Decades ago, Brandon Greenstein and friends initiated the “Bizarre Bazaar” at the White Owl in Earthaven Ecovillage, as an opportunity for folks to display, demonstrate, share, sell, trade, or give away the fruits of their labors in a variety of arts, crafts, and entertaining offerings. This heartful gesture has become a community feature ever since! Fresh food, handmade baskets, jewelry, clothing, hand-knit and crocheted accessories, jams, beverages, medicines, and more have continued to show up through the years. Most of us look forward to the brief, energy-packed afternoon together, our mid-December extravaganza in the Council Hall.

Last year, I heard a neighbor say, “I love bringing my latest inventions to the Bizarre Bazaar, just to see what I should focus on for the coming year.” A friend who brings his year’s accumulation of healthy blessings told me, “I’ve done the Bazaar for four years now, and it really does make a difference in my holiday economy!”

It seems that, for us Earthaveners and many of our neighbors, getting dressed up and sharing in the excitement of trade and the purveying of our homemade, homegrown, and upcycled goods, elbow to elbow in concentric circles of tables in the Council Hall is a ritual with multiple blessings. We remember to do what we do best and share it. Folks display and offer samples of new items and ideas since we last met. We can chomp and slurp as we sell and trade, wandering to each other’s tables over and over again, considering deals we might make and changes for next year, as we meet new sellers and customers every time. It’s even got me creating a table of my own, where I can upscale houseplant arrangements in adorable thrift store baskets and pass the profits on to our Village School. One of my favorite opportunities is when I’m able to offer original art work from close friends and former neighbors now living as far away as France!

One day, this may well be the main way we offer and access many of our basic needs, beyond the bulk items in our pantries. For now, the pleasure of shared commerce in an old-fashioned style keeps us looking forward to and showing up on that special Saturday in December every year.

This year (2022), the Bizarre Bazaar happens on Saturday, December 10, from noon to 4 pm. And you are invited!

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For the living, food is a master course in survival and well-being. Our community members strive to learn how to grow and prepare soil to cultivate vibrant, nourishing plants and animals, demonstrate a healthy balance between work, relaxation and celebration, and continue to develop a cooperative management approach to various goals of self-sufficiency. Medicine is the other power course, which we’ll shine a light on in future issues.

We are food people. What we eat, what we grow, what we trade, what we know about our food, and the ways we share food and food stories, are a big part of our lives in community. At Earthaven, organic food self-sufficient practices are a dream in the process of fulfillment, albeit with a long way to go!

We’ve yet to build our long-dreamed-of community center, with multi-purpose spaces for dining, workshops, parties, classes, games, a place to share more of the lifestyle we’ve dedicated ourselves to. Connected to soil, seed, animal life and recycled resources, little by little, folks learn and apply the learning.

Meanwhile, we eat together at weekly potlucks and cookouts, at celebrations, and in a few neighborhood kitchens that provide more intimate spaces. Recently, Marybeth started a “Sunday Soup ‘n Somethin’” supper group, mixed up from neighborhoods across the community. This idea is likely to go viral in the months to come.

This holiday season, folks were attentive to ways of sharing food. At the Bizarre Bazaar before the Winter Solstice, folks sold holiday food. 

On Christmas Eve, Monique and Juan Pablo organized a spectacular dinner party at the White Owl, where Rachel and the kids provided warmth and welcome. River Otter served chicken dinner on Christmas Day at the Hut Hamlet Kitchen to guests from around the community. A surprise ice storm had most folks staying home New Year’s Eve, gathering momentum (one hopes) for more food-focused events in the near future.

Using opportunities to build our food culture with nourishing social connection and opportunities to work, learn and grow together, we learn to care for the soil, discover best varieties, best seasons, best preservation and trading partners. By learning its energetic and nutritional value, by seeing how our food heals and sustains us, we grow stronger. By storying the food and paying respect to its goodness and purity, by remembering what we know of where it came from, we carry on the good work.

The learning will go on, while the concentric circles widen around the essential goal—a human and planetary resilience that promises to fulfill our dearest and most tender needs.

photos, from top:

  Darren in the cornfield.

  Cornelian Cherries.

  Chrismas Eve at the White Owl.

 Michaeljon delighting Heron at the fish pond.

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Both for the alliteration of it, and because the way we do things is so often not the way “it’s done,” our annual holiday crafts-and-goodies bazaar has been called “bizarre” since it’s beginnings. This year, after so many years organizing it, I was able to organize the Bazaar and have it set up and taken down in half the time as ever before with, of course, the help of a new cadre of Earthaven elves.

We love our bazaar and there’s nothing bizarre to us at all about all the homemade, hand-built, humbly priced treasures we wait all year to snatch up for our friends and families, and for our own use and delight as well. From handcrafted salves, lotions and tonics to chocolates and cakes, potions and power drinks, with upcycled clothing and jewelry and more, neighbors and residents flow in and through the transformed decorated Council Hall.

Earthaven co-founder Michaeljon Drouin visited One Stone Community neighbor Otter Malone at his jewelry table.

