Silent Auction
Benefit for playground
Fri, Mar 20, 5–8pm
Bajo Fondo
Zacateros 19



Monte de Loreto playground

You have likely never heard of Colonia Monte de Loreto. Or perhaps you have but don’t really know where it is. Get in almost any taxis and say the words. There is generally a pause which says “Oh, you really want me to go all the way out there, along that dusty, bumpy road (I just washed my car!)?”

The truth is, it is not far—you can see it from town, up there on the hill 10 minutes past Fábrica La Aurora. Foreigners have been buying small lots. A few have built houses, the roads are being fixed and the views are great.

Up behind my house is an area that once served as a small playground. Now there is one piece of equipment left, rusting and a bit sad. Still, the sounds of little kids laughing as they play still drift through the air. They need a proper playground and an area where the community can come, sit, rest, relax and even picnic.

Holly Wilmeth, a young photographer here in town, has decided to try to make this a reality. Work has already started and we would like it completed by early May.

Consider that, in donating to the playground, US$25 will buy two bags of cement (it’s nearly doubled in the last year), $35 buys the time of a maestro (mason) for a day and $50 provides a nice little tree.

Work is well under way; people are being so generous with their time, but we still need more help. Even a small donation makes the donor a part of this wonderful collective project.

The silent auction has photography and artwork by Holly and several other San Miguel artists. Some incredible and valuable things are also up for auction. Billy White is playing music. Tickets include wine, cheese and door prizes. More information at http://www.playgroundauction.typepad.com/ 

or if you would like to donate directly, go to http://www.hollywilmeth. typepad.com/montesplay ground/.

ENVIRONMENT

Green San Miguel

Eat well: San Miguel’s organic farm
By Rick Wendling

Martha Molina García is living my dream. Her Toyan Rancho Orgánico is a utopia of fertile fields, fruit trees, happy farm animals and some unique surprises.

The 78-hectare farm just outside San Miguel de Allende on the road to Queretaro has been certified organic for 14 years. In fact, it was one of the first farms in Mexico to be certified, after the Chiapas coffee producers. Toyan employs 40 farm workers, most of them women. 

Toyan sells its organic produce through urban markets in Mexico and, even better, at its own small tienda, where you can buy farm-produced seasonal fresh vegetables, black beans, organic free-range eggs and fruit preserves. Organic chicken and rabbit can be requested by phone a day in advance. Animals are fed only organic foods grown on the farm, and are free of antibiotics and other medications. 

The organic compost Toyan creates for its own use has been analyzed and certified organic by Bioagricoop, an international cooperative with a mission to spread innovation in organic agriculture. The compost is marketed under the brand name ‘Vitaterra’ and can be purchased in one-kilo bags at the tienda or in bulk by calling ahead to place an order.

It is made from vegetable waste from the farm, sheep manure (from a flock kept just for this purpose), whey protein and molasses.

The next organic product from Toyan will be wine, which Martha expects to start producing this year. The farm’s 5,800 vines includes the varietals Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Sauvignon-Blanc. On a recent visit, Martha showed us her wine cellar, which we entered through a large room that will serve as a reception and wine-tasting area. A curved ramp lined with nichos led us deep underground. Each nicho contained a life-size statue of a Templar Monk; the Templars were renowned for their wine-making. 



The catacombs at the bottom of the ramp were totally dark except for small blue lights illuminating the faces of the monks watching over the wine. The cellar is supported by cantera columns, and the exposed earthen walls are full of holes, each just large enough to hold a wine bottle. In this way the aging wine benefits from the coolness and good vibrations of the same earth in which it was grown. 

As we walked back up into the daylight, I found myself wishing I could skip forward in time to sample a wine created with such spiritual and ecological care.

The turnoff to Toyan is on the left, about 5 Km. past the Presidencia. The turn is marked by a low concrete sign for Toyan and a taller sign shaped like a cow (for E.R.A) The tienda’s hours are Mon. through Fri., 11am to 4pm. If you are unable to visit Toyan, you can have orders of over 200 pesos delivered to Privada Cinco de Mayo 8. 

Place orders from 9am–2pm and 4pm–6pm. To find out what is currently in season, email toyanventas@gmail.com  or call 415-154-6242. A map is available at http://tiny.cc/Toyan.

Rick Wendling lives off the grid near San Miguel de Allende and is the mapmaker for Green Map San Miguel at http://greenmapsanmiguel.org/.