Love is in the Air

Flowers for the upcoming Monien-Shover Wedding

We are well into this growing season and somehow, we are above water.  Hardly 2 days have passed here without rain and this is tuning out to be one of the wettest summers on record.  While we lost one crop of lettuce early in the season (we were ahead of the schedule at that time) we feel pretty lucky that everything is doing ok in this wetness.  We farm through heavy clay soil so wet is always a tricky thing to deal with.  This summer has also been on the cool side which means hot crops like peppers and tomatoes basically went dormant.  They waited to grow for some time but now seem to be moving in the right direction. 
We will host our first (will we do it again???) wedding here on the farm!  It is for my dear cousin and we are very excited!  Some of the things we have done differently this season in preparation for the wedding are:

1. keep up with the veggies
2. plant more flowers than ever before
3. weed more flowers than ever before
4. keep up with farm beautification
5. finish some unfinished projects laying around
6. make the Winnebago a real part of the landscape
7. keep up with the veggies

Blueberries! 

 There is an area on our farm that doesn't get the spotlight enough.  Tucked behind the soft high tunnel is an area underneath a weeping willow that takes me away whenever I venture back there.  It really isn't "far" but it is an area that you can't see from any of the main zones and thus out of sight out of mind. 
Recently I found myself back here eating, I mean picking blueberries.  We have 2 varieties that are growing like mad right now.  They are delicious.  We seem to have enough to share with the birds and our family so we are all quite happy! 
Just behind the berries is a long row of asparagus.  Their season is over for now but you can still find a few "ghost" stalks that are seriously white and the most tender asparagus in the world this time of year.  You'll have to come share breakfast with us is you'd like to experience that :) 
There is also a thick strip of wildness after the asparagus.  This creates a soft barrier between us and our crop rotation neighbor.  Multitudes of birds and insects make this boarder their home.  It is a noisy place filled with song and dance. 

This weekend OM YUM returns to the farm!  Come see us on Saturday the 29th of July at 10am.  We LOVE this event because it brings yoga and local food together at our favorite place.  It is fun sharing the farm with you and we welcome you to join us!  Please register through the Eventbrite link found in the FB event. You can also call us directly or email to RSVP and reserve your space.  This is a zero waste event so bring your own dishes, water bottle and mat and we'll take care of the rest!  Yoga will be taught by Renee Cathryn followed by a delicious tasting of Vespertine Gardens goodies. 
The revitalized Girl Scout cabin is coming right along.  If you'd like to rustic 'farmstay", this may be just the place for you!  Stay posted for details on reserving your own special time here on our farm. 

Girl Scout cabin in background soon available for your farmstay enjoyment

Milkweed Season

Solid wood sign made by Merril Iverson

   It hasn't been too long since Craig's grandpa died and we are seeing signs of him everywhere - literally, signs!  This is one that he made that hung outside of a church in Altdorf - just down the road and around the corner (technically a part of Vesper).  There is another sign somewhere that says "St. Joseph's" naming the church where his wife and he are now buried.

Jona - master mower

Flapjack 

   I like to take time each year to acknowledge some of the "workers" we house here on our farm.  Firstly, here is Flapjack.  She was a rescue that used to be an indoor cat until Craig moved in with his allergies.  Now, though she is declawed, brings us a mouse or mole nearly every single day.  She has battle scars on her nose but is a most loving feline. Jona Cash is our guinea pig - she tractors the lawn and loves to eat mullein!

Milkweed

 

This time of year the milkweed forms pods.  You can collect these pods if you promise to disperse the seed.  The monarch butterfly needs all the help it can get and you can learn how to propagate their main food source here!  We haven't seen many monarch here on our farm, just a few but we are seeing many milkweed being enjoyed by others.  

 Remember how I want to make sure to share the ugly along with the ornate?  Well, note to the sensitive...I have learned, again a hard lesson.  Never do any farm work in flip flops.  NONE.  Not even if you think you are just going to go do something mundane quick because you will get distracted by other chores and get too busy to change your shoes.  This weekend I dropped a sheet of aluminum siding right on my big toe slicing it in half horizontally.  I went to grab something then got distracted by our old chicken coop that needed to be further disassembled.  Well long story short - I needed to do a partial toenail removal by myself after 2 days of strapping it on trying to avoid the unavoidable.  I did it, it wasn't pretty and it still isn't - won't be for a while.  Don't let the polish fool you; it is there because it hides the dirt you can't get rid of when you are barefoot too much outside :)
  We will hopefully see you tomorrow at the Peach Street Market where we will be offering FRESH SWEET CORN!, garlic, basil and cabbage.  Tomorrow's farm fresh box will include those 4 delicious items PLUS tricolor beans and peppers.  Limited availability for market or farm pick-up or Rapids/Vesper delivery.  Please call to reserve yours 715-572-3813

We are excited about next week's event because it has been in the "dream works" stage for over a year now.  We welcome you to the farm.  You will spend an hour doing yoga in the field taught by Heidi Goodreau, a good friend of mine.  She has a special interest in Nutritious Movement so her yoga style is different than any other experience you may have had!  This will be followed by a sit down on the ground style smorgasbord of Vespertine Garden eats and treats along with our signature blend of tea grown right here!

