The gathering at Sweet Water was exhilarating and inspiring. The
former industrial slum has been transformed! What was a dark, empty,
and sprawling space has become full of life and Potential. Surely
nothing like the sound of water flowing across and falling between the
rocks and the pebbles could be found in the factory when it was still
a part of Milwaukee’s old iron and steel past.
Sweet Water made the group of five from who came from all around
Milwaukee into five people who learned by rote how easy and wonderful
it is first to grow sprouts from seeds and second to harvest them.
There’s a primal appeal to handling the sprouts as you prepare to cut
them. There’s just nothing like knowing that you’re eating something
that probably no other human hand has touched, or tasting the flavor
of the earth from whence the sprout came.
And tonight, my wonderful Stacie transformed some of the sprouts into
a delicious salad, a salad far more flavorful and nutritious than any
watery sheet of iceberg lettuce ever could hope to be. Thanks to Sweet
Water Organics, we have the way to change our world for the best
through something as simple as growing sprouts right here in
Milwaukee, here in our community of Bay View.
…and I thank you, O my dear brother and teacher Godsil! Thank you
for making this available to us.
best,
jh!
Milwaukee 6/28/09
by Howard Lewis
There is another food scare on the network news tonight; three hundred-sixty thousand pounds of beef being recalled by a Colorado company. “It may have been contaminated by our suppliers,” the company asserts.
Sounds like an attempt to spread the liability to me. I would be bothered by all this disturbing news, except I spent the afternoon visiting a visionary effort to address food security issues while tackling the nagging problem of food waste as well. Called “Sweetwater Organics” it’s right here in our hometown.
Today was my second visit. The first, in the dead of winter, involved heating the doorknob of the old (insert name of company) industrial building in Bayview with a propane torch, so the lock would turn. The interior was cold and bleak with evidence of decades of heavy industrial residue scattered everywhere. Leading my tour was James “Olde” Godsil, who, with two younger partners Josh Fraundorf and Steve Lindner, was in the early process of converting this turn-of-the-twentieth-century relic into a fish farm.
Actually “fish farm” doesn’t do it justice. It is actually an aquaculture facility intended to raise fish (talapia and yellow perch) in a system that uses aquaponics to grow organic produce while cleaning the circulating water of fish waste in a elegant symbiotic process.
Today’s visit was pitched to me by Godsil as a training session to teach visitors how to harvest sprouts; the first produced by the new system. Little did I know Godsil was also tapping me as the person to do the teaching. I had mentioned to him that I had several occasions to harvest sprouts while working at Growing Power, where sprout harvesting is a daily occurrence.
Admittedly there is a “figure it out as you go” quality to Sweetwater Organics, but today I saw first hand the amazing progress Godsil and the guys have made.
The in-ground fish tanks are impressive, as is the superstructure above. It supports the shallow troughs of flowing water where growing plants reside. Plant root systems utilize the fish waste. The water returns to the fish tanks below in pristine condition.
Godsil tells me that Fred Binkowski and the team from the Great Lakes Water Institute are currently monitoring water quality prior to the introduction of fish. My impression at this point is that the actual physical structure is more workman-like than other similar systems I have seen. Sweetwater has also made a major effort to adapt the building to its new role by replacing the dingy and discolored clerestory glass with clear/insulating polymer panels. The additional light will support plant growth as will supplemental grow-lights arrayed over the plants. Today is sunny-bright and warm.
The 10,000 sq. ft. space is light filled and cleaned-up considerably. The old manufacturing residue is gone, and the walls have been painted with light-reflecting colors including growing plant motifs.
The assembled group of fledgling sprout harvesters is a joyful group—happy about the work and the harvest. We cut sunflower, radish, and pea sprouts, all fresh and delicious.
Next we convoyed to the local Pick ‘n’ Save to load-up approximately 1,000 lbs. of waste fruit and vegetable scraps, input for the Sweetwater Organics composting operation. Pick ‘n’ Save has embraced the concept and seems willing to do whatever it takes to make a success of the project. In turn, Sweetwater has agreed to pick-up a similar load every day. The vision is to create similar food waste recycling arrangements at other grocery stores.
Godsil is driven to share with others what he and his partners learn from this endeavor. People like you and me. What a concept!