What's going on

A woodpecker has been drilling holes in this maple tree in front of our house. Sweet sap is running down the bark, I know, because I licked it. A little early for syrup though, little woodpecker....

It finally feels like winter here in CT. The field tools are all put away.

 The compost pile is covered.

And the cultivator is waiting for the first beds to be planted, sometime in February, in the greenhouse.

 Under straw mulch, the soil is resting.

And the farmers? Planning for the season ahead.
Peace

A quote from Jane Goodall

This sums up much of what I think about in one way or another:

"We have a choice to use the gift of our lives to make a difference. It's up to us to decide what kind of difference we're going to make."

Montreal

A few pictures from our Christmas trip to Montreal:
The drive through Vermont is always a favorite part of the trip, especially as we drive on Christmas day and practically have the road to ourselves.

We always stop at the first rest stop after White River Junction. We like the views there and their cool reclaimed water facility, as well as the beautiful locally made furniture that's on display inside.
On the way back to CT, we always stop at Putney coop in VT, which is really nice and has good food.

While in Montreal, we went skating in the Old Port just like we did last year.

Carbon farming is exciting and it's now making the news

For some time now I've been reading, hearing about and practicing "carbon farming", which means farming in such a way as to take carbon out of the atmosphere and put it in the soil. This is also known as carbon sequestration. Burning fossil fuels does the opposite, taking carbon out of the soil and putting it, eventually, into the atmosphere. "Carbon farming" can, to some extent, mitigate the effects of climate change and of having too much carbon in the atmosphere. There is a lot of info on carbon sequestration and the exact mechanism at work if you're interested on Wikipedia and all over the web. I wanted to mention it here because I find it a positive and exciting direction to put effort into. I am also excited that at the Paris climate talks last month, the role of organic agriculture in mitigating climate change was recognized, and several countries pledged to increase organic matter in their soils by 0.4% per year, which is significant.

Without getting into too many details, I want to say that agriculture can be a problem or it can be a solution when it comes to carbon. It depends on how it's done. Conventional agriculture which relies heavily on tillage, carbon based fuels, and artificial fertilizers, and industrial farming methods with animals in feed lots, is a source of carbon emission and contributes to the problems associated with too much carbon in the atmosphere such as global warming. But other types of farming such as intensive rotational grazing for animals, or some kinds of organic farming, can help offset global warming by putting carbon back in the soil. So as a consumer, how do you know what to look for?
Here are a few points you may want to ask your farmer about:

• Are they usinge reduced tillage methods? Excessive tillage releases carbon from the soil into the atmosphere.
• Are they using cover crops or mulch? These practices also minimize carbon release. Cover cropping in particular helps to store carbon in the ground through photosynthesis.
• Are they using synthetic fertilizers, which contribute to climate change and degrade soil health? Organic fertilizers are much better options, including manures and cover crops.
• If the have animals, such as cows, are they practicing rotational grazing? Properly done, rotational grazing can be very powerful in improving soils and increasing organic matter with carbon taken out of the atmosphere.

Again, I want to emphasise that when it comes to carbon and climate change, farming can be either a problem or a solution, so it is very important that as a consumer you engage with your farmer in a friendly way, or with whoever is your source of food and find out what kind of practices you're supporting with your dollars. Encouraging more environmentally friendly farming methods is something we can all do because we all must eat and that food is produced somehow. But how? is the question.
Peace

Winter Solstice

Darkest time of the year. Time of returning light. A beautiful time. Light within dark and dark within light.

Tomorrow is Sena's 12th birthday. I found some favorite pictures of her snuggled up against me on our bike trip in Europe. That was in 2004 - she was only 8 months old. Ed, Sena and I flew to Amsterdam and biked from there to Germany to visit my family, and then took the train to Romania on a 5 week trip. While we biked, some 500 km, Sena snuggled up against my back, looking out over my shoulder, interested in the countryside rolling by, or, most often, slept as in this picture.

Amsterdam

Netherlands

Budapest, Hungary

Essen, Germany at my aunt and uncle's house

Germany, countryside

Now my little girl is turning 12; she's almost as tall as I am, and wearing the same shoe size. As everyone warned us, time really did fly, and I am so glad that I was there every moment. My mom had told me before I had kids that there are few things as fulfilling as being with your children, watching them turn into the people they eventually become. She was right.
Peace

Sena got the sword

Sena and Aiyana got their black belts in karate recently. In addition, Sena got the sword in recognition of her hard work and focus. Getting the sword is quite an honor. In the past 10 years only 3 other people got it. Sena is very happy with how things turned out. She definitely worked hard and went far beyond what was required in order to get her black belt. I hope that she maintains that kind of focus in whatever she chooses to do in life.
Aiyana put a lot of effort into training for the black belt as well, but it's hard when you're up against big sis. In any case, Sena came up with the idea of making a sword for Aiyana to recognize her efforts as well. So she and Ed made her a beautiful mahogany sword, which Aiyana was not sure what to think of at first, but eventually ended up liking a lot.
Here is Sena striking some poses in the field.

Peace

Cozonac-like, GF

In Romania we have this bread-ish, cake-ish thing called cozonac, which we usually eat at holidays such as Christmas and Easter. The type I like is not overly sweet,and it has nuts and dried fruits in it. Being that it's getting close to Christmas, I started thinking about this bread quite a lot, but the problem is that we are gluten free now, and the Romanian version has wheat in it. So I came up with a gluten free version one night when I was lying in bed dreaming about it. I used a flour blend which I made myself from rice, tapioca, corn, buckwheat and teff. I also used dried cranberries, currants, as well as chopped almonds. And for an extra special touch I used dried orange peel. All in all it came pretty close to what I was dreaming of. The girls love it too and they have taken over the recipe now and are making it regularly.
So in the picture above you can see my breakfast of GF cozonac with my home made cheddar and some coffee with warm milk from Jasmine and Opal.
I am looking forward to sharing this bread with my family when the girls and I visit them in Montreal at Christmas. We'll see how they think it compares to the real thing .
Peace

A sunny, late fall afternoon walk

The fields are ready for winter, and look beautiful even in their starkness.

 

 

Peace

Farm girl practices karate

A patch of grass, a tree and a willingness to let go

This evening I felt tired and heavy and my mind was scattered, so even though I didn’t feel like it, I forced myself to go out and take some whey to the compost pile. I thought I’d get something done and get a little fresh air at the same time. It was dark out, and the air felt refreshing right away. The night was damp and warm and as it enveloped me I felt a release, as if I walked into a welcoming embrace.

 I walked to the compost pile and dumped the whey. I set my bucket down and walked further into the night, away from the house. I found a spot in the field and lay down on the earth, facing up to the sky. Immediately, I felt tension and fatigue leave my body as if a weight was taken off me. I felt completely supported by the earth. As I looked up to the sky, light drizzle fell on my face. I lay there and listened to the wind speak a low rumble in distant trees. Occasionally, the few remaining leaves on nearby trees moved with a soft rustle. Low to the ground as I was, I could smell sweet grass and damp earth. It made me think about cows and how they love to sniff at the grass before they eat - that sweet earthy smell...

I only lay like that a few minutes before going back to the house, but it was enough to make me feel as if I had stepped in a different world, a world outside my head, a world real and rich and alive. It was enough to clear my mind and strengthen my body for a while, and give me a deep sense of peace. It occurred to me that the expression “feeling grounded” was more literal than I thought. I hope that next time I feel weak or down or too much stuck in my head I will remember that doing something so simple as stepping outside can help so much.

We all carry so much stuff: sickness, anguish, responsibilities of all kinds, guilt, self-loathing, depression, exhaustion… We try all kinds of things to make ourselves feel better, happier, to get some relief. Sometimes connecting with our natural environment in a simple way is all we need to let go if only for a short while. That physical connection with the earth and the natural world may help us let go of the business of our lives and minds, all the responsibilities we have and all the things that go wrong. It may stir the forgotten, dream-like feeling that we are all part of something much larger, and we are not alone.

