Pt 23: summer celebrations
Howdy folks, and a warm welcome to y’all on this warm summer day! And sure as sunshine, summer seems to be in full swing. All of nature is a-buzzing, and each plant and animal no matter how small is making the most of these days when the sun is so early to rise and late to set. Us humans are no different. There’s festivals and happenings just about everywhere at once, and folks are travelling far and wide to congregate and share their passions. To celebrate life, and go beyond their usual doings. And I suppose it’s fair to say that at Those Vegan Cowboys, we’re due some celebration ourselves. Of course, the labour continues uninterrupted, but now is as good a time as any to reflect on the fruits that our labour has already borne, and on those that are ripening on the proverbial tree as we speak. Gosh, I seem to have gotten caught up in being all poetical again, haven’t I. Seems like some things never change, though luckily there’s plenty of things that do! After all, change is the business we’re in, and just like nature, business is a-boomin’.
First of all, we’re gradually making some big changes at the ranch, preparing the facilities to not just accommodate our endless research but to actually start producin’ some cheese! That’s right, The Cheese Caverns are close to being fully excavated, and we fully expect to be introducing our first real cheeses to the world by summer’s end. If you’d like a glimpse behind the scenes, we recently released a bona-fide virtual tour of the ranch along with a step by step explanation of our process. Be sure to have a look and a listen, you won’t be disappointed. (Our ranch – Those Vegan Cowboys)
And as always, our work is hardly confined to the laboratory in which so much of our labour is diligently conducted. Our dairy diplomats are constantly travelling and reaching out, building networks and showcasing the developments. Cause after all, what good is your hard work if the world doesn’t know about it? One such congregation of like-minded folks and businesses that Those Vegan Cowboys will be featured at is the ‘Spacefarming’ exposition at the Evoluon in Eindhoven. Our one-of-a-kind stainless steel cow Margaret can hardly claim that this is her first rodeo. Even so, at the Evoluon she’ll be completely built up, life-sized, with all her workings to be seen by the world. Now that’s a first for her indeed! If you ask her though, she ain’t nervous one bit, though this writer’s a bit sceptical about that. It’s reassuring for her to know that the opening ceremony of the expo on the 23rd of September will be conducted by State Secretary for Culture and Media Gunay Uslu, and none other than our Chief Cowboy Jaap Korteweg.
Such efforts of ours to spread the word ain’t limited to visiting festivals and expo’s, either. When last we met, I spoke to y’all about some promising alliances that were being forged between Those Vegan Cowboys and a number of institutes and businesses with similar missions and shared goals. Well I’m pleased to announce that the official kickoff of Food Fermentation Europe has taken place, and I think it saw the beginning of some beautiful friendships. Cooperation is key when it comes to building a better future, and such cooperation as we’ve found is surely going to make an impact on the political landscape. I can’t wait to see where this leads, though I expect nothing but greatness. (NNN / SpaceFarming (nextnature.net))
Well that about does it for today. As always, I’ve talked your ears off for a fair bit again, and I kindly thank you for listening to my ramblin’ tales. For now, this here storyteller is off to find a cold glass of lemonade and a shady spot to enjoy it in. I suggest you do the same or similar! Till next we meet, kind folks, and have a lovely summer indeed