Well I am currently trying to summarize the soil science book and organic method book I have been reading and it is taking a little longer than expected so I thought I would do a preemptive post to summarize the simple way to understand and do organic farming. First you prep the soil with a rototiller or spade or if you have planned ahead no tilling will be required...ever. Root vegetables like onions, beets and carrots start from seed so can be full of weeds so that needs to be handled accordingly. The big fruit plants like cucumbers and tomatoes are grown as seedlings in plastic packs and planted in the fields by digging a small hole filling in some manure or compost for nutrients followed by covering the roots with soil. Both types of crops should be mulched over with straw or hay to increase moisture retention, reduce weeds and it will eventually add organic matter to the soil. This is how you farm organically without knowing all that much about farming that is the basis of the day to day. Plant then mulch you can also mulch then plant its that easy but mulch is the saving grace of a garden and ensures good yields, nutrition and longevity of the soil.
Today was awesome, I got to make some goat milk soap which is super easy I will post the recipe but its just milk, fat, lye or hydroxide and glycerin mix together and poof cleaning power. The morning was filled with picking for CSA and the market tomorrow in Cumberland which I will be attending and cannot wait to see a busy city farmers market.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Some of this, some of that...Wow the Big Bang
Its been a week and a bit but not much has changed at Goodness Grows. The gardens need mulching, the seedlings need planting; the work never ends. I don't at all, the work is great although the bending over can be tedious. I fell ill saturday night, my sunday and only day off was spent in bed watching Da Vinci's Demons and Hell on Wheels two incredible shows but nothing abated the pain in my stomach and body. Monday it rained which means cleaning the barn to avoid compacting the wet soil so with a mild fever and nausea I pitchforked the goat pens with my fellow WWOOFer Mark who barely grasps the idea of a pitchfork. It is amazing how some people lack any kind of intuition as to the proper way to get work done, do not get me started on how he handles goats but some people are outsmarted by them. Tuesday I got a sick day which was filled with more internet shows and some light reading. I brought Stephen Crane's The Red Badge of Courage with me and find his style to be annoyingly not descriptive. I understand he is a realist or symbolic writer but there is a reason he died penniless; you can write so no one can understand you if your topic is worth the time.
Wednesday was more mulching and planting I cannot even remember what I did specifically as the same goes for thursday and friday...the days all mesh together when routine strikes and the novelty wanes. I do say I most enjoy mornings when I milk the goats. It is a great hand workout and establishes flo early in the day setting me up for achieving good work throughout. Saturday was a half day filled with planting melons and mulching as did the previous days. Fathers day was rainy which ruined our plans of going to the local Shawnee State park but we took a half day Monday and went for a nice afternoon on the lake and beach. It was a very nice beach for a lake I must say. Throwing the frisbee and playing in the lake with Silas and Levi was great fun was well as with Mark and Sue I don't think I have laughed in a jovial manner just from the situation in a long time, it warms my heart to remember there is still fun in this world that need only be made with a simple plastic disc and a child's smile.
Tuesday was an easy picking day wow that was today it feels so long ago already. The CSA bags finally got some color with beets and some summer squash which I am sure the customers enjoy the change. That was pretty much all for today oh and the arrival of a new WWOOFer Phil from the UK was a welcome hand. We must ahve planted half an acre of winter squash and mulched in one afternoon, the extra hands go along way on the farm.
Backtracking slightly I would like to mention a book that I finished yesterday titled Big Bang The Origin of the Universe. It is note worthy not becuase I actually finished a book but how incredibly well written and presented such an intangible concept for any lay man to understand. Simon Singh begins with the Greeks and the use of geometry to better understand distances of us to the sun and moon as well as the circumference of the earth. From Erotosthanes to Copernicus to the multitude of scientists that developed the Big Bang theory of creation this book very methodically lays out the story with all the ins and outs. He gives a mini biography of each scientist, the context of the times, the impact of the discovery and everything in between. I think the best part of it all is the common theme that science is guided by humans who are fallible and do not act solely for the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. The most profound mistake for me was by Einstein who created his theory of general relativity while assuming the universe was a static entity but it is his theory that led Friedmann and Lemaitre to independently extrapolate the consequences of relativity to propose the big bang. Einstein called their math wrong and physics laughable however he did concede in his life-a switch few scientists make-that the big bang was a valid interpretation of general relativity to which he said, "To punish me for my contempt with authority fate has made me an authority myself." So ladies and gentlemen, we must all remember that authority built on incorrect assumptions is doomed to failure therefore our assumptions must always be left to revision upon the discovery of new evidence and I plead with every soul to not be as many learned men of history that choose to remain ignorant of obvious facts for the only way science truly progresses is the death of the old guard and the earth cannot wait much longer.
