Favorite Place

Thank goodness there are places in this world that speak to us.  Perhaps the places that speak to me are not the same as those that speak to you.  But, I sincerely hope that everyone can recognize and listen when they encounter such a place.

 Waimea Canyon speaks to both Tammy and I and it draws us back over and over again.  Pictures do not do it justice and are but a shadow of what we experience.  Yet, the pictures are a window that allows us to recollect and imagine the conversation with nature we had while we were there.

Waimea Canyon is not the only place in this world that speaks to the two of us.  Many of the places that do are not nearly so grand and they hold their beauty in completely different ways.  Often, those places are subtler.  But, there are times when we need the big show to come along and remind us to listen a bit more carefully.  We are awed to silence as we walk to the railing and look down... and around... and we find ourselves paying full attention.  At last.

Sometimes we get discouraged when it seems that other people don't see or hear when they walk up to those railings and overlooks.  One person came up next to us and gushed, "That's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"  They took a quick selfie with the canyon in the background and left after what amounted to about a 10 second visit.  Another young lady complained to her mother and (presumably) her grandmother, "I can't get service!  I want to talk to people.  I don't like it!"  She proceeded to turn her back to the canyon and stare hopefully at her phone, moving around to try and catch a signal while the other two tried to enjoy the view.

Then, someone appears that restores our faith.  They walk up and audibly gasp.  Then they stand, dumbstruck, while the canyon tells them stories of grandeur, beauty and wonder.

How long did it take for these lands to build up, with countless eruptions of volcanoes and periods of calm between?  And then how long to wear down, so we could see the beautiful bones of the earth, still able to sustain life?

Right now, all we need to know is that it took as long as it needed to so it could be here to speak to us.  We just need to open up our ears to listen.

Recharge

View from Kuilau Ridge Trail

Because we farm, we are privileged to see the outdoors up close and personal on a regular basis.  But, because we farm, we don't often get to see a beautiful day as a chance to relax.  Instead, it is a good time to exert ourselves and work extra hard to take advantage of the weather.  This is part of the reason why we so highly value an opportunity to go somewhere that has extremely nice weather much of the time and beautiful places to enjoy it in.

It often takes us a while to relax because we have trained ourselves to be ready to work in conditions like this.  The brain doesn't automatically allow us to 'chill out' and just take things in stride.  That might be part of the reason we like to add hiking into the mix.  Certainly, we like the idea of being active and we definitely like the chance to see some of the places the hikes take us to.  But, hiking means we are able to tell ourselves that we are doing something.  It stills that little anxious voice that says, "Hey!  It's nice outside, go WEED something!"

Tammy and I have been giving ourselves the opportunity to enjoy the artwork the earth is willing to share with us.  We've also been indulging in some amateur photography and writing, reading and honing our conversation skills.  It's only natural, given our professions, that most conversation circles around the farm or school.  It's what people do, talk about the things they are surrounded by most of the time.  So, we are surrounding ourselves with different things for a while.  Things like green hills, purple mountains and blue skies.

Blue Skies

There are a handful of days every Spring where the sky shows off an amazing depth of the color blue.  And, if you are lucky, Mother Nature will float some nice fluffy white clouds in it to add to the effect. 

It doesn't really matter all that much what else is in the picture.  That stuff exists to give you contrast so you can better appreciate the sky.

Oddly enough, it is not all that common for us to take pictures when we have a sky like this.  That might seem odd to say, but you need to consider our profession.  We are farmers.  A day like this is the perfect day to do ALL of the things that farmers do.  Picture taking is not normally on that list unless it is for recording purposes.

While we might not be taking pictures, you can bet we are noticing the sky.  Part of maintaining our health as growers is taking in the beauty of our surroundings.  We stop and take a good look every so often at the sky for the same reason we stop and sniff the lilacs or smile as we pass a sunflower or recognize the Great Blue Heron passing over the farm's airspace.

If you're going to work outside, you might as well take a breath and appreciate the office with a view.  Not everyone has the opportunity to do so.  So, here's to days with blue skies, lilacs and herons.  May we all have a chance to recognize what they bring to our lives.

Covering Sins

If it is going to be cold, there might as well be snow.

You can agree with this or disagree, that is fine.  But, in Iowa, there will be snow - and not always when you expect it.  This picture was taken after a surprise October snow this past year.  It did provide for some interesting photo opportunities because there was more foliage remaining on plants to catch the snow and give us different textures to record.

If you live in town, you might appreciate the snow because it covers up some of the muddy, dirty 'old' snow and the unattractive brown lawns.  Even if you are not fond of snow, you will probably admit that a new snowfall has a certain beauty to it.  Part of that beauty is the ability of a good snow to cover up our sins so that we might, for a moment, believe that things in this world can be right again.

On the farm, the blanket of snow actually does cover a few of our 'farming sins,' if you will allow me the use of that expression.  You see, once we enter the Fall months, green things do not grow as quickly to cover up ground we have scarred.  And, if you have a wet Fall, as we did this past year, it is pretty easy to tear things up with the tractor without meaning to.  The snow makes those areas pristine again - if only for a while.

The blanket covers a multitude of other 'sins' as well.  The bed of daikons that never sized up and were not harvested is now covered in white.  The stack of stakes we told ourselves needed to be moved for the past six weeks looks like a pile of white stuff and nothing more.  The bare patch in that pasture we wanted to rehabilitate but couldn't because it stayed too wet is now white, just like the rest of the pasture.  The remnants of hose and drip tape that should be cleaned up is... well, it's still out here somewhere.  Oops.

