Corner

Yes I do belive I've turned the corner.

What corner is that you ask?
The one of decreasing light exponentially decreasing my motivation. The days have started to get longer again, of course only by a minute per day but my body, mind, and soul do register it, process it, let it warm me, gradually bubbling up to the ferverous boil of the Summer season that's ever so far away.

My mornings at this time of the year often consist of me saying "it's to cold to go outside" which yes sometimes it is, but most times that simply is a mamby pamby excuse for me to stay inside, have another cup of coffee and pretend I'm getting things done inside. So untill two days ago, after feeding the Hogs I would retreat back inside and get on with my procrastionation for the day. Which is in my mind is well justified with mental notes of " this is the balance of those 12 hour days in the summer" which of course it is, yet I still at the end of the day manage to find myself beating my Self up for "not working enough" . An awful cunnudrum even though I'm well aware of it, and doing my best to Loveingly apply Compassion to my wounded Self.

So when my Body, Mind, Soul start to register those ever increasing daylight hours my motivation starts to creep upward, slowly seeping thru, lubricating my joints and lessing the ennui that plagues me. It feels nice. Even though I know I have started the long slow boil of my blood to the intesity of late summers peak.

Farming is cycles. And after all these years I'm still working on my intimate knowledge of them. No matter how aware of them I am, they still torture me, reward me, generally rule my life, and enslave me to them. For a master they treat me well, only beating me with my own self generated struggle, and they are actually truelly slowly liberating me, enlightening me, showing me the way to true freedom.

Are You Experienced?

chuk-chukga-chuk-chugga-chugga-chuk-chuk- Let me ask you ARE YOU EXPERIENCED? I AM.

Yes I am a big fan of Jimi Hendrix, Romanesco, and Spiral Conciousness. When I first saw Romanesco it was many years ago at the Pike Place Market in Seattle. Then I was just a burgening gardner, but it blew my mind then,and still does now.

Nature has a wonderfull way of showing us, Truth expressed in Matter. Romanesco to me is a vegetable that shows that Truth loud and clear. No missing it, mistaking it, nor ignoring it. WE all are born from a conciouness that is Exponentially Spiral, constantly Conciouslly Evolving, Growing larger, Wiser, with no limit to that Evolution. So here's to Romanesco, to Life, and my departed Brothers Adam Bodine and Vincent Gallapaga, and that unspeakable bond we will always share.

I learned How to Post Photos!

Some photos. Yeah I learned how to post photos!!!

I've been spoiled

Yes I have been spoiled.

Last Saturday's Farmers Market we had rain. The first rainy Market in quite a long time. I might be wrong but I think it's been two years since we had rain on Saturday morning. I like that. Farmers Market is much more enjoyable when it's not raining. Also there are more customers for all when it dosn't rain. We still do pretty well when it rains, as a lot of our customers are what we call "Hardcore", they come out no matter what.

Farmers can be another thing. For the last 4 years if we have a rainy Saturday we've had a really good Farmer turnout. Before that it could be pretty bad. There was one time that we we're getting hit by a really rainy/windy storm and there was like three vendors. I was one of them. Market that day rocked. Anybody that wanted vegetables had to come to me. I sold out by 9:45 and then went home, as after that there were no other customers to be seen. After that market I was secretly hoping for rainy Market days.

The last few years have changed a bit. We have really good Farmer turnout all winter/early spring. Even on rainy days. Why? More Farmers, growing more winter produce and more customers supporting them. It's a two sided proposition. Take away one side the other suffers.
It kind of sums up the whole Local Food System evolution. More people supporting Local Farmers makes Farming a more viable occupation, increasing the number of Local Farmers, more Local Farmers means a better marketplace to buy Locally produced food.

So for now I'll just show up to Farmers Market rain or shine, preferring for the Sun to shine.

Romanescocicles

Romanescocicles you ask?

What are they? pureed Romanesco then frozen? No. But that would be interesting.
Basically after three nights of 11F, 15F, and 11F you get vergtablecicles. Frozen solid heads of Romanesco. Worthless 'cept for animal feed, or something beautiful to look at. I'm sure the chickens will adore them, same for the hogs, but our customers would probably find the texture to be off putting.

So what was probably $800 worth of Roamaneso is now nearly worthless. Makes me glad I live in sunny warm California and not some other way more chilly region. Crop losses here are pretty few and far between. If I'd have known it was to be so cold, I might have harvested it all and saved it, but the weatherperson here called for mid 20's the first night not 11F. Glad I get to find it his fault and not mine.

Chalk up one more lesson learned the hard way.

bbbbrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!

It was COLD last night.

Just before sunup, a chilly 11F. I'm so glad I don't live in Minnesota. I just don't think I could take it. We had a high temp of 42F yesterday with a bit of wind. I didn't want to be outside. I'm a cold pansy. So this morning, just before sunup I jumped out of bed a checked the thermometer that reads the outside temp, when I saw 11f I was a bit shocked. I knew it was to be cold, but not that cold. I quickly calmed my worry's 'bout the carrots and went back to bed. Nothing I could do at that point.

Today I did get water running on them as the soil was quite dry and wet soil holds more heat, and with my nice warm well water I wanted to get the soil temp up a bit. The tops of the carrots will take a few days of frigid weather and then if they die they still provide cover for the roots. But if the soil freezes and then the actual carrots I could have some very sweet but unsaleable mush. That definitely would bum me out. Might even make me cry, and I'm a grown man.

What I been up to.

What I been up to?
Good question. The Sun is rapidly moving to it's place on the shortest day of the year. Days are much shorter round here. And my inner motivation can be a challenge at times. And there's work to be done. All in all it has been getting done.

Some of my tasks that I accomplished this week were: finishing a rain cover over the Hog Yard.
I sealed up numerous roof surfaces. I hauled stuff to the dump. I got a handy piece of stuff from the dump. I ran quite a few errands. I dried out some big pieces of old greenhouse cover that will now be tarps. And did a hundred other little tiny things.

Then today I harvested for Farmers Market tomorrow. Speaking of Farmers Market. Last weeks market was a bit slow. It started really slow and didn't finally get to a good roll till 10:30 which is a bit late for a good market. It was slow the same week last year. Not black Friday but black Saturday. ( Plus the weather was a bit cloudy and chilly.)

Today's harvest consisted of Romanesco, Orange Cauliflower, Broccoli, Beets, and of course not to mention the carrots 'cept they were already done. Garlic too.

Now for a bit of an intermission as I got to go feed some Hogs.

I'm back. Now if were a total computer geek I would have been streaming live video of me feedin' Hogs. I don't think I've spoken much about the Hogs. It's been the first time I've been in charge of raisin 'em. Lisa the one that developed the system we're using. They are fed a fermented Organic whole grain diet with Organic soymeal added. Then of course lot's of Farm veggies. Watermelons make sweet meat. Now their getting a bit of Broccoli, ( don't want to give them to much or they might taste like cabbage ) and sweet carrots! For the first few months they were getting fed lots of fresh Goat Milk. Soon they'll be Bacon and Chops and More!!
It's the sweetest,tasty, most tender, pork I've ever had. Spoils me for any other, which is a statement that cover's all the produce here on the Farm.

Alas a Farmer's Life,
It's for Me.