#my crops and the farm in one section

[st0neddew-valley]

what’s ur fave farm type and why

^peep mine in the tags lol it’s detailed

[thedansemacabres]

Introduction To Supporting Sustainable Agriculture For Witches and Pagans

[ID: An image of yellow grain stocks, soon to be harvested. The several stocks reach towards a blurred open sky, focusing the camera on he grains themselves. The leaves of the grains are green and the cereals are exposed].

PAGANISM AND WITCHCRAFT ARE MOVEMENTS WITHIN A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE CAPITALIST SOCIETY. As the world becomes more aware of the importance of sustainability, so does the duty of humanity to uphold the idea of the steward, stemming from various indigenous worldviews, in the modern era. I make this small introduction as a viticulturist working towards organic and environmentally friendly grape production. I also do work on a food farm, as a second job—a regenerative farm, so I suppose that is my qualifications. Sustainable—or rather regenerative agriculture—grows in recognition. And as paganism and witchcraft continue to blossom, learning and supporting sustainability is naturally a path for us to take. I will say that this is influenced by I living in the USA, however, there are thousands of groups across the world for sustainable agriculture, of which tend to be easy to research.

So let us unite in caring for the world together, and here is an introduction to supporting sustainable/regenerative agriculture. 

A QUICK BRIEF ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE 

Sustainable agriculture, in truth, is a movement to practise agriculture as it has been done for thousands of years—this time, with more innovation from science and microbiology especially. The legal definition in the USA of sustainable agriculture is: 

The term ”sustainable agriculture” (U.S. Code Title 7, Section 3103) means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will over the long-term:

A more common man’s definition would be farming in a way that provides society’s food and textile needs without overuse of natural resources, artificial supplements and pest controls, without compromising the future generation’s needs and ability to produce resources. The agriculture industry has one of the largest and most detrimental impacts on the environment, and sustainable agriculture is the alternative movement to it. 

Sustainable agriculture also has the perk of being physically better for you—the nutrient quality of crops in the USA has dropped by 47%, and the majority of our food goes to waste. Imagine if it was composted and reused? Or even better—we buy only what we need. We as pagans and witches can help change this. 

BUYING ORGANIC (IT REALLY WORKS)

The first step is buying organic. While cliche, it does work: organic operations have certain rules to abide by, which excludes environmentally dangerous chemicals—many of which, such as DDT, which causes ecological genocide and death to people. Organic operations have to use natural ways of fertilising, such as compost, which to many of us—such as myself—revere the cycle of life, rot, and death. Organic standards do vary depending on the country, but the key idea is farming without artificial fertilisers, using organic seeds, supplementing with animal manure, fertility managed through management practices, etc. 

However, organic does have its flaws. Certified organic costs many, of which many small farmers cannot afford. The nutrient quality of organic food, while tending to be better, is still poor compared to regeneratively grown crops. Furthermore, the process to become certified organic is often gruelling—you can practise completely organically, but if you are not certified, it is not organic. Which, while a quality control insurance, is both a bonus and a hurdle. 

JOINING A CSA

Moving from organic is joining a CSA (“Community supported agriculture”). The USDA defines far better than I could: 

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), one type of direct marketing, consists of a community of individuals who pledge support to a farm operation so that the farmland becomes, either legally or spiritually, the community’s farm, with the growers and consumers providing mutual support and sharing the risks and benefits of food production.

By purchasing a farm share, you receive food from the farm for the agreed upon production year. I personally enjoy CSAs for the relational aspect—choosing a CSA is about having a relationship, not only with the farmer(s), but also the land you receive food from. I volunteer for my CSA and sometimes I get extra cash from it—partaking in the act of caring for the land. Joining a CSA also means taking your precious capital away from the larger food industry and directly supporting growers—and CSAs typically practise sustainable and/or regenerative agriculture. 

CSAs are also found all over the world and many can deliver their products to food deserts and other areas with limited agricultural access. I volunteer from time to time for a food bank that does exactly that with the produce I helped grow on the vegetable farm I work for. 

FARM MARKETS AND STALLS 

Another way of personally connecting to sustainable agriculture is entering the realm of the farm stall. The farmer’s market is one of my personal favourite experiences—people buzzing about searching for ingredients, smiles as farmers sell crops and products such as honey or baked goods, etc. The personal connection stretches into the earth, and into the past it buries—as I purchase my apples from the stall, I cannot help but see a thousand lives unfold. People have been doing this for thousands of years and here I stand, doing it all over again. 

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Farmers’ markets are dependent on your local area, yet in most you can still develop personal community connections. Paganism often stresses community as an ideal and a state of life. And witchcraft often stresses a connection to the soil. What better place, then, is purchasing the products from the locals who commune with the land? 

VOLUNTEERING 

If you are able to, I absolutely recommend volunteering. I have worked with aquaponic systems, food banks, farms, cider-making companies, soil conservation groups, etc. There is so much opportunity—and perhaps employment—in these fields. The knowledge I have gained has been wonderful. As one example, I learned that fertilisers reduce carbon sequestration as plants absorb carbon to help with nutrient intake. If they have all their nutrients ready, they do not need to work to obtain carbon to help absorb it. This does not even get into the symbiotic relationship fungi have with roots, or the world of hyphae. Volunteering provides community and connection. Actions and words change the world, and the world grows ever better with help—including how much or how little you may provide. It also makes a wonderful devotional activity. 

RESOURCING FOOD AND COOKING 

Buying from farmers is not always easy, however. Produce often has to be processed, requiring labour and work with some crops such as carrots. Other times, it is a hard effort to cook and many of us—such as myself—often have very limited energy. There are solutions to this, thankfully:

Many farmers can and will process foods. Some even do canning, which can be good to stock up on food and lessen the energy inputs. 

Value-added products: farms also try to avoid waste, and these products often become dried snacks if fruit, frozen, etc. 

Asking farmers if they would be open to accommodating this. Chances are, they would! The farmer I purchase my CSA share from certainly does. 

Going to farmers markets instead of buying a CSA, aligning with your energy levels. 

And if any of your purchased goods are going unused, you can always freeze them. 

DEMETER, CERES, VEIA, ETC: THE FORGOTTEN AGRICULTURE GODS

Agricultural gods are often neglected. Even gods presiding over agriculture often do not have those aspects venerated—Dionysos is a god of viticulture and Apollon a god of cattle. While I myself love Dionysos as a party and wine god, the core of him remains firmly in the vineyards and fields, branching into the expanses of the wild. I find him far more in the curling vines as I prune them than in the simple delights of the wine I ferment. Even more obscure gods, such as Veia, the Etruscan goddess of agriculture, are seldom known.

Persephone receives the worst of this: I enjoy her too as a dread queen, and people do acknowledge her as Kore, but she is far more popular as the queen of the underworld instead of the dear daughter of Demeter. I do understand this, though—I did not feel the might of Demeter and Persephone until I began to move soil with my own hands. A complete difference to the ancient world, where the Eleusinian mysteries appealed to thousands. Times change, and while some things should be left to the past, our link to these gods have been severed. After all, how many of us reading know where our food comes from? I did not until I began to purchase from the land I grew to know personally. The grocery store has become a land of tearing us from the land, instead of the food hub it should be.

Yet, while paganism forgets agriculture gods, they have not forgotten us. The new world of farming is more conductive and welcoming than ever. I find that while older, bigoted people exist, the majority of new farmers tend to be LGBT+. My own boss is trans and aro, and I myself am transgender and gay. The other young farmers I know are some flavour of LGBT+, or mixed/poc. There’s a growing movement for Black farmers, elaborated in a lovely text called We Are Each Other’s Harvest. 

Indigenous farming is also growing and I absolutely recommend buying from indigenous farmers. At this point, I consider Demeter to be a patron of LGBT+ people in this regard—she gives an escape to farmers such as myself. Bigotry is far from my mind under her tender care, as divine Helios shines above and Okeanos’ daughters bring fresh water to the crops. Paganism is also more commonly accepted—I find that farmers find out that I am pagan and tell me to do rituals for their crops instead of reacting poorly. Or they’re pagan themselves; a farmer I know turned out to be Wiccan and uses the wheel of the year to keep track of production. 

