It wasn’t a really tough decision. Green Edge emailed me. I read it, said “holy crap” and told Robert they offered me the job. Then I wrote back and accepted it pretty much right away.

This was after wishing for a few minutes that I wish I had more time back in Seattle before making such a big decision. But, I had made up my mind already. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was having to leave so quickly. I was offered the job on 8/14 and I had previously agreed to be there by 8/31 if I got the job … and the two weekends between the 14th and the 31st were already spoken for. I didn’t get to say goodbye in person to several people who are important to me – Kevin, Nazma, Geoff, Carol and Mario to name a few! These are people I spoke to almost every week if not every week. I feel bad I’ve left them behind. I had to do what I had to do, though, and it is certainly not like I will never, ever see them again!

Needless to say, my life has been fun and interesting over the last few months and downright crazy for the last few weeks. I am really looking forward to getting settled at the farm and for all the craziness to die down!

My last days in Seattle were a blast, even though I didn’t get to see some folks. Mainly, because I was in Robert and Amy’s wedding!

I was honored to be a groomsman, but I don’t have any pictures of me in a tux … though I have a feeling there will be some. The wedding was good, no one fainted or tripped. However, there was one slight slip up by the wedding party during the complicated catholic service … but the wedding coordinator finally gave us the tip to get back up to the alter and in place! The reception was fine. Not crazy at all, not to late.

I did have a moment when I got back to Robert’s place with his tux. After I got my tux off and ready to be returned back in it’s bag, I had a few moments to myself. I broke down a bit and even shed a few tears. I was leaving this place and these people. It didn’t really hit me until then – until after the wedding, after taking off the tux, when thinking about where I was going that night and what I was doing in the next few days. It’s hard to believe this was not even a week ago! A week ago tomorrow, yes, but it’s hard to believe it just happened and I’m already so far away. I was struck saddened for a moment knowing I will be in a different place in a week, and that Robert and Amy are truly my best friends in Seattle! I guess that kind of thing happens after an emotional wedding afternoon. I’m really happy for Robert and Amy!

And, I’m looking forward to Ohio! I have no idea what my online status will be at the farm. I’m sure I’ll be posting something again in the next few weeks with details.

I can’t say I have really had time. I just haven’t made time. There have been plenty of hours sitting in front of the computer. Most of them have been spent researching other places in the USA to live, how to get to those places and what would I do with myself once I got to those places.

The rest of the time over the past months have been spent working at Sun Island Farm three days a week. From May through mid-August we had wwoofers on the farm – Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and Jennie, whom all made my time there a lot lot of fun! At one point, Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and I were all there at the same time, which made living interesting in the container. But it worked and we all had a blast! I did some work for Dr. Bob Norton, building things, some irrigation work, planting stuff. We’ve done some great stuff on the farm. When I left things were growing like crazy, when I get back it will probably look completely different!

There have been days spent in Seattle, dinners with friends on and off the island, lots of hiking, some backpacking trips, and even a golden parade. It’s been a great summer, and I am really really really glad I did not make the move to NC I had written about long ago in my last post.

So, the current update:

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at my sister’s house in Minneola, Florida. It’s hot and humid outside and I’ve spent more daylight hours indoors in the past few weeks than I have in a couple years combined. Florida is hot. Damn hot. And sticky. And flat. But at the same time very comfortable and fun. I’ve seen the best of old friends and spent a good amount of time with them. I’ve made gestures and thought a lot about seeing other friends, but I’ve got only so much money and so much time. I’ve really enjoyed seeing my brother and sister. And, had only a few good days spent with my Mom right when I got here.

My trip to Florida was primarily to help out my brother, who is in the midst of a divorce. There’s a lot I could say about this, but it’s best that I don’t. Mainly, I helped him move out of his apartment and into his new living situation – now he is living with my sis along with her husband and almost-three-year-old Cam. I will say I am slightly jealous of the situation because they will get to spend mucho amounts of time together (which I don’t get to have) and all my nephews – Tyler, Aidan and Cam – will have an absolute blast when they are all around.

There is definitely a part of me that wishes we all were under the same roof again. Being around my brother and sister, there is a relationship like no other – I relate to them and feel a comfort being around them that I do not feel anywhere else. I miss that.

However … I don’t think it’s enough to bring me all the way back to live in Florida!!! If only it weren’t so damn hot and flat. I’m just not compelled to make the move all the way back.

Which brings me to the other point of the trip. I hopped in my mom’s aging Nissan 200SX and headed north. I left August 2 and got back late on the 7th. Aside from a minor electrical breakdown on I-95 in South Carolina that delayed me for almost a day, it was a great trip. I swept through the Appalachians on a mission to put my feet on the ground in a few places I have been considering moving to. Asheville, North Carolina, Athens, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina (in that order). It was a great little adventure of 2000+ miles of driving, couchsurfing, camping, exploring and even an interview. 

