Holy Tropical Breeze Leslie, the warmth there sure sounds nice to me!
Hey, Brother - Merry Christmas and Highest Blessings on the start of your Twelve Holy Nights!

Just wanted to check in here and see what's happening.

Your San Diego/Southern California readers may like to know that there's a new documentary tour headed your ways in a few days. More info can be found at:

http://insearchofgoodfood.blogspot.com/2007/12/readying-to-roll.html


where you'll find my comment on the road tour announcement for:
"In Search of Good Food". The documentary is about local, sustainable food systems in California. I have referred the producer to the Tierra Miguel Farm in Pauma Valley.

Today I introduced myself to the online international Biodynamics list known as BDNow. Here's my entire letter:

"Greetings All and Merry Christmas!

I have been "inspired by Rudolf Steiner's course in agriculture" directly and indirectly since the late 1980's when I was living in San Diego. I attended a pre-existing study group that was under the tutelage of Peter Dukich (who has crossed the threshold as of September 5, 2007).

The students consisted of local Biodynamic people including Rob Farmer who later helped start the Tierra Miguel Foundation:
http://www.tierramiguelfarm.org/

and who became the lead farmer for their "demonstration farm" in Pauma Valley (operating as of about September of 2000). In 2000 I enrolled in Rudolf Steiner College:
http://www.steinercollege.edu/

to join the college community with a primary interest of meeting others interested in forming a land-based community that would include Biodynamics. From that time on it seems that my personal path of destiny and karmic necessities held the greater sway and to such an extent that over the next seven years there is not much for me to show in terms of manifesting that vision of a Biodynamic land-based community. In 1997 I moved to Grass Valley inspired with the same interest and have essentially been focusing on being a friend and supporter of Biodynamics for our greater area ever since. We have at least three primary Biodynamic entities here (two of which have some community-supported "share" programs), an active study group plus some other new developments for local food sources underway.

I have been a member of the BD Association and BDANC (Biodynamic Association of Northern California) on and off over the last seven years or so and recently have been meeting with a newly formed Sierra Permaculture Guild (http://sierrapermaculture.org/) and I have been introducing that group to Biodynamics. The idea of a guild came to me over a year ago as a community-building basis for developing the land-based community. As soon as I received the announcement of the Sierra P/C group I immediately recognized that I had asked for this!

The main topic I have now that relates to and is "inspired by Rudolf Steiner's course in agriculture" is the idea of producing a documentary on "Biodynamics in America". The most recent impetus for this came to me while assisting another producer in his pre-production of a new documentary called: "In Search of Good Food":
http://insearchofgoodfood.blogspot.com/

that (so far) has included a farm visit and interview with Harold Hoven at the Raphael Gardens of Rudolf Steiner College. (I have no idea how much of that footage will be included in the final cut.) Through my process of suggesting the inclusion of Biodynamic growers I realized that what I really wanted to see was a documentary wholly devoted to Biodynamics! Simultaneously I had been thinking an article on the history of Biodynamics that I shared with Rebecca Briggs, editor of Biodynamics.

http://www.biodynamics.com/

The idea is to substantiate the historical beginning of Biodynamic Agriculture as predating the subsequent beginnings of the Organic Movement. I would like BD history account to be largely a collective narrative of interviews from whomever can contribute to it. In this way the history could be included as a chapter in the documentary as well as be transcribed for a Journal article.

At this stage the conversation with Rebecca is expected to resume after the new year and will include further attention to the BD documentary as well. There have been the beginnings of other conversations relating to possible content of the documentary including the idea/s of associate economies. Anyone interested in any of what I have introduced here may contact me at: chef@thesetruths.com


I am looking forward to further communications!


In gratitude!

Chef Jem
Executive Producer:
"The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction"
Appears first on Google at:
http://www.archive.org/details/TheRawMilkControversyFactFiction



http://chefjem.stumbleupon.com/



http://rawmilkcontroversy.weebly.com/"



Update on "The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction" the first short run of the DVD is on track and expected soon. I am still awaiting feedback from several potential distributors and a couple business people. I have also been looking into producing an audio CD version. In addition I am looking into having a transcription made as the core body for a book with the working title: Raw Milk: Just Like Jesus and All His Brothers and Sisters Drank! The book has prompted further research into the history of milk and through that I have learned of the great Hindu Myth that speaks of the "Ocean of Milk". This is predating "The Milky Way". That's a lot of milk history and what I especially like is that all this milk is unpasteurized! There are no issues of safety with "holy milk". It's only when we get to the War of 1812 with the introduction of the "distillery dairies" that pasteurization had to come into picture because of the slop-feed, piss-poor quality milk that began being produced by cows living in their virtual ghetto next door to the distilleries. Pasteurization is nothing but a cover-up and I believe it's day of judgment is at hand!

Mark McAfee is asking that raw milk drinkers in California (and in support of preserving raw milk here) to introduce their other "milk" drinking friends to "real milk". One way that introduction can be encourages is through sharing: "The Raw Milk Controversy: Fact & Fiction". You can find and download two five-minute segments at:
http://www.archive.org/details/TheRawMilkControversyFactFiction


Then I would like to encourage you to think about becoming a home-based distributor. I believe this initiative of the raw milk movement is a grass roots, community-building campaign and that means it is up to us!
Milk is life! Let's preserve "real milk" while we can. There's more to it than you might think!

Thank You!
Chef Jem