Activated EM1 workshop in Tucson

We plan to make a series of these workshops, building on each other, advancing in complexity of EM Technology®. Our workshop last week, which covered making EM1 Bokashi for food waste recycling.

We decided that we would like to make this the first in a series of workshops to teach about EM1. CJ and Adam truly want to teach people how they use EM Technology® on their farm and also want to encourage people to come and visit their farm.

On September 12 from 4:30pm-6:30pm we'll be holding the next workshop. This workshop will teach people how to make Activated EM1. We will make a basic recipe of Activated EM1 and then discuss and demonstrate how the Activated EM1 is applied to vegetables and soils...right on the farm. Attendees will take home some Activated EM1 that is ready to use and will also take some home that is fermenting and will be ready to use about 1 week after the workshop. As usual, we will give out some goodies for people to take home as well.

I would say this is the next step in an introduction to EM Technology® because nearly all of the applications we use EM1 for are with Activated EM1. The process is very simple, yet not really demonstrated anywhere. Many sites talking about activation complicate the process so much that people stop before they every get started. They talk about keeping the AEM1 a certain temperature, the exposure to sunlight, using ceramic powders, using non-chlorinated water, etc. None of these items are necessary to produce a high quality Activated EM1.

Bokashi Workshop in Tucson

Hi All,
It's a little late notice, but good to send out. We've coordinated a workshop at Sleeping Frog Farms for this coming Saturday from 4:30-6:30pm. We're going to show both small-scale and large-scale bokashi making at this workshop.

The guys at the farm are very excited about this event. We've been planning it for a couple months now. In case you forgot what they look like, here's a photo of CJ (left) and Adam (right)

Our flyer is on the right:
The fee will be $25 per person to cover the cost of materials and help support local organic agriculture in Tucson.

The Chilis Are Poppin'

Back out to Deming, New Mexico for a follow-up trip. The picking of the chili has been delayed due to an increase in temperature and the fact that the peppers need to be a little bit thicker to pick.

The delay in the first picking has also come with an increase (in one field) of verticillium wilt. You can see in the photo on the right the plants that have this virus. This one field has been hit pretty hard, yet it still looks like it will produce a good yield of chili. We should get some numbers next week for the first picking. This field contains a variety known as "Arizona".

Across the road, about 50-75 acres away to the East, is another field of chilis. These are a different variety that have a bit more heat (spicier), are smaller in length, and darker in color. I'll get the name from Zack...

Look at the volume on these plants! They have been treated with about 40 gallons of Activated EM•1® through the drip irrigation lines and have been part of a conventional foliar feeding program that includes Activated EM•1® as well.

If you'd like to learn more about chilis, this website, Eat More Chilis, has some pretty easy-to-follow information. The more I learn about these plants, the more I learn there is a real obsession that comes along with the varieties. The people who grow them are passionate about which type they grow, how the grow, when to harvest, etc. As a consumer, I love spice in my foods and peppers are the source of the heat.

EM in New York City

Vandra Thorburn, a transplanted "Kiwi", New Zealander to the rest of us, has started an EM-based company in New York called Vokashi. Vandra is an energetic woman who wants to see food waste recycling taken to a new level in the Brooklyn area. Her ideas are big and so is her heart.

If you look at the numbers of tons of food waste that is collected on a daily basis in the NYC area, you can see that it would be no small task to deal with just a fraction of the waste materials, which are all carried out of the city by waste haulers. The city collects the waste and trains, boats, and trucks it out of the city on a daily basis. Vandra sees this a a complete waste and wants to see green areas throughout the city that are fertilized with fermented food waste. She is training people in the area how to do it and loving every minute of it. If you live in the area, contact her and see if you can join in on her gardening endeavors.