This connection doesn’t have to be anything fancy, we don’t need to go on a special retreat, although that may have its benefits, or to some far-away place, or to some special teacher. Sometimes just a patch of grass in our back yard, a tree, a river, or simply listening to the wind in solitude, and a willingness to let go is all it takes for a change to occur, or a glimpse of hope.

Peace

Giant fennel and high action on the trampoline

Peace

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Last week, we picked a beautiful day and took the girls to New York City. For some time, they had been asking us to take them to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and when I saw the forecast for Wednesday, 70 degrees and sunny, I thought this may be our last chance to do it on a beautiful day this year, so I booked tickets and off we went.

We left home at 6am on Wednesday morning and drove to the Metro North train station in New Haven. There was no traffic, so we were there shortly after 7. This is the view of the trains from the top of the parking garage where we left our car.

 Sena and Aiyana, excited to ride on the train.

 

We arrived at Grand Central Station before 9. Our ferry tickets for the statue of Liberty were not until noon, so we decided to walk aroung the city a bit. The girls' reactions were quite different: Aiyana felt excited by the bustle of the city, as did I, while Sena felt overwhelmed by the sensory assault: the noise, the smells, the people rushing about, the tall buildings blocking the view of the sky. I understood how she felt; I probably would feel the same after a few days. But for the moment, I felt like Aiyana, invigorated by the energy of the city.

We went to the United Nations to show the girls where it is and tell them about our protest there back in the day of the Iraq sanctions.

After the UN, we took the metro to Battery Park at the southern tip of Manhattan, and had lunch on a bench while waiting for our ferry. We boarded the ferry and Sena and Aiyana rode in the bow.

 First stop was the Statue of Libery.

After visiting the statue, which was most impressive and touching, we got back on the ferry and headed to Ellis Island.

We visited the museum on Ellis Island, but we didn't stay long, because by that time everyone was getting hungry and tired. We saw a movie and some of the exhibits depicting immigrants' journeys to America back in the late 1800's and early 1900's. It was very moving for me, to see photographs of the immigrants, hear and read their stories, and especially to see that boundless hope that drove them to risk so much for "coming to America". I thought about my own family's experience, especially my father, who, although he didn't come through Ellis Island, was driven to Canada by the same hopes and motivations as some of these immigrants were.

We took the ferry back to Manhattan as the sun was setting.

 

We had dosas for dinner at an Indian Restaurant in SoHo. The we got back on the metro and train, and finally drove back home to our cows. We got back around 10pm.

Speaking of cows, a funny incident: Sena, Ed and Aiyana went up into the Statue of Liberty, while I spent some time by myself outside. As they were going through security, a guard said to Ed "What's that in your pocket", and pointed to a piece of twine sticking out of Ed's back pocket. Ed said "It's baling twine, I cut it off a bale of hay this morning when I was feeding the cows." The guard gave him a blank stare. Ed offered "Do you want it?", to which the guard replied "What am I going to do with it?".  He looked like he wasn't quite sure what to think of this situation, and he let Ed go. A short while later another guard stopped him and pretty much the same exchange took place all over again.

Peace

Mighty big forage radish

I posted about forage radishes before, but this one may be the largest I've ever seen. Plus, the pictures show Aiyana and Sena's characters so well: Aiyana, lively and silly, just loves to have a good time; Sena, always dignified and in control.

Forage radishes are amazing. They grow fast and provide a great cover crop at the end of the season. They loosen up the soil (you can see why), and they also provide a great source of food for the cows. Right now, I'm giving Opal and Jasmine 3 of these radishes each at milking time, plus a whole bunch of other veggies, like potatoes, carrots, kale, bok choi or whatever else we have, for a total of approx. 15lbs per cow. That's a lot of veggies for one meal, right? Well, I bring them veggies and they give me milk. A good trade.

Peace

Killing frost over the weekend

If in my last post I described a relaxing Sunday, here I will write about a most hectic weekend: the weekend before the killing frost.

