My friends at the amazing Ever Laughter Farm threw an AMAZING Summer Solstice party on the farm…waking up in the morning with chickens clucking in the background is simply…lovely. (Mind you, I had no tent, had a fabulous tarp though).

Little did I know that farmlife can be chaotic as well.

Two years around this time, I found an organic farm in the mountains of northern Georgia which looked for volunteers through a great group called WWOOF (Willing Workers on Organic Farms). You can find farms everywhere, from New Zealand to Canada.

So I packed a suitcase, several pairs of overalls, left the City, and found myself waiting at a bus “station” for my ride to the farm.

No, your eyes do not deceive. There are no buses nor people. But there’s my little suitcase in red with a pillow waiting. I was no longer in New York City.

Someone finally came by to pick me up and we drove to Wal-Mart to buy me some good rubber boots (for stepping in…stuff). After driving through winding mountain roads, we arrived at the Farm, which turned out to be also a RV camp. They had incredible water falls

and a 3-acre farm with some of the best organic soil in the state of Georgia. With three horses, many goats, three cows, rabbits and chickens, our days were full.

Every morning, I made myself a breakfast sandwich with the fresh eggs gathered the day before and a glass of raw cow’s milk milked the day before. Deliciousness. (FYI: most people who are “lactose-intolerant” can digest raw milk).

Then I’d hit the garden, picking chard, mustard greens, kale…planting strawberries…weeding, harvesting mushrooms…getting everything prepared for the farm/RV guests that day. Everything was organic and sustainably-grown. The picking was hot, sweaty, dirty, and simply lovely.

Once the sun was high in the sky, I went up to the main kitchen (I lived down at the “Farm” with the “Boys” without indoor plumbing. Yes, this meant no bathrooms, so the trees by the outhouse did the trick late at night) to help chop all the veggies I picked. I’d head back out to the garden in the afternoon to weed or plant.

On other days, I got milk duty. Here’s where chaos can happen in a hot Georgia minute. I got one lesson and the next day, it was just me, five goats and two cows.

The goat were great – like big dogs. But I gotta admit, poor Flo got handled not as gently as I wanted because her udders were…HUGE…and I couldn’t figure out to get them into the little pump. She was what we would consider a 38DD…and the pump was like a 32A bra. I guess just like humans, a goat’s mammary comes in all shapes and sizes.

After the goats came the cows. I learned to back a cow out of the tiny milking shed: you put one hand on its hip and push it out like you’re moving a stalled Chevy truck. I can’t move a stalled Chevy truck.

The milking shed was a tiny little wooden structure that could fit ONE cow or maybe 4-5 goats if you can manage them. If you bring it more than one goat, you have to tether them to the wall or they’ll go find wherever you stash that sweet feed. Sweet feed is some sort of crunchy, molasses treat that makes cows and goats go bananas.

I mean BANANAS.

The milking started out okay. Cow Number 1 was happily situated and tethered her to the post so she couldn’t move (not that there was room to move). However, before I could hook her up and close the door, Cow Number 2 comes storming in looking for some sweet feed. Mind you, the milking shed is SMALL. See this? Cow Number’s 2 butt was hanging out the door because there is no room for two cows…or shouldn’t be any room.

I tried to put my hand on Cow Number 2′s hip and push her out like I was taught, but it might as well been a brick wall because Cow Number 2 was not going anywhere.

Before I knew it, one goat jumps in the shed. Then another. Then another. Soon, there were five goats and 1 and ½ cows in this tiny place. Seven animals were scrambling for the sweet feed located in large metal trash bins. The milking shed was shaking. SHAKING.

Great, I just broke the milking shed, I thought.

I quickly latched all seven animals in the shaking little milkshed, hopped in the farmtruck (with no door and the steering wheel needed to pop out to drive), and raced up to find some help.

Help came. Soon, all seven animals were out of the shed, which was still standing. There was zero sweet feed left. They ate it all.

Long story short, I learned that because I have no ability to push a cow, I could back a cow out of a milk shed with a tap with a leather strap on the hindparts, wave my hand in front of a cow’s face, or make really deep sounds.

That was my peace and quiet on the Farm.

Gorgeous golden fresh farmers eggs from Dubai, UAE from guest photographer, Cambria.

I am an absolute novice when it comes to coffee. Remember, I’m the one with the baby taste buds and so yes, coffee has traditionally been too bitter for me. And it makes me pee like nobody’s business.

