bargain hunting ourselves

if you don't buy organic - it's probably because it's too expensive (or you've been fooled into the illusion of perfect looking produce - which is a whole different problem). and i've learned that even the people who believe in organic, sustainable practices (myself included) sometimes find themselves going for that super saver deal - because usually it is such a difference in price and we've been trained like pavlovian dogs to salivate at good deals.

but what's really surprised me over the past two months is that some farmers - who themselves sell organic products - often buy conventional goods (even the most chemically treated - like potatoes, milk, and cheese). and i find it really, really upsetting for three reasons.

first, it shows how little money farmers make and how little their occupations are appreciated by society - even though they are controlling the most important aspect of living (besides water). and of course i knew all this before i started wwoofing - but to actually meet people and really see how hard they work - it's amazing that we appreciate them, and the food they produce, so little (if we even appreciate them at all.)

second, the dilemma of - to buy, or not to buy - is nasty. if the farmers themselves aren't even buying organic products - then they obviously don't believe the average person will because of the same reasoning - and therefore they end up marketing their goods only to the rich and affluent. forget the larger part of the population - the ones who's diets are suffering from other societal problems. poor people don't deserve a strawberry that tastes delicious. and their kids surely don't deserve milk that isn't fortified with cow puss and antibiotic goodness. no, no.

third, we as a society really need to sort out our priorities. why does organic cost so much? why are we wallflowers to the dance of corporations tangoing with government subsidies (aka our money) - where most money goes to crops like corn and wheat which are artificially made important, and probably really unhealthy? and why do we spend more time thinking about the quality of a car, tv, or phone over the quality of what we eat?

it doesn't make sense. how did we let ourselves become so fucked?

boy howdy...

was it hot, hot, hot today in treplin, germany. and lucky for us we got to be in the plastic tunnel! yippee.

and what better thing to do with your time than weed? and while i enjoy weeding, this was a whole new - sweaty - beast.

first up - we were instructed to "take away the small plants - you have to destroy them - because they are bad for the big plants" - direction from the apprentice here who must have thought we were complete american idiots for not knowing what a weed is.

pictured: plastic tunnel after weeding (just imagine the heat in there!)

next, we had to rip out and dig up lots and lots of grass that has moved inside the tunnel - because the water trickles down the sides - and grass is thirsty. this totally sucked. my hands, once again, have blisters. and my eyes were constantly stinking from the dirty sweat that would seep into my eye balls. not to mention - a bee constantly harassed me - landing on me several times (but luckily never stinging). mister apprentice man wasn't so lucky and got stung by a wasp today. but in his misfortune, i learned that to soothe a wasp/bee bite, you should put raw onion on it to suck the poison out. interesting!

and then after my underwear, socks, and even my jeans were completely soaked in sweat, we headed back to the cool lake for an afternoon swim. we also had a little raft - which i enjoyed more than swimming (lake water - when murky - sorta creeps me out) because i need to seriously give my legs some sun action. right now i look like two different people - some dark armed lady with white white legs. classic farmer's tan. cool!

pictured: alex refreshes // raft time // drowning?

welcome back, dirty hands

pictured: treplin (where we are) // meadows

we started the day off bright and early - 8am - with a little strawberry picking. because "harvest day" (what's harvested for sale at the saturday market) isn't until friday we needed to pick all the ripe strawberries we could find - because this would become a very delicious marmelade. and finding these ripe berries was no problem at all. until today, i hadn't ever seen a strawberry plant with more than 2 berries at a time - and that was when i was a kid and my mom bought me a plant from the strawberry festival. but these bushes - some of them had 15 ripe berries at a time!

pictured: ripe n' ready strawberry goodness // me and the berries // alex with his harvest // the harvest that will be made into marmelade

unfortunately strawberry season is very short (about 4 weeks here) so it's not really a good business. the other wwoofers told us that the strawberries they had picked last harvest day hardly sold at all - because some cheaper berries were being sold just a few tables down from them at the berlin market. i thought this was so sad - delicious, organic strawberries being sold for what's equivalent to an american $4.50 per pint - and no one buying them! outrageous. and now because the berries are really kicking into high gear, prices are dropping. so this weekend they will probably go for only and american $1.75! what a waste when you realise the time (from seed to fruit and labor) it took to create that little pint.

but it was fun to pick (and eat) the strawberries - who's direct german and swedish translation is earthberry (however these strawberries were going out of a straw covered field - and i noticed they likes to hide under the straw...interesting). and they made our hands really really red (not like those store berries that are all white in the middle).

and then it was break time for lunch and i was given a bunch of vegetables from the garden that i had no idea what they were and was told to make something. it was quite frustrating - cooking without understanding what it is you are cooking with, or how it tastes - but in the end the meal turned out pretty good (i just made a pasta dish and topped it with cheese - cheese makes everything okay).

