Hi Everyone,
1.
Why has it been so long since our last update?
Well, for the, uh, one of you that asked... It’s not that I don’t think of things I’d like to share with you all. I think daily of things that happen (or fail to happen) that I think you (this, of course, is the singular usage of the word “you”) might be interested in. And ideas often come to me about farming sustainably, or how local ag, or... The truth is that we have undertaken to do a lot of new things this year, and I just haven’t had time to sit down in the evening and write. That will be changing though. During the long days of summer there were many (too many) days we didn’t even come into the house until after ten. That doesn’t leave a lot of time for the writing of updates! But change is in the air.
The weeds have slowed down in their growth quite dramatically. In fact it’s doubtful that either of our two prominent weeds (lambs’ quarter and pig weed) now have time to germinate, grow and set viable seed before the first frost. That takes some pressure off. We also have planted our last rotation of many of our rotationally planted crops. The green house is now filled with curing onions, not seedlings that need to be tended several times each day. And in a hundred other ways the season is beginning to wind down. But best of all, it is now 8:06, I just got back to the house from watering the cows and it’s darker now than it was at 10:00 in late June! That’s a great inducement to shorter working hours! So, those (somewhat) shorter hours have translated into this update, and hopefully (for that one person, at least) will allow for more as we creep into fall.
2.
Some Comments on the Summer Session
“So, how has the season been?” I get this question all the time from people I run into who aren’t members. It’s not such an easy question to answer. There have been ups and downs, as there always are. Some of the contingencies are weather dependent. This year we were adversely affected all year by the late March flood that I’ve whined about over and over again. I was amazed that the onions did as well as they did. But because of that flood, achieving the measure of success we had with onions required much, much more work than usual. The strawberries never did fully recover from that flood, and I agonize to think how much (ultimately fruitless) time we spent trying to nurse them along!
Beyond the flood, we ended up having a summer that was cooler and much cloudier than our summers of the last few years. Weather like that favors greens, spinach and brassicas, all of which I think we’ve had in abundance and with great quality. But eggplant, peppers and melons suffer. This year, we have experienced what I’m close to calling a complete failure in melons. I’m not one hundred percent sure what the cause is, but I’m pretty confident that it was the big storm we had—the one that dumped almost three inches of rain on us overnight (the night of the big electrical storm). Normally, we want to get a lot of water on the melons early in their growth. If we don’t get rain, we irrigate, and we usually have to. But after the fruit is set and near to full size, we quit irrigating completely. We do the same with tomatoes, recognizing that the fruit of both melons and tomatoes will bloat with water if it is available. We can completely control the water the tomatoes get in the greenhouses. And usually, since melons ripen during our driest time of year, we can control the amount of water they get by irrigating or not. But this year, as you know, we got that huge rainfall, and at a very bad time. That’s why, I believe, the cantaloupe is “mushy,” and the watermelon is not developing its normal flavor. Some of the earlier fruit was okay, and some of the experimental melons (the little green and yellow striped ones, and the gailas) seem to be less affected. But in general, the melons, a crop which we probably should not expect to always work in our northern climate anyway, certainly have not come through this year. We always hope for the best, but when you really think about it, would life be as rich if you never had the opportunity to have the really, really outstanding melon? But, of course, how would you know what a “really outstanding melon” tastes like if... (well, you can guess where this argument is going) that was the only kind you ever had?
There are other ways in which the simple question “how has the summer been” can be assessed. Certainly the energy that led us into the political arena represented successes that would be hard to distinguish from the overall effort at the farm. It wasn’t exactly something that showed up in your shares, but insofar as our community of members provides support for the existence of this farm, each of you, too, was involved. That also goes for the recognition that Wendy and I enjoyed on this beautiful day (Sunday) as our farm, and the community it represents, was recognized as exemplary in our state by the Farming and the Environment organizations. These two items have been solid pluses and each, in different ways, has confirmed to us that our trajectory is leading us in at least roughly the right direction.
