Breathing Room

One nice thing about autumn is the waning daylight hours. While I may very well regret the lack of sunlight in the coming months, at present I am relishing it. The darkness of night forces us to quit working outdoors and settle in for the evening, allowing us to eat dinner at a reasonable time and get some much needed paperwork (and blogging!) done before bed.

Fortunately along with the reduction in daylight hours comes a reduction in duties, or at least that’s the idea. With as many animals as we have our work is never done, but the weeds have slowed down and we’re no longer planting new crops so we have a little more space to breathe. The farmer’s market season has ended and we’re in the home stretch of our CSA, with only three weeks left. At the end of October Sam will be leaving the farm, and Andrew and I will be back to the drawing board, coming up with new ideas for next year while we keep our little wood burning stove alight.

This season was quite a whirlwind. Some random highlights include:

* The switch in seasons as marked by the transition from horrible buzzing mosquitoes to horrible buzzing cluster flies (it turns out our home built house is NOT air tight. Surprise surprise.) I (along with the many spiders in the house) have become an insect serial killer
* Making homemade kombucha, water kefir, sauerkraut, mead, tomato sauce, jam, pickles, dilly beans, picked beets, chicken stock, salsa, preserved lemons, applesauce, apple cider vinegar, noccino, and shrub (to name a few!)
* An (unsuccessful but fun!) overnight trip into the mountains to try and see the Aurora Borealis
* Farm yoga sessions with our friends at a neighboring farm
* Three hours spent chasing our brand new ewe who escaped into the “wilds” of 100 or so farm acres
* One edible trout we finally caught in our “backyard” river
* ~600 broiler chickens successfully slaughtered at the farm by us and an army of volunteers
* Zero major injuries, despite Andrew’s repeated attempts to ride “piggy back”

With the craziness of another farm season under our belts comes some powerful lessons. We have learned that there is way too much going on for just the two of us, and even with Sam’s help we were often overwhelmed. We’re going to have to figure out how to make our vision sustainable for the long haul, especially if we plan on raising a family some day. Additionally, owning our own business has been a lesson in fiscal responsibility and management. Next year I will need to invest in some software to help me better track our accounts. Stashing crumpled receipts in our Carhartt pockets or the truck dashboard to be added to Excel spreadsheets later is probably typical behavior for farmers, but not so great for business owners!

Unfortunately this season I have been struggling with a general lack of energy, likely caused by a combination of stress, irregular eating habits, and an underlying blood sugar issue. It’s a difficult dilemma, because work on a farm is truly never done. When the sun sets I spend much of my evening writing emails and catching up on paperwork, when mostly I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for twelve hours. This is part of why I have been so bad about updating this blog! We knew going into this that this farm gig wasn’t just a job, but a lifestyle. We are so lucky to have found something we’re passionate about, and I would never complain about our (chosen!) circumstances. It is important to be honest though, and admit that there are times I feel a real apprehension about this life. I have met many farmers who feel chained to their land/animals/crops, and never seem to find time to take a break. This is not how we feel yet, although with our growing animal herds it may prove harder and harder to find a good “farm sitter.”

My solution to that problem is to take a vacation this month while Andrew and Sam hold down the fort! Next week I’ll be visiting my sister in Maine, and get to meet my baby niece Juniper for the first time! My dad, uncle, and spouses will also be there so it will be a wonderful mini reunion. I’m looking forward to some time away, where I can rejuvenate my body and soul (and take hot showers on the daily!).

The cows in the mist

32 bunches of dahlias ready for delivery!

Winter squash is now being harvested and sent out in our CSA boxes

The pigs have moved into a new pen again, and are growing so much. Soon enough we’ll have bacon sizzling in our pan once again!

We grew lots of peppers really well this year, with the help of a plastic tunnel and abundant sunshine

Nova and Io are still the cutest goats on the block

This one wins the cutest farmer title though

Turkeys have been such a challenge this year. I’m thinking we may switch to hardier heritage birds next season.

