Taking Away The Tumi!

In Thailand, an ominous decree from the government may ban use of such organic, herbal plants such as ginger and turmeric from agricultural practice, deeming them "hazardous substances."

What's the real reason? Is it pressure from chemical companies who would rather have farmers use their own pesticides and fertilizers? Is this the beginning of a worldwide trend?

Click here to read more.

Darwin Is Dead-Let Our Experts Speak

As we continue with our year-long "celebration" of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, Club 108 is happy to bring you a link to an expert video featuring HG Sadaputa Prabhu (Dr Richard Thompson) and HG Drutakarma Prabhu (Michael Cremo), as they respond and enlighten in relation to the theory of evolution.

Click here to check out the video.

If you would like to contribute to our year-long "celebration" of Darwin's 200th birthday, please send your articles, editorials, or any other creative and informative pieces to nvclub108@gmail.com

Darwin Is Dead!

To begin our "celebration" of the 200th anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin, we here at Club 108 offer you and yours a special bit of katha from Srila Prabhupada, from the excellent book "Life Comes From Life"

Morning Walk
4-19-73, Cheviot Hills Park, Los Angeles

"The Missing Link"
Dr.Singh (His Holiness Bhakti Swarup Damodar Maharaj): In fact, there are several theories explaining how life originated from matter, how living matter came from the non-living

Prabhupada: (casting Dr. Singh in the role of a materialistic scientist) All right, scientist, why is life not coming from matter now? You rascal. Why isn't life coming from matter now?

Actually such scientists are rascals. They childishly say that life came from matter, although they are not at all able to prove it. Our Krsna consciousness movement should expose all these rascals. They are only bluffing. Why don't they create life immediately? In the past, they say, life arose from matter, and they say that this will happen again in the future. They even say that they will create life from matter. What kind of theory is this? They have already commented that life began from matter. This refers to the past-"began". Then why do they now speak of the future? Is it not contradictory? They are expecting the past to occur in the future. This is childish nonsense.

Karandhar Prabhu: They say that life arose from matter in the past and that they will create life this way in the future.

P: What is this nonsense? If they cannot prove that life arises from matter in the present, how do they know life arose this way in the past?

Dr.S: They are assuming...

P: Everyone can assume, but this is not science. Everyone can assume something. You can assume something, I can assume something. But there must be proof. We can prove that life arises from life. For example, a father begets a child. The father is living, and the child is living. But where is there proof that a father can be a dead stone? Where is their proof? We can easily prove that life begins from life. And the original life is Krsna. That can also be proven. But what evidence exists that a child is born of stone? They cannot actually prove that life comes from matter. They are leaving that aside for the future. (Laughter)

K: The scientisis say that they can now formulate acids, amino acids, that are almost like one-celled living organisms. They say that because these acids so closely resemble living beings, there must be just one missing link needed before they can create life.

P: Nonsense! Missing link. I'll challenge them to their face! (Laughter) They are missing this challenge. The missing link is this challenge to their face.

If you would like to contribute to our year-long "celebration" of Darwin's 200th birthday, please send your articles, editorials, or any other creative and informative pieces to nvclub108@gmail.com

It Pays To Be Green!

In these lean economic times, the progressive thought and now action makes it a reality that you can reap the benefits for bringing alternative energy into your home.

Click here to check out this article from Mother Earth News on tax credits for you and yours for bringing energy efficiency into your home.

MISCOWP Presents 10 Reasons To Buy Local

Ten Reasons to Buy Local Organically Grown Food from Vedic Village CSA

Tastes better. Juicy, succulent, sun-kissed, fresh and flavorful, food grown at Vedic Village is a rich source of life-generating properties. We harvest at the peak of ripeness, the same day you pick it up. Compare that to nutritionally deficient, tasteless commercial produce – often picked prematurely, artificially ripened with synthetic gases, and then irradiated which destroys any remaining vitality. Most importantly, food grown with such profit-minded material consciousness cannot compare to our food, cultivated with love every step of the way.

Better for your health. If you are what you eat, what is your produce eating? In other words, if your health depends on the quality of the food you consume, then the quality of your food depends on the quality of the soil in which it was grown. Over 108 elements and an abundance of living microorganisms are present in Vedic Village’s organically cultivated soil, whereas commercial, chemically treated soil contains around seven elements and is completely devoid of life. Our soil sustains healthy plant-life, which in turn helps to sustain healthy bodies.

Preserves genetic diversity. In the modern industrial agricultural system, only a few hybrid varieties of each fruit and vegetable are chosen for their ability to ripen simultaneously, withstand harvesting equipment, produce a tough skin that can survive packing and shipping, and have a long shelf life. The downside is that the genetic integrity of these crops is weakened and therefore more prone to infestation from insects and microorganisms such as mold. Seeds from these plants are underdeveloped, non-viable, or completely non-existent. It’s like inbreeding, only with plants. Vedic Village, in contrast, grows only open-pollinated varieties of heirloom vegetables and seeded fruits known for their complex flavors, nutritional content, and genetic diversity.

