I am settling in to my new work home, trying to remember people’s names and failing to quite get where it is that everyone fits into this project.  There is a farm component at The Plant as well an accounting office, a sustainable energy/local food focused foundation, and, of course, a million gallon a year biodiesel production facility.

Inside that facility there are also plenty of other components such as R&D, an analytics lab and a design/build team that works on making new facilities and fuel reactors.  Oh, and add to that a new piece that will do glycerin refining.  Wait, and the reactor that makes bug spray our of rue.  And the hydroponic greenhouse.  And the giant vermicomposter.

With all these components comes plenty of people and personalities, running past each other as they work or play or occasionally do both at the same time.  At most points in my day, the length of time I could have a conversation if I wanted to is minimal (and those who know me know that I am not a talker).

In this hectic environment, the folks around here came up with a nice speed-bump called Local Lunch Friday.  The idea is for teams of people - involved with The Plant on some level - to cook lunch for everyone else.  Once a week, everyone comes together to share a space and a meal made from as much local content as possible.

This past Friday was my first Local Lunch.  It was also ECO’s turn to make food, so I got to cook for thirty people in my first week on the job and without knowing many of those same people.

We made pepper slaw with peppers from Green Dreams Farm in Pittsboro, Baba ghanoush, flatbread and crackers.

There was also apple crisp out of Caroline Red June apples from one of our farmers in the mountains.

My contribution was a chunky squash and tomato soup seasoned only with honey.

A crowder pea pie made with spaghetti squash and potatoes served as the main dish.

Farmers, fuel makers, interns, friends and guests; all turned out for a great lunch where the food disappeared in minutes.  It was a good exposure to the people populating The Plant.  Hopefully I can get over myself and start to talk to folks more, get over my stand-offish outer appearance and spread more of the “hey, come talk to me” spores into the wind around me.

On Monday I start work at Eastern Carolina Organics.  Yes, I’m really finally moving to the farm.  Yes, I’m really going to start driving again after all these years.  Yes, I hope my current internal-combustion mule has what it takes to commute a couple dozen miles a day.  No radio, no AC or heat, bad wiring and the previous owner’s silver bullet lock pins - what could go wrong?

Anyway, as produce manager for Tidal Creek I purchased small amounts from Eastern Carolina Organics over the years through various means of transport.  When I was in Pittsboro (home of ECO) I would try to haul home a carload of veggies or try to convince a friend or two to do the same.

The ECO model is pretty straightforward, but not simple - farmers get together with a manager who focuses on the marketing and sales.  This leaves the farmer to do what they do best - grow food - instead of trying to sell their goods all over the place.  The manager focuses on what they do best, which is getting the produce into the hands of chefs and retailers.  This model simplifies the process on both ends of the sale.  The farmer gets a distributor and the buyer gets a place that offers produce from a couple dozen of those farmers.

I was at the CFSA Sustainable Agriculture Conference in 2004 when the creation of ECO was announced.  ECO was born out of a modest grant from the Tobacco Trust Fund awarded in late 2003.  ECO became its own farmer-owned LLC in 2005 and hasn’t looked back.

I’m excited to become a larger part of the local food system, excited to get to know more North Carolina farmers personally and continue being part of something I believe in.  I’m also excited to be working at The Plant, an eco-industrial park of sorts with a farm, a biodiesel plant, a hydroponic greenhouse, a vermicomposting greenhouse and a billion energetic and dedicated people all over the place.  Count me in…