No more waiting till the cows come home

A summary of the past few days:

On Friday, we went to see the cows and meet with the vet. Following is an email we sent to our CSA members that night, which will give you an idea of how everything went:

Want to help on the farm immediately?

To

Date

Fri 23:19

The cows are coming home.
Mission: To have 2 stalls ready for them by Sunday at noon.
When we need help: Any time on Saturday, rain or shine heavy rain.
Problem: Only one stall is currently ready. The other is filled to the brim with wood and other stuff, which needs to be removed and restacked. The stall then needs to be cleaned, and a barn wall and gate need to be built.
Jobs you can help with:

• Move out and restack the wood
• Pickup nails and other objects off the ground (dangerous to the cow)
• Help install hay racks and salt licks.

Tools that would be helpful to bring if you have them:

• Cordless skill saw
• Cordless jigsaw

How we got into this situation: We had one barn ready for the cows, but we found out just today that the two cows we’re getting should be separated for a couple of weeks, and thus require two stalls. We also just found out tonight that we’ll be getting them this Sunday, a lot earlier than we expected (although we’re very excited about it).
Why we’re writing this email at 10pm (usually we’re in bed at 9): This email is actually being written as we drive home on I-91S, after closing the deal on the purchase of our first cows! This email is also being written after having had a flat tire on the side of the highway, driving around aimlessly trying to find a gas station that had air so we could inflate the spare from 10psi to 60, and then proceeding home at 50 mph with flashers on the whole way.

ps. If anyone knows about tractors, our Kabota won’t start.



The response to our email was great. We had a dozen people show up, and the work was done in a few hours. It would've taken Ed and I several days were we to do it alone, not to metion the stress we would've experienced. Like this it was actually fun for everyone.

The cows were delivered today and everyone is extatic. The girls are besides themselves. At one point, Aiyana shyly whispered to me: "I fell in love" .
Everything is going really well so far. The family who sold us the cows is among the nicest we've met. On Friday night, after we sealed the deal, the sent us home with fresh, home-made cookies. Need I say more?

The cows are: Opal, who is just about 2, and she's most likely pregnant, due around June; and Jasmine, who's 6 months old and just weaned from her mom. Opal is the perfect family cow, mild disposition, nice size, already had a calf and gave birth unassisted with no problem. Jasmine is timid. She'll need more time to become accustomed to us and our farm. But she's also very sweet. Right now they're both a bit stressed by the travel and the new surroundings. We're being really gentle and calm around them, and we'll be spending lots of time with them to get them used to us. They'll be in their stall for a couple of weeks until they get comfortable here, then we'll let hem out on pasture.
This feels great.

Jasmine with her previous owner

 Opal and Ed

Peace

Our first Feta! and Ricotta!

Sena and I made our first Feta last night. We used raw, Jersey milk from Baldwin Brook Farm in Cantebury. Everything went well, up to the salt brining step at the very end. My recipe called for 3 days of brining, but we only brined overnight, and when I tasted the cheese in the morning it was way too salty.In the future we will brine for one ot two hours only. Fortunately you can reverse the saltiness, which is what we did, by putting the cheese in a pure whey brine or plain water until it comes back to the desired saltiness. 

I made Ricotta with the whey left from the Feta. I had some topped with peaches from our tree, which I froze in the summer, and it was delicious.

I've also been making cultured buttermilk, a big hit with the family and super-easy to make.

Adventures in dairy have begun!

My grocery list for this week has only 3 items on it: milk, cream, and nuts. The milk and cream will soon disappear - we're going to see our (hopefully) future cows on Friday. The nuts, I'm not so sure. We grew peanuts this past year but they didn't do well. Maybe we'll try a different variety in the future, but for now, we're buying nuts. In any case, I feel like we're getting closer to our goal of self-sufficiency, and that is encouraging.

Here's a picture of our cheeses. Ricotta is in the glass bowl, the rest is Feta.

Peace

I guess I was a little overzealous with the work when I got back from Montreal. I went out a couple of days ago and harvested the last hundred pounds of (super-sweet) carrots from the greenhouse. I wanted to get them out of the ground before the real cold came, and I felt the need to do some work outside. My hands were frozen by the end of it, but still, I felt good. The problem came with transporting the carrots from the green house to the root cellar. I didn’t use a wheel barrow, because of the snow, I just carried them in a bin. I only carried about 30 pounds and asked Ed to carry the rest, but the way I walked with the bin made for an awkward position. I guess my back did not like this, because yesterday all of a sudden I started having lower back pain, which has intensified quite a bit since. Now I feel like an old woman, and that exuberance that made me go out there for the carrots in the first place seems like it belonged to someone else. I’ve been sitting around the fire and shelling beans, a task that had to get done, so at least I feel like I can still do something useful.

