Photo courtesy of Jon Jackson
Issue
1
2019
JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2018
Southern SOIL
l i o S n r Southe Swag Show your support for the local sustainable food movement southern style!
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Contents
a growing food movement
04
08
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EDITORIAL
CAMP HAPPY TUMMIES
FARMERS MARKETS
PAGE 04 \ WELCOME 2019!
PAGE 08 \ COMFORT THROUGH FOOD AND HOSPITALITY
PAGE 16\ GOING BEYOND FOOD, FUN & FELLOWSHIP
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FINDING LOST CONNECTIONS
SOME KINDA GOOD IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
PAGE 22 \ DO WE NEED TO DISCONNECT FROM THE MANMADE AND RECONNECT WITH NATURE?
14......TABLE TALK 15......THE BOOKWORM 27......BEAUTYBERRY
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PAGE 30 \ FOOD AND FAITH: DINNER ON THE GROUNDS WITH REBEKAH FAULK LINGENFELSER
28......CASTRATING CATTLE 36......COMFORT FARMS 40......BUSINESS INDEX
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
Southern SOIL
Editorial
Coastal Plain
Here it is 2019, and we are embarking on our
Georgia Native
second year of bringing you the stories of our local
Chapter of the Plant Society in
food movement.
order to highlight
I’m really excited to start this new year knowing
incorporating native
how many wonderful things are going on right here
plants within our
in our own backyards (sometimes quite literally) as
edible landscapes,
those of us who are passionate about changing our
gardens and farms.
local food systems continue the good fight! It’s not always easy (is it ever?), but is so worthwhile and I take courage in knowing that there are so many more of us than I realized when I started on this adventure a year ago.
the value of
I’m happy to welcome back some familiar writers this year who will continue to contribute their own unique perspectives to the conversation and excited to welcome a number of new contributors this year as well! In this first issue, we welcome back Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser with her feature, Some Kinda Good in the Neighborhood. Rebekah is passionate about
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preparing good food sourced locally. She shares cooking and entertaining tips, and easy-to-execute, flavorful recipes to encourage others to gather around the family table and share in the joy of In this issue we explore some ways that food is
cooking and eating together.
sometimes more than what meets the eye … or the
New to Southern Soil, Patrick J. Holladay, Ph.D. is
belly. Beyond nutrition, food can provide comfort, justice, healing and connection. It might possibly even hold the key to reconnecting us with part of our human spirit locked away as we have become so distantly separated from our food source and the earth itself. This year, we will be continuing our collaboration with A Greener World, by re-publishing, with their permission, one article per issue from their publication Sustainable Farming Magazine. And we have begun a new collaboration with the
an academic, researcher, and lover of all things outdoors. Patrick has held leadership positions with local groups like Slow Food Coastal Georgia, Georgia Coast Travel Association, GA Grown Highway 17 Agritourism Trail, and the St. Simons African American Heritage Coalition. He brings not only practical experience but a wealth of research to his writing and I’m excited to have his voice added to the ongoing conversation about our food systems. I think he brings a valuable perspective to the table.
a growing food movement
There are several other new contributors (I will introduce them as they come aboard in later
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issues) whose contributions will, I believe, help to round out our coverage of the food movement here in Southeast Georgia. It has always been my goal to include a diverse group of people into this conversation and this year we are making strides in
movement (which is what we ultimately endeavor
that direction.
to be), we need your feedback and your input.
Speaking of conversation … please don’t be a
You can also reach me via email at info@
passive reader! Southern Soil was truly designed
southernsoil.org. I would love to hear from you and
and created to be a platform, a table so to speak,
know what is on your mind. What issues do you
that we as a community can gather around and
want to see covered? What topics are important to
engage in a meaningful conversation about our
you?
local food. So, please do pull up a chair and join that conversation! There are a number of ways you can do that. Follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest) and engage! As writers, we want to know if our words resonate. As facilitators for this food
I’m looking forward to 2019 being a year of growth for Southern Soil and for our local, sustainable food systems. Thank you for joining me!
LeeAnna Tatum
LEEANNA TATUM, Editor
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
Southern
SOIL a growing food
movement
FOL L OW US www.southernsoil.org
C ONTAC T US 6
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Southern, Coastal Recipes & Restaurant Reviews with a Local, Seasonal Focus Food Enthusiast and Georgia native Rebekah Lingenfelser is the creative force behind the blog, SomeKindaGood.com. Connect with her on social media and be sure to read her feature article in each issue of Southern Soil!
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a growing food movement
Camp Happy Tummies:
Comfort Through Food and Hospitality
by LeeAnna Tatum
The small Florida town of Mexico Beach was once home to about 1,000 people and a favorite fishing spot for Chef Dave Snyder. That is, until Hurricane Michael made direct contact in October 2018. When Snyder heard that Mexico Beach was in the storm’s path, it wasn’t a question of if he would go but how soon he could make it happen. Chef Snyder, owner of three Saint Simon’s Island restaurants, was anxious to get on the road to what was left of Mexico Beach and do what he does best - feed people.
9 He had most of the equipment needed to set up a mobile kitchen onsite following the storm. What he lacked, the Golden Isles community quickly stepped up to fill the need. Raising $23,000 for food, fuel, additional equipment and an RV rental in just two days (with a total that eventually reached $80,000 in donations). With the generous support of his home community behind him, Snyder set out to help feed those left desolate in the wake of the storm. “We (Halyard’s Head Chef Francisco Jimenez also volunteered his time and talent) loaded up the trailer knowing we could make a difference immediately. We had a refrigerated truck full of food and our trailer full of restaurant equipment (con tinued on page 10)
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we could cook and serve it. This community rallied very quickly,” Snyder said. Hurricane Michael was one of the most intense storms on record to hit the US and the eye of the storm passed directly over the small town. The Washington Post reported that the storm surge reached over 15 feet high with waves elevating water levels to over 20 feet or the equivalent height of a two story building. Homes and buildings were not just knocked down, they were literally swept away. Snyder followed the storm into town, shocked and overwhelmed by the level of destruction he witnessed. “Just getting there was heartbreaking and getting to the beach and when you see piles of debris 10
ten, twenty feet high as far as you can see - it’s demoralizing,” Snyder said. “Other than burying my parents, it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done just because every slab that you saw without a house on it was a story. Every car you’d pass that was upside down was a story. It still breaks my heart.” Snyder and Jimenez - having skirted the Coast Guard blockade - set up camp and worked alongside locals, Michael Scoggins and Hal Summers (owner and manager respectively of local restaurant Killer Seafood) to prepare hot meals and hot coffee for beleaguered residents, first responders and cleanup crews. “Everybody loves comfort food,” Snyder said. “We knew we could make a difference with the comfort of food. But we learned very quickly that “comfort” could mean different things.” For many, that comfort was a hot cup of coffee. For one woman, an ice cold bottle of water and for another, the simple fact that her meal was hot and fresh. “We had a woman on day seven of the storm … and she literally cried because she had something cold for the first time in a week. So, comfort for her was
a growing food movement
a bottle of cold water coming out of an ice chest that has ice in it,” Snyder recalled. “Comfort was another woman, two days later that cried at breakfast at the buffet line. We asked her if she was ok, was there anything wrong. And she said that she hadn’t had anything not out of a bag in more than a week. So, comfort for her was scrambled eggs.” The impromptu relief kitchen became known as Camp Happy Tummies and it was more than simply a place to find a hot meal and nourishment for the body, as the name implies it was also a place where spirits were lifted, news could be shared, plans made and friends reunited.
a new city hall, a new town center; people called it their living room, their dining room. We created a
“For us it was a new definition of “comfort food”
new epicenter and this community came together
and it was more “comfort hospitality”, Snyder
to create that.”
explained. We were able to make a new civic center,
(con tinued on page 12)
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One of the most poignant moments for Snyder was
“We saw two women in our dining room at dinner
witnessing the remarkable reunion of two friends.
crying and hugging - sobbing crying,” he continued. “And we’re thinking, worst case scenario that someone has died and how do we comfort these ladies? But we created a place where these two friends could meet and they were crying out of joy because they each thought the other one wasn’t alive.” “So, by creating a dining room, we had a place where those women could connect and realize their friend was alive. And there’s no greater feeling in the world than knowing your community helped create that and that people came together to put bread on the table and the meaning of breaking and sharing bread took on a whole new meaning through this experience.”