Misty mornings are the norm this time of year

Mmmm shrub!!

Andrew emerges from his cocoon…

My Aussie cousin Larry came to visit for a few days and helped with the chicken harvest!

Just another glorious farm sunset

Remember Me?

A few weeks ago the first of the Canada Geese returned to our valley, heralding summer’s end. If that wasn’t enough to convince me of how short our seasons are here, a lone (and possibly lost) trumpeter swan flew overhead yesterday, and the reality of the approaching winter began to sink in.

This summer has been an absolute whirlwind, which I am sure comes as no surprise to my readers since I have been radio silent for quite a while. I’m sorry! At the end of the day I can barely keep my eyelids open long enough to shovel forkfuls of dinner into my mouth before collapsing into bed, and I haven’t had the time or energy to spend on my writing. I will do my best to catch you all up to speed!

Last week was our third chicken harvest of the season. While the work is hard and time-consuming, we have dialed in our procedures and have plenty of interested volunteers who help make things go smoothly. Selling birds has never been a problem, and we are always so encouraged by our amazing customers who are committed to supporting us and the way we raise our meat. Where we live there aren’t very many options for pastured, ethically raised meat, and so we have really tapped into a niche. We consider ourselves very fortunate that this is a niche we are extremely passionate about!

In that regard we have started to expand our menagerie, and have added a couple of sheep to our farm. They are Katahdin hair sheep, which means we don’t have to worry about shearing them because they shed their hair like dogs. We have two ewes (Rosemary and Blossom), and a ram (Rambo, aka Beau, aka Cephus…we’re still working on that one!). We hope to buy a few more before the season is over so we can have lambs in time for Easter. The goats continue to alternately entertain and frustrate us with their hilarious antics. The hilarity rapidly turns to irritation when they escape and won’t go back in their pen, or when they completely destroy the nice tarp they had for a roof on their house. With the amount of time Andrew spends wrangling goats, they have yet to be proven as an economically sound investment. They definitely keep us on our toes, and that’s got to be worth something!

The pigs have grown immense in a short amount a time, a function of having free access to high-quality feed. They are such wonderful creatures, and delight in the small pleasures: a fresh bucket of bendy cucumbers, a wheelbarrow of ginormous zucchinis. They come running when I call them while snorting in excitement, much to the delight of visiting customers and friends. Our turkeys are also growing quickly, and while rearing them to this stage has been a difficult and often painful process, I am so incredibly enamored with them. We had many losses when they were just little babies, since they have a habit of smothering each other at night. Now they are out in pens on sawdust, and are eager to get onto pasture where they can eat their fill of greens and grubs. This week we plan on building them a safe brooding house for nighttime, and will set up a netted fence for them to roam within during the day. In the meantime I can often be found clipping clover and dandelion greens for my chirpy little “goobers.”

This season we have added a farmer’s market to the mix, and it’s definitely a unique experience. I had prior “booth” type experience at my last job, but it’s a very different thing to sell produce I grew with my own two hands. Farmer’s markets also attract a wide array of people, and I find myself having really interesting conversations. One thing I’ve noticed is that some people really just love to unload, vent, or otherwise air their dirty laundry onto poor unsuspecting farmers, and I’m starting to feel like a bartender! I know all about certain people’s ailments, car accidents, divorce battles, and the like…it makes me feel grateful for my own joyful life and good health. The best part of the market is getting to know my “regulars,” including a sweet gentleman who calls himself “Orca Man,” pushes his mother’s wheelchair everywhere, and always pays in $100 bills. There’s a guy who always wears a kilt, countless old ladies in elaborate hats and scarves, curious children, and health-conscious gym rats. There’s bicyclists, motorcyclists, home-gardeners, and housewives. In other words, the market is full of diversity and I always come home richer for the experience, even if the cash box doesn’t feel much heavier!

