GROUND CHERRIES.
I'm not sure what NPR program we were listening to this spring––perhaps Splendid Table, a personal favorite––but they were focusing on heirloom seeds. They brought up a plant we'd never heard of as a fun, easy one to grow: ground cherries (also known as husk cherries). In the seed catalogs we found they were basically tomatillos only smaller and sweeter so we ordered a packet––with visions of wine or curious salsa's––and were really pleased with the results (though we sadly never made it to the wine idea... this year).You would need quite a few to really make a large batch of anything, but we've enjoyed throwing them in sautés and salads. The other day we even roasted a handful––á la salsa verde––with some jalapeño and garlic which indeed proved quite tasty. It's hard not to agree with the radio program's reason for promoting ground cherries, as well, that they would make an entertaining garden project for a family. Popping a fresh, sweet fruit out of a small paper-like sack could be a fun activity for children. Heck, it's fun for adults––we can attest!- Jesse.
SOME VERY SWEET PRESS.
Yesterday morning Hannah and I were surprised with a very generous and moving piece of press. One of our favorite journalists and good friends, Jamie from Sustainable Kentucky, wrote an article about our crowd-sourcing endeavor which was so succinct and well-written, we regret not contacting her before we launched!What she accomplishes in this article, however, is not to just lend us a hand, but to contribute some wonderful perspective on the struggles faced by small farms and farmers. Read the article, yes, but please peruse her site if you're not familiar with it––she does such wonderful work. What she does to selflessly and excitedly support small farmers and local, sustainable business is truly inspiring. Hannah and I are proud to be her friends, but helpless to our fandom, respect and love for Jamie.- Jesse.
COMMUNITY OUT OF HIDING.
Well, it just wouldn't be our blog if we weren't talking about exactly what was going on in our lives, and right now we're almost entirely––emotionally and physically––preoccupied with this fundraising endeavor we've embarked upon.It's quite the experience: thrilling and terrifying, stressful, exciting, beyond educational, but definitely, decidedly, intense. We've been humbled by the response, the sharing of the campaign and the contributions. But we've also been overwhelmed by the reality of asking people for money. We lost our money––yes. We lost our investment in the farm and it was devastating. We have practically nothing to rebuild with and although we have land, we need a house. But does that necessarily give us reason to ask other people for their money? I still don't know that answer to that. The closest thing to an answer I've come up with is this: we needed help, put it out there and people have responded generously.Hannah and I have a strong affinity for community––it's a big part of why we decided to move to Bugtussle: to be close to fellow farmers; to start building community of our own. In a community––be it suburban or rural––when a member has a need, the community works to fulfill it. If someone needs help, the community comes together to raise the barn; to build the house; to take care of kids; to feed the animals; to raise some money. We want that security, but we also want to give that security to others. Community is the oldest form of insurance: you invest in the community, and the community makes itself available to catch you when you fall.And then we fell... hard. twice. But when this campaign went live we weren't thinking about community, asking the internet for assistance was a shot in the dark for us. I don't want to call it desperate, but desperation was close to what we felt. We knew we couldn't get our farm back up and running without a house, and we couldn't build a house without help. What we didn't realize, however, was we already belonged to a community, a selfless group of people who have donated enthusiastically, or shared our campaign, or sent us an encouraging note. It's a group we care about, and a group who we've discovered cares about us. However spread out, vague or even anonymous, it's a community, and thus an incredibly powerful entity.I suppose I'd never thought twice about the term "online community" before this campaign, but once it's done I'll definitely never underestimate it again. We have a long way to go yet in the fundraising, but this experience has already done a lot: it's redefined community to us, and brought that community together. And if ever another member should fall, we'll make ourselves available to help however we can, because that's what you do in a community, and that's what community is doing for us.- Jesse