“It was day nine,” Snyder recounted. “Keep in mind, no cell phones were working yet, roads were closed, 12
no one was allowed in or out, no one’s cars were working. So, if you lived across town three miles away, you didn’t know what was going on. Nobody knew anything about anybody.”
“And that’s the beauty of what restaurants do for people - it’s hospitality which extends far beyond the reaches of our dining room,” Snyder said. “When we need to make people feel better, food can do it. And not just food, hospitality.”
All photos used in this story are courtesy of Chef Dave Snyder.
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a growing food movement
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ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
Southern SOIL
Table Talk E 14
ACH ISSUE OF SOUTHERN SOIL FEATURES A CONVERSATION ADDRESSING THE SAME FIVE QUESTIONS WITH AN INDIVIDUAL REPRESENTING A PERSPECTIVE ALONG THE FOOD SUPPLY LINE. FOR THIS ISSUE, I’LL BE ADDRESSING THESE QUESTIONS MYSELF. THIS IS A CONDENSED VERSION OF A SERIES OF BLOG POSTS I HAVE WRITTEN ON THE WEBSITE. YOU CAN READ THOSE HERE.
My role in the food system is as a consumer. Like many here in the area, I live in a rural town with one grocery store and no local food options in my county. My grocery options are not only limited, but so is my grocery budget. I feel like in many ways, I can speak for the average consumer here in Southeast Georgia who would like to support local food and make healthier food choices, but there are significant roadblocks to overcome.
What does the current food system look like here in Southeast Georgia? In my opinion, our current food system here in Southeast Georgia epitomizes what has gone wrong with industrial agriculture and the globalization of our food supply. We depend on “cheap” foods.
We depend on them because this is a largely economically depressed region where consumers are constrained by finances. We depend on “cheap” food because rural Georgia has become as much of a food desert as urban areas, perhaps more so LeeAnna Tatum because the distance to travel to good food sources is even greater than those in metropolitan areas. And we depend on “cheap” food because logistically speaking, quality local food is not readily available even for those who have the means to purchase it. Because much of our population here is rural and economically depressed, we have unique barriers to sustainability. We can’t expect the majority of the local population to embrace the local, sustainable food movement because most of us simply don’t have access. In some cases, that access is limited by finances and in other cases that access is limited logistically - either the local supply is not there, or it’s not convenient, or it’s not known to the consumer. Just using myself as an example. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone more committed to the idea of eating local sustainable foods. But I still depend on “cheap” food options way more than I would like. For one (without calling names), I live in a town, and a county for that matter, that does not have one sustainable producer or purveyor. At a minimum, I have to drive 30 minutes to have access to any of the wonderful “local” products that I enjoy. Sometimes, that’s just not possible. Sometimes, I don’t have the grocery budget for it. Sometimes, I simply don’t have the time to spend an hour on the road to go get some groceries. That’s life. From a consumer perspective, the financial barrier is not insignificant. But neither is the logistical one. Farmers Markets are great and are doing a (con tinued on page 19)
Th
or w m k oo B e
a growing food movement
A
REVIEW BY LEEANNA TATUM OF CULTIVATING FOOD JUSTICE - RACE, CLASS AND SUSTAINABILITY BY ALISON HOPE ALKON AND JULIAN AGYEMAN
reading the best and weeding the rest Cultivating Food Justice is a bit of a dense read, not intended for someone with only an idle curiosity regarding social and racial justice within the context of food systems. Edited by Alison Hope Alkon and Julian Agyeman, the book is a collection of academic studies primarily investigating the ways in which the national sustainable food movement has largely overlooked entire segments of the population. The book explores the ways in which a long history of overtly racist and sometimes inadvertently racist policies in America have undermined food security for Native populations, African Americans, and each new wave of immigrant groups that have come to America. One of the overarching themes within the book is the idea that food is more than merely a source of nutrients but is inherently tied to culture, racial and ethnic identity, and even religion. As such, the concept of food security is more than simply the human right to have access to nutrition but the idea of food sovereignty which also takes into account the cultural, social and oftentimes place-specific needs of people groups. For example, the rights of Native American populations to have access to their tribal hunting grounds and traditional food sources instead of being forced to partake of a Western diet or go hungry. (My very simplified breakdown of a very complex issue.)
overlooked population groups, even while employing the best of intentions. In addition to racism within food systems, the book addresses issues faced by economically depressed and rural populations as well. While the food movement is greatly improving access to fresh healthy food for many Americans, far too many are still left without access. “Low-income people and people of color have been systematically denied access to the means of food production, and are often limited in their abilities to consume healthy foods. However, the food movement narrative ignores these injustices, an omission which reflects its adherents’ race and class privilege. The cultivation of a food system that is both environmentally sustainable and socially just will require the creation of alliances between the food movement and the communities most harmed by current conditions. The food justice movement is laying the foundation for such coalition building.”
While not intended for light reading, this is certainly a book that would benefit individuals working within the sustainable food movement - especially market organizers, nonprofit administrators, community garden organizers, and so on. The book highlights the importance of inclusion as we work to develop a truly sustainable, local food system and warns against the possibility of further abuses against these
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
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a growing food movement
Farmers Markets:
Going Beyond Food, Fun & Fellowship
by Patrick J. Holladay, Ph.D.
If you are reading this article it is likely that you love
These are all images of a healthy food destination
a good farmers market. Getting out to the farmers
where people can be around each other, support
market as a weekend activity is something that a
local farmers and have a good time.
lot of people enjoy these days. There is even a term for it—“agrileisure”. Agrileisure is where agriculture,
Furthermore, the number of farmers markets
leisure, recreation, people and community come
have grown a staggering 350% over the last two
together in a decidedly positive way.
decades as a direct farmer (or market gardener) to consumer option. Farmers markets can have a
But there are two other important aspects of
welcoming atmosphere, that support communitas
farmers markets that shouldn’t be ignored. These
or a spirit of community, where people can learn
gatherings should always be used an opportunity to
about new and unique foods, healthy eating,
educate about healthy food, nutrition and the role
stewardship and supporting local farmers.
of farmers in providing that resource. Additionally, markets should foster community through
Indeed, if you talk to people at a farmers market,
inclusion, supporting food justice and equity for
or maybe this is how you feel, there is often much
vendors and consumers alike.
more to the experience than “grocery shopping”. Certainly people like to shop the produce, meats
Without question, local food systems are gaining
and artisanal goods; but the farmers market is a
ground as vehicles for recreation, community
place to meet friends, as well as embrace the ideas
development, public health, and food justice. Food
of environmentally friendly food production and
justice is about equitable access to healthy foods,
they are important for supporting local farmers.
providing farmers a living wage by paying enough for their products, combating food insecurity,
There is value in the organizers of the farmers
fairness, community engagement and more. As
markets incorporating educational opportunities
such, the farmers market becomes a valuable
where consumers can learn about local, seasonal
component to the local food system.
foods and healthy eating that may inspire a person to prepare new foods and recipes. The farmers
Farmers markets have been around for centuries
market is also a destination for people to relax,
as a place for farmers to come together to sell
listen to live music and chow down on some ready-
their products but these days have emerged as an
to-eat foods that vendors will be showcasing.