Wednesday was more mulching and planting I cannot even remember what I did specifically as the same goes for thursday and friday...the days all mesh together when routine strikes and the novelty wanes. I do say I most enjoy mornings when I milk the goats. It is a great hand workout and establishes flo early in the day setting me up for achieving good work throughout. Saturday was a half day filled with planting melons and mulching as did the previous days. Fathers day was rainy which ruined our plans of going to the local Shawnee State park but we took a half day Monday and went for a nice afternoon on the lake and beach. It was a very nice beach for a lake I must say. Throwing the frisbee and playing in the lake with Silas and Levi was great fun was well as with Mark and Sue I don't think I have laughed in a jovial manner just from the situation in a long time, it warms my heart to remember there is still fun in this world that need only be made with a simple plastic disc and a child's smile.
Tuesday was an easy picking day wow that was today it feels so long ago already. The CSA bags finally got some color with beets and some summer squash which I am sure the customers enjoy the change. That was pretty much all for today oh and the arrival of a new WWOOFer Phil from the UK was a welcome hand. We must ahve planted half an acre of winter squash and mulched in one afternoon, the extra hands go along way on the farm.
Backtracking slightly I would like to mention a book that I finished yesterday titled Big Bang The Origin of the Universe. It is note worthy not becuase I actually finished a book but how incredibly well written and presented such an intangible concept for any lay man to understand. Simon Singh begins with the Greeks and the use of geometry to better understand distances of us to the sun and moon as well as the circumference of the earth. From Erotosthanes to Copernicus to the multitude of scientists that developed the Big Bang theory of creation this book very methodically lays out the story with all the ins and outs. He gives a mini biography of each scientist, the context of the times, the impact of the discovery and everything in between. I think the best part of it all is the common theme that science is guided by humans who are fallible and do not act solely for the pursuit of knowledge and understanding. The most profound mistake for me was by Einstein who created his theory of general relativity while assuming the universe was a static entity but it is his theory that led Friedmann and Lemaitre to independently extrapolate the consequences of relativity to propose the big bang. Einstein called their math wrong and physics laughable however he did concede in his life-a switch few scientists make-that the big bang was a valid interpretation of general relativity to which he said, "To punish me for my contempt with authority fate has made me an authority myself." So ladies and gentlemen, we must all remember that authority built on incorrect assumptions is doomed to failure therefore our assumptions must always be left to revision upon the discovery of new evidence and I plead with every soul to not be as many learned men of history that choose to remain ignorant of obvious facts for the only way science truly progresses is the death of the old guard and the earth cannot wait much longer.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
A Word on Bamboo Socks
Ever since I started this blog I have been brainstorming rants to publish to my non-existing audience. Today was the first I wore boots and socks in a long while which reminded me of how awesome bamboo socks are. The bamboo plant can grow 16 feet in a day making it the largest grass and greatest potential for biomass on earth. A bamboo patch that has been pruned for 4 years is mature for harvest. There are two methods for making bamboo fiber: one involves using enzymes that break down the lignin that holds the strands of cellulose together but this method takes about three weeks as lignin makes very unstandardized bonds with itself and cellulose and enzymes are very stereospecific meaning they require a specific substrate to work properly. This delay makes this method not commercially viable so instead most processors favor adding hydrogen sulfide which breaks lignin bonds very quickly but the chemical is highly toxic although it is not in the finished product. The resulting cellulose from the chemical seperation is raw and unstable so the fibers must be spun at high speed to create