AUGUST

August is the month when one sits back and leisurely enjoys the abundance of the hard work of previous months...for a moment. Then its time to plot and plan for autumns crop. Never in our life have we enjoyed food so much. To eat an ear of sweet corn right from the stalk is something comparable to...well actually nothing in this world...it is far superior to anything else that you could possibly conceive. Except for, perhaps, the satiating, sensual blessing that is my bread. Those bestowed with such a glorious opportunity to sample such magnificence are considered those in absolute high karmic standing. Actually, I'm just learning...but its going great.

Abundance is everywhere as the apple and pear trees bow low with their burden of such production, ensuring in their nature a good chance of reproduction. So too, the wild and invasive blackberry brambles teem with layer after layer of fat, shiny rotund berries waiting for any form of life to pluck them away, ushering them to distant lands to continue their innate and covert plan to conquer the planet...so be it, I could die happy with a mouthful of wild blackberries. Our grape awning is getting quite laden with lovely clusters too, making for a shady afternoon lounge spot for “Us and Gus-Gus” the farm cat (Inquire for band name copy write).

We've had a few guest appearances from some non late summer veggies this month, such as brussel sprouts and artichoke, thanks in part to an experimental, mad scientist approach to growing food...thus defeating the dusty novels of conventional wisdom asserting otherwise. We like to learn from experiential mistakes...and learn we do.

Shanna has found her talents in seed saving from some of our tactfully expired plants, giving us enough seeds to cover California in mustard greens and cilantro. As well, her recent botany course and a slew of new herbal books written in latin which double as cinder blocks has turned our house into some kinda plant science experimentation lab. Im just glad she is not into taxidermy.

Speaking of my beloved, we just celebrated the mark of her third decade on planet Earth. And what a better planet this is with her among us...those who know her well know this as fact. We went camping for a few nights along the Mendo Coast with some lovely canoeing on Big River and some rare fine dining to boot. Yup...my girl loves to camp, explore nature and eat awesome food...I'm a lucky boy.

Life is good if you make it so.

Love to all...come for a visit.


PS...This is what happens when youre a naughty chicken!

Ecology Action Mini-Farm Tour

We recently had the pleasure of visiting the Ecology Action Mini-Farm of John Jeavons in Willits, California. This mini-farm is set up as an educational resource teaching people the sustainable practices of having a closed system farm. Whereby one grows all of their food, makes all of their own compost, and builds (rather than depletes) their soil. Jeavons has grown food for the last 37 years and has traveled the world teaching people how to not only feed themselves cheaply and efficiently, but also with being good stewards to our planet. The rate at which we are depleting soil around the planet is incredible- due to having huge agribusiness and non-local production of most of our food needs. Even gardeners who do not use their own compost are depleting someone else's resources.

Ecology Action has created a way to grow food called the Grow Biointensive. There are 8 important aspects of this method:
1)Deep soil preparation- called the double dig method. Which involves aerating the soil two feet down so that healthy soil organisms- like fungi, bacteria, and worms to name a few- can move in and begin creating a healthy soil environment for plants to grow.
2)Composting- using broken down kitchen waste, garden trimmings and other organic matter to provide nutrition to the soil, rather than depleting it.
3)Close plant spacing- creating a “mini-climate” for plants which helps retain moisture, protects valuable microbiotic life, retards weeds growth and facilitates higher yields.
4)Companion planting- some plants grow well, if not better, together. Using this knowledge to create a healthier garden space. This also includes planting certain flowers to attract beneficial insects to the garden.
5)Carbon-efficient crops- planting approx. 60% of the crop to be seed or grain crop, which also produces much needed carbonaceous material for the compost pile. Some examples are wheat, oats, corn, sorghum, fava beans, filberts, sunflowers.
6)Calorie-efficient crops- planting approx. 30% of the crop to yield high calorie crops- such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,leeks, garlic, beans, onions.
The last 10% will be vegetables to provide most of the vitamin and mineral content (and taste!!) of the food.
7)The use of open-pollinated seeds- the use of seeds that have been used for centuries that preserve the worlds genetic diversity.
8)A whole garden system- it is important to know that one should use the whole system to make this work. If someone grows this high of yields without composting or deep soil preparation the soil can be rapidly depleted- which is no good for anyone.

Growing food is fun. And so wonderful for your health and family. It was really cool to be inspired to do more good things for this planet. I don't know if we'll do all of it, but we sure can incorporate a lot of it into our future food growing plans. We both feel that there may be a time in the not so distant future when we have to grow our own food. Let's all plant victory gardens!!! Who could possibly be unhappy when you set foot into a beautiful garden bursting with delicious food. For more info you can buy How to Grow More Vegetables by John Jeavons or visit www.bountifulgardens.org.

I also took a class on solar cooking. Did you know that you can cook just about anything in a solar cooker??? Rice, cookies, vegetables, bread, purify water, canning... you name it. And, it is powered for free, by the sun!!! It just takes a little pre- thought and a little extra time. Nothing crazy!! And...the food tastes so much better because it is cooked at lower temps (200-250 degrees) for longer and it hasn't oxidized. I can't wait!! I'm getting all the solar cooking things I need for my birthday from Tony. Let's eat!!! And feel damn good about it!