Incorporating these divinities—or concepts surrounding them—into our crafts and altars is the spiritual step towards better agriculture. Holy Demeter continues to guide me, even before I knew it. 

WANT CHANGE? DO IT YOURSELF! 

If you want change in the world, you have to act. And if you wish for better agriculture, there is always the chance to do it yourself. Sustainable agriculture is often far more accessible than people think: like witchcraft and divination, it is a practice. Homesteading is often appealing to many of us, including myself, and there are plenty of resources to begin. There are even grants to help one improve their home to be more sustainable, i.e. solar panels. Gardening is another, smaller option. Many of us find that plants we grow and nourish are far more potentant in craft, and more receptive to magical workings. 

Caring for plants is fundamental to our natures and there are a thousand ways to delve into it. I personally have joined conservation groups, my local soil conservation group, work with the NRCs in the USA, and more. The path to fully reconnecting to nature and agriculture is personal—united in a common cause to fight for this beautiful world. To immerse yourself in sustainable agriculture, I honestly recommend researching and finding your own path. Mine lies in soil and rot, grapevines and fruit trees. Others do vegetables and cereal grains, or perhaps join unions and legislators. Everyone has a share in the beauty of life, our lives stemming from the land’s gentle sprouts. 

Questions and or help may be given through my ask box on tumblr—if there is a way I can help, let me know. My knowledge is invaluable I believe, as I continue to learn and grow in the grey-clothed arms of Demeter, Dionysos, and Kore. 

FURTHER READING:

Baszile, N. (2021). We are each other’s harvest. HarperCollins.

Hatley, J. (2016). Robin Wall Kimmerer. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous wisdom, scientific knowledge and the teachings of plants. Environmental Philosophy, 13(1), 143–145. https://doi.org/10.5840/envirophil201613137

Regenerative Agriculture 101. (2021, November 29). https://www.nrdc.org/stories/regenerative-agriculture-101#what-is

And in truth, far more than I could count. 

References

Community Supported Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/community-supported-agriculture

Navazio, J. (2012). The Organic seed Grower: A Farmer’s Guide to Vegetable Seed Production. Chelsea Green Publishing.

Plaster, E. (2008). Soil Science and Management. Cengage Learning.

Sheaffer, C. C., & Moncada, K. M. (2012). Introduction to agronomy: food, crops, and environment. Cengage Learning.

Sheldrake, M. (2020). Entangled life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures. Random House.

Sustainable Agriculture | National Agricultural Library. (n.d.). https://www.nal.usda.gov/farms-and-agricultural-production-systems/sustainable-agriculture

[deuteragonists-mismatched-socks]

A Break In Routine - Shane x Reader (Stardew Valley)

Another Shane SDV fic from my drafts with a couple strange gaps in it.

Warnings: mentions of recovering from alcoholism, being imperfect, guilt and self-loathing to a certain extent. Alcohol.

Word Count: 1.4k

Shane wasn't stupid. He knew you knew that. He noticed that, the closer you got, especially after that night on the cliff, you changed. Not so much in the way you dealt with him—you were kind and persevering as ever.

You stopped brewing. He had been out to the farm before, you had like ten kegs and an evergreen crop of hops and wheat to fuel them. And Shane wasn't stupid—he'd almost gone broke from buying the stuff before, so he knew it was lucrative. You'd have to be crazy to give that up. Farmers had it rough, especially ones that worked as hard as you. Having such an easy source of passive income should've been a no-brainer.

Oh, and you stopped bringing him alcohol. You were a social drinker—he'd seen you share Kahlua-and-coffee martinis with the good doctor or bond with Leah over a sweet red. But when it came to Pam and him, you were only ever seen with soda and some filling food in hand. He wondered if you thought he wouldn't notice. If he was too out of it or too naïve.

You visited JojaMart sometimes—normally just to check on him, never to buy anything—and you always had a tense look on your face whenever he was stocking the drinks section. That, that one actually hurt. Yeah, he had bad habits. He was working, only half successfully, on breaking them. But that made him think you really thought he had no self-control. That he was going to wander forward like a zombie and mindlessly rip into the Jack Daniels and Bud Lite. He shouldn't be trusted super far, but he thought he at least deserved the sliver of faith that would be required to believe that wouldn't happen.

That was what he was thinking about as he sat next to the fireplace, cola in a stein in his hand. See, he was doing better. He wasn't used to being fully lucid at this hour of the night, but he was getting there. It was significantly more uncomfortable, sitting there in silence when he wasn't half-catatonic. Everyone else was having a great time. Even Marnie was having a... whoa, beyond friendly conversation with the mayor. Hell, where were you, anyway? You were always trying so hard to make sure he wasn't alone, and now you leave him alone? Maybe he deserved it for all those times he blew you off.

"Hey!" You suddenly appeared in his line of vision. Suddenly, even completely sober, he couldn't sort out his feelings. He was grateful to you for watching out for him; he obviously couldn't do that himself. He was annoyed that you infantilized him. He was confused that you put you with him. Why didn't you just cut loose and stop holding yourself back for someone who has done nothing but screwed over their own life?

"What are you doing here?" Shane said. Crap. That wasn't what he meant to say, not at all. He meant to say 'Why do you stay? Why do you care? I'm not worthy of you.'

Your face fell and Shane needed a drink or six. "Trying to hang out with you," you responded, your voice edged with anger and sadness. "I was—y'know what, I'll leave you be, I just wanted to give this to you."

You held your closed hand out expectantly, and he obliged with an extended palm. 

You dropped a pearl into it.

"Wha—" his mouth dropped open in disbelief. "Oh, wow, Farmer, how did you know this is my favorite?"

You were already gone. He checked the clock on the opposite wall. Well, it was already 12. Maybe you just wanted to get a good night's sleep. He hoped that was all.

But Shane wasn't stupid.

When you exited your house at 6:10 AM sharp the next morning, you almost tripped over him before noticing that Shane was sitting on your steps. This was a huge break in his routine, and it worried you. "Shane? What're you—" You stopped yourself, realizing that you were parroting his words from the previous night. 

"I didn't mean what I said," Shane said abruptly. His murky brown eyes looked into yours with absolute earnesty, and you noticed something rather special about them. They weren't teary or red-striped. He wasn't hungover, at all. 

Your brow furrowed. "About what?"

"About—about... just, how I treat you, y'know. Always blowing you off and acting like you're not worth my time. I know it should be the other way around," his gaze dropped to the ground and he scuffed his foot against the wood of the front steps.

You lowered yourself to sit next to him, knees nearly touching. Time always seemed to stand still when you spoke to him—the sun was stuck in the sky, and you weren't worried about what you were going to get done that day.

"What do you mean, Shane?"

"You know what I mean, Farmer," he said, before exhaling and rubbing his hands on his pants. "I just... I'm not... good enough, for you. I'm a, uh, flash in the pan, I guess. What I'm trying to say... is I'm sorry," he sighed, risking looking up at you again.

Your eyes seemed to look through him. "Shane," you said gently. "You're good enough, for me, for anyone," you emphasized. "And I... do understand why you say the things you do, and they are unfortunate, but I appreciate you recognizing that and apologizing."

Shane looked from your piercing eyes, to your hand that was resting on your knee, centimeters from his, back to your eyes. "I'm trying. Really trying."

You took his hand, and his heart rate spiked. "I know you are, and I know that Marnie and Jas and I really appreciate it."

"Yeah," Shane whispered. Part of him felt guilty—that somehow, Jas wasn't enough to straighten him out. But he was grateful that somehow, you were.

Your thumb rubbed the back of his hand,  comforting him further. He wondered how you could stand touching him. Even after that touching speech, he had a hard time believing you. Even if his personality, his character, was something you seemed to admire, which was beyond him on its own, look at him. He had gained... a number of pounds in the past eight months, he shaved maybe every three days, despite getting a five o'clock shadow by the end of that day. His hair was a genuine disaster, even though Marnie refused to admit it. He was physically clean (most of the time), and that was basically where the pros stopped.

"Thank you so much for coming over here this morning, Shane," you said. Shane had to suppress a shiver at the way you said his name. It didn't sound the way anyone else ever said it. Maybe it was just his imagination. 