Even the paths that we commonly walk as we do chores every day are not so evident, until we make that first walk in the new snow to complete the next set of chores.  Well, I did admit to being a sinner, so that might be why I am willing to accept another snow.

Whether Wythards

"How much time do you think we have?" asked Tammy.
"This one's moving pretty slow, probably half an hour," I responded.
"Huh, we can try to put those lettuce transplants in then," she said.
"It'll be a little muddy, but it's only going to get muddier," I grumbled. "Let's go."

As farmers, we are in fascinated by the weather.  As farmers, we are motivated by the weather.  As farmers, we are often at the mercy of the weather.  And, as farmers, we weather the weather.

The thing that amazes me most is that the weather is actually very rarely completely unfriendly to those who are diversified growers.  Now, I also have to admit that the weather is also rarely perfect for us, but that is beside the point.  We could successfully argue that this past season was a completely unfriendly season, but the evidence would tell us that we are incorrect.  Many of our perennial crops, such as apples, berries and asparagus did very well.  The broiler chickens and turkeys sized up and the taste of the meat has been exceptional.  Egg production stayed very consistent all season long.  The garlic was a little smaller than usual, but turned out just fine.  Half of the onion crop was really nice.  We had some decent summer squash, zucchini and cucumber.  In short, there were good things that happened, even if the whole body of work balanced out on the negative for the year.

One of the things we are considering this January is how we, the Genuine Faux Farm farmers, are going to respond to the climate and the resulting weather patterns we are likely to see from this point onward.  There is no escaping the fact that we must pay attention to the weather if we want to raise produce and poultry.  There is no good way to predict exactly what we will encounter and it is perfectly clear that whatever the weather is, it will impact what we do and how well things go.  But, one thing is clear to me.  Our world still provides what we need to be successful farmers, we just need to prepare to use what we have responsibly and we need to take a longer view than the next succession of lettuce.

But don't worry.  I'm sure your farmers will grumble about the weather multiple times in the coming season.  It's normal.  If you consider that weather systems are sometimes akin to an alarm clock (hurry up, plant that lettuce!) you might have sympathy for the grumpy farmer.  After all, wasn't it you who knocked your alarm clock to the floor this morning?

Reaching the Blue Hole

Some may have noticed that the Genuine Faux Farm farmers have been up to something.  Well, we've actually been up to a few somethings of late.  One of those somethings has been the opportunity to visit one of our favorite places on this earth (Kauai).  The photo above shows the crater of Waialeale, the dormant volcano that also features the second tallest peak on the island behind Kawaikini (which is essentially next door).  A person is often able to see into the crater from the Kuilau Ridge Trail.  Some hardy souls hike to the crater and swim in the 'Blue Hole,' but we're not inclined to do so ourselves.  We will settle with this view from a distance.

Another item that we have been up to lately is the series of short blog posts interspersed with a couple of longer ones.  In fact, we have put out a post a day since December 27.  Is this something you have noticed?  Judging by the numbers provided by blogger and Facebook, we're tempted to say that you have not.  The problem is, we do not trust the metrics provided by these tools either.  So, it is difficult to make any judgements from our end.

A significant issue that a small farm business has is difficulty reaching out to people effectively.  We put our efforts into growing food, getting it ready for sales and delivering it.  But, we also need to reach the people who we hope will support us by purchasing all of that good stuff.  Sadly, it feels like the path to make these connections is becoming more and more like the difficult trail to the Blue Hole in Waialeale.

We are hopeful that we can grab, and hold, at least a little bit of your interest via our blog and the Facebook posts we put out there in hopes that it will entertain and inform.  We aren't doing these things only because we want sales, though that is part of our goal.  We are also doing this because we feel there are some things that need to be said and ideas that need to be pursued.  In short, we want to encourage you to think about things pertaining to growing food, dealing with local food systems and farming processes.  We hope to share with you some of what we do and how we want to do it in hopes that we can all make a difference together.

But, the noise that everyone hears has never been louder nor has it come from more places than it does today.  It makes the path between our farm and you pretty muddy and difficult to pass.  We are willing to do some honest work to promote and inform, but I am also certain we are not willing to play the social media game with its ever-changing 'rules of engagement' and nebulous metrics.  If you are enjoying what you are seeing here and/or have thoughts about changes, this would be a good time to respond as we are ready to listen and adjust.  We don't need to be 'popular,' but we do want some feedback to see if there are some who get something good out of what we do here.  Don't be shy, give us a quick comment or email!  Thank you!

Recovery Walk

Tammy and I began the process of renewal and recovery with a light hike on the Mahaulepu Heritage Coastal Trail starting at Shipwreck Beach.  We have never been to this particular location before, so we were not entirely sure what to expect.

It did, of course, start at a beach - which was nice enough.  But, we were here to do a little walking and exploring, so the beach wasn't of huge interest to us at the time.  Towards one end of the beach, someone had taken the time to make a giant heart in the sand.  Cute, but not what we were looking for either.

After a cursory examination of the beach and a few efforts of picture taking to get used to the camera again, we turned away from the beach and explored the beginning of the trail.  That might seem a bit odd to say, but in our defense, it wasn't as if the trail entry was as clear as you might think.  Don't get me wrong, it wasn't hard at all to find our way around.  But, there were actually several little side trails that led to various viewpoints.  In fact, there were many side trails for the first third or so of the walk that we could opt to take.  Some of the trails followed the water as closely as was practical and others provided shade, but no view of the water.

