To the woods and back

The farmer and the boy, walking through the woods earlier today.

The farmer and the boy, walking through the woods earlier today.

Oh, dear friends — how I wish I could take you fully into this photographic moment with us. The sounds of ravens calling in the still branches overhead. The quiet calm without and within as this little farming family walked in the woods at the end of a retreat away.

We just arrived back today from our quick jaunt up to the forests of Breitenbush, where we communed with far-flung farmer friends and soaked up all the glory of what felt like very early spring weather. We head to the hot springs every winter for this gathering of farmers. It’s more of a retreat than a conference, with the farmers themselves organizing all the discussion and generally sharing with each other.

This year, the usual February snow was replaced by mild weather and bare ground, allowing us to explore the area in comfort (and soak in those hot springs again and again and again!). Although we’re not totally sure what to make of the mild weather this early in the winter, we were grateful for every part of this minor adventure/retreat/get away for our family. The setting was nourishing (so was being away from phones and computers for two full days!), and we loved being able to touch base with other farmers as we all start our new seasons on our farms.

This year, the conversations were as plentiful as ever, both in our gatherings official “sessions” and beyond. Here are a few interesting observations from our experience this year:

  • It was agreed by the more than a few farming families that farming with kids feels much harder than farming before kids. Yes, we agree! But, it was also agreed between all these tired and somewhat overwhelmed farming parents that our farms feel more alive and richer with kids running amok too.
  • Casey and I both found ourselves flummoxed in conversations about our farm when the other party asked how we do all of this stuff with so little labor (we only have one full time employee right now, and last year at our peak we had three folks on board). We honestly did not (and do not) know how to answer this question! It made us realize that so much of farming still feels mysterious to us — especially as we spend most of our time on our own farm and rarely have the opportunity to visit others. We don’t always know how to answer questions like this because we lack the context of what others are really doing. We grow stuff, but I think we do so in a lot of different ways!
  • This was our ninth time attending this particular gathering of farmers, and I personally felt like I had the least to contribute in conversations than ever before. As the years go by, I find myself with more questions than answers about how all of this works (even on our own farm). I suppose this is the natural humbling process of real experience. But it was still lovely to be in close proximity and to share in others’ experiences as well — to touch base with other folks who are also so deeply committed to this miraculous/mysterious work.
  • Lots of folks were really excited to hear about our new storefront and how we’re using if for the CSA. This was one area of sharing that filled both Casey and me with pure enthusiasm. It was fun to already be this far into our season (a month into the CSA season) and have so many positive experiences already!
  • The kids had a blast. Since we attend this event every February, it has been fun to “mark” their growth by how they grow into their interactions with the place and people. This year they loved going in the hot springs more than ever before, and frequently ran off after meals with their friends while Casey and I were still eating. These are happy milestones for us farmer/parents!

Whew, I’m sure in a few days I’ll have so many more reflections, but we’re so freshly back from the event and ready to unpack and tuck in for a good night’s sleep before jumping back into the fray tomorrow with the CSA pick-up! I’ll close this brief newsletter with two other fun photos from the week (at the farm):

I swear I take this same photo every year. I can never get over the excitement of those first spring green starts in the greenhouse flats! These are salad turnips -- to be transplanted not too long from now for early spring CSA shares!

I swear I take this same photo every year. I can never get over the excitement of those first spring green starts in the greenhouse flats! These are salad turnips — to be transplanted not too long from now for early spring CSA shares!

This last week's weather has reminded me more of spring than winter: wind, thunderstorms, and even some glorious rainbows! I was happy to catch this double rainbow with the camera!

This last week’s weather has reminded me more of spring than winter: wind, thunderstorms, and even some glorious rainbows! I was happy to catch this double rainbow with the camera!

Enjoy this week’s vegetables!

Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla

P.S. Two exciting developments on the “extras” front — many more eggs this week! Woo hoo! Thanks to mild weather! And, Casey is finishing up two new fermented foods for you to try. The first is garlic! Yep, just garlic. A condiment, to be sure. He’s still working on it, so hopefully it will turn out (he’s going to put it through the food mill tomorrow, so we have not seen the final product yet). But if you’re interested in trying it, bring a small jar to pick-up. We’ll have very small jars available as well. The other new item is kohlrabi “sauerkraut” — just kohlrabi, fermented. We’re excited to try this (and excited because we’ve had a few people who weren’t interested in the garlic element of the kimchi).

~ ~ ~

Meet this week’s vegetables: Remember to check our recent newsletters for more servings suggestions and cooking ideas!

  • Field greens — Another great mix of hardy winter greens that would be suitable for a finely chopped dressed salad or for cooking with!
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Parsley
  • Kohlrabi
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Sunchokes
  • Parsnips
  • Potatoes
  • Garlic
  • Apples

And this week’s extra goodies from the farm: Remember to bring containers when appropriate! We will have some jars for sale for fermented items and such at pick-up, but we know you’ve got loads of empty jars in your pantry already!

  • Corn flour  — $5 lb
  • Oat flour — $5 lb
  • Walnuts — $5 lb
  • Kohlrabi “sauerkraut” — $5 pint; $3 half pint ~ Just kohlrabi! But fermented!
  • Garlic paste? — Check out details tomorrow!
  • #2 Apples — 4lb bag for $6
  • Eggs — $6 dozen
  • Ground beef — 1 lb packages; $7 ea.
  • Pork, roasts & chops — Prices vary ~ We are almost out of pork (for now)!
  • Lamb roasts — We still have many different cuts available, at varying prices (ranging from $5 – 14 lb). Ask Katie at pick-up to walk you through what’s in the freezer!
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One Response to To the woods and back

  1. Jan Montgomery says:

    Tomorrow I will be out of town for my parents being placed in their final resting place at 1:30. I had hoped to bring my husband with me atleast once before he is on his own, but not so. I’ll give him a list, but the list is: sunchokes, two field greens, parsley, and potatoes. Thank you. Love the pictures.

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