Asheville was great. Pretty much what I thought and was hoping it would be. The night I got there, I met up with my couchsurfing host, Jason, and his girlfriend Monica and went to a potluck. Apparently one of the multitude of weekly potlucks that Asheville is famous for. It was a great first impression as everyone I talked to was really great. Very friendly and doing interesting things. All were very welcoming and encouraging. The next day Jason, Monica and I took a fabulous bike ride around Asheville. We stopped for coffee and did a nice bike tour of the city. I like the terrain a lot – it’s hilly, but not as extreme as Seattle. There’s green everywhere. Lush grasses and lawns, beautiful front-yard gardens and trees everywhere! We met up with another couchsurfer, Katie, chatted for a bit and then walked to Greenlife, the local PCC and Wholefoods-like stores. Greenlife was nice, a little pricey and over-polished – just like the Seattle organic stores. I picked up a few things and we all chilled outside for a few minutes listening to a busker jamming on guitar out front. Once we had our fill, we pedaled downtown, grabbed a cookie at a sub-street level cookie shop called Sugar Momma’s Cookies!  We stashed the cookies in our bags and headed off for the banks of the French Broad, where we dispensed of most of our clothing and took a dip. After the refreshing swim, and with thunderclouds looming, we sped back towards West Asheville and had some delicious Mexican fare. We chilled for a while. Jason and I hung out at his place for some hours, exchanging music, talking about life, living, work, eating, etc. Napped, read, prepared, etc. Then we went to a great local eatery for dinner that night, meeting back up with Monica and Katie and with Katie’s friend (who I can’t remember her name…) Dinner was great, then we went to a blues bar for a beer. A pitcher of PBR, an awkward dance, a glance at the watch and we were out of there. I was planning on leaving at 5 am the next day for Athens, Ohio and wasn’t going to get much sleep as it was! 

Great time in Asheville. A big plus by that one. I can definitely see myself being there!

So I got up bright and early on the 5th and headed towards Athens. The drive was amazing. Western North Carolina, Western Virginia, Western West Virginia and yes, even Southeastern Ohio are all absolutely gorgeous. The six hours from Asheville to Athens went by really quickly. My main goal was to get to Athens to see what the Wednesday Farmers Market was all about. I made it just before the closing time at 1 pm, arriving about 12:30 after touring downtown Athens hoping to simply run across the market … I neglected to write down directions to the market, but ended up asking someone on the street for the info. The market was bigger than expected. Athens was a larger town than expected, too. I started counting the farmers at the market, but lost count after I got to 10. I guess part of me was hoping Athens was an untapped market of sorts, but there is no shortage of farmers. However, even having gotten there right before closing time, there were a fair amount of people still shopping. And, after having a great conversation with Angie Starline about their Starline Organic farm and the market, Athens and such, it seems the market isn’t really saturated – at least not with organic farmers … and the Saturday market is a whole different story. Bigger, better, etc. I scored some sweet corn and cherry tomatoes while talking with Angie. I also picked up some delicious strawberries from another vendor and ate ever single one of them over the next day and a half. 

After my market stop, I had plans to meet up with another couchsurfer – Kelly. She was working at a coffee shop, off at 1:30 and was willing to show me around a bit. We had a really great time! She was a great tour-guide – taking me to the places I would have wanted to see without me really asking to see them. We have a lot in common, which is what made her such a great guide. She’s moved back to Athens four times now, I think. Which is a characteristic of the place I’ve heard from others – it has a strange magnetism that keeps bringing people who’ve lived there back. Of course, I think it’s the great community that is going on there. I’ve just heard rumors, though, and can’t say that yet from experience! Overall, though, Athens is definitely a place I could spend some time in. 

There were two other big things I was to do in Athens – visit some property in Dyesville and meet and interview with Green Edge Gardens farm in Amesville. The property is Dyesville is the first property I’ve really looked at on my quest to find my own spot on this earth. It’s a nice spot. Right about 30 minutes from Athens. It’s potentially a little too remote for me … the central “village” of Dyesville isn’t much to look at. An old church, a few other houses, and mostly decaying trailer homes. There are some houses in the hills and woods around Dyesville, but they are mostly secluded and not visible from the road. I could probably go on and on about the property, and the 1887 house that’s on it, but I’ll link to the pictures instead.

After camping out in the pasture, I headed back to Athens, got coffee at Kelly’s shop and headed to Green Edge Gardens. Amesville is a nice drive from Athens. Amesville itself is a bit more substantial than Dyesville, but still a teeny dot on the map. I met with Dan at Green Edge to inquire about a position that is opening up there. One of their interns is making an unexpected early departure at the end of August. So, they are looking for someone interested in working with them from late August until Thanksgiving. I had previously contacted Green Edge about an internship there and was on their mailing list of potentials. The timing was perfect! I had already been planning on seeing Athens, and it fit right in to my trip. I think the timing of the position will work too. It’s something to bring me east, give me a place to live, put a little bit (and I mean a little bit!) of money in my pocket, and give me a chance to experience southeast Ohio without much commitment. And, mostly, to get some incredible experience on a bigger, very successful farm.

Green Edge is awesome. It’s what I’m looking for in a farm at this point. It’s not “big” per se, but bigger than anything I’ve been on both in scale and in sales. I’ll let their web site do more explaining about who they are and what they do.