On the way out, we were happy to stay out by the water most of the time.  On the way back, we found the shade to be a pleasant addition.

As is true for so many of the hikes we have taken, it seemed like things only got better the deeper we went into the hike.  But, it didn't take long to be happy we took this trail.  After a very short climb, we were able to see the ocean on one side and some of the smaller southeastern mountains of Kauai.  We're still trying to get a handle on which peak is which in our pictures, but while we'd like to name them properly some day, just seeing them was enough of a treat.

Rather than provide a whole bunch of words to fill the space, we thought we would share a bunch of pictures with captions instead.  If you happen upon this blog post, we hope you enjoy this.  If you don't happen upon this blog post, then we'll just simply enjoy it all by ourselves.  Either way, we're happy.

Kamaulele or Kalapa, we're not yet certain.

Some of these pictures may not be the ones we will identify as our best later on, but they serve for the purpose of sharing!

Our first ocean viewpoint from the ridge over the water.

Going forward (to the East) things got rocky.  Looking back West, one can see the inlet that comes up to Shipwreck Beach.

Looking back at Keoneloa Bay

A shaded section of the trail looks a bit like a tunnel.

The power of the ocean has worn interesting patterns into the rocks.

As is often the case on our hikes, some little birds visit us and tried to be helpful.

"Mind the big rocks!" they said.

...and mind the roots too!

That's Pu'u Keke in the background.

The light was just right to show off the character of the rocks

This may well be our favorite picture of the trip!

The rocks changed character again later in the hike.

Eventually, we had the opportunity to go down by the water

And sometimes a plant would surprise by growing in the middle of the rocks.

A possible heiau

There are various sites on Kauai that have cultural and/or religious significance.  A heiau is an ancient Hawaiian temple or religious site.  The Waiopili Heiau is usually listed with a question mark because the significance of the site is not yet known.  There is a useful website that describes the conservation mission for this trail, which includes this historical site.  Another blog gives more perspective.

Looking back over the hiking route.

Sometimes it is a little surprising to look back and see where you've been (both in life and on a hiking trail).  This look back was rewarding.

Inadvertant Exploration

It is one of our favorite places in the world and we've even been on this particular trail before.  But, things look a little different.  There has been a bit more erosion after heavy rains in 2018 and the traffic for this particular hike has gotten much heavier, also contributing to the erosion.

We came to a junction we didn't quite recall and took a different path than we have in the past.  We got to a clearing and saw this. 

View from Black Pipe Trail

Yep, we were aiming for that brown spot in the picture.  Guess we took the wrong fork in the path.  But, our inadvertent exploration provided us with a pretty nice reward.  We also took the fork back and put it where it belonged - not to worry.

Also from Black Pipe Trail

And, not to worry, we did get to the intended destination as well.  We didn't see the little bird that spoke to us a few years ago at the end of the world (see post linked at the top of this post).  But, we did see some beautiful things.

View from Canyon Trail

The mildly amusing thing about our detour is that we were actually afforded the privilege of sharing the hike with two other fine people this time around.  Tricia and Tom were pretty laid back regarding the additional steps that were taken.  No harm, no foul. And lots of wonderful things to see.

The Water Is Fine

There are dangerous waters and then there are hazardous waters.

I tend to think that a thing is hazardous when it has elements that bring about the potential for danger.  But, with the right training, skill set and planning, hazards can be avoided or overcome, despite the fact that one might say the situation is hazardous.  On the other hand, things become dangerous when you combine hazard with negligence, naivete or exhaustion.

We were entering dangerous waters at the farm.

I'd like to think that it had less to do with negligence or naivete, but rather exhaustion that came about as a result of a wide range of things.  Yes, it was a very difficult growing year with truly exceptional rainfall levels (we did set a rainfall record for the year, for the Fall and for several months).  But, it was also difficult for many other reasons that we will not go into here.  Tammy and I realized we were wearing down, but I do not think we were fully aware of exactly how much.

I am grateful that the two of us recognized that we needed to recharge and I am even more grateful that we have the unique opportunity (with the help of many others) to take the unprecedented (for us) step of taking four weeks off from the farm and our everyday lives.  We are fully aware that not everyone has this sort of opportunity, but rather than apologize for how lucky we are, we will simply say 'thank you' and assure everyone we are doing our best to leave the dangerous waters so we can navigate the hazardous waters.

We have been able to do a fair amount of hiking, photo taking, reading, talking and even some creative writing.  We can share some of the writing and photo taking here and we hope you enjoy some of it at least.

Here's to sailing successfully through the hazardous waters.

Gateway to Nowhere

It is possible that this gate held a position of prominence on our farm during the days when there were more pigs than chickens on the property and the Faux's were somewhere other than what is now the Genuine Faux Farm.  Today, this gate post holds up one side of the gate and a tree holds up the other.  The tree, being the obstinate sort, has decided it wants to be where it is and it will slowly swallow up the gate by growing around it.  It is possible that Tammy and I had a chance to remove the gate during the first couple of years during our residence at GFF, but there were so many other things on our 'to do' lists that this task barely made it onto our radars.

I usually don't take notice of the gate at all during the growing season.  Leaves and grasses hide it mostly from my vision and it really doesn't lead to anywhere that we want to go.  Instead, it waits until the late Fall and Winter months to remind me of its presence.  The leaves are gone and the grasses and other plants have died back and I start considering whether or not this area is due to be 'cleaned up' this year or not.  The answer, thus far, has been 'not now.'  It is possible that the answer for us might even be 'not ever.' 

