My Little Victory Garden: MUSHROOMS…An Opportunity for YOU?

Dear Friends of the RDC ~ I’m a great believer in the notion that sending information and helping each other strengthens everyone.  So in that spirit, I’m taking my normal Monday Morning Victory Garden Post space to share some information that you might not need. But perhaps someone you KNOW might need the info. Or, even someone you know that knows someone.  One of the very “best bets” I could always look forward to when stopping by the Urban Agrarian’s farmer’s market stands, or visiting their store, was the absolutely heavenly OM Gardens mushrooms. I truly do hope that a new entrepreneur takes over this operation, and look forward to hearing the good news when that happens.  So, without further ado, here is a post from the Urban Agrarian in its entirety about a local organic mushroom operation that needs an owner.  Thanks,

[kelly]

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by Matthew Burch, Owner – Urban Agrarian

As many of you know, OM Gardens is shutting down.  They have been producing organic mushrooms in Norman, OK for nearly 4 years now and have certainly accumulated some serious infrastructure over the course of time.  Steve Morton, owner and operator, is now looking to sell off his equipment and begin a new chapter personally and for his business.  I went down this week to take an inventory of the assets and help spread the word…

Here are some simplified instructions on the mushroom production process as well as some amateur photos and video of their current setup.  All of this equipment is for sale, terms are negotiable, and it should be mentioned Steve is very willing to help the buyer setup, grow, consult, or participate in the process in many ways.

You could be the next (and at this point only) organic mushroom producer in the state of Oklahoma.  Let me show you what is available…

A shipping container mushroom farm:

2 fully equipped, wired, temperature controlled, humidity controlled 50-foot shipping containers sitting side by side with additional rooms built on to both ends.  Only 1 container has been finished completely, as you can see in the video at the end of our post.

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The Hunger Games – Bad/Good (ask a teen)

Ave, imperator; morituri te salutant” These words were supposedly the salutation of Roman Gladiators, “We who are about to die salute you.” It is a homage of sorts, a tribute to the mighty State. Two-thousand years ago it was Rome. Today it’s Survivor or American Idol.  However you want to cut it up, the outcome is the same.  Sure, you get a hero, but the entertainment is watching the pain and suffering; it’s about watching one contestant after the other have their dream, their hope finally put to death. After all, “The Tribe Has Spoken!”

What’s next? In Suzanne Collin’s future world, next is Panem, and the made for TV mega hit, The Hunger Games.

Something good, something true, something beautiful.

I have spoken with several parents of young adolescents and they voiced a common concern. “My kid really wants to read The Hunger Games, but I just can’t let them.” 

“Why not?” I asked.

“All that violence, I skimmed through it,” a very responsible mother confided to me, “and I just think the premise of children killing children is horrible!”

“Fair enough, and if I thought that was the crux of the story I would agree, but I think the book is about something good, something true, and something beautiful.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“Love,” I responded, “it’s a story about this dark and painful existence in a world gone wrong — still, there is love, a I Corinthians, chapter 13 kind of love.”

Young Readers

It’s likely that a young person is going to read this book or watch the movie and like it . . . a lot. The question is “why?” A few weeks ago I sat with a group of about twenty-five kids who had read The Hunger Games. They came in on their lunch periodto discuss the book with some adults. Here is what we unpacked:

There is a clear and distinct villain in the story. We talked about violence, oppression, fear, poverty, indulgence, manipulation, and how that the “bad people” in the story put us off. Sure, there is the evil President Snow, but what about all those shallow people who have succumbed to the violence and oppression? The teens had no trouble seeing through to the hollow souls of the citizens of the Capitol. Say, these young kids are pretty smart.

See the contrast - a facade / the authentic Teens can see it.

The clear and distinct heroine of the story is Katniss, a wonderfully strong female character whose skills simple and beautiful. These talents represent her relationship with her father. Though this fact was a small offering at the beginning of the book, the students all nodded their approval when a freshman girl said, “I just liked the way Katniss and her dad related.” Her skills were used for sustenance, hunting for food — daily bread. The kids liked the relationship between Katniss and her father. Katniss is awkwardly good with relationships, and that seemed altogether good according the group of kids I talked to. (Every teen can relate to feelings of being socially awkward.)

Truth and Love

The MOMENT OF TRUTH is early in the story. Katniss’ young sister, the delicate Primrose basically receives a death sentence, and the good, true, and beautiful words are cried out, “I volunteer!” She is NOT volunteering to go kill other children; she IS laying down her life for save her sister.  In that moment we see a life poured out. It’s sad, but it is beautiful.