then we moved on to the "plastic tunnel" where we were pruning some tomato plants. this i learned is done specifically from greenhouse-type tomatoes because space is so precious. pruning certain branches helps direct the plant upward, instead of outward - thus allowing you to fit more plants per square meter. also, we discovered that tomato plants, when touched for hours - turn your hands green. and this ain't any green. it's a metallic, thick, shell of a green. very interesting stuff (and apparently no good for your eyes).

pictured: me with green-fingers - but no green thumb :( // upclose tomato greeness

and after our 6 hours we headed over to the nice looking (albeit not the clearest) lake for a refreshing swim.

pictured: the local lake // a dock that leads to a table

oh, and here's today's extra picture...

it's a lettuce tree! yum!

the bare necessities

today we arrived at our new wwoofing farm - barenfang - in treplin, germany - just an hour or so outside of berlin. and because it's sunday, the grill was fired up and the food was plentiful. yum!

after a good tasty meal, alex and i checked out our new home for two weeks. so far, it seems like the best thing about barenfang is the strawberry patch - the ripe, juicy, yummy strawberry patch. i think these strawberries might be the best i've ever had (there's no sour/tartness at all). and the "farm" (pretty small scale) seems to look pretty nice too - beets, lettuce, cabbages, etc - and this is what is harvested on fridays for sale in the berlin market on saturdays.

but the rest of barenfang is pretty bare. perhaps sweden spoiled us. i'm sure it did - well, urnatur did. and i'm sure this is more like traditional wwoofing accommodations - something on par with a camp facility. and while we at least have our own room, it's kinda grimy. basically the structure where the rooms and kitchen are used to be a children's camp - which is very evident. so, it's like camp, but dirtier. but i think, oh, whatever - it's better than pitching a tent. and in a few days we'll be as dirty as the rest of the place - since there's only one "shower" and it's weird looking (think big heating tank suspended over tub) and in a really large, really open room - where other people are living. hmmm...and we brush our teeth in the kitchen sink - just like back in brooklyn. cosy.

and the hosts here, well, they are german. and i don't speak german. yes, they speak some english - but it doesn't appear that they are too into it. maybe it's just because it's their day off and they were relaxing with friends. luckily we are currently joined by 3 other wwoofers - a couple and their toddler from berlin - who are very nice (and the little boy is soooo cute!) but they leave wednesday...so...i hope more people are coming. otherwise it might get real awkward, real soon.

alex is already squeemish from the families of bugs we are sharing a bed with. and i have already started a nice mosquito bite collection on my back. maybe it'll all get better. these are just first impressions. if i think about all my first impressions they weren't always so good. but each farm has really been a good experience and been pretty enjoyable and comfortable. i'll hope for the same here.

the danish way

pictured: illustrations of danish midsummer - Sankt Hans aften

so today is midsummer in sweden - a day where fertility of both flora and fauna is celebrated with foods, dancing, and poles decorated in flowers. but we aren't in sweden. we're in denmark. and midsummer isn't that important here.

instead, midsummer here is celebrated on the 24th of June and is called "Sankt Hans aften" and is celebrated with bonfires and traditional songs. but we were here on the 24th and it seemed to be a day just like any other.

so, as we miss out on swedish tradition i pretend in my head that it's midsummer. that i'm eating all the yummiest strawberries and cream that my stomach can take and dancing like a little frolicking lamb.

but on the outside i'm experiencing life in copenhagen as it appears the locals do. and that starts with some weekend brunch at a place called kalaset. delicious and multifaceted the meal was just what we needed - and a nice departure from the past month's breakfasts of yogurt, toast, and cheese. alex and i shared thick banana chocolate pancakes and a vegan brunch plate which included a tasting of: hummus, olive paste, assortment of fruit, tofu scramble, falafel, tomato sauce, bread, and a small smoothie. yum! i wish it had been cheaper. but that's copenhagen for ya!

pictured: image from google of the flea market we went to (it pretty much looked exactly like this)

then we walked north a bit to explore the saturday-only flea market. decently packed with people, what was for sale was mostly a bunch of crap. like a real flea market. i had gotten so used to fancy brooklyn markets - ie brooklyn flea - that i forgot how much junk people try to sell. but the prices were right and alex got some vintage postcards.

next we moved on to a small, artsy type shop called "CMYK kid". it reminded me a lot of a place called cinders gallery in brooklyn. there were some nice looking prints, but those are too bulky, so i got some postcards instead. and this shop was located in an oasis of a cool street in the middle of an otherwise blasé neighborhood. down the street was a neat cafe, the coffee collective. with a menu made of legos and the baristas taking your order and making your coffee nearly two feet from you - without any counter between you and them - it was more like someone's kitchen than a cafe. it was nice. the cups looked pretty cool. and the coffee was really good.

