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New Project!

Well, Campers, it's been a while!

But... summer is fast approaching, and I am, once again, planning to spend it in the garden.

Mission assessed, I started this week off with a trip to Farmer D Organics here in Atlanta. After a fun and informative chat with Christina, one of the gardeners who works there, and a lengthy browse through the many seed options available, I left the store feeling fresh and enthusiastic. I also left with several packets of seeds and a big old bag of fertilizer. Tomorrow morning starts the planting!

This spring and summer Erin and I will be holding a sort of small, beginner-level garden/farm operation in her backyard. We will be growing veggies and flowers, and we will be raising chickens! It is all very exciting to us, and we are eagerly anticipating all of the struggles and triumphs that are sure to come with our big undertaking.

We are starting off this operation with tomorrow's planting. We will be putting in the seeds I purchased from Farmer D Organics: leafy greens and some calendula (things that will survive a frost, if we happen to get one more before spring officially arrives). Specifically we will be planting: spinach, lettuce, chard, kale, broccoli, and arugula!

Erin and I should be creating a new blog specifically for this project. Once it's up, I'll make sure to post it here first so you can follow if you would like. Wish us luck, and stay tuned!

Ben gave me some more pictures!

Me getting my portrait taken.

Seth choppin' wood.

Emilee being gorgeous.

Emilee's boyfriend and famous Charleston Chef Mike Lata came to the farm for a weekend. You can't believe how delicious his food his. You honestly can't believe it.

Our favorite new friend Little Miss Ella. Her parents Christian and Bridget ran the Argenta Farmers Market where we sold all of our flowers and veggies.

Swimmin'.

General porch sittin'.

Pass the hat, pass the book. We all took turns reading aloud from a collection of Arkansas short stories. Accent included.

Bye Bye Farm!

More Pics!

The End.

I would like to say Thank You to everyone who has supported me during this project. I feel so blessed to have people in my life who are so caring, generous, giving, interested, and involved.

Having your encouragement, your congratulations, your questions, and your comments has made this experience meaningful to me in ways I never expected.

Thank you for donating, for reading, for discussing. Thank you for questioning, listening, probing, suggesting. Thank you for laughing.

When I first got involved with this project, and now that I am no longer at the farm, there has been one thing that has made me consistently proud. You.

I am so proud to know people who care about their food and their communities. I am so happy to know enthusiastic gardeners, proud CSA supporters, discerning shoppers, choosy eaters. I am so lucky to know people who grow their own tomatoes, shop at their farmers markets, visit their local farms, buy locally, and cook for their friends and families.

Thank you all so much for providing me with incredibly potent encouragement, not only by means of your emails, calls, conversations, cards, donations, and words of support, but more so by the example of your lives, your habits, your values, and your choices.

Your excitement about this project is what kept me going through the rough spots. Your dedication to responsible, sustainable, and conscious eating is what inspired me in the first place. And your support is what made the really wonderful parts of this project as sweet and delicious as they were.

Thank you so much for your enthusiasm. It meant more than you can imagine.

Most Sincerely, Gratefully, and Warmly,

Marie :)

Am I going to write a final post?

Yes!

But this isn't it!

I left the farm 12 days ago today, and since then I have been very busy. I've been to Atlanta, Chicago, all over California, and today I'm in Arizona! I went to Atlanta and Chicago to visit friends. Then I flew into California to get my car and my mother, and now the two of us are on a Cross Country Road Trip back to the east coast! We took the long way out of California, driving all through the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite National Park. This route was a suggestion from my roommates, and I'm so glad Mom and I took their advice! It has been incredibly beautiful - like nothing I've ever seen before.

Today we will see The Grand Canyon, and tonight we will see my old college roommate Ashleigh. She lives in Santa Fe, and we'll be staying with her for the night. I can't wait!

Once I find a moment to really sit down and reflect, I plan to write a wonderful last Garden Summer Blog. Please stay tuned for that! I promise it won't be too long coming!!

And thank you for reading so far. Hearing everyone's feedback has been the best part about keeping this blog.

Who's got your goat?

Last week I went to a goat farm. Actually, let me be more specific. Last week I went to a goat, chicken, horse, dog, garden farm.

Our first week at the farmer's market Seth and I met a couple named Tammy and Skip who were selling their homemade soaps. They have a wide variety of scents (40 to be exact) ranging from fruity to floral to earthy to clean. Some are water based. Others are made from goats milk.

