Rachael - MHSS - July 2010 - Personal Blog

I wrote the following for June's Moishe Monthly about a multi-MH camping trip, the power of the "outdoors", and the coolness of Judaism when it comes to nature appreciation.

But before I share that, I'd like to share something else -- also, it turns out, involving Jews, the woods, and MH Cleveland.

I just returned from my first Rainbow Gathering, held this year in the Hearts Content (of course! :) ) section of the Allegheny National Forest in Pennsylvania. I had an idea what to expect, knew people who had been before, knew a few people who were supposed to be there the same time as me (-- not that we'd necessarily find each other, with no mobile service and 20,000 people spread out over an entire national park)...and I had done the whole camping / potty-in-the-woods thing...yet I was still a little apprehensive, not entirely sure I'd feel fully "there" or part of the community.

There were so many people and so many cars, we had to park at least a mile from the "front gate", and then walk over a mile and a half to the main center of activity. As I lugged my gear closer, I saw and heard signs of the Gathering: friendly greetings and "Welcome Home"s, offers of assistance and refreshment, some already packing out, latecomers like me on their way in, distant drums...and, then, a Moishe House sign! Cardboard, tied to a tree, a rainbow of colors decorating the Moishe House logo -- and I thought right away I'd be OK.

I immediately sought my fellow MHers. Turns out Raychel of MH Cleveland + friends had established a vegan kitchen Moishe House camp. I had a safe home base, a connection, a family, and a Moishe House-style Jew Crew (open, welcoming, inclusive, casual) to enjoy the Gathering by. It was excellent to have a "family" at the Gathering already...immediately reassuring. I also got to tell people about Moishe House and connected with a few Jews over this very clearly Jewish-affiliated camp.

THANKS, MOISHE HOUSE!

(P.S., the two blessings I mention at the end of the article, I said over bioluminescent fungus a friendly Rainbow-er pointed out to me glowing on my way back to Moishe House camp. Seeing something glow in the dark in the woods is very, very cool. :) )

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Moishe Monthly - June 2010

Nature. Jews. Community. Turtles?


Back when spring weather was still a hopeful glimmer, Josh Einstein of MH Hoboken asked me and MHSS [Moishe House Silver Spring] if we'd be up for another MH East Coast camping trip. (Einstein's previous multi-Moishe feats span the seasons and the mid-Atlantic, combining Judaism and Jewish community in peer-led, outdoors-centered gatherings.) When the dust had cleared and the scores were tallied, MHs Hoboken (NJ), Silver Spring (MD), and Cleveland (OH) (yes, Cleveland -- hadn't you heard? Cleveland's been relocated to the coast!) had signed up for Einstein's next multi-MH event.
Again at French Creek State Park, again waking at 6:30am courtesy of our neighborly Boy Scouts, again celebrating Shabbat in the Great Outdoors -- but this time we were both greeted AND sent on our way by shell-dwelling reptiles. On Friday afternoon we encountered a box turtle (spotted by Taliesin of MH Cleveland) which was clearly thrilled with our tactile adoration ("ooo, I want to pet it!" "Someone take a picture! Quick! Gather 'round the turtle and smile!" "Can we take it home?"); Sunday morning, we awoke to the following incrementally awesome immersed-in-nature experience:

- a snapping turtle
- making her nest and laying her eggs
- on our campsite!

Herbal / botany nature walks (and the resulting tea), cross-MH bonding, storytelling (and cooking) by the campfire -- constructing an eruv around trees with rope, and performing the mitzvot of hamotzi and kiddush under the canopy of dark -- were all wonderful to experience and fulfilled my vision of how our second East Coast Moishe House camping trip would play out; yet I was struck most by this turtle choosing our campsite to lay her eggs. For me it was an exciting, amazement-infused first -- almost surprising, given my life-long infatuation with turtles; and, though I endorse self-explorative expression and personal concoction of blessings of gratitude and wonder, I am proud to have in my heritage both an offering of thanks for reaching a certain moment, and a declaration of wonder for encountering or experiencing an element of our natural world that strikes the heart or spirit.

Shehechiyanu, V'kiymanu, V'higiyanu, Lazman Ha'zeh -- may you continue to reach miraculous, joyous moments, and recognize and experience them as such;

Oseh ma'aseh b'reishit -- and may you continue to enjoy the works and the process of Creation.

