Mezzacello Zoo Brew Adventures 2023

Mezzacello Zoo Brew Adventures 2023

Well, now what do I do? Earlier this year I was gifted 25 cubic yards of Columbus Zoo and Aquariums manure called Zoo Brew. This is the story of Mezzacello Zoo Brew Adventures 2023.

Why So Much?

The truth is, 25 Cubic Yards is what Price Organic Farms proposed to me originally. I knew instinctively that that amount was FAR too much. But I knew I could spread 10 Cubic Yards around quite easily.

So I turned to the data. I have 45 growing beds and permaculture installations at Mezzacello. Once I started mapping out area and volume, that amount of manure disappeared quite quickly. It also meant that I had to move that mountain myself.

A Diagrammatic Map of Mezzacello Urban Farm with every system in place.
These Areas are the growing and garden beds at Mezzacello Urban Farm.

Once I started looking at Mezzacello to scale in CAD, I knew I was right. I was going to need at least 10 Cubic yards of manure and compost for all of the growing systems I have at this modest farm. This includes all of the farm febs and raised beds, hedges, and permaculture formal garden, parterre, and allee beds as well.

Yes, it’s a big pile of refined poop. Yes, it smells like elephants, zebras, and giraffes. As soon as this pissy gray late fall drizzle weather passes, I’ll begin moving this mountain.


Mezzacello and the Impact on Health Careers

Mezzacello and the Impact on Health Careers

Mezzacello Urban Farm‘s mission is simple: Grow, Maintain, Sustain, Explain. I spend a great deal of willing energy and time reaching out to the community. We are talking about Mezzacello and the Impact on Health Careers.

We also do a great deal of outreach.

Jim Bruner

Careers Are Dreams Disguised as Work You Love

Our goal at Mezzacello is to change the world with our mission. We do this through career exploration and applied STEM experiences. We also do a great deal of outreach.

To a kid (I remember) careers are dreams that have yet to come true. The most important part of dreaming about a career is gathering the necessary skills to make that dream a reality. I have talked about that before.

Building a career also takes getting to know yourself! What you love, what you can do and where your boundaries are. It’s a journey of honest self-reflection.

noun
openness or susceptibility to attack or harm:
We need to develop bold policies that will reduce the vulnerability of farmers to drought and floods.

willingness to show emotion or to allow one’s weaknesses to be seen or known; willingness to risk being emotionally hurt:
The foundation for open communication consists of honesty, trust, and vulnerability.

Webster’s Dictionary

When I present in public it is always to a hope, a dream, a goal for a better future. There is promise in every interaction and story. But we have to be willing to be honest and vulnerable.

If it is true, and I think that it is, that careers are dreams disguised as work you love, we have to be willing to be honest, scared, and brave. A new future requires courage and genius. Genius requires trust and experience.

I know I have more to give in this area. I believe in the power of dreams and young people to dream big. I long to be part of their journey.


Goofy Smiles and Grandkids

Goofy Smiles and Grandkids

Goofy Smiles and Grandkids

I guess it was not until after this latest visit to see the family that I realized we have Goofy Smiles and Grandkids. Every picture, I am genuinely excited and happy to see them. Every time.

More Smiles

It was a really good visit to see the families. Everyone is healthy and happy and growing up. It was a surprise to us that Cora was raising chickens!

Rick once again got to be the most charming granddad ever. I love how gentle he is with the kids. Patient and kind and wise too.

We also were treated to an impromptu concert by Lydia and Elizabeth! Then we got to take Lydia and Elizabeth to see their piano teacher play in an ensemble recital with two other world-class musicians. It was lovely!


The Revised Brand at Mezzacello Urban Farm

The Revised Brand at Mezzacello Urban Farm

Mezzacello Urban Farm Branding

Welcome to Mezzacello Urban Farm! Today I pulled down the old sign from the corner of the electrical components lab. I replaced it with the revised brand at Mezzacello Urban Farm.

First The Web, Next The World

First The Web, Next The World

The original logo was a reflection of the signature of Thomas Jefferson. I thought it was lovely and elegant — just one big problem; Two Thirds of the World’s population cannot read cursive.

With as much outreach and public speaking that we are starting to do, we need a brand that can easily read and understood. When I found out that many of my global audience could not read Mezzacello. They were calling it red house green leaf farm.

That hurt. But more than anything, I hated that my pride was getting in the way of my work and desire to change the world. So I started with the website. I changed the logo there and the traffic remained consistent. Today I am revealing it to the wider world.