As the season marches on, Andrew and I continue to plot our next move. It’s hard to make plans when so much of what we are doing is tenuous. We’d like to expand our meat operation, but without reliable running water or electricity we are in a tough place. (Side note: Our shallow well ran dry this summer…again! Eric, the landowner, recently had a real well put in, but the water coming out of it is pretty unpleasant). Also since we’re in a flood plain, having breeding stock of certain animals (like pigs) becomes a big challenge. We can’t imagine ever having the funds to buy our own place with adequate acreage, and we have fallen in love with the valley we now call home. Fortunately for us we are adaptable and creative, so I’m confident things will fall into place.

Change is definitely afoot down here at the farm, and you may have noticed some blog changes too. In addition to some layout updates, at the bottom of the page (keep scrolling!) you’ll find links to both our farm website and Agrilicious!, a free service that connects you with local farmers. I anticipate some small financial benefit to adding this link (perhaps an upgraded membership on their website), but I am truly passionate about helping each and every one of you find amazing, local produce. If everyone endeavors to support local agriculture in some small way, we may be able to heal our broken food economy and nurture the land back to health while we’re at it.

Back on the farm the turning seasons are bringing afternoon winds that carry a weight larger than that of Old Man Winter. There’s a stirring in my bones, and a sense that big things are on the horizon for us. I am not sure what these big things are (no Mom, I’m NOT pregnant!!!), but I’ll be sure to keep you appraised as our story unfolds before us.

** Click the link below for a random video of Andrew being interviewed for the news!**

No cock-a-doodle-doo here? County weighs expanding animal nuisance zone

Western Washington is so unbelievably gorgeous!

Hey Look! A WATERMELON!!

We managed to sneak away for a few days for vacation in Oregon with Andrew’s family. This was the most I exerted myself for a couple days!

Heirloom tomatoes rock my socks.

Hot air balloon magic

We are selling gren beans and other produce to a new local restaurant!

Grease Monkey!

Pepper time!

More hot air balloon magic!

Isn’t he a cutie pie?

A girl and her cat

Summer veg!

Golden beets

Dahlias are amazing

Galaxy among the clover

Farm Photo Frenzy!

Six or so weeks have passed since I last blogged, and on a farm during the height of the busy season that means a tremendous amount of change. It’s a daunting task to bring you all up to date, so I am presenting you with the picture book version of events. Just click on the first photo and scroll through. Enjoy!

The pigs outgrew their temporary home on the hill and we moved them to an awesome enclosure in the woods behind our house. We’ve since moved them to a new paddock in the woods. They love the shade from the trees and digging up blackberry plants!

Our intern Sam has been a huge help! It’s great to have someone around who is dependable, but even better that she’s so fun and lovable!

Farmers sure know how to have a good time!

We are now well into turkey raising for our Thanksgiving harvest. Turkey babies (poults) are very difficult. They squish each other a lot when they sleep and sometimes they refuse to eat or drink for no reason at all. We started with 100 and are down to about 80. It’s traumatic every time we lose one, but they are such amazing creatures I couldn’t imagine not raising them. It doesn’t hurt that they’re so delicious either!

The Farmer’s Market continues to be a big part of our week. Every Sunday we get up early for harvest, and then head into town. We love being at the market; it’s such a great experience!

Sam made a vegetable mandala one day with some freshly harvested goodies.

We have had two very successful chicken harvests so far, and are approaching our third. Andrew has perfected the art of the BBQ chicken. I absolutely love this time of year!

I have become very interested in different preservation methods, especially old school ferments that are high in probiotics and B vitamins. Pictured is an awesome crock I got for my birthday, some delicious beet & cabbage kraut, and my newest craze: kombucha!

I spend a lot of time cuddling with this cat (and taking photos of said cuddling!). He’s amazing. He also catches all kinds of critters and leaves them for me to find. Birds, moles, voles, rabbits, mice, etc. Fortunately he usually returns to eat his “gifts” after I’ve found them.

We had a crazy weird humid spell a couple weeks ago and we were treated to an amazing fiery sunset.

It’s a family business!

