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| Megan and Kate hand weeding the carrots |
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| Kate |
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| Kate and Jon |
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| Mid morning snack |
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| Harvested radishes and peas |
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| Megan, Kate, and Ellie tasting radishes |
June 17, 2011
The Season has officially begun!
June 16, 2011
June 04, 2011
May 24, 2011
April Showers in May?!
Since the last time I wrote life on the farm has picked up. Many of the seedlings that we planted and started in the greenhouse at the beginning of April are now large enough to transplant into to the field. Over the past few weeks we have transplanted kale, chard, broccoli, cauliflower, lettuce, parsley, spinach, salad mix (mustard green, kohlrabi, etc.), potatoes, and winter squash. With this work comes hoeing i.e. weed control. Hoeing involves using a flat blade to scrape the weeds growing around and in between the vegetables. Jon and I have spent entire afternoons hoeing beds. Although the work and motion is repetitive, it helps the growth of the vegetables tremendously by preventing the weeds that grow twice as fast from taking over. In addition, we have been able to harvest leaks, spinach, red lettuce, and asparagus.
We have started CRAFT meetings with neighboring farms in western Connecticut. CRAFT is a program that allows farmers, apprentices, and others interested in local agriculture to exchange ideas and learn about the craft of small scale agriculture. CRAFT meetings involve a 2 hour tour of a farm in the network followed by a potluck. It has been nice to meet and become friendly with other apprentices in the area. six of us got together for a foraged meal at my farm where we enjoyed pigeon!!!! yes pigeon, which Jon had killed with a pellet gun. Among other foods were homemade bread, pesto, picked morel mushrooms, and ramp onions. Additionally, for the past three weeks we have had the extra help of a high school senior, Kate, from Scarsdale, NY. Next week we are expecting two more day workers that will be working on the farm during prime harvest season.
Photos
May 04, 2011
April 29, 2011
Stricter Limits on Food Ads for Children
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/29/business/29label.html?src=recg
Not sure how much faith I have in the government on this issue, but at least it isn't going unnoticed
Not sure how much faith I have in the government on this issue, but at least it isn't going unnoticed
April 28, 2011
Week Three and Four
Week three was cut short because of the Jewish Holiday. Tuesday was a half -day, which I spent sowing in the greenhouse and clearing debris from beds in the field. After lunch we headed into New Haven where we dropped Jon off near Yale to visit a friend, and then drove to Megan's friends home for a Passover Seder. Within minutes of meeting her friends I jumped right in with helping set the table and chop food. The Seder was filled with classic songs and prayers, good company, great food, and philosophical conversations. It was nice spending time with Megan off the farm and having the chance to meet her friends.
Back on the farm the next few days were spent clearing beds in the field, working in the greenhouse, and transplanting chard and kale flats from the greenhouse into the field.
It was my first weekend spent on the farm. Saturday, Jon and I ventured in the rain to the nearby town of New Milford where we explored the Goodwill and went food shopping. Sunday, we woke up and the skies were sunny. We made plans to go hiking with an apprentice from the neighboring town of Cornwall, CT. We went hiking in Macedonia State Park, had lunch, and visited the farm where Dustin the other apprentice works.
Week four spring had finally come and we transplanted tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, spinach, scallions, and lettuce into the fields. On Tuesday the nice warm weather enticed Jon and I to take a swim in the Housatonic river.
One month into my apprenticeship I continue to enjoy myself. The highlight so far had been transplanting the tomatoes into the greenhouse. It was thrilling and satisfying to seed the tomatoes and then watch them grow large enough to be planted.
April 21, 2011
April 18, 2011
Week Two
With the rainy weather in the beginning of the week, much of my time Mon-Wed was spent in the greenhouse. I seeded peppers and transplanted different varieties of lettuce into drill trays. As I mentioned before greenhouse work can be slow and frustrating. However, the sound of the rain coming down on the roof of the greenhouse made the work soothing and calming. During times when the rain let up we worked more in the fields, prepping beds and were able to plant shallots.
Thursday the weather was beautiful, and we spent the whole day working in the fields. I applied organic fertilizer and amendments to a number of the beds and did weed control. The end of the day we sorted through the Sun Chokes we dug up last week and selected 100 lbs of 'grade A' chokes to sell to a chef who owns a restaurant in a nearby town called Community Table. Friday Jon and I spent 7 hours laying down mulch down on one of the two garlic beds. Spending hours working on hands and knees in the soil is defiantly not the most exciting work Rather than looking at the entire bed and getting overwhelmed with how much more mulching there needed to be done, I tried to focus on the work I was doing and get into a rhythm. It also helped to have Jon across from me to to tell jokes and stories with to pass the time.