That Most Important Path To Sustainability

As a designer and programmer, it is really important to me that I am clear and understood. As a Futurist Farmer and Alpha Animal it is VERY important that I am both understood and trusted. We have to remove barriers if we are really going to seriously — and with good faith — approach sustainability.

It’s In The Goals!

That is one of the four core goals here at Mezzacello. Grow, Maintain, Sustain, Explain. I can do them all with this newly branded logo.

  1. Grow the brand as well as my farm, my mission and our collective impact.
  2. Maintain the farm and my passion and love of beauty and applied STEM for all generations.
  3. Sustain the world within these fences, ponds, turbines, gardens, ponds, farm, and livestock.
  4. Now I am here to explain how to do it and why this is all so very very important – to all of us.

Many Thanks

I would like to thank my friends working with the ongoing Global Climate Crisis, the staff and presenters with the Global Innovation Field Trip, my Mezzacello Urban Farm Executive Board, my mentors and interns, and two eight-and-twelve-year-old fans who told me point blank that they could not read my logo.

If you see our farm on East Broad Street at 20th Street in downtown Columbus, give us a honk! If you love what we we do and want to help us do even more, consider a donation! But most importantly, join us in our mission and become part of the red house/green leaf lifestyle!


Enclosed, Interdependent Ecosystems

Enclosed, Interdependent Ecosystems

Enclosed, Interdependent Ecosystems
All of the integrated and interdepedent ecosystems at Mezzacello Urban Farm

You’ve probably seen this map before, but not in this way. This is a map of the enclosed, interdependent ecosystems at Mezzacello Urban Farm. I always intended to build ecosystems this way, but it was my friend Chris Atchison who helped me coin this idea.

It is my hope that it also helps you understand the ways in which each ecosystem both supports and depends on the others. It is a system, but it is not always clear. That is why a map is an excellent way to see this in action.

First, A Breakdown

Enclosed, Interdependent Ecosystems

Ecosystem Legend

  1. The House
  2. The Formal Gardens
  3. The Pollinator Gardens
  4. The Pond
  5. The Hornbeam Allee
  6. The Parterre Gardens
  7. The Livestock Areas
  8. The Potager and Raised Beds
  9. The compost Areas
  10. The Learning Labs

It may not be immediately obvious how these are all integrated and interdependent. It wasn’t planned this way initially. The feasibility and necessity of this configuration emerged over time.

The key features here are accessibility, sustainability, and ease of maintenance. That is how we developed our system of 3 to 5 sustainability ratio. You can read about that here.

Deepening Our Understanding of Systems

The other benefit to looking at the Farm layout this way is that it helps us to develop new systems to extend this version even further. If I overlay the water access and purification protocols, the energy production systems, and the Animal and insect distributions, it makes it an even more dynamic map.

This summer we will be working on doing just that. With 11 camps and four workshops on site that will really dive into the ways that thoughtful application and placement of intentional ecosystems can bring the land alive. It’s just like nature, but with a tad more technology.


The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup

The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup

The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup

Welcome to The Foodist: Cauliflower and Roquefort Soup! This soup looks simple (and it is) but it packs a delicious punch. This is a modification of another recipe Rick found the The French Soup Book.

The original recipe calls for a puree. Rick opted to puree half and leave some chunks in there to shake up the flavor and mouthfeel. The roquefort cheese is so rich!

To add a bit of drama, Rick added nasturtiums. The edible flower and the radish tang to the leaves is quite delicious. And it looks festive.

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 cauliflower, chopped
  • 1 potato, chopped
  • 4 Cups broth or water
  • 250gm – 500gm (8-16 ounces) Roquefort, according to how strong a taste you want.
  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped
  • White pepper (the Roquefort is salty, so don’t add any till tasting at the end, if at all.)

DIRECTIONS

  1. Gently sweat the chopped onion.
  2. Add the potato, cauliflower, 1 litre of water (or vegetable stock), salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then simmer on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Pass through a blender / food mixer. Personally I keep this brief, because I prefer to have some ‘lumps’ in the soup, but this is not eveyone’s preference and it does have the appearance of badly made soup, I suppose.
  4. Reheat, adding a little more water/stock if necessary, but it should remain quite thick.
  5. Chop the Roquefort into small pieces, take the soup off the heat, and stir most of the cheese in as it melts.
  6. Serve into bowls, sprinkle any remaining roquefort on top of the soup, and eat with plenty of fresh bread.

