Growing the Growers Filming Trip

Leaving the USA

2010-09-05T21:55:00.006+10:00

Mike and I said goodbye to Fred and Jan in White Post Virginia. They went on to New York and we put our feet up at 'Greenwood' for a couple of days. The arrangement was that we would meet at Heathrow airport for the next leg of our filming trip.
We said 'au revoir' to Winkie and Matthew after they drove us to Dulles Airport, Washington where we boarded a plane for JFK airport, New York. Dulles Airport is quite an amazing piece of design. The grand sweep of the un-interupted roof is amazing it is also an efficient place to fly from.

Our international connection was from Newark so when we got to JFK we looked at the options. Public transport or taxi for two. Taxi won.

View from the taxi window.

As a devoted fan of The Sopranos I just have to put in this very ordinary image of the sign post when we left the New Jersey Turnpike. It is in the great spirit of 'we were here' one of the few tourist moments on this journey!

We had hoped to pick up a sensational Italian meal on the way but it didn't happen. We tumbled onto a plane, closed our eyes and woke up in England.

. . . oh and how could I forget!

2010-09-05T19:59:00.012+10:00

Thinking about eating and also about 'must plants' this spring and I reaslised that I just have to mention Meredith's honeysuckle sorbet.
'Die for' is all I can say and if you are in the enviable situation of being able to go out at night and pick a bucket of these fragrant blossoms, do it, and turn them into sorbet. Did a bit of websurfing looking for recipes and came across this on the slowtrav blog:

"There are a few things I’ve eaten in my life that were so good they almost made me swoon and this sorbet is one of them. It’s a cult classic dessert here in North Carolina and every spring, people flock to my favorite local restaurant, Crook’s Corner in Chapel Hill, to eat this stuff. Bill Smith (the chef at Crooks’ and a 2009 James Beard finalist for best regional chef) created this recipe after doing research into medieval Arabic and Sicilian recipes for flower ices.

Pretty much every Southern kid learns how to pluck a honeysuckle blossom, pull the stamen out, and then eat the tiny drop of honey inside the flower. Well, this sorbet tastes like a combination of that honey droplet and the aroma of honeysuckle when it’s in bloom."

Here is Bill Smith's recipe but don't think there won't be a Locke Store incarnation coming soon!
_________________________
From Seasoned in the South: Recipes from Crook's Corner and from Home

By Bill Smith

Makes about 2 quarts

4 cups (tightly packed but not smashed) honeysuckle flowers, leaves and stems discarded

5 1/3 cups cool water

1 1/3 cups water

2 cups sugar

Few drops of freshly squeezed lemon juice

Speck of cinnamon

Place the flowers in a nonreactive container (glass or stainless steel) and cover with the cool water. Weight down with a plate. Let them stand on the counter overnight. In a small saucepan make a syrup out of the sugar and water by boiling it until all the sugar is dissolved and it begins to look lustrous and slightly thick, 3-5 minutes. Add a few drops of lemon juice to prevent the sugar from recrystalizing. Cool the syrup completely. Strain the honeysuckle infusion, gently pressing the blossoms so as not to waste any of your previous efforts. Combine the two liquids and add the merest dusting of cinnamon. You don't want to taste it but you can tell if it's not there. I use the tip of a sharp boning knife to measure it. Churn in an ice-cream maker. This does not keep for more than a week.
____________________

Sitting here back in front of my computer at Allsun Farm I breathe in deeply, think honeysuckle and am immediately transported to Virginia. I will never forget driving around in the evening, car windows open, drenched in the perfume emanating from every roadside ditch.

Wizzie's

2010-09-05T19:34:00.000+10:00

One last story before we leave the USA for England.

The very smallest of the Mackay-Smith clan had trouble with the name Winkie and it didn't take long to morph into the easy to pronounce and endearing 'Wizzie'. When the four of us arrived at 'Greenwood' it was hot and we were a bit tired. We were warmly greeted by the great 'Wizzie' and within minutes we were downing her famous sweet tea.

