For those interested in a learning vacation, there are actually farm vacations that would allow you to learn about farming. You can learn how to grow vegetables, raise animals, or make cheese. So if you’ve ever wondered how it’s like to be at a working farm this would be the way to do it.

Serene moment at Leaping Lamb Farm in Oregon. Photo from Flickr.

WWOOF (Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms) was founded in 1971. They list hundreds of organic farms around the world. From England to New Zealand. For $20 per person, you can have access to listing of farms which could use your help.  In return for volunteer help, WWOOF hosts offer food, accommodation and opportunities to learn about organic lifestyles.

Some are as short as one day harvest while others could last the whole season. It all depends on what you and the farm agree on.

But if you’re interested in farm vacations that offer structured courses, try Farm Stay U.S.A. Some farms offer a two day cheese making class with a cost of $500. (Of course at this rate, I would figure it out on my own!) I guess the perks is that guests can also select vegetables for the owners to cook for dinner. And breakfast includes fresh eggs from their farm chickens.

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Here in the U.S.A., I sometimes worry about my fruits and veggies being organic or not. When it comes to potatoes or other root veggies, I chose the organic ones. Luckily with pineapple and watermelon it’s of little concern. But if you live in China, you’ll have to wonder where exactly does your food come from?

We’ve all heard of the tainted baby formula and pet food, now the list is growing.

A recent report from the LA Times pointed out China’s food scandals are becoming increasingly frequent and bizarre. And bigger, cheaper, faster is the name of the game.

Below are the highlights of the food scandal in China I gathered from the Los Angeles Times.

- A Shanghai woman who had left uncooked pork on her kitchen table woke up in the middle of the night to find her pork was emitting a blue light. It was later found to be made by phosphorescent bacteria (which glow-in-the-dark).

- Last month, watermelon farmers in eastern Jiangsu province hoped for a bumper crop instead got exploding watermelons. Much “like landmines” after they mistakenly applied too much growth hormone.

- A popular manufactured of steamed buns was caught using dye to make cheap wheat buns look like the more expensive black rice buns.

- And fish farmers are also feeding their fish ground up birth control pills to make some breeds of fish mature more quickly. Even the farmers themselves refuse to eat these fishes.

A Chinese food scientist who exposed many of these issues wrote a book about it, but the book was banned in his own country. Reporting about such things makes the government unhappy and people are scared to voice their opinion.

The list could go on and on. But these are just some of the ones I found shocking.

This isn’t just happening in China as it was also reported shrimp farmers in Vietnam were also using large amounts of antibiotics on their shrimps. And many of those shrimps are being sold to outside markets such as the U.S.A.  This just makes you think twice about eating shrimp cocktails.

I guess in this case we have to vote with our wallets. Eat less of the bad stuff or none at all. Eat more organic veggies and grow your own if possible.

If there was a way to farm or garden without having to weed, prune, water, use fertilizer or pestides would we do it? The answer would seem to be 100% YES! But unfortunately it’s not something we are used to hearing or think is remotely possible.

Welcome to the world of permaculture. It is defined as “permanent agriculture”- where the conscious design and maintenance of agriculturally productive ecosystems which have the diversity, stability, and resilience of natural ecosystems. Or simply stated as farming along with Mother Nature alone.

Masanobu Fukuoka (February 2, 1913 – August 16, 2008) is a pioneer in the world of permaculture. He has written numerous books on the subject, starting with The One-Straw Revolution.

Abundant Rice field growing in Japan. Photo by Kjeld Duits. Duits has written a great article about Fukuoka: Farmer- Philosopher.

Here is a little more info about Fukuoka:

“At age 25, he began to doubt the wisdom of modern agricultural science. He eventually quit his job as a research scientist, and returned to his family’s farm on the island of Shikoku in Southern Japan to grow organic mikans. From that point on he devoted his life to developing a unique small scale organic farming system that does not require weeding, pesticide or fertilizer applications, or tilling.”

He is also considered to be a philosopher as well. Definitely someone I wished I had heard about sooner.

Bill Mollison is another pioneer of permaculture. Declared as “Ecologist of the Century” in Australia. Here is some info I’ve found about him from an interview with Seeds of Change.

“Permaculture is nothing less than a “sustainable earth-care system” capable of providing our food, energy, shelter, and other needs while conserving the world’s resources.”

He advocates local food production and regional self reliance.

Another amazing farmer to note in the world of permaculture is Sepp Holzer of Austria. Holzer’s farm high up in the Austrian mountains is a very unlikely place to be farming. But he’s been doing it successfully for the past few decades.

His farm includes forest gardens, terraces, and ponds. There are fruit orchards, including fruits you can’t imagine would grow in such high altitudes. There are also many garden variety vegetables that could feed a whole village. Holzer’s method of gardening is to throw seeds everywhere and just let them grow. Holzer believes the plants are beneficial to each other as well as the soil. It’s a really interesting concept that still amazes me.