Pripo and Rainbow Teplitsky, from nearby Rosy Branch Farms, at her upcycled clothing “booth.”

Geni Stephenson of Full Circle Farm (literally next door) sells creamed honey, felted decorations and—this year, at last—her pottery!

Amakiasu returned to live at Earthaven with her husband, Abdullah, who baked up a storm for the Bazaar, including the best sweet potato pie in WNC!

River Devil—oops—River Otter is Earthaven’s Outreach Coordinator, Campground Manager and wearer of many other important, non-devilish hats. In her spare time, she’s a massage therapist, jin shin jyutsu practitione, and a popular resident herbalist.

The post Not So Bizarre – Notes from the 2014 “Bizarre Bazaar” appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Some folks work for companies located at Earthaven, including Useful Plants Nursery and the Southeast Wise Women. Others work for the community doing maintenance, bookkeeping, or office administration. A few skilled builders and technicians help keep our systems running, while a few folks work outside the community – commuting or consulting.

Many of us provide goods or services for each other, including farm products, baked goods, herbal medicines, elder care, window washing, and recycled or upcycled goods.

These goods and services are exchanged informally and through our Tuesday morning Coffee and Trade Hour, and at special events, such as the Bizarre Bazaar, which is highlighted in this newsletter.

Neighbors and residents are always brainstorming cooperative strategies they hope will morph into essential parts of the local economy. In this newsletter we present two examples: a Farm & Ecovillage Immersion program called SOIL, and a new landscaping company.

 Some of us are looking to 2014 as the year of the entrepreneur, so if you’ve been thinking of setting up a business in a community setting, let us know what’s in your idea box and we’ll see if we have any collaborative ideas to share.

The post Local Economy, Ecovillage Style appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

Earthaven’s annual holiday Bazaar is one of our community’s focal points for creating economics on the village scale. Each year in December, Earthaven members, neighbors, friends and visitors gather in the Council Hall for an afternoon of food, fun, games, and holiday vending.

This is an opportunity to bring out our wares — experimental new products or eagerly awaited old favorites — for sale or barter. Folks come to replenish their favorite herbal medicines or aromatherapy sprays, or to get a new hand-made hat or knitted scarf or an item of stylish and creative upcycled clothing.

Members and neighbors offer everything from beeswax candles to jewelry, art, chocolates and baked goods. Some serve wintertime soups and ciders, and other delectable treats. Kids of all ages enjoy the Kids’ Crafts table at the center of the ring of vendors, making ornaments, popcorn and cranberry chains, and the Very Very Long Paper Chain, which this year was long enough to circle the hall four times!

We welcome visitors and new friends each year. Save the date — next year’s Bizarre Bazaar is Saturday, December 13 from noon to 4 pm.

River Otter — also known as Melissa Lemoing — has been at EH since 2007 and is a major supporter of the Bizarre Bazaar. She is a village herbalist, a massage and Reiki therapist, an avid gardener, the current organizer of the Bazaar, and the EH Office Manager and Outreach Coordinator.

The post Local Economics at Work: Earthaven’s Bizarre Bazaar appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

	Max Vermeulen McLeod was born November 5th at 11:55 am to Earthaven members Mana and Johnny McLeod. Max is the fourth baby born at Earthaven.   Welcome Max!
	Earthaven member Lee Warren, was married to Matthew Walker in a private ceremony on November 5th. Many of us celebrated at the White Owl Cafe the next day.
	Congratulations to Rudy Ballentine who celebrated the release of his new book, “Kali Rising” with an Indian dinner and reading at the Council Hall on November 20th.
	Residents and neighbors gathered in the Council Hall December 4th for the annual Bizarre Bazaar, a time to sell and trade handicrafts as well as share an afternoon of good cheer.
	Kaitlin Lindsay Hetzner was ordained as a Dianic Priestess on December 11 by her mentor and teacher Ruth Barret. In a women-only ceremony she became a Priestess of the Seasons and Cycles of Her Spiral. A celebration for all followed.
	Round Mountain Builders, led by Mihaly Bartalos, completed the renovation of a cabin in Bat Cave. The year-long project used wood from Earthaven clearings and employed several Earthaven members, residents, and neighbors.

The post News from the Village appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.

          In November, the Useful Plants Nursery hosted a fall sale and Plant Jam. This was the first UPN event hosted at Earthaven and many people came out to see the nursery, hear local speakers, and take home some useful plants!

          In December Earthaven hosted a tour from the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (CFSA) annual conference in Black Mountain. Here they are hearing about Yellowroot farm from Julie McMahan and Andy Bosley.

Join us Saturday, December 12, 10-6 for the Bizarre Bazaar. We’ll have supervised craft making for children of all ages (dry felting, holiday decorations, snowflakes, etc) and a snack and drink table – have some/leavesome. Bring a musical instrument and make a joyful noise. Vendor tables available by donation and reservation. Call 828-669-2073 to reserve a table or for more information.

The post News Notes – Winter 2009 appeared first on Earthaven Ecovillage.