microstrands or viscouse fiber also known as rayon. This rayon is not very strong as the fiber length is tiny so another fiber must be added to the mix to create a thread often cotton or spandex. This gives you a fantastically soft cloth from which to make clothing. Bamboo viscouse is the fabric of the future hands down. It is as soft as silk-I can attest the first time I put my socks on I felt as though I was walking on a cloud. The fabric is super absorbant, it breathes better than almost any other fabric and here is the kicker: bamboo kun is a compound in the cellulose that is antibacterial and antifungal essentially making your bamboo socks resistant to odor. It is amazing, I have done my own case study. I wore my socks for three weeks straight even during sleep but not the gym as I was lazy at this point in my life so it is applicable to the average sedentary American and would you believe the socks smelled the same from one day of use to the end of the third week. Incredible!!! If you know someone who does have very stinky feet that are never fresh give bamboo socks a try. You will not regret it I promise. Granted the socks will cost upwards of $6 a pair but you buy one pair a year wear it for a week straight then wash it. I say a year because the bamboo kun has about 50 washes worth of effectiveness so assuming you only do laundry once a week the socks are a great investment. I have these socks myself http://www.ecosox.com/apps/webstore/products/show/3043792 and I must say they are wonderful and American made. I assure you I have much more to say about alternative fiber-for example my cotton jeans cannot stand up to the wear of my crotch causing holes to form over only two years time PREPOSTEROUS!!!- but I will save it for later all I can say is cotton is out of date and not ideal in almost any circumstance so be smart, choose free will above apathy and wear what feels the best.
Dutch out
Dutch out
Rainy Day
Ok well I'm still new to this blog thing but I am working on it. Anyway so Day 4 has nearly come and gone, the chicken is marinating for some stir fry as it is my week of cooking. It was however the first day of rain, oh glorious rain. I awoke about 7 am to pack up the truck for the Cumberland MD farmer's market. It was not my market day so I stayed behind to do some rain work. Wet soil compacts easily so no planting today even though another row of cucumbers are aching to for their soil. To avoid the rain Mark and I cleaned out the hog and broiler pen. I will tell you I have heard a rabbit cry, a fox cry both sound close to babies dying but I have never heard anything so blood curdling as a pig squeal. As I picked one up to get it into its holding pen, with all its might the animal gave out the loudest yelp for entire breath after breath. The volume was almost too much to bare. Anyway after we just picked more salad for the CSA and Frostberg farmer's market to round out the day.
I had a very pleasent conversation with Dawn and Rob last night about organic pest control. The main pests are beetles and flee beetles are decimating the kale crop in the west field. Such a shame to see holes in the leaves of perfectly good kale making it unpassable at market. They have some strays that are organic certified but they are not long lasting-a stipulation of organic sprays-and wash off with the rain. Dawn mentioned that they had tried to harvest eggplant for years but were unable to keep the plants alive due to flee beetle infestation. She went on to say that aromatic herbs are antipest in nature such as cilantro, dill, oregano and plants in the garlic family. The first year they planted cilantro among the eggplant, the plants finally were able to bear fruit. So if you are a home gardener or an aspiring farmer plant your aromatic herbs with your crops to reduce pests. Also radishes attract flee beetles and can handle the stress as they replace leaves quickly, Rob uses this technique with his potatoes.
Some other things I learned today; horseradish is a great and low maintenance perennial plant that are largely pest resistant much like ginger. He has some wild ginger around but the regular variety is not hardy enough for this zone a 5 on the hardiness zone scale. As far as cash crops for a productive farm go berries are very profitable as well as asparagus of late. Rob joked that anytime the media totes a vegetable as the new superfood demand goes way up and other varieties wane, oh how public opinion is so easily swayed despite actual nutritional value.