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I saw this documentary “Food, Inc” a while back and couldn’t really get it out of my mind. Directed by Robert Kenner and narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser.

When we walk in our supermarket aisle, we rarely think about where and how the food got here.  But his film will make you think twice. Beware, there are scenes with factory farm cows that is very disturbing.  But it does make you not want to eat another hamburger again.

This film explores the corporate side of farming in the U.S.  They mention Monsanto and their need to genetically modify seeds (soybean and more).

Monsanto have now increased their seed prices and many farmers are not happy. Now the Obama administration is looking into it. the New York Times reported recently, “The Justice Department began an antitrust investigation of the seed industry last year, with an apparent focus on Monsanto, which controls much of the market for the expensive bioengineered traits that make crops resistant to insect pests and herbicides.”

Monsanto isn’t just doing this in the U.S. but abroad too. They even want small farmers in South America and Mexico to use and rely on their seeds. And the villagers can’t win this battle, as the corn become cross pollinated and eventually end up as part of Monsanto’s GMO plant.

A great idea is to plant heirloom variety seeds saved by gardeners. My mom usually gets her seeds from other gardening friends. Especially seeds for eggplants and hot chili pepper. Seeds of Change is another great place to get organic non-GMO seeds.

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Since it is Thanksgiving, I thought I should mention the health benefits of these tangy red berries.  They are usually available this time of year too.

The name cranberry derived from “craneberry” as the cranberry blossoms resemble the head of a crane. Wisconsin Rapids Area produces 30% of the world’s cranberries. Photo from Cranberry Blossom Festival.

I think the flowers look very much like fuchsias, except for what looks like beak here.  And the little green berries are cute.  I wonder how they taste.

Besides making sauce with them, cranberries can be a good addition to salads.  That add a slight bitterness, tangy punch, and the little pop sound when biting into them.   But I just like to mix it together with a bit of salt, chili peppers, and sugar - it is really good!

Cranberries are one of the most healthiest fruits available.  Dried cranberries are a favorite with trail mixes.  I also like them in granola bars.  It keeps the granola bar from being too boring.

The main benefits of cranberries is that it can help curb bladder infections (urinary tract).  Which I believe is much better than taking antibiotics.

Pretty bowl of cranberries.  Too bad the season is so short for harvesting them.  So get them while you can!  Photo from Naturipe Farms.

In 2005, researchers found that cranberries are also good for your teeth and gum.  This is from the University of Rochester press release on November 23, 2005:

“A team led by oral biologist Hyun (Michel) Koo, D.D.S., Ph.D., at the University of Rochester Medical Center has discovered that the same traits that make cranberry juice a powerful weapon against bladder infections also hold promise for protecting teeth against cavities. Koo found that cranberry juice acts like Teflon® for teeth, making it difficult for the bacteria that causes cavities to cling to tooth surfaces. Stickiness is everything for the microbe Streptococcus mutans, which creates most cavities by eating sugars and then excreting acids that cause dental decay.

Koo’s team also found evidence that cranberry juice disrupts the formation of the building block of plaque, known as a glucan. Like a mason using cement to build a wall brick by brick, bacteria use enzymes known as glucosyltransferases to build dental plaque piece by piece, quickly forming a gunky fortress that covers the tooth and gives bacteria a safe haven to munch on sugar, thrive, and churn out acid. Koo’s team found that cranberry juice prevents bacteria from forming plaque by inhibiting those enzymes and by stopping additional bacteria from glomming on to the ever-growing goo.”

But don’t go reaching for cranberry juice either, as the drinks are full of sugar. I would suggest taking cranberry fruit extract in pill form.

Gaia Herbs (supplier of herbal extracts and supplements) listed these nutrients found in the American Cranberry. Starting with polyphenols, anthocyanosides, proanthocyanosides, quinnic acids, catechins and a host of other antioxidants including a fair amount of Vitamin C and small amounts of Lutein, and quercitin.

Root vegetables are great, from the basic Russet potatoes to sweet potatoes. They are also a good addition to curries and soups.  The bad news about conventional potatoes is that they are covered with more pesticide than any other vegetables.

“Russet potatoes are high in starch. Russet are perfect to cook mashed potatoes and also are good for baking.” - Photo from All About Potatoes.

Since finding out about how much pesticides is used to grow potatoes, I will have to think twice before purchasing any from now on.  Or even purchasing potato chips and french fries.  Since a majority of these farmed potatoes are used for this purpose.

Because potatoes are root vegetables, they soak in more chemicals then other produce.  Potatoes also require much more pesticides from beginning to end. As well as frequent weekly sprays to prevent blight. Then herbicides are used to kill tops of plants at the end of the growing season. As this makes it easier to harvest the tubers.

Over 40 toxic pesticides are used on potatoes and most of these pesticides are linked to chronic side effects such as cancer, disruption in endocrine and reproductive system. All these chemicals can’t be good for the environment, imagine what is leaching to our ground water.

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