Cow update: Things look good. We found a Dexter cow who’s pregnant and due in about August, and a 6 month old Dexter heifer, both on a small farm in New Hampshire. The family selling them seems very nice and easy to deal with. We’re hoping to go up there next week to have a vet assessment of the two of them, and pick them up shortly after, weather permitting.

Sena made her first cheese, with my help – paneer. It came out delicious, I thought, but unfortunately I was the only one who thought this. I made curry with half of it, and ate the rest raw all by myself. It was a real treat, and I was kind of glad I did not have to share it. Sena was really proud of her first cheese even though she did not like the taste, and now she wants to try other cheeses, but I told her we’ll have to wait till my back feels better.

 Peace

Happy New Year!

Aiyana and I went to a sweat lodge last night to celebrate the New Year. Initially I wanted to stay home and just have a quiet night, but Aiyana really wanted to go, so we did, and I am glad for it. There was a great bonfire, and the night was cold and clear, with a new moon and lots of stars. It was beautiful, and the lodge felt like the perfect place to be to welcome the new year.

I’ve been reflecting on the year ahead. What I want mostly is to use my energy and good health in a good, useful way. For some time now, I’ve been feeling a sense of urgency to get things done. I don’t know if it’s age-related, but I feel that this is the time to act, to put my energy to use in a practical and concrete way. I feel particularly driven in these areas:

Homeschooling – I want to give Sena and Aiyana as much as they can hold, and lay a solid foundation, one that they can turn to for the rest of their lives. We’ve had good progress so far, and it’s amazing to watch them soak up the knowledge - I feel that there’s almost no limit to what they can learn.

Farming – I need to keep farming, at this point I cannot imagine myself not doing it. I’m very excited about getting our cow, (which looks like it will happen soon), and integrating her with the rest of the farm. I want our farm be self-sustaining, i.e. operate with no external inputs, and I feel like the cow will bring us closer to that ideal by closing the loop on soil fertility (right now we’re buying in a significant part of our soil fertility in the form of compost).

Share what I've learned - I also feel an urgency to share with people what I found to be true, in regards to the earth and our impact on it. I now know that we, humans, are affecting the fundamental forces that make life on earth possible. We have changed the weather, and we are affecting the quality of water and air.

I want to encourage those who are willing to simplify their lives; reduce the amount of stuff you buy; reduce the amount of energy you consume; and in general think about your impact.

In my experience simple living is not equivalent to deprivation, quite the opposite. Simple living has brought me abundance, joy, contentment, and peace of mind. 

I don't want to get preachy, but I feel that I must speak about this. A wise man I know said "what good is your knowledge, your love, and everything you have been given, if you don't share it?" I do feel that consumption, besides leaving the earth in poor shape for future generations, is not bringing people the happiness they seek, whereas a more modest living can be much more fulfilling and sustainable on both a personal level and large scale.

This is not about "saving the earth". I do believe that the earth will be fine. The earth can bounce back and regenerate, but maybe not in a form that's suitable for humans to live. So this is about saving ourselves, and about leaving the earth in better shape than we found it, so that our children and future generations can also enjoy this amazing life we have here.

 

Happy New Year, and Peace.

This year's Montreal visit

We just got back home from Montreal. Sena, Aiyana and I went to visit my parent for the holidays. We had a nice time with them, and Sena, who's doing a family tree, initiated a lot of conversation and story telling about family members from long ago, which was a great bonding experience.

My sister and her family were there too for a few days, so we got to spend some time all together, which was a little chaotic, but still, a treat.

Today, the girls and I drove home, and I have to admit that I feel relief. I don't like and don't feel well being indoors for long time, but in the city, it feels like the only thing to do outdoors is walk around the streets and shop. I'm not into shopping, so the girls and I walked around, and went to some cafes, but I felt empty. I'm sure that if I had to I would re-adapt to city life, but right now it feels difficult to live in a place with so few trees and so little natural landscape, and so much man-made stuff.

So I felt great driving through the mountains of Vermont today, and when I got back home I had a surge of energy. Went for a walk around the fields and I can't wait till tomorrow to get my hands dirty again, and work with the soil. I'll find something to do in the greenhouse, some weeding, or planting, or anything just to get me grounded again.

Peace

The funniest

Check out my little niece, Stella, singing Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, on the potty. Here she is.

The gift that lays unopened

There are mysteries
that will never be revealed,
As they shouldn't.

The mountains, wise and old,
will hold their secrets, quietly,
As they should.