I had a very pleasent conversation with Dawn and Rob last night about organic pest control. The main pests are beetles and flee beetles are decimating the kale crop in the west field. Such a shame to see holes in the leaves of perfectly good kale making it unpassable at market. They have some strays that are organic certified but they are not long lasting-a stipulation of organic sprays-and wash off with the rain. Dawn mentioned that they had tried to harvest eggplant for years but were unable to keep the plants alive due to flee beetle infestation. She went on to say that aromatic herbs are antipest in nature such as cilantro, dill, oregano and plants in the garlic family. The first year they planted cilantro among the eggplant, the plants finally were able to bear fruit. So if you are a home gardener or an aspiring farmer plant your aromatic herbs with your crops to reduce pests. Also radishes attract flee beetles and can handle the stress as they replace leaves quickly, Rob uses this technique with his potatoes.
Some other things I learned today; horseradish is a great and low maintenance perennial plant that are largely pest resistant much like ginger. He has some wild ginger around but the regular variety is not hardy enough for this zone a 5 on the hardiness zone scale. As far as cash crops for a productive farm go berries are very profitable as well as asparagus of late. Rob joked that anytime the media totes a vegetable as the new superfood demand goes way up and other varieties wane, oh how public opinion is so easily swayed despite actual nutritional value.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
My first post
This blog is meant to serve a few purposes. I do not currently keep a diary and I know I should and have in the past; I want an easy tool to remember and search the knowledge I have gathered in my quest even though a Dutch never forgets I do not keep all my knowledge on instant recall; I would love to help any young person like myself who understands the food crisis we find ourselves in and refuse to stand idle as humanity continues down the path of extinction. I have found multiple resources online but another perspective could not hurt, grassroots needs all the help we can get.
I have applied for a few internships this summer but did not hear word back from any except Growing Power of Milwaukee so I decided not let a perfectly good season go to waste and try my hand at WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming) which is a great tool for getting hands on experience in non-factory farming. For those who do not know it is basically indentured servitude, work in exchange for delicious food and board. Since I have started I must say my research was not in depth enough and I could have potentially found a paying internship but I am happy with my choice. I have been on my first farm for three days and have learned a lot so far. I meant to start this blog the first day but I found myself exhausted beyond comprehension, struggling to maintain any clarity of thought. I am a firm believer in better late than never in any case.
The farm I am currently volunteering for is Goodness Grows in Bedford, PA not to be confused with the farm in Georgia. It is a 97 acre plot with a vegetable garden of about 3 acres and fields of wheat, barley, rye , soon possibly millet, sunflower+clover and a pasture of hay as well as some property leased out to a conventional farmer. Rob and Dawn run the place as a married couple and have restored the integrity of the land from all conventional farmland to the certified organic, all non-GMO wonder it is today. They are very pleasent farmers, a bit on the hippie side--just my people. They have two sons, Silas and Levi, together and Dawn has another son, Caleb, from another marriage whom I have yet to meet. They are rambuctious, curly haired 'day-walkers' who have the most exciting imagination of any children I have ever met. They are all a great time I am glad to be able to share their home and food.
Day 1 I arrived about 930 after driving from my buddy Veesh's house where we were supposed to build a greenhouse but a few wrenches were in the mix so we just got drunk instead which is always a good time. After a tour, I settled in and got right to work planting peppers. There was a row of sweet peppers, hobinaros and a few other varieties. It was a good introduction then I helped pick some strawberries that were half covered in straw to prevent a previous frost. The straw worked well but patches were missing from dead loss. They have a greenhouse with hanging strawberry plants with fruit and some older plants meant to send out runners for repropagation. The boys were running wild but we ended up picking over 5 pounds, about a big salad bowl. I learned that strawberries are not only biannuals but cannot produce fruit the first year for if flowers are not picked from a plant just germinated then it will die from lack of stored energy. The plants also produce fruit multiple years before dying of old age but berries are sparse on older plants. Also there are two main varieties of strawberry, june berring and season berring (10 months) plants that produce fruit in the specified time period however the plants produce on average the same amount of berries for the season, all quite interesting facts I would likely forget. We broke for lunch then started to plant tomatoes. The tomatoes are in a different plot-they have three main vegetable plots each of about an acre-which were planted next to snap peas along a fence for vertical support. We planted, weeded and mulched with straw to reduce further weeds, trap moisture, protect soil structure and the straw will add carbon to the soil after being tilled into the bed at the end of the season. This process took us till about 3 o'clock when we broke for the day and I was definitely spent. The rest of the day I read some books about the basics of cheese and some other trivial things.