Limited spots available in order to keep event quaint and engaging.

WHAT YOU NEED:
yoga mat
comfortable clothing - that can get dirty :)
a place setting (plate, spoon, fork glass and mug) cloth napkin if you have one

The event fee is $30.  You can reserve your spot using pay pal to account 715-572-3813

Weed Policy

"Who can save the most blueberries from the hornets?" a fun farm game that gets the kids picking
also known as "who wants blueberry crumble?"

  Oh the dog days of summer.  It. Is. HOT.  The tomatoes and peppers are finally in their sauna of sweat and we grudgingly put our window AC unit it which averages about a week a year.  I can just see the bill writer at Alliant laughing like Dr. Evil as the heat takes a bite out of our energy credit.  Ho hum, first world problems.
  Weather update: we did get hit by some gusty winds but guess what????  We are on a record year so far in that we haven't made any insurance claims...yet...from weather damage to property!  Yay, so when does our premium go down?  The tomatoes did take a hit but since we quadrupled our efforts in their department, you won't even notice : )  and the corn that went horizontal is again upright at 90 degrees with some browning silk as we speak.  My kids jump at being the corn testers in the field (what's better then sun warmed corn fresh from the stalk?) almost as quick as they do for noodles.

  Market update:  The Peach Street market in Rapids on Tuesdays from 7 to 1 has been our market so far this season though you'll see Craig in Marshfield on upcoming Saturdays with our mega heirloom tomatoes!  Highlight of the market for us has been enjoying a delicious, locally sustained lunch created by Great Expectations.  Bacon devlied eggs?  Apple butter?  Yes please!

  This week, I had some of my favorite ladies come visit with their littles.  I think there were a few moments of uninterrupted time around a table talking about all sorts of stuff - work, dreams, food, all of it.  After lunch we found ourselves looking for blueberries.  Where DID we plant them?  I know they are here somewhere?  And there they were, smothered in weeds 3 - 4 ft tall in places with barely a berry showing. How on earth could we ever let this happen?  Oh no, and right next to them is the asparagus patch.  Luckily their gigantic stalks make their own weed problem look small.
  There were a few grumbles from the crew until we launched a game of it seeing who could save them from the hornets and who can save the bushes from the weeds ( I ROCKED this game, in fact I think I may have been the only one playing...huh!)  I think Arlo just laid there looking at the clouds in a standard 8 yr old fashion until I mentioned blueberry cobbler to which he jumped up and started picking double time, frequently asking if he had enough yet.  :How about now?  And now?"
The cobbler was amazing and tasted better with friends.  Now I can even see my bushes but the birds can suddenly see the berries...maybe we were onto something :)
  I remember one of our very first farm tours.  We asked every friend and relative to come out and help us weed everything and get the farm pretty for the visitors and local paper.  There was a mom and daughter at the tour talking softly to eachother and in a not so positive manner.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong when suddenly the daughter raised her hand sharply and said that basically she could not believe that we didn't use any chemicals because there wasn't a weed to be seen.  Ever since then, we have made it a policy around here to never leave any area weedless in case we would be charged with not practicing organic methods.

From the Roots Up

Merril Iverson "this soil grows the best tomatoes in the land!"

  Craig's grandpa Merril died this past week.  He lived well into his nineties and was sharp as ever right until the end.  He spoke of this amazing tomato before his death.  It was 7 inches wide! Flash forward a few decades, and the backdrop of this photograph has dramatically changed.  Interestingly, this year we have quadrupled our tomato efforts and now have his blessing from above on this crop.

My little market helpers

First thing is first:  what will we have at the market tomorrow?

cabbage   broccoli   cauliflower  garlic   basil   dill

BONUS:  take home growing salad bowls and the new  Market Fresh Box!

growing salad bowl 

  The growing salad bowls will give you a home cut, fresh salad 3-5 times right in your very own home!  Two sizes are available.  Receive 1$ discount when pot is returned or choose to keep the biodegradable bamboo pot :)

  What is the VG MARKET FRESH BOX?  Well, it contains everything you see for sale at our market stand PLUS a few bonus items not available on the tables.  This week's box will have the following bonus items:  mint and anise tea mix bunch ready to be dried in your home and a bunch of kale and or chard.  There will be a limited amount of boxes available so come early and grab yours!

