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Jadalnia Warszawa #2: May 19 @ 12.00

May 182013
 

JADALNIA WARSZAWA WALK #2We had so much fun last week on our first walk, that before we’ve even documented it properly, we want to do it again. So, although it’s a bit late notice, please join us TOMORROW, Sunday 19.05, at 12.00 at the PKP Służewiec bus stop (north side). We’ll walk along the tracks and end up on Gimnastyczna street for some sweets, homemade jam and wild tea (black currant, mint). If you need to join in the middle of the walk, please call 796 532 208 (Jodie), 790 025 145 (Paulina)

We will be meeting here.

Najbliższy spacer niedziela 19.05 o godz. 12. Spotkanie na wiadukcie Marynarska/Sasanki, na przystanku autobusowym PKP Służewiec w stronę Żwirki i Wigury. Spacerując będziemy się posuwać wzdłuż torów kolejowych w stronę osiedla Marina. Spacer zakończymy w ogrodzie na ul. Gimnastycznej, dokąd zapraszamy na ciastka z dżemem z czarnych porzeczek i miętą.Kontakt: 796 532 208 (Jodie), 790 025 145 (Paulina).

Jadalnia Warszawa #1: Report

May 162013
 

Jadalnia Warszawa MAP 01

We started the journey on a sidewalk of magic carpets.

Carpet Sidewalk

Under our feet, a strange patch of red. Amaranth, perhaps? It seems to me somebody might have spilled her groceries here, but how many people actually eat amaranth seeds?

Intentional Amaranth?

Behind a mass of growth looms a mysterious house, one of three pre-war houses in Rakowiec. This was and shall be known as My Dream House.

Dream House

Before we even start walking, The Usual Suspects present themselves: Ground Ivy, Ground Elder, Chickweed, Grapes, Clover, Nettles, Dead Nettles. There will be more of these suspects later. I notice a strange red bamboo-like plant which I know now is called Japanese Knotweed, an invasive plant that came to Europe in the 19th century. I’m sad that it’s not real bamboo.

Japanese Knotweed

[[ incomplete transmission ..... more to come ]]

Jadalnia Warszawa #1: Warm-up walk SUNDAY MAY 12 @ 12

May 092013
 

JADALNIA WARSZAWA

We kindly invite you to help us launch a long-term project to create an alternative map of  Warsaw (in particular Ochota and Mokotów), focusing on its edible plants and trees, soil health, as well as on how public space is used for marginal human and animal activity. On this first walk we’ll experiment with methods of data collection and help identify the most edible/useful plants and trees one can find in Warsaw.

WHERE TO MEET:
The walk will start here, near where Żwirki i Wigury crosses the railroad tracks (the address is approximately 25 Żwirki i Wigury) between Ochota and Mokotów. We will walk here on the path (Mikołaja Drigały) towards Grójecka. After the walk, we’ll go to Pixxe’s garden and drink teas made from black currant leaves, and taste some homemade elderflower cordials and wine.

The walk starts at NOON on Sunday, May 12. It will last between 2-3 hours and is approximately 1.6 km. Please call 796 532 208 if you need to locate the group after the walk has begun.

WHAT TO BRING:
Paper, pencil, smart phone, camera, video camera.

JADALNIA WARSZAWA (Warsaw Canteen) is an exploratory map-making project to investigate and mark sites for wild food, fruits, bioindicators, and the traces of land use by humans and animals as a means to understand and assess the health of our city. It is a long-term project originated and implemented by Jodie Baltazar and Paulina Jeziorek and consists of a series of urban walks/hikes which take place from May until October 2013.

We use all means of data collection: marking directly on paper copies of maps, adding date through mobile phones to google.pl and fallingfruit.org, recording media information, such as audio, photographs, video etc. As the project progresses, we will store information on a website and develop new ways we to present the information/images as the project progresses.

The aim of walks will be:

Mapping the Neighborhood: Exploration of urban space; creating maps of urban food crops such as fruit trees and shrubs, edible flowers, herbs, medicinal plants, and plants used for dyeing fabrics. By identifying specific plants that grow on the land, we can assess the type and health of soil. We also collect information on unoccupied buildings, abandoned plots, as wells as temporary structures and signs and traces of consumption and human subsistence activity (trash, eating, fires).