Day 2 was even more fun. Goodness Grows has a CSA (community supported agriculture) of about 45 families. The pick-up of CSA bags is split into two days so we had to pick for about half. This week there was not too much ready to be picked but Dawn and I cut a salad-my first time do not worry she was gentle-consisting of green and red romaine lettuce, kale, mustard greens, a little oxalis which looks alot like clover but is edible and a bit citrusy or sour lol. That was pretty fun but honestly I think lettuce should only be grown aquaponically because the weeds are a huge detriment to harvesting and cost time=money. Well after the salad I helped Rob 'weed' lamb's quarter or gooseweed which is apparently a very healthy calcium, vitamin K and full of antioxidant plant that grows like a weed-two birds with one stone a farmer's dream. We finished out bundles then I went and put salad in bags after Dawn had finished washing the lettuce in their repurposed washing maching to salad spinner. That was about all she wrote before lunch then it was back to planting cucumber this time on the opposite side of the fence as last season they found the cucumbers that were planted near tomatoes had much better yields-symbiosis of plants is a field that needs more research it is key to feeding the world. This time I was a pro with a hoe and my method was nearing perfection; first hoe the weeds closest to the fence then dig holes for the plants and refill some dirt with compost then plant the cucumbers then mulch the straw. The day flew by I got a bit of a sun burn but the efficiency paid off as my mind could handle some information. I began reading Soils Science and Management by Edward Plaster an old edition from Rob's studies at Penn State; I have been learning loads and I am only half done. Soil ecology and health is the most important factor in growing organic crops. Like tilling the soil destroys soil structure which is important for drainage and moisture so basically yields of crops. I will summarize the book later. For dinner I will say I had almost a spiritual experience with my food. I had just slaved away in the hot sun and before me was pork shoulder and salad I had just picked. After a day of barefoot weeding, planting, mulching and picking I was sitting exhausted but alert eating food that had no intention of killing me, it was giving me life to continue the cycle, the leaves were making me healthy to make sure I could continue my work in the fields. I do not care what the economists have to say about black and red, so long as I see green I am in heaven and you do not need cash in paradise. I will find a way to be a farmer if it kills me, I will find paradise either way. We finished the day with a family goat milking, oh did I mention they have about 30 laying chickens, a reduced number of broiler chickens as a weasel has been eating hardy lately, about 8 milking goats, most Nubian with a few alpine, a Nubian billy goat and a bunch of youngsters, three sheep along with 2 cats, a dog Dixie. Milking goats compared to cows in a piece of cake, they only have two utters and it took about 45 minutes. Mark and Sue arrived a bit before as well, two chinese WWOOFers who are helping out this month as well. The goats produce about two gallons I would say by eyeball. I made cheese later that night, Paneer is a simple indian cheese that consists of heating the milk to 180 degrees F slowly then adding a capful of calcium carbonate and 1/3 cup per gallon of milk of vinegar. Its super simple and easy, the cheese is bland and acts a bit like tofu when cooked as it soaks up the flavors. (sorry I do not know how to make paragraphs on this blog yet)
Day 3 was today. It was an earlier morning, rising at 7 am to load the truck for the Bedford farmers market with some seedlings, chopped produce and CSA bags for pickup. The market was expectedly slow nearly empty really but a few transactions were made, I got to explore Bedford-it reminds me a lot of Clinton, NY my hometown-I stopped by the banjo shop got myself some new pics and tuner and we headed home. Lunch then more planting, mulching and weeding as well as picking for the Cumberland farmer's market. That about did it for today, farming is the same old stuff different day but as the weeks pass I am sure the duties differ slightly as well as proportion-more weeding and picking, less planting and mulching. I keep reading my soil book and I am getting into the good stuff about microorganisms and plant nutrition, as a chemist this is the stuff I gobble down faster than fresh romaine. I will likely post some pictures tomorrow and add to this blog. I will try to add everyday with whatever I learn, I have left out a lot already, and add recipes Dawn has and how to prepare food. There is a lot of policy stuff and economics to learn...I am learning, it seems politics plays a large role which is too bad so I am less optimistic about the future than I was but I will persevere. Si introduced me to a character Dutch Clutch...and it suites me just fine. You may not know who I am but I will definitely share all my rants, raves and philosophies with my readers should there be any if you keep reading, follow me and enjoy yourself you will learn a lot about everything. I try to be a renaissance man for the western way of thinking that each topic is independent is false; like a healthy soil the bacteria, fungus, worms and plants all need each other, if one fails the others fail and so behaves our culture and civilization. All we need is to regognize we are all connected to quote my man Ben Franklin "We must hang together or we shall certainly hang seperately."