Anyhow … this is getting long. I’ll try to summarize the rest … after Green Edge, I headed straight south. I had one more stop on my trip – Charlotte, North Carolina. I had a couchsurfing host lined up there and it was six hours away! I got to Charlotte no problem, hunted down Dave and Hannah, my couchsurfing host and got to spend a bit of time in Charlotte. The reason I had Charlotte on my list is there is a decent Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center there … and I wanted to see if my gut would like Charlotte or not as I really knew nothing about it. Dave was a great host. We hit the bar that night, played some pool and once again I had a stellar couchsurfing experience. Charlotte is yet another place I could hang my hat (though it’s low on the list), if only for a while.

Electrical?

Huh? It might be my next direction. There’s not really a short way to explain this one. But it makes sense – when I first went to college, I was enrolled in an “Electronics Technology” degree. Essentially the program was electrical engineering without all the math. The program tanked due to not enough interest. I have always been interested in wiring – initially mainly just car stereos, home stereos, etc., but at Sun Island Farm, working with Joe on some electrical work (and some solar stuff) I realize I have a long-lost interest in such things electrical. The electrical trade is a quite flexible one, and the energy industry is one of those things that is never going to go away and is going to expand, if anything. People will always always need electricity. Renewable energy has long been an interest of mine, and is now finally becoming a national and global interest. The time seems right to me, albeit possibly slightly behind the curve, to follow that path once again. Hence, the interest in the Charlotte JATC. However … I did not even stop by and talk to them (because I previously communicated with the training supervisor there and he was on vacation …)

What of Seattle?

So what does all this mean, then? Actually, I’m not sure yet… Why? 

As of today, Green Edge has my references and they are interviewing other candidates. I’m pretty hopeful of getting the position, but am not fully inclined to take it even if offered. I won’t know until Friday at the latest. And that’s the only real opportunity I have in the East.

Mainly because part of me is still looking for a reason to stay in Seattle. It will be really really hard to leave there. The trip I’ve been on to Florida was mainly to see if I can find a reason to leave the Northwest. There are plenty of them, for sure. But man, does Seattle have some gravity to it. And, they have a really good electrical apprenticeship there too. Seattle has just made such an impression on me, and is the place where I feel like I really created myself and who I want to be. I will surely be that person anywhere, but it was most definitely the influences of the people and the surroundings there that have made me.

Realistically, though, to get what I want I feel like the east is where I need to be.

Essentially, Eric & Melissa were offering their previous house as an incubator “farm” to a new farmer for them to get their start. They were offering an 1100 sq ft, 2-bedroom house with a full, unfinished basement on 2/3 of an acre to the right person/couple to live in for free! I almost couldn’t believe how good of a fit the opportunity was. I immediately contacted them via email. And, I dove in sorting out details from the moment I read the email to see if this move was feasible. (Here’s a link to a real estate listing for the house.) Here’s a google street view image of the house. (image used without permission …)

Eric called me back the same night and we had a great conversation, the first of many, about farming, Wilkes County North Carolina and the possibility of me moving there.

For most of March I spent a ton of time researching the area, the nearby farmers markets, towns, farm supply places, land for rent, moving costs, etc. I spent almost a whole weekend just researching crops to grow in North Carolina, planting dates, harvest times, where to buy seeds of varieties suitable for the region and on and on.

I had decided originally to just go. No visit, nothing. Just pack up all my stuff and head to Ronda, North Carolina sight unseen. It was invigorating, exciting and felt like just the challenge and change and adventure I was hoping for. The house sounded great. Eric had some concerns about me fitting into the area socially, but I brushed them off thinking I could deal with the change and I’d find a way to get what I need. I was so ready to start my own farm. I even put my motorcycle up for sale within a week of hearing about this opportunity in NC, knowing that I can not be a farmer with a motorcycle. If I wanted to get serious about being a farmer, I needed the money I had tied up in that fun machine to buy a more practical farm truck and farm tools.

However, after much prodding from friends and relatives who thought I was crazy to just up and leave Seattle without visiting the house in North Carolina first – I caved and went to visit the house in Ronda, meet Eric & Melissa and do some on-the-ground research. They were incredibly generous – delivering me to/from the airport, and providing lodging, meals and even a car to use while I was there.

Alas, in the end, the visit was a huge reality check. After actually seeing the area, driving around the first day by myself, being at the house alone, stopping by the local hardware stores and such – the first day was a bit of a bummer, really. I had a sinking feeling in my gut when I first drove up to the house in Ronda. It was cold, the garden was in bad shape (tons of weeds gone to seed, remnants of past crops left to rot, untended, forgotten), the house was empty and somewhat uninviting. I felt very lonely and realized that’s how I’d be, at first and for a while anyway, as a stranger in a strange land, very much a foreigner in a small town culturally the opposite in most ways from where I am living in Washington.

I ultimately decided the timing was all wrong for me to uproot and move all the way across the country to that place. This was even after being there and deciding that yes, I would definitely be making this move … after deciding that dammit, this is what I want to do, right? Start a farm? Here’s the opportunity, stop hemming and hawing and do it! 

I didn’t decide until I got back to Seattle. After thinking about everything on the flight home, sleeping on it another night, and spending the night and next day with my good friend Robert and meeting up with another friend Danielle for coffee in Fremont … I just couldn’t see moving to NC so suddenly at the end of April. It was a beautiful day in Seattle and that along with being with good friends made me realize that I didn’t want to leave … yet.