important trend related to food culture and nutrition with buzzwords like “local”, “sustainable”, “farm-to-
Farmers markets are generally seen as a friendly
table” and “organic” filling popular and social media.
place for a leisure outing. Let’s make sure, however, (con tinued on page 18)
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Southern SOIL (con tinued f r om page 1 7)
instead of “me”. This goes back to the community spirit or comunitas that is a necessary condition for community development - using the lens of food and choice. This is significant when the focus of community development is a farmers market. For this writer, this is the most important component of a farmers market. When the farmers market is “we”—from the farmers to the consumers from all walks of life. When we are thinking collectively of the good the farmers market can do in a community, then we are truly engaged with the farmers market as a place for food, fun and fellowship. there are not a lack of opportunities for learning about food and nutrition. We should also strive to encourage diversity among both the vendors and consumers. This has implications for community 18
development, food justice and equity. Are you a farmers market organizer, vendor or consumer? Remember the farmers market is fun but is also an exceptional community development tool. Namely, for food education, food justice and social diversity. Let’s all seek to understand how to grow educational opportunities about food and nutrition and how to increase the diversity of local community participants. Despite the trendiness of farmers markets as local community development tools, there may be tensions among market stakeholders. You might want to ask yourself how should food movements and the use of farmers markets for community development be undertaken? I suggest that we all really think in terms of “us”
Photos in this article courtesy of Patrick Holladay
a growing food movement (con tinued f r om page 1 4)
wonderful job of helping farmers and consumers connect. But, for many of us, there isn’t one nearby. And for many who may have one nearby, they may not want or be able to devote every Saturday morning to do their grocery shopping. If I had to use one word to describe our current situation here in Southeast Georgia, I’d probably have to go with “frustrating”! And as I’ve just read about one more local place going out of business this week, I feel like sometimes we are taking one step forward and two steps back.
What should the food system look like here in Southeast Georgia? What should our local food system look like here in Southeast Georgia? It should be a cornucopia of sustainable foods grown right here in our own backyards, communities and farms. Local food should be readily available and just as convenient to buy as conventional foods currently are. First of all, I think that our local food system should be really, really local. Like, it should start in each and every home with each and every individual. Every yard should have a fruit tree or two, maybe a couple blueberry bushes and a blackberry vine. Every patio could have a small fruit tree or a pot of herbs and a few veggies. It’s very possible for people, en masse, to decide to take part in their own food system and to do it effectively! During World War II, all US citizens were encouraged to plant “victory gardens” as their patriotic duty to support the war effort. And they did so! On a grand scale. 20 MILLION home gardens were planted: everything from 1/4 acre lots down to window boxes, people did what they were able to produce as much for themselves and their neighbors as they could. At its peak, the victory garden movement produced 40% of the vegetables grown in the US. We have proven when properly motivated, our food systems can become VERY local.
Expanding out from the individuals and the homes, my utopian food system would also include gardens at every school, every church, every community center. As with individual “gardens” these could be sized and planned according to resources available. However small the involvement and contribution, it would still be impactful. But of course, we can’t all be self-sufficient (and I’m not even suggesting that anyone try). So in our local food systems, there needs to be plenty of farmers who are willing and able to meet growing demand. In my ideal world, I would be able to go down the street to a grocery store in my own community and buy local foods produced within 100 miles of my front door. I know for a fact that if I were able to do that, I would have a wealth of high quality, healthy foods from which to choose.
What changes need to occur to make that transition? Since I’m a consumer, I’ll approach this question from what changes consumers need to make. (You can check out the blog for a more in-depth answer.) Consumers drive the market. We need to make buying local, sustainable food a priority. We need to approach our local grocery stores and restaurants and ask them to source local foods. We need to petition our school systems to support local farms. We need to let our representatives know that we support legislation that is favorable to non-conventional farmers and producers. As consumers, we can supplement our own food requirements by consuming less and producing more. Plant a tree, plant a garden, plant a pot of herbs… each small change contributes to the bigger picture. Cook more meals at home. Learn to eat seasonally. Consume less meat so you can afford to buy quality locally sourced meats. (con tinued on page 20)
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Southern SOIL
Have you heard?!? No “pay to play”! Here at Southern Soil, we don’t engage in the “pay to play” method of choosing content. In other words, we will NEVER require you to pay a fee or purchase advertising in order to be featured in this magazine. 20
Our content decisions are driven by our shared values of sustainably produced foods: ethically and humanely raised animals, responsible use of natural resources and conscientious choices for the health of the animals, the planet and the humans too. We strive to provide content that will engage, entertain and educate our readers. We are not here to promote only those who can afford advertising, we’re here to support a community and regional movement - a growing food movement in Southeast Georgia. So, as we like to say, “pull up a chair and join the conversation!” We appreciate our advertisers and rely on that revenue to keep this conversation going. And we certainly invite you to be a part of our advertising family and help us continue to share great stories of local people doing their part to improve our local food system. But we will never deny you a seat at this table for choosing not to advertise!
a growing food movement (con tinued f r om page 19)
How do we make a local sustainable food system that is profitable for producers while keeping it accessible to consumers? This is a tough question with no short and simple answers. I think one of the complicating factors with the economics of a local and sustainable food supply is the dichotomy of two groups of consumers within the local food movement - the elite and the rest of us. The elite who choose local food options from trendy markets, upscale stores and high-end restaurants. These consumers are located primarily near urban centers. They appreciate the high quality of local foods and enjoy supporting local farmers and chefs. For this group, there are few barriers. Price is not an issue and, as a more urban group, they are likely closer to market centers where available.
But instead of viewing this dichotomy as a challenge, perhaps it can be leveraged to work for everyone - the high-end market paving the way for more accessible local food to find its way to the general population.
How do we grow the movement? This part will likely sound self-serving. But growing the movement is what Southern Soil is all about. Between the website, the magazine, the blog and the social media sites - it’s designed to be a resource and a tool for growing the local food movement. Use it! Whether you are a consumer, producer or purveyor of local foods, this is a resource that is readily available and free of charge.
We offer thoughtfully sourced food, fair trade coffee and other high quality items at an affordable price in a casual atmosphere.
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13 E Park Ave, Savannah
(across from the tennis courts at Forsyth)
(912) 232-4447 Open Daily 7 am - 9 pm check calendar for events
www.sentientbean.com ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
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Southern SOIL
Boucherie Welcome and Butcher’s Prayer By Bryan Kyzar
Today we honor sacrifice and the traditions of the Boucherie‌ We honor the spirits of those who have given themselves for us. Man and beast. Warriors that fight for our safety. Animals that nourish us and our Creator that provides both. By harvesting our animals, growing our vegetables we gain a deeper respect for life and a pride that only comes from providing for yourself and working together. We must learn to not be dependent on an industry that makes us and the earth unhealthy in so many ways. It is our responsibility to teach others what we have learned here today. The emptiness and displacement many of us feel can be filled by returning to the primal things in life. Grieving. Sacrifice. Hard work. Community. Love. Pride in what you do and the understanding that in order for us to live another life must be given.
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Today is a celebration of those who live and those we have lost. It is a celebration of community togetherness and healing.
Prayer: We thank you, mother earth, for the gifts you have given us. The people we love. The air we breathe The water we drink and the food we eat. We ask that you give us the strength and wisdom to keep these things sacred and teach others to do so. We ask for a peaceful transition of the animal spirit we sacrifice today. Let it be willing so that we may live. We ask that you keep our warriors safe as they perform the task of the harvest. For these here in the physical and those in spirit we pray. Amen Photo courtesy of Jon Jackson
a growing food movement
Finding Lost Connections:
do we need to disconnect from the manmade and reconnect with nature? by LeeAnna Tatum By losing our direct connection with the food we
lost a part of ourselves and our connection to the
consume, have we lost touch with an important
earth? Could reconnecting with our food sources,
part of our human spirit?
both plant and animal, be key in restoring our health and in healing the planet?
