week one done...

WOW! This past week has been full of learning and good times. The farm here is perfect and Carl, Julie, and Sabrina are perfect too. Here are some things that we did: on Sunday we direct seeded beets and spinach out in the field and just barely beat the rain -- most of the rest of the week was rainy so we spent a lot of time in the greenhouses seeding things like cauliflower, celery, celeriac, scallions, onions, oregano, cut flowers, and more while also tending to the "babies" already growing. We drove t-posts into the ground to set up wire cattle panels as trellising for cucumbers which we transplanted into the ground in one of the greenhouses (about 120 plants or so). Also we put self-pollinating zucchini in the greenhouse, too. On Wednesday, it was actually sunny and warm so Carl and I put up the bows and middle purlin for one of the new greenhouses. It was quite enjoyable to be up on scaffolding, tightening bolts while talking to Carl about how to start a farm. Every morning Sabrina and I go up to feed and water the piggies. They are so amazing! Everybody always talks about how nasty and mean pigs are, but let me tell you I would snuggle with a pig just as fast as I would snuggle a dog! They are so intelligent and social, and we give them a good rub and talking to every morning. They are cleaner than most pigs because they are given plenty of pasture where they can root and frolic. For all of you fescue haters out there get some pigs because that is just about the only thing that can get it up, and they do a great job at it too!!

Carl is working on finally getting a house built, so we have been talking about that too. He plans on building a small 20' x 16' timber frame house this winter. If you don't know what timber framing is then you should definitely look it up! It is how people used to build houses starting in the 1400s up until after WWII. They are so sturdy and solid and make sense economically and environmentally too. Carl has hinted as me staying passed October to help him build it...that would be a dream come true. You see Carl and Julie aren't just about sustainable agriculture...they are all about sustainable living like it was back before WWII essentially which is exactly what I want to learn all about. I feel so blessed to have found such perfect farmers to study under!

I will be putting pictures up later -- Sabrina went into town, and she is the picture lady. Also, if want a book or two about sustainability/how our culture has changed over the passed hundred years or so I will be posted some because I am going to be reading them...Right now, I am reading Wendell Berry's book The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture. It has been a great read so far, and I will probably post more on it specifically later. Hopefully I will get one post up a week on the weekends, but we are so busy even at night that it is difficult for me to get one out in the week. But please e-mail me any specific questions or suggestions about what I should post about to tassien4@gmail.com or just utilize the comment feature on the blog if you become a follower...

have a good days always

Noah