Paradise Lot

It's catching up time for the blog. I realize that I've been dropping the ball on this lately, but luckily this isn't football, so there's no coach yelling at me. Here's to picking it up again. I'll start with some thoughts on a recent trip to Massachusetts:

Lynea and I live in a city. Cleveland to be exact. It's part of a region some refer to as the Rust Belt. I'm sure wikipedia can give you more information about this, but basically, it used to be a booming, industrial city, and now it's not. There's lots of abandoned land, buildings, and factories literally rusting from un-use. One of the more viable ways to re-use land is to convert it into space for growing food. This meets many needs, a few including re-purposing of land, beautification, healthy food, and re-connection to the land that our food comes from. Having said that, Lynea and I are interested in growing food and education and we've been dreaming of ways to do both hear in Cleveland.

With this in mind, we heard about an urban homestead/farm in Holyoke, Massachusetts that's been doing this stuff on 1/10 of an acre of land. That's pretty small! But they've found ways to use every inch of the land with permaculture techniques, resurrecting what was once a junky piece of property into a Paradise Lot (the title of the book, written by Jonathan Bates and Eric Toensmier). So of course we did the only irrational thing possible: booked a 2 hour farm tour 8 hours away. Thankfully, we realized we had friends close by in Vermont and New York, so why not make a week of it! And that's what we did. So here's a few pics of the tour:

Inside the hoop-house/bioshelter where they grow food all year round. And yes, it gets well below zero in Massachusetts. Don't act like you're not impressed.

 The idea is to grow edible perennials (keep coming back year after year as opposed to annuals which only grow once), which most know to be fruit. But there are many varieties of perennial vegetables most folks have never heard. Luckily, Eric happens to be the world leader in growing perennial vegetables (another reason we booked the tour; he wrote a book with that title). Although not much had come up yet this spring, due to the harsh winter, we were able to get a visual on how everything works together as one system.

Jonathan explains sheet mulching.

A view of the back of the duplex where Jonathan and Eric live with their families and experiment with their small plot. Chicken coop is on the left.

Definitely got a lot out of this experience, and were able to visit some great friends in Vermont and New York. Here's some photos from the rest of the trip:

It's been 3 years since we began our farming journey at Taft Hill Farm.

Lynea at the sugar shack. Got to help out with Maple sugaring.

Seriously good syrup.

Robert's hand blown glass filled with his own maple syrup.

Ahh, memories.

We helped with honey extraction, too. I was told to "get in the picture and look like you're doing something." Me moving a box that did not need to be moved. 

Jake spinning hone.

With new friends, Brandon, Jessi, and Jake.

And finally, we stopped in New York, Brooklyn to be exact, to see our dear friends Vanassa and Denton. Oh, to be young and in love.

Grandma

 Two days ago, my grandma passed on from this life into the next. She was a good woman. Loved her friends and family well. Always concerned about others. Selfless. Would cry at any mention of her late husband, my grandpa. Truly loved and admired him with a rare, simple love.

At Christmas, I had the opportunity to spend good time with her. Knowing that it would be the last time I saw her in person, I went exploring through all the drawers and cabinets of the house, looking for pictures or other treasures that might help me gain a fuller picture of her life. I was delighted to find black and white photos, snapshots of her childhood, of falling in love, of having kids. I was honored to ask her about the photos and hear her stories. I was privileged to prepare lunches for her on multiple occasions, knowing how many things she had done for me growing up. She was impressed that I memorized her vitamin regimen and would bring them out with her food. Wasn’t that hard, but made me feel good anyway. And that’s what she always did. Made us feel good. Got excited about the smallest details of our lives. Made us feel like what we did and who we were was important.

I was honored to help her walk, sit down, go to the chiropractor, get her food or drink, even take her to the bathroom on occasion. Privacy goes out the door as death approaches. The normal formalities and facades are ignored as you walk with someone at the end of the path, and it seems that a rawness, a realness of life is the reality. Every slow step. Every breathe. Every heartbeat is something to behold!

I’m proud of my grandma for running the race and finishing it well. And I’m proud of my mom and dad and sister for being with her every step of the way, even at the final hour.

Grandma, you are loved and will be truly missed. Thanks for your generous, selfless, joyful self. I hope I somehow inherit those qualities. Today, I honor and celebrate your beautiful life. Miss you already.

Life in Cleveland

Summer has been filled with lots of growth. Personal growth, well, that's questionable! But there's no doubt we've been a part of growing the most food we ever have before. From helping neighbors grow food, to helping at our community garden, to working in our own backyard, to going to my job everyday, we've seen the miracle of food up close and personal.

Lynea just started her new job teaching 3 year olds at a school that's just right down the road from us. We're happy to both be able to walk to work.

Then: The first day we planted with the youth at our community garden.

Now: The garden is thriving now!

This was just a normal day of harvesting at the community garden: varieties of lettuce, tons of tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, radishes, and herbs.

Harvesting rainbow carrots at my job site, the city farm.

Purple beauty sweet peppers!

Lynea recently surprised me with a trip to West Virginia for Labor Day weekend. We went rock climbing and white water rafting 

Sister?

We repelled off this cliff. Our guide was telling Lynea to "please back up!"

A little nap at this view.

Our rafting partners.

Another harvest.

Our backyard chickens getting some free range time.

We've been getting 2 eggs a day!

Potato harvest at work.

Summer

Here's a few things we've been up to lately:

Weekend with friends at a cabin in the woods.

It was the same place we went to on our honeymoon, only this time I had a toupee.

Wild Chanterelle mushrooms (and a chicken of the woods)! It was gratifying to go by the store afterwards and see them being sold for $12/pound.

Chanterelle and egg breakfast

 

Blueberry pickin' with Lynea's dad.

 I know I look funny, but the mosquitoes were that bad!

Harvesting Garlic

We harvested about 8,000 garlic last week at my job.

“My final, considered judgment is that the hardy bulb [garlic] blesses and ennobles everything it touches - with the possible exception of ice cream and pie.”
Angelo Pellegrini, 'The Unprejudiced Palate' (1948)