Daughter Juliet is right on the ball. When we were at Locke Store there were containers of 'Wizzie's Tea' in the refrigerator. Now we have news that she is into commercial production - three cheers for Wizzie!

Burwell Morgan Mill

2010-09-05T17:56:00.005+10:00

Over the road from Locke Store is another treat. A lovingly restored flour mill in full working order. Not surprisingly the baked goodies served up by Juliet are made from flour ground just a stones throw away.

The good news was that the mill was grinding so over the road we went cameras at the ready.

The following pictures are of the mill pond and the water race that powers the wheels.

Old millstones rest against the wall outside the mill.

Mike rests on the race waiting for me to stop taking photos.

Stepping inside from the rather stern stone exterior you find yourself in a wonderland of wood and wheels and lard greased cogs.

Here are a few close ups.

Everything is huge and heavy we find it hard to comprehend how millwrights do their job. It is also heartening to know that they even exist and are able to keep something like this in working order.

On this visit they were milling blue corn meal (used to make blue corn chips).

This is the hopper feeding the corn kernels into the stones

Volunteers run the mill on a day to day basis and they are more than happy to explain how everything works.

The volume of grain that goes through this mill is now quite small and so there is a lot of spare storage space that is used as a museum.

A special paddle is used to scoop out the freshly milled flour to check whether the grind is fine enough.

. . . . and visitors have quite a selection of flours to choose from if they want to buy some to cook with when they get home.

Vine Ripe Farm

2010-09-04T18:27:00.002+10:00

Vine Ripe Farm is a story duplicated all over the world. Older people with a farming dream buy up some land and start growing food. Not all of them succeed but many do. Determination, skill, clever marketing, innovation. an eye for quality and an openness to learning are all part of what is needed.

Jim Justice and his partner have all these qualities and they are lucky to have Locke Store a short drive away.

You can learn more about this farm on the Vine Ripe website but while checking the dot com I did discover that he is now thinking about driving over to the store one or two afternoons a week and selling more of his produce off the back of his chevy truck.

Juliet has certainly 'Grown the Growers' in her neck of the woods.

Here are some shots of the farm. Of course we could have stayed there all day - lots of things to talk about.

The shed, he house in the background, farm stall,
Australian looking dog and our old friend the garden cart.

A marquee had been set up ready to sell plants.

There was a good selection of early summer seedlings.

Baby mousers are always engaging.

Compost of course - and lots of it.

The poly tunnel was being used for propegation.

We liked these cheap tables, plastic pallets on top of concrete blocks.

Terraced beds on what is a quite steep growing area.

Round bales are rolled out as mulch.

Somehow discussion got round to scythes
and I promised Jim that I would forward him some information
on the European grass mowing blades and snaths.

Locke Store, Millwood VA

2010-09-04T18:00:00.001+10:00

Juliet, Winkie & Matthew's middle daughter has always been interested in food. She and Meredith did a bit of market gardening early on and in 2002 Juliet decided to buy this storefront in Millwood and turn it into a shop that sold a range of organic and locally produced goods.

We involved Mackay-Smiths and other friends in the first visit that we made to Polyface. and when were were planning another visit we were thrilled to find out that Juliet and Joel are now friends. Juliet has run workshops with Joel, has sold his produce at Locke Store and now has made another leap. She has followed Joel's example and has leased 10 acres of her land to a chicken grower Dave Farinholt, who once worked with Salatin. He now uses the same methods as Salatin to raises Cornish Cross meat which Juliet can sell just a few minutes drive down the road at her wonderful shop.

We were privileged to be invited to a huge family barbeque at Juliet and Charles home. I left the camera behind that night so there are no photos of the extraordinary feast. Dave's chicken and locally sourced vegetables and salad. The meal finished with desserts to die for. Juliet is an extraordinarily cook. Beer and wine flowed and we were able to share a few bottles that Fred had organised from Australia. He of course did take his camera so the evening did not go unrecorded.

