Holiday dinner table conversations

Do you face questions about the environment from friends and family? Now that it's the holidays we could be around family we may or may not see on a regular basis. Who knows what conversations might arise — like the day I offered my Uncle Dave some organic raisins and he went on about how he'd never eat organic because he thinks they're fertilized with human...well you get the picture. Oy vey!

The Sierra Club is here to help us out. They call it "A Sierra Club Holiday Survival Guide: How to Win Arguments and Influence People." It's what they call ready responses to all the predictable dinner table arguments about the environment.

Enjoy!

Christmas party

The staff gathered at the home of Sister Maureen Freeman and Sister P.B. Bounk yesterday for our annual Christmas party.

The home was decorated beautifully for the season and we all tried to guess how many strands of lights adorned the brightly decorated Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. Lots! It was great!

Jeremy and Tristand kept adding logs to the fire that popped and cracked. There were amazing sights, sounds and smells of Christmas.

Elaine and Tristand were the winners of the two games of pass the "snowball." Then it was time for the gift exchange. There were handmade gifts like a beeswax candle and shopping bag and locally produced gifts such as a bottle of wine from Oliver Winery. It was fun to see what everyone gave and received.

By this time the vegetable lasagna from Market Bella Rosa in Terre Haute and the onion pie made by Sister Jean were heated and ready to eat.

Ten of us fit perfectly around the festive dining room table as we enjoyed the delicious meal. It was so good!

The goodness didn't stop there. For dessert we enjoyed chocolate stout cake make by Candace (complete with some of their homemade beer as leavening), homemade cookies from Chad and some sugar coated pecans I threw together.

The time spent together sitting around the table telling funny and interesting stories was priceless. It was a memorable time together.

We wish everyone memorable moments with family and friends this season.

Merry Christmas from the staff, volunteers and alpacas at White Violet Center!

(Caption: sitting in the center is Elaine Yaw, at left, and Sister Ruth Johnson; standing from left are, Sister Jean Fuqua, Sister Maureen Freeman, Candace Minster, Sister P.B. Bounk, Sister Jeanne Knoerle, Jeremy McKenzie, Chad Beck and Tristand Tucker.)

This time of year

It's a nice time of year to share our thoughts and give you a peek inside the doors of White Violet Center. We hope you enjoy this Note from the education coordinator.

Cap and Trade

At the climate change summit in Copenhagen next week (Dec. 7-18) world leaders will have a historic opportunity to commit to actions that protect us from the disastrous consequences of dangerous climate change.

Approximately 15,000 participants from 192 countries representing governments, the business community, and civil society are anticipated at the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15).

From the event materials: "The world is facing a major challenge. We cannot continue using fossil fuels the way we do today. Scientists have laid out the risks we face and it has become clearer than ever that now is the time to take serious action on climate change. If we do not act today, the opportunity will not only slip out of our hands but it will also become much more expensive to carry out the necessary low-carbon transition in the future."

To better understand the effect of Cap and Trade on climate change check out this Free Range Studios video by Annie Leonard: http://storyofstuff.com/capandtrade/

Eco-friendly gift ideas

It's hard to believe Christmas is only three weeks away! Fortunately, the staff has pulled together a list of some favorite earth-friendly gift ideas to help us all avoid getting caught up in the commercialism of the holidays. Many of the suggestions can be found online. Click on the title of this blog to go to the Web page listing.

Towards the end of the Web page there is a list of items that can be purchased at White Violet Center. Maybe adopting an alpaca or beehive would make a loved one smile this Christmas.

If you're in the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind. area we have some great stocking-stuffers: organic fair-trade coffees and teas, delicious fair-trade chocolate bars, hot cocoa and baking cocoa, handmade lip balm made with wax from our own bees, alpaca fiber Christmas ornaments, socks, gloves and more.

Enjoy time with family and friends this month!

Fiber mill

We just received another shipment of our alpaca yarn from the fiber mill. Thanks to Candace for making the trek to Warsaw.

White Violet Farm Alpacas are sheared once a year in the spring. We send about 99 percent of that blanket fleece to the fiber mill to be cleaned, carded and spun into yarn.

Frontier Fiber Mill in Warsaw, Ind., is the mill we've used for about three years. Sister Jean Fuqua said the process can take anywhere between six weeks and three months.

See photos of yarn being made at Frontier Fiber Mill here.

Wisconsin FFA students visit

A group of 13 high school students from Wisconsin who are participating in the FFA Convention in Indianapolis this week will tour White Violet Center for Eco-Justice Friday morning.