This photo was taken by Andrew’s mom. His family came to visit in their RV for a week and we had such a great time with them. It’s nice to have family around to make sure we’re eating dinner at a reasonable time!

Basil!! I love weeding basil, it smells so amazing.

This type of bean is called Dragon’s Tongue. We’ve had really good success with most of our veggies this year. Our CSA members seem stoked so that’s very encouraging!

You’ve seen them before, but I’m still always excited by the hot air balloons. This time of year our farm is part of their main highway. Such an amazing sight!

Dill! For pickles!

This year I planted some flowers, and was amazed to see them bloom! I didn’t think I had it in me, but I guess if you can grow carrots you can grow anything!

We clean up nice! We snuck into Seattle for a date night to see Book of Mormon at the Paramount.

The first of our heirloom tomatoes are ripening up!

Just a pile of nature’s candy, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes. So amazing!!

This is our new (tiny) flock of Katahdin sheep! They’re hair sheep, which means they don’t need to be sheared. We are close to adding six more ewes to our flock, so we should have lambs next spring!

A time for reflection (and frenzy)!

Becoming a farmer isn’t just about learning how to grow vegetables and take care of animals. It’s about learning how to use your hands, how to toughen up your body, how to become more independent. It’s about problem-solving, tinkering, working under pressure, and reacting quickly when things go awry. For me it’s also about growing in ways that were unexpected. I am now finding myself in the plumbing aisle of the local hardware store, looking for PVC elbows and hose connectors. When I need to start a water pump or a generator, I no longer need to ask for help. I know how to fill it with gas, choke the engine, pull the cord, and close the choke. I can trouble shoot the inverter for the house by standing on the top of a ladder and poking at buttons with the end of a broom handle. I can light the propane heater for the chicks, I can drive a tractor, and can file a hoe to keep it sharp. I know how to relight the pilot on the hot water heater, which seems to go out at least once a day. These may seem like trivial talents to many of you, but these skills are miles away from anything I knew in “life before farming.” I knew farming would change me in a lot of ways, but acquiring these technical skills was not something I anticipated.

My body has changed in many ways as well. I am constantly stiff and sore, but it’s a soreness I have learned to accommodate and work with. I am stronger than I used to be. My hands are unrecognizable. My nails are short, jagged, and dirty. The skin on the thumb-edge of my right index finger (my weeding finger!) is comprised of dirt-stained crevices and cracks that don’t go away no matter how much lotion I use. My fingers are plump and muscular, and in the summer I have to remove my wedding band. My face is tan, ruddy, and often dirt-smeared. My hair is usually matted from wearing a hat, I shower a lot less often than I’d like to admit, and my tan lines are ridiculous. But through all of this, my smile is brighter and my spirit is nourished in ways I couldn’t imagine.

This time of year is a crazy time for us. This is really our crunch time, when we have to put our nose to the grindstone and get a million things done in an impossibly short amount of time. It’s exhausting mentally and physically. We often work until 8:30PM or later, thanks to the extended summer daylight hours granted by living in the north. Currently at the farm we are caring for 19 pigs, 14 goats, 50 hens, and 300 broiler chickens. We will be adding 100 turkeys and 150 more broiler chicks to the mix later this month. We have to stay on top of weeding, watering, and planting our seedlings out. We have to make sure we have enough seeds planted for each crop to last throughout the season. Andrew is currently building an intern shack for our new intern Sam, who will help make life a little less frantic. I work endlessly answering emails, phone calls, and managing the paperwork-side of owning a business. It’s very easy in the middle of winter when time is abundant to sit and plan for next season and decide that expansion is not only a great idea, but easily feasible. It’s another thing to put that plan into action successfully when the moment arrives, but we are doing what we can by putting one foot in front of the other and trying to remember to breath (and smell the strawberries!).

