Bamford Alice - One Gun Ranch, Malibu: biodynamic recipes for vibrant living

65 Bleecker Street

New York, NY 10012

Copyright 2016 by Alice Bamford and Ann Eysenring

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Regan Arts Subsidiary Rights Department, 65 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012.

The information provided in this book is designed to provide helpful information on the subjects discussed. This book is not meant to be used, nor should it be used, to diagnose or treat any medical condition. For diagnosis or treatment of any medical problem, consult your own physician. The publisher and author are not responsible for any specific health needs that may require medical supervision and are not liable for any damages or negative consequences from any treatment, action, application, or preparation, to any person reading or following the information in this book.

First Regan Arts hardcover edition, April 2017.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015946539

ISBN 978-1-941393-52-9

ISBN 978-1-9428-7232-0 (eBook)

Interior design and hand-lettering by Laura Palese

Cover design by Richard Ljoenes

All cover photographs by Martin Lf, except front cover and second from bottom on back cover, which are by Jack Guy.

Photo by George Bamford, -135.

All other photographs courtesy of Martin Lf.

For Otis, our beautiful son, with all our love, and for all destined custodians of this precious Earth.

A HOLISTIC AND HARMONIOUS LIFESTYLE is at the heart of One Gun Ranch, our home in the Malibu hills, and we believe we are part of a growing movement. After so many years of moving away from an agrarian society, people have a deep need to reconnect with nature. This shared desire to feel a connection with the earth is elemental, and is currently being expressed more and more all the time in developments, such as the demand for farm-to-table foods, an explosion in urban farming, and a renewed enthusiasm for camping and hiking.

At the Ranch, we feel more in harmony with ourselves, having rediscovered the rhythms of nature and integrated them into our lifestyle. When we eat a just-picked, biodynamically grown salad or sip a homemade bowl of soup, we dont just feel physically nourished, we feel mentally and spiritually nourished. And our daily outdoor exercise, surrounded by nature, invigorates our bodies as well as our minds and souls. It makes us feel grounded... rooted.

In our society, there is an overwhelming need to nurture and connect with one another, to be more compassionate, to be genuine social beings, and, actually, to do more to nurture ourselves. But our world is increasingly atomized, polarized, over-digitalized, rootless, and artificial, and it is increasingly difficult for people to realize their authentic selves, to grow and blossom as nature intended.

At One Gun Ranch, our mission is to educate and help people reach their true, natural potential. In these pages, weve harnessed our experience and gathered our knowledge and the knowledge of our biodynamic heroes to help you bring powerful organic-growing methods, effective workout routines, and simple, deliciously nourishing recipes into your life. We hope you benefit from and embrace, as we have, the Malibu Biodynamic Diet.

T OURISTS CRUISE UP AND DOWN the Pacific Coast Highway year round to visit such landmarks as the legendary break at Surfrider Beach overlooked by Malibu Pier and the iconic lifeguard towers on Zuma Beach. Or they come to sample the clam chowder at Neptunes Net. On any given day, you might see pods of dolphins or gray whales breaching as they migrate from their Arctic feeding grounds in the north to Baja California, sea lions jostling for space on the rocks off Point Dumeeven the odd movie star or two. But turn away from the ocean and you will find another side of Malibu: the majestic Santa Monica Mountains, full of dramatic rock formations, waterfalls, and a profusion of native wildlife and plants. It is a beautiful wilderness that we are lucky to call home.

Long before Malibu became a beach community or a tourist destination, it was home to the Native American Chumash, a tribe of hunters, gatherers, and fishermen. The Chumash believed in balance and sustainability, understood that their lives depended on their environment, and found a use for every part of every plant and animal, wasting nothing and living closely attuned to the seasons. Today, high above Malibus famous shoreline on twenty acres of land sits One Gun Ranch, home to our biodynamic farm, which we share with an ever-growing number of rescue dogs, retired racehorses, goats, alpacas, pigs, Zebu cows, and Waffle the donkey. We live by natures time, waking up when the sun rises and going to bed when it sets. We eat, work out, and entertain seasonally, and find a use for everything on the farm so that nothing is wastedas the Chumash did, as in nature.

Initially in my search for land where I wanted to establish an organic farm, I was looking much farther north. But then, during a weekend visit with friends, I fell in love with Malibus vast, humbling landscapes. Like many people, I knew Malibu mainly for its beaches and proximity to Los Angeles; but once I turned off the Pacific Coast Highway, I found myself in a magical world, utterly surrounded by nature. I was excited to see how long the growing season was there; the possibilities seemed endless.

When Annie and I first met in Malibu, we immediately connected over a shared passion for an organic, sustainable lifestyle. We had both grown up in an agricultural settingAnnie in nearby Camarillo, known for its walnut and citrus groves; me on a working farm in Staffordshire, Englandbut the experiences that led us to our current path were very different. Annie had lived in the midst of large, commercial farms that used chemicals and pesticide-spraying crop dusters. After her mother was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, an illness that has been linked to pesticide exposure, she began to search out organic produce and seek out a healthy, chemical-free diet. I, on the other hand, had grown up on my familys organic farm, learning to grow and harvest my own pesticide-free food. I had an awareness of the impact of chemicals on farms from a very early age, as my mother had turned our farm over to organic methods when I was just a babyafter seeing the horrific effects that Roundup herbicide was having on our rose garden. Out of these very different circumstances, we had both been committed to eating organically, locally, and seasonally for years; next, we became intent on growing food organically and sustainably for the local community as well as for ourselves.