Brett Tallman - September 22, 2005
Alternative Energy Resource Organization
Salsa Day
A week ago Sunday was Salsa Day at the Purple Frog Farm near Whitefish. Purple Frog Farm is about four acres of cultivated vegetable gardens and green houses complete with free-range chickens and ducks and a small group of highly dedicated gardeners. It is owned and run by Pam Gerwe and her partner Mike Jopek, one of our state representatives. Salsa Day has become a tradition over the last 9 years. On this day, a large group of people descend upon the farm for an afternoon of music, healthy food and mostly chopping vegetables and fruits. By the end of the day these vegetables and fruits have been combined into gallons of salsa including melon, peach, pear and the more traditional tomato and pepper-based salsas. It’s a day where young and old can belly up to a cutting board and spend a couple of hours getting to know each other. And it’s a day when all the excess produce can be made into something both tasty and useful before rotting on the vine. It’s really an old-time notion this getting together during the harvest, yet one that has been all but forgotten in our fast-paced supermarket society.
Salsa Day, on paper, is a mere break-even proposition, yet in reality there are literally hundreds of man-hours that go unaccounted for from the organizing to the volunteer chopping. So what is this urge, this notion of getting together that in the end produces about three quarts of salsa for each volunteer who pays twelve dollars for the privilege to chop? Well, it started with someone’s inspiration: a heartfelt urge to create something valuable for the community and a way to bring people back into a largely forgotten enterprise – the farm.
In a world where speed and television and hi-tech gadgetry rule, inspiration gets pushed aside for lack of time or patience to follow through with things. This is not to say that people aren’t at times inspired but the demands of society tend to dictate that we not follow through. What happens, according to Lance Secretan, author of, “Inspire, What Great Leaders Do,” is that, rather than concentrating on things, we are motivated instead to multitask and there is little time left for inspiration. We confuse motivation with inspiration yet motivation and inspiration are almost opposites: motivation, Secretan says, stems from fear. “It is reward and incentive based.” We are motivated by the fear of what might go wrong if we don’t get what we want. “Motivation creates an attitude of scarcity and self-concern”, he says. Inspiration, on the other hand, “plays a central role in helping people live fulfilling lives and creating good societies.” In short, Secretan concludes, “inspiration comes from the heart, from a place of abundance and service to others with no strings attached.”
As a member of the Alternative Energy Research Organization, I have had the privilege to meet and work with people from all over the state who willingly share their inspirations on organic farming practices and energy efficiency. Like Pam and Mike and the others at the Purple Frog Farm, these people are excited and passionate about passing on their knowledge – usually to anyone who will listen. These growing networks of local Montana farmers all share a common creed: we must do the right thing for the health our citizens, the local economy and the environment. With energy prices silently chewing away our bank accounts, these networks will become more and more imperative in years to come. These networks must grow in order to shorten the distance from farm to market. Not only must we ease the fossil fuel burden through reduced delivery distances, we must also work to eliminate the burden petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides place on our lands.
Pam Gerwe estimates about fifteen hundred pounds of produce is chopped and mixed each year on Salsa Day. Two years ago, about 800 pounds of that had to be brought in from Idaho as fires in the Bitteroot kept some suppliers from producing. This year she had to bring a fair amount of produce in from as far away as Washington state. The indication is that there is a short supply of regionally grown organic produce in Montana. Because of this, there is ample room for others who may be inspired to grow their own. Driving across Montana reveals thousands of homes on fertile acreage just waiting for someone’s inspired green thumb to join Purple Frog and the other like-minded farmers to make a better future for Montana. A good way to get connected is to contact AERO and learn what exciting agricultural and energy programs are happening across the state.
I’m Brett Tallman for the Alternative Energy Resource Organization. AERO welcomes your comments and perspectives. AERO is a grassroots membership organization working to create farm, food, energy and growth solutions for communities throughout Montana. For more information about our programs call us in Helena at 406-443-7272.
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