Monitoring of soil: While walking, we will collect soil samples from selected sites and transmit it to the laboratory. We may also conduct other tests of the soil as to its structure and composition. In this way we will be able to assess which of the sites are suitable for harvesting crops. The data will be used to scrutinize the stereotypes about growing food in the city as well as urban consumption of edible plants.


A Film called Jodie

Jan 072013
 

Jodie Baltazar

A filmmaker and photographer named Piotr Małecki has been making beautiful little photo-film essays about Warszawians, and he recently finished one about me. I find it (that is to say, myself) a bit melancholy: a tiny bit of hope amid mounds of difficulty and sorrow. Or is that simply melodrama? You decide.

Be sure to watch all of Piotr’s other movies (subtitled as necessary). They are gems.

Hoduj-Gotuj!

Oct 222012
 

Hoduj-Gotuj

I am offering an after school class at Primary School Nr. 10 in Warsaw that will install a garden on the school grounds and teach kids how to cook. We will build raised bed boxes and plant vegetables and herbs in March. Until then, we will be cooking up all sorts of delicious food. In English!

Oferuję dodatkowe zajęcia dla dzieci u podstawowej szkoły nr. 10 w Warszawie. Instalujemy ogród na terenie szkoły i nauczymy się dzieci, jak to gotować. W marcu zbudujemy szkrzynki (“raised beds”) i w nich sadzimy warzywa i zioła. Do tego czasu, będziemy gotowały dużo smaczne jedzenie! Po angielsku!

Worm Day

Oct 072012
 
WORM DAY

WORM DAY (Photo by MH)

Yesterday we took a step towards fulfilling our Worm Dream to one day have an abundant healthy population of composting worms at Pixxe, and to help people compost their own organic waste in their own homes using worms.

WORM BIN DESIGNS

WORM BIN DESIGNS (Photo by JODIE BALTAZAR)

The design we are working on is the stackable worm bin. We discovered that from a single pallet we can make three boxes and a base. The boxes will be approximately 40 cm x 30 cm, with a depth of either 12,5-13 cm or 21 cm. We’ll start with 12,5 cm.

THE FIRST BOX

THE FIRST BOX (Photo by MH)

MESMERIZED BY A WORM BOX

WOMAN MESMERIZED BY A WORM BOX (Photo by MH)

PLASTIC BIN WORM HOME

PLASTIC BIN WORM HOME (Photo by JODIE BALTAZAR)

Our first batch of worms are living in this 20 liter black bucket. Dimensions: 35 cm diameter, 25 cm deep. First, the bedding: brown leaves, damp cardboard, newspaper, paper, straw–all of these ripped, shredded, or chopped, plus some wood chips. To this approximately 3 cups of water were added as well as 1 handful of sand, 1 handful of good soil from the garden, and 1 handful of crushed egg shells. Mix well. The bucket, about 80% full, was then left for about two days to let the water soak in. The consistency of the bedding was like a damp sponge, as is often recommended.

Into the bucket went the 500 red composting worms (dżdżownice kaliforniskie, Eisenia fetida) along with the bedding in which they were sent, which was quite decomposed. The worms quickly scurried down and out of sight. Next the bucket was topped off with a 10cm layer of leaves and straw. I decided not to drill holes in the bucket because it has quite a bit of surface area for “breathing” and the bedding itself has quite a bit of air space. So, I will need to check frequently to make sure it’s getting enough air. The bucket is in the bathroom, where it’s nice and toasty.

WORM FOOD

WORM FOOD (photo by JODIE BALTAZAR)

The worms were left alone for about 3 days to get used to their new home, and today we fed them 250g of finely chopped and rotting pears, apples, blueberries, raspberries, cabbage, kale, lettuce, zuchinni, coffee grounds, banana peels, egg shells. YUM! Go worm, go! We put the food in one half of the bucket, buried about half way. They looked really great in there wiggling around. When the stackable bin is finished, I’ll post some more photos! Thanks MH for taking photos!