GMO-free. Genetically modified organisms threaten our food supply and are changing the genetic makeup of plants with frightening consequences for the environment, livestock and human health. The science of GMO technology has pretty much degraded into a mass experiment where consumers are the unconsenting test subjects. If you are opposed to eating bioengineered food, rest assured that Vedic Village grows all of its produce the old-fashioned way, as nature intended – NO GMOs… ever!

Supports local farmers. In Michigan, and across the country, family-run farms are vanishing. And no wonder – commodity prices are often below the cost of production. We must redirect funds in a way that brings about positive changes and thus supports those who need it most. The Vedic Village farmers sell their produce directly to consumers, thus cutting out the middleman and getting full retail price for their food. This enables them to stay on our farm and make farming a career. One focus of Vedic Village is to create jobs for people who are dedicated to making organically grown produce available to the general population at a very reasonable cost.

Builds community. We believe there is a hunger in the human soul for contact with the land and for community. When you buy direct from Vedic Village, you are engaging in a time-honored connection between the eater and grower. You will have a direct relation with the Earth and the people who work the Earth on your behalf. And at our CSA, you have access to a farm where your family and friends can learn about the inextricable connections between humans, agriculture, and the entire natural world.

Preserves open space. Our agricultural landscape will survive only as long as family farms are financially viable. When you buy locally grown food from Vedic Village, you are doing something proactive about preserving the countryside. Vedic village will serve as an “open air classroom” to a full range of environmental education programs for people of all ages. We will also teach all aspects of small scale farming in order to help create farmers of the future.

Less reliant on petroleum. Most conventionally grown produce travels from farms an average of 1,500 miles by plane, train or truck to reach your plate. That takes at least a week - and a lot of petroleum! By buying locally grown produce, you help reduce the use of fossil fuels. At Vedic Village we even go a step further: instead of using tractors and other petrol-consuming machinery, we use our trained teams of oxen to till the land and perform other farm chores.

Benefits the environment and wildlife. Our organic farm community values the resources of fertile soil and clean water. We grow several kinds of cover crops to prevent erosion and to help enrich our soil. And we protect the purity of the 15-foot wide Arms Creek that runs through our farm, touted as the purest stream in all of Washtenaw County. Vedic Village is also a wildlife sanctuary whose woods, natural fields, and stream provide habitat for many kinds of indigenous plants and animals.

Investment in our future. By supporting Vedic Village CSA today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in your community tomorrow and that future generations will have an abundance of nourishing, flavorful, real food. The overall focus of Vedic Village is to establish a spiritually centered, self-sufficient educational farm community that will provide a template for farms of the future.

If you would like to donate your time, join our team, or have any questions, please either call or email us at (313) 823-3815 / tommilano108@yahoo.com. According to your inquiry, you may be put in touch with either one of our two vice presidents, Antariksa dasa and Navadvipa dasa. If you would like to contribute towards any of our projects, please make your check out to MISCOWP and send it c/o Adiraja dasa, 313 Newport, Detroit, Michigan 48215. You will receive a receipt within two or three days. We also accept payment by credit card. In closing, we would like to thank you again for your interest in the success of Vedic Village and we look forward to your participation. Hare Krishna!

The MISCOWP Community Supported Agriculture Offical Policy

Our CSA Policy

We make it convenient for you to pick up your share: For those of you that live reasonably close to the farm, we encourage you to come on one of three days to pick up your share. For those members who live further away, such as Flint, Lansing, south Ann Arbor, and the Metro-Detroit area, we will have a number of drop-off locations. We will arrange with each member a convenient way to get your weekly food share.

You can make partial payments: We most greatly appreciate the full cost of your share to be paid up front. However, if that is not possible, we will accept a payment of half down or 3–5 monthly payments of $100 each. All payment balances are due by April 1st. All payments are non-refundable. We also plan to eventually accept Credit Cards and Bridge Cards.

You can customize your share: Of course, we encourage our members to try their best to use up all the contents of their weekly share and to minimize any waste. However, you are welcome to give us a call to exclude items you cannot seem to use up or may not have any interest in using. As far as possible, we will provide you with more items that you prefer.

You can put a hold on your order: If you are leaving town, simply call us to place a hold on your order. For the number of weekly shares you miss while you’re away, we will credit you for the next season.

You can place special orders: Feel free to call us to request extra items for an event or special meal and we will add them to your next share. And if you need anything before or after your normal delivery or pick up time, call us so we can arrange to get it to you as fresh as possible.

We encourage you to try different foods: Vedic Village wants you to try all the wonderful varieties of vegetables, grains, beans, herbs, flowers, fruits and more that we plan to grow for you. Yes, maybe some of these foods you never knew existed. Others you may have heard about, but never tried. Well, one way we plan to encourage you to try these tasty foods is to include recipes with your weekly shares. In addition to this, when you arrange to visit the farm at lunchtime, we will offer you free of charge a delicious lovingly prepared meal that will most likely include some foods that may be new to you.

