wwoof wwoof!
So, remember I was going back and forth between two farms? Well, a couple seeds I had forgotten I planted sprouted up -- two places I had applied to a while ago that got back to me. So I've been making brief visits to each of them on my way back up to Olympia. I'll get there next week, which I am excited about, because I miss my friends there.
The three places I've been so far are incredibly different. I'm lucky to be experiencing such a diversity, getting a taste for how many different ways there are to garden and farm.
The place I'm at now, Mossback farm, is an organic cattle farm with three steers and some small gardens. It's run by a couple with an adorable two year old, and it's sort of in the middle of nowhere in a farming valley to the west of Portland. The climate is surprisingly hot and dry -- apparently they're right in the rain shadow of the coast range, so the rain clouds from the ocean just jump right over them and don't precipitate until further west. I came here partly because I am curious about ethical meat. I eat mainly vegan, but it's more out of oppositon to factory farming than carnivorousness, so it's interesting to explore other options. The cows here seem happy. Apparently when it's time to slaughter them, the butcher comes out to the farm, and kills them all so quickly that they don't have a chance to suffer or panic. Seems the most humane way it could be done.
Each place I've gone, I've found myself even more interested in learning about the lifestyle and community than I am about the farming itself. Of the places I've been this is definitely the one that feels most like a farm. The first evening I arrived, we went out to move the cows to a fresh pasture. They came loping over all full of energy. Meanwhile the two year old tottered along trying to name all the flowers, the cats pounced on each other through the tall grass, and the dog ran in circles around everyone. There's nothing around except green pastures, and some tree-covered hills closing the valley in. The occasional truck going by is a noticable disturbance. It's deeply peaceful.
The little boy is delightful. He pronounces my name "Gaukin." I haven't spent a lot of time around small children before. It's so much fun watching him explore the world. My second day here was his second birthday party, so I got to meet a lot of the other farmers in the area. It's exciting to see so much activity around local food, and gain insight into what trying to make your living off farming is like. My hostess used to be the president of the statewide board of farmer's markets, so she's been able to tell me a lot about what's going on in Oregon with making local, sustainable food accessible to more people.
So far I've gotten to drive a tractor, mow a couple of pastures, dig holes, clear brush, put steel siding on a shed, plant squash and sunflower, and get sunburned. I'm leaving tomorrow, to spend a couple of days at another family's homestead in Cottage Grove, then back up to Sidhehaven in Olympia. I'm missing building a composting toilet -- alas! -- but it's too late to change plans, so I hope they'll still be working on it when I get there. I'll write about that adventure -- and Rahane, the mountaintop homestead community where I've spent three weeks -- soon. Love y'all!
The three places I've been so far are incredibly different. I'm lucky to be experiencing such a diversity, getting a taste for how many different ways there are to garden and farm.
The place I'm at now, Mossback farm, is an organic cattle farm with three steers and some small gardens. It's run by a couple with an adorable two year old, and it's sort of in the middle of nowhere in a farming valley to the west of Portland. The climate is surprisingly hot and dry -- apparently they're right in the rain shadow of the coast range, so the rain clouds from the ocean just jump right over them and don't precipitate until further west. I came here partly because I am curious about ethical meat. I eat mainly vegan, but it's more out of oppositon to factory farming than carnivorousness, so it's interesting to explore other options. The cows here seem happy. Apparently when it's time to slaughter them, the butcher comes out to the farm, and kills them all so quickly that they don't have a chance to suffer or panic. Seems the most humane way it could be done.
Each place I've gone, I've found myself even more interested in learning about the lifestyle and community than I am about the farming itself. Of the places I've been this is definitely the one that feels most like a farm. The first evening I arrived, we went out to move the cows to a fresh pasture. They came loping over all full of energy. Meanwhile the two year old tottered along trying to name all the flowers, the cats pounced on each other through the tall grass, and the dog ran in circles around everyone. There's nothing around except green pastures, and some tree-covered hills closing the valley in. The occasional truck going by is a noticable disturbance. It's deeply peaceful.
The little boy is delightful. He pronounces my name "Gaukin." I haven't spent a lot of time around small children before. It's so much fun watching him explore the world. My second day here was his second birthday party, so I got to meet a lot of the other farmers in the area. It's exciting to see so much activity around local food, and gain insight into what trying to make your living off farming is like. My hostess used to be the president of the statewide board of farmer's markets, so she's been able to tell me a lot about what's going on in Oregon with making local, sustainable food accessible to more people.
So far I've gotten to drive a tractor, mow a couple of pastures, dig holes, clear brush, put steel siding on a shed, plant squash and sunflower, and get sunburned. I'm leaving tomorrow, to spend a couple of days at another family's homestead in Cottage Grove, then back up to Sidhehaven in Olympia. I'm missing building a composting toilet -- alas! -- but it's too late to change plans, so I hope they'll still be working on it when I get there. I'll write about that adventure -- and Rahane, the mountaintop homestead community where I've spent three weeks -- soon. Love y'all!