The temperature predictions for Saturday and Sunday night were in the mid and low 20's respectively, so even though the CSA is over for the season (as of last week), we still had quite a few crops in the field that needed to be protected because we could sell them until Christmas, and they represent a significant amount of our yearly income. So, on Saturday, Ed and I spent the day harvesting the last of the apples, pears, celeriac, celery, parsley and peppers. These will last for quite a while in our root cellar. Veggies that remained in the field, like spinach, salad greens, bok choi, turnips, radishes, carrots and beets had to be covered with thick cloth or plastic covers held down by many heavy sand bags. This took us all day, and while we were out working, Sena and Aiyana had 2 friends over for a sleepover, and thank goodness for that, because they all cooked dinner for us, so there was something to eat when we came in tired and cold after dark.

On Sunday, the frenzy started again. Now we had to go to our other field in Willington, where there was more to harvest and cover. We harvested cabbages, rutabagas and kohlrabi for storage in the root cellar, as well as some gigantic forage radishes that will feed the cows through the winter. Then the fun with covering began again - this time for brussel sprouts and some remaining cabbages. We were done by late afternoon, after which everything had to be brought home and stored in the root cellar. Since nobody was home to cook the entire day, the girls and I went out and got Indian food for all of us. That was a nice treat at the end of the day. So was reading James Herriot by the fire, knowing that everything was done.

Killing frost always brings up mixed feelings: anxiety because I know so much has to be done, and I'm never sure if what we do do is enough to protect the plants; sometimes it is, and sometimes it isn't. If the forecast is wrong and the temps are lower than expected, or if the covers blew off during the night the plants may die anyway despite all our efforts at protecting them. But hard frost also brings relief because one way or another it means the end of many worries. Whatever crop does not survive is done with for the season and we won't have to worry about it again.

Today it is sunny and cold, and the air is very clear. I too feel clear: another season is coming to the end, and it was a good one. We worked a lot and gave a lot of ourselves and we have also been given a lot, with excellent yields and a great CSA. There were many challenges and set-backs of different kinds, as always, but right now I am content with how things are. As always, I am most grateful to the land that supports us and gives us so much, and allows us to live this lifestyle.
Peace

Hobbit Inventory

Here’s my canned food inventory for this year so far.

(For those who work in metric: 1 gallon=4quatrs=4liters. I have been converted to the imperial system since my move to the US even though it makes less sense, but “when in Rome…”)

• Tomato sauce: 10 gallons
• Apple sauce: 8 gallons
• Jam (strawberry and grape): 20 quarts
• Cucumber pickles: 3 gallons
• Roasted peppers: 3.5 quarts

We also froze a bunch of things this year: strawberries, fresh corn, venison, basil pesto and baba ghanouj.

And of course there are the fruits and veggies than can last months if kept at the right temperature and humidity. There are carrots, rutabagas, cabbages, celeriac, potatoes, apples and Asian pears in the root cellars, and squashes, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, dried beans and dried corn in the attic.

I must admit that it gives me great satisfaction to list all of these foods that we grew and put so much work into preserving. I feel like a hobbit taking a tour of his pantry, happy in the knowledge that there is enough stored for the winter in his little hobbit house.

There are a few other things that we’d like to preserve before this season is over:

• Apple cider, of which Ed and Sena made a batch yesterday, about 1 gallon, and oh my, it is heavenly. They froze most of it, but we plan to make more in the near future.

• Apple cider vinegar – this I am really excited about, as with anything that involves fermentation. I use apple cider vinegar a lot, and it will be fun to have my own home-made version.

• Autumn olive jam – autumn olive is classified as “invasive” and much reviled by some people on that account. Regardless, there are many on our property and we think they taste delicious, invasive or not, and I think they’d make a great jam, sweet and tart.

• Sauerkraut – the cabbages have been excellent this year, and I am looking forward to fermenting some into sauerkraut.

Now that the season is coming to an end and most of the field work is done, and food has been put away (mostly, anyway), I feel like I can take a little time to relax. Today, for instance, we had an absolutely gorgeous day (of which we had many lately), with blue skies, sun, temps in the 60s, and a slight breeze. I laid down in the pasture and listened to the wind, watched a bug dig a hole in the dirt, let the cows graze around me, and that was my bliss. Nothing that money can buy, which is true of many good things. This season certainly felt exhausting at times, but a day like today leaves me feeling recharged, and grateful.

Peace