This week was an important one for us! We slaughtered and processed (or “harvested” as I like to say) our first batch of chickens last week. Two grueling days of standing on our feet, doing the same basic movements over and over really take a toll on us, but we are so proud of the way we raise and slaughter our birds that it is really a blessing to be so involved in the whole process. There is nothing better than a returning customer who is as excited about our chickens as we are. Our first batch was comprised of mostly roosters, and those bad boys weighed an average of 8 lbs!

We also attended our first farmer’s market (twice now) and virtually sold out of produce (both times!). Our first CSA customers came and picked up their boxes at the market today, and we have more coming here to the farm tomorrow for theirs. So several days of chicken harvest followed by several days of produce harvest means I am running on fumes (and coffee!). Tonight I have decided to take a little “me” time to get this blog posted and maybe crawl into bed before twilight is over, which still gives me until 9:30 at least!

Farming is not a job; it’s a lifestyle. Fortunately the “return on investment” is huge. I absolutely love the smiles I receive when I give a bunch of delicious beets to an excited customer. I love hearing from people about how amazing their first pastured chicken tasted. I savor the days we have young people come out to work on the farm and how inquisitive and eager they are to participate. I genuinely enjoy falling into bed exhausted and satisfied at the end of a long hot day in the fields. I am so grateful for the way my relationship with Andrew is growing and changing into a true partnership, where communication and compromise mean everything. These are the pearls I try to remember when the stress becomes overwhelming, but when all else fails, there is always the strawberry patch!

We were lucky enough to sneak off the farm for a day last month and visited Sweet Grass, a grass-fed Wagyu beef farm on Lopez Island. It was so beautiful there!

The tree-lined driveway (that no one drives down) is no more. The weak plantation poplars kept falling and knocking out the cow fence. Native maple seedlings will be planted in their place.

I take way too many photos with this cat. My sister is probably sick of all my cat selfie texts!

Caterpillars are way too cute to be so evil. It made for a nice photo though!

Some of our happy hens enjoying a fine spring morning

I’m so excited for artichokes!

This is the day the kids (all 9 of them!) discovered they could get on top of their house. This nice, shiny, $50 tarp is now in tatters.

The pigs have upgraded to this 12-hole hog feeder that holds one ton of feed. They are growing FAST!

Pig Noir

This here’s our summer stove, out on the porch! It’s a little intense for a teapot but it sure is fun cooking outside!

Just one of the many gorgeous scenes from the farm

It’s time to make some jam!

A Season of Growth

Two years ago Andrew and I were wed in a campground in Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California. We did not know what our future looked like, but it involved togetherness: on that front we were certain. A few months after we married I lost my job and we decided to travel across the US, exploring the great outdoors as we went. That trip was what started this blog, so I could share our experiences with friends and family (and for posterity, since I have a horrible memory). After our trip ended we decided to find fulfilling work outdoors, away from office cubicles and fluorescent lights. We landed on a farm in Snohomish, Washington, and after a (mostly!) successful season of farming I am happy to announce we have started our own business!

Obviously this has been quite a remarkable two years. What started out as an exciting adventure has become more than a job, it is a way of life. I have developed into someone I might not have recognized just a few years back. Or rather I have nurtured those parts of myself that were submerged, struggling under the overwhelming influence of commercialism. I shopped too much, I bought expensive makeup, I flittered my money away on things in an attempt to fulfill myself. I know it’s a cheesy troupe, but indeed it seems true that you can’t buy happiness. If I extrapolate my experience onto our society at large, I sense a great emptiness that we are trying to fill with junk. I suspect the lack of interpersonal connections that comes from cubicle culture and digital communication share some of the blame.

In this day, electronic gadgets are more highly valued than healthy foods, which of course I notice much more now that I am growing said food. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 1950 a whopping 29.7% of total expenditures was on food. In 2012 this number landed at 12.8%. Of course there are many complicated factors which go into a statistic like this, but I have no doubt that the availability of cheaply made, mass-manufactured “food” products and the prevalence of cheap, unethically raised meats, eggs, and dairy are a huge part of the equation. People now balk at spending considerable money on food, although to my mind what could be more important than that which nourishes you and keeps you healthy? If we spent more money on nutritious vegetables, I bet we’d spend less on those ubiquitous pills!

