Big Cuddly Paws of Change

According to the Chinese Calendar, tomorrow begins the year of the Tiger. This tiger's an aggressive one and is already batting me around with his big furry paws and the year hasn't even begun. I'm determined, however, to coax it into a rumbling purr-cat before long. After all, it's my year and I'm a tiger too. Read on to find out how this Tiger is changing my life and the life of the farm this year...

So, just when I thought I'd be settling into my third year here at Fawnwood, raising food for another round of CSA members, summer camps and weddings, David and I were given a beautiful opportunity to buy our own land. In the very short time it's been since we were given this gift, I've been swimming in dreams and possibilities, sometimes getting caught in emotional eddies along the way. This gift is changing everything.

It means that some time this year, we'll be moving away from this beautiful place we've loved for years and will start our lives somewhere new. Where? Not sure yet. Probably Sandy or Scappoose. I've grown into this idea in the last few weeks, but it hasn't been easy. Fawnwood is like family, so there's a sadness that goes along with the excitement of change and moving on.

What all this means for Fawnwood is that this massive transition will take energy away from the farm. We've decided to redesign this growing season around our two community weddings and TrackersNW summer camps. We're scaling down and calling the remaining growing space the "Celebration Gardens". Shaun and Kirsten will be transitioning into lead caretakers throughout the next year and may resume the CSA in 2011. We realize this turns out to be short notice for folks interested in subscribing to our CSA this year and we hope it is still early enough for you find a happy home with another local farm. Our apologies for the sudden change everyone.

To all of our incredibly supportive flagship members from 2009, we wish you all the best and we still welcome you to Fawnwood anytime you'd like a place to "get away". Just give us a ring or drop us a line! Thank you for a beautiful year!

Wilder's Guild Summer Camp at Fawnwood!

This coming August, we're partnering with TNW to run two summer camps for 8-13 year olds. We're really excited about it and think they'll be incredibly rich experiences. So, spread the word! Check out the link to their website above for more information.

Happy New Year, Oregon!

It's 2010 and I've only recently returned from a remarkably good time with family in Michigan. With that said, I'm really happy to be back in a warmer, wetter world where wild and locally cultivated foods are loved and appreciated.

We're in pre-season gear around here, with part of our days indoors designing, updating and finessing the growing season master plan. Our seed orders are in, we're filling our supply list, and dreaming up recipes to go with our veggies. Outside, we're working on landscape projects, revamping the greenhouse, mulching, gathering trellis materials and stakes from the woods, and myriad other projects.

Wild Spring greens are peeking up through the forest floor and it won't be long until we are able to start gathering them again. It's hard to believe an entire year has gone by since I started this blog last Spring. I've put together a Flikr slide show in the left hand column for folks interested in viewing a few highlights.

Thanks to everyone who supported us through 2009, and welcome to a new year!

Autumn Surprises

This Autumn has been full of beauty. Along with our new neighbors, Kirsten and Shaun, we have been putting much of our 2009 farm beds to sleep, deeply mulching and planting cover crop seeds. Our Fall and Winter "To Do" list just keeps getting shorter, that is, it is now two pages instead of three. We are just recently finding time to feed the little creative fires inside us as we look forward to letting them blaze this winter.

I gathered a flaming yellow and green branch from our stand of hickories the other day and placed it in a river rock vase in front of the shower house. The hickories were planted by an early homesteader, clearly someone fond of the east coast natives. We just discovered a month ago, however, that there are two large American Persimmons peeking out from the west side of the hickories. Another East coast native, I assume they were planted by the same folks. They ripened in small supply over this last month but just last week, I was able to make daily trips to pick a handful each time. It was like bringing David sweet, mushy treasures. It turns out that several persimmon seedlings have made their way into the world in the past few years. We'll probably transplant them this winter, finding a spot where they can be near their East coast friends but in fuller sun where they'll develop more lushly.
We also discovered that our patch of edible lepiota mushrooms had expanded by 500 percent this year! They span the entire length of our stand of firs. It was like coming downstairs at Christmas and seeing 5 Christmas's worth of gifts under the tree! We wondered if letting our chickens free range under the trees in the late spring this year had anything to do with it? Spreading the mycelium around or adding nutrients? A mystery...

Cayenne Peppers

We strung bundles of cayenne peppers to keep the kitchen colorful and our CSA members warmed this winter. Our members should hang them to finish drying and then use them as you see fit. You can crush them and use them as hot chili flakes, include them in a pickling recipe for added bite(I like to do this) or hit the internet for other ideas. There are many health claims out there about the curing powers of cayenne but you'll have to do further research on this.

Here's an interesting recipe with good reviews for Fettucine with red peppers and cayenne sauce.

Wild Geese

Hundreds of flocks of geese have flown over our place this week. Since we here everything though the walls of this little yurt, I feel even more connected to their seasonal presence than I have in the past. So, of course, it reminded me of a poem I love so much. Happy Autumn to you!

Wild Geese
by Mary Oliver


You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting —
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

from Dream Work by Mary Oliver
published by Atlantic Monthly Press
© Mary Oliver

Shelling Bean Ideas

Shelling Bean Salad...easy one...

New York Times Shelling Bean Recipe