pretty big news

ed was laid off from Pratt this week. well, actually, he volunteered for the layoffs, a month ago, and now it happened.

he's been trying to quit pratt for years, because it's not where his heart is. but there was always a reason why he could not do it. the first time he quit, we found out that i was pregnant with sena the day after he handed in his resignation letter; he decided to speak to his boss and told him that things had changed and he'd like to stay. his boss said OK (despite not wanting to be there, ed always works hard, and he just has a really good work ethic in general, so his bosses and colleagues love him).

even after that incident, he's been trying to get away, get into something else, because he felt that his work was not meaningful, and ultimately it was not making him (or the rest of us, let me tell you) happy. sometimes, he'd get so down about it, that he'd be in physical pain with headaches, backaches, etc.

about a month ago, when he heard that layoffs were coming, we talked about it, and he asked his boss if he can volunteer to be on the list. his boss was sad to lose him, but he obliged, and now it's done.

i have to admit that although i knew it was coming, i'm a bit freaked out. just because it's so unusual - nobody i know has ever asked to be laid off. but on the other hand i'm also excited and i feel that this change is a positive one for us. ed's a really hard worker, and i'm sure that if he wanted to go back to Pratt or work as a contractor, he could do it, w/o too much trouble. his bosses already hinted at this.

more importantly though, i feel that now we're giving our farming business a chance. it was hard to do much when he was working full time, and i had the kids and the house. now, he's going to be devoting most of his time and energy to the farm, which should make a huge difference. also, i'm happy that he'll be around the kids more, and he is too. sena was so excited when he told her that he'll be home! obviously, financially we'll be in worse shape than before. with his salary at pratt, there's no way our farm will be bringing in anything of that order, any time soon. but we've been saving for a while, and we don't have any debt, and our lifestyle is very simple, so we don't need a huge income. as far as the farm, we don't expect to make any money this year, or even next year. hopefully the year after that we'll make enough to be sustainable.

my view is that we're not into farming for the money (ed and i both agree on this). i feel that we're doing it because it's what we want to do, it feels good and it brings us satisfaction. i also feel that farming allows us to contribute positively to the well being of our community, and the well being of the earth. i feel that once you have this foundation, the money will come.

so it's all very new and exciting, and there's a lot of insecurity too, but i feel kind of proud that we finally let go of "working for The Man", or "The System", or whatever you want to call it, and are doing the things that really matter to us....

so right now, i'm putting all my love an energy into this....

anyway, here's some of our stuff:

summer squash

one half of our field, with kale in the foreground

sugar snap peas...yum!

tomatoes

onions

potatoes

peace

you know what the best thing about farming is?
it's so grounding and so real. i have only to think of it to feel instantly more calm, more at peace. there's something about being close to the land that's really healing.

etc.

i think all this rain is making me tired. i've been drowsy yesterday, and feeling it today too.
i didn't go outside yesterday, even though we had a lot of work to do. i focused on things inside the house. started some sprouts, which i hope to sell at the market. i hope people will be into them, they're so healthy, and i think they're very tasty too, in salads, sandwiches, or stir fried. so far, i'm growing alfalfa, mustard, and mung bean sprouts in one container, and wheat berries, and daikon radish sprouts in another.

we also signed up for one more market, so as of next week we will be selling at 3 markets: storrs, ashford, and westerly. westerly is down at the beach, in rhode island, and i'm very excited that we got in, because hopefully it will be busy, and also, ed's mom can help us with the kids. ed's parents cottage is minutes away from the market, so this should work out well. the kids will hang out with grandma and go to the beach, while i'm selling at the market, and maybe when it's done i'll hang with them too.

we've had some bad news over the past 2 weeks: most of our chickens and guinea hens got killed by a fox. ed saw the fox on the driveway one night, eyeing one of our roosters. she (we assume it's a she with young ones to feed) came by pretty much every night taking one or more birds at a time. we lost 4 guinea hens, maybe more (i lost count of how many we had), 3 roosters, and 1 hen. i'm really sad about 1 rooster in particular. he was the best, so gentle, and i swear he knew what we said to him. when he did something naughty, like walk in the house, we just had to ask him nicely to leave, and he did, whereas the hen and other chickens, we have to chase them out and yell at them. he liked the kids and he let them pet him. the kids called him "friendliest rooster". i really am sad about him. i heard that he put up a good fight with the fox (shandra heard him during the night), but she got him in the end. the hen he got together with most often is still alive. she's been sitting on eggs, and that's why the fox didn't get her yet, but today i saw her running around, and i'm worried for her. her eggs are still not hatched, and i hope she goes back to them soon. other than her, we only have 4 guineas left.

