The East Wind community recently received a grant from the Missouri Natural Resources Conservation Services (NRCS) to purchase the materials to erect a high tunnel on the egalitarian community’s property in Tecumseh. After a lot of work from East Wind residents and a few friends in the area, the high tunnel is up and ready to plant.
East Wind was notified in August that it had been awarded the $7,000 grant, and resident Dusty Baker was quick to get to work designing the high tunnel to fit the needs of the community as well as the specifications and budget of the grant program. Meanwhile, Chrystal Marshall started designing the initial plan for the planting layout and schedule with help from East Wind’s cooks, including Jan Dunlap. Chrystal says she focused on unusual varieties in which nearly all of the plant matter can be utilized in cooking and eating, and Jan says she’s excited to work the different varieties of vegetables and fruit into meals for the community.