But he was more than happy to keep imagining it. "I can't tell you... how much it means to me, that you're reaching out and, and trying. In the most non-patronizing way, I'm proud of you."

He could almost feel tears welling in his eyes. "You're—you're proud of me?"

He hadn't heard that since high school.

"Yeah, of course," you nodded genuinely.

He laughed, almost in disbelief. "Thanks."

You let go of his hand, and Shane had the chance to experience a split-second of disappointment before you used your now free arms to wrap him in a hug. "You can tell me if this is okay or not," you said, your words muffled by his Joja jacket.

"It's okay," he responded quickly, trying not to squeeze you too tightly.

You pulled back, wondering for a moment if it would be going too far, before you decided to press a quick kiss to his cheek. You stood, walking off to water your crops. "I should probably let you go, you don't wanna be late for work."

Shane's face was all pink, and he nodded after a moment's delay. "Right, yeah, um...thanks for listening to me," he stood as well. "See you later."

You watched him take the path from your house into town, zipping up his jacket against the wind. He had patched the holes in it.

[cerise-on-top]

Playing Stardew Valley

One of my favorite games of all time. More headcanons, this time on what it's like to play SDV with the majority of the main cast. I think these can be read as platonic or romantic too. The only real mention of a romantic relationship is in Gaz' section, but even then it's just a "if you're in this scenario then that happens". SFW and gender neutral, obviously. The characters are the ones I usually write about, so no Makarov, for example.

Price: To no one’s surprise he’s not actually much of a gamer, at all. If the choice was up to him then the two of you would likely be spending your days somewhere outside. However, it’s not too hard to convince him to play with you on stormy days. The game is relaxing, it’s nice, he won’t have to worry about gunshots for once. Despite maybe having heard of it before and nothing else, he’d come to like it after some time. Most of his time is spent on the farm and in town, it takes him some time to find the mines. Loves getting to pat the animals, watering the crops and making the farm look nice. He makes sure that everything is going well so you can go hunt monsters in the mines or mine ore there. He doesn’t go overboard with the money either, so as long as you don’t constantly buy expensive things you’ll always have a good chunk of money.

Gaz: His name is Kyle, it’s in his blood to be a gamer. But Stardew Valley isn’t what he usually goes for in his spare time. However, as long as you’re playing it together you can be sure he’s gonna say yes. Despite being pretty good with money normally, he loses count of how much he has in game and sometimes wants to buy things he can’t afford anymore. But he always promises you that you’re gonna get it back. Gaz is also the kind to bring you all sorts of gifts, regardless of whether you asked him to or not. If you’re dating he’ll call it him “trying to gain relationship points”. His end goal is to marry you, in that case. Despite being resourceful he sometimes forgets to water your crops and pat the animals when he’s in a hurry with a quest. If you don’t take care of it, then you can be sure your crops will wither from time to time. Doesn’t mean for that to happen and will buy new seeds. It’s a vicious cycle. 

Ghost: Rolls his eyes and asks you why when you bring up the idea of playing with him. He’s got better things to do, actually, but he can be convinced to play if you annoy him enough. Afterwards he’ll come to enjoy the game, it is a great source of escapism, after all. Unlike Gaz, he will never forget about your crops or your animals and will always take care of them. Even money-wise it will be you who spends most of it. His favorite activity would be foraging. He knows quite a bit about survival and, if you ask him about it, he’s more than happy to divulge some information and give you some tips if it ever came down to it. Every time he sees your character running up to him with some gift he’ll roll his eyes, but appreciate it nevertheless. It wasn’t often that he got presents when he was younger, so now as an adult he’s quite happy, even if it’s just within a silly game.

Soap: Will probably laugh a little when you bring up the game, but is willing to play it with you. It’s not the most exciting game to play to him, but he gets to chat with you over something easy to digest that doesn’t require him to make a million decisions per minute. However, please let him name the animals, he loves doing so. Yes, they will end up with silly names, but he just tries to get you to laugh. Soap does get attached to them, though. Loves being in the mines and slaying the monsters there, he gets to feel powerful as he cuts through slime and mine some ore. Every once in a while he’ll fall unconscious, though, because he forgets about the stamina bar. During those few seconds of loading screens he loves to annoy you. Or when he’s already in bed for once and waiting for you to do the same. Poking you, throwing popcorn at you or something else, he can be a nincompoop in the most loving way possible.

Alejandro: Because he has such a high rank, there’s a chance you won’t get to see him that often. And during those few and short times you do get to see each other? He’s more than happy to indulge you in anything you like. You wanna play a funny farming sim? Of course you can! He loves it because of the setting. A pretty rounded guy, he does just about anything, except maybe fishing. He’s not a big fan of that minigame at all. Everything else is fair game. Once you have the kitchen unlocked he’s more than happy to make you a home-cooked meal every morning so you won’t run out of stamina on your adventures. The game makes him very happy, so much even that he’ll make the suggestion you play together eventually. It’s his mission to pet the animals every day. Please let him discover giant crops, he’ll love it and try to get as many as possible. Gets very into the game and its domesticity, but he’ll leave the decoration of the farm and the house to you.

Rodolfo: He’s a bit skeptical at first since he isn’t much of a gamer and the game sounds somewhat boring to him. The first few days actually are to him, but once he’s gotten the hang of it, he loves the game. Every day, he hopes you’ll ask him to play it with you. Heck, if he has the time, chances are he’ll invite Alejandro to play it with you two as well. Another all-rounder, he does everything he is asked to do, except he loves the fishing minigame. He’s also insanely good at it, the legendary fish got nothing on him. While he does simply follow you around for the most part, especially if you’re in the mines together, he has a good time doing so. Plenty of gifts from either of you for the other, you try to make sure the other feels appreciated. For the most part, he forgets that you can eat to replenish your stamina and will sometimes complain about it running out so quickly, until he discovers he can simply lie down in bed. His favorite activity is fishing with you while you’re talking about anything and everything. Loves playing into the night with you if neither of you have anywhere to be.

Valeria: Scoffs at you when you bring it up. However, once you’ve bought her the game she’ll at the very least give it a try. It’s surprisingly nice to her. Valeria can be a bit competitive, however, so don’t be surprised if she mentions how much money you suddenly have. On those few days she actually has some downtime for once, she’s willing to play it with you. Be warned, though: She has looked up guides on how to be successful in the game and make lots and lots of money. She may be a businesswoman, but she does try to purchase all the upgrades she can for you. Yes, she calls you out on using a lot of money, yes, she’ll also wring out every piece of gold she can find to get you that lovely little couch you want. Go ahead and make her some food every once in a while. It may just be a game, but she’ll remember that gesture. Do that regularly enough and she’ll just take you out to eat at a fancy restaurant, with her paying, of course. If she finds out about giant crops on her own without guides, she’ll simply stare at the cauliflower for a good two minutes before laughing a bit. For some reason, she finds it funny.

Graves: Has heard about the game, refuses to play it because he deems it childish and boring. Tries to dislike it and complain about it while playing with you, but once he sees how much you enjoy it and how much heart and soul has actually been poured into it, he’ll seem neutral, but likes it in secrecy. Like Valeria, he tries to make as much money as possible to show off how competent and good he is at the farming game. While he tries his best to get as much iridium ore as possible, the thought of cleaning up his farm doesn’t cross his mind even once. The animals get to roam freely, the crops will usually be fine, though. He loves having lots of silos, coops and barns because it seems home-y to him. He’s from the south, he grew up with animals and thus loves them, which is why he also enjoys having as many cows as possible. The fact that they look cute is just an added bonus. While playing, his cocky demeanor disappears a bit and he becomes more smiley as well. Point it out to him and he’ll outright deny it. He likes the game, but he’d rather be put in the electric chair than say that out loud.

