NL 24, 15 of July of 2022, Restanza (Alexis) // Mushroom Adventure (Aymeric), Steppe FM
Restanza (Alexis)
In CasaLina, the beginning of July was intense.
I have been there for more than two weeks now and have found my place. I'm responsible for the agriculture part and almost considered a member of the association itself. Which is great, because not only am I getting closer and closer to the founding collective, but also because I have more and more responsibilities in our community life.
As we said in the previous newsletter, the CasaLina association is organising an event in the village of Spinazzola for the first time. The aim is twofold: to become part of the local dynamic and to raise awareness of the concept of "la restanza" (see box) through the screening of a documentary filmed two hours away by car in southern Puglia.
For this major event, we received reinforcements: four members of the CasaLina collective, normally based in Brussels, and at least five new volunteers. This meant that for ten days or so, our campsite was full.
The few days before the screening were intensive: preparing the decoration, the screen, the organisation on site, putting up posters in the surrounding villages, preparing and labelling the products we sell during the local market we organise before nightfall, inviting local producers to participate in the market... In short, the programme was very busy, especially as we had to celebrate the arrival and the reunion of the members of the collective. So we worked a lot during the day and had fun until late at night. It's a hectic and frenetic pace that creates a really great atmosphere!
And then, in addition to organising the open-air cinema, we had to take care of all the usual minimum tasks, including harvesting and market gardening. It was an opportunity for me to learn how to create and manage teams. To learn to delegate, after giving a minimum of advice, and therefore to trust volunteers who sometimes discover the colour of a tomato plant! Sometimes it was necessary to discreetly go behind to check that no plant was going to suffer from bad treatment. Especially since the most important thing with this community lifestyle is to succeed not only in integrating everyone but also in motivating them for tasks that are sometimes a bit thankless... not everyone is passionate about weeding and mulching a hundred tomato plants!
In short, the three days leading up to the screening were intense and the energy put in by everyone created an extraordinary atmosphere.
On the 6th of July we were fully motivated to set up the organisation of the cinema. Everything went very well despite a number of setbacks: a flat tyre on the cart carrying most of the equipment, technical problems with hanging the screen, and some minor problems with delegating some tasks to the volunteers who arrived on the day. Nevertheless, the local market took place and even if it was not the most successful operation, there were enough interested people to satisfy us. And then at 9pm our custom-made bar was in full swing and the village square was so full that we had to go and get some extra chairs. After about thirty minutes of public conversation in front of the full square between Angela, Maria (both members of the CasaLina collective) and the director, the film began.
Almost an hour and a half later, the credits ended. The place was half empty, admittedly not an easy film to watch, but the rest of the audience applauded and stayed until the end of the different speeches. In short, it was a success!
The tidying up, with music from some artist friends, took us almost two hours before we all returned to CasaLina. The evening was obviously festive, and ended, for most of us, long after the sun had risen!
For the next few days, this state of effervescence did not subside: a lot of work to catch up on during the day and parties that went on until dawn.
The first ten days of July were simply magnificent.
The agitation calmed down little by little. And now I had to think about leaving.
Time to show the different tasks and methods to whoever would take over and I was ready to leave again.
Having had enough of cycling in the heat, I took advantage of Angela's holiday in the North to get in the car with her from the 15th. Normally our journey will end around Bologna a few days later, from there I will continue hitchhiking with Jehol and my backpack (I leave a big part of my stuff in Puglia, which will be brought back to France one day at the end of August when someone will drive back to France).
I plan to spend August in France enjoying friends and family before somehow getting on a boat to the Americas.
Mushroom Adventure (Aymeric)
Monday 20th June. I arrived at my destination, in the open countryside of Brittany, near a village in Finistère called Ploudery. I had convinced myself to do some work in soilless agriculture, an emerging method of growing fruit and vegetables on shelves, in sheds, roofs, garages or even cellars. This sector interests me because it allows, if well exploited, to grow crops independently of the time and to find an application in any place: city, desert, flat. Against all odds, my research led me to a small mushroom production company in Brittany. On their website, it is clear that two young entrepreneurs use soil-less methods to grow different types of mushrooms. They are sold in markets, to restaurants and to individuals. The site also offers kits to grow mushrooms at home and training to become a mushroom producer and even a myciculturist.
So here I am, at BreizhBell Mushroom Producer! I discovered the company and first of all the team... Jefferson 32 years old, relaxed, silky hair up to his shoulders, a real rocker's look and Xavier 27 years old, a beautiful baby certainly exceeding 1m85, the red beard and the nervous gestures of a Viking has his 5th coffee when he works. These two portraits correspond to the founders of the production. Jeff and Xav met in the army while working in the aeronautics industry, so to this day I haven't fully grasped how the switch from building helicopters to growing mushrooms came about, let alone so quickly. What is important to remember is that after leaving the army Jeff studied economics to have the skills to open his own business and Xavier became a master composter. Then comes a third member of the team, Briac, blue eyes in the background of a lunar gaze. After studying engineering, he embarked on a tour of France's low-tech companies. When he arrived in Finistère, he discovered the Breizh Bell company and rather than continue his journey, he settled down and now takes care of a large part of the logistics.
Now let's talk about the buildings. They lend me a small caravan to sleep in, cozy and discreet, I am very happy to have my own space. Next door, the house where Jeff Xav and Briac live, as well as Manu, a childhood friend of Jeffersen's, ex truck driver and beat-maker, M-C, Xavier's girlfriend working in the army, Naya, a magnificent Malamute (Alaskan Husky) and the cat... that I call Minou as I didn't remember his name. Finally, behind the Breton shuffleboard court, a large shed where the magic happens. It houses black cultivation tents where the mushrooms grow, a completely sterile laboratory where the strains are developed, a workshop, a drying room and a processing room where the mushrooms are packed before being sold. All these infrastructures have been set up by the members of Breizh Bell, proud to present a low-tech production, where water is recovered from the roofs, solar panels manage the temperature and the waste produced is reused to the maximum.
Mushrooms are a vast, vast and relatively unknown subject. The BreizhBell team grows a variety of mushrooms for different applications. We all know mushrooms as a great ingredient in our dishes, girolles, morels, ceps, in sauces, soups and omelettes! However, some mushrooms have very valuable medicinal properties, they can boost the immune system, cure certain ailments, a very particular mushroom, the Rai tchi purifies water and air on contact, its consumption allows cancer patients to better react to chemotherapy. And that's not all! Mushrooms have remarkable phytosanitary properties! They can be used to clean up polluted soils with better results than bacteria for chemical elements such as arsenic! Finally, the mushroom has another major application, integrated into a compost it will serve to boost and strengthen your vegetable garden to the point of regenerating entire forests.
In the first few weeks the amount of information was hard to take in, I was moving from one activity to another with new skills to learn. In the laboratory with Xavier I learnt that the mushroom is a very fragile system, and that cultivating and producing it requires great rigour. After two weeks, I left with Brieuc to run a mushroom stand at the Low Tech Festival in Concarneau, where I had the chance to meet people who were innovating in the field of low tech.
My goal now is to experiment. I want to start my own mushroom production at my godmother's house to teach me how to build up cultures that I can then use when travelling. So I will try to grow mushrooms in a natural way, on wooden logs.
Speaking of travelling, I may have found the boat for a transatlantic crossing. The one that will take me to South America! I'll keep you posted!