Then we get a nice frosty day and I found myself meandering around looking for some good pictures.  During this time of year, there is more time to indulge in a little 'artistic creativity.'   And, if I am feeling like I'd like to discover some new angle in photography, I go back and revisit areas that have fallen into the 'not now' and perhaps 'not ever' categories.  Why?  Because, it is the places I don't frequent as often on the farm that I might find insights that wouldn't announce themselves to me otherwise.

In this case, the insight is merely a confirmation of something I think I've believed for some time now.  Not every part of a working farm needs to be 'cleaned up' and not every gate has to 'go somewhere.'  As humans, we have a tendency to believe that everything has to work for us and that it is a sin to not take advantage of every resource.  While I do not believe in being wasteful, I also am not so full of myself to believe that the needs of the humans on the farm are, by necessity, larger than other beings that make the farm their home.  Sometimes it is the 'messy' areas that become the most useful by providing that location where the frogs and toads can hibernate or the the ground nesting bees can manage their colony with minimal disturbance.

Does this gate do anything in particular to provide habitat?  Oddly enough, it does.  The gate will not open the way it is.  Which means the humans don't go behind it without significant effort.  The farmers put up fences to exclude varmints from getting at the chickens or the broccoli.  Well, here is a case where a fence is being used to keep the varmint farmers out.  In a weird way, I actually find that refreshing.

Plum Assignment

We complain and complain, but we have lived and seen the blossom -apple, pear, cherry, plum, almond blossom - in the sun; and the best among us cannot pretend they deserve - or could contrive - anything better.

J. B. Priestley

She decides to make a list of the things that make her happy. She writes 'plum-blossom' at the top of a piece of paper. Then she stares at the paper, unable to think of anything else. Eventually it begins to get dark.

Neil Gaiman

Just as cherry, plum, peach and damson blossoms all possess their own unique qualities, each person is unique. We cannot become someone else. The important thing is that we live true to ourselves and cause the great flower of our lives to blossom.

Daisaku Ikeda

Reflections

You shouldn't walk here became you can not walk here.  The transition happened over a period of five days when the skies were leaden and heavy and the water that poured from it found itself trapped on the surface of our farm with no where else to go.

Meanwhile, many of our plants were disappointed to learn that they CAN NOT walk either.  But, in their case, this was largely the status quo.  Walking had never been their strong suit and now that they might have really loved to have walked somewhere else (perhaps anywhere else) they found what might have been an inconvenience was now a severe detriment to their health. 

Many of the lettuce plants succumbed to the conditions while several others did not.  Perhaps the survivors looked at their reflections in the water and said, "I see myself in this water and I see possibilities.  I could fail, or I could find some way to succeed.  It might not be what I envisioned for myself at the beginning, but I can find a way to live and be productive even when conditions are difficult."

We grew some pretty smart lettuce on the farm this past season.  Too bad we cut them off at their base and gave them to people to be eaten.  Aren't you glad you aren't lettuce?

Silence in the Mist

There are evenings when there is no wind.  Then, there are evenings that are perfectly still.  If you think about it a little bit, I believe you will know what I mean.  None of the birds make a noise.  No sounds of traffic or other human noise.  It's November, so there isn't much to be heard from insects or the various hibernating creatures on the farm.  It is so very quiet and still that the farmer is almost afraid to move for fear that he might break the spell that is being woven.

This perfectly still evening is very nearly perfectly silent except for the dull roar the stillness brings with it.  If you listen closely, you can hear hints of the immense presence of nature in the silence.  The rays of sunlight don't dance because they are tired.  After all, it is late in the day.  But, they have the power of the sun behind them which encourages them to seep into the clouds and turn them from a deep gray-purple to a complex coral red and orange that is impossible to describe, even if your audience is seeing exactly what you are seeing.

As if on cue, the mists begin to arise from the fields at the same time the sunset insinuates itself into the coming night sky.  The illusion that there is no motion is belied by the expansion of the fire in the sky and water vapor over the earth. 

A dog barks in the distance and the rays of sunlight begin to retreat.  It is tempting to say that the spell is broken, but it might be better to say that it is complete.

The Eagle Has Landed

I was just reading about the number of extinctions that have occurred on this planet since 1900 and found myself becoming increasingly disgusted by humanity's lack of foresight and general selfishness.  While it is true that some extinctions are a result of natural changes and natural disasters, the most common primary cause appears to be the intentional or unintentional results of human actions.

Tammy and I are among the members of the current population in the United States that maintain a fascination for these raptors.  As we were growing up, there were perhaps 500 nesting pairs of Bald Eagles in the entire lower 48 states and we were told that it would be a very rare thing for us to see a Bald Eagle at any point in our lives.  If you do not recall, the population had been declining as a result of habitat destruction, DDT poisoning and people shooting the birds.

And now, we have Bald Eagles landing on the oak trees at our farm. 

A 2007 report showed 200 breeding pairs in Iowa alone.  Clearly, the population is recovering, though it is far from its former glories.  And despite the fact that Tammy and I are often graced with a siting of a Bald Eagle multiple times a week during the colder months, we still find their presence to be a reward of a sorts.  You see, it was impressed upon us that preserving this population was important.   Having a Bald Eagle on the farm is rewarding for us - even as we realize we need to monitor the chickens a bit more while they are around.  We welcome them with the realization that they symbolize the possibility that humanity CAN, if it wants to, do something to support the success of other species.