Majestic old trees,
made of sun and earth,
Will not divulge the workings
of time and nature.

Birds will not tell
of never-ending voyage
across boreal forest, mountains, deserts,
But they will sing of it.

Whales will not speak
about the sacred ocean,
whose depths they only know;
It's written in their eyes.

These secrets are not for distracted, insensitive humans.
They will not be bought or sold, ever!
They cannot be told,
But must be felt, experienced,
Through pure yearning, desire, and deep humility.

This precious knowing of the earth and our place on it is our gift at birth,
A forgotten gift we search for all our lives,
not knowing what we're looking for,
down busy city streets,
in stifling office buildings,
in failed relationships.
A gift that's ready to open when we're ready.

Look to the powerful beings who know!
Pay them deep respect, and you may be granted a glimpse.
A glimpse that makes this life worthwhile.

Peace

Sena is 10!

My beautiful Sena turned 10 yesterday! I can hardly believe it, which is what every parent says about their children, but it is nevertheless true. She is truly a beautiful person, and wise beyond her 10 years.

She teaches Ed and I as much as we teach her, and about more important things. We teach her how to get along in life, and she teaches us about seeing clearly. I want to give her the necessary tools to get through life, as far as practical knowledge, etc., but I don't want to interfere with or muddle her inborn sense of justice, her integrity, and her clarity about what's important.

One of the greatest gifts Sena, and Aiyana have given me, is the ability to get over myself, and just get on with life. They have given me a much wider perspective on life, which on one hand diminishes my own self-important attitude, and on the other hand spurs me into action through the realization that what I do is important, and does have tangible consequences.

We had two parties to celebrate, one with Sena's friends and one with her grandparents and cousin. We also celebrated quietly, together, just the four of us, by watching pictures and reminiscing about Sena's birth 10 years ago. As far as presents, I knitted her a scarf/hat, Ed got her a focus pad to practice her karate kicks, and Aiyana got her some pretty yarn to use in the knitting and crocheing. It was a good birthday.

Peace

Winter Solstice

Happy Winter Solstice! Today, we celebrate the return of the light, as the days start to slowly get longer.

For me, this is a time of introspection, rest and renewal. Just as everything in nature is now at rest, seeds laying dormant in the ground, animals hibernating in their shelters, so for us, humans, it feels good to slow down, let our bodies and minds rest from the activities of the past year, and renew for the coming season.

Winter Solstice reminds me that everything is a continual death / rebirth cycle. I see this played in front of my eyes throughout the year in different forms, on different scales; within humans too, this cycle is happening. So I ask myself, what physical aspects, ideas and ways of being are fading in my life, what do I need to let go of, and what is being born that needs to be nurtured?

I hope you enjoy and appreciate this special time of the year.
Peace

The cow fell through

We just got word today that our cow arrangements fell through. The warts that the cow had on her teats got worse and she's been hard to milk because of that, so the woman selling her does not feel that it is right to sell her like that. Which is nice of her, but....

For us, this is very disappointing, as we've been waiting for this cow for a few months and we're all set up for her to come, and we've passed up some other nice cows for her. But at the same time, we don't want a cow with problems, especially since she'll be our first; so we'll have to start looking again. At least I'm glad that there's been some resolution, and we know where we stand, and we can move forward from here.

The "Grow Your Own Food" course Ed and I taught last week went really well. We put a lot of energy into it, ad we were both exhausted at the end (7 hours of intense focus and talking can do that), but sleep put us right again. We had 12 people attending, which was a good number given the size of our house. We had excellent feedback after the course, and people seemed really excited about what they learned and about going out to their gardens and applying it. One thing I found really uplifting and encouraging, and this is not the first time I've noticed this, is that people really do want to do what's right for the land, as far as working the soil in a beneficial way, without using toxic chemicals or poisons, but they just need to: 1) know that this is possible and realistic,  and 2) get the practical knowledge on how to do it.

We got some snow on Saturday, so yesterday we had to dig out the greenhouses. We can't have too much snow accumulating on top of them or on their sides, or we'd risk the plastic covers getting ripped or even collapsing. So we shoveled, and it was a lot of work. It felt really nice to come in the house and sit by the fire afterwards. Unfortunately, once I sat down I didn't want to get back up, but diner had to be made, dishes had to be washed, and the children had to be put to bed. But, I did take some time for myself later, after everyone was asleep and snoring loudly - just the cats and I sitting on our soft sheepskins, staring into the fire. That felt luxurious.

Ed and I will be heading to the NEFV (New England Fruit and Vegetable) conference this week. It is a huge conference with thousands of people attending. Last time we were there, two years ago, we learned some practical things that served us well since. After we come back from the conference, it will be Sena's birthday, then Christmas, and then the girls and I will be going to Montreal to visit my family. Busy time of the year!