Alex: The game seems fine to him, a lovely little break from having to worry about getting shot at any moment. He’s more than happy to play it with you and needs no convincing whatsoever, you just need to tell him what the game is about. He immediately falls in love with it and the very first thing he does is try to get a chicken coop. He saw them and knew he needed ten. The joy he felt when he found out he could name his chicken things like “Sweetie” or “Honey” was something else. He gets creative with those cute names too, especially if you like them as well. He’s a bit lost on what to do at first since he usually carries out orders others give him, but if you tell him to explore the map he’ll report back on his finds with excitement. He’s also fairly keen on befriending the townsfolk and tells you about all the events. Another thing he’s rather attentive to is the soundtrack. Once he’s heard the fall themes he’ll listen to the OST when doing the dishes or cleaning. Unlike Graves, Alex will outright tell you how happy he is that he gets to play the game with you. He loves it and he’s glad he gets to spend this time with you, doing simple farming chores.

Farah: For the sake of this we’ll pretend she’ll actually have the time to play the game with you every once in a while. It’s calming, it’s distracting, it’s escapism in its purest form. Farah needs fairly little convincing to play the game, especially if you bought it for her. It’s worth a try in her eyes, if she doesn’t enjoy it she can just tell you. It’s a bit weird to her at first, she’s so used to there being death and destruction all around her pretty much all the time, she’s just waiting for something to happen. But when you assure her that the worst thing in the game is the dragon enemy, she relaxes. Even while playing she tries to be efficient. Someone needs to tend to the crops, the animals and the townsfolk while the other goes foraging, fighting monsters and mining. I think she would enjoy the forest farm the most. Urzikstan doesn’t have the most flora, so it’s a nice change of scenery for her. The more she plays, the more she relaxes, but she does give you orders from time to time. As mentioned before, she likes spending time with the townsfolk and helping them out when they need it. The community center is finished within the first year as quickly as possible and the following cutscene warms her heart. Needless to say, she likes the game and likes playing it with you.

Laswell: Some convincing is needed in her case, but once you tell her about how it’s your favorite game, regardless of whether it’s true or not, she’ll cave in. While she has heard about the game every once in a while, she didn’t think she’d ever play it. Despite knowing nothing about it other than its premise, she’s actually pretty good at it from the get go. She always keeps an eye on her stamina, she always takes some food with her, and she gains money fairly quickly as well. Other than that she’s also fairly lucky, finding diamonds and prismatic shards comparatively easily. Despite getting the hang of the game quickly, she cannot do the fishing minigame to save her life and will openly complain about it. While you’re working on the community center she’ll leave all the fishing up to you. But other than that she loves the soundtrack as well. She won’t listen to it outside of the game, but if she ever hears any of the songs she’s immediately reminded of your small gaming sessions together and smiles. Laswell also found the giant Junimo plushie in the bushes on accident in spring of her first year without consulting any guide and to this day you don’t know how.

Nikolai: He knows about the game, plenty of people he knows play it, but it was never something he was interested in. Then you came and asked him to play it with you, and who was he to deny you such an innocent request? He may not be a gamer, but he’s confident enough in his abilities to suggest you two choose the monster farm. A lot of his time is spent slaying enough monsters to get all the rewards, that’s his goal. While he doesn’t do a lot of farming, he barely even buys any seeds unless he has to or you ask him to, he’s always somewhere on the map, exploring and foraging. His pockets are usually filled to the brim with stones, ores, gems and monster loot. His favorite challenge is getting to floor 100 in the Skull Cavern. He knows about the staircases, but he doesn’t use more than 10 of them. He can be a show off, he wants you to know that, despite not being the youngest anymore, he’s still very capable. Your animals bear Russian names. No Cyrillic used, just the way the words are spelt in Latin letters. If you don’t know any Russian, then he won’t tell you what the names mean. If you do know Russian then you’ll find that the chicken is simply named “chicken”.

[goodstuffhappenedtoday]

Millions of U.S. apples were almost left to rot. Now, they'll go to hungry families

NOVEMBER 27, 2023 By Alan Jinich

It's getting late in the harvest season in Berkeley County, West Virginia and Carla Kitchen's team is in the process of hand-picking nearly half a million pounds of apples. In a normal year, Kitchen would sell to processors like Andros that make applesauce, concentrate, and other products. But this year they turned her away. ... Across the country, growers were left without a market. Due to an oversupply carried over from last year's harvest, growers were faced with a game-time economic decision: Should they pay the labor to harvest, crossing their fingers for a buyer to come along, or simply leave the apples to rot?

Bumper crops, export declines and the weather have contributed to the apple crisis

... While many growers in neighboring states like Maryland and Virginia left their apples to drop. Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia was able to convince the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to pay for the apples produced by growers in his state, which only makes up 1% of the national market.

A relief program in West Virginia donated its surplus apples to hunger-fighting charities

This apple relief program, covered under Section 32 of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 1935, purchased $10 million worth of apples from a dozen West Virginia growers. Those apples were then donated to hunger-fighting charities across the country from South Carolina and Michigan all the way out to The Navajo Nation.

Mike Meyer, head of advocacy at The Farmlink Project, says it's the largest food rescue they've ever done and they hope it can serve as a model for their future missions. "There's over 100 billion pounds of produce waste in this country every year; we only need seven billion to drive food insecurity to zero," Meyer says. "We're very happy to have this opportunity. We get to support farmers, we get to fight hunger with an apple. It's one of the most nutritional items we can get into the hands of the food insecure."

At Timber Ridge Fruit Farm in Virginia, owners Cordell and Kim Watt watch a truck from The Farmlink Project load up on their apples before driving out to a food pantry in Bethesda, Md. Despite being headquartered in Virginia, Timber Ridge was able to participate in the apple rescue since they own orchards in West Virginia as well. Cordell is a third-generation grower here and he says they've never had to deal with a surplus this large.

At the So What Else food pantry in Bethesda, Md., apple pallets from Timber Ridge fill the warehouse up to the ceiling. Emanuel Ibanez and other volunteers are picking through the crates, bagging fresh apples into family-sized loads. "I'm just bewildered," Ibanez says. "We have a warehouse full of apples and I can barely walk through it." "People in need got nutritious food out of this program. And that's the most important thing" Executive director Megan Joe says this is the largest shipment of produce they've ever distributed – 10 truckloads over the span of three weeks. The food pantry typically serves 6,000 families, but this shipment has reached a much wider circle. "My coworkers are like, 'Megan, do we really need this many?' And I'm like, yes!" Joe says. "The growing prices in the grocery stores are really tough for a lot of families. And it's honestly gotten worse since COVID."

"It's the first time we've done this type of program, but we believe it can set the stage for the region," Kent Leonhardt, West Virginia's commissioner of agriculture says. "People in need got nutritious food out of this program. And that's the most important thing." Following West Virginia's rescue program, the USDA announced an additional $100 million purchase to relieve the apple surplus in other states around the country. This is the largest government buy of apples and apple products to date. But with the harvest window coming to an end, many growers have already left their apples to drop and rot.

[kyumisyumi]

Cozy Gamer Nikto

One of my favorite HCs right now is that Nikto is a major cozy gamer. And it came from a bot on chai no less.

Like, he and y/n are playing heavily modded Minecraft and you've been been all over the map gathering materials and slaughtering mobs. When you left the base was just wooded area with a dirt hut and chests scattered about but you come back to the comfiest looking farmland. Every building decorated to fit the Fall setting 🍂, pathways lined with Azalea bushes and flowers. The barn animals given ample grazing space and amenities. Ponds filled with frogs and axolotl. The whole area brightened by lanterns made to look like a variety of things. You tell him about how you got your ass kicked by the Warden and he just takes your gear off the armor stand and enchants them with the hundreds of levels he's managed to save. (Easy to save when you're not dying every few minutes).

And yes, dogs are everywhere, all with their own silly name.

Or you're both playing Stardew Valley and you're so focused on the money making side of it that you plant crops haphazardly. Nikto silently dies inside as you plant cauliflower in his designated parsnip section and wild seeds where the potatoes should be. When he mentions it you try to be neater and plant the green beans in a 3x3 formation. Nikto gives you the softest smile as he watches you realize you've made the middle crop inaccessible since the character cannot walk through trellis plants. It's fine, he enjoys fixing your little mistakes. Things get better once you unlock the mines and get to be a sword swinging gremlin⚔️ while he holds down the fort and makes you food to keep you alive. He gives you a kiss every time you bring back materials to upgrade his farm tools.

