Welcome Neighbors to 501C3 Day

Tonight was a milestone for us here at Mezzacello. This was Welcome Neighbors to 501C3 Day — the first event we had as an official 501C3 non-profit. We have functioned as a non-profit in the past as a program of the extraordinarily generous PAST Foundation, but tonight we were flying confidently.

we love that we are starting to shift peoples mindsets towards a web of life and not a war of wills.

Jim Bruner

It’s been quite a journey to get here. It required rebuilding THREE times. So many lessons learned and insights.

WE know we are an ecosystem and we love that we are starting to shift peoples mindsets towards a web of life and not a war of wills. We are working towards a vision where people really begin to see they are part of a circle of life, and not just a circle of their life.

We worked hard to get here. The friends, neighbors, and family that were here on this fine Sunday in May know how hard we have worked. They helped with so much of the work themselves, or they donated biomass, materials, insight, money and most importantly, patience, hugs, and wise words when we needed them.

Mezzacello Is Gratitude

Mezzacello was founded in a principle of gratitude, grace, proportion, and sustainability. This part was a proof of that commitment. 100+ people and they did not destroy the place. They – like us – love this postage stamp paradise as much as we do. And they should – they helped us build it.

We’ll have another for the boards and friends and companies we have been graced to work with. Tonight was personal and local. Do not take offense that you were not here. We all of us were celebrating that we at last could be here.

The Foodist: Favorite Hot Toddy

It is winter at Mezzacello and that means it’s time to start making winter drinks! The Foodist: Favorite Hot Toddy is like the name suggests, a favorite. #FullDisclosure I love a hot toddy made with tea, and my favorite Toddy Tea is Bigelow’s “Constant Comment”.

The flavor notes of “Constant Comment” are perfect for pairing with Brandy. Just to be clear, you can make this with Bourbon or Whiskey, but we prefer brandy with the fruit and spice notes and honey. Experiment with your own blends! But the recipe remains the same, fruit, tannins, liquor, honey, lemon, hot water. So without further ado, our recipe for an impressive Hot Toddy!

Ingredients

• 16 oz Hot Water (Boiling!)
• 1 Tbsp of honey
• 1 Tbsp of Lemon Juice (we squeeze 1 lemon)
• 2 cardamon seeds (slightly crushed)
• 1 4cm slice of orange peel
• 1 2cm piece of Cinnamon Bark
• 1 tsp bourbon vanilla extract
• 3 fl oz brandy
• 1 small tea sieve

Directions

1. Boil water. Prepare the cardamon and cinnamon by mild crush and snipping. A whole 8cm cinnamon bark is excessive, 2 cm is plenty.
2. In a tea sieve combine cardamon seeds (powdered cardamon is a disaster as is cinnamon) and cinnamon with orange peel.
3. Measure out honey, bourbon vanilla, and lemon juice (bulb lemon juice is fine) and pour into a heated cup (take the time to heat that cup!)
4. Pour in a bit of the boiling water and stir to mix honey, lemon and bourbon vanilla.
5. Drop in the sieve and pour over remaining boiling water.
6. Let sit for three minutes and serve.
   • You might think you could serve this immediately, you would be wrong. Like love this builds over time.
7. Enjoy.

Technical Notes

1. In a pinch you can substitute a Bigelow “Constant Comment” tea bag instead of the raw ingredients.
2. It will be Toddy-like, but will lack the depth of this recipe.
3. For the best effect, splurge on Fresh orange peel – at a grocery – and cardamon seeds, and cinnamon bark at World Market.
   • They are cheaper there and they both keep well in a dark cupboard.
   • This blog is NOT sponsored by World Market, they just keep a great assortment of sundry spices.
4. Use the best Brandy and Honey you can afford.
5. Make sure the person you are serving this to knows you love them; It’s psychosomatic, but it makes it so much better.

The Seed of a Dream

This is my husband Rick in 2012. We were out to dinner and this flower was on the table and they were so cute. I think he had just told me that if he had a garden he could plant edible flowers and this was the seed of a dream.

How Mezzacello Was Conceived

Back then — 10 years ago! — we were living together in an apartment in downtown Columbus, OH. Both of us dreamed about having a garden, and there was a misunderstanding about what a garden is.

Fast forward 10 years later and Rick and I are experimenting with flower varieties that have edible blooms. We use the following flowers as a food source at Mezzacello;

• Naturtium
• Hibiscus
• Dahlia
• Hosta
• Curcuma
• Squash
• Roses
• Lavender
• Chives
• Dandelion

I am very much amused that this memory came up this week. If you had asked me back the that Mezzacello would have existed I would have doubted it. If you asked me that we would be tirelessly experimental with food sources I would be surprised. And if you told me that I would be posting recipes for these flowers, well that would be a delight.

And it has been a delight.

New Mezzacello Portrait

We are unveiling the new Mezzacello portrait! After five years of plugging along on our mission to Grow, Maintain, Sustain, and Explain we decided we needed an official portrait. We commissioned a fabulous local artist, Gabriel Gatton.

He asked a ton of questions and then ran away in fear. Six sustainable ecosystems. Two gardens, formal and potager.

Animal husbandry and botanical greenhouses. Lots of science, art, architecture, agriculture, education, and systems engineering. How do you tell all that story?

Gabriel Gatton is a Story Teller

Well Gabriel came back with this iteration and I love it. It is modeled after Grant Woods’ “American Gothic” and subtly tells our story. Have a look.

Reach out and tell me what you think. As we begin to transition our role on the farm into more and more social engagement this was an important step. Also, be sure to check out Gabriel at ArtbyGeez.com

Fishy Business

One of the joys of starting a new relationship, whether it be with a person, a house, or a garden… is discovering things that never would have occurred to you outside of that relationship. Each relationship changes who you are, till after awhile, you are in a place you never dreamed. This is true especially with the fishy business.

We did not know that we would need a pond at Mezzacello. It just made sense to have a source of water as a reservoir. Then we added fish.

Link to Ohio Koi

One of us wanted fish to create a new ecosystem and develop a source of algae and bio-wastes that would fertilize the gardens. One of us fell in love with koi and the peace and tranquility that a pond can bring. Surprisingly, we got both.