But I also really enjoyed the thrill of trying to keep up with stacking in the haymow and then the break in between hay wagons when I would try to catch my breath.  I loved feeling exhausted at the end of the day and falling asleep as soon as my head hit my pillow.

So you know that I am really excited that hay season will probably start at the beginning of June!

Here are some pictures from last summer during hay time.

An awesome view from close to the top of the haymow!

A wonderful sunset to finish a day of making hay.

Winter Hiatus on the beach

I had the tremendous pleasure of discovering that my life is so much more in sync when I pace my day. This word wasn’t part of my vocabulary before Buxton Farm.  I was molding a different clay before Buxton. Simpler in some ways but not nearly as creative, challenging, educational or inspirational.

Life off the farm!

Buxton is teaching me to live from a more balanced perspective. We had a crash course on this perspective our first season. I don’t like pushing beyond the edge, especially physically, it never seems to pay off.  I’ve always been terribly determined and love the feeling of expansion in my life. But I’m becoming more intimate with my limitations.  I’m finding life is smoother when I honor them not resist them.  Sometimes that list of things to do CAN WAIT!  So these days I’m pacing myself. In addition, once the season starts we work everyday 8 months straight so pacing is crucial.

Glorious Winter Hiatus

What does pacing look like? First it means tuning in.  Am I moving through the day with my cup half full?  How am I feeling? Physically, emotionally? Am I getting enough sleep? Do I need a good laugh? Nap? Epsom Salt  bath? Will a  dip in the river sooth me?  A night out for dinner with my husband? Meditation?  A simple 15 minute meditation works wonders for me. How about stretching out? We use our lower backs all day. I always find relief after a nice stretch.  Perhaps I need a good weep? Yes, sometimes I find a good cry is a significant way of releasing stuck energy.  Maybe I need to get off the farm and actually see people? That’s a big one at Buxton. We are nestled deep in the countryside.  Sometimes we forget there’s life off the farm during the season. We put most social events on hold until our winter hiatus. It certainly gives us a lot to look forward to. This past winter our hiatus was divine! Pure relaxation and restoration.

Sunset (our hiatus)

 Here’s what I know. The animals move very little in the heat. Watch them. They look for shade, become super still, drink lots of water, and get pretty still and quiet. They pace themselves. I’m as instinctual as that, but I’ve noticed  when life gets busy  my natural instincts get turned down a notch. That’s why I’ve become fond of pacing. It’s a natural integration of surveying the moment and meeting immediate physical or emotional  needs in aspiration to feel better.

Morning Chores

Pacing is my latest medicine. We can do this work. With a little mindful intention, things always have a way of working out. I’ve witnessed this over and over in my life. I’m sure all you moms know how to pace! Pacing is a great way to manage a promising busy season.

Hens in Zone 2

I also love details, reason, and the sense of accomplishment in getting done what needs to be done. So I can be pragmatic, too. (Thanks for that, Mom!)

One of the most fascinating things about the Food Movement is that it draws these two attributes out of people who are questioning the current state of our food system.

We want change, and for good reasons. We read about it, write about it, talk about it. And then we get busy – backyard chickens, gardens, canning, buying from local producers, cooking.

Lately, through conversations with students, educators, co-workers and my parents, I’m thinking along the lines of real, everyday life. Not everyone can hop over from city-dweller to farmer. Not everyone wants to. I often hear people talk about how difficult it is to work full time, raise a family, AND come home at the end of the day to garden and cook a meal. I respect that. I hear people talk about how they felt overwhelmed and paralyzed after seeing Food, Inc. because there is so much change that needs to happen in the food system. I can understand that.

The fact is, we all eat. And our ideas about food relate to nearly every aspect of our daily living. So we all have a voice in this movement, whether we know it or not.

Joel is a great encourager of having people just start somewhere – just visit a farm, just cook one meal at home each week, just grow a tomato on your apartment balcony. And I have some thoughts on how to incorporate an earth-connected and food-aware mentality into everyday life. But I want to hear from YOU today. Let’s talk about the pragmatic baby steps, on a real-life scale.

And just for the record, I have NO agenda here. This is a shame-free zone. Oh, how our culture has raised us to have so many emotions relating to our food (but that’s another post). I am simply reaching out to you because I know our culture is not set up to live in connection with the land, and I want to hear your perspective on the challenges and victories that come with swimming upstream in such a culture.

Where and how does the food movement come into play in your household?

What small steps have you taken towards opting out of the conventional food system? What small steps would you like to take in the future?

Are there things that deter you from wanting to buy, grow or prepare food with more of a local and clean/GMO-free/beyond organic approach?

At the end of the day, what is it that determines your food decisions?

Feel free to answer one of these, or answer them all. Thanks, everyone!

Brie and I recently had a conversation about the idea of processing and how many people only consider the processing of animals, when really, most food needs some sort of preparation before it reaches your plate…the carrots need to be uprooted, the stem needs to be cut from the swish chard…Processing is all just a natural part of eating food and I’m okay with processing chickens when I know it’s a part of healing the land!

What are your thoughts on processing animals? Is ignorance bliss or are you okay with being a part of it?

Good morning everyone, and a very happy mother’s day to all the moms.  This is my first mother’s day with my baby on the outside and I can not even begin to say how blessed I am to be a mother.  Yes, it has it’s dilemmas, but it has so many joys!