The five of us farmers quickly struck up a friendship with Tammy and Skip, and last week they invited us to come out to their home to see how they make their soaps. So, on Tuesday morning Seth, Hailey, and I (along with a friend Jason) headed out for a trip to Tammy and Skip's that would prove to be so much more than we bargained for.

Around 9:30 we arrived at their house, which was about as "in the middle of nowhere" as you can get and nestled snugly into a thick parade of trees and fences. We were immediately greeted by a hoard of dogs, chicken clucks, and friendly calls and hellos from Tammy and Skip as they came down off the porch to shake hands with us. After a quick hello Tammy ran back inside to tend to her soaps (she'd already started making them - we were a little bit late), and Skip guided the four of us over the the chicken coop.

Now, since I've been here I have seen about a dozen different chicken coups - some up close and some in passing drives. This chicken coup was in a class all its own. First of all, it encased something like 50 chickens in total along with 6 roosters. The coup itself was about the size of a large, two story, children's playhouse, and the accompanying "yard" area where the chickens run around outside was a good 20x25 feet. The whole thing was fenced in around the perimeter, but it was also netted on top. It looked a lot like one of those bird habitats you see at the zoo. Very tall and cone shaped. And yes, Skip made the whole thing himself, a detail that would continue to pop up everywhere we went on their property. Skip explained that he liked to have the whole chicken yard enclosed because it keeps out the critters who eat the chickens and/or the chickens' food (raccoons, etc.). He also told us about how he spreads the bottom of the chicken pen with his horses' manure so that the chickens will eat out all the bugs (pest control) and spread the manure around with their feet thus beating it into the beginning phase of some pretty amazing fertilizer. After the chickens have their time with it, Skip scoops all this soil-in-progress into a pile outside of the pen and lets the worms at it for awhile. The worms work the dirt even more, aerating it and mixing it further. After the worms have done their part the soil is black and rick and heavy, and Skip uses it to fertilize his garden. While we were at the pen Skip also explained to us about the chickens' mating habits, social habits, and egg laying habits as well as the genealogies and national heritages of the different breeds. Did you know that what we think of as a standard chicken was brought over by the English? And that there are chickens that are native to America, but they look more like hawks and lay bluish and greenish eggs? It was so interesting to me. I mean, who knew you really could have green eggs and ham!

After we learned all about the chickens Skip corralled us over to take a look at the famous goats. Tammy and Skip have about 15 different goats. Some are little babies. One was as big as a small horse with horns that curled back like cinnamon buns. Oh, and besides horses, chickens, and cute goats, Tammy and Skip also have a llama. At the goat pen Skip and Tammy told us about the goats' milking schedules, their diets, and their necessary maintenance while we pet all of their sweet little heads and fed them grains from our palms. Next to the goat pen Skip has built a milking workshop. He took us inside and showed us how he built the whole thing from the ground up. He also designed and built a goat milking station based on a picture he saw in a magazine. It's a little complicated to explain, but suffice it to say that it was verrry cool and very practical. Skip and Tammy use the goats milk for their soaps and for their personal milk consumption needs. They are currently working on getting certified to be able to sell their raw goats milk. Did I mention that on top of the chickens, goats, horses, llama, soaps, milking, and building things Tammy and Skip are also learning to make cheese? Yum!!

Part II

After a long and educational outdoor field trip, we eventually made it into the house where Tammy was busy in the kitchen making up her famous soaps. I would have never guessed it was such a complicated, exact, and scientific endeavor. It's funny to me when I remember that this whole summer project was supposed to be all about the "simple". I have found that there is nothing simple about the amount of work involved in the food community here. It is unbelievable to me the amount of knowledge, skill, and precision that goes into everything I've witnessed here. From making cheese to making soaps to running an organic farmers market to harvesting your cucumbers at the right time to regulating a plant's water intake. It's an art. And these people are movers and shakers, doers and thinkers. They create and build. They use their hands as well as their minds. Old simple Ray Daley has a BA in Biology and Masters Degree in Animal Science! Tammy is an absolute chemist as she measures oils and fats and lye down to the smallest particle and heats everything with incredible accuracy to create a creamy soap instead of a massive explosion. Spending so much time with all of these eclectic, earthy, do-it-yourself, self sustaining people, I can't help but be not only impressed but intensely inspired. It truly is wonderful the amount of life these people put into their days!

