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I realized last week that this is the first spring since 2009 that I haven't had dirty fingernails and soil-dried hands... and it's weird. In some ways, my first ventures into seeding on a farm in the Hudson Valley seem like they were long ago; and in some ways, they seem like only yesterday.
For those of you who have read this blog, you may remember this little diddy, illustrating the wonderful world of seedling and soil blocking. Well, there's no video this time, but last night Pat and I took to the soil again, seeding up some peppers, lettuce, and basil for some growing at home. We have joined a CSA for the season, which will provide us with wonderful veggies all summer... but you can never have enough pesto, salad or extra peppers for the freezer!
I am definitely overdue on a post... can I just blame the trend of seasonal lapses and say "hey, it's winter"?!
I have been busy these past couple of months.
I started a class through UVM extension and the Vermont New Farmers Program entitled "Holistic Farm Planning for Beginning Women Farmers". It is a fantastic course/resource/tool and I am really enjoying the 'classroom' side of farm education.
I also had foot surgery in late February to remove a bunion and re-align two toes. I knew the day would eventually come for this. And my doctor basically said "if you want to be farming - or walking - at 60, you had better do this now.
Plates, screws, saws, and stitches were all involved and I am now into week 3 (of 8) on crutches. I was looking at my "before" picture the other night, and despite my current swollen toes, and Frankenstein-esque wounds, my foot looks so much better!
** I did promise, long ago, that this would be a photo-laden blog... so here are some feet shots:
So, this round was the right foot... in the fall I'll head back to the hospital and get the left one done, too. To make sure that the doctor did the correct one first, I left him some messages for while I was sleeping:
I HAVE to share this article from the Rtuland Herald (the paper in our new home city in Vermont).
A few months ago, Pat said to me:
"I really feel like Rutland is the 'New Jersey' of Vermont. It gets a bad rap, but the truth is it's great. There are little gems here that most people who come to VERMONT don't notice because it's not VERMONT enough..."
I am paraphrasing, but that's the jist of it!
Well, it seems our food and market writer found one of the gems of New Jersey this fall and feels similarly to my dear Patrick:
I’ve
done a bit of traveling this season with my partner and kids. As a
sociologist and community planner I am deeply interested in what makes a
community tick. When I arrive somewhere I immediately start scanning
for clues.
Each location reveals a lot about their history,
current values and aspirations for the future through their development
patterns, what gets covered in their newspapers, traffic patterns,
transportation options, types of businesses, what they choose to
highlight in the free guides to the area, and finally what is available
in their grocery stores, farm stores and farmers markets — if you can
find them.
One of the places we visited this past month was a
somewhat rural part of New Jersey. With a goal of spending some time in
New York City, but not breaking the bank on lodging, we found ourselves
in Vernon, N.J.
I’d never spent any time in New Jersey, so I
wasn’t sure what to expect. Honestly, my expectations were pretty low
given the chatter that seems to surround New Jersey’s reputation. What I
found, was that in broad terms, this area was not that different from
our part of Vermont.
Vernon is a blend of ski resorts, farms and
housing. This particular area, we eventually figured out, had a long
history of natural resource mining for valuable minerals unique to this
area — sound familiar?
Warwick, N.Y., was nearby. This is an area
I recalled from my regional planning days as a place with strong local
ordinances and future planning that kept intact their village area,
allowed for strong farming presence around the village, and set
standards for how things were built.
This area felt much more like a small town in Vermont, for sure.
We
found a farm store that was an extension of a multi-generational
working farm and orchard. It carried local meats, vegetables and
value-added products like jams and relishes. And, it had extra features
that made it obvious they wanted people to stop.
There was a
chainsaw wood carver working on a sculpture in the parking lot, a pen of
goats and chickens, and a mini playground for kids.
Each of
these cues made it a no-brainer for us to stop, visit and buy a few
things. There was even a café inside the farm market where we could have
eaten lunch.
People from outside Vermont have long been
traveling here because they want to observe and have some sort of
experience that includes our local farms. Just as we searched out the
Staten Island Ferry to travel past the Statue of Liberty in NYC,
visitors to our area want to tap into what makes us unique.
The
farm store in New Jersey we visited, Pennings, got me thinking about the
strained relationship Vermonters sometimes have with tourists. Tourists
are viewed by some as nosy visitors or, worse, unwanted intruders. Yet,
these visitors are an important part of our local economy and can bring
new revenues to a farm that is set up to welcome them. The number of
times I’ve seen a farm stand in our part of Vermont, couldn’t quite tell
if it was open or not, and wasn’t sure whether to stop or not stands in
stark contrast to Pennings. Pennings made it obvious they wanted people
to stop – removing that barrier to potential business.
RAFFL
is hosting a workshop Jan. 10 for farms interested in expanding their
business to include attracting visitors to the farm. The workshop
features a panel of folks with expertise to share.
Irene Hathaway of Hathaway Farm will share what she has done to successfully bring people into their corn maze.
Beth
Kennett of Liberty Hill Farm and Vermont Farms! Association will share
best practices for bringing people onto the farm. Kevin Durkee of Durkee
Insurance will talk about insurance concerns. Folks from Shelburne
Farms will share ideas for creating an educational program. Opening a
farm to visitors isn’t for everyone. But, interested farms can come
learn more at the workshop.
Register by contacting the RAFFL office at 417-1528.
Tara Kelly is executive director of Rutland Area Farm and Food Link.
Tonight I made stuffed Long Island Cheese pumpkin... so yummy!
I adapted this recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes, used rice instead of quinoa (only because we usually play that game the other way and use quinoa instead of rice!) and squash instead of sweet spuds.
I also added carrots and parsnip for some extra nutrition and flavor.
It was a huge hit... Pat went back for seconds. I think I'll be making this one again, maybe next time with sweet potatoes!
I just heard this GREAT piece on NHPR about happy pigs and some philosophy on killing animals... This time of year is tough for farmers and conscious eaters, alike. I really like the sentiment shared in the piece.
Click on the picture below of one of OUR happy pigs to hear the radio interview:
I had a FANTASTIC crew of helpers out today to soak up the sunshine and help slaughter the turkeys. There was singing, praying, lots of gratitude, and a little Michael Jackson-inspired fashion on the farm (see Chris, bottom left).
A big THANK YOU goes to Chris, Kathy, Courtney and Jennifer for all of your help. Also, thanks to the students for their calm participation and yearning for learning!
After clearing out the old, we re-composted the tomato beds to feed the soil. Tomatoes are notoriously 'heavy feeders', so adding in a good layer of compost will help replace organic matter which will hold more water + nutrients for the next round of hungry plants.
Much like when we compost the beds in the fields, composting the high tunnel requires the tractor, some shovels, some buckets, and some zen!
Here's Courtney + Mark practicing the zen part while I run back to the compost pile for a tractor load:
