Monthly Archives: August 2010

Stepping back in time…in Belgrade, Maine

Posted on August 22, 2010 | Comments Off

In a world where the t-shirts you got 20 years ago are in better shape than the ones you picked up two years ago, it is refreshing to stumble across someone who does things the good old-fashioned way.

This delightful lack of progress is what I found when I paid a visit to Mary Perry’s Winterberry Farm in Belgrade, Maine.

And I found it quite…well…enchanting.

Set just off busy (by Maine standards) route 27, Mary’s 40 acres of organic fruit, vegetables, flowers, herbs and livestock sit serenely atop a hill where she welcomes the community to wander, get involved or even get just a little muddy.

Having moved from Connecticut to Maine nine years ago and taken up homesteading in its purest sense – a simpler way of living based in agrarian self-sufficiency – Mary soon discovered a need in the area for buying food and other products locally.

Mary learned to farm organically for the family’s food through programs at MOFGA (Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association) and would set surplus by the side of the road with a jar for people to leave money. The demand was clear and a business was formed so Mary and her three children (Kenya, now 14, Gil, now 10 and Sage, now age 4) could pay their bills.

Through it all, and a “tremendous” expansion of the farm and the business, Mary and her children have kept things pure, simple and….well, organic.

As I walked around the farm I imagined their lifestyle and how hard they must work to keep the farm so healthy and well-tended. MOFGA sends them two apprentices each year but apart from that the work is done by Mary and her children – and it is all done by hand.

One of the first things I noticed at the farm was a lack of heavy machinery. That is because there are no tractors, just horses. And everyone has their responsibilities and chores.

While I was there I saw Sage feeding the turkeys and helping out in the barn. Gil was also working in the barn. Kenya is responsible for the sheep and shears them herself. Mary then transforms the fleece into yarn.

They bake pies and other goodies in the farm stand’s kitchen and jar honey from their three beehives. The last harvest yielded 180 lbs. of honey, according to Mary, and the 90 jars sold out quickly.

Her 20 week CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) begins the second week or June and has “around 70” generous shares.

Mary thinks that people have come to truly understand the importance of local, organic products and feels there is no need to debate the future of farming.

“I’m not sure there’s a choice there,” she said, “if we don’t want to die.”

For her, like so many of the organic farmers I have spoken with, farming organically is the only way she knows.

“To me, it’s easy.”

Looking around the farm and talking to Mary about her lifestyle, I can tell that while the work might be hard it is honest and her choice to be there is simple.

“I can’t imagine anything else I’d want to be doing.”

Sounds to me like a giant step backwards – in the right direction.

Good for her…and the community!

Mary has a nice website at http://www.winterberryfarmstand.com – check it out.

And here are some more photos -

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Posted in Being Organic, Farm spotlights, Local Food, Our food system, Small Farms

Do we have to stay home to eat local?

Posted on August 21, 2010 | Comments Off

It is Saturday night and many are getting ready to head out to a restaurant for dinner. Some are feeling good about choosing a destination that proudly claims to use food from local farms.

But how good of an idea is this really?

Are some of the restaurants that market themselves as supporting local farms mostly just padding their cash registers?

I think it is great when chefs support local farms. There should be lots more of it. However, I look around these days and see restaurants that are charging a really large premium just because they tack the word “local” – or some variation – onto their marketing.


I see local eating as getting food from a field or a farm and eating it nearby.

If a restaurant is in the business of serving food, maybe they should grow it as well?

Let’s face it, sourcing food from several area farms is not necessarily good for the environment. All that driving around, whether it is the farmers or restaurant staff… is that really helping?

A while back I did a story for Edible Nutmeg magazine about the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, Connecticut (www.whitehartinn.com). The Inn started its own farm about three miles down the road from them to grow food for their restaurant. They grow fruits and vegetables and even raise cows for beef. Everything is natural with no pesticides or other chemicals and the cows eat grass.

Now, that is something I can get behind.

The idea of restaurants growing their own food as much as possible is embedded in food culture – well, in some places…

If the restaurants in my neck of the woods really want to help the environment and serve healthy and local food then I would like to see them finding a plot of land and performing the work themselves.

I hope there are more White Hart Inns out there!

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Posted in Local Food, On the road

A Taste of Honey: Lessons from a self-fulfilled woman

Posted on August 19, 2010 | Comments Off

The other day I found myself sitting across the table from Marina Marchese (aka Red Bee Honey) on the porch of her home in Weston, Connecticut reflecting on what I had learned from her that day.

Some of the honey Marina has on hand.

Through the course of my visit I found certain things I have been pondering lately become clear as she illustrated the importance of patience, perseverance, following your heart – and, oh yeah, honey…

Marina has developed and nurtured not only a successful business but also a place in the world, a spot which is truly reflective of what she believes in and who she is.