It wasn’t only my social connections that I didn’t want to sever with such an abrupt and monumental move. I’ve been wanting to get this all down, mostly for my own purposes to get a wider grip on things.

1. First and foremost, starting a new farm as a new farmer completely new to the area – the end of April is about the worst time to start. Timing is a massive part of farming, and since I’m not in dire need of starting a farm right this minute and I have the flexibility and option of starting when I want, right now is the wrong time. From a marketing perspective, a new farmer needs to be at the local markets as soon as possible in the spring, showing their face and products to become familiar and establish relationships with the locals. Getting an early jump on CSA recruiting is crucial too. From a farming/garden perspective, missing out on the winter down time to get things established, make compost, plan for early and spring crops, get spring plants started, etc., etc., etc… coming late in the game is a significant disadvantage in more ways than I’ve listed here.
2. Wilkes County, and Ronda specifically is most likely not where I want to settle long-term. Eric read my blog and correctly deduced that the area might be a challenge for me. In his own words: “Wilkes County is dominated by people that grew up there, that have rarely left the state, let alone traveled internationally, that voted for McCain-Palin, that attend Baptist churches every Sunday and Wednesday evening, that shop for seemingly everything at Walmart, etc.  Would you rather find a way to live closer to a place like Chapel Hill?  Are you going to find the social life you want living in Wilkes?” No. I would have a very hard time relating to people like that and finding what I need and enjoy in the area. I am a very tolerant, patient and accepting person, but if I have a choice, I would not want to live in a place like that. I don’t think I want to say any more about this. It also doesn’t make sense to start establishing a customer base in an area I’m quite sure I won’t remain.
3. When I spent all this time planning on North Carolina, I had been stuck on the island with only a motorcycle in the cold rain and snow for literally months. (i.e. I was severly limited in where and when I could go anywhere.) I was isolated, albeit voluntarily, didn’t get out enough, didn’t spend enough time with the people hor at the places that I really enjoy spending time with. The motorcycle idea was stupid. In hindsight, anyway. It was fun in the summer. But now I look back and don’t know what I was thinking.
4. Spending the summer in Seattle is a reward for suffering through the winter … there is no better place to spend a summer that I know of. I’ve started so much over the winter, so many things that I’d like to see take root and grow this year. I’ve grafted trees, planted dozens of things, built buildings, dug trenches, prepped beds. I want to finish what I’ve started, or at least see them through a bit longer. 
5. I want to more carefully plan what I hope to be one of, if not the last big move I make! As much as I think North Carolina is where I want to be, I think it behooves me to do a bit more research. And, talk to my family a bit more and seriously think about where I want to be in relation to them. I keep saying I don’t want to live in Florida again. But I want to be closer to my family. I think I want to be really close to them, like within an hour. And if they don’t ever see leaving Florida, and I don’t want to live in Florida, that’s not going to be possible. Maybe I could live in Florida again? I don’t know. My dream is to cooperatively buy 100 acres with my family and each member have their own house on a corner of it. And not in Florida … We all like the mountains, and North Carolina has them. But maybe I’d like Massachusetts, or Vermont, or Upstate New York, or somewhere else a little less … “southern.”
6. I really have an aversion to being a bachelor farmer. It’s just really not what I want to do. Food is closely related to community for me. Growing it with help from family, friends and neighbors is the only way to do it “sustainably” in my mind. I’ve been thinking since I started envisioning being a farmer that I would not do it alone. And I won’t. 

So, anyway. That’s the recent story of my farming adventures. For now I am happily staying in the container at Sun Island Farm with Joe & Celina and the kids.

March was very educational, and very helpful for me. It got me thinking about things in ways I’ve never thought of them. I’ve taken many more steps towards my goal and will be better prepared when the time comes! (And, I have a truck again now, too!)

The picture above is where I’m living. It’s a shipping container that has been converted to a house. It’s 40 feet long by 8 feet wide and aside from being super-cozy, it has a surprising amount of room! The inside is essentially divided into three parts: the kitchen, living area and bedroom. It was a refrigerated shipping container, so it is insulated and holds the heat produced by the small, plug-in radiator. Cooking anything on the gas stove heats the place up too. There’s a utility/bathroom built on to the side of the container. It’s got the hot-water heater, a shower, bathroom sink and built-in composting toilet. It’s awesome!

I’ve even got a land-line and DSL so I can keep on doing freelance design in my spare time! I’m really happy with the setup!

Work here is going well so far. We’ve started in on putting up a deer fence. The first run of posts have been hoisted after clearing quite a bit of blackberry and scotch broom infestation. I think we’ll get quite a lot done in the next two weeks as well, before I head to Florida for a couple of weeks.

I am enjoying working with Joe and Celina and am getting to know their kids and various family and friends. Their farm is a bit smaller than Plum Forest, and is a little closer to the scale I can see myself starting out with. There are several apple trees on the farm and we’ve been harvesting quite a few apples. We’re going to do another cider pressing here pretty soon. They’ve got barrels and barrels of apples they’ve been storing. I think I’m going to try and make some hard cider this year with some of the produce. It seems fairly simple and I’ve really started to enjoy drinking cider. It’s so much more simple than beer … it’s just apples!