Throughout our human history, mankind has been intimately connected with its food - life quite literally
One man is making it his mission to help people
revolved around the acquisition and preparation of
reconnect with that part of themselves that has lain
food. It wasn’t until the industrial revolution that we
dormant, giving voice to the spiritual nature of food
as a society began to distance ourselves from our
- acknowledging the vital aspect of death in the
food supply. And it wasn’t until World War II that
sustenance of life.
we really began to take giant leaps away from the sources of our food and the animals and the land
Bryan Kyzar is part of Generation X, perhaps the
from whence it came.
first generation of humanity to be so thoroughly disconnected from their food sources. Family
In distancing ourselves from the source of our
farms were disappearing at unprecedented rates in
nutrition and from the natural environment, have we
the mid sixties being replaced by larger corporate owned conglomerates, with that trend persisting even today. Though he didn’t grow up on a farm, Bryan grew up in Louisiana, close to the coast. Hunting and fishing were a part of his childhood experience and he always maintained that type of connection to his food. “Our generation had lost our connection to our food. We didn’t have to go out and milk the cow in the morning, we didn’t have to help grandpa kill the chickens. So the (mealtime) prayer, even though it was heartfelt and sincere, for us it was just something that we did. It was never really explained to us why.” (con tinued on page 24)
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019 Photo courtesy of Jon Jackson
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Southern SOIL (con tinued f r om page 2 3)
“Nobody ever said, these animals are alive and we
this manner that we do it, with a lot of prayer and
take care of them and we nurture them and then
a lot of respect, it’s definitely more acceptable.
we harvest them so we can eat, we can live, that’s
It’s not just some macho thing with guys killing
why we’re thankful. It was just like it was just a gift,
something.”
something God had bestowed upon us and we were thankful for that.”
“To me, the spirituality is what it’s all about and bringing the community together and … I hope to
24
Bryan is a carpenter by trade but over the past few
embed the thought process of taking care of the
years has found himself drawn into a very different
things that take care of us. It starts at the animal
type of work. Not easily summed up with a tidy job
that we’re eating at that event, but then that leads
title, Bryan’s new work involves teaching people
to supporting the farmer that raised that animal
about respecting and even celebrating the circle of
in a fashion that was good for his land and for the
life - the death that is necessary for life.
animal as well.”
“My goal is to bring the spirituality back into the
I first encountered Bryan at a boucherie - the work
process and raise people’s consciousness to the
of slaughtering animals and preparing them for
fact that these animals do have a life, they have
food - held at Comfort Farms. A community event
a soul, they have a spirit, they’re giving that up for
designed to bring together farmers, butchers, chefs
us. And if we’re going to take that life, it must be
and community members to learn more about
done in a spiritual and respectful manner,” Bryan
the process of raising animals for meat and then
explained.
preparing them.
Drawing on Native American prayers and practices,
I’m not a hunter and had never witnessed an animal
Bryan brings a sense of reverence to what can
being slaughtered. I tend toward the squeamish
otherwise be a seemingly barbaric act (to those of
and I was really not sure what to expect. I only
us who have allowed ourselves to be completely
knew that I didn’t really want to be there I just felt a
spared from the realities of being carnivores) - the
responsibility to be there.
slaughter of animal for food. I felt that since I do eat meat, I at least owed the “I think a big importance of it too with the live
animals and those who raise them for slaughter the
animals and the things that we’re teaching is it
courtesy of acknowledging what it is I essentially
really takes those drastic measures to put that in
demand of them through my food choices.
front of people so they see this animal is alive and its life is taken and that it’s giving its life for us to really wake them up and digest what they already
So, there I was.
know,” Bryan said.
I came away from that event changed. In ways that
“We can be told it a thousand times, but when we
an experience that touched my soul. And that was
witness it and we’re a part of it and it’s done in
something I never would have thought to expect.
are difficult to describe other than to say that it was
a growing food movement
When I interviewed Bryan for this article and I
respect for the sanctity of life, of appreciation for a
heard him describing the impact he hopes to have
life lost, but also a celebration of the way that life
- helping people feel re-connected to the earth,
would carry on through the food it would become. It
bring a sense of being grounded, have a greater
was powerful. It was meaningful. And it has stayed
appreciation for life, and more importantly - a
with me.
greater appreciation for death (as odd as it seems in our culture to say). I felt all of that.
And since that day over a year ago, I have often thought about how our disconnection from our
Through his role as a master-of-ceremonies of
food sources has enabled us to turn a blind
sorts, Bryan helps to elevate the experience to
eye to the ways our industrial food system has
something beyond animal harvest and butchery.
removed every bit of that life and celebration and
With his calm demeanor and the almost musical
sanctification from the process of making our food.
cadence of his voice, he brings a sense of ceremony and reverent celebration to the event.
How can this not affect us on a spiritual level?
Through the process - the spilling of blood, the
Bryan explained that by losing our connection to
skinning of the animal, the butchering process
our food and, just as importantly, to the natural
that turned an animal into meat - throughout it all
world; in his opinion, we’ve lost a connection to a
there was an overwhelming sense of reverence, of
primal part of ourselves. We’ve lost our connection (con tinued on page 26)
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
25
Southern SOIL (con tinued f r om page 2 5)
with the earth as we’ve become more and more
American culture, from day one they were taught
connected to a man-made world.
to embrace the ground, the animals, the wind, the rain - everything that was natural was held close to
“...Our generation has disconnected itself so
them.”
much from being natural. We’re always plugged into something, we’re always in a building where
“I think we really need to get back to that as a
everything is against what’s going on outside - the
people. That’s why I keep doing what I’m doing
air conditioning, the lighting. We’re driving cars,
because it’s not easy on me. It’s taxing and it’s
we’re on our phones. None of that is natural.”
a burden to have to take those lives - it’s not something that I enjoy.”
“So there’s this hole in a lot of people who just don’t know where it’s coming from. And this is what we’re
Bryan, like many others who are tasked with the
missing, we’re missing that connection with the
responsibility of slaughter, has taken a lot of heat
thing that created you, we all come from the earth,
from vegans and vegetarians who view the killing
we’re all connected to everything that is around us
of the animal as cruel. But he believes that eating
that was not made by man.”
meat is a natural part of life and something that we, as a people, are going to continue to do. And if
“We go to this unnatural place (grocery store) and
meat is going to be eaten, we should do it in a way
buy these things that are packaged and wrapped
that respects and honors that life.
and weren’t given any love they didn’t have a good 26
life … it’s another one of those things we’re so
“But I look at it as … this is going to happen, people
programmed to do, we don’t even think about it.”
are going to continue to eat meat, they’ve been doing it since the beginning of time and that’s not
“But when you consume something that is of a
going to change. But we can change the way that
more spiritual and natural nature… I think that’s
we treat it, that we do it, that we look upon it.”
a good first step into getting back to what you want. And hopefully that will make you want to
“What I’m trying to make people understand is there
go in a garden and put your hands in the dirt and
is so much more to it (the slaughter) than people
grow your own food and have the satisfaction of
realize and once you experience it, it’s just … that
not only having something delicious but … getting
part of it, the whole death part of it, fades away and
some dirt under your fingernails and squishing mud
you connect with that natural circle of life and your
between your toes and feeling the sun on your face.
inner primal feelings of being a human.”