Here are some pictures taken the next day at the store.

These jolly hanging baskets brighten up the front verhanda.

We enjoy a coffee and muffins.

Inside there is fresh, frozen and bottled food,

You can buy lunch or a snack from the blackboard menu.
The staff will also cater for functions.

Not always easy to find in this part of the world!

People eat in and take food away.

Some of the day's blackboard selection.

There is an extensive range of wines.

. . . and an extraordinary array of beers. (There were heaps more in the fridge.)

Behind the scenes is a well equipped kitchen.

Juliet and her offsider hard at it.

Sweet, crunchy and locally grown.

A small stash of prawns acquired before the oil spill stopped further harvest.

Bowls of salad waiting to be dressed.

While were filming in the kitchen we were all called outside. Jim, the local vegetable grower had just arrived with a car full of produce.

Jim from Vine Ripe Farm

Baskets of vegetables in the back of the car.

Juliet is organising a quick trip out to Vine Ripe which is just down the road.

The White Post

2010-08-30T22:33:00.001+10:00

Greenwood, Mathew and Winkie's delightful small farm is located on the outskirts of White Post, Virginia. White post Virginia is a charming little rural town and not surprisingly in the middle of one of the cross roads in the town there is a large white post.

Recently a man from out of town driving an SUV collided with the white post. The state trouper was sent for and when he arrived the lady from one of the adjoining houses came out. The trouper appeared to the lady to be at least 19 years of age and the man in the SUV demanded "who put that white post in the middle of a cross road?" The lady responded "George Washington put it there". "And where does he live?" says the state trouper. "Oh he lives at Mount Vernon" says the lady!

So much for modern American's understanding of their history.

Even Australians know that George Washington, who was America's first president lived at Mount Vernon.

Millwood

2010-08-29T21:05:00.000+10:00

Ten minutes down the road from White Post is a little village called Millwood. Here are a few pictures which set the scene because Millwood is where the Mackay-Smith story connects with Joel Salatin and us.

The New House

2010-08-26T18:10:00.000+10:00

Sarah and Seth have been living in Coatesville, Pennsylvania but they have just bought a house in the village of White Post. They of course took us to have a look at what was going on.

These clever sliding doors disappear back into the wall.

There is still a lot to be done before the four of them
move in in six weeks time

The back door opens out onto a raised deck.

Outside there is a big enclosed garden and
a good sized paddock suitable for some livestock

Sara & Seth

2010-08-26T17:40:00.000+10:00

These days Mike and I have even more reason to visit this part of the United States. Many years ago a very good friend of ours Sarah Gilligan was at a loose end having just finished high school and with no idea about what she was going to do next. Luckily Winkie and Matthew were visiting us in Gundaroo and let drop the fact that they needed someone to come and help on their farm. Sarah jumped at the opportunity, enjoyed her stay at Greenwood, met Winkie and Matthew's nephew Seth and the rest is history. Sara and Seth have two children Ava and Cameron and we photographed them at Montana Hall (5 minutes away from Greenwood) the home of Winkie's brother Justin and his wife Meredith.

Sarah

Sarah with mother in law Meredith

Seth with Cameron, Ava and Sarah

Matthew's Brother (& Sarah's father in law) Justin

Ava

Cameron

The whole family.

Hmmm . . . .

Matthew

2010-08-23T21:25:00.000+10:00

Here are some better photos of Matthew.

Barbeque

2010-08-23T21:19:00.002+10:00

An evening barbeque gave us the opportunity to catch up with two of Winkie and Matthew's three daughters. Here are a few snapshots.

Granddaughter Isobel.

Daughter Emily

Emily again looking more relaxed.

Emily's husband Jimmy.

Juliet, Winkie and Matthew's middle daughter.

Juliet's husband Charles.

A close up of Winkie.

. . . and a stern shot of Matthew.

Mike enjoying an evening with old friends.

Inside The Farmhouse

2010-08-23T20:54:00.001+10:00

Over the years we have seen many changes and additions to this old homestead.

