April 2013 - Skagit Valley Food Co-op

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One Last Straw of Revolution by Baiyu Mukai On Feb. 2, 2013 a friend forwarded me an e-mail celebrating the centennial of Masanobu Fukuoka’s birth. His book One Straw Revolution has been translated into tens of languages and the author, Mr. Fukuoka, became a champion for the natural way of farming, traveling in India and Africa for causes like reforestation even in his advanced years. The diversity of his audiences and the impact of his work touched me even at the Co-op. A fellow cashier who is from Ireland showed me her copy of The Natural Way of Farming, which she bought in India in her journey. Then a Deli server from Argentina let me have a peek at his treasure – One Straw Revolution. One middle-aged lady member in a wheelchair told me how excited she got reading that book years ago in Southern California. When I wrote “One Apple, One Mountain, and Not Two” in this newsletter, I came across an author who experienced a real ordeal growing apple trees in totally natural way. He was an ardent follower of Mr. Fukuoka and he now gives lectures on natural farming in Japan and Korea. Mr. Fukuoka was born in Ehime Prefecture in the island of Shikoku, Japan. He graduated from Gifu Advanced School of Agriculture and Forestry and started working as a quarantine inspector at Port of Yokohama Customs Office. Educated as a plant pathologist, he examined the soil and plants passing through, peering into a microscope in a laboratory. At a young age of twenty-five, he was struck with the inspiration that the new agricultural technology of industrial agriculture touting the use of new insecticides and fertilizers would rather harm the soil and force the society into a vicious cycle. He realized that nature, not science nor men, produces vegetables and fruits. With that, he quit a steady governmental post that was coveted by many. He returned to his hometown in Ehime and spent the next three decades putting his theory in practice. Then he wrote those two books mentioned above and in total seven books including Sowing Seeds in the Desert and Road Back to Nature. He died in 2008 at age 95. When I read The Natural Way of Farming, I realized many things I was doing in my tiny vegetable patch at home were totally opposite to his. I was weeding like crazy and plowing deep, removing every living thing out of the soil and pruning the apple tree branches as if they were my mortal enemy. Mr. Fukuoka advocates no plowing, no fertilizer, no insecticide and no pruning. He made his own compost but applied it very modestly. I liked the idea of donothing of course but my better half insisted that Mr. Fukuoka’s do-nothing is not the same idleness in my book, but rather it is do-nothing artificial or extra, any more than absolute must, in order to keep the nature in total balance. For many of us who grew up in agrarian society, tilling or plowing comes natural to us. When a piece of arable land is available, we wonder what we can plant, vegetable or flower. Yet that sentiment is not shared the world over. In Mongol, one popular saying goes that the land, once tilled, can never be the same. Grass in Greenland did not grow back once grazed by newcomers. Many reviewers of Mr. Fukuoka’s books express the doubt that his theory might not apply to other regions. Others contend that broadcasting clay-covered seeds in the African desert and touting the natural farming in a few days’ lectures are at best goodwill tours, ignoring his admonition that natural farming requires diligent observation of natural habitat for an extended time. But the strongest opposition came from people who agree with the general thesis of preserving the nature, but feel his philosophical stance is too skewed to Buddhism and especially Zen, and that the successful implementation of his theory is difficult to appraise. Indeed, his background in Shinto and Buddhist upbringing in Japan is reflected in his treating that everything on earth is equal, thus denying the Judeo-Christian notion that men can do anything with animals or plants as they see fit. However, I detect more of the Taoist in his thinking. Taoism never gained an acceptance in Japan as Confucius teachings of the same era did. Confucius encouraged men to aspire to do good, to be better. Taoism sees the inherent obstacle to those aspirations. If everyone admires a diamond, then thieves would even kill for the gem. If everyone wants top-school education to get ahead in life, the country would soon be run by ambitious yet unscrupulous bureaucrats. If we want to I was weeding like crazy and plowing deep, removing every living thing out of the soil and pruning the apple tree branches as if they were my mortal enemy. produce beautiful tomatoes in the Pacific Northwest all year around, we have to grow them in a greenhouse with lots of fertilizers and pesticides. The greenhouse would soon be full of pathogens. Reading books of people who tried the strictly natural way of farming, they cite initial difficulty. First the soil has to be restored. Then the weakened seeds that have been crossed for centuries to yield easier and better-looking vegetables have to survive the harsh nature on their own strength without chemicals. Over time it gets easier but still far from an armchair kind of agriculture with an air-conditioned tractor. It is, though, much rewarding and fulfilling. The natural way of farming has not gained much momentum. I suspect it is because the hardest notion for us to accept is that this progress we have been proud of may be causing all the troubles. With the complacent compartmentalized world of science, everyone tries so hard to excel in his or her field, coming up with remarkable cures and solutions which would only result in the next generations of problems or negatively affect other fields. Like some parents who love their children too much and end up hurting them, we cannot believe our well-intended aspiration to do better for this planet earth can be harmful instead. We should be humble and do nothing sometimes. Readers are invited to visit Baiyu’s blog, plumpickings.wordpress.com 12 Skagit Valley Food Co-op The Natural Enquirer April/May 2013