I’m not sure if this is a plus or a minus, but this year has taken me back about ten years. What I mean is that it’s probably been ten years since I felt the waning of summer with the feeling that I had carried the farm on my back. I can tell you, the ten years that transpire between a person’s life when he or she was the age I was ten years ago, and the age he or she is when they are my present age, are significant ones. To be honest, I didn’t really know if I could still do it, especially with the farm so much more advanced now. And, of course, I couldn’t have. But Wendy and I together were able to do it. A hiring that didn’t go well for us, along with a couple of other unexpected issues, led to a major vacuum in our help. Many of you are in management and know what it’s like to lose a crucial segment of your labor. Some of you probably even know what it’s like to find yourself in that situation when the task at hand is seasonal, and there’s no time to search for a suitable replacement. In that situation, what can you do but roll up your own sleeves? That’s probably not possible in all cases, but it was for us. It took a great deal of energy, but together we managed, and we feel pretty good about it. But we’re hopeful we don’t have to do this again, and believe we have learned a few hard lessons this year that will help to guarantee that we won’t have to. I see that to be a great plus!
Of course the “transition” (to BD - biodynamic farming) has been with us throughout. Ever weary, but ever mindful of the high calling, we have made progress this year. The growth of the herd and the greater experience in pasture management has given us confidence and hopefulness that our farm can, indeed, provide its own nutrition. I write these words on the eve of the morning we begin spreading the best compost we’ve ever made, disking it into the soil immediately, and then seeding in cover crop. We’ve also created our first BD preparations. This represents both a milestone and a kind of threshold in our transition process.
I could go on, but these are some of the thoughts I have difficulty expressing to others when asked how the summer has been. To them, I just say “great.” But I value the opportunity to share with you, and especially with those of you who have come to know, to observe, and to love our farm as we do, some of the things I can’t say to others in a single breath.
3. October Cometh
I need to begin your preparation for the Jubilee “October Experience” with an apology for having not prepared you for the Tractor Show and for Autism Day. I should have warned you in advance, especially the Friday and Saturday pick-up folks, about what would be going on during the Tractor Show and Autism Day. I know these didn’t affect a lot of you, and most of you either knew what to expect or found both events as enjoyable and meaningful as we do, but a few of you were unprepared to come to the farm to get vegetables and find a huge crowd of people and no place to park. Please accept our apologies for not letting you know in advance.
So now, not to repeat our mistakes, let me offer advance notice about October, and also about September 22. This is especially for new members, but it will be a good reminder for our “veterans” as well.
First, September 22 is the annual King County Agricultural Tour day. This is the ninth annual staging of this event, and our farm has been on the tour each of those nine years. This event will only affect Saturday pick-up members, and it could be a lot of fun. But it could be a pain too. If you think it might be a trial for you, and if you are able to come in that week on any of our other pick-up days, we would welcome you to do so.
I suspect some of you may want to come to our farm for the tour, and to visit other farms in the area as well. I’m looking at the brochure, and I see that Chef Sean Hartley will be with us again this year (he keeps coming back to our farm each year) and doing cooking demonstrations starting at noon. It looks like the King Conservation District will have a display here, as will Stewardship Partners. In fact, Stewardship Partners will be giving guided tours of the riparian restoration project here on our farm. We’ll be giving tours and hay rides as well throughout the day. And I’m not quite sure what this is about, but the Snoqualmie Watershed Forum will have a “life-sized display” here at the farm. We’ll have to see about that one.
Now for October. Our farm has a cash crop. Unfortunately, we still need one. We did wean ourselves from farmers markets this year, but we never said we’d give up our one cash crop, and to be honest, it is such a great promotion for our farm, for local agriculture, for organic and biodynamic agriculture, and, it’s just so much fun, that we can’t give it up. It’s also something of a cash cow, and we need it to make ends meet. I’m talking about our pumpkin season.
