cotton fields
Dr. Pilju Kim Joo
Extra cotton supply goes towards a fund for a cotton gin for the farm. On a side note, Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney who started the Whitney the Whitney Museum of American Art, is indirectly relationed to Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. At the age of 21, Gertrude married the businessman and thoroughbred horse breeder Harry Payne Whitney, whose own family had amassed great wealth throughout the 19th century, beginning with Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin in 1839. In 1918 Gertrude and her husband opened the Whitney Studio Club in Greenwich Village. The Studio Club was a space designed for young local artists to socialize, study, and to show and sell their work. Gertrude's main interest was in the Ashcan school of American art which were the origins of the Whitney Museum's collection.
Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney
The group on the farm.
Dr. Pilju Kim talking about the processing of cotton - how the seeds can be used for cotton seed oil and the stems made into a fiber for paper.
Excessive rain in India and China has created a problem for the world cotton market. Summer rains in China have caused some of the worst flooding in over fifty years (Read more here). Alternatively, demand for cotton has risen causing China to reopen its doors to cotton importation many years of import restrictions.
Workers' housing
A monument saying that Kim Jung Il came to the farm.
Cucumbers - perfect to make Korean style salty cucumber pickles (oijangajji)
Oijangajji muchim (Korean style cucumber pickle side dish)
Ingredients:
2 pickled cucumbers (about ¾ to 1 cup), hot pepper flakes, garlic, green onion, green chile pepper, honey, sesame oil, roasted sesame seeds
Directions:
Slice 2 cucumber pickles thinly and put them into a mixing bowl.
Add 1-2 ts of hot pepper flakes, 1 clove of minced garlic, 1 tbs chopped green onion, 2 ts chopped green chile pepper, ½ ts honey, and ½ ts sesame oil. Mix well with your hand.
Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle ½ tbs roasted sesame seeds.
Serve with rice.
Perilla grows all over North Korea. It is a genus of annual herb that is a member of the mint family (it is sometimes called Purple Mint). In mild climates the plant reseeds itself. It is considered rich in minerals and vitamins, has anti-inflammatory properties and is thought to help preserve and sterilize other foods.
Office at Ryongyon Farm.