APPLE TIME (Czas na jabłka)

Sep 192012
 

We have kilos upon kilos of Antonówki (Atonovka) apples and we are going to preserve them this Sunday right at the Pixxe Garden. Come along and bring a jar so that you can take some home! 23.09.2012. 15.00-17.00. The garden is located on Racławicka between Grójecka and Sierpienskiego. Directions to the Garden here.

Mamy dużo jabłek Antonówki i będziemy je zkonserwowali w tę niedzielę na działce Pixxe. Przyjdź i przynieś słoik, żeby zabrać trochę z tobą do domu! 23.09.2012. 15.00-17.00. Na ul. Racławicka między Grójecką i Sierpieńskiego. Kierunki tutaj.

Apple Time at the Pixxe Garden

 

 

 

Soil Garden Project in Pictures

Aug 232012
 

2 Bikes. 2 Bike Carts. 5 Days. Nance Klehm, Jodie Baltazar and A BUNCH of other cool women, plus a few good men. 15,000 liters of waste. THIS was the SOIL GARDEN PROJECT! (And it’s not over! Every other Saturday we will continue…..) Photos by Nance Klehm, Jodie Baltazar, and Jen Knowlton.

EMPTY BINS AWAIT THE WASTE

EMPTY BINS AWAIT THE WASTE

BROWNS FOR COMPOSTING - STRAW, WOODCHIPS

BROWNS FOR COMPOSTING - STRAW, WOODCHIPS

FIRST WE TAKE THE BINS TO BANACHA MARKET

FIRST WE TAKE THE BINS TO BANACHA MARKET

IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE THE BINS ARE FULL

IT'S NOT LONG BEFORE THE BINS ARE FULL

WE LOAD UP THE CARTS WITH VEGETABLE SCRAPS AND CARDBOARD

WE LOAD UP THE CARTS WITH VEGETABLE SCRAPS AND CARDBOARD

WE RIDE TO THE GARDEN WITH THE PRECIOUS LOAD

WE RIDE TO THE GARDEN WITH THE PRECIOUS LOAD

WE CAN'T RESIST THE GARBAGE IN THE CARREFOUR BINS

WE CAN'T RESIST THE GARBAGE IN THE CARREFOUR BINS

THERE'S SO MUCH CABBAGE WE DECIDE TO CALL IT CABBAGE COMPOST

THERE'S SO MUCH CABBAGE WE DECIDE TO CALL IT CABBAGE COMPOST

WE TOP THE CABBAGE WITH STRAW, CARDBOARD, PAPER

WE TOP THE CABBAGE WITH STRAW, CARDBOARD, PAPER

IN THE AFTERNOONS NANCE LEADS WORKSHOPS ABOUT COMPOSTING

IN THE AFTERNOONS NANCE LEADS WORKSHOPS ABOUT COMPOSTING

THE FIRST THING IN THE NEW BIN: WOODCHIPS & CHUNKY YARD CLIPPINGS

THE FIRST THING IN THE NEW BIN: WOODCHIPS & CHUNKY YARD CLIPPINGS

HERE IS SOME WASTE FROM BANACHA THAT WILL GO IN THE BIN

HERE IS SOME WASTE FROM BANACHA THAT WILL GO IN THE BIN

BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO RIP THE WASTE

BUT FIRST WE HAVE TO RIP THE WASTE

AND WE HAVE TO CHOP THE WASTE

AND WE HAVE TO CHOP THE WASTE

SO MUCH TO CHOP. EVERYONE GETS A GO!

SO MUCH TO CHOP. EVERYONE GETS A GO!

SOME OF US PREPARE THE CARDBOARD

SOME OF US PREPARE THE CARDBOARD

THE TRANSLATOR DOES AN AWESOME JOB!! THANKS STAN!!

THE TRANSLATOR DOES AN AWESOME JOB!! THANKS STAN!!

NEXT WE ADD SOME HERBS LIKE VETCH....

NEXT WE ADD SOME HERBS LIKE VETCH....

...AND WHY NOT THROW IN SOME DANDELION???

...AND WHY NOT THROW IN SOME DANDELION???

NEXT WE MAKE SOME COMPOST TEA

NEXT WE MAKE SOME COMPOST TEA

ALL THAT WASTE AND THE BINS ARE STILL ONLY HALF FULL - WOW!

