Just a quick note to say hey from Switzerland. On this leg so far, we flew into Madrid, and then spent two weeks with friends in the south of France. Tomorrow, we're headed to Zurich, then to Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Denmark, the Netherlands, and back to France, where we'll spend a couple weeks in Paris before we head back to Madrid at the beginning of June to catch our flight back to the States.
Everywhere we go we're learning! In Madrid: Spanish recipes (Tortillas, yum!). In France, bread making, stone walls, old architecture (that orients towards the south to maximize passive solar... that then informs where the garden goes: also to the south), home-made, gravity pressurized irrigation, cheese, and did I mention cheese! We saw countless coops, one example of how businesses can operate pairing the ideas of community benefit and economic viability, a way to to ensure sustainability for the long haul-- which reminds me of the economic development happening in N Florida around good food.
Here in Switzerland, we're amazed at how they use ALL their space, even little stretches between the orchard and roads for growing wine grapes. Â Look to my facebook.com/maninoveralls page for pictures.
And, of course, there are thriving gardens, farms, and markets EVERYWHERE! Oh the stories to tell...
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Back in Florida, it's right about that time when you start encountering pests, so here's my Pesky Pests and What to Do About Them.
Happy Growing,
Nathan
PS- Lest I forget, in February in Ecuador, we visited with great folks at FENOCIN, an organization of campesinos (small farmers). Be sure to check them out. They're doing amazing work with small farmers, women, youth development, and national ag policy.