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Coastal Roots with Dominic D Feed the Soil
Coastal Roots with Dominic D Feed the Soil
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Our roots and culture are at the very heart of everything we do; in fact, it is my belief that they are a part of everything. The nature of the words in both the physical and symbolic sense speak to the interconnectedness of all living things.
Think about it: Roots are our history, our source of life. The roots in a plant bring all that the plant needs for survival upwards, with a little help from the sun and air of course.
Culture is the story of our people, our customs, and our ways of living. A cultured food supplies our bodies with the diversity they need to survive and thrive.
Cultured foods and beverages are activated through fermentation: kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha, beer, vinegar, etc. A compost tea is a culture that feeds a plant’s roots. As we grow our culture, we might take nature’s cues and follow the path our roots set us on while also adapting to the elements at hand. Sun, wind, air, and water will affect each creature, person, or plant wherever it stands, just like the movement from a blowing fan makes the stalk of the plant stronger. We feed the soil with microbes, which in turn feed the plant and then our minds. Our culture.
Roots and culture are behind and beneath us but also propel us forward into the unknown. Without them, we would have no structure, no direction, no drive to grow forward into the light, pursuing the allure of the prospect of oneness with all the surrounding beauty. Growth comes from this center or core; progress comes from respecting our past.
The roots of a people are family origins, or the particular place you come from and the experiences you have had living there. (online dictionary definition)
Culture is the ‘way of life’ of groups of people, meaning the way they do things ... an integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior … the outlook, attitudes, values, morals, goals, and customs shared by a society. As a verb, it means to cultivate or to grow in a prepared medium. (online dictionary definition)
Coastal Roots takes a casual approach to a cornucopia of subjects, sometimes serious, other times whimsical, intertwining tales about Maine and cannabis history. The stories will always come from my roots (Maine) and from the culture (cannabis).
For our debut in Maine Cannabis Chronicle’s Volume 2, Issue 1, I took a moment to speak with my longtime buddy Bryon from Best Friend Farms about the ancient (and contemporary) hash-making skills they are applying up on the farm in central Maine. They are growing some spectacular high-grade herb in locally sourced, true living soil using super exotic, cutting edge sources plus unique in-house genetics built off those
BEST FRIEND FARMS’ AWARD-WINNING PHOTO FROM FRENCHIE CANNOLI’S HASH PORN CONTEST #1
strong heredities. They also have some amazing classic hash coming off up there. “Fire in, fire out” as the saying goes.
Following in the hash-making traditions from over 1000 years ago in Persia and throughout the Middle East, BFF are integrating water separation techniques the ice “bubble” hash makers blew up in the early millennium out in California. This means serious flavor and a clean high using only mechanical processes. No solvents, additives, or heating, nada; just fullmelt Temple Balls and classic blonde blocks that bubble, plus many other forms of hash, all using organic flower and/or trim, usually cured prior to and after separation.
So Bryon, what’s up with that hash?!
Bryon went on to tell me a great story about how his father was also a cannabis grower and hash maker. He would make a batch of hash for everyone (the adults) every Christmas. Now, he didn’t know the real deal when he was a kid but does remember the adults going away and then returning with holiday laughter filling the air.
The stories came up later in life with his dad, recollections of sources of the much rarer plants and seeds back in the days before propagation and proliferation of seed suppliers and “good friends,” along with his rudimentary process of hash-making, an alcohol-based concentration somewhat like RSO with low-grade materials, boiled down in pots for hours or days. It seemed to be highly effective on the Christmas crowd...
It’s just like a Mainer to be frugal and efficient with materials in order to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Bryon may not have known what was up as a kid, but subconsciously seeds were planted alongside many other positive lessons passed down from generation to generation about who we are as citizens of this place called Maine.
Bryon also told me with pride how his hard work in the trade, along with some early insight and good connections to the ice hash revolution in early millennium Northern California, have given him the knowledge and experience to bring it to the next level here in his home state. Using even higher grade inputs, including certified organic composts/manure coming from just uphill at a MOFGA horse farm, BFF has certainly raised the bar of flavor and quality.
The “Hash Whisperer” is now the man behind the magic of Best Friend Farms’ hash-making operations. Along with Bryon’s training and insight, the Hash Whisperer has added his diligence to craft and culinary roots to the recipe and has been instrumental in bringing BFF to recent national hash culture awareness. Go get ‘em boys!
So just like that, if we feed the soil and give it the nutrients it needs, we give the place—that hard with soft edges place that our home and its people embody—the feelings of wellbeing and security that hard work and good health can bring.
Keep true to where we came from; Maine, founded 200 years ago, represented freedom and equality from its inception. And please keep in mind in these times that no matter what your politics or opinions, we are people of this earth, and with the help of a plant, we will survive and thrive. The culture of Maine realizes that a rich diversity is best for us all and will help us survive through the toughest times.Stay true to your roots and respect the culture that has brought us this far together.
As hard as the granite from the Midcoast As sweet as the blueberries from Downeast As resilient and expansive as the great pine forests of Central Maine As productive as the plains of Northern Maine As powerful as the rocky slopes all the way down the peaks and foothills of Western Maine As stunning as the golden sands of Southern Maine’s shores, and As diverse as the many islands and stories scattered throughout Casco Bay.