we're going to be building some special cages. they're huge, and they're on wheels. they're made with mesh, open to the outside air, and we're planning make them so that they can be moved around the field, so that the chickens can eat the crops that are ready to be turned over, and fertilize our soil at the same time. this design is already working well for our friends, and apparently it's used by other farmers too. hopefully the chickens won't get killed anymore once we do this. although foxes are really smart - they run around the cage until they drive the chickens mad with fear; sometimes a chicken will get so overwhelmed and stick its head out through the mesh, and the fox grabs it. this happened to anita and brian.

more than you wanted to know about chickens.
peace

beets, peas, onions....

i'm excited.
i worked over the last two days, weeding the onions, and now they're all done, and looking great. i spent a lot of time on the weekend weeding beets too, but then anita came over and said that the onions were more important, and that the beets were large enough and close enough to harvest that i didn't need to weed. anita walked with me through the fields and told me what i should be focusing on, and it was great to have some idea of priorities. at least now i feel that my efforts are more focused and productive. we're so lucky that anita and brian are our friends, they have so much farming experience; we'd be so lost without their help and advice...

still, so many times, i feel like ed and i are shooting in the dark. ordering seeds for example. we have no idea, which ones will do well, which ones are best to order. we just pick up the seed catalog and order whatever sounds good to us. it's going to be a long process before we have enough experience to know what's best at different times of the year. until then, we'll keep trying and doing our best.

anyway, i pulled out quite a few beets on the weekend, when i was weeding and thinning. some were big enough to eat, and i cooked them, and wow! they were the best beets i've ever had. so sweet and buttery. just delicious, but ed and i barely got to have any, bc the kids ate them all up in minutes.

the peas are coming in too. we have shell peas, and sugar snap peas. the kids love them raw, and i don't know if we'll be selling any or just keeping all of them for us to eat now and during the winter. we've been buying them every week this past winter, and it would be much nicer to have our own.

the cabbages are looking great too, they're huge, and have started forming nice heads. the tomatoes are flowering and fruiting. the eggplants are small but coming along. peppers are really small, hopefuly they'll be ok. potatoes are doing great. and that's about where the garden is...

peace

after all this rain there had to be...

mudplay!

kids are so good at having fun with just about anything. it's so easy for them to abandon themselves and just enjoy. being in the presence of that much freedom and joy is one of the best things about parenting (if you can get over the mess and all its implications...)

when was the last time you laughed like that?


i love this picture...


peace

the children in the field

our trip to montreal went really well, and we all enjoyed it. the drive back home was great, with the kids very cooperative and agreeable.

as soon as we got home, i got out of the car and went into the field. lots of grwouth while we were gone, especially the squashes, beans, and corn. the tomatoes and potatoes are looking really good too, and so is the kale. the eggplants look so - so. i think a little foliar feeding would do them good.

i hoed eggplants and peppers, and it felt really good to be outside again. i spent a lot of time outside in montreal too, but it was different, a little too much pavement. the cafes were nice though, and i took full advantage of them.

anyway, after the initial survey of the field, i took a closer look at our lettuce beds. they're not looking so great, and i'm worried. they're really crowded, and need to be thinned really badly. there are lots of weeds which need to be pulled out.

when i went to the little garden in back of our house, more bad news. the lettuces growing there are infested with slugs. i started pulling them out, trying to get rid of the plants with most slugs on them. i barely made a dent, and then ed called me in the house, it was getting late and i had lost track of time.

for a while, i could not fall asleep, thinking of all the slugs. i read about slugs before, and i knew they are one of the most common pests, but wow, seeing them was such a downer...
i'm going to have to try one of the remedies i read about, a dry yeast and water trap for the slugs.

so now i feel like there's so much to do. i feel sad that we didn't take better care of our lettuces, thining and weeding them. now, so many of them are damaged. i guess i should think of this as a learning experience...

i think i'll ask one of my friends for help with this today. it's so hard to keep it all under control, with just ed and i, esp. since he's got a full time job elsewere, and i have the kids, and cooking and all the rest.