He absolutely will not let you romance/marry anyone except him >:(

Sims is more your game than his, he much prefers to watch you play. Listening to you plan out the looks/personalities, stories and builds for all your characters. On the outside he plays a neutral but engaged watcher, just happy to be in your presence, swaddled by your simple joy. But on the inside he can't stop thinking about whether Jessica(one of your characters) is going to pick her dirt poor boyfriend of 4 years or pursue the sleezebag sugar daddy that's been in her DMs for months and where the vampire baby she has with her neighbor is going to end up in all this. Nikto wasn't particularly imaginative so your ability to create these stories has him more entertained than any tv program.

Nikto also ends up playing the devil on your shoulder when money gets tight and you consider building an underground art sweatshop 🎨. Or when a character gets on your nerves and you decide it's time for them to lose their being-alive privileges.

⊱⊶Taking requests⊷⊰

[aheathen-conceivably]

Hello darlings! 🏜️

Now that we are well and truly into the 1930s I wanted to give y’all some context about the Darlingtons’ new location. Ultimately, Strangerville is a figment of my imagination, a sims world superimposed into the real world. I did this because I wanted the freedom to draw from different elements of this region’s history and landscape without having to worry about the visual transformation of the actual in-game world.

However, it is very much intended to in a real region of the United States. Specifically, the north west corner of New Mexico, between Albuquerque and Gallup along the newly built Route 66. We’ll see key elements of this in the story time and time again, so if anyone would like more information I’ll leave some maps and context for y’all below the cut:

Commissioned in 1926, Route 66 was actually not the first cross country highway system in the U.S.; however it was designed to traverse the flattest and mildest climates so that it could be the most easily traveled. It also followed popular tourist routes from the railroad days and was marketed as an “All American” experience, drawing travelers and families from across the country and leading to its iconic status even today. The first map shows its path as it would have been in 1930, from its start in Chicago to its end in L.A. and the second map is a cutaway of the specific section of the road between Albuquerque and Gallup where Strangerville is meant to be located.

While the cultural significance of Route 66 now perhaps outweighs its era of utility, the Darlingtons are living along the route as it rises to prominence throughout the 1930s into the 1950s. While it was used for utility and leisure travel from its opening, Route 66, particularly between the Dust Bowl states and California, is iconic for its role as “the Mother Route. Perhaps best typified in John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, this road became one of if not the primary route for people fleeing the plains states during the Dust Bowl. Through their passage it became an American symbol of desperation, poverty, and for some, the hope of a better life.

Strangerville is meant to be located at the edge of the Dust Bowl (specifically at the meeting of the brown and yellow zones in the first map toward the leftmost mid-top area of the state of New Mexico). This region would not have suffered the worst conditions (and would have been spared intense dust storms) but it is still close enough to be heavily effected. This is especially true in the early part of the decade, as fear of dust tornados and mass unemployment spreads like wildfire, and explains the intense volatility amongst Strangerville residents who have no way to know just how bad their own situation could get.

For larger context, the Dust Bowl was caused by extenuating weather conditions and poor farming practices. It was an agricultural catastrophe throughout the 1930s that displaced millions of people, and coupled with larger economic factors such as the plummet of crop prices, led to mass homelessness, unemployment, and starvation.

Beginning in 1930 but reaching its zenith in the years 1934 and 1936, vast swaths of the United States experienced record drought and heat. In the second map we can see how widespread drought conditions were. They are of course at their worst in the central Dust Bowl area; however we also see that Strangerville is located in a moderate drought, and in 1936 twelve states recorded their highest temperatures to date.

However, these weather conditions only highlighted underlying farming negligence. After decades of manifest destiny and an influx of settlers with little to no farming knowledge (of which Giorgio falls in line), the land had been woefully over plowed and deprived of nutrients. After the rising farm prices of the 1910s and 1920s met with the crash of 1929, settlers pushed this to an extreme, removing vast swathes of native grasslands and leaving the soil vulnerable to record breaking weather conditions. Without rain or prairie grass, winds ravaged the region, creating dust storms that ravaged the region and ultimately led to hundreds of thousands of abandoned farmland. This collection of photographs shows the scale of dust and desolation better than words can express.

Scholars estimate that somewhere between 2.5 to 3 million people left their homes in the Dust Bowl states. Their stories are notorious, and live in the consciousness of what we now conceptualize as 1930s America. These maps superimpose the path of Route 66 with the Dust Bowl states, highlighting how the two formed a symbiotic relationship and became linked in the American consciousness. Of the millions who fled their homes, approximately 300,000-400,000 eventually settled in California. The number who traversed the mother route looking for work with the hope of a better life is perhaps incalculable.

However, they did not initially receive a warm welcome. As much of the country was also gripped in fear and poverty, migrants, or Okies as they were derogatorily called, were viewed as pariahs, threats, and even harbingers of worse times to come. This, as we now know, is far from the truth. The economy of many small towns along Route 66 fared better than other areas of the Dust Bowl. They became hubs for migrants and businesses alike as gas stations, roadside accommodations, food stalls, and other amenities opened. It provided an alternate means of business for areas that has previously been very rural, and who’s own farms had been gouged by the plummeting crop prices of 1929 as well as the gradual disappearance of herding economies.

As the decade went on and much of the nation began to heal in the New Deal Era, the migrants who passed this stretch of road only made it more legendary. Where they eventually settled they brought stories of Route 66, of a symbolic idea of the American West, of an ocean at the end of the line, of different people and travelers they had met on the way. This coupled with a growing fascination of the “Okie” figure at the end of the decade, perhaps best seen in the celebrated 1940 Hollywood remake of The Grapes of Wrath, as an emblem of American hardship and drive.

Together they fused an iconic idea of an authentic “Americanness” that existed along Route 66, one that was infused with even older ideas of manifest destiny and the “American” cowboy. This is the landscape that the Darlingtons now inhabit, one that they are watching unfold along with us all at the very start of the 1930s.

[bayesic-bitch]

Making my own post to respond to this, because the point is pretty tangential:

When I first played stardew valley there was something I found really dissonant. You start in this shitty company that's implied to be cold and isolating and treats you as a a cog in a machine, and you inherit this idyllic and pastoral farm. So far so good. But then immediately you set about on trying to upgrade the farm and make it efficient and extract as much value from the land as quickly as you can. You clear cutt large sections of land and replace them with cash crops. You turn the land and the town into a well-oiled machine, just as your previous job had done to you. This process of upgrading and increasing efficiency is the central form of progress in the game.

Obviously the game never really addresses dissonance, but I really wish there was a game that did. I wish that the back half of the game turned into something like Factorio as you seek to automate more and more of your production so you can buy the late-game upgrades. Gradually these changes affect the town as well, people start to move away because of the smog, and you can buy up their land to have a place to put your new combine harvester.

One of the characters is a philosophy grad student studying Heidegger who's home for the summer, and she talks to the player about his theory of technology. Where modern technology is powerful enough that it's actually feasible to use of 100% of an existing resource, and so we start thinking about that resource in terms of how to most efficiently extract value from it. We objectify it, in a sense -- a river can't be a beautiful ribbon of blue stretching across the countryside, because we can only think of it in terms of "the thing that powers hydroelectric plant" and think about how to maximally utilize it. And the player slowly realizes that they've carried this mindset back with them from the city. That the dehumanizing aspects of their old life were never about the skyscrapers and asphalt, but about the way that their superiors viewed them as a resource, and the way that their environment facilitating efficient use of them as a resource. And that they've carried this attitude back to the idyllic country town where it's now spread like a virus, destroying all the things that drew them to the farm in the first place, and that they now live in a hell of their own making. They restore the community center, but they've destroyed the community it was made for. The only way to avoid this ending is to deliberately refuse to upgrade past a certain point. To accept that certain end-game content is forever out of reach, and to be okay with that.

now to be clear, I don't actually endorse all the politics implied by this. But I think it would be interesting for a game to actually grapple with the kind of pastoralism thats common in this genre. This flavor of pastoralism has fundamental tradeoffs against efficiency and reduction of labor. And I think if you want to endorse this ideal, that's a bullet you have to bite.