Joe’s also got the tractor, a BCS 853, I’ve been dreaming about for the last year since I first learned about two-wheel tractors at Erik’s farm Ytre Lygra. So, I’ll get to have some hands-on experience with one before I consider buying it! Joe has some great implements for it as well – the 26″ tiller, chipper/shredder, mower and mini-trencher. I think he’s thinking about the rotary plow as well.

Joe’s 853 has the diesel engine, which is what I was considering as well. Right now the battery for electric start is gone, but it is really quite easy to pull-start. Not having a front-end loader would be a sacrifice, but I’ll have to get some experience building and turning a compost pile without one to know whether it would truly be a necessity or not. A tractor with a front-end loader would be something I could probably borrow from a neighbor, ideally.

Buy Nothing …

I successfully avoided buying anything on my fourth annual celebration of buy nothing Friday. Which, after listening to the various podcasts and news reports about the economy, is apparently the wrong thing to do in a lot of people’s opinions. Go buy buy buy, consume and do your part for the economy! Pah! So many people are going to simply dig themselves into a deeper hole buying things for xmas. I wish everyone would just subscribe to this idea: Buy Nothing Christmas. As someone who “doesn’t celebrate” Christmas because of my beliefs, I don’t even look at it from a religious perspective, from how the holiday has been completely distorted. But, there’s a great movie out now, produced by “Super-size Me” star Morgan Spurlock. It’s called “What Would Jesus Buy?” Check it out! Then re-think your holiday shopping, and damn the economy! It needs to be fixed in different, more sustainable ways.

I say I successfully avoided buying anything, because I came very close! I really want to get a couple more pairs of Carhartt Double-Front work dungarees and I don’t have a tea kettle! But I think I’ll try to support a local business or two, even though I won’t get it “on sale” or at a “doorbuster” good price. It will be worth it!

Peter Schiff

One last thing while I’m at it: This past week, NPR’s Planet Money had a guest on – Peter Schiff. I was floored hearing what he has to say! Not that I am an economist in any way, shape or form, but at least two years ago I was predicting that the housing market bubble was going to burst within a year. I even suggested to a friend to hold off on buying a house (she didn’t listen to me) until next year.

I also started down the road I’m on because I believe the way most Americans live – in debt and consuming a ridiculous amount of material goods, wasting energy in the process while driving their vehicles commuting crazy distances and eating food from they don’t know or seem to care from how many thousand miles away it came … ok, I’ll stop … What I’m getting at is Peter Schiff predicted the economic crash years ago, and everyone was laughing at him. My agreement with him is kinda shaking me up a bit, because it is becoming obvious to me now that I am economically more Libertarian than I realized. I guess part of that is realizing it means. It certainly does not mean I’m a Ron Paul supporter, all of a sudden. The only reason I say this is because Schiff himself hovers around economic libertarianism. And, I agree with everything I’ve heard him say. Especially what he’s saying about the economic “bailout” …

Another good turkey day

I spent Thanksgiving this year again at Robert’s house. This year his awesome girlfriend Amy joined us. We had a Plum Forest Farm chicken, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and pumpkin beer. I don’t have any pictures yet, and will post one or more when I do!

I was a horrible photographer this weekend, though. I didn’t take my camera to the conference at all. I wasn’t really sure what I’d do with it there. I went for a walk Monday in Bellingham and snapped a few shots along the way, but that was it. I didn’t get photos of either of my couchsurfing hosts or any of Fairhaven! Silly me. I’m not sure why. I just didn’t think about it … maybe it’s because I think I will go there again and spend more time there.

First domestic couchsurfin’

I couchsurfed the whole time I was in Bellingham. My first host, Jessica, wasn’t even there for two of the three nights I crashed at her place. So awesome! She just left me the key and I slept there after the conference. She got home on Sunday night and cooked me a really awesome pasta dish with some of the produce out of her own garden! Her gypsy peppers were better and redder than the ones we grew at Plum Forest!!! Then I surfed with Jim and Rick in Fairhaven on Monday night. Man I wish I had taken some pictures! Jim and Rick have a great house in a great location with an amazing garden! I also met their friend Mike, who was great company and my tour guide around Fairhaven. Both experiences were absolutely great. Just such amazing people couchsurfing hosts are!

Farming, farming, farming

The conference was pretty amazing. So much information. Too much information, really, as conferences usually are. It was awesome to be around so many like-minded people. Everyone I met was really easy to talk to – we all had so much in common!

Over the course of the conference, there were five workshop sessions. Each session had five different topics to choose from. It was so hard to choose! I was really happy with all my decisions except one. Here’s what I did:

1. Nutrient Management and Soil Ecology
2. Local Marketing: Two Multifaceted and Complimentary Business Strategies
3. Greenhouse Propagation and Season Extension
4. Pest Management of Slugs and Cabbage Maggots
5. Efficient and Appropriate Use of Farm Equipment

The last one, #5 was completely mis-titled. The description says the presenter would “concentrate on those pieces that our operation uses the most and which are of greatest benefit to us.” Which he certainly did, but his presentation had absolutely nothing to do with the title of “Efficient and Appropriate Use of Farm Equipment.” It should have been titled: “What equipment Mike uses on his 35 acre farm and what he thinks of it.” To me it was especially inappropriate because one of the first things he told us is that they use a very traditional tillage method on their farm – meaning they run their tractors over the land many, many times plowing, discing, fertilizing, rotovating, cultivating, etc. etc. etc. when every piece of sustainable agriculture knowledge I’ve heard and read is for the most part against such tillage practices. Anyhow … it simply didn’t have one iota to do with what I’ve done or will do with farming.