with coffee in tow, we wandered over to the largest park in copenhagen (i think) - Fælledparken. nice, open, and only spotted with groups of people, it was very different than central or prospect park. don't get me wrong, prospect park is probably my favorite park ever. but it could really do without half the people.

after a little break in the sun, we headed over to the water to get a view of the modern opera house and new looking theater. this area definitely seemed to be the most populated in all of copenhagen - with tourists eating ice cream and drinking beer by whizzing buses and ferries. miss all of that - it was a pretty nice area (probably the one you've seen if you've looked at anything about copenhagen).

then it was time to check out the shopping scene and what in terms of department stores copenhagen had to offer. like other european and asian department stores, there was a gourmet food market in the basement. this is my favorite part of shopping. looking at food. it really makes me understand why i went into what i did - branding. but it really makes me struggle. i love seeing stuff. food, packaging, neat innovations. but really, what's it all for? why does it make me so happy? am i hard wired to like abundance, no matter how much i already have? probably. but putting self-conflicting thoughts aside, i enjoyed seeing lots of products i had only read about in blogs, in their reality.

pictured: inside Magstræde 16 // alex with organic brew

the shops here close rather early on saturdays - 6pm. so off we went for an early dinner of fancy pizza, in the cute, cozy restaurant - Magstræde 16. i ordered the daily white pizza special of goat cheese (i think it was brie, but the guy said goat), rosemary, thinly sliced potatoes, and truffle oil. alex went for a classic - tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, and basil. they were delicious. alex also ordered a nice looking organic beer - as he has at almost every restaurant in sweden and copenhagen. it's amazing how much more avaiable organic beers are over here versus new york. even in normal restaurants you will almost always find one organic brew. get with it new york!

and then it was time to head back to the room we are renting in someone's apartment. and there we noshed on marinated garlic, fresh cheese (soft cheese, sort of like whipped cream cheese) and crackers while we live streamed the world cup and watched as the US played pretty poorly (as far as my amateur knowledge of the game can tell) against ghana. oh well. next time guys.

and tomorrow is it for us - as far as scandanavia goes. early we will take a crappy easyjet flight to berlin where we will catch a train to the next farm. im so apprehensive about these next two places - but i think it's only because alex is the one who's made the contacts, not i, and it was all in german, so i don't really even have a sense of "voice" as to who these people are. as my mom says "i'll keep my fingers AND toes crossed". good night.

pictured: as the room we rent states - this is the "room with a view"

copenhagen - throwing away money one place at a time

pictured: ghost-like wind turbines i the sea between sweden and denmark

first off, don't let the title of this blog give you the wrong feeling about copenhagen. it's a really nice place and it is expensive - but no more than anywhere in sweden. the title of this blog is much more personal than copenhagen itself. it just happens to be a place where alex and i can't help but spend money on all the wrong things.

pictured: alex next to big building

it all started many months ago when a train ticket was purchased, by me, via the internet. i made a booking, thinking it was the cheapest deal (or at least the nicest option) and i was gypped - hard core. not only did i pay three times the amount (for a SJ ticket - comparable to amtrak) compared to what i later discovered was the local rail system (comparable, no nicer than, but kind of like the LIRR), but the train i booked via SJ's website was the local rail anyway! that's right, i paid more and ended up taking the cheap train anyway (SJ didn't stop in kristianstad). WTF. i was pissed. but whatever. money down the drain.

after my bitterness was left in sweden we quickly arrived (via crazy long bridge) into the different, yet similiar, country of denmark. red instead of blue, multicultural instead of white, bike sidewalks instead of bike lanes, copenhagen so far seems more like berlin than stockholm (minus the steep prices, similar language, love for coffee, and odd graduation traditions).

pictured: a typical street // funny color // port hole window

yesterday we spent the day wandering around - seeing what the neighborhoods have to offer and where the worst food could be found. the latter unfortunately was another of those money wasters. after forgetting how late it was, since the sun was still out (we have become so dependent on our wwoof hosts to tell us when dinner is), we went looking for a bit to eat, a bit too late. most restaurants were closed, or nearly closed, and one was kind enough to cook us a take away meal within minutes to closure. all i have to say is - thai food gone wrong (think chunks of meaty grossness) = waste of money + hunger. sad sad. we at yogurt and plain rice instead.

but today was a good day. the weather was almost perfect and we did a lot.