NOTE:

Based on experience with Roquefort on cheeseboards and other soups, I garnished with chopped walnuts with great effect. Nasturtium flower and leaves were also well paired.

I prefer to make this soup two make two batches. One with the potato to purée, and another to leave in as lumps. (My excuse is the body wants something to process, and needs fiber).


The Garden of Grace and Charity

The Garden of Grace and Charity

On a recent trip to visit family in Norfolk, Virginia we found this lovely piece of sculpture in our favorite garden store in Olde Towne Portsmouth, Wright and Anderson. We thought instantly of the John Berendt novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil“. We will call Mezzacello the garden of grace and charity.

Of all the virtues to balance we strongly believe in the power and beauty of grace and charity. These two are the cornerstones of kindness and love. They deserve a spot in our gardens.

We’ll Call Her Charity

There is a story here. This statue was made famous for being on the cover of Berendt’s book and on the movie poster. The image is iconic: the young maid caught in a pose of reflective tranquility while balancing those two plates.

I have always thought of her as balancing grace and charity. These are very rare qualities and worth reflecting on. Mezzacello is also a non-profit 501(c)(3) so charity seemed appropriate.

Speaking Of Reflections

The statue reminds me of the physical manifestation of Mezzacello. The gracious formal gardens of the east and the applied STEM and production gardens of the west. This little statue is the fulcrum that those two realities are balanced upon.

Richard in his happy place on the Virginia Tidewater.

The statue has a personal subtext for us as well. Richard is a Virginia boy and loves the culture and sensibilities of the gracious south. I had just finished reading “Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil” when I met Rick. The man truly made me think of one of the more charming and eccentric characters from that book!

Fate and Foundations

It’s fate that we walked into that garden store and discovered Charity. Now we are driving her home (all 91 Kg (200 lbs) of her!) back to Ohio. This week I will dig a foundation for her, pour it, cure it, and set her in her new home behind the bakki shower at the pond.

Come by and visit her. She will always be happy for the visit and to never meet a stranger. Grace and charity are always ready, willingly given and balanced at Mezzacello Urban Farm.


Earth and Her Water

Earth and Her Water

Earth and Her Water
A visualization of Planet Earth’s crusts with water pulled aside

This is Earth and Her Water. I know it seems crazy, but it is accurate. The Earth’s water is a precious resource not only because it is rare in our universe, but rare here too.

This picture can be misleading. The shadows cast by the edge of the Pacific plates around North and South America is greatly exaggerated. Look at how SHALLOW the Atlantic basin is!

The Earth is fairly large terrestrial planet. The diameter of the Earth is 12,756 Km (7,917 miles) but at it’s DEEPEST point, the Marianas trench the Earth’s ocean is only 11 Km (7 Miles). That is a ratio of depth to diameter of 1/100,000.

The atmosphere is not much thicker – our breathable atmosphere is at best, 9 Km deep. That is also 1/100,000. The Earth really is mostly rock, despite what it looks like from space!

Earth and Her Water
These are puddles of water between continents. We call them oceans.

Water Water Everywhere…

Water Water Everywhere But Not a Drop to Drink.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

This is a favorite quote about water. Everyone envisions the Earth’s oceans as nearly endless pools of water. They are not, they are shallow puddles beneath a paper thin atmosphere of air and water.

The water on earth is a closed fountain. All the water in the oceans, sees, lakes, rivers and ice caps of the world – this world – are contained in that top marble. All of it. The second marble is water in the ice caps, the smaller is the fresh water.

The Pixel You Can’t See

There is a pixel about the size of metropolitan Los Angeles that is the drinkable water on this planet. That water is being constantly used, evaporated and replaced. That is the water that has been on this planet for about 3.8 Billion years.

Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose

You read that right. This planet does not make more water. It uses the water it has over and over again endlessly. This is the water cycle.

When scientists say that Earth is an enclosed ecosystem, this is what they mean. We have finite resources. We need to respect and understand those resources.

The Water Cycle

This is why at Mezzacello, I am very committed to water purification, collection, and conservation. When water evaporates, it does come back to Earth, but it may never come back to where it left.

The earth is dynamic! The atmosphere, that tissue thin layer of pressurized gases and water that shields us from the vacuum of space and solar radiation literally moves that water where it needs it. Those clouds are frequent travelers.

The History of Water

Think about the next time you are wasting water. you are wasting the gift of billions of years and billions of comets that brought the Earth water billions of years ago. Trilobites, Dinosaurs, Mammoths, and your great great great great great grandparents all used that same water.