That little rant aside, the conference was just awesome. I met so many folks, talked about so many different farms. Ate some good food, tried some great wine and got to meet people I’d heard of and conversed with over email, but had never met before. So great! I especially remember Autumn, whom I got to know through several conversations about farming and her farm in Oregon. She bought one of the herb pots I’d been eyeing on our dinner tables. I didn’t get out of my last session in time to buy one before they sold out! Thanks Autumn! You rock! These herb pots were on some tables through out the conference. They were 4 different kinds of herbs – in my case sage, rosemary, mint and thyme – in a terra cotta 6″ pot. After the conference was over, rather than throwing them out, they sold all the pots and leftover food that was unused.

Officially in business

The other big thing I did in the last couple weeks – I’m officially a sole proprietor doing business as Wilson’s DesignWorks! I took the plunge after I errantly forgot to ask a client to make the check payable to “Steve Wilson” and got a check made out to Wilson’s DesignWorks. That prompted me to take the step to make what looks and acts like a business into a business. I just hope it’s not going to cause me any heartburn … tax or headache-wise!!!

Moving on

I’m moving to Sun Island Farm this weekend to start work with them November 17. I’m really looking forward to it! I’ve got some heavy-duty Carhartt rain work wear now and am ready for the elements like I have never been.

I just wish I could get used to this time change!!! It is so darn dark at 4 pm! I’m tired and ready for bed by 8 pm!

Actually, this year it has flown less than ever. Farming is by far a different way to experience life and the passage of time. It seems like so long ago I was just starting at Plum Forest Farm and we were sowing seeds, preparing new beds and building the garden for the season. Seeing the plants grow from the tiniest seed, through transplanting, tending (weeding and weeding!) and then finally harvesting throughout the year is such a great experience. It totally brings you closer to what is real. I’m going to miss it! And, I’m forever changed by the experience here. Now we’re essentially tearing down the garden to retire it for winter. Removing irrigation systems, weed-barrier pathways, stakes, rocks – everything we need to do to be able to till large areas and sow cover crop seed.

So the deal for me over the next few months – I’ve accepted a winter internship at Sun Island Farm. I’ll be working with them to develop more of their infrastructure. They are a smaller and newer farm than Plum Forest, and they don’t have a farm stand, or a harvest shed, or an all-important deer fence. I’m really hoping that we get to some solar electric and hot-water system work, which is what Joe, the farmer (no pun intended or reference to “Joe the Plumber” – the fake talking head hired by the McCain camp) does in addition to farming. I really want to get involved in solar in a big way and become a proponent of that. It’s go to be part of a new economy going forward.

If it’s not clear to some, this means I’m staying on Vashon Island near Seattle, where I’ve been all year just about. I like it here. I’ll be on the island until April at this point, after which I’m not sure where life will take me. I’m just enjoying where I am for now.

The election

One of the biggest things on my mind lately is the election. I’ve already cast my vote for Obama, which I knew I would do months ago. I’ll stop short by saying here that I really can’t understand why anyone in their right mind would vote for McCain/Palin. It is so obvious to me that McCain/Palin are the absolute wrong leaders at this time for the USA. It fully and completely escapes all comprehension and reasoning of mine why I have people, whom I think of or thought of as friends, who are going to vote for McCain. I just … I don’t know. I can’t even begin to imagine what these people are thinkging, other than they have been made to be very, very fearful and afraid.

Me and farming (again)

I read back over what I wrote last time. I definitely love growing food, and without a doubt, if I casted any in my last post – my internship here at Plum Forest Farm is the best thing I’ve ever done with my life. Second only to taking a year off and traveling. It has changed the way I will live forever and is exactly, exactly, exactly what I wanted to do this year. It has been absolutely great and I wouldn’t trade the experience I’ve had here for anything.

love and life

I continue to be a naive dufus when it comes to women. The good thing is I’ve never had such absolutely amazing women in my life. There are four women that I totally adore and would be lucky to end up with – I just need to figure out and/or find the guts to actually do something about one of them. Silly me. If it’s not obvious to anyone else, find a partner is one of if not the more important thing I think in my life. Now I just have to figure out how to not let it rule my thoughts and cloud my judgement, which it has a tendency to do. I just need to have fun with it, as a good friend has stated more than once. I get to focused on an end goal and I skip over where I am now and I need to enjoy now a bit more … we all do!

My mom’s visit was a lot of fun. I didn’t write much about that, but it was really great to have her here. We went to the strawberry festival a lot, listened to some great live music, walked and talked and got too much sun. She helped around the farm a bit. And, mostly fed me well and was a great mother! I got spoiled, having someone here cooking all (or most) of my meals. Her being here made the week of me running the farm go a lot better.

