1: Sign for Universidad de la Empresa (UDE) -

2: The monument & mausoleum of 'the father of Uruguay', Jose Gervasio Artigas,located in the Plaza Independencia, Montevideo.

3: The 'old city' of Montevideo had a wall surrounding it. In the center is what remains of the original wall. The opening was actually used as a viewpoint through the wall.

4: The Plaza Independencia, Montevideo

5: On our tour of Montevideo (led by Claudio) we stopped at the Executive (or Presidential) Palace for a photo opportunity.

6: Sign directing people to the organic market in Montevideo.

7: Vegetable vendors at the organic market (Feria Organica)

8: Cheese vendors at the Feria Organica

9: We visited a large grocery store to observe some of the produce offered as well as the quality and price.

10: Farm Visit 1: Daniel, one of the three Bentancur brothers (of Valle Alegre, San Bautista, Canelones) talked about the difficulty of finding organic seed sources as well as his marketing through the Punto Verde Organico group.

11: The Punto Verde Organico label

12: Melissa, Nancy and Gilma listen attentively to Daniel Bentancur compare the differences in cost of between organic vs. conventional production.

13: (L-R) Natalie, Gary and Lisa find an interesting plant in the mint family and stop to 'enjoy the flowers' .

14: Nancy enjoys our farewell snack of strawberry punch, fresh tomatoes and juicy peaches.

15: The group tours one of the many greenhouses where the Bentancur brothers grow a wide variety of vegetables.

16: George, Laura and Adam soak up some rays at the waterfront and enjoy the view of the 'Rio de la Plata'.

17: ?Emily?, Kate and Laura soak their feet in the Rio de la Plata after a hard day of shopping and touring in Montevideo.

18: Ahhhh.... Mate, the national drink of Uruguay. Here is a small selection of the different varieties, brands and flavors of mate available.

19: Gary & Fletcher receive a lesson on the 'proper' way to prepare & enjoy mate. The dry mate is placed in a hollowed calabash gourd, filled with hot water & drunk through a bombilla (part spoon, part straw).

20: Gilma hams it up for the camera during one of our on-farm visits.

21: Farm Visit 2: Jorge Garrido (with sons) are also part of the Punto Verde Organico group and focus on cabbage, leek, pumpkin and beef production. He wants to stay organic but labor issues make it difficult.

22: Cabbage fields at Jorge Garrido's farm.

23: Mary Ellen & Ben pose under a ceibo tree in bloom.

24: Close up of the national flower of Uruguay, the ceibo tree.

25: Don Louis Quadrata, produces beautiful organic greens (mainly lettuce & chard but also some herbs) and serves as a good example of producer in Tacuarembo region.

26: Family Affair: The patriarch of the farm, Don Louis' father in law, visits with us and explains their fertility regimen, which includes ruminal contents of cows from a local meat processing facility.

27: Juan________, an organic bee keeper gives a tour of his facility and explains how 15 yeas ago he had > 500 active hives, but in recent years he has had an 80% reduction in his bee populations.

28: El Valle Miel: Honey - the vast majority of the fruit of Juan's labor gets exported to Germany, with only a small percentage exported to the US.

29: The sign marking the Villarino's organic vineyard.

30: Paul interprets for Dante Villarino, who with lots of help from his family, runs an organic vineyard which dates back to 1888 when his great grandfather purchased the property.

31: Grapes on the vine at the Villarino Vineyard/ winery.

32: The grape vines are trellised on a 'V' system that allows easier access to the fruits. Indicator rose bushes are planted at the end of most rows to signify the first sign of diseases that may affect the grapes.

33: The wine, made by Dante's sister and father, is produced the same way it has been for many years. Once the grapes are pressed, and processed, the wine is aged in large barrels such as this one until bottling.

34: Entrance sign for INIA (Instituto Nacional de Investigacion Agropecuaria) in Las Bruas which functions much in the same way as experiment stations operate in North Carolina.

35: (L-R) Claudio, _________, and Alda pose in front of one of the signs at INIA.

NEED MORE INFO

36: Paul (center) translates for Robin (red hat to Paul's left) the range-land operations at INIA. As you can see, the Las Bruas station is located in the plains region of Uruguay, with only the occasional plateau, rhea or cattle to break up the scenery.

37: The _____________ plateau which serves as part of the logo for BIO-Uruguay.

38: Entrance sign for BIO-Uruguay

39: All meals at BIO-Uruguay were served family style at three large tables in the main dining room.

40: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND & OUR FEARLESS LEADER:
Dr. Paul Mueller

41: During a tour of BIO-Uruguay, Alda shows us how they use recycled products whenever possible. The piece of wood she is holding is used to wrap newspaper around to hold transplants.

42: The transplants are then planted into the recycled newspaper containers, which can then be planted directly into the soil/

43: We received a VERY comprehensive lecture by Dr. Paul Hepperly, Research Director of the Rodale Institute.

44: On our last night at Bio-Uruguay we were graced with one of the most beautiful sunsets that most have ever seen.

45: Pre-Fiesta: With everyone ready, willing and able to celebrate our final night at Bio-Uruguay with a fiesta that was being prepared by the staff.

46: On the menu for the fiesta: BEEF RIBS slow cooked over an open fire pit

47: The finished product.

48: THE DEATH OF A VEGETARIAN!!!
Laura eats meat!!!

49: Michelle and Nancy are ready for FIESTA!!!

50: The entertainment for the evening was a nationally known accordion player from Uruguay .

51: After dinner, some kicked up their heels and danced, some became captivated on their quest to find the Southern Cross, and others relaxed and reminisced about our time in Uruguay.

52: One of the housing units at BIO-Uruguay constructed in traditional style, including thatched roofs.

53: ___NAME?______ and Chris exchange weeds on the bus back to Montevideo.

The Whole Gang