last night after the kids were asleep, ed asked me if i was sleeping, and i said no, i was worried about the slugs. he said that i was thinking about my children in the field, and i thought it was funny but pretty close.

pictures from my parents' house

we used my mom's camera to take these:

showing off the dance moves


buca with sena and aiyana


kissing and enjoying the sun in the back yard


i like this one of my mom and the girls


i love sena's smile on this one


aiyana wearing sena's hat


i wanted to take a picture, but sena doesn't like to pose, so i told her to just be herself and think of something nice. in no time at all, she got this faraway look...thinking about her boyfriend jesus, from mexico. aiyana has no problem being herself when food is around.


pizza is a treat


they're not used to watching TV. can you tell? they get so spaced out...


peace

today

rainy day in montreal. but i enjoyed it anyway.
the kids were amazing yesterday, on the way here, and have been well behaved since. today they went out with my parents for a few hours.

i went downtown by myself, found an unexpected parking spot on University, and took it. i was hungry, so i had some Lebanese food at Basha's. it was very good. i walked a little in the rain, then got back in the car and drove over to Fairmount. got some fresh bagels, walked some more, and eventually found a nice little cafe to get out of the rain. settled down in a cozy spot, with a coffee and my book. i read about growing healthy plants.

a very nice treat for myself, thanks mostly to my parents who allowed me to enjoy this time, knowing that the kids were safe and well cared for.

peace

recipes for the market

i'm planning to print these recipes and hand them out at the market, since they go well with the stuff we're selling right now. i thought i'd share them here in case anyone is interested. they're quick and easy, and i think, quite tasty.

Raluca's Mixed Salad

1 bag (or ~0.5lbs) salad greens
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
~1/2 cup toasted sunflower seeds
toasted sesame seeds, to taste
4-5 Kalamata olives (or any kind you prefer), pitted and sliced

Put salad greens in a large bowl.
Drizzle with ginger-garlic salad dressing (see companion recipe), tossing gently until greens are evenly coated.
Top with slices of boiled eggs, seeds and olives.
Serve immediately.
(If you'd like to prepare this salad in advance, put everything together except the dressing. Refrigerate, and add the dressing just before eating.)


Ginger-Garlic Salad Dressing
(the quantities below will make enough dressing for 1 bag or ~0.5lbs of salad greens)

1/2 in piece of fresh ginger root, grated or finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
2Tbsp sesame (or olive) oil
2Tbsp Tamari (or salt, to taste)
4Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2-3 Tbsp water

Put ginger and garlic in a small bowl. Add oil and soak for 5 to 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Just before eating, drizzle over salad, tossing gently until greens are evenly coated.

Sauteed Kale with Garlic

Olive oil
5 fresh kale leaves, chopped
4 (or more) cloves of garlic, crushed
Salt
Black pepper
~1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (optional)
(the quantities above may be modified according to taste)

Coat pan with olive oil, and heat on medium.
Add chopped kale and garlic.
Cook on medium for 10 minutes, stirring frequently until kale is bright green and tender, yet still a little crispy.
Add salt and pepper just before removing from heat.
Drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired, and serve.

3rd market

i wrote this last saturday night but didn't get a chance to post it until today.

we just did our 3rd market today, and although it's late now, I'm a little too excited, and i can't sleep, so i thought i'd write some of my thoughts.
i think we're doing pretty well, for being as new as we are in farming and at the market. we're selling most of the stuff we have, and this week we made about as much money as last week (which is not enough to break even yet, given all our expenses, but hopefully this will work itself out in time).

i think that we'll do better and better as the season continues, and we have more variety of produce. so far, we're still selling only greens, but if things go well the rest of the season, we should have peas, beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, beets, onions, potatoes, and so on.

my favorite thing about the market though, and about saturdays in general, is meeting and interacting with people. i find that most people who come to our table are very kind and encouraging. i find it easy to talk to them, and tell them about ourselves. lots of people are genuinely interested in finding out more about us, our farm, and our philosophy, and i like engaging in that conversation.

i'm really touched by how kind and supportive people have been, especially when they find that we're just starting out.
today, for instance, two Romanian friends i haven't seen in years came by with their kids, talked to us, and bought some of our stuff. it was so nice to see them!
another woman i know who has been buying our stuff for the past 2 weeks, could not come this week bc she's out of town; yet, she recommended us to one of her friends, who did come and bought a bunch of stuff, and told us how she heard all these good things about us.
so i feel really encouraged and inspired by the support people have given us, and it just adds another dimension to farming, which wasn't there before.