In the kitchen Tammy fed us some homemade mozzarella and blueberry cheeses along with some homemade kiwi and peach ice cream! She enlightened us on the very precise step-by-step process of soap making. She talked to us about her childhood, how she was raised, and her belief in that old saying about idle hands. She never allows herself to get bored. She learns. Constantly. She shares. She reads. She makes tea. She grows a garden. She makes soaps. She teaches special ed. She is superwoman.

When it was finally time for us farmers to head out, Skip and Tammy loaded us up with 4 dozen fresh eggs from their chickens and two quarts of fresh goats milk. They also sent us off with three or four jars of homemade jams and compotes made complete with fruit from their trees as well as the Jamaican rum they brought back from their vacation. Before we left we finished up our coffee while Skip showed us the magazine pictures of an outdoor bread oven that he will be building for Tammy for her birthday (the llama was a Valentine's Day gift). As they walked us to our car Skip gave a whistle, and his two horses came galloping through the woods to let us rub their noses and feed them peppermint candies. A very sweet send off.

On the drive home we passed by thier son's log cabin that he and Skip built together, and I thought about the heaping helpings of partnership, teamwork, support, creativity, fun, and giving that are so apparent in Skip and Tammy's marriage.

It was a lovely day spent with lovely people. And it was just another one of those perfect little moments when I felt so incredibly blessed to be exactly where I am.

How exactly does one ride a buffalo?

Yesterday the five of us loaded up a cooler full of corn pones, peaches, corn bread, ham, boiled eggs, and booze, donned our swimsuits and sunscreen, and crammed ourselves into Emilee's little Subaru with our sights set on the river. It was a long and beautiful drive to the Buffalo, and I enjoyed it like I always enjoy our little sojourns through the Arkansas country. We passed expansive green fields dotted with the dark shapes of cows, trees, and little farm houses and farm pick-up trucks. We drove over countless little bridges extended across running streams, brooks, creeks, and rivers. The sky was blue. The clouds were white. The company was full of laughter and singing and talk and quiet.

When we made it to the river (just in time, I might add - 2:30 on the dot) we sat on the cooler for a while drinking beer and waiting for the bus full of canoes to come pick us up. It was the tiniest little bus you ever saw, toting a trailer full of boats that easily doubled its size. We all filed in and giggled the whole way down to the drop off point. Hailey and I (henceforth to be known as Tom and Huck) took one boat. Seth, Emilee, Ben and the cooler took the other. I don't think we stopped laughing the whole way down the river as we swam, raced, and hung out on the occasional beach. The view was incredible. Huge cliffs and hills stretched up high on either side of us. The exposed stone shone in the sunlight, and the green leaves glistened with the splashes of water. It was incredibly hot under the midday sun, but we slathered on the sunscreen. I am happy to report only slightly pink skin showed up at the breakfast table this morning. No burns in the bunch!

At the end of our afternoon on the river we all sat around the car finishing up the snacks and talking about life - specifically relationships. When we were done sharing, laughing, and maybe even crying a bit, we all piled back in the 'Buru and headed home. As we drove the sun set on our right, and in the cool darkness we rolled down the windows and turned up the Bob Dylan. I let my feet hang out the window of the front seat and felt the air and sometimes a tiny bug hitting my feet. It was a spectacular drive for me, filled with warmth and calm and fulfillment and friendship. One of the best drives of my life, no question.

At home Seth and I took the dogs to the garden (they keep out the deer). Emilee, Ben, and Hailey emptied the cooler and made eggs. We all hung around a bit longer before our farm beds began to beckon and we answered obediently, dragging ourselves into the sheets and blankets where we all fell asleep happy, heavy, and full from a good day.

Who's my favorite?