The problem is that we have to do more than just leave things alone to prosper.  There are all sorts of unintended consequences that can cause the decline of a natural population.  For example, Bald Eagles in our area are subject to lead poisoning when they consume the offal left by hunters.   It is not necessarily a bad thing that the remains are left for the scavenger birds (such as Bald Eagles), but the lead ammunition is causing a problem. 

Just think - I am sure hunters are not intentionally looking to harm the eagle population, yet they are.  If we can cause so much harm without meaning to, just think how rough we are on other species when we go after them with a will.  I'd tell you to ask the Passenger Pigeon, but there aren't any to ask.

The Way We Like It

The Winter season is that time during which the wounds of the previous season scab and heal over.  Part of the process of healing includes, oddly enough, wounding ourselves again by looking at pictures of things that did NOT go well during the prior year so we can make plans to avoid those same problems.  On the other hand, we follow that viewing with one that features pictures like this one.

The row of tomatoes at the left features German Pinks and the zinnias at the right are the County Fair blend.  The paper mulch appears to be holding up well and the tomato cages are all doing their job.  We'd just recently cultivated, hand weeded AND got the weed piles pulled out.  It's a hopeful picture and one that shows us doing a pretty good job of what we need to do on the farm.

There are several things about this picture that are not obvious to people other than the farmers.  The tomatoes are far behind where they should have been for this moment in time.  Wet June weather forced delays in planting them, much to our chagrin.  The wall of corn is dwarfed by the bush line we are nursing along at the far end of this plot and we have cleverly framed the picture to avoid showing some less wonderful looking areas in this same plot.  It's all part of the reality of recording our farm's progress every season.  Each photo has the ability to feel both success and failure, even if the photo is meant to show a success (or a failure) because we know a bit of the history that goes along with the picture.

But, perhaps that is exactly why we like photos such as this one.  We can see that things can be made to look pretty darned good on our farm.  This picture (and others like it) are evidence that success is obtainable.  It's our knowledge of what it takes to reach this goal and the obstacles that got in the way that gives this photo additional meaning.

Here's to a 2019 growing season with abundant opportunities for photos that show things just he way we like it.

Shadowlands

The month of January continues to highlight our best pictures from the 2018 season with words that share our thoughts as we view these photos.  While we make no claim to be a professional photographer, nor do we claim to be a professional writer, we still believe there is something worth sharing here.

The beauty of mornings and evenings often relies on the presence of shadows and the angle the light takes as it hits objects that are familiar to us, making them, perhaps, a bit less familiar.  If not less familiar, things that are so often ignored become interesting given the contrast the shadows and light provide.  For example, the two Sea Green Junipers in front and slightly to the left of the high tunnel grabbed my attention this particular morning.

We walk by, drive by and ignore these junipers nearly every single day of the year that we are outside (which is most of the days of the year).  They actually traveled with us from Minnesota when we moved to the farm and we stuck these two bushes (then only a foot tall each) into these very spots in the ground.  The intention was to make them a highlight entry into our perennial flower garden that featured iris.  Then, we started this farming gig and the junipers entered the shadowlands of our mind.

What was once thought to be the primary entry into a garden space became a location that was out of the way and often out of control.  Occasionally, one of us would revisit the area and these two bushes with an idea that we could restore the area to some level of prominence on our farm.  Tulip bulbs were once added in front of the bushes.  They bloomed.  In fact, they bloomed for a few years and were eaten by rabbits several other years.  The bushes grew over them and we haven't seen those tulips quite some time now.

The junipers keep growing.  They collect the snow and wait for days like this when the sun hits them just right and the farmer sees them again. 

Real Medicine 2018

We have done our Best Medicine posts for several years and beginning last year, we gave a nod to some of the posts that are more serious in nature.  This was Tammy's brainchild as she felt our end of the year retrospective posts seemed to ignore some valuable writing.  Thank you Tammy for thinking these were worthy of another look.

Our 2016 Efforts are linked here. And 2017 is here.

Enjoy the excerpts - and if they motivate you to read the rest of some of these posts, please follow the links.

---

From I Would Walk in the Woods, December 21 

As for Tammy and I, we would walk in the woods if we could.  We know others might like to as well.  But, even if we couldn't walk in the woods, we still want them to be there, because it doesn't all have to be about us.

From Queue and A Again, November 27

Am I optimistic about the future?  I choose to be optimistic about the future, and I hope you will as well.  Because if both of us make that choice, then that's two of us who will be working to make things better.  Twice my effort.  I'm all for that!

From Confidence Builder, October 17

This is where I think humans often err.  We have this tendency to believe that any business, organization or service that has been around for five or more years has been around "forever" and we forget that while they might have more stability than newer groups, they still have struggles.  One struggle that is specific to farms like ours is the realization that there isn't really a magical point in time where it all "gets easy."  If you are doing things right (in my opinion) many parts of farming "get easier," but a good farm is one that is perpetually looking to improve.  And improvement is hard.

From The Sandman Retires, May 19

Surely six years is far too short of time to have known such an excellent creature. 

After all, who wouldn't love THIS mug?

From A Thousand More Words, Dec 29

As farmers, we take it upon ourselves to plant, cultivate and care for these plants throughout the process that leads to this brief moment of perfection.  We take pleasure in the stages that lead to peak bloom and we look at this same stand of sunflowers with fondness after that peak because we can still see the shadows of magnificence in what remains. 

