roughdraftfarmstead 12/6/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/6/11

VEGGIE LESSONS.

In the first post of this blog, Jesse and I mentioned that part of the reason we were starting the farm (and ultimately the blog) was to engage our community in as many ways as possible. Last night we got an opportunity to do precisely that. Kelly, a good friend of mine, called me on Sunday night. She was at the grocery store and wanted me to tell her exactly what she should buy. A few weeks ago, she had mentioned that she would be interested in joining our CSA eventually - but was afraid of having an abundance of "raw" vegetables sitting around, not knowing what in the world to do with them. This is not an uncommon fear. Many people want to cook, want to use fresh vegetables, want to buy from a farmers market or CSA - but they just don't know how. I could have included myself in this category a few years ago. Kelly asked if we would be willing to come over and cook with her, to give her some tips and show her how to REALISTICALLY prepare quick, simple meals that were healthy and kid-friendly. We were happy to do just that! Together, we cooked a simple meal of kale, squash, red peppers, onions and garlic, with some sweet potatoes. Super easy, super good. And for dessert, baked apples!- Hannah.

Jesse and I know that Kelly's apprehension about joining a CSA is typical. When we do start growing our own vegetables and open the farm up to shareholders, we want to be aware of this mindset. Recipes, cooking classes, information about specific vegetables, and a real relationship with our members is what we hope will solve this. We want everyone, ourselves included, to be constantly learning and growing together, figuring out how to fit agriculture into non-agrarian lifestyles. It is about simply living life to its healthiest and most abundant potential, and nothing demonstrates this better than family gathered in the kitchen, chopping vegetables and enjoying a meal together.

roughdraftfarmstead 12/4/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/4/11

OUR NEW HERO.

Jesse and I had to miss the Tennessee Local Food Summit this weekend because my car decided it had lived a good, long life and is no longer with us. Great timing! We were super sad to miss the Summit, too, because our lovely Bugtussle papa Eric was giving a talk, along with a multitude of our farmer friends. One of these friends was Birke Baehr. Jesse met Birke last year during the Biodynamic Conference and he completely blew Jesse away...because he was TEN YEARS OLD. This short TED talk of Birke's is similar to the speech he gave in Nashville, and a wonderful reminder of why Jesse and I are embarking on this lifestyle. This is what it's all about, people!

I spy a future intern candidate.- Hannah.

roughdraftfarmstead 12/3/11 roughdraftfarmstead 12/3/11

ANY FRIEND OF BAMBOO'S.

Last week my mother sent me an email about a craigslist ad for arundo donax, also known as giant reed grass. The ad advertised that it was similar to bamboo, a material Hannah and I have a lot of interest in. It was simply inviting people to come cut the stuff down for free. After examining our bank accounts, free was indeed in our price range. Bamboo is an amazing building material used for everything from trellises in the garden to roofing, flooring and even walling––if that's a carpentry word––in the house. After a little research, we found that arundo donax is basically the same thing. Cultivated in Asia, Africa, India and parts of Southern Europe, this fast growing and hollow grass is often labeled invasive and is even outlawed in parts of Florida. It's used in many of the same ways as bamboo––from musical instruments to fishing poles––and they're even finding uses for it in bioengineering! Hannah and I have no idea what we're going to do with the 30 or so we cut down, but it was inspiring getting the stuff. It can grow to a height of 20 ft or more, eclipsing 30 ft in ideal conditions. It spreads impressively fast, so if you were going to plant some you would want to keep in completely contained, but the end result are these looming forests of unending potential. That's why finding a place to grow this stuff is now on the long list of Rough Draft "To Do's," because finding uses for it wont be much of a challenge at all. We will have lots of gardens and needs for trellis systems, but also we want to eventually build our own house––why not grow some of the materials ourselves? Heck, we could even use it for some walling!- Jesse.

roughdraftfarmstead 11/30/11 roughdraftfarmstead 11/30/11

A DAY IN PHOTOS - DECORATE, AGAIN!

We were Christmas decorating once again today! Jesse and I spent the morning doing scary adult things like opening up a checking account together, so we had to follow that with ice cream and a Christmas tree. This time, the decorating involved more John Denver and the Muppets, more old home movies, and much more Barb.- Hannah.