pictured: tivoli's swing ride

first up was tivoli gardens for a little amusement. one of the oldest amusement parks in the world, tivoli is historically fun. alex and i bought ourselves some pricey multi-ride wrist bands and set off to get our money's worth. we drove boats, sat in scary swings, and got sneezed on by a giant animatronic. it was pretty cool. different than disney because they've preserved lots of old rides and arcades, but also different because it wasn't as imaginative (at least compared to the disney i grew up with). nonetheless it was fun. especially when we saw some man rebating thrown away cups for 5 dkk (just insert the cup into a deposit machine and out drops the moola), which is worth nearly a dollar. we trash dived 3 cups for fun and then called it quits after reading a sign that said doing so was forbidden. oops.

pictured: where's alex? // me and #4

and then we wandered some more and ran into MANY graduation trucks. tradition in both sweden and denmark, these truck/trailor/van type vehicles are decorated with banners and sometimes vines. the backs are always open, so as to allow young graduates to drink themselves silly whilst screaming, waving, and blowing fog horns as they are driven around town by the honking vehicle. it's weird. people, complete strangers, wake and smile in the streets as though they are remembering the good ol'days of being footloose and fancy free. oh, and graduates in both countries don't wear the same garb as back home. instead they wear whatever they want - so long as it's white and a sailor's cap which is their graduation cap. it makes the whole ordeal that much more weird.

pictured: crazy kids

eventually we arrived at our destination of christiana - a city/village within copenhagen that has its own laws and unique style. it's a pretty neat place because people seem relaxed and carefree (probably because beer flows like water and marijuana is tolerated - and even sold in a farmer's market setting) and the buildings and playgrounds are all armature-built. and we ate at some hippie-vegetarian restaurant that was pretty good. i would have liked to take some pictures to share with you all, but it's one of the few rules in christiana that no pictures are allowed (at least in the main areas we were in). so below are some images i swiped from google to give you an idea.

pictured: google image of christiana house

then we wandered on back into the main city with our hearts set on ice cream and more food. we got both (and both were organic). i have to say i sort of liked the ice cream more than the food, but the food was okay too. we ended up eating at a place called biomio. unfortunately the fish option looked way tastier, bigger, and prettier than any of the other options. and for dessert we have a strawberry shortcake type thing that was soaked (really, soaked) in alcohol, so my sweet tooth wasn't quite satisfied. oh well.

pictured: biomio

back to wandering. and wandering. it's free and it's telling. copenhagen is a nice looking city with what i think is lots to discover.

hej då...part four (the big one)

so yesterday marked the end of our wwoofing adventure not just at solgarden, but in all of sweden. which, i must say, was quite sad - not only because as we leave one country for another i am reminded that 3 months has now become 5 weeks, but also because i have grown fond of the kind country.

and solgarden, like all of sweden, had been kind to us. again, it was a very different experience compared to the other 3 places - a little less organized and a bit less learning - but it was fun all the same (i really think this is because we were joined by kelsa and mike who were a pretty amusing pair). and magnus was just so nice - giving the boys beers, the girls ice cream, and paying for us to have a good time in malmo (among other everyday kindness).

so we wanted to work our hardest on our last day. and there was a long list of "to-dos" awaiting us in the morning and we were set on ticking as many off as possible.

first up, alex and i took on the "courtyard" area and tried to tidy it up a bit. we removed random bits and bobs that would be sent to the dump. but the big job was in the sand. a pile of sand somehow accumulated from construction (really, no idea why it was there) and gustav had the idea to level the stones in the courtyard with the sand surplus (and also to fill in the gaps with extra sand). not an easy task. and at first (and second and third) it seemed like a bad idea. alex and i felt as though we had just made one messy looking sandbox. we managed to level the stones as good as possible (without getting all nitpicky) but it wasn't looking improved.

pictured: a hesitant sand man

and alex had to move all the extra sand (which was a lot) to the backyard to create a new sand pile. fyi - sand is heavy. even with a wheelbarrow. and luckily, we must have just been blinded with sand, because in the end the courtyard didn't look so bad - maybe even good (well, it was night time, but still, it at least looked clean).

while we played in the sand kelsa and mike were in charge of trimming the hedge that surrounded solgarden. for the most part, it looked pretty good. but there was this one area where it seemed mike got a little too power tool happy and went all edward scissor hands on that poor hedge.

]pictured: mike and kelsa - when power tools (and their operators) go wild

and after we were all done with our jobs that didn't really seem to improve the solgarden appearance, we weeded a bit (which did make the place look better), removed the compost (only alex dared to do this - and a stinky job it was! the look on his face was priceless when his nostrils/brain got their first whiff of duck bones, egg shells, and god knows what), and put up the tent (again). and we felt satisfied with the day.

in the morning we headed off to copenhagen for a wwoof break that would last until sunday.

pictured: first strawberry of the season (of course it ripens the day we leave)