Simple Living, High Thinking #1

For the week of May 25th-June 1st, 2008

Indra finally let us have a little peace this week, as the rains let up and we were able to go full tilt into cultivation and tender caring of our Teaching Garden (the educational agricultural arm of our Small Farm Training Center here at New Vrindaban Dham).

What we got done:
-We mulched to our hearts content, and even beyond contentment as well. A pungent mix of dry grass, cow dung, and goat dung was spread over 75% of our beds as fertilizer. Our various guests from India and Guyana appreciated the non-chemical and guilt-free quality of our efforts, reminding them of days of yore back in their home lands. Old school...

Guilt-free fertilizer

-We planted two different varieties of tomatoes, a small portion of basil, a few rows of cucumbers, and we harvested a lot of radish leaf for the pleasure of our goats. Our artichokes, lettuce, cilantro, and brussel sprouts are also blooming nicely, and we sold $20 of organic produce from those beds during the Sunday feast.

Tapah tries to convince him that organic lettuce is better than Oreos

-We put up fences and posts for our cucumber and bitter melon beds.

Tom and Jeff try not to get poison ivy

-The kids from Gopal's Garden got their hands dirty planting basil, and they mulched and weeded their beds of spinach and chard. They were pretty darn blissful feeding weeds to the goats as well.
What we realized.
The opulence of the fruits of the land can be overlooked if one doesn't take the time to literally dig deeper. The roots, stems, weeds....it all has a purpose, a healthy benefit, if we know how to use it. Here, we can see the completeness of Krsna...oḿ pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idaḿ pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya pūrṇam evāvaśiṣyate....The way He provides for us by letting Mother Earth produce all that we need. It's a honor to get our hands dirty in this way.

Even the local primate community is pleased!

Please help us out! Your hands, heads, and hearts can help us restore Srila Prabhupada's vision of self-sufficency here at New Vrindaban Dham. We're out shining and even in the rain in the Teaching Garden across the street from the RVC Temple, or up the hill at the Garden of Seven Gates. See HG Tapahpunja Prabhu for all the details.

Stay tuned for next week's update! Hari Haribol!