I’m not quite sure how or even when it happened, but somehow our farm has become one of the pumpkin “hot spots” in our County. It certainly didn’t hurt that a couple of years ago the Seattle Times sent incognito reporters to a number of farms that sell pumpkins in our area. We didn’t win the “bells and whistles” award (do you need a hint to guess who did?), but we were singled out for “authenticity,” and “real farm experience,” which brought not only a lot of people, but the right kind of people for our farm. But that article doesn’t explain it all. I think it’s just that a lot of people enjoy going to a real working farm that happens to have a pumpkin patch. And the public is enamored (and baffled) by the organic/BD farming we do. There’s often incredulity among our guests that we can really pull it off. Additionally, it provides me the opportunity to launch into a thirty minute response to the question that always comes up: “since we aren’t going to eat these pumpkins, what difference does it make whether they are or aren’t grown organically?” As you might imagine, that kind of question is a like a baseball pitcher lobbing a fat one right over the plate in front of my nose: I’ll be all over that pitch every time!
So, what does this mean to the CSA member who comes to the farm to get away from the maddening crowds to enjoy some peace and quiet? Well, it's still doable. For those of you who pick up on Saturday mornings you might want to switch to another day for October. Or you might want to plan to be at the farm at 10:00 to get in and out before noon when it will get crowded (if it’s not rainy). This year again we will have a “no parking” zone in front of the barn, where you can pick up your vegetables if the lot in the barn is full and you have to park across the street. You can just get all your produce together, leave it on the front porch, then get your car, drive to the no parking zone, load up and be on your way.
Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday pick-up folks should choose a different strategy if you want to avoid a crowd. Our last school tour ends almost every day at 1:15. That means that by 2:30 we are done. So, if you want to be “safe,” a 3:00 arrival will probably guarantee that it will be very quiet when you arrive; a 4:00 arrival will even improve those odds! (But remember not to try that on Wednesday—on Wednesday we are only open from noon to four.)
I don’t think the pumpkin season really gets in the way of the CSA. Most members enjoy it. And it can be worked around in a variety of ways if you don’t want to be a part of it.
There’s more about October. October is the time we ask members to sign up for the following Summer Session (2008). But I’ll talk more about that in the next update.
4. Beef Availability
Last Saturday was our butcher day. This is never easy. We kill the animals here on our farm, as they are grazing in the field; Wendy and I were both there this time, as we have been each time. Although Wendy chooses not to eat much red meat, both of us recognize that eating beef is not essentially a bad thing. We also believe that if we choose to eat beef, and if we have the opportunity to be involved in the raising of cows, we should insure that the animals are well cared for and live lives free of stress with ample fresh pasture, sunshine, shade and water. We endeavor to do that.
We will have beef available by the side and by the quarter. We have a letter prepared for members who are interested in purchasing beef. Please let us know (jubileefarm@hotmail.com) if you have an interest.
5. Hay Day
We cut hay last Saturday (September 8), and hope to bale about 1,500 bales—probably on Wednesday, but possibly on Friday. We will likely have hay to pick up and get into the barn on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Please let us know if you would like to come and be involved in loading up the hay.
6.
“King County Eco-Agricultural Preserve”
The evolution of the idea continues, and I want to keep you up to date.
I’ve been thinking a lot about how to get what we want, and why we often don’t. There are many reasons why we often don’t get what we really want, but among those reasons one of the saddest is that we didn’t ask. The New Testament attributes to Jesus these words: “You have not, because you ask not.”