[wrightingdungeon]

Caught on Replay 3

Ok, I really like this story, like I have been thinking about this over Shane... SHANE!

MDNI - Chp1 / Chp2 / Chp4

Sighing softly as Harvey walked through the quiet morning streets, he couldn't stop replaying last week's events in his mind. He had completely fumbled his attempt to get closer to Farmer, his nerves getting the better of him at the worst possible moment. The memory of it made his cheeks flush with embarrassment all over again.

As he approached the museum, he took a deep breath and pushed the door open, stepping inside with a somewhat clear mind. The familiar scent of old books and polished wood greeted him, wrapping him in a sense of comfort he desperately needed. He walked quietly to the desk to return the book he had borrowed, exchanging pleasantries with Gunther.

Maybe he should take up the suggestion of a dating book while he was there, he thought as he wandered through the aisles. It had been a while since he'd even attempted to flirt with anyone, and his social skills were definitely rusty. The thought brought a wry smile to his face—Harvey, the town's doctor, seeking advice on matters of the heart from a paperback like it was an actual love doctor.

Stepping into the library section of the museum, Harvey glanced around the modest space. The library's selection wasn't vast; there was a comforting intimacy to its shelves. He scanned for titles that might shed light on overcoming awkward encounters. Finally, his eye caught a book by "Dr. Hakim" that seemed promising. With a nod to himself, he picked it up and headed towards one of the study tables tucked in a corner.

As he turned the corner, he froze in his tracks. There you were, sitting at a table near the window, your head resting in your palm as your eyes scanned the pages of a book lying flat in front of you. A mix of surprise and nervousness washed over him. He hesitated, unsure if he should approach you or quietly find another spot. But seeing you there, so engrossed in your reading, stirred something in him—a desire to make things right, to bridge the gap his mistakes had created.

Summoning his courage, he took a deep breath and walked over to your table. "Hey, Farmer," he greeted softly, hoping not to startle you.

You looked up, your eyes meeting his with a mix of curiosity and guardedness. "Oh, hi, Harvey," you replied, sitting up a bit straighter. "What's up?"

"Returning a book," he said, holding up the one he'd just picked out. "And, uh, looking for some new reading material."

You glanced at the book in his hand, a small smile playing on your lips. "Book of Love?" you asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harvey felt his face flush with embarrassment. "Yeah, well, I figured it couldn't hurt," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "I thought I could use some pointers after, you know, last week."

Your smile softened, and you gestured to the seat across from you. "Wanna sit?" you offered.

Harvey nodded, grateful for the invitation. He sat down and placed the book on the table, feeling a bit more at ease. "What are you reading?" he asked, trying to make casual conversation.

You glanced at your book and then back at him. "Different kinds of nutrient mixes," you replied with a hint of enthusiasm. "I'm trying to up the quality of my harvest."

Harvey's interest was piqued. "That's really interesting. I've always admired how much effort you put into your farm," he said sincerely. "It must be rewarding to see the results."

You nodded, your eyes lighting up. "Oh, It is. There's something really satisfying about seeing a crop grow because of the care you put into it. But there's always room for improvement, and I'm always looking for ways to improve."

He smiled, chuckling softly. "I can understand that. Looks like we're both trying to find ways to improve, huh?"

You chuckled softly in return. "Yeah, I guess so. Different topics, but the same idea."

A moment of comfortable silence settled between you, the quiet rustling of pages and the soft sunlight filtering through the windows creating a serene atmosphere. Harvey shifted in his seat, his expression turning more serious as if grappling with something inside.

"I'm sorry," Harvey blurted out softly, setting his book down and meeting your gaze with earnest eyes.

"For what?" You looked genuinely puzzled, tilting your head slightly.

"For sounding like a jerk at the festival," Harvey admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

You sighed gently, closing your book with a thoughtful expression. "Harvey... It's okay."

"And for leaving without a word," he added, his voice tinged with regret. "I should have been more upfront with you."

A mix of emotions flickered across your face—frustration, longing, and a hint of sadness—as memories of that difficult time resurfaced. "Harvey... It wasn't just leaving. It was how you left."

Harvey sighed, his gaze momentarily dropping before meeting yours again. "I know. And I regret it. I was so focused on medical school, on trying to build a future... I thought it was the right thing to do."

"But what about us?" you asked softly, your voice tinged with hurt.

He hesitated, searching for the right words. "I thought... I thought it was best to let things settle. I... didn't handle it well, and I'm sorry."

The weight of unresolved emotions hung heavy in the air, mingling with the scent of old books and the faint murmur of distant voices. You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself. "Harvey, you didn't just leave. You disappeared. And I had to deal with the aftermath."

"I'm sorry," Harvey whispered, his voice heavy with remorse. "I... never meant for things to end up like that."

The honesty in his words touched you deeply, stirring up a mix of emotions you had long buried. "I know you didn't. But it hurt, Harvey."

Tentatively, he reached out, his hand hovering between you. "Can we... can we try to make things right?"

You met his gaze, seeing the sincerity and regret etched in his expression. A part of you wanted to push him away, to shield your heart from further pain. But another part—the part that still cared—yearned for closure, for a chance to heal old wounds.

Taking a leap of faith, you nodded slowly, reaching out to take his hand. "Maybe."

Harvey's eyes softened with gratitude, relief evident in his expression. "Thank you," he whispered, squeezing your hand gently.

The tension between you seemed to ease, replaced by a tentative sense of hope. For a while, neither of you spoke, content to sit in each other's presence, absorbing the quiet intimacy of the library.

Eventually, Harvey broke the silence, his voice soft but earnest. "I want you to know... I've never stopped thinking about you, about us."

You looked at him, your heart fluttering with a mix of emotions. "I haven't either," you admitted quietly. "It's just... After you left…. It was difficult."

"I know," he said softly, his gaze steady on yours. "And I'm truly so so sorry."

"I believe you," you replied honestly. "But I’m still mad at you."

Harvey nodded, his expression sheepish. "I understand. I feel like I deserve more than that."

The content silence settled between you again, time rolling on without a care. Soon you glanced at the clock on the wall and realized how much time had passed. "I should probably get back to the farm," you got up gathering your things.

Harvey nodded, a hint of reluctance in his eyes. "Of course. I don't want to keep you."

As you turned to leave, he followed suit, walking with you toward the museum's exit. Outside, the evening sun bathed the town in a warm glow, casting long shadows across the cobblestone streets.

"Harvey," you began hesitantly, turning to face him. "Would you... want to come over for dinner?"

Harvey's eyes widened slightly in surprise at your invitation, his heart skipping a beat at the unexpected offer. He hesitated for a moment, gathering his thoughts before responding.

"I... I'd like that," he replied softly, a hint of hopefulness in his voice. "I'd really like that."

A tentative smile touched your lips, relief, and nervousness mingling in your expression. "Great. Just... let me finish up a few things at the farm, and then you can come over. Say, in about an hour?”

Harvey nodded eagerly. "I'll be there."

[definitelynotshouting]

The salmon swam in a slow, lazy circle.

It would drift up, close to the shoreline, then turn, and batter once more against the world border. Sand and seagrass would stir in its wake, before settling, and the cycle would begin anew.

Grian could do nothing but watch it.

Wasn’t much else to do.

Up, shoreline, down, border.

It seemed cruel, to let this happen. To watch this salmon swim in its tiny pool of water- trapped in a loop it can’t escape.

It had been just upstream, a few days ago. It had hovered just outside the world border, before slipping inside- seemingly without even realising what it was getting itself into.

Without even realising it had doomed itself, with that one, fatal mistake.

The salmon suddenly switched, changed its path, and started looping in the opposite direction.

Down, border, up, shoreline.

Maybe it’s lonely. It’s been stuck in that section of the pool for a while, after all. Alone.

Maybe it’s hungry. Grian can’t imagine there’s much in the way of food down there. Yesterday, he gave it some bread crumbs. He only has two loaves left, now- acacia biomes never had the best land for farming.

Maybe it’s scared of Grian. He had been watching it for a good few hours today. He would be scared, too, in its place. Confused. Bewildered. Overwhelmed. Panicked.