when i'm outside, working in the field, i enjoy the fresh air, the bird songs, and the feeling of being close to the land. it's hard work, but these things keep me going. now, knowing that people appreciate the work and energy we put into growing this food motivates me even more...

peace

land update

things look good with the piece of land we're trying to buy. ed will be inspecting the house next week, to see if it's livable, and if so, how much work and money needs to go into it. then, we'll be meeting with the owners and the lawyers, and hopefully close on it. one thing that needs to be done before closing is make sure that the tenants currently living there are out. we don't want to have to deal with them, even though they seem nice enough, but we heard bad stories about having to evict people who refuse to leave, and don't want to deal with that.
but hopefully that won't be a problem. i want to sign the papers and hand them a check so badly...i just love this land, and can't wait to start planting. we want to do strawberries and blueberries, in addition to the stuff we're currently doing. i also want to plant a flower garden.

speaking of flowers, i have a cute story. last saturday, sena got it in her head that she was going to sell flowers at the market. she and aiyana went outside and roamed the fields around our house for a while, and then came back with a sweet little bouquet of wild flowers. they had picked dandelions, buttercups, and other flowers, but they they had picked them of different lengths, so the whole thing looked a bit rough. sena wanted to charge $3 for it. i asked them if i could keep this bouquet for myself, and i would go out with them and pick another one that they could sell at the market. sena said ok, and we went out and picked some yellow and purple irises, and some pink honeysuckle. we made a really nice bouquet, and sena carried it proudly to the market. she told aiyana that she could have $1 when it sold.

once at the market, sena stood at our table holding her bouquet, but she was too shy at first to ask people to buy it. i told her that people might not know it's for sale, so eventually, she started to ask in a very little voice. 2 or 3 people heard her, but they said they would buy flowers next time, maybe. she wasn't too hurt, and she kept asking, but nobody was buying it, and eventually she got tired and wanted to go play. the bouquet was all forgotten, when at the end of the market, a woman came to our table and said how beautiful the flowers were, and asked if they were for sale. sena was in the bathroom at the time. i told the woman that sena wanted $3, but she could give me anything she thought fair. she gave me $3, and i thanked her profusely, knowing how happy it would make sena. when sena came out of the bathroom, i called her over and told her the flowers had sold. she started jumping up and down, hugging my leg. she was beaming.

i took pics that day, but they came out fuzzy, with my camera being broken. anyone have a used digital camera in good conditon for sale?

peace

beautiful homebirth

i was planning to go to montreal last monday, but last weekend it looked like my neighbor and good friend Shandra was getting ready to give birth, so i postponed my trip. sure enough she gave birth on monday, at home, to a beautiful little girl.

it was incredible to be near her, during labor and after the birth. i've never in the presence of a woman about to give birth before. she seemed so otherwordly, so calm and composed, and mostly, so incredibly powerful. i had to keep from bursting into tears every time i came near her, that's how extraordinary it felt, but i didn't want to distract her with my own emotions.

i saw her also the day after the baby was born. she was absolutely beaming, their whole family was. they looked so beautiful, so whole and healthy. what an honor to be in their presence!

peace

simple

i really want my life to be more simple. i want to get rid of stuff in my space, because it weighs me down. i want to do one thing at a time, and just be with what i'm doing. i want to be more aware and pay attention.
i'm working on this really hard right now, because i have the feeling that the alternative is to watch my life go by in a chaotic frenzy and rush.

quick update

the market went really well again on saturday. we sold a lot more stuff, and met more people. we had 4 bags of spinach, 4 of head lettuce, and 20 of mixed greens, as well as 2 tomato plants. everything sold out except for the mixed greens, 8 bags left.

it's really exciting, and i'm sad that my camera broke and cannot post any pictures. our field is looking pretty good right now... and i had some nice pics of sena's first bikeride on the bike trails. she did really weell, and was very proud of herself, but the pictures came out all fuzzy. need a new camera....

b.t.w, for those interested and living in CT, the market we sell at is Storrs Farmers' Market, happening May to November, on Saturdays 3-6, at Mansfield Townhall (near junction of RT195 and RT275)

peace