The Smell of Success

Once upon a time, during our life before the farm (why yes, there was life before the farm, wasn't there), we focused on growing perennial flowers in our gardens.  We took great delight in growing one of these and another of those.  There were a few things that we grew many of.  But, even then, we grew many types of that many.  And we took delight in the fragrance of one Stargazer lily.

Once we started vegetable and poultry farming, we found our time for perennial flowers to be very short.  One of this and one of that were no longer viable garden plans because we couldn't find the time to keep track of what was what, much less keep them weeded.  If we wanted to see something in our gardens on the farm, we needed to opt for larger plants or larger clusters of the same plant.

You see, if you have a dozen Stargazer lilies, the loss of one is no longer the tragedy that it once was.  Certainly, with the level of care being what it is now, we are certain to lose some of our perennial flowering friends every season.  Sometimes, they don't get mulched like they should have been.  Often, the weeds win the battle.  But, we usually provide them enough support to smell the success that is the fragrance of Stargazer lilies.

Weeding Bandits

The farming year that was 2018 will likely be known for the year of the Rain of Terror.  Earlier in the year, we thought it might be known for the late start to snow season and the corresponding slow start for getting seeds and plants into the ground.  But, we should not forget that we also had weeks and weeks of buffalo gnats.

At this point, I am tempted to succumb to some biting commentary, but I will refrain. 

Instead, I prefer to focus on the blessings our farm had that came in the form of Caleb, Emma and Sophie.  Others came and worked periodically on the farm (we are looking at you Kennedy, Tucker and Jocelyn) and we are grateful to them.  But, these were the members of our summer crew in 2018 that kept coming back to work in conditions that were less than ideal.

Both Tammy and I hate asking others to do things for us when conditions are rough.  Certainly, we accept that work on the farm can be difficult and those that work for us should expect a few challenges.  But, if conditions are such that even the two of us are struggling?  Even so, these three didn't leave us stranded.  They did not complain (at least not in our hearing) but they did commiserate.  They even posed for pictures on a very hot day when they were wearing long sleeves, bandanas, gloves and goggles so they could avoid being eaten by a very healthy and aggressive gnat population.

I've heard others complain that people do not know how to work hard anymore.  In particular, I've heard the age-old saw that 'young people don't want to work hard' from multiple people.  This is not true.  There are plenty of people who want to put in honest labor for reasonable reward.  These people care about results and the well-being of the whole.

There is hope yet, folks.  We just need to keep encouraging it.

Sleep On It

We are continuing our series of posts highlighting the best Genuine Faux Farm Phauxtos of 2018.  We hope you have been enjoying both the pictures and the thoughts that have accompanied them.  If you have comments, please feel free to share them with us.

We have been fortunate to be graced by the presence of many fine Farm Supervisors over the years.  We sometimes wonder if we are too soft to be farmers because we actually care for our outdoor feline friends, perhaps a bit too much.  While it might seem otherwise to people that see posts and farm pictures highlighting these critters, we don't spend every moment with the cats.  If we did, they wouldn't have a chance to do what cats seem to do best.

Find all kinds of ways to make a seemingly uncomfortable place become comfortable.

The package of shims were there because I was wondering if they would be happier if I straightened the cabinets out a bit for them.

Well, no.  I am guessing it is not that shimple.  I did my level best to avoid puns during this series of posts, but I just couldn't hold it in.

A Thousand Berries

It was a rarity for our farm to have so many raspberries, mulberries and Nanking cherries.  We do have some of these most years, but nothing like we saw in 2018.  As it turned out, we might consider this part of Mother Nature's efforts to reward us for our efforts to have a diverse landscape on our 15 acre farm.  While there were hints of her plans for the rest of 2018, we could not have known how much this harvest would mean to us.

Late snows and soil conditions were making it difficult to get anything to grow early.  The peas just didn't want to get going.  Early season things in the high tunnels bolted because of a short hot spell, but the hot spell wasn't enough to help things in the field speed up.  We've had rough starts on the farm before, but we had asparagus, rhubarb and ... berries.

Our customers, for the most part, were pleased with this development.  After all, we do not advertise that we have berries.  These are not a cultivated crop on our farm and we are not set up to work with them commercially.  We are happy to have them growing on our farm and we will harvest some for ourselves most years.  In better years, we often offer to let others harvest what they want.  But, most years, we simply do not have the time to harvest berries in June.

It's all about time.  Harvesting enough berries to fill a pint container takes a significant amount of time (in gnat-infested brushy areas).  What happens if you have seventy CSA customers?  Well, you need to come up with seventy pints of berries.  The berries in each pint need to be of good quality.  After all, you don't want to hand a good customer a container full of mush - even it if might still be tasty.

Yet, we found the time to harvest in 2018.  That alone should have let people know how things were going on our farm.  The farmers and their workers, spent their time picking and packing berries.  Why?  Because they couldn't weed.  They couldn't plant.  And the things they did grow commercially were not growing.  But, Mother Nature saw that we wanted to support her efforts on our farm.  So, Mother Nature made sure that the cherries, the berries and the apples rewarded us for the diversity we sought.

We are, of course, grateful.  But, I think we would be fine if we were allowed to harvest berries because we want to in 2019.  Not because we have to!

January Newsletter for a New Year

Happy New Year
Mother Nature decided to give us a "TADAAA!" moment on the 30th of December, giving us a sunset and cloud display that was absolutely stunning.  It's a good reminder that she is still a beauty, even if her temper can really cause you troubles when you are trying to grow produce and raise poultry.

