HIPFiSHmonthly

eating the coast/food groove isa bright new slice in HIPFiSHshowcasing the burgeoninglocal food scene in the columbiapacific region - from farm/seato fork, community gardening,growing, consuming, eatingout, and raising a living - staytuned and watch as we nurtureand grow this section in syncwith the locovore movementfor more groove see pg. 29-30Eating the Coast Editor EliaSeely wants to hear from you -news, events, issues . . .contact: eatingthecoast@hipfish.netWe Got Ourselves aR-evolution!R-evolution Gardens:Permaculture for the People!By Elia Seelyrev·o·lu·tion[rev-uh-loo-shuh n]–noun1. Overthrow of government2. Major change3. Complete circular turneating the coastAptly named R-evolutionGardens embodies the spirit of allthe definitions of the word (well,ok, maybe overthrow of guv’mentis a stretch, but the farm is off thegrid). How so? Look no furtherthan the life stories, visions, andpractice of R-evolution’s co-ownersand founders Ginger Salkowskiand Brian Schulz.Ginger grew up in Detroit andWestern Michigan. Though shealways felt activism stirring inher blood—“even as a kid I had astrong sense of social justice”—she never imagined herself as afarmer, and a permaculture educatorand practitioner to boot. Treeactivism got her out West andbrought her together with Brian;Brian himself is a Portland nativeand activist turned kayak builderand man of the land. His move tothe Oregon coast to ply the Pacificbrought Ginger to ply the touristtrade of Manzanita—and eventuallythey bought the farm, literally.Emily Fanjoy, farmer in training, looks towardsstarting her her own farm next year in Nehalem.R-evolution Gardens is a fantasticproduct of hard work, vision, energy,and the bliss of ignorance; an organic,off the grid permaculture laboratory.“We had no idea what we were doing,”Ginger admits. “We started with thisland that had been a logging site withincredibly damaged soil and blackberriesover your head. I’d never farmed inmy life, neither had Brian. We startedwith these pigs, to root out the blackberries. . . it was totally out of control, but itworked!” And how: after only four yearson the land the farm sports severalstructures, a hoop house, perennialplantings (nut and fruit trees, asparagus,rhubarb), and annual crops. Oh, andchickens, ducks, bees, and a fresh batchof kittens.The seed of R-evolution began withGinger’s interest in permaculture. “Permacultureis sustainable living design,”she explains. “Trying to think about theproperty and lifestyle so you can closeall the loops. Inputs being met by yourwaste products, incorporating as muchrecycling and reuse as you can.” Gingerstarted her permaculture educationat a two-week workshop in California,taught by earth activists Starhawk andPenny Livingston. The interest becamea passion, and it became clear that hernew direction needed to be toward livingthe principles embodied by permaculture.Ginger sold her fair trade retailoperation, It’s Only Fair, and began workwith the Lower Nehalem CommunityTrust, where she created a children’steaching garden and a permaculturegarden. She found herself fulfilled in away she hadn’t been in a long time, andthat satisfaction was clear to communitymember Mark Beach. “He saw mypassion and excitement for this workand offered to sell me some land. He andhis partner Kathleen Ryan, are a big, bigpart of why we are here.”Rob Streit and BJ Marquez,volunteer tomato planters.For Brian’s part, he states that “Ididn’t grow up around agriculture andI never envisioned being a small-scalefarmer. Like so many things in life,the route here was a sinuous chain ofcircumstances that coalesced into thislifestyle. It was a bit of serendipity anda lot of hard work.” He is self-confessedto be “not much good with growingthings,” and supports the farm by buildingstructures and creating the off thegrid systems. His own home, which hefinished at Christmastime, is an exampleof the ingenuity Brian applies to hislearn-as-you-go lifestyle and a testamentto eco-building. He traded a boatclass for lessons in timber framing froma Montana builder. Wood that he’d beensaving for just the right project becameshelves. A kayak transformed into aceiling light fixture. Trees for the housecame from nearby property, in the formof blow-down, or were hauled from theriver. Earth and plaster walls, recycledblue jeans insulation, and earth paintcompleted the Japanese-inspired home.Brian milled the wood himself and addsto his skills with every structure hebuilds.The essence of off the grid and farmliving is embracing DIY. And relyingon community, bartering of skills, thesharing of knowledge and time. Thecommunity piece is huge for R-evolutionGardens, as their small farmstead ishome to not only themselves, but alsoan assortment of interns and WOOFers(an international network matchingworkers to room and board farmplacements). “I see these kids comeand I see seeds being planted in them,”Ginger enthuses. “I don’t know wherethey will all end up, but I love knowingthat people are getting inspired and15 may11 hipfishmonthly.com