Listening to the birds outside.” “Celebrating that life… instead of this morbid, “I tried to reach people a long time through art and
depressing image the world has put on (death)
entertainment … but it really took … bringing actual
- take that away and celebrate it. There is that
death to the table to really jar that primal self that
grieving, but it’s healthy to move past that and to
had been buried for so long. It’s not something we
celebrate that life and appreciate it for what it was.
were taught to embrace. That goes back to Native
Appreciate what that life gave.”
a growing food movement
Beautyberry
Callicarpa americana By Heather Brasell
This article is courtesy of the Coastal Plain Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society. The GNPS is dedicated to promoting the stewardship and conservation of Georgia’s native plants and their habitats. The Coastal Plain Chapter serves the people in the Coastal Plain ecoregion of Georgia. This includes all areas south of the Fall Line in middle Georgia, from the Alabama and Florida borders to the Atlantic ocean. To learn more, please visit their website.
Beautyberry is a great addition to your garden or woods. A spectacular display in the fall, the beautyberry is a perennial shrub that has large arching stems laden with dense purple berry clusters. This native plant is not only attractive but also provides many benefits for humans and wildlife alike. Description Typical of plants in the verbena family, stems are 4-angled with oppositely arranged branches and leaves. Leaves are oval-shaped, 3-6� long, tapered at both ends, serrated margin, and slightly aromatic when crushed. Leaves turn yellowish in fall. Both stems and underside of leaves are covered with white star-shaped hairs that you can see with a hand lens. Shrubs produce flowers in June-July on current year branches. Flowers are densely clustered in leaf axils, small and pinkish with five petals. Fruits are produced August to November in
(con tinued on page 33)
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CHROMORANGE/CLAUDIA OTTE
Southern SOIL
Castration is probably the most common procedure carried out on cattle and involves the removal or destruction of the testes or testicles to stop the production of male hormones. Entire bulls tend to be more aggressive to stockpeople and other cattle, and can cause problems with unwanted breeding. They also (generally) produce lower quality meat. Castration eliminates these problems. AGW’s standards permit the castration of calves provided the operation is performed by a competent person. However, the standards also place restrictions on castration methods and age of the animal.
Different methods
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A number of different methods of castration are available. Surgical castration involves the complete removal of the testicles using a scalpel or Newberry knife. AGW standards allow surgical castration for calves up to the age of two months. Emasculator or Burdizzo castration uses a clamp that crushes the blood vessels around the testes, cutting off blood supply and causing them to die and drop off. AGW allows emasculator or Burdizzo castration for calves up to two months old. Ring or band castration involves fitting a tight rubber or latex ring or band to the scrotum neck to cut off blood supply to the testes, causing them to die and drop off. AGW standards allow rubber ring or band castration for calves up to one week of age. Less common methods in cattle are Immunocastration, which involves using hormones to suppress testosterone production; and Chemical castration, where toxic chemicals are injected directly into the testes to cause irreparable damage. Both methods are prohibited under AGW standards.
Seven day limit
CASTRATING CATTLE When it comes to welfare, early castration is the best option. Anna Heaton looks at the evidence 14 • SUSTAINABLE FARMING • FALL 2018
Using any type of band or ring on calves over seven days old will cause greater pain and stress than other types of castration at this age, such as Burdizzo or scalpel—and so reduces welfare. In comparative tests, when cattle were castrated at 500 lbs, the animals appeared to behave and grow ‘normally’ after castration by high tension bands, while cattle castrated surgically showed an immediate pain effect and reduced growth rates in the same period. However, at three to four weeks post castration—when surgically castrated calves had mostly healed—banded calves were just at the point when they were sloughing their scrotums, and overall the surgically castrated calves had better growth rates. Other studies have shown banding older animals increases risk of secondary infection and lesions. The weight of evidence was sufficient to warrant legislation: in the UK, for example, the use
PLIERS:C. C.GOODWIN GOODWIN PLIERS: TESTOSTERONE: SHUNYUFAN
rate benefit comes from testosterone, which is not proTACKLING TACKLING duced until 3.5–5.5 TESTOSTERONE TESTOSTERONE months old. The most The mostcommon common justification justificationfor for later latercastration castrationisis the theassumption assumption that thatititallows allows sufficient sufficienttime time for forthe theanimal animalto to produce producesome some male malehormones, hormones, benefiting benefitinggrowth growth rates. rates.While Whilestudies studies show showthat thatbulls bulls left leftentire entiredo dogrow grow faster, the growth faster, the growth rate ratebenefit benefitcomes comes from fromtestosterone, testosterone, which whichisisnot notproproduced until duced until3.5–5.5 3.5–5.5 months monthsold. old. Therefore castrating up to and around this age will not produce any growth benefits. Significant evidence also suggests the stress of later castration can result in decreased growth rates in the weeks after the operation, potentially negating any benefit from the production of male hormones before castration.
TESTOSTERONE:SHUNYUFAN SHUNYUFAN TESTOSTERONE:
Therefore Thereforecastrating castrating up upto toand andaround around this thisage agewill willnot not produce produceany anygrowth growth benefits. benefits.Significant Significant evidence evidencealso also suggests suggeststhe thestress stress of oflater latercastration castration can canresult resultin in decreased decreasedgrowth growth rates ratesin inthe theweeks weeks after afterthe theoperation, operation, potentially potentiallynegating negating any anybenefit benefitfrom from the theproduction productionof of male malehormones hormones before beforecastration. castration.
Rubber elastrator rings and pliers of elastrator rings on calves older than one week is illegal, while farmers in New Zealand can only castrate using high tension bands when pain relief is provided.
What if I can’t castrate by two months? Castrating older male animals without anesthesia is increasingly regarded as unethical and inhumane. Based on available scientific evidence of pain at castration, AGW sets an age limit of two months for castration using scalpel or Burdizzo methods under normal circumstances. However, this age limit can present problems for farmers with very extensive systems or those producing breeding stock, for example. Farmers who can demonstrate their system Photo Credit: Wikipedia otherwise meets all of the AGW standards—and Rubber and Rubber elastrator rings and pliers who areelastrator genuinelyrings unable topliers meet the two-month of of elastrator elastrator rings rings on on calves calves older older than than one one week week isis illegal, while farmers in New Zealand can illegal, while farmers in New Zealand can only only castrate castrate using using high high tension tension bands bands when when pain pain relief relief isis provided. provided.
What What ifif II can’t can’t castrate castrate by by two two months? months?
