In this issue:

• CNN comes to The Farm
  
  
• In the Movies
  
  
• Swan Trust Carroll Cabin Barrens Hike
  
  
• Farm Experience Weekend September 21-23
  
  
• Garden Report: Protein Beans and Dent Corn

Hi Friends,
One of the reasons we created The Farm was to have a megaphone to the world.
By having a collective presence, the community has been able to have a voice in the national and international dialog, presenting positive alternatives and an actual model for living lighter on the earth....Especially with some good editing! ;-)

The ideas and ways of living long promoted by this community continue to find an audience through a variety media, from the award winning movie Birth Story about Ina May Gaskin, to notable independents like Within Reach, as well as our presence on Facebook, YouTube and more.

CNN is producing a prime time series on how people are finding ways to deal with life in the new economy. Our spot should be 5 to 15 minutes on one episode. This will be an opportunity to present the benefits of creating community, preserving nature, right livelihood, growing food, and living well. Wish me luck!

I met with the series producers in Atlanta, which was followed by a visit to The Farm in mid-August to meet directly with people here and do some preliminary video. The primary production will take place in late September. I'll keep you posted.

Journey through time to see The Farm's wide range of media coverage through the years, from National Geographic to Mother Earth News. Check out the press archives.

This message of peace and sustainability comes from all of us, including you and everyone who shares these ideals.

We are grateful for the opportunity to use this 15 minutes of fame as a chance at the world microphone, speaking out for all of those who want something better for our world.

Thank you for your time, attention and support.

Yours in community,

Douglas
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

The Farm Prairie Barrens late summer bloom.

Just around trhe corner: The Farm Experience Weekend!

What are you waiting for?
An adventure awaits, right down the road.

The Farm Experience Weekend
September 21-23

A retreat to give you strength and hope
for the next step in your journey.

Come celebrate the solstice with a Farm barbecue and music under the dome. Register today!

In the movies!

"The (award winning) feature-length documentary BIRTH STORY: Ina May Gaskin and The Farm Midwives tells the story of counterculture heroine Ina May Gaskin and her spirited friends, who began delivering each other’s babies in 1970, on a caravan of hippie school buses, headed to a patch of rural Tennessee land. " Watch the trailer.

Saturday September 1: Swan Trust hike
Carroll Cabin Barrens State Natural Area
Bath Springs south of Parsons, Decatur County
Swan Trust joins members of the TN State Natural Areas program to explore this unique ecosystem. Meet at the natural area parking lot at 9:30a.m.  A map to the site can be found at: http://state.tn.us/environment/na/natareas/carrollcabin/carrollcabin.pdf. Leader: Allan Trently, TN Natural Areas Program  Reservations: Contact Allan Trently at (731) 512-1369 or at allan.trently@tn.gov no later than August 30. 

The hike will be about 2.5-miles, some of which will be off-trail.  The hike is considered moderate to strenuous.  The trip leader will discuss the ecology and management of the barrens and will identify animals and plants during the hike.  Wear sturdy shoes, bring water and a snack, bring binoculars if you have them, and dress appropriately for the weather. We will not go in the event of inclement weather.

For more information or to RSVP for any of our events, contact:
Douglas@swantrust.org 931-964-2590
Swan Trust Office foreverwild@swantrust.org 931-964-4402

The overlook at Carroll Cabin Barrens State Natural Area

Beans and Corn: A complete protein

Growing Protein - One of the great things about life in Tennessee and on The Farm is that you really can grow your own food and provide for your family and community. Being a southerner I looked at what folks here used to eat and it was beans and cornbread and greens, all foods right for our climate and easy to grow.

With the launch of the community garden a few year's back, I took on a personal challenge to raise a complete diet that could sustain us.

I am in my third year of growing beans, with 3 rows each of black beans, pinto beans and kidney beans and it feels like I might finally have enough to provide for one year.

A prolific planting of Black Beans

Each row of beans is about 50 foot long. Because of the humidity and summer rains, I cannot let the pods stay on the bush to dry because often they will either mold or sprout.

I pick the pods every other day after they turn from green to purple (black beans) or brown.

The Bean patch - Note corn in the back.

I usually let the beans dry a day in their pods and then shell in the evenings after dinner while I watch a bit of TV.

I then finish off the beans by placing them in the dehydrator for a few hours to remove any residual moisture. It is amazing how much they shrink in size!

A day's picking of black beans

I started growing corn and making my own cornmeal 2 season's ago. The first year I lost a bunch to squirrels, but I still harvested enough to last me about all year. This looks to be the best harvest yet. The patch was 4 rows about 25 feet long.

The seed is a generic open pollinated variety of yellow "dent" corn I purchased at my local vegetable stand. It was a few bucks for a small bag of seed and I am still planting from the same packet, still with almost 100% germination after 3 years.

It is basically just a yellow field corn. It carries the name "dent" because of the indentation that forms in the kernels as they start to dry.

I pick early, again in order to avoid pests and the humidity here which can cause the ears to mold as well as sprout in the field.

First picking - As the shucks turn from green to brown
I peel back an ear to see if it's ready for pickin'.

I shell the corn by hand while watching TV and then dry in a dehydrator.

A Vita Mix flour attachment grinds the corn into cornmeal.

I make cornbread about twice a month through the winter and blueberry muffins with cornmeal about once a week. I hope to try making masa from scratch soon.

Dent corn - good for cornmeal

Thank you for your time and attention! I look forward to hearing from you.
Douglas@thefarmcommunity.com

Read more about life on The Farm in Voices from the Farm, available from The Farm Catalog A NEW release - NOW WITH PICTURES!

Green Life Retreats
A division of Village Media Services
PO Box 259 / Summertown, TN 38483
931-964-2590 - office 931-626-4035 - cell
Douglas@villagemedia.com
http://www.villagemedia.com
http://www.greenliferetreats.com