The day my mom left we had a wwoofer scheduled to arrive at the farm. All I knew about Alissa was that she was an art teacher from Chicago. I can say now with a smile on my face that she was the most interesting and the most beautiful wwoofer ever! From the moment I saw her walking up the driveway, carrying her backpack, I was like “Wow.” We worked together, cooked a meal or two together, talked, watched a movie, and to me there was never a dull moment. We ended up hitting it off really well, and for lack of a better term, I’d say that I pretty much have fallen in love with her. Or at least I think about her every day and a lot of what I think about is when and how I’ll get to see her again! Alas, she was only here for a week, one great week! We hope to spend more time together some time in the near future.

Other than two incredibly excellent women being in my life … the farm is going well. We’ve got chickens coming out our ears! The Cornish cross birds are out on pasture converting their feed to meat, and it’s amazing how good they are at it. A couple weeks ago we got 100 egg-laying chicks in the mail and they are growing fast too. We’ve had our two biggest weeks at the farmer’s market and have nothing but more great stuff to come. We harvested all of the garlic, and whoa – it is soooo good! I have no idea what kind boring white-skin garlic the grocery store usually sells, but the garlic we have is awesome. A few of the varieties I remember are Siberian, Silver Skin, Killarney, Italian Red. Onions are almost ready. There’s more ripe tomatoes every day. We harvested our first potatoes last week, a red variety called Huckleberry. Summer squash is growing like bonkers. I picked a bunch of raspberries and boysenberries (and ate a lot in the process .

We’re caught up on weeding, for the most part, too. Which is an amazing feat. That’s not to say there aren’t a couple beds that have weeds almost as tall as I am … it’s just means the beds we care about are all tended and beautiful. Today I renovated the mobile egg-laying coup with new dividers. We’re hoping it helps the chickens break and eat less of their own eggs. Yes … the chickens know how good their eggs are and will eat them. I think the problem was they didn’t have their own private laying cube, just this open area that was easily shared by other crazy chickens. They would all be piled in this one spot for some reason, like 5 chickens on top of each other. Then the bottom one would get claustrophobic and want to get out, and crush an egg. They’d smell the yummieness and start eating away. This egg-eating would happen several times a day and we’d lose several eggs, probably more than we know. The next thing we have to figure out is how to keep a few rogue chickens from flying over the fence and laying eggs in random places. We’ve found a few caches where they make a cozy spot and lay, but it’s usually too late, after they’ve layed several eggs who knows how many days before.

The chickens, the animals, are definitely a big issue on the farm. I’ve personally went back and forth on the whole animal thing. I haven’t decided yet whether they’ll have a place on my farm yet. This week is a bad week for me to decide, anyway, as I’ve been fatigued and can’t quite seem to build up enough energy and momentum to really get going in a good way. I’m feeling a bit tired, really. Maybe it has something to do with not really having a day off for a few weeks. And, I know it’s got something to do with being on a total high with Alissa around, and then her being gone and 2000 miles away. Funny how that works!

I’m also riding my motorcycle a fair bit. And, now I’m almost completely official official. I took a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Intermediate Rider Course this past weekend in Bremerton. Essentially now I have this little card that I can take to the DoL and get my full motorcycle endorsement on my license. Also I think I can show it to Progressive and get a discount on insurance. The class was good, I’m glad I took it. That’s all I’ll say before I say something not nice about it.

Phew, well, so much for going to bed at 9. I’m tired and need some sleep. I’ve been woken up every morning by my alarm for the past two weeks. One of these days I’ll get caught up!

And, the heat. Today it is hot. Damn hot. The hottest day of the year so far. I’m fairing well in the cabin, but it is just on the verge of being uncomfortable. I need to move back up to the loft next to the big open window where the breeze is blowing in. The heat is making me sleepy.

The market on Saturday was a good one. We totally sold out! Everything we took! It all went!!! It was a great feeling. Every market gets better and I enjoy it more and more. I will definitely miss it. It’s such a great thing to do! Work all week, tending, prepping, growing, cultivating and then take all that hard work to market every Saturday and sell our wares directly to the people. There is nothing like it! It’s going well.

Aside from better sales, Rob shared with me the nifty method of keeping a running tally in my head of what a customer is buying, rather than trying to add everything up when they are done picking out their produce. It worked wonders! Duh. Sometimes I am so slow on the uptake. Doing this reduced my sucky math stress to nil! There were also fewer people browsing and more people buying.

We were in a different and better spot at the market yesterday too. I didn’t think about until just now how our location might have affected sales. We were at the end of a table next to Seabreeze Farm on our right and Lavender Sisters on the left, closer to the sidewalk entrance of the market pavilion. On our side of the pavilion, anyway, we were the first and only produce vendor, I think. We ended up selling out of almost everything. Which, here’s the list of what we had:

• Artichokes
• Bok choi
• Cauliflower
• Kale
• Salad mix
• Garlic scapes
• Patte D’Oie salad (pronounced pot dwah, a mix of beet greens and spinach)

The only item we didn’t sell completely was cauliflower. Of which, all the prettiest heads sold and only the floret pieces we chunked off from uglier overall heads didn’t sell. And they were pieces of cauliflower that even I wouldn’t buy, so it’s not a surprise they didn’t go. I was sort of surprised, though, because last week our cauliflower was the second thing to sell out (right after broccoli).