Photo By Ben Williams

We have spent two days with neighbor farmer Ray Daley, and I have loved them both the way you love a good pecan pie right out of the oven. Just delicious. The first day was spent at Ray's farm checking out his garden and his animals. The second day was spent at his son's creamery where the two of them work together to turn their dairy milk into their delightful cheeses! It was really incredible to watch the two barrel sized men standing side by side or opposite each other over a large vat of milk and curd. It was incredible to watch them stirring, scraping, and sifting in perfect union like a simple and meaningful dance they had done together for thousands of years. Back and forth, circle in circle, lifting and dropping. It made me feel comfortable to watch them do this together without speaking, only with gentle, occasional, and knowing eye contact. The son's farm was beautiful that day with big fluffy clouds laced together like crochet in the easy blue sky. Flat green fields stretched out for acres, scattered with baled hay, until the pasture met the tree line and the forrest took over the landscape. In the foreground sheets hung from clothes lines blowing in the slow breeze. Tin houses and sheds covered old equipment and knickknacks, and the dog lay under the truck panting in the shade. It seemed like everything was different shades of blue, green, brown and white. It was so bright out there and simple but at the same time deep and old and full of work and thought and history. I liked that.

How much does it cost?

Growing food that feeds your body. An old tradition. But a diminishing one, it seems. In my regular life I often find myself walking around a huge chain grocery store buying my batteries, my bread, and my orange juice all while sipping on a Starbucks coffee just to wind up waiting in a 20 minute line only to deal with a rude teenager behind the cash register who is haphazardly tossing my barcoded items across his zerox-style reader. Here in Greenbrier I find myself turning down onions on the side of the road because they've traveled 15 miles too far to suit my farm diet. I like that. I like knowing my food came directly from a farm instead of directly from a factory or a processing plant where it was cut and seasoned and packaged by industrial machines and the occasional gloved hand. I like using soap that was made in the home of a simple woman I shared some time with over a wooden farmers market table and later a cheese vat (a story for later). I liked running into her accidentally and saying, hi, I met you the other day. I use your soap. How great and how proud that must have made her feel. And how great and proud it made me feel, as well, to be using something someone designed, created, and labored over in their own home. And to have looked that person in the eye and passed some time together. The farmers and I are going over to Tammy Sue's house next week to see how she makes her soaps. She is excited to have us over and show off her handy work. She even said she'd wait to make this week's soaps until we had the time to come watch. There is something indescribably nice about sharing your labors with your neighbors. When we visit Ray he sends us home with butter and cheese; we bring him sunflowers and pickles from our garden. The sharing is the way we exchange our pride and our joy, our gratitude and our delight. It's something that, until now, I have never quite experienced. The closest thing being potluck dinner parties where someone brings a hand made dish and someone else brings a veggie plate they picked up wrapped in cellophane at the Piggly Wiggly. I've always heard "It's the thought that counts," and I agree. Here at the farm when we think about Ray Daley or Aunt Maura we plan out what we will make for them days in advance, gather recipes, search for ingredients, and then put together a cake or a jar of pickles raw piece by raw piece - spending much more time thinking about that friend than I maybe ever have before. Definitely much more time that the person behind the Piggly Wiggly counter spent thinking about my friend while they wrapped my veggie plate in cellophane.

What's for breakfast?

I am at the farm!

I guess for me this is day three. I got here Tuesday evening, and now it's Friday evening. It's a lovely friday evening, actually.

The weather has been beautiful, although we could definitely use some rain. Our garden needs it. Our little plot is not irrigated, and we were planning to use a well pump to make watering the garden relatively easy. For whatever reason the well has dried up. At that makes things a little... challenging. We've resorted to a sort of assembly line system. We fill a big water basin with water from a hose, fill milk jugs from the basin, and walk the jugs back and forth throughout the garden dumping and refilling, dumping, and refilling. It is definitely tedious. But oddly enough I enjoy it. I enjoy using my legs and my arms every single day to bring life to something. Without our walking, dumping, refilling these plants would die in a heart beat. I like watching the ground drink up the water and thinking to myself, "Hm, is that enough or does this little guy need a bit more?" and then walking back to get it a bit more.

So far everything we have eaten has been local, but not everything we have eaten has been from our garden. We have had the fine decadence of eating some honestly incredible cheeses from our neighbor farmer Ray Daley. My first day here we went for a little excursion to Ray's farm, and let me tell you something. That man is John Wayne with a garden. He has cows, horses, chickens, sheep, goats, corn, okra, cucumbers, you name it. He also makes his own wine, which he graciously shared with us in his lovely country kitchen complete with old glass jars, pictures of his grandchildren, and an old wooden church pew. The wine made for a delicious breakfast, I'll tell you that right now. As far as the animals go, I couldn't get enough. I loved Ray's horses, especially one beautiful chestnut named Joe. Joe and I hit it off immediately and were smooching each other all over the place within the first 2 minutes of meeting. Joe does this really great trick where he gives you a kiss, and then you give him some grass. He could easily get the grass himself, being that it is growing right there under his feet, but I think he likes the kissin'.