 WOW, "summer is flying by" has become just as common as "how are you?"  We are all feeling it; the rush of time beneath our feet as our full summer calendars get heavy with ink.  This is a time when the work of the spring really rewards us farmers.  We have had great germination rates, super weather - rain exactly when we need it!  We haven't watered our 4 main gardens once!  The hot crops (tomatoes and peppers) did get a slow start with the cool early summer we had but they are well on their way now!  Here are some beautiful photographs of what is happening here on our farm!

raised beds of cabbage and basil

our very own chicken whisperer!

finished beet hummus and basil pesto - easy freezing for winter enjoyment

  Social media uses LOVE to paint everything sunny because it sells - though there is a dirty side of life and in farming sometimes that is even more messy.  To balance out the beauty I shared above, here are some of the farming realities we are facing!  Eagles love to eat chicken.  So do farm cats, racoons, weasels and foxes and we are surrounded by all of them this year.  Apparently the word is out that we are offering fresh, free chicken for the wild.  Caution: the following picture is not dreamy and perfect as those above-it is a reality of ours!

chicken dinner, no gravy

Unfortunately, this means that we are not offering meat birds this year.  This was a HUGE deal for us to realize and it is even harder to tell our customers and family/friends that.  The pressure is probably on us from our own making though it is hard to not do something that we always have done.  That being said...WOW does not having meat birds change the amount of free time we have for the summer!!!  We have now had the openings of time we haven't had in the past which we are really happy about.  Now, the work it underway for building a totally different coop AKA "chicken vault" that ONLY chickens and humans are able to come and go from.  It involves Craig's hops project, a window and 2 chicken ladders...stay tuned.  

  Another reality?  The kitchen aftermath from a beet hummus and basil pesto frenzy.  Sure, the pretty jars ready for freezing shown above are beautiful but there is a big mess where those came from!

perfect day for the dishwasher to take a time out

  We hope to see you at the market tomorrow, and if you can't make it to see us, go visit a farmer near you.  

The Gift of a Sibling

Aida, Caleb and Arlo have a connection only siblings enjoy

 I specifically remember a conversation with my husband in 2009 when we discussed whether or not Arlo would have a younger sibling.  He already had an older brother and their bond was strong but they are also 7 years apart which has its own set of interesting dynamics.  It was a very brief conversation and there wasn't really a clear "answer".... and then there was.  A sibling was on the way so ready or not he was becoming the middle child and we would be a family of 5. 
  I know that not all families have close relationships and not all siblings are friends (Cain and Abel) however, Craig and I both are extremely close with our siblings and we hope this rings true for our 3 children too. 
Your sibling is your personal link to the deepest most enduring friendships available on this planet.  Whether you share genes or were hand selected to be a part of the same family, you have a friendship that includes your greatest and most challenging memories. 

Here are my top 5 reasons having a sibling is a true gift:

1.  They are yours
The fact that you have a sibling, that they just simply exist is the first building block to your enduring friendship.  It doesn't matter if you were born from the same parents, were adopted, shared or borrowed.  Together you are a part of the same family.  You shared a your room, dining table, clothes, campfire stories, laughs, fights and tears.  You are theirs and they are yours.  Because of this ownership, there are no take backs or give-aways...you are pleasantly stuck together until death and even then your connection lives on (see #5). 

2.  They know all your secrets

Remember when you had that boyfriend and you would sneak out of the basement window to meet up?  How about when you fled from the police when that swim team party was busted and your sibling covered for you as you snuck in way past curfew? *any resemblance to true stories is simply coincidence
They know yours and you know theirs so this is an effective way to ensure you stay best friends because without that trust you'd both have your secrets broadcasted.  It is a form of insurance. 
Seriously though.  They know things about you maybe no one else on the planet is aware of and these stories make up the entire you.  The whole you.  Isn't it amazing to have someone who knows all of these things about you and loves you anyway?

3.  They have your back

Whatever weather or middle of the night disaster, your sibling is there for you no matter the distance between you.  Pick up the phone or drive over, they are there to answer and open the door to whatever it might be you are facing.  They understand all of your challenges because (see #1) they are yours and they (see #2) know all of your history.  They don't even need to talk because they have the gift of presence and can calm you just simply by being themselves and being there. 

4.  They can get away with ripping on your parents
This is something your neighbor, coworker or college roommate better never try and get away with!  Your sibling can jokingly work through all of the weirdness that is your parents.  Together you will come to a greater understanding of what your parents are and you can laugh about it and move on without hard feelings.  Plus they can give you a gentle knuckle punch in the shoulder when you are getting a little carried away when laughing at dad's whitey tighties.  Together you can poke fun at your roots while strengthening the bond that makes you a family.

5.  They will have kids that will be your kids' best friends

Caleb and Fayde-sons of brothers

Cousins.  Yes, we all need siblings that are our best friends and cousins are doubly that because they can satisfy #1 through #5 if you and your sibling do it right and hang out regularly for life.  These kids will be raised in the results that were the collective experiences of best friend siblings.  They will challenge you both in ways you are ready for (because you did exactly that) and in ways you have no idea how to handle. Who better to call than a sibling who may have parenting advice and experiences that can help you perfect your parenting skills?



Some people believe that you choose your family well before you are born and maybe there is nothing more evident of that idea than your enduring friendship with your sibling.  From the day you met you were destined to see through the years together despite your differences and distance so pick up the phone, write a note or walk next door and connect with your sibling - the gift that keeps on giving. 

