Just back from Thailand! I am glad to be home on my little farm and already feel the pull of spring and work calling. Now that I played my fireside dreamy time away in the tropics, it feels like I skipped over winter and suddenly I find myself on the edge of a new season of growth. Buds are on the trees outside and it was downright warm in the hoop house this afternoon. Feb 2nd is the official midpoint between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox (also know as Imbolc, Candlemas, and Groundhog’s Day). Whatever you call it- in Oregon it means it is time to turn the compost pile, get those peas in the ground and start seeds for spring greens.
I was lucky enough to attend the 30th anniversary of the EcoFarm Conference in California this year and came home with lots of new ideas and information. I also spent time visiting farms in Thailand and soaking in the amazing agricultural systems you can build in the tropics. Imagine growing mango trees under storied with cacao plants and coffee bushes- now we’re talking good food!
I loved the way Thai farmers cooked with their produce and created every curry, soup and noodle from scratch. The Thai people are true localvores! You couldn’t walk a block without coming across someone cooking up a fresh caught fish on the grill (sold whole-blackened with spices- yum) or a coconut curry with fresh chiles, lemongrass, galangal root and basil. Gardens were everywhere- and 65% of Thais are still farmers for a living (compared to fewer than 2% of Americans). Food knowledge was extensive and the flavors were impressive as a result.
And the fruit, well.. let’s just say we in the US live with a very poor idea of what pineapples and bananas, papayas and passion fruits taste like. Fruit shipped green to ripen in transit is no comparison to eating these fruits ripened on the tree. I guess I just have to wait for our local strawberries in June to come close to the kind of flavor packed into those pineapple shakes I was sucking down everyday! Rum (made from local rice) only enhances the flavor I might add.
I feel truly blessed to have been able to escape some Oregon rain and soak in the sights, smells and sounds of Southeast Asia. The thing that kept coming back to me as I traveled was how beautiful this planet we call home is. The turquoise seas, million year old rain forests, mountain sides terraced with rice fields, fish covered coral beds, limestone caves and rushing rivers. The diversity of people I met reflected the landscape in which they made their homes.
Moken sea gypsies living fishing off the Surin islands, Karen hilltribe women weaving baskets from the bamboo forests around them, Cambodian villagers living in a floating village created by the seasonally flooded Mekong river, Thai farmers growing rice, garlic, herbs, ducks and fish in the same field worked by their grandfathers. 
I have a hard time understanding why some feel superior to others based on where they are from. The earth is everyone’s home. All the life and food and experiences we have depend on the abundance of our land and seas. Diversity is the key to survival and so we must strive to honor and hold on to our connections to place. I live on the North Oregon Coast and grow food here- (what some call Salmon Nation). That means it’s my job to protect and love this place as best I can. I send so much gratitude to my fellow humans in Thailand and Cambodia who are likewise respecting and caring for their unique ecosystems.
As we grow food without pesticides, herbicides, gmo seeds or chemical fertlizers we are giving back to the earth from which we take so much. We clean the water, add health to the soil and diversity to the seeds and pollen of the planet. Working together and connecting the strands of community across the globe we can weave a web of peace and abundance for all. Let’s make it happen in 2010!!
and now some pics just for fun of my trip:- hooray!!

Sunset offerings of flowers, candles and incense on New Year's Eve. On the mountainside temple in Pai, what a gorgeous way to end the year.

The eye of a lifeform much wiser than I.

Thais are amazing at farmers market displays!

They stack fish just as well as fruit!

Total addiction to these handmade rice crispy treats made from local rice hand pressed into molds, dried in the sun and then deep fried and drizzled with palm sugar. Soooo much better than our version.

Lost in translation at the local hot springs

Fig overcame her fear of water and my goddess what awesome water it was- 80 degrees with 35 feet of visibility!

I have found my new love- mopeds! Cruising in the mountains near the Burma border.

The Asparas of Angkor Wat- Cambodian divas!

Don't think all Thais are farmers! Punks at a show in Chiang Mai.

Who let this guy into the country??
























