When I began working on farms five years ago, I was not prepared for anything I’d have to learn or do. I was especially unprepared for the way death confronted me daily, in the most casual and ignoble ways. Of course I knew, in a logical way, that death is necessary to life. I ate … Continue reading Death on the Farm
A woman once leaned forward and grasped my hands across the table of our farmers’ market stall. “Thank you so much,” she said. “Farming is the Lord’s Work.” I stuttered something polite and bagged her bok choi but later it occurred to me how different the truth is from her intention. Far from being the … Continue reading Church of the Farm
Professions have their own jargon, their own slang. In restaurants, items that run out are 86’d and groups of people are tops, harsh and choppy terms to convey information as fast as possible. Agriculture has its own words, but it’s so much more romantic to me than the food service world. Farming has soil, which … Continue reading Poetry in Motion
Let me introduce you to the easiest thing you will ever grow: microgreens. Microgreens are the early shoots of herbs or salad greens, cut when they have their first true leaves. (See picture below). The flavor of these young plants is concentrated, and they make a great item to sell to restaurants as garnish or … Continue reading Microgreens
Enough with the heavy stuff. Let’s get on to squickles. I have a garden full of pumpkins, but I’m not growing my own food right now. I am part of a CSA with my friends Ben & Patricia of In Good Heart Farm, so I’m well-supplied with veggies. Last week we had a LOT of … Continue reading SQUICKLES!
I miss farming. I say that even though I love my job working with farms and chefs to bring local food to diners at a small, wonderful Raleigh restaurant. I had to step back from my agricultural adventures, not unlike I had to step back from graduate school, because I wasn’t sure what I loved … Continue reading Nostalgia
Nutmeg Pecan Sandies photos forthcoming We’re having a bumper pecan year at the Well Fed Community Garden, and we can’t seem to crack them or use them up fast enough. I felt inspired to make a batch of pecan cookies which were promptly devoured by the farm family, but I didn’t feel like the recipe … Continue reading Nutmeg Pecan Sandies
I chose to attend Tony Kleese’s Whole Farm Planning workshop on Wednesday morning of the Sustainable Agriculture Conference because the idea of putting together a whole farm enterprise is maybe the most intimidating for me. I’m comfortable thinking about individual parts of the work–lettuce! herbs! chickens! kale!–but I get the sudden urge to weed carrots … Continue reading Whole Farm Planning #SAC14
“I always like to point out that women in farming is not a new thing. It is just new to put a spotlight on them.” (Marji Gulyer-Alaniz of FarmHer, quoted in From Scratch Magazine) When I was in graduate school, I became fascinated by the idea that women are socially and culturally expected to take … Continue reading Women in Agriculture
with Chuck Marsh of Useful Plants Nursery in Black Mountain, NC I knew I’d chosen the right workshop when Chuck Marsh started his presentation on Innovative Horticultural Strategies for a new Permaculture Century with a poem by William Stafford. Chuck then discussed the impending risks of climate change and argued that the horticultural skills needed … Continue reading Innovative Horticultural Strategies for a New Permaculture Century