Tootles
I have applied for a few internships this summer but did not hear word back from any except Growing Power of Milwaukee so I decided not let a perfectly good season go to waste and try my hand at WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities in Organic Farming) which is a great tool for getting hands on experience in non-factory farming. For those who do not know it is basically indentured servitude, work in exchange for delicious food and board. Since I have started I must say my research was not in depth enough and I could have potentially found a paying internship but I am happy with my choice. I have been on my first farm for three days and have learned a lot so far. I meant to start this blog the first day but I found myself exhausted beyond comprehension, struggling to maintain any clarity of thought. I am a firm believer in better late than never in any case.
The farm I am currently volunteering for is Goodness Grows in Bedford, PA not to be confused with the farm in Georgia. It is a 97 acre plot with a vegetable garden of about 3 acres and fields of wheat, barley, rye , soon possibly millet, sunflower+clover and a pasture of hay as well as some property leased out to a conventional farmer. Rob and Dawn run the place as a married couple and have restored the integrity of the land from all conventional farmland to the certified organic, all non-GMO wonder it is today. They are very pleasent farmers, a bit on the hippie side--just my people. They have two sons, Silas and Levi, together and Dawn has another son, Caleb, from another marriage whom I have yet to meet. They are rambuctious, curly haired 'day-walkers' who have the most exciting imagination of any children I have ever met. They are all a great time I am glad to be able to share their home and food.
Day 1 I arrived about 930 after driving from my buddy Veesh's house where we were supposed to build a greenhouse but a few wrenches were in the mix so we just got drunk instead which is always a good time. After a tour, I settled in and got right to work planting peppers. There was a row of sweet peppers, hobinaros and a few other varieties. It was a good introduction then I helped pick some strawberries that were half covered in straw to prevent a previous frost. The straw worked well but patches were missing from dead loss. They have a greenhouse with hanging strawberry plants with fruit and some older plants meant to send out runners for repropagation. The boys were running wild but we ended up picking over 5 pounds, about a big salad bowl. I learned that strawberries are not only biannuals but cannot produce fruit the first year for if flowers are not picked from a plant just germinated then it will die from lack of stored energy. The plants also produce fruit multiple years before dying of old age but berries are sparse on older plants. Also there are two main varieties of strawberry, june berring and season berring (10 months) plants that produce fruit in the specified time period however the plants produce on average the same amount of berries for the season, all quite interesting facts I would likely forget. We broke for lunch then started to plant tomatoes. The tomatoes are in a different plot-they have three main vegetable plots each of about an acre-which were planted next to snap peas along a fence for vertical support. We planted, weeded and mulched with straw to reduce further weeds, trap moisture, protect soil structure and the straw will add carbon to the soil after being tilled into the bed at the end of the season. This process took us till about 3 o'clock when we broke for the day and I was definitely spent. The rest of the day I read some books about the basics of cheese and some other trivial things.