We talked about sacrificial love.  We discussed giving, serving, helping and caring; the idea of sacrifice was brought up and a student quickly noted how parents work and sacrifice to provide for their children. And the teens talked about the love of Jesus. He too sacrificed much. The Son of God looked at the judgment of the cross, the price to be paid for sin, and those words resounded, “I volunteer!”

Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.” After all the pretenders and all the fakes have come and gone (the movie did a great job of re-creating a the outward facade of the shallow/lost cosmopolites) , only the Son of God will reign supreme.  “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45

If you’re a fan of the Hunger Games, think about all that the Capitol represents. Base entertainment, acquiescence to outward appearance, and selfish indulgence, it’s a world gone bad, fake, and grotesque. “Truth” is what is left after all the facade is pulled away. Katniss is who we hope we can be in the face of all that is wrong.  She is an aggressive protector, but it’s hard to interpret her as a violent character.

Teenagers are not put off by the violence; they see that kind of violence everyday in middle schools across America. It’s the violence against every person’s soul (but that another blog).

Katniss is pulled from her world of family and a very stark existence. Welcome to the Capitol where appearance is everything and substance is a rare commodity. Welcome to the real world, except, there is not much that is real. (Do not love the world, neither the things in the world…” I John 2:15)   Katniss is introduced to indulgence at the grand level; here is the outcome of a world without truth — a society that is anesthetized by entertainment, food, and appearances (“…for all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.” I John 2:16)

Though her world may be stark, we learn that Katniss is rich in what matters most. She is rich in relationship, she is rich in spirit, and she has empathetic capacities that matter in this story. Mostly, she demonstrates selfless love.

There are a hundred other little nuances of The Hunger Games that cause me to reflect on my faith and the virtues of personal identity, character, strength of will, and hope. I have learned this, you might be surprised to learn what you can learn from a teenager and The Hunger Games.

Love seeks what is the best for those we love.

 

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On the Horizon: You Gotta Believe

I am reminded of the story of Peter Pan when I write this week’s post. In the tale, the only children that could fly were those that truly believed they could. There is an interesting debate going on at the state capitol over cutting the state income tax that some believe will help our economy soar, while others predict it will spiral us downward into a third rate economically uncompetitive state.

I wish the debate was just a political one but I fear the outcome could affect Oklahoma’s economic success for generations. At stake is not just how we pay for state services like schools and roads, but whether we as taxpayers want to pay for them at all. Oklahoma is essentially run on our income tax, where other states like Texas fund their state government with a taxing formula more heavily dependent on property taxes.

You can’t throw a rock down a hallway on North Lincoln without hitting a politician that made campaign promises to lower taxes. It is a common refrain while running for office, but a difficult policy to carry out because of all those taxes fund services that many people enjoy. So those in favor of cutting taxes are fond of saying that, in fact, we will not have to cut services at all because of the increased economic activity which lower taxes will promote. The problem is, every economist I have talked to says there is no historical proof this works. In fact, it first grew in popularity in the Reagan years when supply side economics was the fad, and our national debt bloomed into the billions.

But with the hopes that I can have my ice cream and eat it too, I visited with economic development specialists and business leaders, to see if lower taxes are the driving force behind economic growth. In this week’s video segment, I talk to the experts to see what they think. I am curious to hear your opinion too and remember…all you need is trust and a little bit of pixie dust!
Rob McClendon

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An All-In-One Post for the “All of the Above” Policy: Obama in Oklahoma

The morning sun peeked through the horizon and low-hanging clouds sent a mixed message for the weather outlook.  It was chilly and a gentle breeze blew as cars, trucks and vans headed from all directions to Cushing, Oklahoma, full of people with an agenda.  Some wanted to witness a presidential motorcade, others wanted to hold signs in support of his visit, and some wanted to hold signs in protest of his energy policies.  Regardless of the agenda, however, everyone who arrived at their various rally spots seemed to be in an upbeat and anticipatory mood.

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Chickasaw Country…

I’ve been talking with the folks at Chickasaw Country and the Chickasaw.TV folks and just want you to know they’ve been working especially hard on making sure you know about all the possibilities for travel, entertainment and culture around the central, south and southeast areas of Oklahoma.

Check out their website and explore all the amazing opportunities right here in our beautiful state.

And finally (well, for now anyway…), I’d like to introduce you to a friend of mine.  Her name is Brooke Clay and her job is to write about all the unique opportunities within the scope of what she does in and around Chickasaw Country.  Brooke will be creating entries periodically about all things Chickasaw and I would encourage you to check in from time to time and see what she’s been up to…or eating, or listening to…or something!  Thanks, too, to Lauren Keeley with Chickasaw TV for all the effort she and other team members have made in creating these beautiful pieces.  They’re the folks who featured the Chincie Ross piece we covered a few weeks ago.

Have a great Thursday,

[kelly]

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.