The first Stone Soup gathering

Today is the day of the gathering, and we must prepare to make 'stone soup'. We wake up and prepare the dough for the pizzas. We drive to Noeveren and begin preparing the space. We walk around and look for some wild weeds: wild spinach, nettles, rocket, hop shoots. Before the first people arrive, there is just enough time to print the poster for the next meeting. This will take place next Saturday at the 'The Unicorns' motorbike club. Some neighbours we have met over the past few days bring ingredients: a card, a candle, vegetables from their garden, eggs, milk, beer... We are surprised by the quantity and diversity, both in terms of the ingredients and the people who have decided to participate. 

We have contacted several ecological groups in the region to learn more about the struggle they have been waging since the 1980s to protect the area from property speculation and to fight against the dumping of waste in the old clay pits. Dominique and Hein have also come down and are sharing their experiences of various action groups in the Rupel region. Several neighbours also join in the cooking. Stories about the place and casual chatter float around as we eat pizza. The gathering continues until dark. Eventually, an interesting conversation emerges about the non-monetary exchange we are proposing, and the conversation seems to go on forever. In the end, we have to leave the conclusion open, pack everything up and leave for the next garden that will host us.