Natural Immune Support

Ahhh!  It's that time of year (you'll survive, I promise, almost 99.999% of the time, and just when you're wiping your brow thinking you are in the clear - another problem will surface to face-I promise that 100%).  Influenza season.  I say influenza because a ton of the population equate the common stomach bug with influenza calling both the flu when in reality they are very different beasts. 
Let's dive into some of the natural ways you can support your immune system to do what it is best at.  When it needs a little ammo, we'll look at ways to combat those bugs that develop a stronghold. 
Lastly, we'll look at the debate over vaccination-to do or not to do that is the question but we'll do that LAST because vaccination should not be your first line of defense. 

1.  WASH YOUR HANDS-the number 1 way to avoid illness
Before you eat, after you eat, every time you go to the bathroom and every chance you have in between.  Don't just run your hands under the water either, use warm water, soap and friction over a period of time (30 seconds) or it doesn't do the trick.  Hand sanitizer has its place but doesn't combat any nasty GI bug so you should not rely on this as your only way of hand cleansing.  Plus, it is laden

with chemicals and drying substances that can cause other problems.  Have your kids rub their hands together while singing the ABC's.   We like to make our own hand soap using castile soap, water and our favorite essential oils.  This leaves your hands soft but also cleansed and germ free without the chemicals and expense of store bought, toxic laden products. 
Here is our recipe:
Foaming hand soap
1/8 cup Wood's Castile Soap
10 drops of your favorite essential oil (we like the immune supporting blend containing clove, cinnamon, wild orange and eucalyptus)
fill to the top with water

2.  NUTRITION-"let food be thy medicine" Hippocrates knew what he was talking about!
Eat the rainbow-that is the easiest way to think about how to incorporate the right amount of veggies in your diet.  Veggies should be the bulk of your diet.  Grow as much of your own food as possible!  You would be surprised how much you can grow in a small city lot or even porch container garden.  Support your local farmers-their goods are more nutrient dense and insist on organic when you're able.  If you are looking into putting some food up for the winter, learn how to can and

consider freezing/dehydrating because those products will be healthier than the canned.  Also, store bought canned good may be coated on the inside with plastic that leaches chemicals into the food.  Incorporate fermented foods which contribute to intestinal health. There are multitudes of studies showing the consequences of inflammation on your body and weakening your immune system if one of them.  Avoiding sugar, grain and dairy are ways to strengthen your immune system and heal inflammation and your gut biome.  Nutrition is the first solid building block to wellness period.  We have seen great changes in our lives since learning about the Paleo way of life including weight loss, bowel regulation, mood improvement and changes in difficult behaviors.  Two great resources to check out are the books Against All Grain,  and The Whole 30.  You will see incredible benefits if you can complete the Whole 30 and then some (these books are available in our shop). 

3.  SLEEP-heal your body while you slumber
Sleeping is such an integral component to our health and you should spend on average of 36% of your entire life doing it! Most of us need to sleep more and sleep better.  Check out Russell Foster's TED talk about the importance of sleep-prepare to have your mind blown (then take a nap).  Don't fight sleep in the name of progress. I often think about how hard my kids sometimes fight sleep and how someday there will be a shift and they'll be desperately welcoming a spontaneous siesta and begging for another hour from their alarm clock. 

4.  GET OUTSIDE-move your body and breathe fresh air
Staying indoors increases your exposure to indoor pollutants and when you are sedentary, your lungs do not get the full expansion that contributes to their cleansing process.  When you exercise you also sleep better (see above).  Katie Bowman has a very innovative approach to exercise that goes well beyond what you've learned in gym class.  Check out her blog Nutritious Movement.

5.  SUPPLEMENT-sometimes you just need a boost
This time of year our family increases our intake of vitamin C, vitamin D(3) and probiotics.  Some research does show that supplementing your diet with probiotics can reduce illness!   Research the companies where you choose to purchase supplements from and don't mega dose yourself.  You can find good supplements that include all 3 however don't rely solely on your supplements to provide these necessary nutrients, start with dietary changes.  More is not better and can do more harm than good.  If you live in a northern climate, your vitamin D requirements may be more as well as if you spend much of your days inside. 

6.  NATURAL SOLUTIONS-increase the tools in your toolbox. 

We use our favorite therapeutic essential oils almost every day for various reasons: discomfort, seasonal respiratory support, mood management, immune support and more.  There are some oils I pull out at the first sign of needed support.  These oils aren't a magic snake cure however there is evidence supporting their effect on the body to support and promote it's natural process.  Message me if you'd like more information about the oils we use in our home! 
MULLEIN TEA: this is a staple in our home.  We harvest this wild all over the area where we live.  This tea is a potent agent against all blocked mucous so if you are needing to break up sinus or lung blockage, this is a great option and it also works wonders on clogged milk ducts!

7.  VACCINATION-to choose or not to choose
I am not going to tell you what to do, this is a decision that needs to be thought about thoroughly with a real look at research done by multiple sources.  Consider the plight of where the research is coming from and talk to your provider. Pro-vax and Anti-vax groups BOTH have an agenda and I strongly suggest ignoring both camps when you are making a decision.  When in doubt, wait!  If you choose to vaccinate, don't assume that you are 100% protected as not a single vaccination is that effective but they all have variances of effectiveness.  I really like The Vaccine Book by Dr. Sears.  He proposes facts without an agenda and even offers ideas on vaccination schedule variances that may be reasonable. 