Peace

Snow!

We got about 3 inches of snow yesterday, and today Sena said that she knows what people mean by "winter wonderland". Everything looked so beautiful.

This morning, we went sledding with some friends. It was really fun, but the play got kind of rough, and on the very last run down the hill Sena fell off her sled and got a bump on her forehead. Her gymnastics coach said that it's easy to tell that Sena and Aiyana spend a lot of time outdoors - they always come in smelling of fresh air, looking like they played in the dirt, and today with a scratch and a bump...

 It was just us and these geese.

Peace

Fog

The land looks barren at this time of the year. Yesterday, the fields were covered by thick fog all day. But if you know them well, through the fog, you could catch a faint suggestion of what used to be, and what is yet to come.

Peace

These have a story to tell

My sister and I were talking about used clothes yesterday, and how much they can mean. To me, used clothes are clothes with a story to tell, so much more interesting than new.

These are my favorite shoes:

They're my Doc Martins, and I've had them since 1995. They've been with me in Montreal, when I was working at Pratt and living the city life; they came with me to the US when I decided I had to try something new; they're still going strong and serving me well now when I work in the field or ride my bike.

Peace

What's going on with the cow?

Back in late summer, we were looking at cows. We saw a few and finally settled on a Dexter.

Her name is Ramsey and she was pregnant at the time. We were expecting her to have the calf in October and we thought we'd get both mother and baby here soon after . But it turns out the woman selling her to us was off on the pregnancy date, so Ramsey didn't give birth until November. Then, we had to wait 6 to 8 weeks to give her and the calf time to adjust after the birth. We went to visit them both last Saturday, and it seems that they're about ready to come here, except for the warts.

Ramsey has some warts which were exacerbated by hormones after birth, and they're on 2 out of her 4 teats, which makes it hard to milk her. We've been talking to a vet about this and it turns out it's not a big deal, and should resolve itself in a few months.

Where we are right now is that we're waiting to get vet signup on getting her moved here, then we have to arrange transportation. Hopefully they'll be here in the next two weeks.

We've been eagerly waiting for them to come. The good thing about all this waiting is that we got ready in the meantime. Ed got two barns ready for them: one is an old barn which he fixed and cleaned up. The other is a barn he built from scratch; it is a movable barn on wheels, similar to our movable chicken coops, the idea being to avoid an accumulation of manure in any one spot.

Ed also got fencing set up around the pasture. We're planning to do rotational grazing, which means that the cows will be moved to fresh pasture every day. This requires special fencing arrangements, but I think we're all set with that.

In the meantime, I've been reading and learning about cheese, butter and yoghurt making. I'm very excited. Sena and Aiyana have been practicing milking. They got one surgical glove each, filled it with water, tied it so the water would not spill out, poked a tiny hole in one finger, and then pretended that finger was a teat and tried milking. Ramsey's current owner told us that this would make good practice, but if nothing else, it's been great entertainment for the two of them.

Other than that, Ed and I have been spending quite a bit of time working on our "Grow Your Own Food" course. We're going to be teaching it this coming Saturday from 9am to 4pm. I think it's going to be good. We put together a lot of practical information that we've learned from our own experience, plus reading and talking with other farmers. I honestly wish someone had given us a course like that when we first started farming. And now, I wish someone would give us a course like that about small-scale pastured dairy cows.

Peace

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving.

Every year at this time, I like to think about the things that I am thankful for. Fortunately, I always find that my list is so long, it goes on and on, with one thing leading to another. Here's an abbreviated version that I am coming up with right now:

What I am thankful for:

• My life: the opportunity to be here, in good health, and a part of everything;
• My children's and my family's lives and health including: Ed, for being a partner in the hard but beautiful work of farming and homesteading; my sister for being such an example of honesty and generosity, and reliability (qualities I never had myself and only recently started to appreciate); my mom and dad for the difficulties they knowingly undertook when they decided to leave Romania in order to provide a better future for my sister and I; my grandmothers for taking care of us when we were little.
• The natural elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire - for providing everything we need.
• All the living things that give their lives to feed and sustain us - in particular the chickens, deer and plants we eat.
• My friends K & R for always welcoming me to their sweat lodge ceremony;
• The lessons I (reluctantly) learned this year about farming - the rains and cold temps in June, for instance, showed me that sometimes the best thing you can do for your crops is wait and not interfere, as hard as that may be.
• The genuine kindness and appreciation we receive from some of the people we grow food for.
• Making enough income from farming to be able to continue doing it (given our current economic system, and people's general personal values system, this is always in question for small scale farmers like us).
• The ability to live in a way that is aligned with my values, i.e. a simple, independent life.
• The opportunity to homeschool Sena and Aiyana.
• My sources of inspiration: certain people; natural things such as the ocean, mountains, etc; certain pieces of writing, painting, music, etc.