ALL THAT WASTE AND THE BINS ARE STILL ONLY HALF FULL - WOW!

Pozwolenie zgoda / Permission granted

Aug 142012
 
The garbage bins at Banacha

The garbage bins at Banacha

Yesterday, my wonderful friend Gaja and I went to the administration of Banacha. Some really nice people are in charge. I didn’t understand much, which made me sad, because the people were so interesting and funny and kind. What I did understand was that if I had a container with a lid, then I could take the waste. It seems we can take as much as we want, whenever we want, for as long as we want! The Pixxe Garden will be making a lot of humus this fall!

I also talked to really great person from Ulica Ekologiczna yesterday. And yesterday, the Gazeta Wyborcza published an article about Pixxe and my activities. It’s great to see such interest in the project. Hurrah.

Banacha: Test drive / Jazda próbna

Aug 112012
 
Banacha waste is pretty and good!

Banacha waste is pretty and good!

Today I did a test drive to see how it would work to take Banacha’s organic waste next week. At 7AM, I took a 120 liter (about 45 gallons) container to the amazing, beautiful woman who handles the garbage there. She told me she could fill it in an hour. She also told me that we could to the test today, but that the Security wants me to have permission from the market administration to continue next week. She gave me their number. I have to call on Monday. I’m scared. In my experience so far with Polish officials, “Permission” is another word for “No.” But she also said that they were nice people, so I can hope.

At 8AM, I returned and the container was full. We tried to put it in my bike cart. My bike fell over. Too heavy. So we put it into two huge garbage bags. That worked. The ride back was slow but smooth. The bearings in the wheels of the cart made a sound, however, that tells me they won’t be working long… I returned four times and collected about 800 liters or so.

With two bikes we could easily collect twice that much.

What’s great about fresh vegetable waste is that it is so beautiful and smells good! However, I can’t process it until tomorrow, when it might not be so pretty. Thank goodness the weather is cool…..

Od odpady do źyzności: Rejestruj na warsztaty

Aug 082012
 

Nance KlehmCykl Warsztatów: OD ODPADY DO ŹYZNOŚCI
prowadzenie Nance Klehm

ENGLISH BELOW

UWAGA: Nastąpiła zmiana w planie warsztatów. Sobota będzie “Otwarte warsztat.” Warsztat w niedzielę (Dlaczego i jak budować toalety kompostujące w mieście)  również zawierać temat “ekstremalny kompost na ekstremalne czasy.”

Pozwól zgnić, czyli jak kompostować odpady organiczne
Piątek, 17 sierpnia, godz.: 15.00-17.00. Sugerowana dotacja: 30 PLN.
Liście, resztki jedzenia, papier, tektura, gałęzie, fusy, biodegradowalne przedmioty itp. Te rzeczy mogą zostać zamienione w ziemię, ale jak to zrobić? Na tym warsztacie będziecie mogli zadawać wszystkie pytania dotyczące “brudu” i sami też będziecie mogli się pobrudzić w trakcie budowy stosu organicznych odpadów. Zarejestruj się w tym warsztacie

Otwarte Warsztat
Sobota, 18 sierpnia , godz.15.00-17.00. Sugerowana dotacja: 30 PLN.
W tym warsztaty, zdedycujemy co zrobimy na miejscu. Możliwe tematów: vermicomposting, przemyślenia przestrzeń publiczną. Zarejestruj się w tym warsztacie

Dlaczego i jak budować toalety kompostujące w mieście
Niedziela, 19 sierpnia, godz.15.00-17.00. Sugerowana dotacja: 30 PLN.
Rozpoznaj w swoim ciele twórcę gleby. Dowiedz się, jak zbudować i prowadzić prostą suchą toaletę dostosowaną do gęstego, miejskiego otoczenia. Po dyskusji pokażemy, jak za pomocą termofilnego kompostowania przekształcić twoje odpady (i inne odpady zakazanego n.p. mięso, tłuszcz, i produktów mlecznych) w życiodajną glebę.. Zarejestruj się w tym warsztacie

