Category: musings

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Spring at the Farm

Newly transplanted Beaujolais Spinach stretches to greet the sun and soil

Spring is nearing its end and it has been a busy one here at the farm! These beautiful sunny days interspersed with rainy ones have made for a lovely transition for the trays of seedlings that have been cozied up in our greenhouses since March. The fields have become a colorful patchwork of greens, reds, and purples. Jason and I agree that farming has become somewhat of a creative outlet for us both.

The sheep, along with 9 new lambs born this spring, have all settled into their summer lodgings. They’ll be away until Tom’s return this fall. Hope’s Edge feels strangely quiet without their presence here. Tom’s presence, too, has been waning as he prepares to depart for his bicycle trip. We will miss his company and mentorship, but have gathered a strong team of volunteers to help us take care of the many tasks involved in growing food for a community. A huge “thank you” to those who stepped up to help out!

There are many ways to farm, and our goal this season is to follow in the thoughtful, collaborative and respectful footsteps of Tom (and Rudolf Steiner), while also implementing some permaculture-inspired practices that we believe will further support our partnership with nature. We’re doing some intercropping, sowing mixed cover crops and living mulches, and brewing up homemade foliar sprays made from comfrey and other nutrient dense plant matter. It is our hope that this combination will help to reduce the time we’ll need to spend weeding and dealing with pests! Hope’s Edge has been dedicated to growing chemical-free produce for over 20 years and we are always learning new ways to collaborate with nature.

It has been a busy start to the season with the addition of weekly farm visits from the 6-8th grade students at Sweetland School. This creative, hardworking group of young people have helped with bed preparation, seed starting, transplanting, crop rotation, and bed mapping and labeling. For their final project, one group of students designed and built a mobile farm stand for us to use on the Sweetland School grounds, just across from Hope General Store on Church Street. You’ll see our vegetables and seedlings at the farm stand starting this week! Another group designed and painted a new mural on our CSA shed doors that beautifully represents Hope’s Edge Farm. Both were hugely appreciated gifts! (Photos below show work in progress with finishing touches to come.) Thank you so much Sweetland School!

As we prepare to bring our quiet farm work to its public purpose with the opening of the farm stand and the first CSA distribution next week, we are grateful to feel the sense of true community coming together here at Hope’s Edge. Thank YOU for your unique part in that!

~ Rachel

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February 2016

Greetings Friends                                                                                                                         February 9, 2016

 

Early February is a propitious time in the agricultural calendar in that it marks the half-way- point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. In pagan times February 1st was celebrated as the beginning of spring; the day being given the name Imbolc. The etymology of the word Imbolc has an agricultural connection as its Gaelic translation is “in the belly” or often times “ewe’s milk” as this was traditionally the season of lambing. In the pagan calendar February 1st was also the day to honor the fertility goddess Brigid. Christianity later subsumed this day, making it St. Brigid’s’ Day and then incorporating it into Candlemas Day, February 2nd. Candlemas falls 40 days after Christmas and simultaneously honors the presentation of Jesus in the temple and the purification of Mary (a 40 day purification period following the birth of a child was required before a woman could enter the temple). Today we celebrate February 2nd as Groundhog Day which brings us back full-circle to a “pagan-like” celebration associated with a change of season.

Regardless of your relationship to paganism, Christianity or large rodents, this time of year, early February, means that we are one step closer to a lunch of tomato and cucumber salad. Well perhaps you may consider this connection between early February and ripe tomatoes as somewhat of a stretch, but for me this is the time of year when my mind’s eye begins to see not only fruits but also leaves, roots and particularly seeds of all kinds. The little miracles that we call seeds have arrived and are waiting patiently to be planted into warm soil where the hidden life within will quicken and there my friends is the miracle.

Early February is also the time to send out this invitation to the 18 week vegetable party that we are once again throwing this summer. Besides Tomato and Cucumber other invited guests include Strawberry, Fennel, Eggplant, many members of the Brassica family including everyone’s favorite Kohlrabi. Also attending will be Carrot Peas and Garlic. And you can be sure that the beautiful Flower sisters will make an appearance in their finest attire and unique scents. This is only a partial list of some of the honored guests that you have come to know. Attending this party is an opportunity to be nourished once again by these old friends. It is also an opportunity for you to reacquaint yourself with their unique shapes, colors, flavors, and textures. It promises to be the event of the season- one not to be missed. To secure a seat at the party table, simply RSVP by sending us the reply (sign up) form with julietta online casino your payment.

In addition to the above mentioned VIVs (Very Important Vegetables) you may also want to make a weekly connection with this party’s non-vegetable attendees Appleton Creamery Cheese, Heiwa Tofu, and Back 40 Bakehouse bread.

So, come party with us! If you love vegetables, you will not be disappointed. By the way that large rodent referred to above did not see his/her shadow last week. Winter is over! Tomatoes will be coming soon.

 

Your Farmers,

Tom and Amanda