My dialogue with Marina that day followed along the lines of my previous interactions with her. I felt the passion she puts into the work she does with honeybees and the creation of natural honey-based products. The knowledge she has is deep and thoughtful.

The setting - complete with hives, gardens and chickens!

But there is something more as well. An understanding of processes and cycles in life.

(How appropriate given that the honeybee is an integral part of the process of the natural world.)

Marina talked about the time it took for her to get to where she is today. How she spent years and years going to farmers markets when nobody cared about honey. Before people in the general population came to recognize that both our food supply and eco-system need honeybees to survive. And before people became more open to learning about the health benefits of pure honey direct from a beekeeper – not to mention the excellent taste.

The hives.

Marina’s connection to the honeybee and her belief in what she does saw her through. And now business is booming and she has the gratification of doing just what she wants in a setting she created from a pure reflection of who she is inside.

As I sat there and listened to her talk about her journey I thought about how impatient I can be sometimes. And how discouraged. That sometimes after making a decision to take a certain road I feel dejected when I have not reached a specific destination in short order.

That day I came to really understand that it can take a while to get places. And just because you’re not “there” (wherever your “there” might be) in a day or a week after your decision to set off to a destination does not mean you have failed – or will never go further.

The chickens.

It takes time to build things. The worthwhile things anyway.

That day I saw an example of how when you follow your heart you can revel in the process – and learn to embrace the pure, unhurried enjoyment of life.

There is much to learn and discover – and increasing your growth and potential is definitely something to appreciate. Because, doing so will also boost your enjoyment.

And these are the true fruits of success.

Worthwhile ventures will always present challenges but they can be satisfying. And I really do believe that if you follow your heart – like Marina has – you will ultimately feel not only the joy of accomplishment but also the richness of doing it your own way.

I am counting on that anyway!

There are days when I set out to report on a story or sit down to write in my blog and I wonder what I am doing this for anyway. When will I get to the next “level” or pocket of recognition?

Each time this happens I ultimately find myself at the point where I remember why I am doing this. How I started writing because I want(ed) to tell stories that matter to me. Starting this blog was, in itself, a step up in that process.

And then sometimes I get a dose of invigoration from a person or situation in my environment.

This was one of those times.

What Marina does is healthy for her and good for others. She has my respect… but more importantly, she has her own respect and that is abundantly clear!

For more information on Marina, her products and her book – Honeybee: Lessons From an Accidental Beekeeper – go to redbee.com and read all about it.

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Posted in Feeling Connected, Learning from nature, Local Food

Easton farm tour held under sunny skies and perfect temperatures!

Posted on August 15, 2010 | Comments Off

On a day like yesterday – with some of the most beautiful weather we have had all summer – the Easton farm tour in Easton, Connecticut was all but guaranteed to provide the perfect respite from the hustle and bustle of the modern world.

Naturally.

The Easton Banjo Society entertained as people arrived at the Firehouse Green to pick up maps & grab a bite to eat.

Thanks to the non-profit conservation group Citizens for Easton, the public was encouraged to experience the bounty that is the town’s farms.

The self-guided tour was scheduled from 10am until 2pm, which did not seem like enough time to see all the farms in town. And, in fact, it was not enough time for me to get to more than a few. But I was still pleased at the number of people I saw who seemed to be far more expeditious than I at dipping in and out of sites.

The Easton farm map is sponsored by the local garden club and points out 22 town farms offering everything from trees and flowers to produce to mulch and compost to horseback riding…and much more.

Children of all ages enjoy the Easton Banjo Society!

I had never been to a local horse farm, so that was on my list. The town also boasts an orchid business that I was curious about and I also noticed Gilertie’s Herb Gardens was offering a behind-the-scenes tour (and free herb plant). A great opportunity!

So, after collecting my map and checking out the scene at the staging area on the Firehouse Green I headed out…

Former town First Selectman Bill Kupinse checked out the greenhouse at J&L Orchids on Sherwood Road.

An orchid!

Fully grown miniature orchids.

Another view of the greenhouse at J&L Orchids.

Driving into Buttonwood Farm on Center Road was like coming upon an oasis.

Serenity.

Morning exercise.

A visit with a friend.

Jump, baby, jump!

Next stop - Gilbertie's Herb Gardens on Adams Road!

People gathered for Sal Gilbertie's behind-the-scenes tour. He had much to share!

Sal Gilbertie, The Master of herb gardening, talking about winter herbs that can be grown indoors.

My friends Geri Gould (2nd from the right) and Kit Briner (far right) enjoyed the tour with me.

Herbs!

More herbs!

Good view of the tour.

All roads lead to greenhouses at Gilbertie's herb gardens.

And then there is the green growing outdoors.