You know what they say about an ounce of prevention...explore the ideas above and start incorporating them into your lives and you should see an improvement in your health.  Sometimes there is nothing you can do to avoid illness but you can support your body through it. 

Meat



Mr. Winker at the range

Every November the hunters in my life come to my heart in full force.  I think of my father mostly.  He is a hunter in every sense of the word and last year I wrote a bit about him in my Sense of Place post.  When I was just a tweeny pup I signed up for hunter's safety class with my dad.  I HATED it.  I despised the idea of killing and couldn't seem to keep my eyes open in class.  Somehow I convinced my "never quit" parents to allow me to do just that and I stopped going.  My dad's hopes of having a daughter to hunt with quickly disappeared and I'm quite certain I rolled my eyes about it.
 I was gifted a year of Animal's Agenda magazine that I hoarded in my closet and read and sobbed over the images that came to me in the mail each month vowing never to harm an animal ever, never ever.  Most of my high school years were spent being a horribly nutrient poor vegetarian while my mother smothered me with protein consisting of peanut butter sandwiches and Carnation Instant Breakfast.  I would walk through the woods behind our home and urinate underneath the tree stands while my father wondered where all the deer had gone.  I remember many fits when I would come down stairs in the morning and see a gun sitting by the back door where my dad had just taken a rabbit or a squirrel.  There were many tears.  I didn't understand how he could be so uncaring for the animals and I'm sure he couldn't understand how he ended up having a daughter with my beliefs. 
  Fast forward 12 years well into my pregnancy with Arlo.  I had the unquenchable craving for meat like an itch that couldn't be scratched - particularly roast beef.  Certainly I was lacking in protein and nutrients and my body was begging for a bone.  After many days of struggling with this craving I broke down and drove through Hardees asking how many roast beefs I could get for a handful of change.  It was not my best moment, inhaling fast food in the parking lot with a growing baby in my belly!  I have since fully recovered from my vegetarianism days.
  Fast forward a few more years and here I am, a farmer raising pastured non GMO chickens.  I have found a middle road with meat.  I like to eat it, I enjoy it and I like to take care of my animals so they are healthier and happier before they are in my belly. 


410 shotgun - oldie but a goodie

  A couple years ago we had a red squirrel problem.  Our loyal mutt Scout was a great squirrel taker-care-ofer but there was one that she couldn't quite manage and we enjoyed watching their shenanigans.  One day, we came home to half of the siding ripped off of the house where the squirrel went in and the dog went after.  There was Scout, sitting under that tree just waiting for the squirrel to come down.  The thought came to me "get the gun".  Craig looked at me briefly then realized that I was totally serious-he had NEVER seen me shoot a gun and knew I wasn't a hunting fan etc...but he acted quickly before I changed my mind.  He grabbed the 410 and I aimed quick and one shot later the job was done.  Now, I'm by no means saying that I didn't feel bad for that squirrel, I really did.  BUT I felt a new feeling to, a feeling that I had done something that helped my family in a small way.  The dog ate the squirrel and the siding quickly went back up and that was that.  I killed an animal and thank goodness it was a good shot.  As a girl I had taken a shot into the cedar at my grandparent's in Iowa when my brother taunted me that I could never kill a bird (he got $0.05/bird).  After enough pestering, I grabbed the gun and shot at a noise only to maim a young sparrow that my dad had to put down for me. 

hunter's safety 2015

  It wasn't more than a couple years later that I decided to give hunter's safety another shot (no pun intended but haha, that was a good one!).  What an awesome thing that my father was my teacher!  We had a blast (again, haha) I learned a lot and didn't feel so afraid of guns.  I outshot my father on the range...twice and maybe, just maybe I'll get a turkey tag this fall.  Maybe just maybe I'll get a deer tag this fall...maybe next year.  Somehow I feel a little closer to feeling comfortable with putting some meat in my freezer but it is all the in between that I worry about.  The possible suffering is enough to cause me to pause.  I think that hunting is more of a ceremony, much more than just killing.  I really like the video from The Ways is a really great perspective helping you see the hunt differently, more deeply.
 

Caleb doing his thing at the river

This weekend is Caleb's first deer hunt.  He took class with his grandpa and cousin last year and has taken to the fields for geese and ducks but not deer.  This is my boy who rarely keeps a fish and had pockets full of live things as a child.  Craig fondly remembers him picking a wood tick out of the toilet to let it go outside.  I also have a memory, not a soft one, where he made a huge spider's web in our backyard out of sewing string and accidentally caught a bird.  At first he was excited but it became clear that the bird was going to die as it became so entangled.  We both cried and cried.  He is a lover with a huge heart but he is also a boy watching his elders go out to the hunt and bring meat home for their families.  It probably helped him commit to the hunt when his cousin tagged his first deer last week.  So off my first baby goes into the woods with my dad and the tradition, ritual continues. 
As a mom I think lots of things.  I hope he has a great time, I hope he sees deer and if he decides to take a shot that it's a good one and if it's not...that it doesn't break his heart.  But he is with the best person that could handle any situation that could possibly present itself on a hunt, my father.