Because it was so free, just a couple days ago. It could swim as far as it wanted up and down the riverbank, with all of its fishy friends. Now it was trapped. Alone.

Naïve little fish.

Has it even realised that its freedom is gone? That now it’s stuck here- forever powerless, under the scrutiny of a creature that won’t give it pity?

Has it even realised that despite all of its suffering, it will never gain anything?

…

Grian does not bother naming the salmon. In a few days, he will run out of bread, and the wheat will not have grown.

The salmon will be cooked crudely in a furnace, with sticks used as fuel- and Grian will ration its remains until the next crop harvest.

Then he’ll ration those crops until the next poor victim wanders in.

And then the cycle will begin anew.

///

uhh same anon as the one that sent in that other snippet (minecraft soundtrack headcanon). assuming i actually remembered to send in the other one.

i dont know?? what i ate?? to write this?? like am i cooking or is it just almost 1am and i need to Go To Bed.

in my mind the parrallels and forshadowing and implications are all on a corkboard being tied together with red string. the dots, ive connected them. its been salmon all along

THIS HITS ANON I TRULY LOVE THESE SNIPPETS.... insanely flattered to be receiving them for hunger au 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 it really is all about those repeating cycles, huh. Smth smth the cycle of not only violence but also loneliness and isolation. And theres something so haunting about the idea that his hunger started even before he became a Watcher

[rjzimmerman]

Why ‘chaos wheat’ may be the future of bread. (Washington Post)

Excerpt from this Washington Post story:

Farms were once a riot of biodiversity. A single field might have contained five different varieties of corn, a mix of oats and barley or whatever jumble of grains suited farmers from France to Ethiopia.

These offered a hedge against hardship: plant mixes in the field shifted with the weather. More rye one year, less wheat another. The French even had names for such flours with shifting ratios of grains, from “grande meteil” to “ble ramé,” each one rising into a delicious bread all its own.

But when industrial roller mills arrived in the late 1800s, the supply chain coalesced around white bread virtually overnight, writes Stephen Jones, founder of the Breadlab at Washington State University. The new mills meantwhite flour could be produced at enormous scale for low cost. Professional wheat breeders developed strains for refined white flour, stripped of its nutrient-rich germ, which could be stored longer. In 1890, 90 percent of U.S. households baked their bread at home. Forty years later, 90 percent were buying mass-produced white bread instead.

This transition to monoculture helped drive a fourfold increase in U.S. wheat yields. It also created a food system vulnerable to climate shocks and reliant on enormous inputs of agrochemicals. Today, global grain production emits more greenhouse gases than Russia, Brazil and Germany combined, while researchers in the journal Nature estimate that wheat yields in North America could fall 1 to 10 percent for every degree of warming without adaptation.

So I was intrigued when I saw King Arthur’s “climate blend” flour in the baking section of my supermarket. Could it be the vanguard of a new breed of crops making their way into everyday products?

I bought the flour for my kitchen. And I also obtained my own wheat seed climate blend from the Breadlab — a mix of Salish blue, a perennial released in 2021, as well as hardier varieties developed over the last few decades.

I wanted to see what it’s like to grow a wheat crop in my own backyard — and share it with readers around the world to hear about their experiences. Here’s what I learned trying to grow what the Breadlab calls “chaos wheat,” and why we still have a long row to hoe before the food system is on a sustainable path.

King Arthur Baking Company, the employee-owned company that released its Climate Blend Flour last year, is probably the most well known. The blend of wheat varieties, including a perennial capable of growing for years rather than being replanted every season, is part of King Arthur’s push to source 100 percent of its flour from “regeneratively grown wheat” by 2030. The result, says King Arthur, is a rich, nutty flour that can work in any whole-wheat recipe (something I confirmed in my own muffins).

The scale so far is tiny (just 120 acres), and prices are higher: A one-pound bag of Climate Blend Flour sells for $2.98, compared with $1.12 for standard whole wheat. But the company says it hopes to drive down costs as it assesses the climate benefits. “We believe in this work and understand it needs to be a long-term commitment,” Janis Abbingsole, the chief operating officer at King Arthur Baking Company, wrote in an email. “We need to allow time to listen to our growers and support them as they test and learn.”

[mrmoonytoonie]

ABOUT VILECITY :0!!!!

Alright so Vile city is still getting worked on and I have been working on it for 8 years, almost half my life lmao. This is gonna be long!

Ok so VileCity is a kinda hidden city that's west of America. In the city monsters, demons, entities, and humans live. The city is surrounded by very dangerous forest and ocean, the forest is of course called VileForest and that's how the town got its name. ( P.s Vile mean bad and wicked :] )

History of VileCity

The land used to only have monsters but then humans came along and started making villages and killed and drove the monsters back and back until around 1907 some of the monsters rebel and demanded that they wanted to live in the town as well and claiming they have a right since it used to be their home, this lasted until 1946 when the humans got tired of the monsters destroying stuff and the slaughter and finally decided that they could live there if they don't murder and eat people and respected their laws, of course some live there and don't follow the rules. Now even in today erra not all monsters and humans get along but it's way better than when it first started out.

The sections

VileCity is separated in many sections for different life styles. Both humans and monsters can live in these sections and like I started before nothing is sunshine in rainbows and it's more like actual life. The names for these sections are still being worked on and will change over time!

The middle:

The middle is of course the middle of the whole city, basically like New York and Tokyo blended into one for everyone to live, this section of the city is ruled by the mob boss named Rufus, Rufus is the strongest out of the mob bosses and even Ben is scared of him. Mark works and lives here too!

1900's section:

Basically what happened is that the city was still under upgrading the whole city but Ben stopped them and kept killing off instruction workers who kept trying to upgrade anything in his territory. Ben has no idea why he like his part of town like this he just knows he doesn't want it changed. Also Ben is the second strongest mob boss. This part of town is also by the ocean so it's prone to having more romantic spots and mostly older monsters or demons like to live there but some humans who enjoy and appreciate the section live here as well, you are allowed to live there as long as you don't make anything modern there.

The farm land:

This is where Samuel came from! Basically this area is on the outskirts of VileCity, tougher monsters and people live there and are the main people who grow crops and own farms. They keep driving mob bosses away due to not wanting any of that drama and danger in their area, they are however very welcoming and neighborly. They love to host events and Samuel always has Ben take him there when the harvest festival is happening. Even though it's on the outskirts it's very important to the town and people who work in the farms are greatly appreciated.

End for now

This is just a little bit of Vile city that is important for now! There is so much more stuff about this city that it could be a book lol. Thank you all for reading and hope you have a wonderful day!

[for-quill-with-love]

I was having trouble sleeping again.

I was losing time, too. I would get lost in thoughts I couldn't grasp, staring at the wall or out the window until something pulled me out of it. Most of the time it was a buzz from my comm telling me I had another message to answer.

I was wallowing. I needed to shake things up. I couldn't remember how I managed to keep myself busy before.

I found myself searching for the candles I'd found, but I didn't have a way to light them. I hadn't collected any gravel or flint when I'd gone mining.

And they were the wrong color regardless. Even if I couldn't remember what color they should be.

I abandoned the candles where they sat, grabbing my tools and some food as I stumbled out the door. I wanted different colors of wood to work with, and I hadn't gone far yesterday.

It was time for me to do some proper exploration.

There was old growth birch, along with more of those little cocoons everywhere.

I found more weird fruit trees-- they were easy to spot among the trees, with different leaves standing out like a sore thumb.

Turns out I didn't have to figure this all out completely on my own. There was a section in my comm for identifying stuff. It pulled up my camera, and when I pointed it at something I didn't know the name of, it obliged.

There were figs and apples and oranges and pears, along with more kiwi, and a smaller bush that yielded 'lemons.' The lemon was especially bitter and sour. I spit it out the moment I'd tried it.

I also found a bush that dropped yellow seeds. My comm called it 'corn'.

They were edible, but hard. they would probably work something like wheat. The bread I had was nice, but it was bread. With all the new foods I was finding, surely I could make something with them.

I just had no idea how.

I also stumbled across a roofed forest.

Apart from a jungle, that meant I had access to all the different types of wood I cared about.

Acacia could go rot in the savanna where it belonged.

