We began our 10th day at the farm learning about the energetics of food with Melissa. The main idea is that all food has energy, which most everyone intuitively understands. For example, hot peppers are firey, mint is cooling, potatoes are heavy and earthy. Throughout history, people in various cultures have analyzed the energetic properties of food in systematic ways in order to cook in a harmonious way. Modern nutrition in the U.S. has a slightly different focus, while other systems still practiced today such as Indian ayurveda or Chinese medicine have that more energetic perspective. Today Melissa didn't teach us about a particular system of analyzing the energetics of food, but instead taught us to trust our own intuition to feel for ourselves what the energy of a food may be.
We began by discussing the five main energetic elements, understood to be such by many cultures around the world. Those are earth, water, air, fire and ether (or spirit, space, etc.). Every food has some balance of each of these.
We then talked about a few examples of how flavors relate to the elements. Sweetness is a watery and earthy flavor. It's very fluid and moving, which is why people tend to gravitate toward it when they are feeling rigid and tense. Sourness is mostly earth and air - it's like squeezing a sponge, it contracts things and pushes the water out. Bitterness is similar to sour but more airy and cutting. It's very stimulating to the digestive system, so it's good to taste this flavor at the beginning of a meal. Saltiness is mostly earthy, so it's good to taste to feel more grounded.
Next we discussed organs of the body and how they interact with food and seasonal energy. The liver is the organ of flow. It's associated with the earth element and is very important for digestion and especially for detoxification. When the liver is stagnant or stuck, toxicity builds up and we feel anger and frustration. Bitterness creates flow in it and sourness stimulates it. It's especially good to give attention to the liver in the spring; that time of year a lot of bitter greens begin to grow, so it's naturally a great time to eat those things. To cleanse your liver, you can blend and take a shot of the following: olive oil, apple cider vinegar, garlic and fenugreek.
The lungs are organs which bring things together to be broken down. They are associated with autumn or the period between autumn and winter, and also need to be supported during the move into the spring season. Feelings of grief can be held in the lungs at times.
The spleen works very closely with the liver. It's all about assimilating food, and Melissa shared with us something her teacher says, "you're not what you eat, you are what you assimilate." Overeating and over-thinking can damage the spleen. You can help the spleen by de-stressing, and by helping the liver. The spleen's season may be around the end of summer, end of winter, or maybe is the transition between them all.
The heart is fiery, passionate, moving organ. It's associated with the summer, and things that are fiery and moving support the heart.
The winter is associated with the kidneys. It's a time to go down into your roots. The kidneys hold water and house your essence. In the winter it's good to eat roots and hearty, nourishing foods.
Some other ideas from Melissa: food is medicine. It's a good idea to be in touch with your senses while you eat, and to get rid of the "good for me, bad for me" mentality; in reality it's more about balance than good and bad. And lastly, remember that when eating we're taking in life; we owe it to that life to be present when eating it.
Some books that Melissa recommended for more information on these topics were the following: "The Alchemy of Nourishment" and "Tao of Sex, Health and Longevity."
Urban Farm tours
The second half of the day we took a field trip to several urban farms in Portland. Coming from Syracuse, New York, I was surprised to know that there could be so many real farms in the midst of a city. Check it out:
Tabor Tilth Farm is relatively small scale. It's a home lot of an average size for Portland, so the space is maximized with densely grown food. In the back of this picture you can see corn, beans and squash growing together in a guild - the "three sisters."
Given the small size, Connie of Tabor Tilth Farm maximizes vertical space. Here you can see grapes growing high up the house.
Connie doesn't have trash service - everything goes in the compost, and this is beautiful result.
Here Connie is showing us her cob fireplace. She didn't spend any many to have this built, but instead traded for the materials and recruited friends to help make it.
One of the most interesting things to me were Connie's silk worms. You can see them sitting right on her desk. Notice the little cocoons they produce which later become the fluffy material seen in the basket.
Check out this video of Tabor Tilth Farm!
This is Jean's Farm. Located in Southeast Portland right beside Johnson Creek, Jean's Farm feels like a rural paradise just beside busy urban life (much like TLC Farm, but even closer to the city center). In these pictures Taryn is giving us a tour. She and three other women are starting "Myriad Growers" on the farm, a medicinal herb growing operation. They just formed this spring, so this year got a head start on things with some annual plants. Next year they'll begin the herbs.
The last farm we visited was Lovena Farm. This farm has existed as a farm for at least 60 years, and is another example of a huge farm amidst a big city. Here you can see the breadth of fruit and veggie growing, and Laura, Mike and Em enjoying some delicious figs.
-Nick
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