It was just a year ago that I first wrote in an update that we need to designate the Snoqualmie Valley as an agricultural “preserve.” The idea has been publicized and has found a lot of interest and support. But I’m wondering now if an ag-preserve is enough. As I’ve thought more about it, I have concluded that if I had the choice to make exactly what I wanted happen, I would like to see our Valley farmed by a community of people who are committed both to the environment and to agriculture. Historically, and even to this day, there has been some degree of enmity between farmers and environmentalists. But in our Valley, at least at the present, this isn’t the case. Most of the farmers are already involved in conservation and restoration projects. So this might be the perfect place to instantiate an entire Valley that is preserved both for agriculture and for environmental protection—an “eco-agricultural” preserve. It would not only proscribe the use of all chemicals and all GMO crops, but it would be committed to enhancing a diversified environment which recognizes the importance of a balanced ecology. Remember that Rudolph Steiner was insistent that the recognition of the farm as a “living entity” is a recognition of the need for diversification of crops and the establishment (if not already established) of habitat for the entire web of life that brings fertility to the soil, health to the crops, and beauty and balance to the landscape.
Wendy and I were pleased and honored to meet a person the other day that is an emeritus professor in the field of Environment and Ecology, and is still active at the local and national levels. As we talked about farming and the environment, he said this: “Many times the environmental community has given up a good solution in the attempt to get a perfect solution—with the end result being a bad situation.” There have been hard-headed farmers; there have been hard-headed environmentalists. But we believe, and the gentleman we spoke with agreed, that there are very “good solutions” in which farming can be conducted in an environmentally sensitive way.
So, why not at least ask for what would really be the best? The creation of an Eco-Agricultural Preserve would bring national attention to King County. We would be seen by others as a bellwether in both environmental responsibility and agricultural resourcefulness. The Preserve would be a source of wholesome, local, organic food. It would be a protected sanctuary for birds and wildlife, as well as providing safe habitat for the entire web of often unseen flora and fauna that are essential to the existence of rich agricultural land. It would bring economic development in agriculture. It would very likely become not only a retreat for the citizens of our County, but a destination for visitors to our State. We stand to gain a great deal by being bold. The opportunity exists to preserve this beautiful Valley and its diverse population of plants, birds, fish, animals, and farmers. I believe now is the moment we need to seize this opportunity.
7.
Farm Chatter
The day before yesterday I had a great morning. It was still pretty dark when I got started. I had awakened early in anticipation. As I quietly left the house, I found the farm shrouded in an almost ethereal fog. I fired up the JD, and headed out to... yes, you guessed it, to the compost pile. I was pulling the compost spreader that has not exactly earned the name “old faithful,” but I was hopeful of a good showing.
There are, I suppose, many analogies to the excitement a farmer feels when he or she takes the pitch fork and peals back a concealing layer of hay to reveal the cocooned compost pile. But since the primary analogy that comes to mind is probably better left unsaid, I will leave said (or unsaid) analogy to your fertile imaginations. In any event, I had long anticipated seeing just what the pile had done, and it didn’t take long to find out. With the first bucketful of compost, I saw exactly what I had hoped for. What I saw was really nothing—I couldn’t see anything at all because of an immense billow of steam that was released. I was thrilled! Where there’s smoke, there’s fire and when the steam finally abated, I was rewarded with a clear view of a massive sheath of mycorhizial fungi. What a beautiful sight. And it kept up, bucket load after bucket load. Two hours later the sun still hadn’t broken through the fog. By that time I had loaded and spread about 20,000 lbs of compost! What a morning.
There are some really nice things about farming. One of those was spreading that compost. That was followed by disking it in before the sun had made direct contact, and finally by seeding in the cover crop that we had grown and combined right here last year. The whole process has such a synergistic quality. It just feels right, and that’s a pretty good feeling. Tomorrow morning I have the second installment of that pleasure to anticipate. That means that all the things I wanted to “chatter” about are going to have to wait. It’s time for bed, and since I can barely keep my eyes open, it must be time to sign off.
I do want to thank you granting me the indulgence of doing more farming and less writing this year. I do like to communicate with all of you. Both Wendy and I are very aware as we farm of our members. But there are times when we just have to do what we have to do, and farming has to take the priority. So thanks for your patience, and I hope you can share our belief that our diligence in farming in our first priority.
Erick and Wendy