Rozpoznaj rośliny w swoim mieście
Poniedziałek, 20 sierpnia, godz.15.00-17.00. Sugerowana dotacja: 30 PLN.
Spacer odkrywający roślinność Warszawy, podczas którego będziemy mogli nauczyć się rozpoznawać rośliny, poznać ich botaniczne pochodzenie, historie wykorzystania ich przez ludzi i zwierzęta, a także podzielimy się przepisami na antidotum z wykorzystaniem niektórych z nich. Zarejestruj się w tym warsztacie

PARTNERS:
Ulica ekologicznaSocial Ecologies


 

 

 

**************** IN ENGLISH *****************

NOTICE: There has been a change in the workshop schedule. Saturday there will be an Open Workshop. The composting toilet and extreme composting workshops will be combined and take place on Sunday.

Workshop Series: FROM WASTE TO FERTILITY
Conducted by Nance Klehm

Let it Rot 101: Composting organic waste
Friday August 17, 15.00-17.00. Suggested donation: 30 PLN.
Leaves, food waste, paper, cardboard, branches, coffee grounds, biodegradable utensils, etc. These are all things that we know can become soil but how to do it? This workshop is the place to get dirty and ask those dirty questions as we discuss and build a mesophilic compost pile out of organic wastes from Warsaw’s waste stream. Register for this workshop

Open Workshop
Saturday August 18, 15.00-17.00. Suggested donation: 30 PLN.
We will decide on the theme and activity on the spot, depending on who is there and what we want to do! Possible themes: vermicomposting, rethinking public space, or another foraging expedition. Register for this workshop

Dry toileting in an urban setting: the whys and hows
Sunday August 19, 15.00-17.00. Suggested donation: 30 PLN.
Reconnect with your body as a soilmaker! Find out how to build and operate a simple dry toilet appropriate to a dense urban setting. We will also discuss and demonstrate how to safely compost your waste, as well as other extreme waste such as meat, fat, and dairy products, through thermophilic composting into nutritious, life-supporting soil. Register for this workshop

Urbanforage
Monday August 20 15.00-17.00. Suggested donation: 30 PLN.
This is a guided walk through
 the spontaneous and cultivated vegetation of Warsaw’s urbanscape. Along the walk, we learn to identify plants, hear their botanical histories, stories of their use by animals and humans, and share antidotes of specific experiences with these plants. Register for this workshop

Pixxe’s new garden

Aug 012012
 
Pixxe Garden - Public Entrance

Pixxe Garden - Public Entrance

Pixxe has a new garden! It has been given the most original name: PIXXE GARDEN. It’s located in Rakowiec on the border of Szczęśliwice in Ochota, Warsaw, Poland.  GPS 52.198990, 20.967910, to be precise. We still have the Railroad Garden, but the main activities will now take place at the Pixxe Garden.

It will be open to the public for the upcoming SOIL GARDEN PROJECT, but there is an awful lot of work to do to make it ready for more ambitious activities. I’m hoping that with this new, more accessible, and less primitive garden (for example, it has water), we will be able to open up on a more regular basis by next spring. As such, Allotment Sunday / Niedziele na działce won’t be happening for awhile — it will be more like Codzienne na działce — everyday at the garden! So if you want to stop by, please let me know. Everyone is always welcome and there is always something to do.

Though the Pixxe Garden is not squatted, it also sort-of is. I thought I was beginning to understand how the allotment gardens work here, but now I have discovered a whole new in-between type of garden, called tymczasowy, or temporary. The Pixxe Garden is tymczasowy.

As I have written about before, there are “official” gardens (the Rodzinny Ogród Działkowy or ROD / Family Garden Allotments) and then there are “unofficial” gardens, like the Railroad Garden, which is basically a squat. ROD are gated communities. You must be a member and have a key to gain access. What is interested about temporary gardens like the Pixxe Garden is that sometimes they are located WITHIN an ROD, but are legally “unofficial”. This particular stretch of land abuts an “official” ROD and was taken by people in 1980. They have been temporary for 32 years! So the Pixxe Garden has one “Public” entrance, on Racławicka, and one “Private” entrance from within the ROD Zelmot. This dual status suits me well. I like being in between. And afterall, the city owns the land in any case!

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