Farm Blog

Thank you again for braving the blizzard to celebrate, connect with great food, and 'planting an orchard'! Just imagine all those future cherry trees (don't forget to squat:-).
I am so uplifted from all the good vibes, intentions, laughter and seeds shared and planted.

We were able to raise $850.00 in funds! This will go a long way, thank you! Additionally, with all the seeds donated today and from what I've gleaned from others, The women growers in the Sine-Saloum region will be able to plant out a couple hundred row feet/farm. In the past we've planted shared 'demonstration beds' ie since many of the farmers share space/land to grow on we've constructed seeds beds to trial different varieties, plant insectory herbs and flowers and share techniques. From there seeds are harvested and shared forward amongst the individual farmers. So in essence your generosity helped plant teaching/learning/eating/

sharing beds of veggie, herb, and flower goodness!
 

I will honor my commitment and extend the immense gratitude, generosity that was shared during the workshop with the women farmers in the following ways:

Work with NCBA CLUSA Farmer to Farmer Program to transfer funds and mail seeds.
I'll also email and share highlights, photos forward later this week in celebration of our workshop success.

I am tentatively set to travel there Nov/Dec. or January in 2016.

I also finally remembered the name of third grower group, JUBO (means widespread). If you're interested in learning more about how they got started, here's a link to an interview I did as part of my last Farmer to Farmer adventure in Senegal.

I Will keep you in the loop as the project evolves and thanks again for sharing your generous spirit!

For the chocolate lovers:
Becky Otte, who made the amazing truffles, has more of her chocolate goodness to share and is selling some of her creations just in time for Valentines. if you're interested send her an email: raonine@gmail.com

Also Here is a link to Roots Chocolate website.

For the Fruit Lovers:

I've enclosed a handout of some of the different fruits we grow at our farm as well as a flyer highlighting this season's events at the farm! We'd love to have you venture out and tour the orchard, come visit us (though not nearly as cool as the orchard poses we did during the workshop).

Thank you again for helping me transition from being a butterfly weed seed (ie wind pollinated, not knowing where or how my intentions, projects might stick) to more of an oak or cashew seeds - wherein I can deepen my awareness, provide support in the same place(s) in Senegal for the growers and in my backyard in Wisconsin:-). Here's to planting the seeds of the as yet to be imagined on and off the yoga mat! Wishing you all much abundance.

Happy Mid-winter!

Yours in hardy kiwi,
Erin


PS If you are into exploring the planting side as well as enjoying more local fruit creations, we'll be hosting a Local Fruit Tasting May 16, details on our website.

 

Your Food Calorie Receipt

As ever, October has somehow lept upon us. Indeed so fast this year, that we never got out a proper September newsletter. Apologies for the elipsis.

With all 20 share bags behind us now, it's time to look back at the growing season and see just how things stacked up, or didn't. By comparison with 2013, the immediately noticeable difference is in the totals: Last year, we provided 154 lbs of produce per share, this year 138. Last year's calorie count was 26,300; this year's is 20,400.

While those numbers are slightly shocking (at least I was shocked when I looked at the bottom of this year's spreadsheet), the 16 pound / 5,900 calorie deficit was almost entirely down to two crops: can you tell what they were?

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Those Dog(ged) Days of Farming – a Mid-August Manifesto...

Mid-August. The dog days of summer came to be known as such due to Sirius's (or Dog Star's) close proximity to the Earth and relevance in signifying the shifting of seasons and weather patterns. To the Egyptians, the star's rising meant the flooding of the Nile was just around the corner. To the Polynesians, a welcome sign from which to navigate the winter seas. The ancient Greeks observed that following the star's heliacal rising, unsettled weather conditions abound and gave way to the hot, dry time of summer, causing plants to wilt, men to weaken, and women to become aroused. Anyone suffering its effects was said to be astroboletos, or 'star-struck'. Hence these dog days of August coincide with the dogged days of farming. Any farmer suffering it's effects, shows symptoms of being awe-struck by the sheer abundance of growth heralding the produce.

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Abuzz in your Bouquets with Pollinator Possibilties

I've just wrapped up a few big weddings I had the delight and opportunity of providing flowers and bouquet design for. I love the challenges and creativity that working with what's in season entails whether flowers or fruit. And so my sights naturally turn toward the ditches, right of ways and green spaces en route to the farm and I take mental note of butterfly weed, daisy fleabane, liatrus, solomon's seal, coneflowers and the occasional cardinal flower and Canada Milk Vetch coloring the roadsides and in my mind design how they might compliment the brilliance of the first gladioulus spike, or soften the demanding shine of sunflowers. I've often wondered why we congregate toward conformity – whether it's in the landscape, flower shop, or farmers market bouquet – the colors, shapes, and textures all bear a similarity, style. While I have fond memories and love of lilies and deep gratitude for bellflower, of the 200,000 plus flowering plants in the world, we seem as a culture to cultivate roughly 20 or so in the flower beds. Sigh.

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Plant to Table: Herbs through the ages

"Keep it dry by you all the year, if you love yourself and your ease, and it is a hundred pounds to a penny if you do not." - Nicolas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal 1652

Nostalgia seems to have overtaken our herbal instincts, with many of the herbs in your mid-July - August CSA shares reminiscent of the Medieval Garden. Enjoy a bit of herbal renaiisance in your next stir fry, rice bowl, or barbecued cornish hen and pay homage to your ancestors in carrying on such herbal traditions including the following herbs...

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Forest Gardening: Growing a Community for your Orchard

Check out the latest issue of USDA Agroforestry News, featuring our farm's experiment with growing food forests, building community.

And here's a little preview/teaser for some tips for getting started...

Tips for your food forest: 

Forest garden guilds can also serve as a metaphor for how you relate to people and to your community. A few transferrable tips to consider while you establish your food forest: 

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Plant to Table: Cilantro & Coriander - What's in a Name?

Cilantro and Coriander are one in the same plant, though different times of the year and phases in it's life-cycle render different namesakes. Catch it in early summer or early on it's plant development and the lacy leaves prefer the cilantro namesake. Should your 'cilantro' bolt or you forgot where you planted it (both scenarios have occurred in our gardens), let the seeds size up and harvest as 'Coriander'.

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