The Flame

Every ending has a beginning as does every middle.  All projects start with a spark and many are never tended into a flame.  Dying embers flit away and in wisps of smoke. The spoken "tell me the story about when..." can be followed by eruptions of laughter and wet sobbing tears.  This is the story of our living flame Vespertine Gardens.

My husband and I met at a bar.  We were set up by mutual friends and it was love at first sight for me.  I knew quickly that he was "the one" and it didn't take much convincing before he agreed.  He was fresh off the Appalachian Trail, living in Oregon but visiting family in town and I was in the midst of single parenting while working and going to school full-time for nursing.  Our lives were both in chaos but the spark never left.  He returned a year later to be closer to his mother who was diagnosed with lung cancer and took up soil science studies at UWSP.  We reconnected and our relationship moved quickly.  Much of our time dating was spent dreaming, of our future and telling stories of our past.  The ember glowed bigger and bigger until it was a farm we were dreaming of and then a farm with children.  Our farm setting idea took place initially anywhere but Wisconsin and quickly came closer and closer until we were looking at land in our home county.
We found the perfect place.  Seriously, it doesn't get any more perfect for us than a farm surrounded by forest with a geodesic dome heated garage with a wood working shop, unique outbuildings made from Katrina wreckage and a solid wood beamed barn fit perfectly for horses.  It was like we each wrote down exactly what we wanted and poof, there it appeared.  At the peak of our price range but move-in ready.

Quickly, we rented out our current small in town home and moved in temporarily with Craig's parents thinking it would be a quick sale and we'd be celebrating Christmas in our new home.  The final step was the inspection which was a breeze initially.  The inspector actually looked like he was yawning at times, bored with the absence of drama.  It was so mundane that I left before it was over-missing the big bang: black mold.  The entire attic was snuggled beneath fuzzy blanket of black mold.  Interestingly the owners were moving south due to respiratory issues.  We could go through with the sale and deal with the mold aka: health hazard nightmare or we could move on with our dream.

Cue "everything happens for a reason".
In the midst of this, my mother-in-law Lynne's long battle with stage 4 lung cancer was coming to a close.  It was clear that her body was losing the fight and our focus shifted entirely from the home plans to being home with her as much as possible for her numbered last days.  I was working full time as a hospice nurse at the time and it was such a surreal time in my life to go from "working with death" to living with it.  We ate meals together, did our laundry together and played with my sons together.  She gave me lessons in sewing and baking and how to just be good with it all.  It was an absolutely amazing time in my life.  We made some of my most favorite memories and we were all there with her as her spirit slipped away.  She died a good death.  Surrounded by those who loved her and were loved by her the most.  We are walking family trees and her cells live on in my youngest son and daughter.
We know that we were meant to be living with her for those handful of months.  We wouldn't trade any dream property for those memories we made.  As the healing began and the dust started to settle, the ember of our farming dream stoked again only this time it had ideas of its own.  In her last days, Lynne and her parents spoke to us about living on the homestead where she grew up and bringing the land back to farming.  It was her wish that we would raise our children and erect our farming dream there on a small patch of fertile vesper silt loam soil.

the soil quickly became a part of us

I remember driving to the property for the first time after the opportunity was presented to us and having a hard time envisioning how we would turn 3 acres of pristine lawn into a visionary, functioning farm.  The farm had historically raised 7 daughters and tons of green beans as well as a bustling family garden.  It took, vision, perseverance, hard labor and help from family and friends for a handful of years to get the soil working and producing. I worked full time off the farm so Craig could work full time on the farm and every penny earned was spent on implements and such.  We named our farm Vespertine Gardens and now 6 years later we have completed 5 successful years as CSA farmers of organically grown veggies and pastured non-GMO chickens.  Vespertine means "things that bloom at night" and our dreams of this farm all started with just that-night time dreaming together while young in our relationship with little ones finally asleep.   Our daughter Aida was born on the living room floor a few short months after moving here.  She solidified any doubt we ever had that we were meant to be here on this land, living this life.  The flame of our farming existence is burning bright and we are devoting ourselves to a winter of rekindled dreaming. 

Gratitude

Last day crew was done with 2!  Judith and Craig

 

Dear You,
If you are reading this, you are a part of us in some way, shape or form and we celebrate you with gratitude this fall harvest season.
If we were to completely erase the horrible farming weather, lost crops, soggy soil, damaging storms and record chicken loss to predation than I would say we had a pert'near perfect year!  Every box day was dry, comfortable and full of community building togetherness.  We close this year's CSA with celebrity celery, bumper squash and massive green bell peppers.  We are eternally grateful to the other local farmers who have helped us out with their excess in order to keep our members happy with full boxes especially Mark at Sunny Sky Farm.

Our front garden is a blend of edible, annual and perennial plants that is most beautiful now!
 

