Categories: Uncategorized
On Thursday we headed off to our final stop: the Cobb Hill Co-Housing Community and the Sustainability Institute.
Cobb Hill Co-Housing Community:
Contrary to what some neighbors think, the Cobb Hill Co-Housing Community is not a cult and is not a commune. It is, as their website describes, “an intentional community of people who want to explore the challenge of living in ways that are materially sufficient, socially and ecologically responsible, and satisfying to the soul”. In action, this vision takes place on 260 beautiful acres in Hartland, Vermont where twenty-two families live. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
On Monday July 18, 2005 the B.L.A.S.T interns went on a tour called the dig-in. We went to many farms all over New England and Vermont. On Wednesday July 20, 2005 at about two o’clock in the afternoon we arrived in Burlington Vermont at Intervale Farms with our big white cow manure smelling van. I, Diaman-Victoria Wood, interviewed one of the farmers present named Hilary Martin.
Hilary Martin is a farmer at the Intervale Farm in Burlington, Vermont. She has been farming / gardening for about seven or eight years in total. She was farming for about three or four years before joining the Intervale Farm called Digger’s Mirth four years ago. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
The trip that changed the lives of all BLAST members…
It all began on a sunny morning in mid July. My fellow Blastians and I were on the infamous BLAST Dig In trip, which, in past years has gone to such locals as Washington State and Canada. This year however, our road trip encompassed an admittedly smaller area…New England. Four days of riding in our mighty white van across western Mass and then on to the time warped city of Burlington, Vermont, where hippies congregated to admire each other’s guitars and organic clothing.
On this particular morning, the third day of the trip, my fellow interns and I had dragged ourselves stiffly out of our sleeping bags. Our campsite, located next to the picturesque tourist magnate Lake Champlain had been a pleasant stop during the Dig In and we were sad to be leaving. However, what lay behind us would pale in comparison to what lay ahead of us.
“Man, I am so psyched for the Farmer’s Diner!” I managed to groan enthusiastically as I avoided like the plague my smelly sneakers, which had been ceremoniously baptized in chicken poop a day before. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
As we arrived in Middlebury, VT on a sunny Tuesday afternoon we drove through the town, past old New England houses and quirky shops. The towering buildings of Middlebury College slowly came into view. As we drove through the campus, past groups of students talking and people hurriedly walking to class, I realized that most of them probably had no idea of the blossoming garden that was just a short, scenic walk down the road.
Middlebury College Organic Garden (MCOG) was started 4 years ago by Bennett Konesni and Jean Hamilton, two students who met at the Northeast Organic Farmer’s co-op and decided that Middlebury was in great need of an organic farm. This chance meeting was the beginning of a simple yet innovative project that would serve as a model for college gardens everywhere. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
On Monday July 18, following our visit to Nuestras Raices, we loaded back into the van again and set out to Williamstown, MA. In this small, secluded university town, Don Zasada, our former head grower here at The Food Project, currently lives and works with his wife Bridget and two year-old daughter Gabriella on Caretaker Farm, a small farm that grows produce and animals using completely sustainable, organic methods.
Sam and Elizabeth Smith, who still own and operate the farm today, bought Caretaker Farm in 1969. Typical vegetables and fruits are the main focuses of the farm (carrots, tomatoes, lettuce, potatoes, onions, apples, etc. are all grown), yet in the fields where these are grown, the presence of the animals on the farm can always be felt. Views of cows grazing on the picturesque hillside that overlooks the farms, the free-range chickens in their large movable pens, the sheep that wander through Don’s backyard, and the sounds of the pigs in the barn all add to the vitality of the amazingly productive farm. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
Today is Monday July 18 and our first stop is Nuestras Raices. They are an organization that works with youth from different parts/zones of Holyoke and the community. Part of what they do is they have the elders and seniors of the community teach the youth how to garden and farm based on experience and knowledge that they have from living in Puerto Rico or other Latin American places. And the youth work very closely with their community to make a change and make their community look better. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
On Friday July 15 the BLAST interns took a trip to Canton Massachusetts. We visited Red Tomato, an organization devoted to helping local farmers survive in the current food system. Upon entering Red Tomato’s building we found ourselves in a cool room, with walls adorned with salad packaging, farmers’ pictures, and various images of farming. We sat down at table and Angel and Lynn introduced themselves. Angel Mendez is the logistics coordinator, and Lynn Colangione is the director of development. They gave us thorough introduction to Red Tomato. Click here for the rest of this entry…
Categories: Uncategorized
BLAST stands for Building Local Agricultural Systems Today, and one many BLAST programs is an internship for some TFP youth. The goals of our internship are to promote healthy local food for all. We are committed to helping everyone gain access to good food. To accomplish this we build gardens, run workshops, and host events.
To learn more about the way food is made we’re going on a “Dig-In” trip through Massachusetts and Vermont to see different models of the parts of a food system. We’ll visit producers, processors, distributors, and retailers The following entries are anecdotes written by individual BLAST interns about our stops, and will recount our many different experiences. We hope to bring you more stories like these in the future!
Categories: Uncategorized
Thanks for stopping by our brand-new blog! Soon there’ll be plenty to read, as our BLAST interns are going to write abou the Dig-In they’re about to go on.
(Not sure what a BLAST or a Dig-In is? Read Nate’s introduction to learn more!)
Coming up we’ll bring you lots more: entries from some of our other youth programs, writings from some of our staff, reflections on The Food Project, and up-to-date images of our farms. In addition, we hope to enable comments in the near future, to allow YOU to participate in the conversation.
If you’d like to get in touch with us regarding this new blog, feel free to email me.
Thanks, and stay tuned!
Ramsey Tantawi, IT Manager
