Pumpkin in a Tree

This interesting sight was photographed in the rainforest area of ECHO's Global Village (demonstration farm). It is a volunteer pumpkin plant, the vines of which had climbed an oak tree. The result was a pumpkin in a rather unlikely spot. There are probably a number of tree/vegetable combinations like this that could
be applied on purpose as opposed to by accident.

Au Sable Students Complete Course

The Au Sable Institute coordinates more than 35 field courses each summer for students from about 80 Christian colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada. One of these courses, 'Tropical Agriculture and Missions', is offered for three weeks in May/June each year at ECHO.

This year, 10 students from nine schools took the class. Besides the professor of record, Dave Unander from the Department of Biology at Eastern University in Philadelphia, ECHO technical staff, including Danny Blank, Angela Boss, Stan and Beth Doerr, Bob Hargrave, Tim Motis, Martin Price and Larry Yarger taught units in their expertise. For example, Angela introduced fruit tree grafting and Larry had the students work through a typical slope stabilization problem.

Assignments included the choice of a term paper or formal lecture. About half the class chose the lecture format, including Larissa Malik, a senior at Cedarville University in Ohio, who presented her seminar on edible insects.

Edible insects are a nutritious food source that 80% of the world's population sometimes eats. She looked to the Bible for inspiration, quoting from Leviticus 11:22, Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

Larissa herself has experienced dining on the many-legged critters: she once ate a June bug at band camp for $5. She said it tasted like 'gooey grass' and wasn't all that bad. She reminded the assembled students, many who plan a career in the missions field, to remember bugs when thinking about available food sources.

-- Article by David Unander & Artis Henderson
-- Photos by David Unander

Yardlong Bean Pods a Yard Long!

Yardlong Bean (Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis), also known as Asparagus Bean, is thought to originate in southern China and is an annual, climbing legume known for its extra long pods. It is a popular vegetable in Southeast Asia and has been introduced to many tropical countries as a garden vegetable.

Recently, we've been trialing a number of varieties on our demonstration farm. Mainly, we were interested in finding out which varieties produce the most pods. However, we've also been observing pod length, the reason being that few if any of us at ECHO had ever seen a Yardlong bean pod that was actually a yard long. Usually, they reach about 20 inches. A newly acquired variety, 'Taiwan Black', surpassed our expectations and has produced several pods at or over 36 inches (see photo of 40-inch pod- left). Another variety, 'Guilin' (photo on right), seems to be the most prolific in terms of pod number.

US gardeners can purchase Yardlong beans from our bookstore. They can grow in more northern climates as long as they are planted early enough in the spring/summer. Members of our overseas network of development workers may request seeds by email (echo@echonet.org) or letter.

Update from Former Student Olivier Paris-Leclerc

In less than two weeks, Olivier Paris-Leclerc will head to the Islamic nation of Mauritania in West Africa as an environmental educator for the Peace Corps. Olivier spent three months at ECHO in the fall of 2006, learning about tropical agriculture and studying different growing techniques. He plans to put his agricultural knowledge to good use, teaching villagers how to set-up a school garden and bringing seeds like moringa and chaya to his African home for the next two years.

In between his studies at ECHO and the beginning of his Peace Corps assignment, Olivier embarked on a three month trek across Peru. He saw the ruins of Machu Picchu, traveled along the Amazon, and hiked the Inca trail.

He was impressed by the warmth of the people he met along his journey and hopes to visit again when his Peace Corps assignment is complete. For the time being, Olivier’s South American adventure has whetted his appetite for overseas travel, and he is excited to begin his time in Mauritania.

ECHO's New Generation of Volunteers

Chris Pellecchia, a senior at Canterbury High school, will be graduating on June 7 – and he already has experience in the real world. As part of his Independent Senior Project, Chris chose to spend 60 hours working at ECHO, learning the ins and outs of this non-profit headquartered in North Fort Myers.

“A lot of the other kids were doing things like real estate and business,” Chris tells us. “I wanted to do something different.”

At ECHO, Chris put his love for the outdoors to good use. He spent a day weeding the Semi-Arid plot, a day helping in the nursery, and five days with the maintenance team. One of the neatest projects? Chris helped the guys from the shop rebuild the bridge over the tilapia pond outside of the administrative offices. That’s the same bridge that Chris’s grandfather and longtime ECHO volunteer, Dick Sproat, helped build nearly 10 years ago.

Another of Chris’s skills came in handy during his time at ECHO. While the guys were working on the bridge, a lengthy rat snake took up residence on the library porch. Chris, who raised snakes and had no fear about handling the wily reptile, moved the 5 ½ foot snake back to the bushes surrounding the buildings.

Former Intern Shares ‘Ideas that Stick’

Ernie Didot, a 1992 ECHO intern, is a great story teller. He visited ECHO this week, sharing the knowledge he has gained over the last decade and talking about the importance of using a place-based educational model.

He began his presentation by telling the story of Juan’s Tortillas. The story begins in a small hut in Guatemala, as Juan wakes up to the familiar smells of coffee and fresh tortillas. Juan loves tortillas, especially the way his mother makes them just so.

As the story progresses, Juan’s mother becomes ill. She has trouble breathing and coughs up a sticky black substance. Juan eventually realizes that what is making his mother sick is the smoke from the open cooking fire in the hut.

He learns about a fuel efficient cook stove from another family and encourages his mom to try the new stove. Juan’s mother gets better, and thanks to the new stove that produces much less smoke, the whole family is healthier.

When Ernie finished his story, he asked the audience of ECHO staffers and interns to identify the ‘cultural handles’ – the parts of the story that made it specific to Guatemala.

‘The tortillas!’ one voice called out. ‘Juan!’ another said.

‘Now, what I want you to do,’ Ernie told the group in a dramatic whisper, as everyone leaned forward to here what he had to say. ‘I want you to put this story in another setting. One group, I want you to tell me this story from a Florida perspective. Another group, I want to hear how it would take place in Africa. The last group, tell me how it would sound in Asia. But, you have to convey the main idea on a basic level: tell me about the hazards of indoor air pollution in your setting.’

As the audience split into groups, Ernie smiled to himself, looking relaxed and confident. He was in his element. In the 15 years since he left ECHO, Ernie has received his Masters in Education and worked on video projects around the world. Working with Shellbook Publishing Systems and now HELPS International, Ernie makes videos that carry a variety of messages, from literacy to parables to health related films on worms and diarrhea.

Back to story telling, Ernie shared a brief tale about how he met his wife. Before he did the overseas component of his internship in Haiti, he saw a picture of an attractive young lady working on a project near his site. While putting his agricultural skills to good use in Haiti, Ernie said he, ‘cultivated my own gardens’ and worked on wooing the young woman. The couple spent the next eight years in Guatemala and now have two adopted children from that country.

ECHO Staff Retreat

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
Matthew 22:37

On Wednesday and Thursday, May 16 and 17, ECHO staff members spent time away from the office, exploring our faith, and learning to work as a more cohesive team.

Dennis Hollinger spoke to the staff about the importance of loving God with your head, heart, and hands.

Afterwards, we had a good ol’ fashioned barbeque, with canoe trips, fishing, and horseshoes.