th</b><br />
<ul><li>Drive to AMS</li>
<li>Sleep in our own beds</li>
</ul>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-8220226083559778562011-02-04T09:29:00.000-05:002011-02-04T09:29:10.834-05:00New organic standardsAfter learning about the initial reaction against industrial agriculture 50 years ago, and how the definition of organic has changed as USDA certified organic foods have become available in supermarkets and mega-stores across the US, I challenged the class to come up with our own organic standards. <br />
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Each requirement on the following list has been debated and approved by everyone in the class. Let us know what you think!<br />
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<b>Food and Farms Organic Standards</b><br />
<ul><li>Herbivores cannot eat meat.</li>
<li>Farm animals that produce dairy, meat, and /or eggs must have open outdoor grassy pasture.</li>
<li>Food cannot travel more than 500 miles from the site of production to the site of consumption. This includes each ingredient in multi-ingredient prepared foods.</li>
<li>No synthetic pesticides, herbicides, or fertilizers can be used.</li>
<li>No genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) can be used.</li>
<li>No antibiotics or hormones can be given to livestock.</li>
<li>Farmers must rotate crops yearly.</li>
<li>No artificial ripening of fruits and vegetables. </li>
<li>If a farm is pictured on a food package, the picture must be of a farm that produced at least one of the ingredients in the food product.</li>
<li>All ingredients must be listed, including the components of "spices" and "natural flavoring."</li>
</ul>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-67870800310182410822011-02-03T15:11:00.000-05:002011-02-03T15:11:20.981-05:00Food and Farms class gets depressed, begins recoveringFirstly, I know all of you have been biting your nails waiting to find out how you did on our ingredient quiz. Without further ado, the correct answer is <b>Laura Lynn Lemon Juice from concentrate</b>. The corn-derived ingredients in the other options are xanthan gum, malt extract, and citric acid.<br />
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Since our last post, the food and farms class has delved further into the world of industrial food production. We've learned about why corn is in everything, about commodity crops and how food poses unique challenges to the economic rules of supply and demand, about genetically modified and patented seeds, and about chemicals and technologies that were developed for war and then re-purposed for industrial agriculture. We have read excerpts from the Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan about corn farmers and concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs), and we've watched King Corn and parts of Food Inc.<br />
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It was a pretty depressing couple of weeks, and by the end the students were more than ready for some good (or at least better, we hope...) news. We turned our focus to the motley crew of environmentalists and hippies who took a stand against industrial agriculture in the late 1960s, many of whom are responsible for making organic food the fastest growing sector of the food market today.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-84398092788292769862011-01-17T12:45:00.001-05:002011-01-18T14:53:33.985-05:00Take our ingredient quiz!In our first class, we started our examination of industrial farming by learning about corn-derived food additives, and just how ubiquitous they are in our food. We ransacked the AMS food stores looking for products without corn, and found quite a few, but for the most part, corn ruled the day. We created this quiz for you out of some of the ingredients we found. Good luck!<br />
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</b><br />
<b>Which food DOES NOT have a corn-derived product in it?</b><br />
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1.) The Fillo Factory Organic Fillo Dough. <i>Ingredients: Organic wheat flour, filtered water, organic wheat starch, organic tapioca starch, organic expeller pressed safflower/soy/sunflower oil, salt, organic malt extract, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin, Tri-Calcium phosphate. </i><br />
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2.) Laura Lynn Lemon Juice from concentrate. <i>Ingredients: Lemon juice from concentrate (water, concentrated lemon juice), sodium bisulfate (preservative), sodium benzoate (preservative), and lemon oil. </i><br />
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3.) Mesa Grande Picante Sauce. <i>Ingredients: Crushed tomatoes (water, concentrated crushed tomatoes), water, fresh jalapeno peppers, distilled vinegar, fresh onions, salt, dehydrated onions, xanthan gum, dehydrated garlic and natural flavoring. </i><br />
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4.) Muir Glen Organic Crushed Tomatoes. <i>Ingredients: Organic tomatoes, organic tomato puree (water, tomato paste), sea salt, naturally derived citric acid. </i><br />
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<i>5.) </i>Philadelphia Regular Cream Cheese Spread.<i> Ingredients: Pasteurized nonfat milk and milkfat, whey protein concentrate, cheese culture, salt, whey stabilizers (xanthan and/or carob bean and/or guar gums), sorbic acid as a preservative, vitamin a palmitate. </i><br />
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Look for answers in the next post.Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-729586084829395883.post-25166404884973775102011-01-17T12:20:00.003-05:002011-01-18T10:27:52.511-05:00Food and Farms Class Kicks Off<style>
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<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Food and Farms Trip 2011</b><br />
Students: Isaac Ashcraft, Isaac Galton, Reginn Ramsey, Ethan Rountree, Emma Santoianni, Keely Seals, Anna Zakelj.<br />
Staff: Lauren Lindahl, Pete McGuire, Michelle Rehfield.<br />
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<i>Course Description</i></div><div class="MsoNormal">In this class we will learn about the various ways that food and food-like substances are grown, processed, and delivered to consumers. We will explore how plants and animals are raised using conventional industrial agriculture, industrial organic agriculture, and small scale organic agriculture, often referred to as “beyond organic.” As we learn about each of these types of farming, we will study the effects on the planet of their production, and the effects on people of their consumption. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During the course of the class, we will go on several small field trips to local grocery stores and local farms, in order to understand better how our food is sourced and the day-to-day operations of farmers in the Celo valley. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I intend for this class to be as practical, hands-on, and related to the every day life of the students as possible. After all, we all eat food all the time! With this in mind, before we embark on field trips and are faced with many opportunities to buy junk food, each student will set a goal for him/herself to be a more thoughtful consumer. This goal can range from reading the ingredients of any food before purchasing it, to forgoing soda altogether for the duration of the trip. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Requirements</i></div><div class="MsoNormal">For each type of farming, students will create a project that either synthesizes what we have learned or that goes into further depth about a specific aspect of that farming style. These projects may take the form of an essay, an art project, or a multi-media report. Regular short reading and writing assignments will help students keep track of information to use in their larger projects. </div>Laurenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11097676803071398363noreply@blogger.com1