WYKOPKI in POLAND (the potato harvest)!

! Usually, at this time of the year in Poland, the sun does not spare its heat to nature (preparing it for the autumn) or to the people working in elds. It would have been the case this time around, if it weren't for the clouds that treated us to rain rather than to the rays of sun. !

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Nevertheless, this did not prevent Team FOODPRINT from meeting up in good moods and being productive.! The Polish meeting was devoted to the understanding of diversity - the tradition, culture and cultivation that connects people and culture.!

On the rst and last day of our stay we visited some of the most interesting places in Warsaw - although the rain poured down. Warsaw is a city with a rich and troubled history - located by the Vistula River (1047 km), which runs through the entire country (from the Carpathians to the Baltic Sea); legend says there used to be two villages, one on each side of the river. In one of them lived a man named Wars and in the other a woman named Sawa. The strength of their love resulted in merging of the two villages with a bridge, and this became the foundation of the town of Wars(s)aw(a). !

The historic center - which is the oldest part of the city, was founded in the 13th Century and -as the prince's castle- is surrounded by walls. During World War II, 90 % of it was destroyed, but thanks to its excellent restoration and recovery, it was granted the status of UNESCO World Heritage in 1980.!

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Since Poland is a country of potatoes (9 million tons per year, second in Europe), the traditional feast of the potato called WYKOPKI (literally dug out of the ground ) was a must. Unfortunately the rain prevented us from tasting potatoes baked in the re, but we truly enjoyed the equally delicious potato pancakes (see recipe) served straight from the pan, accompanied by reapers' drink - a nonalcoholic beer kozicowe (see recipe).!

We also visited the herbal garden, founded by Priest Kluk in the eighteenth century and got to see his famous (and still current) Dictionary of Plants of 1788, which teaches us about which herbs cure which disease.!

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We explored the tradition of the Easter egg and the art of decorating it around the world at the Museum of Easter eggs - this collection is yet another proof of the truth of our motto - diversity connects countries, traditions, cultures and generations.! ! A more difcult job was taking part in a workshop on herbs, their origins, relevance, methods of drying and preparation of herbal teas. This lesson was prepared for us by the founder of a unique botanical garden (in Koryciny) and herb producer Miroslaw Angielczyk. The Herb garden in early autumn did not amaze with its colors, but its remarkable smell was a great compensation. The

collection consists of about 900 species and varieties of crops. Plants used by humans in the past and present in the kitchen, medicine, dying , construction, weaving as well as for protection and magic are gathered here. The Podlaski Herbal Garden is a unique place among similar facilities in Europe and contains the largest collection of varieties of herbs in Poland.! The herbs, manufactured in an environmentally sound manner (as we saw when visiting the drying, blending and packing facilities) are widely sold in Poland and abroad, even in the USA. The company Gifts of Nature was built from scratch by Mr Anglik. Twenty years later, not only is it known for its manufacturing of herbs, but also as a place of protection and multiplication of rare varieties and an environmental education center .!

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! ! Each FOODPRINT meeting has an element of surprise - in Poland, the participants were 'kidnapped' and taken to a small organic farm - Za Brzozami ('Behind the birch trees') owned by Sonia and Tom. The owners went there three years ago from Warsaw with a goal to prove that organic farming and agro biodiversity are the only alternative for the health of wildlife and humans. They managed to convince an already large group of "dwellers" - under the RWS (Community supporting Agriculture) they sell them farm produced fruits and vegetables, and each recipient must come and work in the eld or in the garden as a volunteer at least once during the season. It turns out that it is an extremely efcient and stable method for humans to go back to nature.!

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The third day was spent on an internal meeting where plans to move forward were set. We summed up our past trip to Finland and Estonia, and its organizers received a large applause for the perfectly organized meeting. The next meeting will be held in Turkey from 6 to 10.04.2014.! ! Our Polish meeting ended with a dinner in the Old Town, where we savored grated red beets , buckwheat and wrapped slips - the most typical Polish dish. The meal was accompanied by beautiful ballads performed by S"awek (a composer and poet and SIE member), one of them talking about longing for forests and elds (see lyrics and music).! Farewells and embraces were endless, and all participants returned home healthy and happy. We are in constant contact via e-mail, as our coordinator Benito watches over it - and we thank him for that!! See you in anakkale!!