And over at the Firehouse Green Chef Jeff and Skinny Pines served up brick oven pizza.

And, naturally, I ended my Easton farm foray with a visit to Sport Hill Farm to pick up some veggies!

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Posted in Farm spotlights, Local Food, Simple pleasures, Small Farms

What I know about growing wheat

Posted on August 7, 2010 | Comments Off

I went to Maine last week with high hopes of learning how to grow wheat. But it quickly became apparent to me that the learning curve was a lot steeper than I had imagined.

The how to grow wheat portion of the 2010 Kneading Conference was conducted by experienced farmers who were very generous with sharing their knowledge and experience.

Will Bonsall, farmer, teaches Small Scale Wheat Growing 101

Much of it went right over my head but through the course of a few sessions things did start to make some sense and I did start to learn.

Here are some of the tidbits that sunk in:

1. There are winter wheats and spring wheats.

2. When the water table is high the yield will be low due to some plants being dislodged and falling over.

3. Weeds are “the biggest stumbling block” for growing wheat organically.

To manage the weeds, you can fallow the fields, which apparently works very well.

Or, you can grow the plants tightly together to eliminate room for the weeds to grow. But, this method tends to produce sub-standard plants of the stuff you want.

Finally, according to a couple of experienced farmers, the best way to eliminate weeds is through timing.

Welcome to the Kneading Conference

4. Grains tend to be highly self-pollinating so there is no need to be concerned about cross-pollination. A lot of farms grow different types of grains next to one another.

5. Apparently, the quality of bread depends entirely on the protein content of the grains. The magic window is 12-14% protein content.

6. A big issue according to those in the know at the conference is that grain is thought of more as a commodity than a food product and this has caused a deficit of sustainability in the grain practices.

7. In 2008, the quality of grains plummeted and prices skyrocketed. (Shocking.)

8. Some places struggle with seed availability. Conditions vary between geographic regions and this requires different types of seed. And the ideal seeds are not always easy to acquire. The Northeast of the US is particularly under-represented.

9. The biggest job in the process of going from seed to table is harvesting wheat, which is done by farmers. The rest is done by machines. But the biggest profit comes once the wheat leaves the farmers.

10. It is good for your fields if you rotate grains with produce. (And vice versa.)

Skowhegan State Fairgrounds - Setting for the conference

11. Rain, mice and birds are dangers to grain crops.

12. It is possible for the home grower to manage a small crop.

Ta-dah!

Okay, so this is nowhere near a how-to but it feels like a good beginning.

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Posted in 2010 Kneading Conference, Our food system

Are we resourceful time savers or lazy & isolated?

Posted on August 2, 2010 | Comments Off

Before I left for my trip last week a couple of people suggested I get E-Z Pass for my car. This device allows you to zip through express lanes at highway toll booths. But does it potentially create a whole bunch of problems?

When I was a little girl I remember car trips where we sat in line waiting to pay tolls. This became a part of the trip. It became a part of the ebb and flow of travel by car.

I got to know the billboards, trees, homes and other landmarks and it provided a quiet time of slower pace as well as a connection to my surroundings.

Yes, this is a really romanticized vision of what can be a big frustration to many. And I am sure a lot of my nostalgia is just that – memories from a time my life.

The pace quickens as we get older, in all sorts of ways. So, shouldn’t we want to have the moments of slow?

I found myself enjoying the time waiting for the tolls on this trip. I was happy to have contact with the toll booth clerks.

Why do we need to speed?

Of course, I was in no major rush traveling but there honestly was a time when people just expected things to take longer and it was okay. Seriously.

Recently, I got into texting with a friend. We were in frequent contact but I found it unfulfilling and like a fake intimacy. It made me really uncomfortable.

For many people these days, texting is a primary method of communication. It is a quick and efficient means of conveying information and nobody even expects complete sentences let alone recognition of the intent of what is being said.

Kind of like fast food for communication?

If it is all bits and bytes does it really matter?

There was a time when people would write letters to one another. Hearts would be poured into missives. Thoughts discussed as minds reflected at a pace that had to suit nobody other than the person writing.

People took moments of their lives to pick out stationery and the color pen to use. Things were personalized to reflect an individual’s personality and less the current trend in what electronic devices should look like.

Even the stamps were a personal choice as there were lots of choices.

Then people would put the letters into envelopes, the envelopes in a mailbox and then life would go on. Pretty soon a response would arrive and you would take the time to sit down and read what your friend had to say.

Connections mattered and taking the time to focus on others. Thought and effort were required. Sitting down to talk on the phone was a good thing. Visits were common and activities were shared experiences.

But time marches on and if we are going to be striving to save it (as if we really can) we need to try and make sure to put that time to good use.

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Posted in Nourishment Reunion, Simple pleasures