muffins and cows

peaches are in. melons too. we're eating lots of fresh fruit these days.

sena and aiyana ate about 10 peaches each yesterday morning, and when ed suggested that maybe that's enough, they decided to make muffins and sell them at the CSA. ed and i were busy all day picking and prepping for the CSA so we did not get involved with their project at all. sena's idea was to sell the muffins and donate the money to the whale organization she's been involved with, CSI (Cetaceans Society International). we only have one mufin tray, so they ended up making 3 batches of 6 peach muffins. the muffins were a hit, especially hot out of the oven as they were. they were tasty too, i had one. between muffins and straight donations that people made for the whales, sena and aiyana raised about 35 dollars. i have to say that i am really proud of how they took initiative and got this done. i think most people thought that i made the muffins and the kids were just selling them to be cute, but i really had nothing to do with it at all, and was just as surprised to see them at their little table with the whale sign, selling, as anyone else. also, i don't think people realized they were getting top quality ingredients, such as fresh peaches just picked off our tree, freshly ground local wheat, local maple syrup made by a friend, etc.

this past weekend ed and i went cow shopping. we visited 2 farms in the Berkshires to learn more about pastured cows, and possibly buy a couple. both farms were beautiful. one was owned by an older woman who is a medical doctor and a farmer. part of her doctoring is to treat people right there on the farm, by getting them involved with farm work to their level of ability. i think she treats all kinds of things, but she mentioned cancer and mental stuff. her property was beautiful, and if i were sick that's the kind of place i'd want to be treated at. she had 2 dutch belted cows for sale, and we spent some time looking at them. she also had pigs and chickens, as well as vegetables and fruit trees on her farm. she said that her involvement with farming is not for money, but for the freedom and lifestyle it allows her. i liked her a lot.

the second farm was much bigger, but also beautiful. 200 acres of land, with cows, pigs, goats and chickens all in rotation, all with their functions: cows for grazing pastures, chickens for following the cows and controlling fly populations, goats to clear brush, and pigs to till and open up new land in forested areas. the farmer who works there owns the animals, but not the land. he makes money by selling meat, raw milk, eggs, and other products from the animals. he is a young guy, who seemed humble and low key, but also knowledgeable and willing to share what he knows. i also liked him very much, and the other people who worked with him.

tonight and tomorrow we are going to see more cows, and this weekend we're going to vermont for the same reason. when i spoke to the farmer in vermont and told him that i was from montreal, he told me that the botanical gardens there have a wonderful exhibit on display right now, so for my friends and family living there, check it out.

thoughts

i like to work.
working for money can obscure other more imporant reasons for working.

it's good to know your own history, where you come from. there's a certain peace in it.

there's a kind of memory that's stored in the senses, which is very powerful, and maybe the longest lasting. like the smell of fresh cool mountain air, or freshly cut hay, or the smell of the ocean, or the way you felt about someone on a certain autumn day. i'd like to learn more about this kind of memory.

it's good to learn the ways of humans, at least enough to get around and to know how you got to where you are, and then, it's good to unlearn and blend in with beings that are more sane and permanent.

peace

caprese sandwich

been having a lot of these recently, and sena and aiyana can't get enough:

• slice of fresh, crusty, home-made bread (can skip if gluten-free), piled with:
• freshly made basil pesto, or a few leaves of fresh basil
• fresh mozarella (i also like feta, or fresh chevre would be good too)
• roasted eggplant, sliced thinly before roasting and seasoned with salt and pepper
• thick slice of fresh, juicy, ripe tomato
• salt and pepper sprinkled on top

simple and satisfying, this is truly a feast for the senses, but everything has to be fresh, otherwise i think most what makes it good is lost.

peace

before i go to bed i like to read for about 15-20 minutes (more if possible, but usually i don't last longer than that). here's what i've been reading:

• the bible of soil science, as one friend reffered to it, The Nature and Properties of Soils. amazing book. i can relate to and apply so much of it. glad i'm reading it now, not a few years ago, when much of it would've been theoretical and would've gone over my head.
• a history book about the Ottoman Empire, called Lords of the Horizons, because it reminds me of things i learned in history class in Romania, and because i think i will find clues to my past in it.
• a book on cheese making, because i might be getting into that this winter. i think we're getting a cow soon.

misty, sunny morning

it has been so pleasant out these past few days: sunny, cool, and low humidity. i can't get enough of it.
this morning was misty and sunny at the same time, really beautiful, and i got a picture of it. you can see one of our fields with lettuces, sweet potatoes, peppers, beans, and in the tunnels arugula, mustard and mizuna greens; the bare-looking ground is a recent planting of carrots.

and these are our onions, recently harvested and drying in the sun

peace

sky reflections in dew drops on asparagus

these simple gifts all around us if we could only notice.