For several years at South River we have been inspired by the ideal of the “learning organization” as a model for our company.
A learning organization is a place where people are continually discovering how they create their reality. And how they can change it.
…Real learning gets to the heart of what it means to be human. … we re-create ourselves…we re-perceive the world and our relationship to it…we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life…
A learning organization is based on three principles: the primacy of the whole, the community nature of the self, and the generative power of language (the power of the living word). Our “living words” are not only what we speak; they are also our inmost, unspoken, often unconscious, unexamined beliefs and prejudices. These shape the opening or the closing of our hearts, our capacity to love and to receive love, the essential nourishment of Life.
Our living words call our future—our experience of reality—into becoming. It is possible to see that our future is the lawful, even medicinal response of a divine, merciful, magical life, so exquisitely ordered as to heal us, in the fullness of time, of all that is in darkness, illusion, and pain. Misconceptions, unexamined thoughts and beliefs can be so destructive and self-defeating. Reverence for life, self-reflection, and a commitment to self purification are essential to mutual understanding and love, health and regeneration of the whole. May we live as one, as we are in reality.
Work within
Affects the outer.
Judge not;
Simply listen.
Puzzle not;
Simply behold.
Love each and all.
Outward experience
Affects the inner.
Avoid not;
Simply seek.
Defend not;
Simply endure
’Till it’s achieved.
Outward experience
Affects the inner.
Avoid not;
Simply seek.
Defend not;
Simply endure
’Till it’s achieved.
Adapted from words attributed to
Rudolf Steiner (1865-1925).
We are very happy to welcome Meagan Calogeras as apprentice this year. Meagan has traveled far and wide, most recently completing a year of study in Lyons, France, for her MBA. She is fluent in English, French, German, and Japanese.
Meagan will learn miso-making and participate in other aspects of our business. She will also be part of the South River Farm community, which includes weekly community meals and a wide range of farm activities.
Apprentices make a ten-month commitment and in return we make a commitment to help develop learning goals and skills tailored to individual interest and needs.
If you are interested in the apprenticeship position beginning August 2002, please write or call for further information and an application form.
Miso CakeHere is a delicious and easy cake mix. You can add your own favorite topping. Our thanks to Kim Prince for submitting the original recipe, which we have adapted here. Double this recipe for a larger cake or for a layer cake.
2¼ Tbsps South River Azuki Bean Miso (or other light miso)
¼ cup maple syrup
½ cup water
2 medium to large egg whites
1¼ cups organic unbleached pastry flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
Blend miso, maple syrup and lemon juice. Add ½ cup water. Mix well until smooth. Beat egg whites until stiff. Stir into miso mixture. Sift flour and baking powder together.
Sift a second time into egg and miso mixture. Mix until well blended.
Pour into small cake pan (6–8 inches) lined with wax paper. If not using wax paper, then coat pan with oil.
Place cake in a larger pan filled with hot water. Bake on the middle rack in a preheated 400-degree oven for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
Remove cake from pan and cool. Add topping (lemon slices, for example) for decoration.
Variations: miso variety can be changed, as well as the flavoring. Kim suggests the following combinations:
If you are not happy with any of our products, we will gladly refund the total cost of your purchase. Please call or write to us with any questions or comments you may have. We are here to learn from each other and to help each other grow in the True Spirit of all people.
A well known Japanese proverb states that a bowl of miso soup each day keeps the doctor away, and traditional folk wisdom abounds with sayings about the value of miso as a medicine used to cure colds, improve metabolism, clear the skin, and help develop resistance to parasitic diseases. Miso is often used quite specifically …to settle an upset stomach, ameliorate a hangover, or get rid of acid indigestion.
From The Book of Miso, by William Shurtleff and
Akiko Aoyagi (Ten Speed Press, 1983), page 25
PH: 413.369.4057
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