And, may I express a blessing of life for our little turtle friends: may all the eggs remain intact, and hatch healthy, and may all the little ones find their ways safely to water, and grow up living happy turtle lives -- perhaps inspiring awe or wonder in others along the way.

Food Justice BBQ - KOL Foods

KOL Foods produces glatt kosher, 100% grass-fed, organically raised meat for the kosher community. They support small, local slaughterhouses and butchers, not massive factory slaughterhouses or processors. They partner with the closest butchers that are in compliance with the USDA and national kosher certifying agencies. They use the minimum packaging necessary to ensure our products' integrity and safety.

KOL Foods produces glatt kosher, 100% grass-fed, organically raised meat for the kosher community. They support small, local slaughterhouses and butchers, not massive factory slaughterhouses or processors. They partner with the closest butchers that are in compliance with the USDA and national kosher certifying agencies. We use the minimum packaging necessary to ensure our products' integrity and safety.

Questions? Feedback? Suggestions? Please be in touch!

info@kolfoods.com; 888.366.3565, http://www.kolfoods.com/

The following items you are eating are from KOL Foods…

• Ground Beef

Food Justice BBQ - QUAKER VALLEY ORCHARDS

QUAKER VALLEY ORCHARDS

Adams County, PA

Winn and Winifred Schulteis operate Quaker Valley Orchards and Guesthouse, a 220-acre fruit farm with guesthouse located in the heart of apple country, Biglerville, PA, just minutes from historic Gettysburg. They can be found at the FRESHFARM H Street, Dupont Circle, Silver Spring and Foggy Bottom markets, where they sell delicious tree and field fruit, fresh vegetables and free-range eggs. Quaker Valley also has baked goods, sauces and jams made from their own fruits and vegetables. For more information, visit www.quakervalleyorchards.com.

The following items you are eating are from this farm …

• Peaches
• Nectarines
• Blackberries
• HoneyBee Watermelons
• Sweet Corn
• Red, Purple, and Yukon Gold Potatoes

Food Justice BBQ - Spiral Path Farm

SPIRAL PATH ORGANIC FARM & CSA

Perry County, PA

http://www.spiralpathfarm.com/

Spiral Path Farm is located in scenic western Perry County, PA, between the Tuscarora and Blue Mountain ranges. The family farm, near the town of Loysville, consists of 188 diverse acres that have been under the care of Mike and Terra Brownback since 1978. The Brownbacks grow a wide variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. Spiral Path Farm's goal is to provide the best tasting, freshest and highest-nutritional-value food they can grow while maintaining the land in a fertile, nontoxic state. Spiral Path Farm is certified organic and food-safety certified.

You can buy their products at Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market 9 am - 1 pm EVERY SATURDAY. They also have a weekly CSA.

The following items you are eating are from this farm …

• 
  Onions * Brandywine Tomatoes * Green Peppers * Asian Eggplant * Sundrop Tomatoes * Cherry Tomatoes * Zucchini * Yellow Squash * Red Leaf Lettuce

Food Justice BBQ - TWIN OAKS COMMUNITY FOODS

TWIN OAKS COMMUNITY FOODS

Twin Oaks Community Foods is a worker-owned co-operative located in central Virginia. They have been producing easy to use meat alternatives since1991. Their co-operative began by providing easy to use meat alternatives for our own community and the Charlottesville and Richmond areas. Over the past 18 years, customer response has helped us to grow, and our soy products can now be found in restaurants, schools, and stores up and down the east coast, as well as through several wholesale distributors.

Their product line has expanded to include three flavors of Extra-Firm Tofu, two flavors of Vegetarian Sausage, Mushroom Pate, Tempeh, and Soy milk.

They strive to provide premium soy foods using unbleached well water, organic non-GMO soybeans, and the highest quality organic herbs available. They play our part in supporting local agriculture by using Virginia grown soybeans, helping to reduce the use of fuel for transportation.

Their Product Line:

Twin Oaks Community Foods is part of Twin Oaks Intentional Community, located on 400 acres and made up of around 90 adult members and 12 children. Since the community’s beginning in 1967, their way of life has reflected their values of cooperation, sharing, nonviolence, equality, and ecology. The Twin Oaks Community Foods crew takes pride in making vegetarian products that are good for our families and yours. For more information about Twin Oaks Community, visit them on the web at www.twinoaks.org

• The Tofu you are eating is from Twin Oaks Community Foods, purchased at Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op (TPSS).

