Growing Vegetables

There are many trends in our so-called civilization to mythologize things, and agriculture is one of them. In the making of the video about our earlier farm, Elsie's Farm, I asked the film/videomakers to be careful with this, to shoot the process, the "dirt"/soil, keep the camera and microphones low, and they did. So my hope is that those who see this production will take it on as an exercise in the demythologizing of alternative agriculture. "Boots on the ground" is not the property of the military.

Growing up in both the depression and an automotive garage, dirt was a part of things. When I ran into the slogan a few decades back which suggested "not treating your soil as dirt" I was a little confused. Dirt and soil were the same thing, although not in the garage ... that was were likely to be grease, grime, although we had some dirt there as well. When working with my grandfathers in the vegetable garden it was just plain glorious to "play in the dirt," and Joni Cash is quoted about that enjoyment in "Dirty Work."

I hope that this video will help the viewer cut through some of the stuff and get down to what alternative agriculture and growing things is. And the basis of it is soil, of course, dirt. It would be very auspicious if people who view and hear the video get the experience of dirt, and that they have the desire themselves to grow something, to compost, to dig, to get down and dirty. The mythology of farming is not helped by the advertising and public relations of commercial farming, where soil and dirt are hardly mentioned. This has to be turned around.

"Dirty Work"

Several people have asked me what I do for a living, we all know about how identity is defined in these United States by one's work not being. Well, the production available for viewing has to do with what I/we did on Elsie's Farm in the last decade or so, & I suggest you see and hear it if possible. Deb Wallwork's production (with Mike Hazard) is described on the postcard making known the event as follows:

"Dirty Work" is about an impossible, perhaps quixotic dream to take an old farm, invest it with new ideas, and grow a community.

Community supported agriculture; what does it take? Who are the people that make it happen?

And how are their lives transformed by living the change they hope to see?

TRYLON Cinema
3258 Minnehaha Ave S. Minneapolis, MN
Wednesday, May 18th
7:00 P.M. $8 suggested donation

RESERVE your seat
www.take-up.org

Originally there was to be a BLOG which would accompany this video; that may or may not happen in the future. I guess what I would like to have happen is have the BLOG written by those who have participated in Elsie's, and those who have been affected by farm, including those who have seen "Dirty Work." Vamos a ver.