In any case, where I once felt a need to acquire, I now put off going to the store and spending time and money when I could be/should be out weeding my beets. And maybe that’s really the crux of it after all: maybe when you’re farming (or otherwise working with your hands), you’re so busy and you get so tired from working hard that you just don’t have the time or energy for consumerism. It also doesn’t hurt that I have very little occasion to wear nice things. Either way, it’s a good thing because at this point I wouldn’t have the funds to support my old habits anyway! At the end of the day I feel more fulfilled than ever before, and I think a big part of it comes from living more in the moment, being outside in nature every day, and (honestly!) not having a television.

Okay I realize most people check in here to read about life on the farm, not about my personal hippie revelations, so let’s get back to it! This spring we had NINE new baby goats come into this world. We had two sets of twins and a set of triplets all born within a few days of one another in early March. And then a month later…my little darling Gretchen kidded a set of twins too! Her twins are special: not only are they like my grandkids (heh!) they’re genetically unique. They are 75% Kiko and 25% Boer, and because of this they look different too. The little girl is all white with one brown spot near her ear, and her bigger brother is all brown with a little white patch on his forehead. They are extremely adorable and love to be scratched, just like their momma. Gretchen is a great mom too, which is a relief since this was her first time kidding.

With spring came the rains, or rather, the rains stayed, and we had the wettest March on record with 6.65” of precipitation. This was about double the average, and boy did we feel it. The farm developed a few new “lakes” in some of the pastures, and our road was impassable for a couple of days. We were anxious to work the ground, but when nature has other plans, on the farm you must be patient. Now we’re well into April and the weather is doing the fun Washington spring thing, where one day it’s so sunny and warm you’re in a tank top and the next day there is a hailstorm. Thankfully we have had plenty of time to get things growing, and we’ve got quite a variety of plants in the ground and in the greenhouse.

Which brings me to our new business! This year we have decided (with the help of Eric, the owner of Chinook Farms) to develop our own company: Bright Ide Acres! We are doing basically the same things as last season, but in a larger capacity and with more independence. Our CSA membership will be capped at around 40 boxes, and we will be attending a Sunday farmer’s market in Snohomish. We also expanded our animal operation significantly. Our animal counts for the season (not including goats) will be: 20 pigs, 600 broilers, and 100 turkeys! We still have a relatively small egg laying flock, which is unfortunate because demand is outpacing supply. In other words, things are going great for us and we’re actually expecting to make minimum wage this season. Hooray! You can visit our farm website here: www.brightideacres.com. I have a mini farm blog there too, but if you want a good fix of farm photos you should like our page on facebook: www.facebook.com/brightideacres. I’m obsessive about taking and posting farm photos, especially this time of year when all the animals are young and adorable.

That’s been our spring, in a nutshell. We are chugging away, getting things ready for the crazy, busy year ahead. Farming can be fairly stressful at times, and I often have anxiety about the upcoming season. But in those moments I take a deep breath, sniff a calming blend of essential oils I keep handy, and stick my nose back in those beets. When things get overwhelming, there is no better way to come back to the moment at hand than by sticking your fingers (and toes!) in the dirt for a while.

Brooding chicks without electricity is a challenge. Andrew came up with a great propane system that is working really well.

Fuzzball!!

The “great flood” of 2014! This is our road into the farm. It only looked like this for a day though.

Goat kid minutes after birth

Aren’t they adorable?

Yay! Chicks love fresh greens too!

They don’t like dandelions, which is a real shame. We have billions.

This year we used an implement called a water wheel planter to get our brassicas in the ground. It’s a real time saver, but we still have to go back and fill in the holes.

Yeah…we’re legit.

Grease the “feral barn cat” has turned out to be the cuddliest, most affectionate cat I’ve ever known. Sometimes he even wraps his paws around my face.