Please don’t waste it.


Our Goal At Mezzacello Urban Farm

Our Goal At Mezzacello Urban Farm

Sustainability, Applied STEM, Artistry, and Workforce Development

Welcome to our goal at Mezzacello Urban Farm. If you are not familiar with Mezzacello this is a good place to start. In the gallery above and the images below you can learn a lot more about us.

We focus on creating fun, technology and culturally-rich sustainable food oases in urban environments. Mezzacello, located in downtown Columbus, Ohio is the flagship site of our potential mission. We believe that with the right care, attention, and community input there should be more.


Be A Part Of Our Mission

Our Mission: Grow, Maintain, Sustain, Explain, and Entertain around sustainability.

Our Vision: Create frictionless opportunities for people to explore relationships between ecologies, farming, robotics, automation, and applied STEM in a densely populated urban environment.


Mezzacello is a Non-Profit!

Mezzacello Urban Farm is a ag career and applied STEM learning lab dedicated to building a sustainable future for all of us. As a non-profit 501(c)3 we are depending on you to help us realize that mission. We’ve made a good start, but now we need to amplify that mission.

All donations are Tax Exempt and we promise to be good stewards of your trust.

We need you – all of you – to understand exactly what Mezzacello wants to do with our community. It is going to be an exciting journey! But it needs to start with us – all of us – supporting each other.


The Foodist: Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup

The Foodist: Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup

The Foodist: Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup

This The Foodist: Chestnut and Pumpkin Soup recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper! You have not lived until you have tasted the decadent luxury of a roasted chestnut in a soup. This soup is filled with flavor and is good in any configuration is good.

This is another banger recipe from “The Soups of France” by Lois Anne Rothert. Buy this book! It is one of the best investments we have made here at Mezzacello.

Here at Mezzacello we believe this book should be in the library of every urban garden or homestead garden in America. French food is so delightful with access to the freshest ingredients. It can’t be fresher than growing the vegetables, herbs, eggs, and meats yourself.

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 Pounds fresh chestnuts, or 1 pound canned whole peeled chestnuts
  • 1 Pound peeled pumpkin flesh
  • ¼ Cup unsalted butter
  • 1 Large waxy potato, peeled and sliced
  • 1 Young, slender carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • ½ Celery stalk, finely diced
  • 1 Slender leek, white and pale green parts only, finely minced
  • 1 Small onion, finely diced
  • 1 Clove garlic, finely minced
  • 1 Bay leaf
  • 6 Cups broth from chicken -in-the-pot recipe, or homemade chicken broth, or as needed
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 6 Cups milk
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg
  • Croûtons

DIRECTIONS

  1. If using fresh chestnuts, slit on the Nlat side with a knife tip and place in a saucepan with cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Remove only a few chestnuts at a time from the hot water and leave them until they have cooled slightly and can be handled. (Chestnuts are easier to peel when still warm.) Remove both the outer shells and the inner furry coating. Reserve some whole peeled chestnuts for garnish. If using canned chestnuts, drain well.
  2. Cut the chestnuts into morsels. Cut the pumpkin into ¾-inch cubes; you should have 2 cups. Heat the butter in a heavy 4-quart soup pot over low heat. Add the chestnuts, potato, carrot, celery, leek, onion, garlic, and bay leaf and cook, stirring, until the butter is absorbed, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin, 6 cups chicken broth, salt, and milk and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  3. Remove the bay leaf and discard. Working with 1 or 2 ladlefuls at a time, purée the soup in a blender or food processor, processing each batch for 20 to 30 seconds until smooth. Strain the soup through a sieve; it should have the consistency of thick cream. If the soup is too thick, dilute with additional broth. Return the purée to the soup pot and reheat.
  4. Taste and add more salt if needed and black pepper and nutmeg to taste. Ladle the soup into heated soup plates and garnish with the reserved whole chestnuts and croûtons.

NOTES

If you are buying fresh chestnuts, buy domestic ones. They tend to break apart easily, so they are suitable for preparing soups like this that are to be puréed.

Buy fresh chestnuts that are fat, hard to the touch, and have a brilliant skin. If you want, replace chestnuts with cashews.

This soup is ideal for family and guests in autumn and winter when chestnuts and pumpkins appear in the markets. Rich, colorful, and symbolic of harvest, this dish is an ideal opener for Thanksgiving dinner.