Winkie's office in an old part of the house.

Light pours into the new living area.

Looking back to the renovated kitchen.

Being a Bull Terrier is not compulsory at Greenwood!

View out into the enclosed garden at the back of the house.

The house garden includes, sheds, kennels, vegetables and flowers.

Determined mower!

Greenwood

2010-08-23T20:38:00.001+10:00

Matthew is as passionate about horses as Winkie is about Bull Terriers. He is a retired veterinarian who specialised in horse orthopedics and he is still active as the Medical Editor for EQUUS magazine. He rides regularly and still competes in endurance events. Here is a link to his record riding in the Tevis Cup.

"Riding an Anglo-Arabian named Fred, Mackay-Smith made history in 1995 by becoming the first man or woman to finish first on both the Tevis and its east-coast counterpart, the Old Dominion 100 near Front Royal, Va."

The Mackay-Smith home is a beautiful property called Greenwood.

Old Friends in White Post, Virginia

2010-08-23T20:06:00.002+10:00

Mike met Matthew and Winkie Mackay-Smith in 1972 when Mike made his first visit to the eastern United States. Their mutual friend Raymond Oppenheimer strongly recommended that they get together and Winkie and her daughter Emily waited patiently at the Philadelphia airport while customs searched every bag on Mike's BOAC flight.
Winkie and Matthew were kind, generous and hospitable in looking after him and we have been good friends ever since.

The connection was Bull Terriers. Raymond, Winkie and Mike adore this breed of dog and they have been an important part in all of our lives.

Here is the current house pet 'Bunter' big, strong, handsome and a personality to match.

Here he is side on showing himself off like the old pro he is.

And at the end of the lead is the indefatigable Winkie.

Mike makes himself at home complete with magazine and friend.

Family Farming At Its Best

2010-08-17T20:21:00.005+10:00

There are now four generations of Salatins living and working on Polyface Farm.

What a tribute to them all. You have already seen photos of Joel's mother Lucille and in our video footage Joel lovingly talks about his father William who taught him so much.

Now we have photos of Joel playing with his grandchildren before dinner. Andrew and Travis just love this tree swing and the attention of their grandfather.

Meanwhile Teresa looks after a recent arrival.

What will the future hold for future generations? There are still many unexplored opportunities on this 550 acre property.

Fruit trees, berry fruits, milk, worm castings, grains . . . . . . .

Convivial Eating

2010-08-17T20:04:00.000+10:00

This was the second farm that we had visited where one of the apprentices was also trained as a chef.

Under Daniel and Sheri's house is accommodation and a kitchen. A shared evening meal is well underway prepared by young interns.

The food is served up under the verhanda and the crew and the Salatins gather together for a convivial evening meal.

Daniel's House

2010-08-17T19:46:00.002+10:00

After the filmed interview with Daniel and Joel we headed up the track to see Daniel's house.

On the skyline of the photo above you can see the timbered area of Polyface. The Salatins carefully manage their timbered country, removing trees in some spots, planting trees elsewhere.
Daniel and his wife Sheri were in the enviable position of having both the resources and the expertise to harvest timber off their own farm and use it to build a home for themselves and their children.

Mike admires the beautiful job they have done of it.

Lovely flower gardens complete the picture and are a tribute to Sheri's love of gardening.

Our Interview with Joel and his son Daniel

2010-08-16T23:26:00.002+10:00

As part of the 'Growing the Growers' documentary we had scheduled an interview with Joel and his son Daniel. It was conducted at the kitchen table after a delicious lunch provided by Teresa.

What an interesting discussion we had. Daniel is one of the few people that we know that can silence his effusive and eloquent father. We talked about farm management, balancing innovation and new ideas with day to day practicalities, the role of apprentices and succession.

After what was a most interesting and stimulating discussion Joel stood up and announced 'well nobody else has footage like that!' Keep in touch because we are sure you will not want to miss seeing the video when it is finally edited and published.