Castrating Castrating older older male male animals animals without without anesthesia anesthesia isis increasingly increasingly regarded regarded as as unethical unethical and and inhumane. inhumane. Based Based on on available available scientific scientific evidence evidence of of pain pain at at castration, castration, AGW AGW sets sets an an age age limit limit of of two two months months for for castration castration using using scalpel scalpel or or Burdizzo Burdizzo methods methods under under normal normal circumstances. circumstances. However, However, this this age age limit limit can can present present problems problems for for farmers farmers with with very very extensive extensive systems systems or or those those producing producing breeding breeding stock, stock, for for example. example. Farmers Farmers who who can can demonstrate demonstrate their their system system otherwise otherwise meets meets all all of of the the AGW AGW standards—and standards—and The castrator who are unable whoBurdizzo are genuinely genuinely unable to to meet meet the the two-month two-month
The The Burdizzo Burdizzo castrator castrator
Best practice for castration would therefore involve the use of pain relief at whatever age the age apply for to age limit—can limit—can applyout. for derogation derogationoptions to castrate castrate at operation is carried However, for at up three months of age. Similarly, farmers that up to torelief threedrugs months of age. Similarly, farmers that pain for cattle are currently limited. a growing food movement select certain male potential certainimportant male calves calves as potential breeding Itselect is therefore toas talk to yourbreeding vet about animals some only exhibit animals may may find findfor some animals onlycastration. exhibit suitable options painanimals relief during traits after months age them traits after two twoanesthesia months of ofand age that that make makeinclude them Options for pain relief unsuitable breeding. In cases, farmers unsuitable for breeding. In such such cases, farmers short actingfor (45–90 minutes) local anesthetics should AGW for should contact AGW for derogation derogation and only onlyor such ascontact lidocaine, delivered into the and testicles scalpel are acceptable scalpel or or Burdizzo Burdizzo methods areinjection acceptable spermatic cord or asmethods an epidural to block —and be provided. —andinpain pain relief must must always always beacting provided. pain the relief hindquarters. Longer pain relief drugs such as xylazine will last for several hours. Local Pain relieving drugs Painanesthesia relievingcombined drugs with a systemic analgesic, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory Significant research has the Significant research has examined examined the effects effects drug (NSAIDS), can aid in pain relief caused by of different methods of castration on bulls of different methods of castration on bulls of of Burdizzo or surgical castration. (NSAIDS alone different ages. As the testes and scrotum are different ages. As the testes and scrotum are may not eliminate behavior seen during richly supplied with methods richly suppliedpain-induced with nerves, nerves, all all physical physical methods the castration process.) Local anesthesia will of castration will cause some degree of pain, of castration will cause some degree of pain,also eliminate pain caused by exhibited both during after exhibited any bothshort-term, during and andacute after castration. castration. rubber-ring or latex-band castration. Best practice for castration would therefore Best practice for castration would therefore involve involve the the use use of of pain pain relief relief at at whatever whatever age age the the operation is carried out. However, options operation the is carried out. However, options for for Discuss options pain drugs are limited. pain relief reliefshows drugs for for cattle cattle are currently currently limited. Research early castration does not penalize It is therefore important to talk to your vet about It is therefore to talk to your vetaffect about animal growthimportant rate to a point where it will suitable options for pain relief during castration. suitable options for pain during castration. the economic viability of arelief farm, and differences Options for anesthesia and include Options forfrom anesthesia and pain pain relief include in growth rate early versus laterrelief castration short acting (45–90 minutes) local anesthetics short (45–90 localAll anesthetics will beacting very minor forminutes) most farms. types of such delivered into the such as as lidocaine, lidocaine, delivered into the testicles testicles or castration will cause pain and stress to cattle;or spermatic cord or as an epidural injection to spermaticscientific cord or as an epidural to block block however, research showsinjection that young pain the hindquarters. Longer acting pain pain in inwill therecover hindquarters. Longerand acting pain relief relief calves more quickly experience drugs such as xylazine will last for several hours. drugscomplications such as xylazine will last for several hours. fewer compared to older calves. Local anesthesia with aa systemic Localrecommends anesthesia combined combined withcastrate systemic AGW that farmers cattle analgesic, such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory analgesic, as non-steroidal as early as such possible—ideally withinanti-inflammatory the first seven drug can pain relief by drug (NSAIDS), (NSAIDS), can aid aid in in later pain castration, relief caused caused by days. If you cannot avoid contact Burdizzo or surgical castration. (NSAIDS alone Burdizzo or surgical castration. (NSAIDS alone may may29 AGW to discuss options. not eliminate pain-induced behavior seen during not eliminate pain-induced behavior seen during the the castration castration process.) process.) Local Local anesthesia anesthesia will will also also eliminate any short-term, acute pain caused eliminate any isshort-term, acuteAdvisor pain caused Anna Heaton Lead Technical with by Aby rubber-ring or rubber-ring or latex-band latex-band castration. Greener World. This articlecastration. is a summary of AGW’s Technical Fact Sheet #9, Castration of Cattle, available agreenerworld.org/resources/ Discuss options Discussatthe the options science-and-research Research shows Research shows early early castration castration does does not not penalize penalize animal growth rate to a point where it will animal growth rate to a point where it will affect affect • SUSTAINABLE FALL FARMING • 15 the of aa farm, and the economic economic viability viability of2018 farm, and differences differences in in growth growth rate rate from from early early versus versus later later castration castration will be very minor for most farms. will be very minor for most farms. All All types types of of castration will cause pain and stress to castration will cause pain and stress to cattle; cattle; however, however, scientific scientific research research shows shows that that young young calves will recover more quickly and calves will recover more quickly and experience experience fewer fewer complications complications compared compared to to older older calves. calves. AGW recommends that farmers castrate AGW recommends that farmers castrate cattle cattle as as early early as as possible—ideally possible—ideally within within the the first first seven seven days. days. IfIf you you cannot cannot avoid avoid later later castration, castration, contact contact AGW AGW to to discuss discuss options. options. Anna Anna Heaton Heaton isis Lead Lead Technical Technical Advisor Advisor with with AA Greener World. This article is a summary Greener World. This article is a summary of of AGW’s AGW’s Technical Fact Sheet #9, Castration of Cattle, Technical Fact Sheet #9, Castration of Cattle, available available at at agreenerworld.org/resources/ agreenerworld.org/resources/ science-and-research science-and-research
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019 This article first appeared in A Greener World’s Sustainable Farming magazine, Fall 2018, pages 14-15. FALL FALL2018 2018••SUSTAINABLE SUSTAINABLEFARMING FARMING••15 15 Reproduced here with kind permission. For more information about A Greener World—home of the world’s leading labels—visit .
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a growing food movement
Some Kinda Good in the Neighborhood by Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser
F
OOD NETWORK STAR FINALIST REBEKAH FAULK LINGENFELSER IS A FOOD ENTHUSIAST AND WRITER. HER BLOG, SOME KINDA GOOD, FEATURES SOUTHERN, COASTAL RECIPES, LOCALLY SOURCED AND IN-SEASON. A GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY ALUMNA, SHE ALSO ATTENDED SAVANNAH TECHNICAL COLLEGE’S CULINARY INSTITUTE OF SAVANNAH. TO LEARN MORE, LIKE SOME KINDA GOOD ON FACEBOOK, FOLLOW @SKGFOODBLOG ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM OR VISIT REBEKAHLINGENFELSER.COM.
Food and Faith: Dinner on the Grounds On the first Sunday of October at Noon every year, my family shares the time-honored tradition of attending Homecoming and Dinner on the Grounds at Richland Baptist Church, known fondly to the locals as “Old Richland.” Since the 1800’s, family and friends have gathered among the Middle Georgia pines of Twiggs County to worship and fellowship. The service is reverent, the food is plentiful and the people are like coming home.
The wooden floors creak with rich history, and the chime of a metal church bell–three times–still signals the beginning of service. True to the original time period, the church has no modern day amenities; guests still use outhouses for restrooms. There is no sound system, but truth be told, microphones and speakers aren’t missed; the acoustics in the expansive room produce some of the most beautiful sounds my ears have ever heard.
A landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, Richland Baptist Church was built on October 5, 1811 and began with four male and eight female members. Situated down a long gravel road, the large-frame, white wooden church is constructed with a wide front porch and four columns that stretch across the front of the building. Complete with two aisles on the inside and three sections of long wooden church pews, the tall windows, dressed with black shutters, reach nearly to the rooftop.
During the 206th Anniversary Celebration recently, a gentleman by the name of Russell provided the special music for the service. With only a guitar, he sang a heartfelt solo and then led the congregation in a melody of hymns, inviting others to sing along. Upon the strum of the first cord, without hesitation, every church member lifted their voices in unison. As the harmonies filled the air, I was touched by the powerful sense of place, the belief we all share in faith and truth echoing in the melodies. The familiar (con tinued on page 32)
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ine. Heaping baskets of fried chicken, pork tenderloin, barbecue, Brunswick stew, buttermilk biscuits, casseroles, congealed salads and a variety of cakes, pies and cobblers fill our plates in true Baptist fashion. Last year, I made sweet potato pie and an old fashioned heirloom tomato salad with cucumbers and onion. There were no leftovers.