Each day here has been like vanilla ice cream with a cherry on top. You've got your basic yummy farm livin - waterin the garden, makin the coffee, eatin the cookin. And then you've got your cherry - visiting Ray Daley, swimming in the lake, finding and picking your first actual squash. It's simple yes, but it's not nothing. It is definitely something. And it's not entirely simple. There is a lot of planning, problem solving, mistakes, and compromises.

But it's nice. And each day feels more and more easy. More and more cozy. More and more like a little nest that we're all settling down into, finding our spot. Another week and I think we'll be getting close to clockwork. We're definitely novices. But we're getting the hang of it.

Tomorrow morning we wake up before the sun to load the truck with all the veggies, flowers, basil, and arugula that we picked and cleaned today. Then it's off to the market to see what we can sell. Wish us luck!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow!

Tomorrow I will wake up early here in Atlanta (yes, I am in Atlanta right now!), probably eat a quick breakfast with the lovely Miss Erin Douglass (who will be visiting the farm in a few weeks), get myself to the airport, rent a car (my first time ever doing this - I'm excited!), and DRIVE TO THE FARM!

The rest of the gang's already there, and I can't wait to see their sweet farmer faces.

Looking forward to the drive, looking forward to the dogs, looking forward to my first "straight from the garden" meal.

Wish me luck!

OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!

Updated garden pictures on Hailey's most recent blog. Check it out, Check it OUT!

http://greenweejprojectjournal.tumblr.com/

Are we there yet?

I cannot wait to see everyone. I cannot wait to see everyone! I CANNOT WAIT TO SEE EVERYONE! Seriously you guys. I am so serious. I can't wait.

Also, we look like a Hollister ad in this photo. It makes me giggle.

I CAN'T WAIT TO SEE YOU GUYS!

12 DAYS!

Do you eat fish?

Most people who know me know that I am a vegetarian. And proud of it! However, this year I decided to put fish back into my diet (so... actually, I guess that makes me a pescetarian or a pesco-vegetarian if you want to get specific). As of January I now eat fish about twice a month.

Here is a great little chart of which fish you should eat (depending on where you live) in order to support responsible fishing and responsible eating. I found it helpful, and I hope you will too!

http://awesome.good.is/transparency/web/1003/seafood/flat.html

ISN'T THIS FANTASTIC?!

I just read an article that made my day. Here is a snippet and a link to the rest of the article.

"In a former New York City school parking lot, crumbling asphalt has been replaced with rich, dark soil. Some children tend to patches of dense, leafy greens while others harvest vibrantly colored carrots and beets. Just behind them, a kitchen awaits, where they’ll clean and prepare their bounty before sharing a nutritious meal at a communal table. When they’re finished, they’ll add organic waste to the composter and check on the chickens clucking away in a coop—all before returning to the main school building for classes that build upon their experience of working in the garden."

http://www.good.is/post/edible-schoolyards/

What did I do on Sunday morning?

I went to the Sacramento farmer's market!

Adam and I had spent the night at his brother Jon's house Saturday night. On Sunday morning me, Adam, Jon, Jon's wife Jenna, and their baby Caroline all piled into the car and set out for the market. Jon and I had coffee, we all shared a little pastry, and Jenna got eggs and things for breakfast. When we got back Jenna made us buttermilk waffles, eggs, and sausage. It was absolutely delicious, as Jenna's cooking always is.

It was so nice to be at the market, and see all the locals selling honey, fish, veggies, flowers, fruits, etc. I can't wait for the summer to get here and for all of us to be the ones standing behind the tables.

And let's make waffles for breakfast!

Are you what you eat? Photos.

This is a fantastic little collection of photographs. My favorite: the one with the snake in the freezer.
http://www.good.is/post/picture-show-you-are-what-you-eat

Would you like to know some fun facts?

This is a list of the 12 produce items that have the highest amount of pesticide residue. In other words, you should buy these items organic.
www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods

This is a list of 15 foods that you don't need to buy organic in order to avoid pesticides.
www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Save-on-Sustainable-Gallery-44032808

Don't you guys have a trailer?