Essential Oil Art by nancylee bouscher It’s true, I miss being a student. Few things please me more than sitting in a room listening and talking about ideas. I know, “student of life,” but I kind of enjoy the bubble of a classroom where things can be a bit more . . . definite, finite, concrete than they sometimes are when you are out of the classroom with fuzzy edges of emotions and the never ending spectrum of gray in real life. Fortunately for me, every so often I get to go to a training, a little mini-class put on by one of the companies we sell in the Wellness Department. Smart companies know that educated salespeople, sell more. Aura Cacia knows this, and that’s why they invited staff members to a training by Tim Blakley, aromatherapist and more with over 30 years of experience in the world of medicinal plants, focusing on essential oils. Distilling a lifetime of knowledge into a two-hour presentation is a challenge. Equally challenging--taking notes fast enough to record all of the tidbits, recipes and suggestions. Here are some highlights: Essential oils sales have seen a big increase in popularity over the last year and there’s no sign of it slowing. This has its pros and cons. The good news is that there are cooperatives like Aura Cacia that have standards for their business and their oils. They test to make sure there are no synthetic ingredients added to “stretch” the oils. They help the communities they buy herbs from, even building schools while also providing sustainable jobs to entire villages. And yes, let me say it again, they are a co-op. The downside of the increases in sales is the increase in “fake” oils on the market, and the over-harvesting of some plants/trees to produce oils. Again, Aura Cacia is careful to find sustainable sources. Most essential oils are obtained through steam distillation. The plant (which could include many forms of the plant--petal, leaves, roots--depending on what is needed) is heated in water; the oil and the steam is trapped and cooled. The essential oil separates from the cooled water and is collected. The remaining water is hydrosol which contains only a small amount of the essential oil of the plant, but still has benefit as a skin toner or a household cleaner. Some essential oils, like jasmine, cannot be steam distilled because of the delicate nature of the oil, so a solvent extraction process is used. Citrus oils are pressed in order to release the oils from the tough rind. Essential oils are used in two main ways in body care--by smelling and by applying to skin. When breathed in, they hitch a ride to olfactory bulbs and head to the limbic system of our brain where our emotions reside. While much of this magic is still being worked out so we can “understand” it better, I bet most of us have scents we prefer, ones that make us feel better, ones that spark the return of memory. Whenever I smell jasmine I am transported back to my childhood. In southern California, flowers bloom year round it seems. The early morning was warm, and as I lay in bed with the window open, the air was thick with the sweet and rich smell of blooming jasmine flowers. I would seek out the plant and bury my head in the leaves, inching closer to the small white star blossoms and feeling like I was floating on clouds. Sometimes I sneak over to the testers and add a drop of jasmine to my palm, rub it in and cup my hand around my face as I inhale deeply. Aaah. There I am again, six years old and running carefree through my backyard in search of those super huge bees that loved the passion flowers as much as I did. Transported. Refreshed. Another way to breathe in oil is with a room diffuser, either electric or flame. Put drops on the pad, plug into wall and wait. I like to plug my room diffuser into a Christmas light timer. This way you can “program” your room to smell like jasmine just as you start to wake in the morning. When using a candle in a stone, clay or glass diffuser remember to add water to the cup, then add drops of your essential oil. Essential Oil mists can be made simply by adding drops to water. I poured together one of Tim’s many recipes (find lots at auracacia.com): 30 drops of peppermint along with a few drops of lavender into four ounces of water. This mist can, and will, be used in my truck as a quick mental pick me up--and as a skin rub to help cool down my hot tot who often complains of being too warm during car rides. When applied to the body, essential oils enter our blood system just like anything else we put on our skin, and studies show they stay in our system for up to two hours. When applying essential oils, it’s important to dilute them--usually into a carrier oil such as almond, jojoba or coconut oil. If you are trying a new oil on your skin, it’s a good idea to test for sensitivity by adding one drop of essential oil to one teaspoon of a carrier oil. Apply this to your inner arm and wait 24 hours to see how you fare. Some folks can tolerate lavender essential oil full strength and benefit greatly from its use. Lavender, Aura Cacia’s #1 seller, has a long list of uses. It is an effective treatment for burns on the skin and acne and was my best treatment when my boys did their bout with chicken pox. I could almost see those pox shrivel up before my eyes. In fact, the man considered to be the founder of aromatherapy, Dr. Gattefosse, reportedly burned his hand badly in a laboratory accident in 1928. He serendipitously plunged his hand into a vat of lavender essential oil and was surprised at how well it eased the pain and hastened the healing of his burn. photo: nl bouscher David holds his favorite essential oil, lavender... notice how happy and relaxed he is! Mixing up oils can be a lifelong love affair--and you may soon find yourself collecting oils with gusto. The good news is that oils last a long time, especially when kept tightly sealed in a cool, dark area. Even volatile oils--like citrus--last up to a year. Heavier oils, like sandalwood, last for several years. Also, oils are so concentrated: a few drops are often all you need. For example, Aura Cacia’s Soothing Tamanu Foot Oil (found on their website) offers a simple, soothing option for all feet: mix together 1 ounce tamanu oil, 4 drops tea tree essential oil, 4 drops peppermint essential oil, 4 drops sandalwood essential oil. Foot rub? Yes, please. Why not have a big essential oil party where everyone brings a different oil, makes goodness and shares. I’ll bring the frankincense! Skagit Valley Food Co-op The Natural Enquirer April/May 2013 13
Page 1 and 2: M A R K E T A Pu b l i c at i o n o
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Page 7 and 8: Continued from page 5 Co-op Worksho
Page 9 and 10: Air When . . . Nettles Are Popping
Page 11: 4% Friday Build Community Greenwood
Page 15 and 16: Pl a n t Sa l e s Don’t miss the

April 2013 - Skagit Valley Food Co-op

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