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songs, “I’ll Fly Away,” “I Saw the Light” and “Amazing Grace” are written on our hearts, memorized from our youth and, like a freely flowing river, run through our very veins. Once the service is over, everyone piles out of the church and onto the grounds, forming two lines down either side of a 40-foot cement table filled with every Southern covered dish you could imag-
Much like the music that bears witness to my upbringing, the foodways of a land are never more proud than Dinner on the Grounds. The banquet table in all its glory is the Song of the South, the anthem of farmers, the prized recipes of generations gone before us. Today, Old Richland is managed by Richland Restoration League, a volunteer committee formed to ensure the upkeep of the building and the grounds. Services are held only three times yearly, for Homecoming and a special fundraising event during Christmastime. Though the locals now meet every Sunday at New Richland, a small country church just a few miles away, with such modern amenities as air conditioning and running water, we all look forward to that special fall day when the doors at Old Richland open once more and the church bells call us home. Photos in this article courtesy of Rebekah Faulk Lingenfelser
a growing food movement (con tinued f r om page 2 7)
showy clusters of glossy, purple spherical berry-like
It is hardy and easily propagated. It prefers part
drupes that encircle the stem at leaf axils. They
shade and moist soil but can tolerate a wide range
persist after the leaves have fallen.
of conditions – heat, cold, moderate drought, soil textures, and calcareous soil.
Natural Habitats Beautyberry occurs on a wide variety of sites— moist to dry and open to shady. It grows throughout Georgia scattered in woodlands and disturbed areas. It can tolerate a lot of soil disturbance, including mowing, mechanical site preparation for forestry and burning. The shrub is
Last year I found in the woods a beautyberry with white berries instead of the usual purple. White varieties are available in nurseries and I had assumed they were just nursery cultivars until I found this one growing in a natural habitat. I have since read that white fruits are rare.
deciduous in southeast Georgia, but may keep its leaves through winter in warmer zones. When it grows in the open, it typically grows to about 4 feet, but in the shade of the woods it can grow to 8 ft. On my property beautyberry grows in thickets with heavy fruit production along margins of woodlands. Inside wooded habitats, plants are taller, more scattered and typically have fewer fruit. In open fencerows, shrubs are smaller, with more stems but with fewer fruit. Considerations for your garden Beautyberry is a great addition to your garden, particularly useful in wet and wooded settings. (con tinued on page 3 4)
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The shrub can be grown from seed, root cuttings, or tip cuttings and survives transplanting fairly well. Plants can be pruned severely when dormant to control the size of plants. Shrubs survive easily under power lines where they are mowed every few years. Benefits Beautyberry makes wonderful jelly, with a clear purple/magenta color and delicate flavor. I just learned about this last year, and we 34
organized some of the local children to harvest the berries. Connie Prater of Connie’s Preserves showed the children how she makes the jelly. Connie also
a growing food movement
demonstrates the process at community events
simplex virus and replication of the poliovirus.
such as our Day in the Woods event in Alapaha on
It also has some cytotoxic activity for various
Saturday, April 13.
human cancers, including prostate cancers, breast cancers, and leukemia.
Beautyberry has long been used as a folk remedy as a natural insect repellent. Researchers are
Beautyberry is valuable as a wildlife food plant.
finding evidence that it is as effective as Deet in
Leaves are browsed by deer, particularly later in
repelling insects such as mosquitos, ticks, and
summer when there isn’t a lot of food available.
biting flies. To make a repellant, you steep the
Leaves are most nutritious in spring (18% protein)
leaves in alcohol, blend and strain, adding some oil for good application. You can also make a salve by adding beeswax and heating. Native Americans used various infusions for medicinal purposes. Root teas were used to treat intestinal problems—stomach ache and dysentery. Root and berry tea was used for colic. Root and leaf teas were used in sweat baths for rheumatism,
but they still have 8% protein by the end of summer.
fevers, and malaria.
The fruit provides food for a wide variety of animals
Callicarpa species, including American beautyberry, are being investigated for several medicinal properties. There is evidence of antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and common foodborne pathogens. It can inhibit the herpes
in late fall. Fruit is heavily consumed by deer and also eaten by opossum, raccoon, armadillo and rodents. Fruit is also consumed by Northern bobwhite and over 40 species of songbirds, particularly cardinals, robins, mockingbird, thrasher, finch, towhee, and catbird. Birds are the main method of natural seed dispersal.
References Chafin, L. G. 2016. Field guide to the wildflowers of Georgia and surrounding states. The University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. Grow Network. This natural insect repellent is as effective as Deet!
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center. American beautyberry.
Miller, J. H., & K. V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. The University of Georgia Press, Athens, GA. Photos in this article courtesy of the Coastal Plain Chapter of the Georgia Native Plant Society ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
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a growing food movement
Comfort Farms:
healing through agriculture
by LeeAnna Tatum
The responsibilities, rhythms and rigors of farm life
Jon had always enjoyed gardening and found
provide a powerful antidote to the struggles that
healing and purpose for himself and others through
many veterans face on the homefront. For many,
the establishment of Comfort Farms. Comfort
the most difficult challenge of war is coming home:
Farms is a program of the nonprofit Jon founded,
reintegration into civilian life, reconnecting with
STAG VETS. It is the nation’s first acute veterans
friends and family members; adjusting to a life that
crisis agriculture center and it is named in honor of
is full of choice and lacking focus.
fallen US Ranger Captain Kyle E. Comfort.
It’s on the farm that these men and women can learn to set down their weapons and pick up a shovel, trade in bullets for seeds, and re-assimilate into civilian life. Jon Jackson, a combat veteran who served as a US Army Airborne Ranger, knows first hand about the
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struggles veterans face on the homefront having experienced them himself. Dealing with depression, PTSD and the effects of Traumatic Brain Injury; Jon was emotionally closed off from his family and loved ones. “Coming out of the military, they put me on anti-anxiety medications, anti-depression medication,” Jon explained. “They put me on all these medications to combat the reactions of the medications. And you find out you have 20 medications, and you’re taking all this stuff for what?” “At the end of the day, those medications made me dead to the world, made me dead to my family,” he
Work and life on the farm not only gives struggling veterans a new mission but it provides a community, structure and routine that may have been missed upon return to civilian life. Farm life also nurtures an emotional awakening. By giving individuals responsibilities and giving them the space they need to work through some of their issues, Comfort Farms can provide an effective therapy that goes far beyond the capability of pharmaceuticals.
continued. “I had no emotions. I was just living -
“You give a vet purpose, you give him direction, you
correction - I was just breathing. I wasn’t living.”
give him a sense of ownership to solve problems,” (con tinued on page 38)
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Jon explained. “You put problems on him to
“What happens is they’re starting to feel those
critically think even when he or she is in a position
emotions again,” Jon explained. “You come from
where they don’t physically feel like they can do
an environment where humans are bad - you
anything. But now, on the farm, all that changes.”
can’t trust them. So, we put up our guard, we put a 20 foot wall up. Especially when you live in an
“It’s really unique and it needs to be studied a lot
environment that’s black and white - enemy or
more.”
friendly. We come back here to America and there
“We have guys, to include myself,” Jon said, “who want to be left alone. You don’t want to be around your wife, you don’t want to be around your kids, your family members, because they don’t understand.” “But the farm has a very miraculous way of changing those kinds of things,” Jon continued. “There will be a vet who doesn’t want to be around his own family but he’s looking forward to taking care of chicks everyday or making sure piglets are being fed - things like that. So you may not want 38
to be around family, but there’s this family and eventually those vets start longing to be with their own family.”
