It's harvest time at the community garden and everyone is pitching in. Tonight there will be a big block party and in keeping with the sustainable ethos of the community garden, it will be as sustainably powered as we can make it.
All day long the cooks have been cooking up a storm to lay out a spread for everyone who's celebrating. Luckily, there's still plenty of sunlight this time of year so the solar ovens have been in constant use since the fog broke this morning. Bread, casseroles and stews are all simmering away courtesy of the sun's free energy. But even if it had been raining, the cob-built wood oven would have proven more than up to the task of handling it all. Since the day is clear, it's been commandeered by a team of volunteer pizza chefs who've been busy turning out fresh produce-topped pies to fuel the harvesters as they pick, as well as roasting and baking the odds and ends of dinner that aren't appropriate for the solar ovens.
Over by the picnic area, volunteers are using a bike-mounted blender to make soups, sauces and ice cream base, and others are taking turns at the hand-cranked ice cream maker to chill up everyone's favorite dessert. And drinks are being chilled in a nearby solar-powered cooler, along with a big jug of evaporation-cooled water.
Later that night, the picnic area will be lit by several strands of Christmas lights and several path lamps, all powered by solar cells. They've been soaking up rays all day, so there should be plenty of light to dance by.
And speaking of dancing, who needs a DJ when you've got friends with instruments. Several community members have brought their guitars, harmonicas, accordions, drums and whatever else they can carry in and they'll be setting up a jam session once the harvest is over. It may not be a red carpet event, but one thing's for sure - once the sun sets there'll be plenty of stars to hang out with.
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