They are interested in seeing how a small organic farm with alpacas is working toward being sustainable. Candace Minster will give them a tour of the gardens, beehives, our new hoop house greenhouse, the orchards, the fiber program and the alpacas.

We look forward to their visit and are glad they chose to travel here during one of their break-out sessions of such a fabulous convention.

Staff member called to military duty

U.S. Army Warrant Officer Tracy Wilson, our alpaca farm manager, was recently called up to active duty in the Indiana Army National Guard. She has already reported to duty in Terre Haute, Ind. Our hope is that Tracy will continue to stay in the United States for this tour of duty.

Tracy returned home in December 2008 from a tour in Iraq. She was also deployed to provide support for Operation Enduring Freedom in January 2004 where she remained stateside for one year in Jacksonville, Fla. Tracy began her military career in December 1989 when she enlisted for six years in the U.S. Navy as an electronics technician. She joined the Indiana Army National Guard in 1998 as a light wheel diesel mechanic in A Company, 38th MSB, Terre Haute.

Please keep Tracy and her family in your prayers.

To schedule an alpaca farm tour or for more information about our alpacas, please contact Sister Paul Bernadette Bounk at 812-535-2934 or Sister Maureen Freeman at 812-535-2930.

Celebrate Fiber!

Sycamore Farm Bed and Breakfast Inn in Terre Haute is hosting "Celebrate Fiber!" a one-day fiber event this Saturday, Oct. 10, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We will have a booth and will be selling our alpaca yarn, roving and handmade alpaca hats and scarves. We'll also have socks, gloves and felted art wall hangings by Sister Ruth Johnson for sale.

We have many Sisters of Providence, staff and volunteers who knit and crochet hats and scarves that are sold to help offset the costs of the hands-on environmental education programs at White Violet Center. We look forward to catching up with friends and meeting new ones at this event, so we hope to see you there.

Sycamore Farm is on the East side of Terre Haute, 2.5 miles north of I-70, exit 11, and one mile south of U.S. Hwy 40. The address is 5001 East Poplar Drive, Terre Haute, IN 47803.
There will be workshops, vendors and artisans. You'll find rug hooking, spinning, weaving, knitting, jewelry, stitching and antiques. The event is sponsored by Riverwools and A CommonCloth.

Last market of the season

Today will be our last regular farmers' market of the 2009 growing season. If you're in the area, please be sure you come by the north entrance of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 3-6 p.m. to get some organic goodies!

Here is what we'll be selling today:
-Potatoes (red and russet)
-Pumpkins of all kinds
-Apples
-Greens, salad and cooking
-Herbs
-Flowers
-Peppers
-Radishes
-Honey from Tucker Farms
-Swiss Connection cheese and ice cream
-Royer Family Farm meats

On Wednesday, Oct. 21 will be our special "All Harvest's Eve" market at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice greenhouse. Times TBA.

Thanks so much for your support this year!

First place alpaca

Providence Joseph of Carondelet received a first place ribbon in his class of 2-year-old gray males at the 2nd annual Heartland Classic alpaca show on Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. He was the youngest in his class, having just turned 2 on Sept. 30. There were 10 in his class, so we're so excited to have done so well at this show.

Other winners from White Violet Farm Alpacas are: Providence La Luna with a 4th place, Providence Theodora with a 5th place and Providence Amber with a 6th place.

We also shared our alpaca fiber skills at this two-day show. Sister Jean Fuqua and Sister Maureen Freeman taught a fiber class on the first day that was well received.

International Day of Nonviolence Oct. 2

Oct. 2 is an important day for everyone in our global village but especially for those of us committed to living the good news of peace, justice and reconciliation.

The public is invited to participate in the Sisters of Providence International Day of Nonviolence prayer service at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, at St. Joseph Chapel in Owens Hall, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, IN

The following was written by the Sisters of Providence:

Litany of Non-Violence
Providence God, aware of our own brokenness,
we ask the gift of courage to identify how and where
we are in need of conversion in order to live in
solidarity with Earth and all creation.

Deliver us from the violence of superiority and disdain.
Grant us the desire, and the humility,
to listen with special care to those whose experiences
and attitudes are different from our own.

Deliver us from the violence of greed and privilege.
Grant us the desire, and the will, to live simply
so others may have their just share of Earth's resources.

Deliver us from the silence that gives
consent to abuse, war and evil.
Grant us the desire, and the courage, to risk
speaking and acting for the common good.

Deliver us from the violence of irreverence,
exploitation and control.
Grant us the desire, and the strength, to act
responsibly within the cycle of creation.