But when I heard there was two-day coffee camp at Counter Culture, the awesomest, coolest, happiest place, I jumped at the chance. Counter Culture is headquartered in Durham, NC and have training centers from New York to Atlanta. It was started in 1995 to challenge the existing paradigm of cheap, tasteless, lonely coffee. The founders imagined up a company with a passion for “coffee perfection…real sustainability…cutting-edge education.”

A company that hand-selects the best handcrafted coffees from around the world DIRECTLY from coffee farmers and not through anonymous coffee “buyers” and wholesalers? A company that cares about working conditions of its farmers AND the coffee experience of its consumers? A company that develops real relationships? Is that possible?

Folks as far as Wisconsin came for Counter Culture’s inaugural Counter Intelligence Camp, an incredible learning experience that included workshops on everything from the history and origins of coffee, to the coffee buying industry, to how to brew coffee in a gazillion ways. There were café owners, baristas, home enthusiasts. And me.

There is far more that I learned than I can fit here, so stay tuned for a next piece on my hands-on coffee fun. For now, I’m just blown away by the complete harmony between their ethics, philosophy, and action. They KNOW their coffee. They KNOW their farmers. They KNOW their stories. Many companies talk about being green, going organic, but how many actually live and breathe their talking points?

Counter Culture (I swear they are not paying me or even know I’m writing this, I don’t even buy coffee!) is the first coffee roaster to be certified organically in the state of North Carolina. What does certified organic even mean? Well, we’ve all heard the argument that you can be organic without being certified, and while technically true, it’s not so simple. Being certified is more than not using pesticides or using organic soil, it’s an entire philosophy. It’s about complete ecosystems in harmony.

Organic also impacts taste and flavor. I have heard from many coffee enthusiasts that Counter Culture’s coffee is truly one of the best, and this is no doubt in part due to the fact that they proactively reach out to farmers and hand-selects their crops. Their roasts can be seasonal because, well, it depends on what’s good, where it’s growing, and when. There’s no all-purpose blend of non-descript coffee remains. This is the real deal.

At the heart of everything they do are people, fairness, and sustainability. They set the bar, paying the highest prices to ensure the highest quality, partnering with each artisan farmer to ensure environmental, social, and fiscal responsibility. They investigate and evaluate every working condition, including seemingly small details like changing the chairs to be more ergonomic. One story that I was particularly touched was of an intrepid 30-something year old woman named Aida Battle who goes to El Salvador to run her family’s coffee farm without any previous experience and ends up with award-winning and record-setting coffee. Read about Aida here.

How many coffee roasters can equal that? Or the more important question is: why don’t other coffee roasters equal that? That is exactly what Counter Culture is trying to do: change the existing culture and current thinking that coffee should be cheap, tasteless and empty. Coffee is not just caffeine. It is about people; it is about life.

Note: local restaurant favorites with their own personalized coffees. Relationships are global AND local. It can be done.

Join the Rebellion.

Like many of you who support eating and living healthier while supporting community, shopping farmer’s markets or looking for that “local” stamp in supermarkets on a bushel of cherries or tomatoes have become necessary habits. For me, one of the people who played a role in instilling this habit was Michael Pollan. Pollan’s famous The Omnivore’s Dilemma changed my life and the way I eat and the way I shop; the way I engage with food.

While I have since read his other books, this one still remains a turning point for me. Now many of you may have read it, and may have or have not had a similar reaction to it as I did. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend it. His observations and stories about farming underscores the reliance we have on oil…and on corn…corn in everything, and not always good for your health. When he talks about how distant we have gotten from our food, I’m ready to get up, and rally and protest against all big, industrial farms.

But are they all really awful examples of corporate greed?

This interesting article by Blake Hurst, a farmer in Missouri, was recently published in The American (supported by the conservative think tank American Enterprise Institute). His article, The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals, gives a stern admonition to people like me (I suppose) who spew about the big bad farms but don’t farm for a living. As a farmer, he discusses the realities he has had to face, from economic factors to animal nature (i.e. the stupidity of turkeys). He argues that many parts of industrial farming are owned by family farmers. He also argues that:

“Pollan thinks farmers use commercial fertilizer because it’s easier, and because it’s cheap. Pollan is right. But those are perfectly defensible reasons.”

Source: The American

While I am not wholly convinced, I do think Hurst raises some critical questions (i.e. how do you feed the world non-industrially?) and about the need to listen to all sides and perspectives, lest we all run around like stupid turkeys (I happen to love turkeys).