Students

2010-08-16T23:16:00.000+10:00

Polyface has grown well past its original status as a family farm. It now employs a number of workers and has a team of interns and apprentices that are pivotal in the day to day running of this complex operation.

A couple of interns returning 'home'. The Salatins have also organised more accommodation off farm in a nearby village.

Beef Cattle

2010-08-16T23:11:00.000+10:00

Beef cattle are cell grazed. They are contained by electric fences and move regularly onto fresh grass. From time to time they are also moved to other properties in order to utilise the pasture there while the chickens clean up what they have left behind.

The only bit of permanent infrastructure that is needed is water pipes that run up the fence lines and which have strategically placed taps that can be connected to drinking troughs.

Broilers

2010-08-16T23:02:00.002+10:00

What about broilers, the meat chickens that are the flagship product at Polyface.

Eating chicken is to our way of thinking the same as eating pork. We need to respect and honour the life of this animal if we are truely going to enjoy it on the plate.

Hens demand sunlight, forage (grass and insects) and also shelter. They are an understory bird evolved to peck away under the shade of trees. They need clean water to drink and they also need to be kept safe from dogs, foxes, eagles and other predators that know just how delicious they are. We are the top order predator in this case and yes we eat them but we can also give them a very good life before they end up on our menu. Joel has devised an ingenious system of mobile cages that tick every box on the list of broiler requirements. Meat birds are killed young so roosts and laying boxes are not a requirement.

These mobile hutches house the pullets as soon as they are fully feathered and are able to live on their own without the hovering 'mother hen' simulated in the brooder house we photographed earlier.

Cows graze the grass down to chicken height and then these staggered rows of hutches cross the fields always moving onto fresh grass and leaving a trail of more fertilization and clean up of cattle parasites.

Water buckets travel on top of the cages and birds soon get used to and even expect the daily or twice daily moves.

Thought I'd put in a photo of Fred capturing the scene on video.

It is very easy to see just were the chickens are going next and where they have been.

Moving these houses is a simple job for one person. All you need is one of these dollys which slide under the side of the cages putting in place a couple of wheels which allow the hutches to roll onto the next patch of clean grass.

A close up for anyone thinking of making one for themselves.

And these movable cages can be used for other things. Here is a cage full of young laying hens not yet old enough to be moved up into the larger laying houses. The rabbit kittens will also be moved up into houses like these so that they can grow up grazing grass as nature intended.

Laying Hens

2010-08-16T21:22:00.002+10:00

Over the summer months the mature laying hens reap the benefit of all the beautiful green grass available on this farm. Their mobile houses are towed around the fields at a rate that allows them to forgage on the grass and the insects without denuding the place as only chickens know how to. No bare, scratched up yards on this farm!

Within sight of the homestead this double carriage chook RV houses a lot of hens. They wander freely during the day and because hens roost at night they can be securely locked up in the early evening giving them overnight protection from predators.

The double carriage unit is easily hitched to a tractor and has storage bins built in minimising the work of a move.

Hens hop in and out via their own doors and ramps.

and once inside have laying boxes, feeders and roosts - all the things essential to the comfort of these perching egg producers.

Laying boxes are lined with clean straw, comfy secluded spots for the serious work of egg laying.

Feeders are cleverly designed so that the birds cannot throw the expensive high protein supplementary feed around. The rollers on the top of the feeders are unstable places to perch so the hens avoid them and in doing so avoid fouling (no pun intended!) their dinner.

Outside on the grass is a small mobile waterer.

Eggs. What a perfect trio! It is no wonder that a fresh free range, pastured poultry egg is such an icon of wholesome farming.

Out of sight of the house in paddocks further up the hill there is a different design of mobile poultry house.

In this case the hens cannot be locked up at night so they are protected by a portable, electric mesh fence.

Battery powered these electrified barriers keep hens in and predators out. Clean water is a must in any form of animal husbandry.

Again the house is equipped with access ramps, roosts, laying boxes - everything a hen needs.