I found sugarcane, and a patch of alliums that turned out to be something else entirely. It looked like another 'wild' crop, called an onion.

A nibble told me it was edible, but it tasted somewhere between bitter and sour.

I put others in my inventory and set about collecting everything I could carry from the roofed forest.

The mushrooms would also be a great source of food, and now if I got hurt there would be the option of making suspicious stew for any injuries that were too bad to just let heal on their own.

And the berries! I found a new type of berry. My comm said it was a cranberry? It looked so similar to sweetberries that I thought they were right until i put one in my mouth.

It probably wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Cranberries weren't as sweet as a sweetberry, but they were just as delicious once you got over the mouth-twisting sour burst.

There was a simple, giddy joy in trying to eat anything I found that seemed edible.

My pockets were getting full now, so I decided that was enough exploring for the day.

I took a swim in the ocean on my way back to grab handfuls of kelp and to clean the mud off of both me and my dress. I would be salty later but it was refreshing now.

It was time to start a farm. I would be out of bread sooner than later, and it would be good to have something to take care of.

And with crops came the ability to raise animals.

I was so close to having everything I would need.

[stemmmm]

FoM entering fall thoughts

i have completely run out of mines content, as indicated by the ghostie at the end of each section saying "go away, there isnt stuff here anymore". which is a shame because i was really just starting to get into it. it seemed like intrigue was just starting to happen. there's also a shitload of mines levels for content to be running out now... there's so many locked off areas like the stairs on the far left of the map and the woods(?) on the far right, plus a bunch of spots that look like caved in doorways. i kinda figured a bunch of that would be like. rune factory style alternate dungeons. i had no reason to expect that, this game just gives me a lot of RF vibes.

other progression so far is still going. i just unlocked new types of animals so we'll see if i get another letter about community improvements or not. i'm also still going up in town ranks, though that's majorly slowed down due to my not really doing quests. they're all for random mines artifacts! i cant be bothered! not when i have no other reason to be in the mines!

I have instead dedicated myself to breeding animals. i bought a bunch of small barns and coops just in time to unlock the medium sized ones. oops. so i need to figure out how i want to replace everything, but before i do that I need to figure out exactly how i want to go about breeding for special colors bc. well. i would prefer not to do incests with my animals but that will be very tedious and expensive. and im sure the game isn't concerned about that because it wasnt even concerned with the fact that cows dont drop loose glass bottles of milk all on their own. just one more reason why i prefer when games only have female animals and you use "miracle potions" or w/e (other reason being male animals don't give produce). BUT I ALSO LIKE HAVING THE MALE ANIMALS SO... augh. so far i have been avoiding the incests but im also never going to get a spreadsheet going about it because it truly doesn't matter beside my own comfort. the reason why im engaging with this mechanic at all is... well firstly because i dont have much to do in the game anymore, but mostly because i havent seen anything like this in any game other than HM GBC3 so it's kind of a big deal.

i've also learned (accidentally) that animals will eat your crops and it makes them soooooo so happy. which is what i wanted to do in my own game so these guys are actually intellectual thieves but let's ignore this. so now i have a use for all those crops i stopped growing because i didn't need money anymore. just in time to actually kind of need that money because the season changed and i couldn't afford many new crops oops. so now i've got 3 rows of a barn and coop each, all with a line of crops growing in front of them. and it's kind of a fucking horrible mess that i'll need to clean up somehow, but its hard to do when new grasses and debris are constantly spawning everywhere and making a mess that gets in my way.

IN OTHER NEWS i finally hit 2 hearts with a few characters through semi-regular casual conversation and i am proud to report that this game! is horny. by which i mean the writers are clearly interested enough in their characters to write them in a way that makes them unique and endearing. and i also mean that juniper makes you her weird kinky slave no matter what and you don't have a choice. it's very sad that girlie is not remotely my type because she has SOOOOO much going for her. but the cowards also didnt make march a butch woman so SHRUG!

right now i've got the feeling that the game is finally giving me just enough to be interested in its plot and its characters, so i'm triply expecting the rug to get pulled by early access. i have been pleasantly surprised by just how much is here so far though! once again, not the kind of farming game i want to see but a good game regardless!

[batmanshole]

Ylfva's Stardew Valley Mod Recommendations!

Hihi! I’ve had a few friends ask me what stardew valley mods I use, and since I have so many I thought I’d make a post about what I use + what they do + links where I can. 

This doc will assume you ALREADY KNOW HOW TO USE + INSTALL SDV MODS. if you don’t, please read the modding guide on the SDV wiki.

All of these mods *should* be compatible with each other, as I use them all in my game, but if you have any compatibility issues, please take it up with the MOD AUTHORS and not me, I did not make any of these mods and have no control over them

You will absolutely need SMAPI and content patcher. Several of the mods on here have required mods that i did NOT list (eg. PYTK, spacecore, etc.) that do not add gameplay but support these mods, please see the requirements on their nexusmods page when you download.

This will be broken down into nine sections: Base / QOL, Interface, environment, retextures, crops + artisan goods, animals, character stuff, clothes, and custom farms. 

Note: most of the clothes are feminine, as I dress like that and never play as a male farmer.

I originally intended to put this all in one post, like my other resource posts, but tumblr wouldn't let me, probably on account of the sheer length + number of links. So here's the link to the google doc where I list them all and link to the nexusmods page.

Enjoy! This took me a few hours to put together so rbs are highly appreciated.

[vibinwiththefrogs]

Intro to U.S. Agriculture Book Recommendations

Requested by @languagesandpain

Healing Grounds by Liz Carlisle

If you're interested in agroecology this is a great place to start. It highlights a handful of Black, Latino, and Asian American farmers and their lives, history, and research. It's a great all-around book too because it touches on animal agriculture, produce, and mushrooms (which I don't see get talked about much), and also different methods like agroforestry and pasture systems.

Grain by Grain by Bob Quinn and Liz Carlisle

This book is basically the story of Bob Quinn and his farm, there's a lot of good info in it. This is the first book that really struck home to me that I need to listen to people in conventional agriculture even if I personally don't like it, because there's important experiences that need to be heard. It touches on topics like converting farms to more sustainable methods, heirloom crops, and how we deal with food/diet related science in the US. I don't have any health issues of note, but after reading this book I found an organic bread with Kamut wheat in it to see how it was, and it totally takes away any white on my tongue when I'm eating it daily. Pretty fascinating.

Perilous Bounty by Tom Philpott

This book widely covers major problems in US conventional agriculture, mostly covering major agriculture corporations and environmental impacts but also some labor issues, and small/mid size farm struggles. I'm not going to lie, this one is depressing. I generally do well with tough topics but near the end I had to put it down a few times because it was making me feel a bit hopeless. Which I fault the author with a bit for not dealing with better, because we need more hope to be able to believe these problems are fixable. He also doesn't cover the eastern US which irks me a bit because the south is a major agricultural region. But overall, a lot of great info and some interesting ideas for solutions near the end.

With These Hands by Daniel Rothenberg

I haven't actually read this one yet, but I've read sections. It looks like another tough read, but covers the experiences of migrant farmworkers across the US. Definitely trigger warnings for modern day slavery, racism, abuse, and more.

Dirt: The Erosion of Civilizations

I found this one to be a bit pessimistic honestly, but I read it a while ago so I dont remember what exactly bothered me. But it's a good overview of agricultural collapse through history, soil science, and issues in soil today.

Lentil Underground by Liz Carlisle

(Can you tell I've read all of Carlisle's books yet). So this book didn't really make much of an impression on me. But I'm recommending it because if anything it kind of illustrates the tediousness of policy change, changing people's minds, running an unconventional farm. It's a bit boring compared to the other recommendations but if you're in the industry there's things to think about in it.

Non-book recommendations

For a while was listening to Real Organic Podcast. After about 10 episodes (not in order) you notice they start to really repeat a lot of ideas. But they have a lot of episodes that highlight problems with chemical use, water use, how movements like organic get co-opted by big corporations, and more.

I also recommend the news website Civil Eats. They post a lot of book recommendations, as well as cover a whole variety of agricultural issues across the world.

If anyone has any additional recommendations feel free to add on! I'm always looking for more books >:)