In the meantime, I’ll continue to ponder these questions as I shop at the farmer’s market, support my local farmers, and look out for unnecessary pesticides in my food.

Every day.

Now, I love cooking for people…on my own, however, the creative motivation is not always there. I admit, there are times when what I eat and how I eat I would never DREAM of serving or sharing with someone else. I eat on the computer, I eat on the couch, I eat straight out of the pot sometimes (why wash an extra dish?). After all, who am I trying to impress?

The good thing about cooking for one, though, is I get to be lazy, I get to eat leftovers, and I get to try things that may turn out disastrous. Plus I feel less bad about making me the guinea pig (and I have served me some rather tasteless food) for new recipes.

So for those of you single ones out there  – or those of you with a rare opportunity to dine on your own – here is one real week of what a single Zomppa eats (and some easy recipes – proven to taste okay).

Day One: I generally make a huge batch of one or two dishes on Sundays that I freeze for the week. This weekend was a bit different because ZomppaTonija and her rambunctious family came for a visit. By Monday, I still had some leftovers from a *gasp* Americanized Chinese place, and I was not about to let it go to waste. So I took the sweet ‘n’ sour chicken, tossed out the sweet ‘n’ sour sauce that looked a bit like tar, popped the chicken and rice in the microwave and added some hoisin sauce to give it a kick. Yes, this is what I ate. But, I did put it in a bowl.

Day Two:  I felt a little bad about eating leftover take-out, so I decided to make Penang Curry with some grass-fed ground beef from the Hogan’s Magnolia View Farm.  I had some Penang Curry paste that I brought back from Thailand, but you can find this at many supermarkets. I put the curry on whole-wheat, flaxseed pasta to add a twist.

Penang Curry

5 TB Penang curry

1 can coconut milk

1 lb ground beef

1 cup haricot vert

1 TB sugar

1-2 TB fish sauce

A couple lime leaves

Spiral pasta

1. Heat coconut milk over medium-high heat
2. Add Penang curry, mix until well blended
3. Add ground beef until browned
4. Add haricot vert
5. Add sugar, fish sauce
6. Meanwhile, make pasta
7. Add lime leaves and continue to heat for a few minutes
8. Take off heat and pour over pasta – mix well

Day Three:  A friend decided to come over for dinner, but I didn’t have any time to go to the store, he doesn’t eat red meat, and I couldn’t serve him ramen (my weakness, which I will discuss another time). I only had frozen shrimp and legumes. So I made a seafood medley in garlic butter over a vegetable bulgar pilaf. It was a big hit – whew! I didn’t embarrass myself too much. The chickpeas in the pilaf made the dish extremely filling and satisfying. Easy to make.

Beurre del Mar (okay, I made this name up, but it’s pretty fitting)

¼ pound shrimp, shelled

A few fish balls (find in Asian supermarkets, although you can use any seafood)

¼ pound butter

6 cloves garlic, minced

Salt

Pepper

1. Melt butter in Dutch oven or deep skillet
2. Add garlic and cook for a few minutes to infuse flavor
3. Add seafood and cook
4. Season with salt and pepper
5. Pour over pilaf

Vegetable Bulgar Pilaf

1 cup bulgar wheat

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili flakes (or as hot as you want)

1 can chickpeas

1 cup haricot vert

1 ¼ cup water (approximately)

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt

Vegetable oil

2 eggs, hard-boiled

1. Heat vegetable oil and add garlic and onions until translucent
2. Add spices until fragrant, but be careful not to burn
3. Add chickpeas
4. Add wheat
5. Add green beans
6. Season with salt
7. Cover with water about 2 inches
8. Once water boils, lower heat and cover for 20 minutes
9. Meanwhile, hard-boil eggs (put in cold water, boil water, once boiled, take off heat for about 10-13 minutes)
10. Fluff wheat and season accordingly
11. Slice eggs and add to pilaf

Day Four: See Day Two. Leftovers! Ate straight out of the Pyrex. I must say Penang Curry over Pasta is even better several days later. The flavors really soak in.

Day Five: Didn’t feel like leftovers, so I succumbed to my cabinet of ramen (I love trying new ones out), and this one I had never tried before. It was pho, the Vietnamese noodles, and I added fish balls to it. Oh, wow. Probably full of preservatives, but this is really my weakness. And it was good. And easy. And I didn’t feel bad feeding myself ramen.