God of love, mercy and justice,
acknowledging our complicity in those attitudes,
actions and words which perpetuate violence,
we beg the grace of a non-violent heart. Amen.


Oct. 2 is the birthday of Mahatma Gandhi, who helped lead India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom around the world. On June 15, 2007 the International Day of Nonviolence was adopted by the 192 member States of the United Nations during their General Assembly. Mahatma Gandhi has become an icon for people all over the world who believe in nonviolence as a way of life and as the best way to overcome oppression.

Celebrate autumn!

Sisters of Providence, White Violet Center for Eco-Justice staff, volunteers and friends gathered in the Reflection Garden at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., to celebrate the Fall Equinox on Sept. 21.

Everyone blessed the four directions, sang, reflected on the past year and looked toward the future. It was beautiful. The sun was shining and the orange pumpkins and mums were glowing. The sounds of singing voices and the rain sticks echoed throughout the area.

Everyone participated in answering the following questions: If this is the time of harvest, then what have you harvested? What is your gift? What is the thing, the value, that you have brought to fruition?

Each person chose a random quote and read them aloud one by one going around the circle.

Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. Albert Camus

Saturday event

This Saturday, Sept. 26, we are participating in Family Learning Day at the Vigo County Public Library main branch in Terre Haute. From 9 a.m. until noon Candace and I will have fun activities for children of all ages at our booth.

The alpacas will also make an appearance! They'll arrive around 9:30 a.m. and visit with everyone for about an hour. You might be surprised to know the alpacas travel in a van. They are a herd animal, so we never go anywhere with less than two or three at a time. Don't be afraid to ask Sister Maureen Freeman, CSJ, and Sister P.B. Bounk, CSJ, any questions about our alpacas.

This event is always well-attended and we look forward to seeing our friends AND making new ones. Thank-you to the library staff for putting on such a top-notch family event!

Ivy Tech volunteer fair

I attended the volunteer fair at Ivy Tech in Terre Haute this morning and met some great people. Emily's husband drives a diesel truck that runs on used cooking oil. She's interested in internship opportunities. Kenneth has experience in organic gardening and clearing trails in wooded areas. Vanessa is interested in arranging a family volunteer experience with us. Tyler's a freshman interested in environmental science, so he hopes to volunteer with us.

Several students I spoke with said they have opportunities to earn extra credit for a class by giving 10 hours of service this semester. The Human Services program chair and assoc. professor explained there are students who must fulfill a 12 hour service requirement and many of them were excited to learn about White Violet Center volunteer opportunities.

Our volunteer opportunities might include getting your hands dirty in the organically grown vegetable gardens and orchards; helping out at farmers markets at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods and Terre Haute; assisting with keeping our Reflection Garden beautiful and welcoming to visitors; assisting with keeping our nature trail beautiful for groups who go on guided nature hikes; assisting with the daily care of our 68 alpacas; and helping to prepare the alpaca fiber for processing.

For more info or to arrange a tour to check us out (we're only 10 minutes west of the Terre Haute courthouse) contact Candace Minster, environmental education/volunteer coordinator, at 812-535-2935 or cminster@spsmw.org.

Terre Haute Downtown Farmers' Market Sept. 12

We'll be at the Terre Haute Downtown Farmers' Market tomorrow. With limited staff and volunteers we have been at the Saturday market as much as possible this year — at least once a month. And we LOVE IT when we can be there. It's such a great community event.

Tomorrow we'll have potatoes (russets and red), broccoli, tomatoes, apples (small, but very delicious!), pears, peppers, onions and more. We'll also be selling our homemade lip balm made with the help of our bees and other value-added products.

Hope to see you there!

National food conferences in June

A snippet from White Violet Center's copy of the Local Growers Guild newsletter:

"Bloomington and Indiana University will be hosting two national food conferences in June 2010. The Association for the Study of Food and Society (ASFS) and Agriculture, Food, and Human Values (AFHV) will be holding a joint conference preceded directly by the National Cooperative Grocers' Association. These folks are excited about local food and are eager to learn all about our farms and food businesses of southern and central Indiana. They will be looking for food suppliers, farms willing to host tours, chefs willing to cool local food dinners, and farmers willing to talk. Look for more details this fall."

We'll definitely keep this on our radar! Looking forward to it.

Thanks Sarah!