If you would like to donate your time, join our team, or have any questions, please either call or email us at (313) 823-3815 / tommilano108@yahoo.com. According to your inquiry, you may be put in touch with either one of our two vice presidents, Antariksa dasa and Navadvipa dasa. If you would like to contribute towards any of our projects, please make your check out to MISCOWP and send it c/o Adiraja dasa, 313 Newport, Detroit, Michigan 48215. You will receive a receipt within two or three days. We also accept payment by credit card. In closing, we would like to thank you again for your interest in the success of Vedic Village and we look forward to your participation. Hare Krishna!

MISCOWP Presents Community Supported Agriculture

Community Supported Agriculture
Families and Farms Working Together to Support
Healthy Food, Land, and Communities

Why join Vedic Village CSA?
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a partnership between community members and growers. To join a CSA, members pay an annual fee upon enrollment for a weekly allotment of fresh produce throughout the growing season. It’s like a subscription to fresh food! Each week, CSA members come to the farm or a designated pick-up spot for a share of fresh produce. By joining, you help to support a small local farm, and provide your family with fresh, organic, bio-dynamically grown produce. We are committed to providing you with a wide variety of tasty, healthy, seasonal vegetables and fruits, and to making the farm an educational, fun and inspiring place to visit!
A “share” is designed to provide a family of four with enough produce for one week, over a 21-week period, from early June through late October. A half share contains about 40% less produce. CSA members also receive a 10% discount off all additional purchases at our farm store, including flowers, seeds, garden tools, pottery, baked goods, Vedic milk products, and any other items that we carry. Shares can be picked up at the farm, or at a designated location, Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday, from 3:00–6:00 pm.

What can I expect to get in my CSA share?
You will receive a wide variety of vegetables and fruits throughout the season. We aim to fill each weekly box with 8–12 different items including salad greens, cooking and juicing greens, root vegetables, other vegetables, herbs, and occasionally, fruits. Typically, each share (or box), will weigh 10–15 lbs. Members have the opportunity to “pick-your-own” produce, like berries, herbs, flowers, or pumpkins, right from our gardens. Shares typically include the seasonal vegetables outlined in the chart, and more.

Lettuce (available from June-Oct)
Melons (Aug-Sept)
Okra (July-Sept)
Onions (July-Sept)
Peas (June-July)
Peppers (July-Sept)
Potatoes (Aug-Sept)
Tomatoes (July-Sept)
Turnips (Sept-Oct)
Summer Squash (July-Sept)
Winter Squash (Sept-Oct)

Beans (July-Oct)
Beets (June-Aug, Oct)
Broccoli (July-Oct)
Cabbage (July-Aug, Oct)
Carrots (July-Oct)
Cauliflower (Aug-Sept)
Corn (Aug-Sept)
Cucumbers (July-Sept)
Eggplant (Aug-Sept)
Greens (June-Oct)
Herbs (June-Oct)

*Note: Within each category of produce, there are often many varieties. For instance, “greens” may include kale, spinach, Swiss chard, collards, beet leaves, dandelion, etc; “beans” may include string, pole, yellow wax, bush, etc; potatoes may include Russet, sweet, redskin, purple, fingerling, etc; and we plan to grow at least seven kinds of tomatoes and peppers, four kinds of corn and ten kinds of herbs. Because you may find some of the produce you receive from us new and different, we plan to offer you recipes and nutritional information with each share.
Starting with our first season, we also plan to establish fruit and nut tree orchards, blueberry bushes, grapes, asparagus, strawberries, and honeybee hives.

Our volunteer policy:
WE LOVE VOLUNTEERS and look forward to meeting you! Individuals or groups are welcome to come out to the farm as volunteers to learn (or teach) hands-on about organic farming and help out on the community farm. All are welcome to volunteer, including supervised children and students fulfilling community service hours. Volunteers can assist with a variety of farm tasks such as caring for the oxen, cows, goats and other farm animals, and planting, harvesting and weeding. There are also projects for those with food preparation, construction and retail skills.
You’re welcome to visit the farm any day you would like, from 9am to 6pm. If you’re interested in volunteering, please call first to let us know when to expect you. Every day at noon, we offer a free vegetarian lunch. If possible, coordinate your farm visit so we can share a meal together.

Why would you want to join a CSA?
End of year evaluations from CSA member surveys have three overwhelming themes:
Quality of food is superior to store-bought.
Joining with the farmer in the growing process improved their lives.
Families (even children) ate more vegetables when they became involved with the farm experience.

For your convenience: Share pick-ups at the farm, or one of our Metro-Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, Lansing and Chelsea designated pick-up locations. Offered three days each week—Tuesday, Wednesday, or Saturday between 3:00-6:00 pm—starting June 9!
Expected Harvests of Vedic Village Produce*
If you would like to donate your time, join our team, or have any questions, please either call or email me at (313) 823-3815 / tommilano108@yahoo.com. According to your inquiry, you may be put in touch with either one of our two vice presidents, Antariksa dasa and Navadvipa dasa. If you would like to contribute towards any of our projects, please make your check out to MISCOWP and send it c/o Adiraja dasa, 313 Newport, Detroit, Michigan 48215. You will receive a receipt within two or three days. We also accept payment by credit card. In closing, we would like to thank you again for your interest in the success of Vedic Village and we look forward to your participation. Hare Krishna!

With warm regards,

Adiraja dasa
President MISCOWP