Day Six: I happened to have some ham and cheese left from preparing lunch, and I also had some of my favorite freshly, baked Italian bread from Whole Foods ($1.99 for the whole loaf!).  So I made my own little Monte Cristo, making French Toast with thick slices of Italian bread and layering Virginia Honey Ham and Pepper Jack cheese. Yum. This I would serve someone.

Day Seven: See Day Three Leftovers, sans seafood.

So what do YOU eat when you’re alone? WHERE do you eat it? HOW do you eat it?

Let’s look at the market economy and our farmers. In 1790, farmers used to make up 90% of the labor force. In 1990, farmers made up 2.6%. What happened? Is the decrease in farms a natural result of the market economy? Is it the role of the government to prevent the destruction of all farms? Which types of farms get help and which ones don’t?

On the one hand, farm bills and subsidies that “help farmers” sound wonderful, but what type of unintended consequences do they have on on whom? Government subsidies (and some would argue, natural market competition) have favored large companies such as Mansanto and Cargill. The growth of these businesses have changed the industry: aspiring students of agriculture study agribusiness, not farming. As consumers, we tend to still reach the prepackaged chicken nuggets because of ease and convenience and price rather than the fresh, locally-grown whole chicken.

Meanwhile, federally-funded programs that aim to help preserve farms do not always result in their (original?) intentions. According to Timothy Egan, up to $20 billion a year of federal money goes to farms, yet these farm subsidy systems often go to the richest farmers who are industrial farmers. These subsidies also go towards large commodity crops such as corn and soybeans to help produce more corn syrup and processed foods, rather than to small farmers who grow fresh vegetables and legumes.

Who is responsible for real change of our current food system? Is it a political issue? Economic? Social? Does it ultimately fall on us as consumers? As it is said, we pay with our feet.

Two new friends of mine, Sam and Will, have decided to not get caught up in the politicking and fighting about this bill and that bill, and act. Several months ago,  Sam (who is not a farmer) decided to purchase a house and some land, invited Will (who is an experienced farm manager) to join him, and started the Ever Laughter Farm. I remember the first day I saw it, there was a lot of grass. Lots of grass. 7 short months later, the Ever Laughter Farm has an abundance of greens (known for their leafy delicious lettuces that defy the oppressive Southern heat), chickens, goats, and even a few large pigs. They sell their produce at the South Estes Farmer’s Market in Chapel Hill, NC and the Eno River Farmer’s Market in Hillsborough, NC.

I am thoroughly amazed at their determination and their focus to walk the walk. There are others too. Recently, some folks from Crop Mob, a group of small farmers and farmer-wanna-bes, went to Ever Laughter for a day to support Sam and Will’s enterprise. In return for a day’s worth of work, a communal dinner and a date to help a neighboring farm.

With the world’s population pushing past the limits of the earth’s capacity, our food and people crises are very real for all living creatures. Climate changes, desertification, and lack of fresh water are all symptoms of a world in danger. Malnutrition is occurring under many forms, from overfeeding processed (and unhealthy) foods to cooking leather chairs as ‘lamb stew’. Using these crises to promote political interests – be they conservative, liberal, national or foreign – seems extraordinarily and dangerously short-sighted.

There will always be unintended consequences to even the most well-intentioned policies. But folks like Sam and Will at Ever Laughter remind us that sometimes, it simply takes real human beings to act and effect change through action, and perhaps then, we can move ever closer to Happily Ever Laughter.

More on FarmBill and subsidies.

I found this YouTube video for a visual.

So I learned a little more about the Silver Plate…the Gujarati thali, apparently one of the most balanced meals of all Indian cuisines. The silver plates are actually originally known as kansa (a five-metal alloy) known to improve memory and purify blood. The thali usually offers varieties of vegetables – from seasonal ones to potatoes to dal – all good sources of anti-oxidants, vitamin A and C, fiber and carbohydrates.

Eating from the hands is made even more splendid when eating from the earth. I had the fortune to go with a friend to his ancestral home about 2 hours away, where his family has a farm. The people who have farmed his family’s land have been doing so for 100 years. They farm tobacco and cotton. This community is wonderfully inclusive – you can walk down the street and a neighbor will invite you in for amla (from Indian gooseberry trees – left photo) or you can pick wild raspberries straight from the trees.

Papayas grow straight from the trees and we drank from freshly-cut coconuts. It was simply wonderful not just trying new foods, but being invited to a warm home, eating home-cooked meals, and enjoying the company of strangers who become like family over the course of one meal.

What language barriers? Nothing brings people together like food.