I'd like to take a moment to celebrate thinking outside of the box.  This year we had multiple trays of plant starts dying in the hoop house just waiting for a dry enough spot in the field.  This led to the expansion of the bed in the front of the house.  Usually this bed was filled with perennial wild sunflowers and other plants brought here from various important locations (my grandmother's farm in Iowa, my parent's home in Rapids etc...) but I can say that this year it is the most beautiful as it included chard, pumpkin, rhubarb and squash.  Sure we live on a farm but it is really nice to walk right outside your front door to grab some produce for a fresh meal! 

fleeting beauty of fall

  We are grateful to each and every member of our CSA this year!  Thank you for supporting local agriculture and our small, family farm. We are also so grateful to have found the best worker share members!  We couldn't do half of what we do without you all.  Farming is about connection; to the soil, the earth, the weather, the planet, the community, the family, the body.... and we are grateful to be a part of that. 
With deep gratitude,
Your farmers

*** CHICKENS:  Please make arrangements to pick up your remaining chickens by the end of this month
***PARTY:  Saturday October 24th 4pm rain or shine bring a dish to pass, costumes, apple cider pressing, outdoor kids movie and bonfire

A Musical Month

Pretty unbelievable to have such talent grace the walls of the high tunnel!

The chill in the air is undeniable now.  The V's of the flocks overhead are clearly headed in one direction, south and the eclipsed harvest moon has passed (wasn't that an amazing sight?)  We are well into the fall season and October is waiting to greet us tomorrow morning.   Please mark your calendars for Saturday October 24th 4pm potluck harvest meal/celebration here on the farm!  Please BYOB and a dish.   This is a family fun event here on the farm.  Traditionally we have celebrated the end of the season by sharing meals made from the bounty, fresh pressed apple cider, campfire sing-along (bring an instrument if you have one or a brave singing voice).  Kids are welcome to dress in their Halloween best :)

Art Stevenson and Highwater graced the farm for Craig's surprise 40th birthday party!

This month has been jam packed with awesomesauce (and some applesauce to boot).  We successfully pulled off a surprise 40th birthday for the master farmer which rocked on into the week hours of the morning, concluded with camping and fireworks of grand proportions!  In the morning Craig asked me in a tired voice "it was part of the surprise to pretend there was a crew coming this morning to help set up the 2nd high tunnel right?"  Wrong baby, and I guess I didn't think that through but you rocked it out anyway despite working through the festivities from the night before.  

Family fun bluegrass festival on the beautiful banks of the Mississippi? Yes please!

 The celebration continued last weekend when we attended the Boats and Bluegrass Festival in Winona.  If you haven't gone, you should but I suggest buying your tickets early because they always sell out!  This year I rocked the festival in a wheeled scooter given the non-walking cast on my hoof.  It wasn't a graceful weekend but I had a LOT of help from some marvelous people and entirely plan on dancing around that late night campfire sing-a-long next year and the next....  Anyone out there remember the Wayfarin Strangers from back in the 90's? (I age myself...) I do!  I remember their shows at Wally's House of Embers in the Dells during my late teen years and listened to that CD until the label wore off.  Well, I was graced by the presence of Jeff who was their stand up bass guy back then and he played the album around a late night festival fire and even tolerated my singing along.  You can't even plan moments like this in life.  I didn't even try to take a picture or video because I wouldn't do the memory justice I am sure. 

Kale, oh beautiful, ever faithful Kale how do I love thee?

 So I suppose you'd like to hear a little bit about what is happening here on the farm too!  We are approaching the end of the growing season and appropriately woke this morning to a bit of frost in the field.  This is actually a little later than normal for us out here but it is a big sign of the end of this season.  Some crops do tolerate a bit of frost quite well but some don't and so that requires some planning ahead.  This is what it looks like here at Vespertine Gardens:  come home from running kids to various activities, get them cleaned up, read to them, tuck them in for the night and then run outside and harvest what you can and cover up what you can't in the dark.  This will happen  few more times in the next month along with the plans for planting both floors of the high tunnels.  We still have a few chickens in the freezers here on the farm so if you haven't made arrangements to pick up yours yet please call Craig and make a plan.  This morning I woke with a slight tickle in my throat, a popping in my ears and an annoying headache.  I downed a cup of bone broth with cayenne and white pepper and feel quite a bit better already.  It cures what ails you seriously!   

squash in multitude

Tail End of Summer

Box 8 "El Jefe"
 

  Have you noticed that the hint of rust color in the forest has turned into splashes of reds, purples and magentas?  We are getting a taste of fall color and what goes better with that than a bountiful fall harvest?  This box is mostly from our farm with some accents from the Stevens Point Farmers Market (some tomatoes and all potatoes).  The first of the melons give this box some serious weight.  You may see a yellow or red watermelon or even a cantaloupe.  IF you are the one member with the only pie pumpkin please contact us, you have won a free chicken! 

Apples are coming!