Food Justice BBQ - SPRING VALLEY FARM & ORCHARD; EVENSONG FARM; TOMATOES, ETC. PRODUCE FARM

SPRING VALLEY FARM & ORCHARD

Morgan County, WV

Spring Valley Farm and Orchard is located in Romney, WV. Misty and Eli farm about 54 acres of diversified orchard and about 70 acres of diversified vegetables. They now own about 195 acres and are 100-percent irrigated. They use integrated pest and disease management, only spraying when they have extreme problems, and then using only low rates. Misty and Eli strive to provide their customers with fresh, high-quality products year-round.

You can buy their products at Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market 9 am - 1 pm EVERY SATURDAY and Dupont Circle Market EVERY SUNDAY 9 am – 1 pm.

The following items you are eating are from this farm …

• Green Beans, Purple Peppers

EVENSONG FARM

Washington County, MD

Heritage. Health. Harmony. These are the chords of Evensong Farm in historic Sharpsburg, MD. Evensong grows healthful, heritage foods cultivated at nature's pace without synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or genetically-modified inputs, including heirloom and unique vegetables and herbs, pasture-fresh eggs, pasture-ranged poultry and pork and 100-percent grass-raised beef. www.evensong-farm.com

You can buy their products at Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market 9 am - 1 pm EVERY SATURDAY.

The following items you are eating are from this farm …

• Herbs: Rosemary, Thyme, Sage, Cilantro, & Parsley

TOMATOES, ETC. PRODUCE FARM

Carroll County, MD

Known at the Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market for beef and vegetables, Tomatoes, Etc. Produce Farm started 1998 in Westminster, MD. Shari, her husband, and three children farm approximately 20 acres with very limited use of pesticides. They are able to do this through the use of a plasticulture system. The farm provides gourmet-quality vegetables including varieties of sweet corn, salad greens, spinach, oriental greens, tomatoes, melons, lopes, squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, radishes, beets, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, garlic, french shallots, and fresh herbs. They also raise Angus steer to produce USDA-approved, top-quality beef.

You can buy their products at Silver Spring FRESHFARM Market 9 am - 1 pm EVERY SATURDAY.

The following items you are eating are from this farm …

• Garlic, Squash, Zucchini, Cantaloupe & Poblano Peppers

Food Justice BBQ @ MHSS - 9 Aug. 2009

7 farms + 1 bakery food from:

• Tofu: Twin Oaks Community Foods; purchased at Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Co-op (TPSS)
• Hamburger buns: The New Yorker Bakery -- local kosher bakery based in Silver Spring (Georgia Avenue, south of the Beltway) and Bethesda; purchased at Takoma Park-Silver Spring Food Co-op
• Garlic, Squash, Zucchini, Canteloupe, Poblano Peppers: Tomatoes, Etc. Produce Farm
• Beef (ground beef for hamburgers): KOL Foods
• Herbs: Sage, Cilantro, Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley: Evensong Farm
• Green Beans, Purple Peppers: Spring Valley Farm & Orchard
• Peaches, Nectarines, Blackberries, HoneyBee Watermelons, Sweet Corn, & Potatoes (Red, Purple, Yukon): Quaker Valley Orchards
• Onions, Brandywine Tomatoes, Sundrop Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Green Peppers, Asian Eggplant, Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Red Leaf Lettuce: Spiral Path Farm
• All other foods (foods not mentioned in connection with a specific farm, such as olive oil and apple cider vinegar) purchased at TPSS or Silver Spring Whole Foods (on Wayne Avenue)

All food was either organic, or local, or both -- and EVERYTHING* was hechshered-kosher (*fresh produce not hechshered)

Speakers:

• Lindsey Savoie, Shomrei Adamah - compost
• Becca Weaver, Kayam Farm - sustainable & Jewish agriculture & food ethics
• Devora Kimelman-Block, KOL Foods - founding of KOL Foods
• Jessie Posilkin, AVODAH/AJWS - human rights issues related to food production & consumption

Other contributing organizations:

• Jews United for Justice
• Jewish Community Relations Council
  

* * * This event made possible -- and completely free for attendees -- by a generous grant from Jewish Community Relations Council (jcouncil.org) * * *

For more information, see following posts