The Makings of a Moment

The makings of a moment in the day that make you stop and consider it all....

The sight of fresh snow from the bedroom window.
The sound and smell of the stovetop espresso maker finishing its brew.
A fantastic ski through the woods, making fresh tracks, listening to Bon Iver and taking it all in.
The sight of deer tracks, rabbit tracks and the smallest little mouse tracks through the powdery snow.
Returning to the house to make ginger snaps, drink tea and build yet another fort.

Winter, makes us sit closer to each other, seek solace alone in the snow, in the woods and in our heads.

Every table is covered with seed and plant catalogs, the computer is open with research, the couch is always masquerading as a fort. We are learning about heating systems, grant writing, growing garden roses for cut flowers. We are eager to settle in to an indulgent hour of "The Wire" box set every evening. And, each day we count down to another day trip to the slopes so we can pretend to fly on earth.

The news is on and then off again....too much NPR=too much GOP primary= nausea. We are going to register as Republicans to participate in the Maine Caucus, a good opportunity for an educational moment for our children and a chance to sway the outcome...or maybe just an escape from the house for a rousing afternoon of politics. I think the caucus process is fascinating!

We are eagerly awaiting the release of the Maine Magazine Wedding Issue so we can share some of the scrumptious photos of our shoot. It looks so good I can hardly believe it. Of course, it is about catering and food so there are not enough shots of flowers and terrariums for my taste, but there's always next time! (that's right....terrariums!)

Next Tuesday, February 7, we will be at Portland GreenDrinks at the Mariner's Church. Afterwards, we'll head over to the Salt Exchange for the first ever GreenDinner event. Come join us and chat food, flowers, farming and whiskey.


Finally, we are making a few huge leaps this winter with our marketing and distribution. First off, we initially had planned to scratch delivery of CSA shares. Well, we've had a change of heart and will be investing in a delivery van to acommodate the interest. It seems only greener for us to make one trip to town versus all of our members making multiple trips. So, South Portland and Portland delivery is back on the table.

In addition to delivery, we are launching an on-line store. The store will allow folks to order produce to be delivered to our drop off sites or to be picked up at the farm. CSA members can take advantage of special bulk pricing for items that can be preserved such as berries, tomatoes and cucumbers. Or, maybe you are planning a special meal and need a few extra ingredients, this system will allow you to order and pay online and be guaranteed to receive the product. No more disappointment when you show up and we are already sold out of that delicious honey! In addition to the store, all of our transactions with CSA shareholders will shortly be managed through this system, allowing folks to schedule electronic payments. CREDIT CSA customers will be able to use their credit shares in the store. Caterers, restaurants and  small retailers will be able to order items in bulk for better pricing and assured availability.

Between trips in the woods on my skis and trips to Shawnee Peak for home school downhill ski group, I'm eating, breathing and living the development of this system in anticipation of a whole new wave of convenience for our community with regard to accessing local food.

Stay tuned for more on our new online system, MaineMag wedding issue photos and an update on our project to-do list.

Blessings on the meal,
Stacy
Photo Credits go to Emma....thanks for your lovely images!

An Inspiring Moment

If you don't have time to watch the whole thing, just start at 29:30 for the best farmer-spoken-word-inspiring-moment of the new year.

This Farmer Speaks My Mind

Stand up for what you believe in in 2012.

Epic Road Trip Lessons

We are currently stationed in North Florida until tomorrow, visiting family and picking up a tractor John bought on-line. Our trip began with an epic 4 hour stint on the Maine Turnpike in York County, complete with an ice storm, a closed highway and a few car pile-ups. It really didn't seem that bad when we pulled out of the dooryard!

Needless to say, we didn't make it too far on the first day. However, here are a few things we have learned along the way:

• An iPhone can make all the difference when you're on the road! Leading us to a delicious Vietnamese Pho restaurant in the suburbs of Atlanta that was open on Christmas Day and a coffee roaster in Greenleaf, PA . 

• Priceline can be fun while your riding in the car! Bidding on 3.5 Star hotel deals, always with a pool, for $45....Thanks Priceline App!

• Enticing a 5 year old on a road trip requires the promise of a swim in the hotel pool, daily.

• The hotel pool never seems to open before 10 making an early start a challenge.

• Listen to your Dad, get the spare for the trailer.

• Asheville, North Carolina is lovely. And so are her biscuits!

• Never have I found a barn full of antiques that didn't have something I lusted after

• The Blue Ridge Parkway will take your breathe away, especially when you are towing a trailer!

• The Great Smokey Mountains might be calling me.

• Waterfalls are all the rage. Especially when they are the destination on a hike with a 5 year old.

• Seeing a dozen of these guys nibbling on the side of the road in the Smokey's on Christmas Eve was a real treat.

• Oysters from Apalachicola.....enough said.

•  Vegetation.....hmmmm....I do love a hedge of rosemary in bloom and a pot of loveliness on a front porch. Zone 8 is inviting in December.

 Tomorrow we start the venture home, leaving the Forgotten Coast of Florida. Our upcoming days will be complete with more family visits and books on tape, interesting restaurants found searching the iPhone. 