  There is a component of our land that you don't usually see when you are blinded by the beauty of the bounty.  The health of the soil is not always considered when you are buying produce.  The corn in our box does not compare in nutrient density to the corn you buy at the grocery store shipped from another state or Mexico and this is especially true when you compare our corn which was grown organically to the corn grown conventionally of a GMO variety.  There really isn't any room for debate here they are NOT the same.  Our soil is very healthy and nutrient rich which means that the produce grown here is also.  Our practices contribute to the health of the soil year after year.  Doesn't it feel good to know that when you eat local, organically grown produce you are getting the absolute best quality and health out there?

our solar system, helping us and helping you

  Did you know that Vespertine Gardens is 100% run by the sun?  Our photovoltaic system that was installed last year by North Wind Renewable Energy gathers enough sunlight to cover our farm in total.  The extra energy is put into the grid which means that if you use electricity (just guessing everyone is raising their hands here) then you should know that our system is helping you too!  Want to learn more about solar in general?  We encourage you to learn more about the grid and what it means to use energy, where your energy comes from and how you can become an active participant in insisting that we use more renewable sources!  Here is a great article from Consumer Reports you should definitely read.

Even the flowers work for us here, they attract pollinators!

Let's Make Up

red and yellow onions waiting to go to their new homes

   I can sense it in the air, a slight sweetness with a hint of chill that makes the tips of my toes cool enough at night so they are pulled into the covers during most of my dreaming.  There is a golden hue settling into the forest and the soybean fields are brown patches waiting for the harvester to come through and give the last haircut of the season.  These things and more are signals to me that we are approaching fall, one my 4 favorite seasons.  Another signal is my father pulling out his bow and camouflage, maybe this year he will listen to my mother and bring home more does instead of the monster he has been tracking for a few years with his stealthy cameras which has been massively glorified by many a campfire story embellished by my brother.  This time of year a wave of reflection seems come to me again looking back on my life and ahead to my future.  Sometimes the entrepreneurial spirit in me is a curse more than a blessing and this year I am working to tame that voice that says "I can do that, I'll do that too" so that it instead whispers "This is enough and it is right where it all should be".
  OK OK, so maybe we are having a couple birthdays coming and that is the true reason for the poetic tone pouring out today.  I am going to be 38 next week and the farmer will be 40!  The American part of me is programmed to roll its eyes and act as though aging is actually suffering and a dreaded part of life but I should know better.  My years with hospice constantly remind me of this though the HUMAN part of me asks that I be more kind to myself and rejoice a bit in the gift of another year.  This fall I am working on healing from a 2nd surgery on the same foot which means I have a LOT of time on my hands and space in my mind to ponder all sorts of things while trying to ignore the itch to crawl across the floor and scrub that corner of all the grime (I'll clean better when I can walk).  I'm also hilariously spending time on Pinterest researching workouts that you can do with one leg-there are actually a lot out there!
So you are probably here to read more about what is going to be in today's make up box!  It was a very exciting day to decide that we actually had enough and then some of our OWN produce to make up the box that was postponed earlier in this wet season.

corn of the variation "FINALLY" :)

  Let's talk about corn.  "Knee high by the fourth of July" is a standard idea of where corn should be however we were planting our THIRD planting of corn when it was already supposed to be knee high.  Our first planting was growing amazingly ahead of schedule only to be drowned out.  The second planting followed the first planting so you can only imagine my excitement when I could see the browned corn silk from the kitchen window!  When it browns and dries it is a signal to the farmer that the corn is ready!  Sure you can buy corn at the grocery store year round, shipped from far away places and frozen in bags BUT you can never replace the taste of a fresh cob so I encourage you to think of the difference between the December corn and the corn you'll enjoy today.  You can eat it fresh without even cooking it, try it!
  Let's talk tomatoes, tomatoes and free range chickens...it happens every year and we haven't learned probably because we truly love that our hens are really freely ranging all over the farm.  SO, they know when the tomatoes are ripe before we do because they seek them out and eat them.  They rarely eat the entire glorious, heirloom, organic tomato but mostly a peck here and a peck there...which means that usually when they come ripe we don't have an abundance to share with members until the hens are put into their fall/winter home.  This is the time of year that we completely close off the flock from the farm and they move into their restored Girl Scouts cabin from camp Sacajawea; yet another signal of the changing seasons.

I love the art prints from Shavingkitvintage on ETSY

 Fennel!  This is an herb bulb that some of you will pull out of your box and say "what the heck is this?" but isn't it a beautiful work of art?  This plant has a flavor all its own, with tinges of anise.  The seeds are very flavorful and you've probably seen them inside of your Italian sausage.  Fennel also has some therapeutic properties and you can purchase the highest quality Fennel Essential Oil through me.  Fennel essential oil is steam distilled from the seeds and helps with nausea, colic, cramps, promotes milk supply for nursing mamas, relieves cough and calms flatulence :)

We are right back on track for the rest of the season.  Next week September 16th we will roll out box 8 as scheduled.  Please give us a call to make arrangements for the final chicken pick up and stay posted for harvest party plans for October!  Enjoy your fresh produce and thank you for supporting your local farm.