On another note, I made pie this week for the first time since Ralph was born,   It was so yummy that I thought I’d share the recipe, a perfect blend of flavors for a perfect time of year. Enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Crust-3 cups flour, (all-purpose or pastry), 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup shortening, 1 egg, (lightly beaten), 1/2 cold water

Combine the flour and salt.  Cut in the shortening until the mixture is mealy.  Add the beaten egg and 1/4 cup of water.  Gradually add remaining water, if necessary, to make a soft pastry.  Chill well before using.

Filling- 5 cups of fruit, (half strawberries, half rhubarb, chunks), 1 cup sugar, (I used sucanant), 2 tablespoons flour, dash of nutmeg

Mix together, place in prepared pie shell and cover with top crust.  Bake @ 400 degrees F. for about 50 minutes.

What is your favorite kind of pie?

As a farmer it’s a busy season, every thing that had to wait to be done until warm weather arrived now needs to be done yesterday.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry. The summer season is almost upon us.”

Leanna mentioned yesterday about the crazy amounts of lettuce coming out of the garden. It’s true. We’re loving it and digging deep for creative ways of eating more lettuce.

So, today, I decided to share one of my favorite Spring salads. I made this several years ago for our chef appreciation day and it was a big success (or perhaps these world-class food experts were only being kind). Regardless, I liked it and perhaps you will too.

The key ingredient is the Honey-Lime Dressing.

• 5 cups torn spinach (or lettuce)
• 3/4 cups sliced strawberries
• 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms

Toss these into a salad bowl. Then prepare the dressing to mix in:

• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/2 tsp finely shredded lime peel
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup salad oil (your choice)

In a small bowl, combine honey, lime peel, lime juice and nutmeg. Beating with an electric mixer on medium speed, add oil to honey mixture in a thin, steady stream. Continue beating till mixture is thick. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 1 1/3 cups.

This is one recipe that I look forward to every spring. The lettuce is in, the mushrooms are in, and I’m waiting on the strawberries. Actually I think I may have noticed a bit of red peeking from under the green yesterday.

I think I’ll go check.

How about you? What is your favorite season and what do you love most about it?

23 Pounds of Lettuce!

Needless to say, people here on the farm are eating a lot of lettuce these days.

What is your favorite way to eat lettuce and greens?  I would love any recipes!

This week began our first chicken harvest of the season. It’s a power day indeed. I like to start the chicken processing season off with a blessing. I took this blessing  from Barbara Kingsolver’s book, “Animal Vegetable Miracle.” Great book!

“By the same power that slays you, we too are slain and we too shall be consumed. For that law that delivers you unto our hands shall deliver us into mightier hands, your blood and our blood is not but the sap that feeds the tree of heaven.”

The prayer is simple yet contains meaning and intention. I know a few people to who sing to their birds during harvest. We have too many birds, we’d run out of songs! But for us, this prayer sets things in motion, in a mindset that is settling and significant to what we are living as we come to understand what it takes to pasture raise 4000 broilers and harvest them.

There is empowerment raising your own flock and taking their life to fulfill your own and others. It’s not as horrific as people think it might be. Here are a few simple specifics things I enjoy about harvest day.

Processing Shed

First, I like the kind people who come to the farm and pitch in! That makes all the difference in the world. It’s impossible for us to do this on our own. This need creates community. We enjoy teaching people this skill.It’s also a  wonderful day working in the shade! The processing area is next to the pond, it’s comfortable and cool with a gentle fresh air breeze. You’d be surprised how important this can be when you’re working outside all day in sun or rain. We get a break from the elements under the processing shed.

In addition, the offal.  We really really  appreciate the offal that comes from the parts of the chicken that we don’t use which blends into our compost pile.  In time it becomes great fertilizer for  our kitchen garden, giving us a rich majestic dark soil and allows us to grow nutritious vegetables. Next  music. We gather music specifically for processing days, it helps keep the energy flowing and gives us a chance to listen to a few good tunes while we work. A good James Brown tune never hurt anyone! Then there’s the customers! People who  (all year) anticipate our first chicken harvest, including us! It’s a joy to offer them pasture raised chicken free of all that unhealthy stuff.  And finally, we get paid! And who doesn’t like to make money?

Lauren and Joel

I can still remember the first time we watched Polyface apprentices process chickens. Michael and I were attending a Polyface Intensive Discovery Seminar. Joel was holding Lauren, his beautiful granddaughter as he explained the process. Lauren didn’t flinch. No fear, no resistance. Just another day on the farm.  When you see a child at ease in an environment like this  you get the sense that we’re all in this together. Wouldn’t it be nice if this feeling was common amongst a majority? Now that’s something to look forward to.

Local Customer

But I do think it’s important to have a little song in your heart while you work!

This past weekend I took care of my friends’ farm while they were out of town, and noticed that I had certain songs I’d sing during different tasks. When I was gathering eggs, it was I love you, a bushel and a peck…. When I was coming through the fields on the four-wheeler in the early morning, I would often break into Bob Marley songs or various selections from Fiddler on the Roof…. And yes, I admit I did sing a few bars of the Hallelujah Chorus once I’d finished moving the last broiler pen.

Apart from almost swallowing a mosquito while driving downhill (during my own rendition of Signed, Sealed, Delivered), the tunes put a little spring in my step and kept me in a cheery mood throughout chores. I’ve also noticed that singing comes in handy during the dry season when snakes start to wander out in the open – a good way to announce your presence to any slithering passersby.

What do you sing while you work?

Our good friend Brie (Tuesday’s farm chick) graciously offered to take care of everything while we we were gone and we could not be more appreciative!

We’re super excited to get back to the farm but we loved getting a mini vacay and seeing great friends!!

Happy Monday!

What’s your favorite long weekend?