We hope that you have been enjoying our end of year 'best of' photo journal.  We are sorry to interrupt them with our monthly newsletter.  But, you know how it is, our fans demand a monthly newsletter - and you just can't disappoint them.  Right Mom and Dad?  (We're hoping they agree - because if we don't, then we're not sure who are fans are!)

The good news?  There are actually more of the photo journal in the pipeline and they will continue to post for the next week.  We have a few more goodies in the pipeline for January as well, so we hope you enjoy them.  In this newsletter, you will see some important announcements, so we hope you take a moment to read them.

Weather Wythards
All we can say is that two inches of rain in December gives us the symmetry that comes with the 2 inch rainfall we had in January.

December's Report

High Temp: 50
Low Temp: 2
Rain: 2.13"
Wind: 33 mph from SE
Barometer Range: 29.29 to 30.56
Snow: 2-3 inches


2018 Final Report
High Temp: 97
Low Temp: -20
Lowest Windchill: -34
Highest Heat Index: 119
Highest Wind gust: 46 mph from NE
Rainfall: 54.49"
Barometer Range: 29.29 to 30.89

Veggie Variety of the Month - Northern White hardneck garlic

Garlic - We still have about 20 pounds of high quality garlic available to those who have interest.  We'd love to move as much of it as we can before we take our break.  We are NOT going to interrupt this break to sell more garlic.  It may still be in decent shape in February, but we can't be sure of that. 

The Basics for roasting whole garlic heads: Peel off most of the loose paper until just a couple layers hold cloves together.  Using a sharp knife, cut of the top ¼ inch of garlic cloves. Put garlic head into a greased muffin tin, then sprinkle and rub in 1-2 tsp olive oil per garlic head. Cover each head with foil (or put heads on baking sheet and tightly cover the whole sheet with foil). Bake at 400 for 25-30 min. Cloves should be lightly browned and soft when pressed.  Let cool until you can handle, then pull cloves out with a small fork or squeeze out.  Delicious in soups or spread on bread. https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/roasted_garlic/

Roasting garlic cloves: I found recipes for both peeled and unpeeled cloves.  Both involve spreading cloves on a baking sheet (one recipe suggests lining the sheet with parchment, foil or silicon sheet), tossing with olive oil to coat (about 2 tsp per 4 cloves?) and roasting at 375, stirring or shaking to move cloves around at least once.  According to online recipes (including https://savorysweetlife.com/how-to-roast-garlic/), peeled take longer to cook (45-60 min), while unpeeled cooks in about 30 min.
Freezing roasted garlic: let cloves cool, then put into a ziplock baggie or other airtight container.  I’ve kept them frozen for 2 years with much negative consequence.  They are so easy to pull out a few cloves at a time and mostly melt into soup, so no chopping needed!

Song of the Month

Farm News and Announcements 
Rather than create something completely new, we are relying on the egg and CSA email we sent out for our Wednesday egg delivery.  There is much to unpack here, but we hope this gives you an idea as to what we are up to and where the Genuine Faux Farm is going next.

Eggs WILL be available in January - Rob and Tammy will begin taking a break from farm-stuff starting January 4 until the end of the month.  During that time, Lauren will be looking after the hens (and their eggs).  We will be providing Lauren with the email distribution lists and access to the eggs@genuinefauxfarm.com email account.  It will be up to her to determine her schedule for egg deliveries.  We encourage you to continue supporting our farm by supporting Lauren as she watches our hens.  The hens will NOT stop laying eggs in January and we need for them to go to our favorite people (you)!  Egg income during January will go directly to Lauren to help pay for her efforts.  We anticipate that there will likely be two deliveries at each location during the month (Waverly and Cedar Falls), but the actual number is up to Lauren. 

Farmer Break (Jan 4-31) - Tammy and Rob are taking a much needed break so we can reset our attitudes and improve both our mental and physical health.  January is probably the best month of the year for farmers such as ourselves to back off for a while, but we are taking 'backing off' even more seriously than usual this time around.  We have come to realize that our farm is at a critical junction that requires innovation, energy and new perspectives if we want the farm to continue.

We care about this farm.  We care about growing good food in a sustainable fashion and we care about providing all of you with the best service a personal farmer can provide.  To do that well, we need to take care of us for a little bit.  Thank you so much for understanding!
 

Cedar Falls Possibility - we are exploring the option of splitting our Cedar Falls distribution/delivery between Hansen's and Jorgensen Plaza (Western Homes).  Nothing is set in stone, but we do have support from Western Homes to explore this option.  This would include an option for shelter during inclement weather and indoors location during the cold month deliveries.  Nothing is decided at this time.  Instead, we would appreciate your thoughts if you have them.  We are not suggesting that we abandon the Hansen's Outlet in any way with this idea - so do not worry about that.  We hold Hansen's Dairy in the highest regard and are proud to work with them as well.


Waverly and St Andrew's - St Andrew's Church has been very supportive of our farm over the years and we are grateful for the chance to use their facilities for CSA and egg deliveries throughout the year.  They have also been undergoing a series of transitions and can use our support as we are able to give it.  A small thing our farm can do is to donate $5 for each full Waverly CSA share signup in 2019 to help defray their costs.  But, if you have other ideas that might help this church community, please contact Jeff Cornforth or Jean Schenkewitz.


