Fishacello Artificial Wetland
This is a guest camp blog from the underwater science team at Mezzacello Urban farm. Theo and Maxwell are the MenTerns in Charge of this experiment. Today we created a platform for the Fishacello Artificial Wetland.
Fishacello and Life Below Water
This is a guest camp blog from the BioMech (AKA Giggle Kingdom) team at Mezzacello Urban farm. Theo and Maxwell are the MenTerns in Charge of this creative writing experiment. How an urban farmer accidentally used an atom collider to turn his rabbits into fish at Fishacello.
How Menterns Can Save The World
Part Mentor and part Intern, the MenTerns are here at Mezzacello Urban Farm to explore, learn, and teach how we can empower our youth to save the world for themselves. They will live in and change this world. They are invested in saving it. Kids are aware enough that they need to do something, something bold, brave, and different. They needed a safe and gracious place to practice, fail, recover, and triumph. This is the story of how MenTerns can save the world.
Ecology Connections Camp Blog
Welcome to the Ecology Connections Camp Blog. In this blog campers will be submitting research and documentation of the work they have done and the STEM concepts they have learned and mastered at this weeks' camp. Each day will have a heading and this will be entirely compiled by campers.
Three Books: One New Vision of Learning
After a very intense summer camp at Mezzacello Urban Farm around sustainably using wind energy I had a powerful dream. This dream revolved around three books: "Alice's Adventures in wonderland" by Lewis Carroll, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" by Roald Dahl, and "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle. The dream was a response to a conversation I had with the kids about their favorite books and why.
Maxwell Is Incredible
Hello Sarah! My name is Maxwell, I'm 12 years old, and I'm one of Jim's MenTerns at Mezzacello. As a MenTern I help Jim teach all of the kids at camp. This week the theme for our camp is all about wind power and how we can use it.
Morphic Resonance, Math, and
The "universe" is a mystery. It "speaks" through life, math, pattern, energy, and systems. When one system, pattern, structure, or process appears again and again, we call that Morphic Resonance. Morphic means having form or shape. Resonance means the impact of frequency on material. Lets dig into Morphic Resonance, Math, and Life.
Entanglement, Information, Uncertainty, and Poker
This is a guest camp blog from my MenTern Grady at Mezzacello Urban farm. Grady was in Charge of this creative way of teaching quantum entanglement and uncertainty to camp kids using a modified poker game. It was a lot of fun and a surprising way to model superposition for kids to understand.
The Super Small and the Quantum World
We hear a lot about the super small and the quantum world in our emerging tech in the world, but do we really understand the implications? It’s not enough for something to be small; it must also come with the magic that is ONLY possible when you are dealing with the world of very short distances and volumes that even light has issues with.
Emerging Products at Mezzacello.org
Mezzacello Urban Farm is committed to sustainability and organic solutions to food and resources. Each year we design, build, test and modify a fertilizer product line to share our wealth. Last summer we created “Fintastic Fertilizer” a emulsion of algae, fish waste, gypsum, and comfrey tea. The summer camp kids tested and modified the product and designed the marketing.
A Fresh Take on Summer Camps: One-Day Workshops & Mentorship in Action
At Mezzacello Urban Farm, I’ve always taught summer camps using a mix of the design cycle, systems thinking, and mentorship. But this year, a small shift sparked a big idea: what if one-day workshops could deepen and extend the impact of our week-long camps?
The Foodist: Potatoes Lyonnaise
Not gonna lie, this is one of my all-time favorite Rick meals at Mezzacello, The Foodist: Lyonnaise Potatoes. It is similar to his fantastic potator galette, but hot, crispy, smooth and loaded with flavor. He cooks it in a cast iron pan to really get that crispy maillard reactionand then finishes it in the oven that I replaced after I destroyed his old oven.
This is equally good reheated, although it can get greasy. Serve it for a brunch with a poached duck egg or as an appetizer with fresh goat cheese and a toothpick. This will be a crowd pleaser, fresh herbs are best, but dried will work.
The Foodist: Parmesan Chicken Tenderloins
This is the recipe for The Foodist: Parmesan Chicken Tenderloins and it is a banger! Your whole family is going to love this (even kids!). It is also super easy to reuse leftovers as it heats up perfectly.
It is also perfect for serving as a cocktail part or even fundraiser, as it is easy and cheap to make and holds up well. Serve it with toothpicks and a marinara or dijon and mayonnaise mustard sauce.
From Waste To Taste
This is a blog p[ost about how we create animal feed at Mezzacello Urban Farm from slightly dehydrated edible weeds and assorted corn, hay, seeds, wheat germ, oils, and molasses. When all of this blended it is mixed with 1/3 it’s mass of water. This is then blended together into a paste, The paste is then extruded, left to dry and voila! Feed!
The Foodist: Three Homemade Cheeses
These three cheeses are so easy to make, and so worth it to make it yourself. In terms of cost, it makes great sense to make these yourself. Point of fact, to buy these at a store is $18 but just $5 to buy the milk, lemon and vinegar - through in $3 for the heavy cream for the cottage cheese. Now you are in business!
Black Soldier Flies Production Capstone
Today at Mezzacello, I am joined by a high school intern named Ismail. Ismail is interested in finding a solution to curb hunger and provide nutrients to the needy people in developing nations. This is the perfect opportunity for me to work with a keen young mind and an international pioneer in Kenya!
The Foodist: Zingy Peas and Great Northern Bean Bowl
This soup is a delightful, tasty, and filling surprise. It is full of nutrients and flavor, and the tile is right on with the zing! supplied with fresh peas, ginger, and lemon. The leeks, garlic, miso, and butter beans create a rich, crunchy, and flavorful broth that makes for a delicious and luxurious mouthfeel.
The Foodist: Oatmeal With Blueberry, Nutmeg, and Cinnamon Compote
Wake up to a yummy morning with this simple oatmeal, blueberry, and cinnamon baked compote. The combination of hearty oats and baked sachets of compote filling is a home run. The sachets can be baked ahead of time and frozen until needed.
The Foodist: Mezzacello Sausage and CheeseTortellini Soup
On cold windy winter nights we love to experiment with old standards in new ways. Rick merged the sausage balls from his version of wedding soup with a version of cheese tortellini soup. What’s more is that this recipe is comprised of 70% leftover veggies from other meals and sealed vegetables harvested last summer. Leftovers after this go to the rabbits.
The Sustainability Tax
Sustainability is not cheap or easy. It requires innovation, commitment, passion and sacrifice. That last one is what I call the Sustainability Tax. We paid it and are willing to teach or consult.