Today is Sarah Torbeck's last day as an intern at White Violet Center.
She had a lot of firsts: baling hay, working with alpacas and learning the basics of biodynamic gardening. She made her own wedding shawl out of alpaca yarn. She said it took her five months and she's very proud of it. Sarah wrote two children's books about alpacas (Sister Ruth Johnson did the illustrations). She grew an educational herb garden focused on medicinal properties and made medicines and tinctures from them. She made beeswax candles, felted boots, rugs, yogurt, wooden bowls and more.
"Being here allowed me the opportunity and the connections to learn all of these things," she said. "I leave with my head up and arms strong."
Sarah and her new husband are off to Georgetown, Ill. to continue to learn and grow.
Thank you, Sarah, for all your hard work, enthusiasm and care for Earth. You are appreciated!
Take good care and best wishes always!

Bees from Spikenard Farms

Our beekeeper Candace Minister returned from her trip to Spikenard Farm and Apiary in Illinois this afternoon with our new bees. She had quite the van ride — some of the bees flew the coop, so to speak. Never a dull moment at White Violet Center!
Hopefully the bees like their new home and appreciate our organically grown gardens and orchards.

Visitors of all ages

Yesterday we had a group of 21st Century Scholars take a tour of our place. This program for teens will pay for their college education at any Indiana institution if they keep their pledge to be drug-free, alcohol-free and smoke-free and keep their grades up. They toured the organic gardens, greenhouse, alpacas and fiber room. We were glad they included us in their time at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods!
Tomorrow we'll have a group from Community Christian School's daycare program. They will participate in a general tour of the Sisters of Providence grounds, including White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, of course, and then partake in a habitat scavenger hunt. Fun!

In appreciation of Amanda

Today we're saying good-bye and thank you to Providence Volunteer Minister Amanda Sneed. As a summer volunteer she worked with the alpacas, in the organic garden and with the farmers' markets. She'll enjoy a little vacation before heading off to Chicago for the next part of her journey. Thank you, Amanda! And best wishes!

Organic cropland

White Violet Center for Eco-Justice at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Ind., manages the 343 acres of state certified organic cropland owned by the Sisters of Providence at and around Saint Mary-of-the-Woods.

After experiencing one of the wettest springs in many years our crops are finally in the ground. We have 100 acres of wheat, about 130 acres of soybeans and about 95 acres of corn.

David Harris, of Greencastle, is the farm manager. He and Farm Assistant Jeremy McKenzie are finding it hard to keep up with everything coming on at once, David said yesterday.

We accomplished some sporadic field work in May, but didn't get any corn out until June. David said the plan was to plant in May, then harvest hay, and maybe start doing some cultivating before harvesting wheat the July 4 weekend. "Since we didn't get done planting until the end of June it's just been crazy," he said.

Now everything needs to happen at once. White Violet Center staff members and volunteers put hay up in the barn yesterday and once last week. David was hoping to get the wheat harvested this week. More rain came this morning.

Despite the stress of getting all the seeds planted and having to switch from corn to soybeans in early June, David said the crops are coming up well and everything has a good stand.

We're having trouble finding buyers for our organic crops in these difficult economic times. Prices are fluctuating and buyers aren't willing to commit right now, David said.

So the wheat is off to the grain storage bins...

Aaahhh, life on the farm.

What a busy time for this organic farm and eco-justice education center! We've had so much rain it has been crazy trying to get our more than 300 acres of certified organic crops in the ground this year. Now the hay needs cut and the vegetables are being harvested for the market today and the Sisters of Providence dining halls.

In the alpaca pastures ...
Four alpaca crias were born this spring and two more are on the way. Of our about 65 alpacas many of them are for sale ... about 18 or so. Click on Alpacas at www.whiteviolet.org to see our sales list.

In the gardens ...
Our Weekly Wednesday Farmers' Market at the Woods (3-6 p.m.) is in full swing. The tasty organic vegetables offered this week are turnips, lettuce, radishes, and green tomatoes. We'll also have herbs and cut flowers. (We might have some carrots, green beans and potatoes.) In addition to the vegetables, we always have homemade lip balm made from our own beeswax; Royer Family Farm beef, lamb and pork; Swiss Connection cheese and ice cream; and fair trade coffees, teas and chocolate bars.

In the orchards ...
We've been dealing with some fire blight and such this year. The garden manager applied a clay spray this week.

In the Classified Forest ...
We now have an 18 year plan for the 320 acres of Classified Forest at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods owned by the Sisters of Providence. Read more about our recent DNR statistical survey under Agriculture at www.whiteviolet.org.

This is one of our busiest times of year! We couldn't do it without our fabulous volunteers and intern. A big thank you to you all!