WHO I WANT TO MEET: Backyard Economists Harriet & Marge of PRESERVE, Portland
Last week I was tipped off to PRESERVE, a Portland-based coalition of two women on an urban farm, Harriet Fasenfest and Marge Braker. The goal of PRESERVE is “to educate and build skills in the art and science of home food preservation.” Harriet is a writer, gardener, restaurateur, and “backyard economist.” Marge is a teacher in the Oregon State University extension service.
The two women do it all when it comes to “sustainable food systems, environmental stewardship, and small-scale production within a true-cost economy.” The website for PRESERVE shows class schedules for canning and gardening, tips and recipes for food preservation, resource listings, and a database of Harriet’s essays on the economy.
I read Fasenfest’s manifesto, of sorts, the other day. It is entitled “Food And The Current Economy: A Shift From Fancy Pantries to Local Food, Replacing The Replacements.” I must say I was deeply inspired. Fasenfest points out that, from the start, currency was a form of replacement for the actual products humans gleaned off the land in order to live. First comes money, then comes credit, then come debt and inflation and mortgages… THE BOTTOM LINE: All of these things are fake! Presumed/assumed value! So what does, or what should matter? What is REAL value nowadays?
Her concluding statements are very thought-provoking, and I will repost here:
“And every morning when I go outside to sow, tend or reap the harvest I do not consider the interest I can make or credit I will extend my garden. Certainly market principles have made their way to the good earth but not in my backyard. There I can release the soil from the odious requirement of bottom lines and profit. There I can stand as an equal to the soil and humbly extend my effort without promise or certainty of a return. There I will extend trust, respect and hard work without a single note of repayment to foster the spirit of my commitment. And when the good earth does deliver, it is in the form of food for my family which is as tangible as it gets. Certainly these days, having a reliable and healthy food source that does not deplete thFunny how, or when, things become valuable again.”
A video interview from Cooking Up A Story…
I am totally inspired and want to meet these ladies in real life if I ever manage to make it out to the Pacific Northwest.
For the time being, I will just happily anticipate the release of their PRESERVE DVD, a video primer of fruit and vegetable canning, jam-making, freezing, drying, smoking and curing due out this Spring!
