“Working of the Land”

April 15,2012

This week started off okay, a little soggy, then it got a lot soggy, then the week ended with a spectacular workshop in the sparkling sunshine.

First we started off with a great sneezing task of mulching the garlic rows, then more hoeing. Funny thing hoeing, it’s a rather steady task as you watch the hoe move up-down, up-down, as your arms ache your mind slips into empty thoughts, or too many thoughts off in the distance and yet your arms still move up-down, up-down. Your breath quickens, though your mind is far your eyes are keen to finding all the unwanted grass clumps and your fingertips feel the slightest unwanted muddy dirt clod as though the hoe is an extension of your person. Still up-down, up-down. The aching passes into a kind of trance and before you know it the field bed is completed your task is done and you are waking as if from a dream.

After our hoeing task we started transplanting broccoli and cabbage. we had to beat the rain that was promised so we transplanted 11rows in just a few hours. We walked away with soar backs and blistered fingers, but we finished.

The next day we received the promised rain. we were able to squeeze in a transplanting of a bed of lettuce before it got too muddy, then we cut potato starts.

On Friday, us apprentices, took a journey to Grass Valley area for a BDANC quarterly meeting and workshop. (BDANC= Bio-Dynamic Association of Northern California) Where we met several other bio-dynamic (BD) farmers. We learned about something called ‘preparations’ which is a sort of food for your compost, or field soil. It’s a technique of using certain herbs to ‘heal’ or balance the soil or compost. This workshop was a fun weekend endevor, but I slipped into church right in time for the opening prayer!

I can’t wait to see what next week has to offer!

“It’s hot then it’s cold…”

“It’s hot then it’s cold…”

For April 8, 2012-04-15

So either the hay bails are getting Fighter or I’m getting stronger cuz they just don’t seem as difficult to lift anymore…

The weather has been weird. One day it will be bitter cold, the next a cozy warm, then it will hail and blast of blistering cold wind will come through, then it will drizzle then warm up again to the point where I was walking around shoeless. don’t know what to wear some days.

The days here are starting to meld together into a blur of feeling, herding, mucking, racking, hoeing, weeding, eating, wheel-barrowing, milking, and somewhere in there is sleeping. We’ve sowed bell peppers, eggplant, peas, tomatoes, carrots, choy, and lettuce. Some were sown in seedling flats for the green house, some straight into the field.

We hope that each little seed turns to a plant, and that each plant will give fruit (or root) that can be given to our supporting families as food!

… Community Supported Agriculture (farm) …

Rain, rain go away!

Rain, rain, go away!

So this week started off good, we had some sunshine so we sowed peas, tomatoes, parsnips, beets, and chard. Our fourth apprentice arrived as well, so now we are two girls and two boys (Sarah and I, Gabe and Josh). But then it started to rain. It rained for five days straight! I had to start doing evening chores, so I lift bails of hay, fill feeders the drive the animals group by group to the barn. So I often am trotting in mud after the animals.

Most of this week we dug a ditch, fixed seed flats, fixed sieves, wheeled barrows, cleaned out the out-house, built compost, fixed pvc irrigation pipes and lots of organizing of this and that.

Friday we sheared four and a half sheep by hand! We wrestled them down, used the hand-shears to clip down the middle (the belly) then slowly clip around to the back then to the front, it was great! One sheep was left as a half because it got dark on us.

On Saturday we studied more about bio-dynamics and the cycles of seasons and plants. It was great to have a nice discussion about it and study. I hate school but I love the farm and studying this work.

This week was a low-key week all in all not much going on because of the rain. I was wet and cold most of the week, then a church member friend here let me use her washer and dryer! So thankfully at the end of a wet, muddy week all my clothes are now clean, dry, and fresh!

Cheers to the invention of dryers!