I want to welcome Casey from Hey Wanderer to the Oasis Builders family. I met Casey during the Master Gardener training I completed this Spring. Casey and Savannah are a few years into building an off-grid homestead from the ground up, learning firsthand about land, water, shelter, gardens, animals, infrastructure, and all the decisions that come with trying to build a working system. That kind of lived experience brings a wealth of information to our community. I love watching another piece of property develop from the beginning to a new Oasis. We talk a lot about observing before we act at Oasis Builders. A new property gives us the chance to look at the land, water movement, soil, existing plants, sun, wind, access, and family needs before deciding what belongs where. This is where a piece of land begins becoming a connected system rather than simply a collection of projects. If you get a chance, stop over at Hey Wanderer on YouTube and see what Casey and Savannah have been up to. Hit subscribe while you are there. I think there could be some good conversations between our communities as their next adventures unfold. https://www.youtube.com/@HEYWANDERER Casey, glad to have you here. I am looking forward to seeing what you are considering for your property next. And as aways a question, what is the first thing you would want to observe before making plans for a new piece of property?

My first ever book launches today https://link.amazon/B01op6i8E

This morning I was thinking about how easy it is for many to see food only as the finished product. Take something ordinary, maybe a tomato, a slice of bread, a bowl of beans, or even something already prepared from the grocery store. Before it reached our plate, there was a story. Someone grew, raised, gathered, harvested, caught, processed, or prepared what eventually became this food where soil, water, weather, and season all played a part. Someone harvested, transported, processed, packaged, sold, or prepared the food. Then somewhere along that path, we became part of the process too. We may have grown it ourselves. We may have bought it from a farmer. We may have chosen it from a grocery shelf, brought it home, cooked it, or simply opened the package. What interests me is what happens when we begin to notice the relationships again. Pick one thing you eat today and trace it backward as far as you reasonably can. Where did it come from? Who might have had a hand in getting it to you? Was season important to it? What happened between its original form and what is sitting in front of you, and where did you enter that chain? You do not need to research every answer. Start with what you know, notice what you do not know, and let the missing pieces become questions. My thought is that food literacy begins partly here, not by memorizing more rules about food, but by becoming curious about the food already passing through our hands. What is one ordinary food you could trace backward today, and how far back can you follow it? When you think about the food you eat most often, how well do you know its path to your table?

This guild was built for Southern Spain although would work in any climate that welcomes Olive trees.

This is made for warmer climates although the concept would work anywhere warm. @Mohammad Irtaza Tafheem @Oliver Wing