INDIGO.

A few weeks back, Cher attended an indigo dyeing workshop at the wonderful Hill & Hollow. This week, she used her newfound knowledge, harvesting her own indigo and dyeing some of her own beautiful handspun wool. I helped out, to learn about this magical process and to dye a few skeins myself.It truly is remarkable - a completely green plant that somehow becomes blue. Even when you take the wool out of the dye vat, it is a light blue and then slowly turns a darker blue before your eyes as it hits the oxygen. So amazing!It was a magical day - spent in Cher's gorgeous outdoor kitchen while Further played on a quilt with the Bugtussle kids, the yarn and roving hanging from the kiwi trellis. It was very addicting - since the indigo last week, I have already dyed with tickseed sunflowers, and next up is pokeberry and walnut and maybe goldenrod. If I run out of yarn, I might just start dying all of our clothes or Further's cloth diapers!- Hannah. 

FARMING WITH A BABY.

Several farmers this year have asked us how the baby has affected our farming––as if to ask, "is it possible?"––and generally we say it's like having another piece of livestock to take care of. And to some extent, that's definitely true. At times, it has felt strangely similar. But I don't want those farmers to get the wrong impression. Further has decidedly changed a few things about our lives as farmers.Most obviously, the baby has limited the amount of work that Hannah has been able to do in the fields. We have been creative in opening up ways for her to help––harvesting, washing or cultivating while Further is either asleep, in my arms or in the carrier––but most of her physical labor has been limited. Many days have been too hot for Hannah to be out in the field with Further in a sling or backpack carrier. Other times, the work is just too low to the ground, too heavy, too awkward to do with a baby in tow. So the first thing I would say to anyone wanting to have a baby on the farm? Count mama out a little for the first year (we'll get back to you on how year two goes).Also, count out break times. In order for one of us to do something we may want to do, the other watches Further, typically bouncing him up and down. If he is awake, one of us has to be watching him––even if one of us is hurt, sick or tired. The slings and carriers help, absolutely, but he doesn't always love them. He's a bit of a mover and shaker––a literal one. So this baby thing ends up not just being full time, but all the time. In other words, there is not much in the way of breaks. There is one person doing something, and the other tending the baby.That being said, it feels to us like farming prepared us well for these challenges. We are fit enough to handle long days of work, then long evenings of baby play. We are efficient enough to make sure everything––the farm, the animals, the baby––still gets the attention it needs. We are patient enough to treat all our time with Further––however restrictive to what we need or want to do––as beneficial to his growth. Because if we've learned anything about raising animals over the years it's that patience is vitally important, as impatience compromises the quality of what you're doing––in this case, raising a happy, healthy baby––and you're own sanity.Breastfeeding helps––genuinely helps. Breastfeeding allows Hannah to quickly and efficiently satisfy or sooth Further when he's upset or hungry. Say what you will, but cosleeping has also been an irreplaceable blessing, as there is no getting out of bed to tend the baby in the middle of the night. Hannah just rolls over, lets him nurse (though sometimes I slip and call it "feed" which is a funny, and somewhat accurate description), then goes back to sleep. She can also adroitly (and covertly) nurse him in restaurants, in coffee shops, at market with no problems. Most of the time, it goes completely unnoticed by people around us. And most of the time, nursing solves everything.However, not to get all cliche on you, but what they say is true––parenthood is the greatest joy. It fulfills some deep-seeded biological imperative that is not only satisfying but, indeed, joyful. If you are in a good place to handle having a child––and who better than farmers?––you will be rewarded for this work tenfold. It definitely adds more challenges, but like with any farm animal, it's worth it.- Jesse.

ANNOUNCING THE FALL SHARE 2015.

The weathers is cooling off (okay, slightly cooling off), the gardens are loaded with food, so you know what that means—it's time to announce the fall CSA share!Here's the rundown:WHEN:The share will run 8 weeks, from the beginning of October until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.WHAT:There will be kale, mustard greens, radishes, cabbage and a wild variety of other tasty fall crops. Sweet potatoes will defintely make their appearance, as will many sweet winter squashes. There should be mushrooms (fingers crossed), hopefully nuts, maybe even more honey! There should also be tomatoes and peppers until our first frosts! There is no bounty like the fall bounty!WHERE:Community Farmer's Market in Bowling Green, from 2-6 p.m. on Tuesdays.PRICE:Single Share: $168 (which breaks down to $21/week)Double Share: $320 ($40/week)PAYMENT:Our market does take EBT, so we are proud to say we can accept SNAP for our fall share. We can also take cash, card or check. Otherwise, please contact us if you have any questions at all! ( roughdraftfarmstead@gmail.com ) And space is somewhat limited, so if you are interested, let us know as soon as you can.- Hannah and Jesse.

SO WE DID IT.

Officially, we bought a BCS walk-behind tractor. Well, not us, exactly. Our buddies at Farm Credit bought it, we just get to use it until it's paid for. But yes, we now own our first piece of real machinery and if feels.... good actually. Really good.And I acknowledge how incredibly uninteresting farm machinery is to most people––I am one of those people––but I will at least say, even though it's a machine, and it runs on gas, we do feel this move put us one step closer to our goal of sustainability. Allow me to elaborate.We are going to be woking with semi-permanent raised beds. These beds will never get compacted, nor fully turned over, and will therefore promote good nutrient retention and healthier food.Farming this way will allow us to grow a lot more on a much smaller piece of land––so less land under tillage. And we definitely used more gas driving to and from the gardens this year than we will in an entire year of farming our new garden space with this machine. This idea cannot be emphasized enough. Driving was not only gas guzzling, but time guzzling as well. The BCS will save on both.Most importantly, the BCS will take much of the stress of hand-farming off of our shoulders. I don't have the best back and shoulders in the world. I want to be able to throw the ball with my son in my forties, sweep my wife off her feet in our sixties, shake my fist at youth in my seventies, cultivate our tomatoes till I die. And I need all the help I can get.So anyway, yes, we're those kind of farmers now. We're jumping on the bandwagon. But we're also not changing to do so. We are still building our food forest––more than ever really––and still living simply (or complexly, depending on how you look at it).And sure, we're eight thousand dollars in debt, but we're feeling completely okay with that. Ready for it. Excited. After a three weeks of work with the BCS, we can really get a sense of the possibility of owning a machine like this. A lot of food will come from this. A lot of food and even more health.- Jesse*NOTE - that picture is actually of our dear friends tractor we borrowed a while back. We have been too busy using our own BCS to take a picture of it, but trust me - it is already very dirty.