Parmesan

It is cold and very windy out. I like the wind, I like listening to it. Despite the cold, I've been going out for walks to clear my head and get fresh air. Sometimes I walk on the street, and other times I like to walk through the woods down to a little brook I know. Like the wind, I find listening to water very soothing.
I love being in the woods, there's so much going on, even at this time of year, birds, squirrels, deer, fungi, and so on, but you need to look and listen, which I don't always do, being in my head so much...

This time of year though, I spend most of my time indoors, homeschooling, cooking, tending the fire in the wood stove, and doing some farm work as I described in my last post. I think my favorite indoor activity is tending the fire. I love building the fire, lighting it, smelling it, feeling the heat, and looking at the way the flames raise, wild and unpredictable.

As far as cooking, here's a picture of the most aged cheese I made to date. It's wheel of parmesan, and we actually let it age for 6months (we usually don't make it past 3 months). Anyway, everyone thought it was great. We finished the whole wheel, which weighed about 3lbs, in less than one week. I guess I'd better up cheese production...

Peace

This time of year

This is the time of year for studying seed catalogs, placing seed orders and amendment orders, and deciding what is needed on the farm: tools, irrigation supplies, row covers, harvest equipment, orchard equipment, supplies for chickens and cows, etc.

It is also the time for making a CSA plan for next season, deciding what we're going to change and what we're going to keep the same.

Furthermore, this is the time for making next season's crop plan: what crops to plant, what variety, how much and where.

And it is the time for firming up who's going to work with us, when, for how long, what their responsibilities will be, and so on.

We're not starting from scratch with any of these items, we have past years' records to start with and decide what we want to change from there. If, for example, a crop is consistently underperforming, either due to low quality, or due to how much income it brings in relative to the amount of space it occupies in the field and the amount of time it takes to grow, we may decide to stop growing that crop or greatly reduce it, or maybe try a replacement.

So, all of this to say that there's still a lot of farm work to be done at this time of year, although the focus is shifted more towards planning/indoor/computer work as opposed to outside work.

If it weren't for the cows, I'd be cooped up inside for too long, but fortunately I have them to make me go out almost every morning for milking (I only milk 5 days a week, the rest of the time I let the calves drink all the milk their moms produce).

Now that it's cold outside and I'm not worried about the milk spoiling, I allow myself the luxury of lingering outside the barn for a little while after I'm done with the milking. I sit and watch the cows eat hay, lick their calves, butt each other playfully, or not so playfully sometimes. Just behind the barn, there is a wild field, and woods a short distance away. It's a beautiful 40 acre piece of land, which one day will be turned into 300 units of senior center housing, if the current owner's plans go through. But for now, nature rules the place, and as I sit by the barn, I often hear hawks, owls and other birds call, I see deer, and one time even a bobcat. Years ago, my friend saw a mountain lion there.

This morning I read an article about a 90 year old Canadian farmer from PEI, who is still farming and planning to do so until he dies. I was moved by the article, and feel like I understand his views. One thing he said is that he does not believe in retirement. We mostly hear about people who can't wait till retirement, which is a little sad, so this man's point of view is interesting, and I feel like I can relate. If you love what you're doing and find it meaningful, what is the appeal of retirement? I suppose a slowing down of pace would be appropriate, but in general I think that all the hoopla about retirement is a symptom of a disconnected way of living. This is idealistic I know, but to me it's nonetheless real.

As of right now, I do not plan to retire. How would I retire from my life, and what would I retire to? I plan to farm, probably on a smaller scale now, but I do want to grow food and have animals. I plan to share what I've learned with those interested. I need to feel useful, to
feel like I'm contributing somehow, and to feel connected to more than myself. I like a balance of work and relaxation, and I noticed that when the balance tips too much in either direction, I don't feel good. I may think differently in the future, but for now, I hope to follow this man's example, and I hope I have health and strength to be able to do what he's doing at his age.

Peace

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