Day 2 was even more fun. Goodness Grows has a CSA (community supported agriculture) of about 45 families. The pick-up of CSA bags is split into two days so we had to pick for about half. This week there was not too much ready to be picked but Dawn and I cut a salad-my first time do not worry she was gentle-consisting of green and red romaine lettuce, kale, mustard greens, a little oxalis which looks alot like clover but is edible and a bit citrusy or sour lol. That was pretty fun but honestly I think lettuce should only be grown aquaponically because the weeds are a huge detriment to harvesting and cost time=money. Well after the salad I helped Rob 'weed' lamb's quarter or gooseweed which is apparently a very healthy calcium, vitamin K and full of antioxidant plant that grows like a weed-two birds with one stone a farmer's dream. We finished out bundles then I went and put salad in bags after Dawn had finished washing the lettuce in their repurposed washing maching to salad spinner. That was about all she wrote before lunch then it was back to planting cucumber this time on the opposite side of the fence as last season they found the cucumbers that were planted near tomatoes had much better yields-symbiosis of plants is a field that needs more research it is key to feeding the world. This time I was a pro with a hoe and my method was nearing perfection; first hoe the weeds closest to the fence then dig holes for the plants and refill some dirt with compost then plant the cucumbers then mulch the straw. The day flew by I got a bit of a sun burn but the efficiency paid off as my mind could handle some information. I began reading Soils Science and Management by Edward Plaster an old edition from Rob's studies at Penn State; I have been learning loads and I am only half done. Soil ecology and health is the most important factor in growing organic crops. Like tilling the soil destroys soil structure which is important for drainage and moisture so basically yields of crops. I will summarize the book later. For dinner I will say I had almost a spiritual experience with my food. I had just slaved away in the hot sun and before me was pork shoulder and salad I had just picked. After a day of barefoot weeding, planting, mulching and picking I was sitting exhausted but alert eating food that had no intention of killing me, it was giving me life to continue the cycle, the leaves were making me healthy to make sure I could continue my work in the fields. I do not care what the economists have to say about black and red, so long as I see green I am in heaven and you do not need cash in paradise. I will find a way to be a farmer if it kills me, I will find paradise either way. We finished the day with a family goat milking, oh did I mention they have about 30 laying chickens, a reduced number of broiler chickens as a weasel has been eating hardy lately, about 8 milking goats, most Nubian with a few alpine, a Nubian billy goat and a bunch of youngsters, three sheep along with 2 cats, a dog Dixie. Milking goats compared to cows in a piece of cake, they only have two utters and it took about 45 minutes. Mark and Sue arrived a bit before as well, two chinese WWOOFers who are helping out this month as well. The goats produce about two gallons I would say by eyeball. I made cheese later that night, Paneer is a simple indian cheese that consists of heating the milk to 180 degrees F slowly then adding a capful of calcium carbonate and 1/3 cup per gallon of milk of vinegar. Its super simple and easy, the cheese is bland and acts a bit like tofu when cooked as it soaks up the flavors. (sorry I do not know how to make paragraphs on this blog yet)
Day 3 was today. It was an earlier morning, rising at 7 am to load the truck for the Bedford farmers market with some seedlings, chopped produce and CSA bags for pickup. The market was expectedly slow nearly empty really but a few transactions were made, I got to explore Bedford-it reminds me a lot of Clinton, NY my hometown-I stopped by the banjo shop got myself some new pics and tuner and we headed home. Lunch then more planting, mulching and weeding as well as picking for the Cumberland farmer's market. That about did it for today, farming is the same old stuff different day but as the weeks pass I am sure the duties differ slightly as well as proportion-more weeding and picking, less planting and mulching. I keep reading my soil book and I am getting into the good stuff about microorganisms and plant nutrition, as a chemist this is the stuff I gobble down faster than fresh romaine. I will likely post some pictures tomorrow and add to this blog. I will try to add everyday with whatever I learn, I have left out a lot already, and add recipes Dawn has and how to prepare food. There is a lot of policy stuff and economics to learn...I am learning, it seems politics plays a large role which is too bad so I am less optimistic about the future than I was but I will persevere. Si introduced me to a character Dutch Clutch...and it suites me just fine. You may not know who I am but I will definitely share all my rants, raves and philosophies with my readers should there be any if you keep reading, follow me and enjoy yourself you will learn a lot about everything. I try to be a renaissance man for the western way of thinking that each topic is independent is false; like a healthy soil the bacteria, fungus, worms and plants all need each other, if one fails the others fail and so behaves our culture and civilization. All we need is to regognize we are all connected to quote my man Ben Franklin "We must hang together or we shall certainly hang seperately."
Tootles
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