LumberJill

Today I fixed all of the drip irrigation in the high tunnel. I planned out what I want to grow and also have a plot out in the fruit orchard that I want to grow on. I’ll be growing 19 different veg including pumpkins! I’ll be excited to try my hind in a gluten free pumpkin pie in the fall! After irrigating I went to the south pasture and helped trim the fallen trees around the electric fencing. Tyler said I looked like a lumberjack hacking away at dead trees and what-not. So just call me LumberJill minus the muscles. I was so happy to not have run into an rattlesnakes. They better hope to not cross me while I’m here or they will be sorry they ever saw my face!

On Wednesday I went to a pruning class and learned how to prune citrus trees and fruit bushes. It was taught by the organic guru of Georgia who has been at it for 16 years. That proves how young and slow moving the organic movement is down here. So if anyone needs me to trim and space some bushes and trees, I’m your gal.

Sorry to not write much but I’m exhausted from the heat!

Philly dogs or Southern dogs

I have been given free reign of the high tunnel and a plot in the fruit orchard. So I spent all day cleaning out the tunnel. I had some wonderful findings while cleaning: two massive cucumbers, potatoes, beets and a carrot. Some of the beets were chewed through so Jackson and Lincoln enjoyed that treat! The tunnel provides a lot of shade and has a little breeze so it was nice to be out of the direct 93 degree weather.

Already existing  in the tunnel that I decided to keep was loads of basil, tomatoes, squash, potatoes, lemon grass, okra and fennel. I have so much space to utilize and want to plan accordingly. I am excited to have a meeting with the farmer at Walker organics about this project I am taking on. Hopefully in the end I will provide the farm with luscious fall and winter vegetables!

Tonight’s dinner was comprised of the pickings from the high tunnel. I made a potato and beet salad as well as a cucumber salad !

We are watching a friend’s dog and I was a bit skiddish around him for the first few days since he resembles a pit-bull and the first thing I thought of was a dirty philly dog. But, tonight I didn’t let him sense my fear. I took him for a nice long walk to the south meadow and Jackson followed along his pasture as we walked. I thought a 7pm walk would have cooled a bit but it’s still a blazing out. At the pruning workshop I attended the other day a girl gave me a ten minute speech on the difference between the three types of dogs they have here since they will have random packs of dogs run onto property and she wanted me to be able to identify them if they came near me.

Katie, I found a metal chicken! Proof will come in the future, I didn’t have my camera!

Give me the fresh stuff!

My goal is to eat solely from the farm and Saturday market purchases. I will also allow myself $20 for other food purchases. Down here, I think this is feasible and hope that I am able to accomplish it. So far this week I have only spent ten dollars on food and will spend the other ten probably at Saturday market.

Yesterday we went to a nearby farm and picked three gallons of blueberries. I don’t like the likes of them but did enjoy the huge bucket of tomatoes I took. I made a tomato basil soup, in memory of Jen when I had visited Boston a few summers ago. The tomato and basil were from the garden. This soup is quite easy to make only including: tomato, basil, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. I have to admit, on a hot day, hot soup was not really a wise choice but I am sure to enjoy the leftovers as a cold soup or salsa with the tostatos Cindy gave me. Tonight I made myself a quiche with mostly everything from the farm. The contents were guinea and chicken eggs, asparagus, matts wild cherry tomatoes, milk and a homemade pesto. I am going to give the milk from market a go at it and see how I like it.

I am missing you all dearly and wishing that you could come experience this with me! Best wishes and love, you are all in my thoughts constantly!

Arrival!

The farm is a 120 acres of nuts, fruit and meadows. They are currently producing for self sustainability but hope to provide livestock for the future. There is definately plently of pasture to accomplish this goal!

This is me sitting on my back porch talking to Jackson (Donkey) and Lincoln (Horse). The two of them are the best of friends and love chasing eachother, playing tug of war and kicking eachother. I'm still a bit nervous around them and went in the pen twice so far to pet and talk to them. Jackson truely reminds me of the personality of the donkey on Shrek. Jackson is quite a bully though and at every opportuntiy will steal affection and food from Lincoln.

Behind the horses to the left is where most of the pecan and pomegranite  trees reside. Some of the trees date back to over 150 years old. to the right of the horse is all pasture we are working on developing for sheep grazing. To the back of each is the south meadow that we are currently working on reparing to get ready for cow to graze in.

Onward.

Before leaving I was able to enjoy a few simple pleasures at home with the family. Mom and I enjoyed watching the chickens one night as the grazed over the grass and ran between the bushes. A few of them ate berries and had died their lips to make it look like they got in a fight with some lipstick.

We went over to Ploughshares to do a light harvest. Mom commented that we had better work on our harvesting skills for we were not encouraging regroup as we choppily hacked at the spinach. Evan let me fix up his bike to take on the trip. I felt like I was re-living childhood memories. If you don’t have a bike, I highly recommend getting one. It’s liberating!

 Stop one was visiting Grandpop and then early the next morning my long trek down.

Keep checking daily for new posts!

A Farewell to Philadelphia

My last few days have been filled with joyous good-byes. I finished up my job and am happy to have put it in my past. The past three work years are chalked up in my brain as a  learning and growing experience. It was a wild ride. I am glad that I have now jumped off that train.

As I am finishing packing up my apartment I bid Philadelphia a farewell. I will miss a lot that it has to offer, mostly the restaurants! My stand-out favorites had become: Parc , Talula’s Garden or Pumpkin for dinner, Hawthornes and Wedge and Fig for brunch and Tria or Vintage for drinks.  There’s a different restaurant fit for each occasion but these few would suit me any day. I’ll miss the hidden gems of the city like the Waverly Garden and the quiet houses that sit back on car-less streets. For these are the streets where I really felt at home amongst the constant moving city. I’ll miss walking out my door and having the capability to go anywhere and see anything within a twenty minute walk. I’ll miss being able to meet up with friends and see them within the hour. I will miss the culture and charism of the people, though crazy, it kept me on my toes. But with all of this, I’m excited for a slower pace and a peace that will come with it!

So, I bid a farewell to Philly! I have a few restful days until I am off for Georgia.

A Journey.

"Transform your world into something completely different. Learn to become more self-reliant, connecting with the earth, integrating skills with the old days that many of us take for granted and leading us to a more harmonious lifestyle. Find your place on the planet and dig in." Gary Snyder

After a few years of dissapointment in my current cushy job I knew that I needed a change. I didn't realize that it would be a lifestyle change; across a few states and far from a city. Sitting on the floor of Barnes and Noble in Rittenhouse reading books about canning, I came across this quote. I read it once and then again and it all clicked. I literally needed to get back to the earth and 'dig in.' It became very clear that returning to the roots of a simpler life away from the constant bustle and need to be on the move was far from what I desired.

After visiting, interviewing and being offered various farm positions I found a farm that fulfilled my goals: a place that was off the grid and is not controlled by the ever ticking clock. A small farm in the South is where I am to headed. I am thrilled to see where this adventure will take me and the experiences I will have to learn on the way. I look forward to learn about coming back to the earth and loving it for all that it provides for us.  

So come follow me on this journey of self discovery and dig in with me!

photo courtesy of Dirk Roos