By Rachel Conlin

On this particular July morning, with an overcast sky, Tim backed the truck up to the old log barn. Getting the first lamb in is difficult enough, but getting a couple more in without the first ones escaping is a challenge. We loaded three ram lambs and took a moment to look around in the dim morning light at the rest of the herd. They generally sleep close to the barn being guarded from predators by our guardian livestock dogs. Suddenly Tim called out, “there’s a baby!” My first response was to think he was joking around. Our lambs are born between November and February, with an occasional late being born in March or early April. This is July. Sure enough, amongst the herd, one of our Finn sheep-Gotland cross ewes had a very wet lamb on the ground beside her. Knowing that she may possibly have more, we lead her into the barn and put her in a stall with her lamb. There wasn’t much time to adore the new baby; Tim had to get to work. We drove down to the farmhouse and he headed out in his truck. [Keep reading…]

Growing Burr Gherkins

You can grow your own gherkin pickles and more with this pest-proof mini cuke/squash from Africa. Try growing burr gherkins to make delicious pickles and a spicy Brazillian stir-fry.

By William Woys Weaver

By Rachel Conlin

Being a farmer and an entrepreneur is never dull. There is always a vast array of things to do and that need to be done. Throughout the day I literally ‘change my hat’ many times. This suits me fine. I may be tired at the end of the day, but always content and never bored. The summer months are particularly very busy; the vegetables are ripening and calling to be picked and preserved, maturing lambs are ready to go to market, and goat milking is at its prime, bags of wool require spinning. With all these jobs other chores tend to appear, like fencing, egg collecting….I could go on, but you get the idea. Add to this the fact that we live in a rural area that is quickly becoming a prime tourist destination. Running my farm market alone keeps me hopping. [Keep reading…]

Nominations Sought for 2015 Moses Organic Farmer of the Year Award

The Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) is seeking nominations for the “2015 MOSES Organic Farmer of the Year” award, which will be presented at the 26th annual MOSES Organic Farming Conference in La Crosse, Wis., Feb. 26 to 28, 2015.

The award recognizes an organic farmer or farm family with a history of outstanding land management, resource conservation, and farming innovation. These exemplary farmers also are committed to spreading the organic message in their communities. This is the 13th year for the award program, which comes with a prize package that includes full admission to the 2015 MOSES Conference.

North Dakota seed and grain farmers, David, Ginger, Dan and Theresa Podoll of Prairie Road Organic Farm and Seed in Fullerton, ND, received the 2014 MOSES Organic Farmers of the Year award. Their farm story and other recipients’ stories are online at the MOSES website under the “Projects” tab.

Anyone can nominate a farmer for this award. Nomination forms are available on the MOSES website, or by calling the MOSES office at 715-778-5775. Nominations are due by Sept. 15, 2014.

This prestigious award comes with a number of prizes including a cash award, lodging, a bookstore gift certificate and full admission to the Organic Farming Conference, the nation’s largest gathering of organic farmers. 

By Mary Jane Phifer

The recipe is modified from Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving by Kingry and Devine.

We love pickles and that does not just mean cucumbers.  Pickled okra, green beans, baby onions, beets- and  our new true love; pickled asparagus. We pick the asparagus every day and keep it in 2’“ water until we have a few quarts.  Longer spears can be snapped in half and with ends placed in water and stored in the refrigerator. [Get the recipe!]

By Ilene White Freedman

There are reasons growing carrots organically is challenging. Carrots germinate slowly. Weeds germinate fast. What if you could plant the carrots into the weed-free soil after they are already germinated with green tops? They would be weeks ahead of the weeds yet to germinate. It’d be like a five mile head start in a marathon.

Carrots are delicate. Their foliage is delicate, and early on it is barely discernible from the weeds. By the time the tiny lacy greenery is substantial enough to see, the weeds are taller and bigger.  Weeding them is painstaking. [Keep reading….]

Homemade Onion Powder

Make your homegrown onions last even longer and avoid processed, store-bought alternatives by following this homemade onion powder recipe.

By Linda Deming

Photo by Fotolia/Deyan Georgiev

Landscaping With Logs for a Whimsical Garden Design

Incorporate log rounds into your garden design for an earth-inspired touch. Landscaping with logs is easy, not to mention free!

By Craig Braunschweig

Joey, 44, long-term volunteer - free of substance for over two years

“Growing up in a tough environment, drugs were prevalent in my community. When people were happy they took drugs and drank, and when they were sad or disappointed they took drugs and drank. I was given my first drink of Guinness at the age of five; and was drinking steadily by the age of twelve. By 16, I was taking soft drugs. The drugs felt like comfort…”

read more Joey’s story

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Garlic up to dry 

My organic garlic

Despite the frigid mornings & frozen fingers, I find myself missing this recent farm season unlike any before. The friendships I built, the language I learned, and the growth I underwent have left me astonished by the beauty of this world.

I miss harvesting turnips, bunching herbs, hoeing lettuce in the high tunnels and singing songs en español. I miss the sweet smiles of my hardworking compañeras when they greeted me at the beginning of another work day. I miss Monday night mead after work, and building the bus on our days off. I miss all our friends, and our endless inside jokes, and our long talks about life, in the mist of Oregon fog.

I miss it all so much it hurts, but we will return soon. We are on to new adventures (but change takes so much time & discomfort). Oregon was comfortable, cozy, and homey. We always push ourselves into new situations just as we finally settle into a place. We hit the road right after we found real community… and I’ll be honest: sometimes I question why.

Leeks in winter fog // Ginger in a cozy greenhouse

Harvesting cherry tomatoes well into October is a huge benefit of high tunnels & farming in Oregon’s Willamette valley!

Encuentrame en el campo con muchos monojos de verduras y una sonrisa grande.

(Find me in the field/countryside with bunches of vegetables and a big smile).

(viahttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNAU_BcW4lA)

While working farmer’s market and cooking up some veggie samples, these guys asked me if I wanted to be in a video about Corvallis Farmer’s Market for their new Youtube channel: LiveCorvallis.

After the fact, I realized how much I love being in front of the camera (especially when I get to talk about farming and food culture)!

As the season winds down and winter approaches, y’all can definitely expect more video and audio content coming soon! Thanks for watching!

The elegant beauty of a green bean, each individually hand picked

Cabbage in its prime
At Gathering Together Farm

Farming is all about patience, attentiveness and care. The harvests come quick & abundant. Our hands & knees move at a rapid speed through 300 ft high tunnels of fruiting tomato plants, trellised to the ceiling. Nearby, pepper plants are heavy with juicy green shishitos; zucchini plants grown over the pathways with bees pollinating their furry yellow flowers in a nectar-craving frenzy. Farm trucks loaded with hundreds of pounds of tomatillos, nearly a thousand bunches of carrots, or twenty tubs of cucumbers.

Yet sometimes I have to go out to one of the fields after work and enjoy a slower harvest to bring home with us. Striking a balance between the fast pace of production farming and the slower enjoyment of subsistence gardening is so important to me. Those Sunday afternoons in the shishito pepper greenhouse let me return to that meditative feeling of growing plants just for fun.

Just a few of our late July harvests: ‘Lacinato’ black kale, tomatillos, jalapenos, heirloom tomatoes, shishito peppers, and leek flowers!