Workings Towards a Sustainable South Pole

The simple act of growing your own food in your backyard is a means towards becoming self-sufficient and sustainable. When in isolation is it is inherent to provide a communities food needs (i.e., vitamins, nutrients, etc.) via local gardens and farms. It's not like we can just drive a mile down the road to the local super market and grab a $1 bag of cilantro for tonight's salsa. When the summer crew left, they left us with a jam-packed greenhouse for Dr. Greenthumb to take care of. We've been delighted with lots of bok choi, bib lettuce, cucumbers, basil, and much more. Now that we have been munching away at what was grown a couple months ago, Dr. G has organized a list of seeds that community members and the galley can choose to plant. My request was simple... habaneros, onions, tomato, and cilantro. One of the first things I do in the mornings after I crawl out of my cave (yes, I have built a cave in my room) is journey to the greenhouse to spur serotonin production in my brain and rid of all that sleepy melatonin. Under all the light, the retina sends light messages via CNS to pineal gland, which in turn activates chemical processes in the brain that tell the body it's time to wake up. Light is the best alarm clock in waking up.

Asian melons.

Leafy greens.

Bok choi.

Tomatoes.

Cucumbers = pickles.

Cilantro :)

Then it's time to get to work. Baking is wicked.

Roux for gravy... I was feeling a Southern breakfast... u know, biscuits and gravy, chicken fried steak, sausage, bacon, eggs, and grits.

Gravy.

Chicken fried steak. Take your leftover steak, rub in some seasoned flour, then in an egg-cream bath, back into the flour, let is sit for 15 on a rack and deep fry for just a minute.

Bambabino.

Crushed walnut and raisin Danish pastries.

I've ate about 8 so far.

I was liking the colour of breakfast; vibrant and fresh.

On the hot line it reminded me of some good ol' country cookin.

By the end of the day Chef Fran had gone through a bunch of avocados for some guacamole and the seeds were preserved to be planted sometime in the future, hence the rebirth cycle of fruits and veggies at the South Pole. Nothing is wasted here.