Caraway Cafe, Gilmore's Pub and Table 1912 at Jorgensen Plaza in Cedar Falls (Western Homes) - we came away from a meeting today (Dec 31) with chefs and members of the staff at Jorgensen Plaza feeling optimistic that more of our produce and poultry will find a home here in 2019.  This is one way we feel our farm can evolve in a changing world.  We are seeking to diversify our sales by catering to some of our strongest crops.  In the last year, we have sold broiler chickens, turkeys, lettuce, onions, kale and a few other items to the Jorgensen Plaza kitchen.  They would like to do as much as they can with local foods, but it is still up to the customer base to make it possible.

Crazy Maurice, the willow, wishes you all a Happy New Year!

What can you do?  Check out Table 1912, Gilmour's Pub and/or Caraway Cafe and let them know that you are excited about the possibility of local foods on their menu.  Even if the server looks a little confused at first, have them tell Chefs Brice, Corey and Jim that you are looking forward to seeing what they can do with fresh, local produce and local meats.  And, if you have an event coming up - consider their Diamond Event Center and ask them to cater the event using some of our local produce!


2019 CSA Opportunities - With all of the news above, it might be tempting to think that we have no enthusiasm for our CSA program.  We can say that we WILL have plenty of enthusiasm for this AFTER the farmer break.  We continue to formulate the appropriate modifications that will keep the CSA program relevant without forsaking the qualities many of you have told us you appreciate.  February will be the grand unveiling of the revamped program and we will move forward at that time with promotions and sign-ups.  Those who have indicated interest have a place reserved in the program at this time.

Is A Thousand Words Enough?

A good friend put the not fully formed thought into words - allowing me to contemplate something I knew, but hadn't really articulated before.  A farmer will rarely experience beauty as thoroughly as they do when a crop is at its peak in health and vigor.  And that same farmer will experience a form of grief as they harvest that crop, converting that beauty to something else.  Sometimes, the process continues over a number of days and other times, the change occurs in moments.

The Bronze Arrowhead lettuce is one of those crops that often experiences a longer period of change.  Typically, we grow our lettuce in two rows per bed.  When the plants approach early harvest size, the rows are vibrant with green, tinged with a hint of magenta.  Each plant forms a part of the whole, a mound of leaves that covers the ground and crowds out any other plants that may want to compete for space and resources.  It is at this point that the farmer should get out his camera (mental or real) to take a snapshot of success.

We often will harvest every other plant in these rows, giving more space to the remaining plants so that they can continue to develop and add bulk.  But, now there are stumps that were once healthy plants marring that row.  A few leaves lie between rows where the farmer removed them from the head, deciding they were going to reduce the rest of the head's desirability by their presence.  If all goes well, the row will look nearly as good when the remaining plants expand to cover the voids left by the absence of their former companions.  But, the time will come when these heads will also be removed, hopefully to be parts of delicious (and attractive) meals.

The farmer might be caught humming pleasantly to himself as he harvests a crop that has done well.  But, you might catch that same farmer looking back over the row with a look that hints at melancholy. 

More Than A Thousand Words

It was morning and the door to the hen building had just been opened so the chickens could explore their pasture, visit with Crazy Maurice the weeping willow, eat their grains and exercise their wings, legs and lungs.  The clouds overhead held the memory of continuous rainfall and the much of the ground in the pasture was only visible through the ripples of standing water.

The hens rushed to the doorway.  And stopped.

The desire of their hearts, if I can be so bold as to pretend to know what a hen actually desires, was to eat that grain, chase a few moths and rest in the shade of the willow.  The building is, I suppose, nice enough for night-time sleep.  There are perches for those who want them and straw for those who do not.  But, it is the daylight hours and it is time to be out of this building.  There are dustbaths to take and clover to sample.  The turkeys in the nearby pasture often provide entertainment and the rooster sounds ever so much less obnoxious when he is OUTSIDE!

But the clover was under water and there was no dust to be seen anywhere in the pasture.  And thus, the debate.  Do I jump down and explore?  Do I dare hope that I will find tasty food and interesting things to do?  Or do I just stay up here?

In the end, the answer was simple.

There are many more hens behind these hens and they still have unaltered dreams of what may be outside.  Their dreams will force these chickens to visit reality.  A new group will stand on the precipice that is the doorway until they too will be forced to alter their dreams to face the reality of another wet day on the farm.

Not too worry.  They'll come back to the building again tonight.  They will find their perches and their straw.  And they will sleep so they can again dream of grain, dust baths, clover and the shade of the great willow in their pasture.

A Thousand More Words

In an effort to highlight what we feel were our best photos for the 2018 calendar year, we have taken to presenting each candidate in its own post.  We hope you enjoy the photos and the thoughts that accompany them.

Every year, we identify areas on the farm where we will plant hedges of annual flowers in hopes that we will be graced by the presence of blooms that lift our spirits and provide habitat for critters we hope will find our farm to be a good home.  Every year, there are hedges of zinnias and marigolds and most years there is at least one hedge of sunflowers.

Zinnias and marigolds tend to have a longer period of time when they are able to dazzle you with their presence, but this is not the case for the sunflowers.  They tend to have a peak bloom period that lasts about ten days until the elements begin taking their toll.  There are certainly blooms after that peak and we certainly do not feel that they have no value on the farm at that point.  But, it is clear that there is a big difference between that special moment when the sunflowers grab your full attention and every other point in their life cycle.

As farmers, we take it upon ourselves to plant, cultivate and care for these plants throughout the process that leads to this brief moment of perfection.  We take pleasure in the stages that lead to peak bloom and we look at this same stand of sunflowers with fondness after that peak because we can still see the shadows of magnificence in what remains.