With two weeks behind us, Megan complimented Jon and I on our hard work and dedication and mentioned that this has been the most preductive beginning of the season since she has started the farm. :)
Thursday the weather was beautiful, and we spent the whole day working in the fields. I applied organic fertilizer and amendments to a number of the beds and did weed control. The end of the day we sorted through the Sun Chokes we dug up last week and selected 100 lbs of 'grade A' chokes to sell to a chef who owns a restaurant in a nearby town called Community Table. Friday Jon and I spent 7 hours laying down mulch down on one of the two garlic beds. Spending hours working on hands and knees in the soil is defiantly not the most exciting work Rather than looking at the entire bed and getting overwhelmed with how much more mulching there needed to be done, I tried to focus on the work I was doing and get into a rhythm. It also helped to have Jon across from me to to tell jokes and stories with to pass the time.
With two weeks behind us, Megan complimented Jon and I on our hard work and dedication and mentioned that this has been the most preductive beginning of the season since she has started the farm. :)
April 14, 2011
April 13, 2011
Week One
After packing and repacking at least twice (never have lived on a farm before I wasn't sure what to bring) I moved onto Marble Valley Farm last Sunday April 3rd. Within minutes of arriving I met the other apprentice Jon. Jon, from Boise Idaho, has had some experience working on a farm before in Idaho called Peacefully Belly. For our first dinner on the farm Megan prepared a delicious meal of vegetable soup, bread and pesto, and sauteed Jerusalem artichokes. I spent the rest of the evening unpacking and setting up the apprentice living area.
Jon and I are living in the basement of the main farm house. Although, the basement is unfinished it has a certain Je n'ai ce que. We have done a good job at making it cozy and bringing a homey touch by putting down carpets, buying kitchen appliances, and brining in reading chairs, a bookshelf, and a kitchen table.
Due to the cold and wet weather much of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was spent seeding and transplanting in the greenhouse. We started planting tomato, lettuce, eggplants, and spinach seeds. To make the process of seeding and transplanting better, which can be tedious and repetitive, we play a bootleg cassette/CD sound system. (Who owns cassette players anymore right???, but it does the job)
Thursday and Friday the weather warmed up, and we spent time in the fields digging up Jerusalem artichokes, rolling up drip tape, moving hay stacks, and seeding peas, onions, and shallots. I also got to drive the tractor. By the end of the week my body was defiantly feeling sore from the heavy lifting and digging and I was ready for a relaxing weekend. Despite the aches and pains, overall I really enjoyed my first week. I like how the nature of the work is not routined, how each day the work is unique, and allows me to be outdoors and active.
Jon and I are living in the basement of the main farm house. Although, the basement is unfinished it has a certain Je n'ai ce que. We have done a good job at making it cozy and bringing a homey touch by putting down carpets, buying kitchen appliances, and brining in reading chairs, a bookshelf, and a kitchen table.
Due to the cold and wet weather much of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday was spent seeding and transplanting in the greenhouse. We started planting tomato, lettuce, eggplants, and spinach seeds. To make the process of seeding and transplanting better, which can be tedious and repetitive, we play a bootleg cassette/CD sound system. (Who owns cassette players anymore right???, but it does the job)
Thursday and Friday the weather warmed up, and we spent time in the fields digging up Jerusalem artichokes, rolling up drip tape, moving hay stacks, and seeding peas, onions, and shallots. I also got to drive the tractor. By the end of the week my body was defiantly feeling sore from the heavy lifting and digging and I was ready for a relaxing weekend. Despite the aches and pains, overall I really enjoyed my first week. I like how the nature of the work is not routined, how each day the work is unique, and allows me to be outdoors and active.
April 08, 2011
Apprenticeship Spring 11'
I will be working as a farm apprentice on Marble Valley Farm for the 2011 growing season. Started in 2006, the farm is owned by the Kent Land Trust and operated by Megan Haney. Located in Kent, Connecticut, Marble Valley Farm is a 4 acre organic (certification pending) vegetable farm. Despite the farm being only a few acres it provides Litchfield County residents with vegetables, herbs and flowers through a CSA program and weekend Farm Stand.
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| Farm House |
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| Megan Haney, owner of Marble Valley Farm |
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| Fields |
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| Sunset on the farm |
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| View outside my door |
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| Photo of lettuce sold at the farm stand |
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| Housatonic River |
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| Apprentice Kitchen |
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| Apprentice living quarters |
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