Growing, Growing, Growing

Here we are one month into summer and WOW it is amazing to see how much everything is growing!!! Most of the plants have a life cycle from 3-5 months- so, you could say that they are in the prime of their lives, living it up, reproducing like mad and beind quite prolific.

The corn which was planted only two months ago is already 7 feet tall.

The broccoli and squash plants fill our bellies with daily nutrition and tastiness.

The melons have exploded with growth, crawling this way and that claiming space for their fruit- which almost doubles in size by the day. It is such a pleasure to watch the bounty of life.

Currently in the garden, our main job is care taking- making sure the weeds are under control (ha, ha) and providing extra nutrition for the plants. During the growth (leaf) phase of the plant we feed them fish emulsion or composted steer manure, which are high in nitrogen. During the flower and fruit phase of the plants we have been feeding them either vegan compost tea or handfuls of our own compost which are high in potassium, phosphorus and many other minerals. This provides an added boost for our producing plants. Keeping the soil and the plants happy. Also, when the plants and soil are in super health it helps deter molds and bugs and dieases from the plants.

We are proud to say that we have just had our largest harvest for the farmer's market- kale, chard, broccoli, summer squash, red cabbage, red and yellow potatoes, beets carrots, basil and cilantro. Yum! So much great food.

In the cool shade behind the Gro-Dome we are growing lettuce in individual pots. We ran out of room to plant in the garden and also, the summer heat can be a bit oppressive for tender greens such as lettuce. We did have the deer like our lettuce just as much as ourselves, but we moved them higher and now they are safe. So much to learn. Tony's next project is placing a fence around our start area to assure maximum safety of our young plants.

With the help of our friends Erin and Sam, we bagan the starts for the fall/ winter garden. We've got cauliflower, kale, cabbage, arugula, boccoli and spinach on the way.

It hasn't been all work. While the veggies grow, grow, grow we have been having fun baking with Jaxson and exploring our Northern Coast surroundings.

It has been such a good time out here discovering and observing our natural world. We feel so blessed to be so close to the cycle of life and all of it's bounty! Love to all!!!

Summer Begins

Its been a fruitful few weeks with spring reluctantly letting go of its moody ways for the reliable long warm days of summer. The summer solstice marked the longest day of the year...it also happened to be my 30th birthday. The insanely long daylight hours offered much time for reflection on 30 times around the sun. Within the dizziness one tries to formulate a timeline of such a swath of life and only comes up with imprints...impressions from the collective. So be it...life is here...now...and i suppose we can only grab onto the fact that all will change...necessarily, thank God. So what wisdom gained from making it this far down the road? Only that talk is cheap, experience is everywhere, and application is everything. Grow, grow, grow says the undercurrent of the living...and perhaps we have come to a point in our species development to know in what way...perhaps. I'm glad to know this way, to know what matters.

The farm has been filled with the excitement of summers growth. We are seeing everything reaching for the skies in a fast, furious race to reproduce. As a result of this new blast of growth, we are finally enjoying an abundance of food directly from the garden!

Broccoli is making a late but prolific appearance.


So too, our potato patch has been giving us beautiful young taters to get creative within the kitchen.

Shanna has been very busy with her new favorite pastime of canning and preserving, as well as turning milk into delightful home made yogurt and cheese. Among some of her recent accomplishments have been peach salsa, peach butter, apricot frozen yogurt, and dried apricots...which we will enjoy for months to come.

Shanna and I were also blessed with an appearance from three of our favorite friends from Tahoe which was a ton of fun. We look forward to more visits from our sierra lovelees. NewMoon represent!


My small but beautiful family also made it out to usher in my 30th. I love them all so much and it was truly a special occasion to have them on the farm, seeing whats important to me.
A couple trips to the coast

as well as a local vineyard rounded out a great visit.















Now its time to slather on the sunscreen and get back to work.
Love to all.

A Month of Growth

We've now been here a month and i cant help but wonder where the time has gone. Perhaps the old saying should be revised to “time flies when you work on a farm.” Its good work...and its hard work...and most often its good hard work. Sometimes its a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it.

Its incredible how much growth has occurred in the gardens in the past two weeks.







We are just seeing our first delectable heads of broccoli and squash coming through


and we just harvested our first onions and garlic of the season...




The potato field is thriving and just received its final installment of planting thanks in most par tto our newest addition to the farm, David Dutton.



Corn transplants have gone in and are off to the races as much of the grass family is this time of year
.


As well, we've had an absolute abundance of various lettuces and greens being sold at the farmers market and donated to the local food banks which is a big part of our mission out here...feed ourselves, feed the community
.


Its not all work though...we had a great visit with Shanna's mom Melody,

as well as an amazing trip to the coast for a healthy dose of negative ions...


Coastal flowers are popping right now which kept Shanna quite happy.



Beyond that weve had some lovely time with our favorite farmhand, Jackson...which often includes funky monkey dance sessions
and the always popular funny-face face offs...
and other critical matters of mind and body.


We do spend quite a bit of at home time researching various aspects of growing good food...,


cooking good food...



and eating good food...
.

Its a simple, gratifying life but someone has to do it.
Love to all.