We've heard tell of a bit of snow at home, but the word is the cow is getting milked and the cats miss their girl. The seed catalogs are with us, earmarked with pages of notes. The work of a winter farmer is good this week.

Blessings on the meal (especially the oysters!)

Stacy

Correction: The last blog that folks received by email noted that State Rep. Amy Volk, Republican from Scarborough voted in favor of NOT eliminating BPA from baby bottles. She was actually absent for the vote so is on record as not voting. We apologize to Amy.

CSA SIGN-UP's (aka.... a great holiday gift!)

We are open for CSA sign up for the 2012 season! We have 3 options to choose from:

• CLASSIC Share = for $500, you receive a share of mixed vegetables for ~20 weeks.
• CREDIT Share = You receive a 10% discount in the store for a pre-commitment to shopping at Broadturn Farm. A CREDIT Share entitles you to purchase anything available in our Dooryard Farmstand, Flora*Bliss. Like a CLASSIC Share, this share is a way to support Broadturn Farm by commiting to shop with us for your produce and flowers all season. The store will be open 7 days a week, starting with seedlings and strawberries in the late spring/early summer. You can purchase a share at an increment comfortable for you. You can look at this as a CSA share with convenience and choice rolled in.
• FLOWER Share = for $120, you receive a beautiful, season bouquet of flowers for your table for 12 weeks. (The best holiday gift I could ever imagine giving)

For more info and access to the sign up form, click here.

Stay tuned for new developments....including a Short Summer Share for summer folks who join us for an 8 week share from July and August. 

Politics As Usual

November kicked off with a trip to our favorite conference, MOFGA's Farmer to Farmer. We love seeing old farming friends and meeting new ones. The convivial nature of the weekend inspires and educates.

The most notable talk for me was a discussion regarding agricultural policy and the Farm Bill with my perennial favorite, Russel Libby. He was accompanied by Brian Snyder, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, MOFGA's sister organization in Pennsylvania. The issue of how to affect change in the public policy arena is a blog all of its own. The big take away message is that we need to keep talking about food policy and how it effects us all. The first step is to celebrate and support Maine's 1st Congressional District Representative, Chellie Pingree, in her attempt to push policy reform that favors farmers with diverse operations scaled to Maine's fields and markets, "Local Farms, Food, and Jobs Act of 2011",  H.R.3286. This bill will aid in developing the playing field for young, new farmers and developing the market for locally produced food for our communities. There are currently 53 co-sponsors. If you live outside of Maine, please consider a call to your Congressman in an effort to get more co-sponsors. 

On a state level, keep an eye on Aaron Libby's bill, LR 2516 introduced in the State House, "An Act To Help Promote Farming in Maine by Limiting the Liability of 'Pick Your Own' Farms." With appropriate additions, this bill could serve to be the first level of liability support for farms like ours that encourage community involvement, public interaction, agro-tourism in the form of weddings, class field trips and summer camp. Asking your district representative to co-sponsor this bill will help to ensure it gets to the floor for discussion and ultimately a vote. 


If you live in Scarborough, please please please call Heather Sirocki and Amy Volk and encourage them to support LR 2516. With a little urging from their constituents, I believe the voting record of these ladies can change. Heather is credited with voting in favor of NOT eliminating BPA from plastic baby bottles. Whose interests is Heather protecting? Certainly not the youngest, newest residents of Scarborough. (But really, is there a heavily-lobbying baby-bottling plant in our neighborhood that we didn't know about?... that vote seems more encouraged by a lack of input from her constituents and the "party-line" thing than anything nefarious!) Make sure you let them know you want local food and local farmers to be supported in your town. Call Heather and Amy today, and remind them not to  eat canned soup during their busy winter congressional session.

If you are anything like me, you empathize with the disenchantment felt by the Occupy Wallstreet unemployed students who have been sold a pack of lies along with a hefty load of student debt. You also probably feel like 'making a difference' politically is only for wealthy corporate interests, like American agribusiness. But, give it a try. The worst that happens is it doesn't work and we're on to living with Politics as Usual. 

Blessings on the meal,
Stacy

The Quality of the Light

The farmhouse we  live in is blessed with windows

on at least 2 and sometimes 3 sides in each room. The light in the morning, after a snow, makes the space glow with a Wyeth-like aura. When we are moving a little more slowly, sipping the second cup

by the stove and not on the run,

 the chance to enjoy the special quality of this light is not lost.


Here's what a late-fall farm to-do list looks like:
Finish building root cellar walls
Build door for Pumphouse
Move Perennials
Take Screens off the windows
Send list of available product to Penny Jordan for the online market
Put implements away
Clean up Flora*Bliss and put away all that glassware
Burn Pile?
Greenhouse drainage
New greenhouse heating
2nd Layer of plastic in the greenhouse
Center Pivot Irrigation Project....when is that excavator coming?
Light for the chicken coop
Plan trip to Florida to pick up the new Allis G by December 31st (John bought online last week!)
Enlarge the compost pad
Build access road along Fogg field

Now, rest assured, this is not all accomplished in a week and I spared you some of the less exciting tasks like catching up on bookkeeping and emails. We do find it nice to change gears and let go of harvesting for other tasks. We'll keep you posted on the progress.

Blessings on the meal,
Stacy