is no black and white, it’s all gray. So a lot of folks get frustrated in the gray - vets don’t like living in the gray. They want to know - is this good or bad? But life isn’t that way.” “When you work with animals and in you’re in an environment where you’re giving and you’re caring and you’re realizing skills that you’ve tucked away. You end up lighting that fire again, getting the coals hot of what it used to feel like. A lot of vets haven’t cried in a very long time and all of a sudden they have a lot of emotion. Like when they have a pig that goes to slaughter. Or they just have emotions of being happy, being around people. Those emotions are good, those feelings of sadness are good - you’re not a robot, you are human.” There’s a good bit of science that demonstrates how effective digging in the dirt and simply being outdoors is at treating depression and anxiety. Research has shown that there is a bacterium in soil that produces the same effects on the human brain as antidepressant pharmaceuticals by stimulating the release of serotonin. There is also research that shows the benefits of being surrounded by the sounds of nature, as little as fifteen minutes can reduce the effects of stress on the body - slowing heart rates and decreasing the body’s fight-or-flight responses. Connecting with the earth and with life’s natural rhythms is in itself healing. But coupling that with
a growing food movement
purpose, hard physical work, animal husbandry,
“There’s this uniqueness in being in service and
responsibility for and to others, and the opportunity
having that type of service mentality,” Jon went on
to serve the broader community makes farming
to explain “... it was a natural transition for me to
an occupation that is particularly well-suited to
get into farming - it just felt right.”
veterans. Jon is not alone in making this observation and many organizations, including the United States Department of Agriculture are making the connections between veterans and farming. With an aging population of American farmers leaving the profession and a growing number of veterans coming home and needing viable occupations, this pairing could very well be a winning combination. For more information on STAG VETS and Comfort Farms, please visit their website. You can find more “There’s a unique statistic shared between warriors
information on the USDA programs and resources
and farmers,” Jon said. “In one group, less than 1%
for veterans here.
protect the rest and in the other group, less than 1% feed the rest.
Photos in this article courtesy of Jon Jackson and Comfort Farms
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www.waygreen.wix.com/waygreen https://www.facebook.com/WayxGreen waygreeninc@gmail.com “Southeast Georgia’s Local Good Food Movement”
ISSUE ~ 1 ~ 2019
Southern SOIL
W
Business Index
m
E ARE WORKING TO BE THE DEFINITIVE PLATFORM FOR LOCALLY SOURCED AND SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED FOOD HERE IN SOUTHEAST GEORGIA. THIS LIST INCLUDES BUSINESSES AND FARMS THAT, AT LEAST IN PART, STRIVE TO MEET STANDARDS HIGHER THAN THOSE SET IN CONVENTIONAL AGRICULTURE. WE HOPE THAT THIS LIST WILL HELP MINDFUL CONSUMERS CONNECT WITH PRODUCERS AND PURVEYORS OF SUSTAINABLE LOCAL FOOD. THOUGH WE HAVE ENDEAVORED TO MAKE A GOOD START, WE ADVISE CONSUMERS TO GET TO KNOW THEIR FARMERS, CHEFS, RESTAURANTEURS AND RETAILERS: ASK QUESTIONS AND LEARN ABOUT WHERE YOUR FOOD IS SOURCED AND HOW IT IS PRODUCED.
Alma
The Douglas Farm
Alston
Laurent Farm
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Bartow
Midnight Run Distillary The Hancock Farm, LLC
Brunswick
Farmer and the Larder Gilliard Farms Richland Rum Sage’s Larder Strong Roots Provisions
Cobbtown
Dig In Farms
Cumberland Island Baxley
Miles Berry Farm (Organic and Conventional) Ten Mile Creek Farm
Blackshear
Greyfield Inn
Darien
Canewater Farm Turnip Greens
Southern Press and Packing
Douglas
Bloomingdale
Red Brick Farm
Ottawa Farms
Dublin
Bristol and Brunswick Rabiteye Winery
Brooklet
Hunter Cattle
Dublin Farm and Ristorante de Maria Local Lands Organically Grown Gardens Market on Madison
Eastman
Dodge County Farmers Market
a growing food movement
Eden
Garden Botanicals
Milledgeville
Comfort Farms Green Market Milledgeville Salamander Springs
Fitzgerald
El Capitan Longhorns
Mt. Vernon
Hardeman Apiaries
Glennville
Watermelon Creek Vinyard
Glenwood
Nahunta
Hands Indigo Farm Walnright and Son
Lola’s Organic Farm
Newington
Guyton
Better Fresh Farms Greenbridge Farm Heritage Organic Farms
Longwood Plantation Southern Native Plantings
Odem
Mickey’s Farm, Inc. (Organic Pure Cane Syrup)
Hinesville
The Hinesville Downtown Farmers Market
Jesup
Garden of Eatn Health Food Store
Pooler
Polks Plus and Polks Plus on the Go Savannah Sauce Company The Salt Table Two Addison Place Farmers Market
Kingsland
Vacuna Farms
Portal
Clark & Sons Organics
Lakeland
Gayla Grits Georgia Olive Farms
Lyons
Rackettown Wildlife Club
Register
B & G Honey Farms
Reidsville
Grassroots Farm Swampy Appleseed Mushrooms
Midville
Wildhaven Farm
Midway
Foods of the Farm
Richmond Hill
The Ford Plantation Billy Botanicals Hardwicke Farms
ISSUE ~ 5 ~ 2018
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Southern SOIL
Rocky Ford
Jacob’s Produce
Sandersville
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Victory Gardens Wilmington Island Farmers Market
Springfield
Downtown Sandersville Market
Bootleg Farm, LLC
Savannah
Saint Mary’s Community Market
1540 Room 22 Square Restaurant Alligator Soul Back in the Day Bakery B & D Burgers Brighter Day Byrd’s Famous Cookies Cha Bella: Farm to Table Cotton and Rye East End Provisions Economy Feed and Seed Elizabeth on 37th Forsyth Farmers Market Frali Gourmet Friendship Coffee Georgia Land and Cattle Gratitude Gardens Grow. Eat. Repeat. Husk Kayak Kafe Downtown Kayak Kafe Midtown Kitchen 320 Local 11ten Local Farmbag Lucky’s Market Ogeechee Meat Market Prohibitions Russo’s Seafood Savannah Bee Company Savannah Bee Company: Wilmington Island Showroom Service Brewing Company Smith Brothers Butcher Shop South Islands Farmers’ and Artisans’ Market Southbound Brewing Company The Grey The Olde Pink House Restaurant The Salt Table The Sentient Bean Thrive Catering Vertu Farm
St. Mary’s
St. Simons Island
Georgia Sea Grill Halyards Restaurant Little St. Simons Island B&B Savannah Bee Company Sea Island Resort The Market Sea Island Uncle Don’s Market
Statesboro
920 Cattle & Co. Anthony’s Roots HL Franklin’s Healthy Honey Main Street Farmers Market Scratch Made Catering Sugar Magnolia Three Tree Roasters
Stillmore
Ox and Broadfork
Swainsboro
Pinetucky Country Meats The Sugar Bowl
Sylvania 4and20 Bakers Boddiford’s Deer Processing Hammons Flatland Farm Old Freeman Family Farm (Danny Anderson’s Real Feed, non-GMO)
a growing food movement
Savannah River Farms Victory Garden General Store Walker Organic Farms
Townsend
Brothers in Farms, LLC Georgia Buffalo Ranch McCurdy Berries
Waynesboro Byne Blueberry Farms Pineland Bakery Southern Swiss Dairy
Woodbine Morning Belle Farms (Organic) Woodbine Farmers Market
Waycross Hickox Family Farm Waygreen Homestead Guild Waygreen Local Fare Market
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An online magazine focused on the local, sustainable food system in Southeast Georgia. Connect with us today!
www.southernsoil.org ISSUE ~5 ~ 2018
Southern SOIL
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