After the first market Rob mentioned the idea that our sales would hopefully be higher this week because people would remember us from the week before and might be more inclined to buy from us again, or buy for the first time if they didn’t last week. I think this idea, coupled with our location probably helped a lot.

All this farming and going to market stuff got me thinking yesterday about my experience at La Chalaguere in France. I went to the archives to see what I wrote and found that I really didn’t post much of anything to my blog. And, for as much as I think about the place and enjoyed my time there so much, it’s too bad that I didn’t share more about it!

Mainly why I was thinking about La Chalaguere is that this time a year ago I was there! It is satisfying to me to know that this time last year, what I’m doing now is what I hoped I would be doing at this time this year. The main things that are different this year versus this time last year is the scale/size of the farm, the location, the relative success at the farmer’s market, and the lack of a secret affair with a french farm girl … all of which I miss! A neat similar thing about Plum Forest, though, is Rob speaks fairly good French and we grow quite a few French varieties of vegetables.

Anyhow … I’m not sure what else to post right now. I’m on the verge of writing a huge long rambling post, but I’ll save you from that. Today is Sunday and it’s gray and cool out and it’s a great day to just do nothin. There isn’t anything I have to do. Maybe a few things I feel like I should do. Definitely a thing or two I wish were easier to do (like see Dana). But I don’t think I’ll get to any of them! Maybe I’ll call my siblings and mom …

end of the day update: After thinking so much about La Chalaguere, I decided it was time to just call them! I fired up Skype and rang. I got to talk to Granville and Stella, but unfortunately missed Cia by just half and hour. It was really good to talk to them!

No, I didn’t take any pictures … I did take my camera, but I was busy from the time I got there until after the market closed. Next Saturday I will get pictures …

I pretty much manned the stall the entire time. Greeting, smiling, weighing, changing money … and reminded a lot that my math SUCKS. But it’s one of the first times that I’ve felt even slightly stressed about it. And, the solution is to just have a small calculator on the stand. I’m so dependent on a calculator now. I don’t know what I would do if my mobile phone didn’t have one on it. Pretty sad. I’m talking addition here too, folks. It’s not that I can’t add, I just can’t do it quickly. Silly things like 6.00 + 3.25 + 2.75 + 2.50 = ? I mean, I did it on paper in less than a minute, but it seemed like an eternity and I still second-guessed myself. Or maybe I’m just being hard on myself again.

Apparently overall the market wasn’t that good. It was slow for everyone (I know this because Joanne is the farmer’s market manager). I can’t say that Plum Forest sold a lot, but Rob and Joanne seemed to think what we brought in wasn’t bad for a first market day and knowing that the whole market was slow today.

It was interesting watching people at the market, though. So many browsers. Many people would walk by the stand, look and keep walking. Our produce was gorgeous and our prices were great for organic produce. Really. I’m not just being biased. We easily had the best salad mix, the most beautiful and only bok choi and romaine lettuce. So many people just looked at it and moved on. We had broccoli and cauliflower and kale at the beginning, but they were all gone in the first hour. I guess now we know what people want at this time of year. That, and all the other farmers had salad mix and salad greens. Our mix was the best, though.

I just don’t know what people think, or how they make decisions on what to or what not to buy. I mean, yeah, I can understand a busy, overworked commuter may only be able to buy groceries late on the way home from work at thriftway. But the people at the market, I would hope, since they are smart enough to actually go to the market for the local produce, would be able to know a good price on excellent produce when they see one. For instance- we were selling heads of romaine lettuce, which isn’t very common at this time of year. We had BIG heads, these things were like a pound each. And we were selling them for $3.00 each. Thriftway had romaine heads, small, wilted, sitting on the shelf for days romaine for the same price. I can’t believe we didn’t sell out of them in ten minutes!

So why didn’t we? It might have had something to do with the particular variety. We aren’t growing the run-of-the-mill plain green romaine that every store in the country has. We have Forellenschluss Romaine – it’s Heirloom. It’s rare. It’s gourmet. Quoting from a seed catalog: “In Europe, this Austrian heirloom is called Forellenschluss romaine and is one of the most prized of all varieties.” But people don’t know it and it’s dappled leaves must leave people who don’t ask what it is thinking there’s something wrong with it. People don’t know it here and seemingly aren’t willing to try it. This can be resolved a bit by the farmer being at the market regularly. Six people bought these lettuce heads from us today and we think they’ll be satisfied. Our hope is they share it with friends and remember where they got it and send more people back. Or we’ll take more heads with us next week, and people who saw us the week before will remember and start to realize the lettuce heads are supposed to look like that and to ask about them.

There were also people who looked very confused and were mumbling to themselves. Sometimes I overheard them or they told me what they were thinking. Some didn’t remember what they had in their fridge and didn’t want to buy more salad when they might have some at home. I think people just need to pay better attention to what they’re eating! Since when is what we eat so unimportant? I’ve always known was in my fridge! Have more intention about it! If you’re going to the market, make a list! Geez! I might not remember I need salt or more sugar, but I know what’s fresh!

Anyway, it was a great experience at the market. Mildly frustrating, but great anyway. I’m looking forward to other market days and hope sales skyrocket as we do have some excellent stuff to sell!