Peace and Happy Thanksgiving

cold

Wow, it's really cold out! I actually love it. I know it's a bit unusual, but I mean it. I love how bare and stark and unadorned everything is. It's like being really honest, no frills to it, no pretending, ony the real thing.

Aiyana and I went for a bike ride this morning. She's my little biking buddy. We've been doing a loop which takes us through some pretty, and quiet back roads. It's a little hilly so it's slow going, especially since Aiyana is still riding her one gear bike. Bus she's been getting stronger, and I think the fact that we go to a little cafe for a treat at the end motivates her to keep going. My fingers were a little frozen on the bike, but Aiyana was really hot, which was probably because of the hills.

I had a peak at the New York Times while we were at the cafe. I don't keep informed that way at all. I have no TV, don't listen to the radio, don't read news on the computer and don't read newspapers. After scanning about 3 pages, I decided I had enough. It gave me a headache and that far away feeling that I get when I spend too much time on the computer. And it distracted me from Aiyana and what was right there in front of me.

This afternoon, Ed and I went out into the field and harvested all the kale and collards. We're expecting a low of 10F tonight, and I was afraid we might lose them if we don't get them out of the field, although they're supposed to be very frost hardy. We stored them in the rootcellar, which is jam packed with vegetables.

We're letting our 4 cats come in the house again (they've been mostly outdoors since last winter). They, and the fire buring in the woodstove make the house really cozy. I made soup and polenta, and after diner I'll be reading "The wind in the willows" to the kids until bedtime.
It's a good time of the year.
Peace

Owling

This past Monday, part of our homeschooling was going into the woods to look for Barred Owls. We studied up on them beforehand, and even learned to immitate their call. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day, perfect for being in the woods. We hiked and called the owls, a little shy at first, but then with more courage. We thought, at one point, that we heard an owl call back. Not sure though, it seemed quite far away if it was there at all. What's sure is that we did manage to scare away some crows.
I have some funny videos of us calling the owls, but it turns out they're too large to be loaded here. So I will just post some pictures instead, although the sound effect was really most entertaining.

 We spent quite a bit of time by this little brook. The girls played and I simply enjoyed being there.

Peace

monochrome time of year

the great maple in front of our house

cow pasture

 moon through maple tree branches

peace

Colorful pictures from the past 2 weeks

We've had some amazing sunsets recently.

 Our Delawares

 Last roses of the season.

Peace

Tonight is supposed to be really cold. We're expecting a low of 18F, so this afternoon we harvested most of what was left in the field and got it all into the root cellar: radishes, turnips, chard, carrots, beets, and apples.
This morning it snowed, and it was beautiful. Sena and Aiyana were very excited, and I could not help but feel that way too. It's always like that for the first snow of the season.

Ed and I will be teaching a course in December, right here at our farm. I'm pretty excited about it. It is called "Grow Your Own Food" (more info here). People have asked us to teach a course like this in the past, so now that we're actually doing it, we'll have to see what the interest level is.

Enjoy the cold air coming in. Time to slow down for the winter!
Peace

Barred Owls and Shooting Star

On Monday, after homeschooling, I went out by myself for a bikeride. On my way back home, I was on a small road bordered by woods, when I heard and then saw two barred owls. They were making amazing sounds, the "who cooks for you, who cooks for you all" call that is typical of them. It was so loud, and it went on for a long time, high up in a tree very close to where I stood transfixed. I dared not move, for fear of scaring them away. After some time, they flew deeper into the woods, and I got back on my bike, feeling excited, as if a gift had been given me. I couldn't wait to tell the kids about what had happened.Cornell Lab has a picture and description of Barred Owls, along with sound recordings of their call. The call I heard is under "Pair caterwauling" and "Various Hoots". They really sounded like that.

Later that night, I got into bed and was thinking about the owls. I've heard owls hooting before, especially at night, and sometimes during the day, but they've always been far away. I looked out the window into the night sky, and just as I was about to close my eyes, I saw a shooting star. I felt as if the universe winked at me.

Peace

behold the mighty forage radish

we plant forage radish in our cover crop mix. it's supposed to be good at loosening up the soil especially if you have compaction (you can see why), and at reducing nematode problems (which we don't have, but that's what i read). we ate some and it was spicy and sweet.