And everything that is necessary in the way of supplies and food can be towed around making life easy for the farmers.

Pullets

2010-08-16T19:25:00.000+10:00

There are a large number of both laying hens and broilers raised every year at Polyface. Taking day old pullets (particularly the fast growing meat birds) through from day old to the stage where they are able to grow on outside on grass requires good facilities and excellent diet if there are going to be minimal losses. The brooder sheds are spacious and well equipped and at this time of year were filled with young birds. We weren't the only ones interested in peeking into see the babies. This mother goose was very excited by all the chicks she could see through the windows which can be opened and closed to ensure good ventilation and correct temperature.

This is what she was looking at. Baby chickens running around on deep litter. They are kept warm by overhead heaters and raised in regular batches throughout out the summer providing a steady supply of chickens for the table and enough egg layers to keep the polyface customers happy.

Rabbits

2010-08-15T23:11:00.000+10:00

After the pigs it was over to the Raken House. The first time we visited this farm it was with other farming friends who live in Virginia. We had no experience with the suspended rabbit breeding cage system but our friend Winkie had and the first thing she exclaimed was "there is no smell!'. Rabbits were the starting point for Daniel. He raised them in cages and then ran them on in movable pens on grass (just like his father's meat chickens). On this visit, late spring, the Raken House was full of pregnant does and also females with new born young.

Female rabbit (doe) in a suspended cage in the Raken House

Babies!

The solution to breeding rabbits successfully is to make sure that the understory is taken care of. In this case hens graze under the cages utilizing the rabbit droppings, producing eggs and keeping the whole system clean and sweet smelling.

Laying hens under the rabbit cages.
Feeders on the ground and nesting boxes up high.

Another view of the Raken House

The Hay Shed

2010-08-15T21:06:00.000+10:00

So how does the hay shed work? In spring and early summer excess pasture is cut and made into hay and stored in this shed.

Over summer bedding material is accumulated. This includes black walnut husks, the left overs from another local industry. When winter arrives and the fields are snow covered the Salatin's cattle can take refuge in the barn. There is a deep litter of carbon (straw, walnut husks, whatever is available) which is laced with corn kernels (which pigs love and grass fed cattle distain) and a feed rack for hay which is raised over winter as the bedding and manure pile grows higher and higher.

Add caption

Carbon in the bins at the front, hay stored behind.

Hay racks on winches so that they can be moved up as the cattle bedding increases in height over winter.

Once the snow melts the cattle move onto grass and the pigs are brought into the barn for farrowing.

The Pigs (Hogs)

2010-08-15T20:53:00.002+10:00

First of all a little confession - I adore pigs. I also love pork. These animals are the best and I believe that if you want to eat them then please allow them a bit of respect. These intelligent, tasty mammals should never be farmed intensively. Yes it may cost more, so eat pork less often and in smaller quantities. It is a treat and a celebration.

At the time of year we were visiting the pigs were working their way through what the cows had left in the big barn. A huge layer of bedding and manure laced with corn, a grain that the Salatin's grass or hay fed cows would treat with distain (only fit for pigs!). What is more even with the large number of pigs and piglets in this barn there was absolutely no smell. A confirmation that carbon and nitrogen were fully in balance on this farm. The pictures tell the story.

This is the barn where cattle overwintered on deep litter
fed from the store of hay

Here are all the sows

How about this guy?

Pigglets - aren't they the best?

Look at these three - they are just the most engaging trio.

Red heads are of course the best!

Farm Sheds

2010-08-15T20:07:00.000+10:00

The following blog items will cover the farm proper, the pigs, the cows, the rabbits and of course the hens. Fred and I took a huge quantity of both movie footage and stills on this farm. What I want to do here is show you enough photos to give you an idea of the complex and yet simple and obvious connections between all the facets that are 'Polyface'.

Our next stop was the sheds and the big hay barn close to the house.

The first buildings that we went into contained the usual paraphernalia you need to run a farm. The steel, the wood, the tools that you need to prefabricate the innovations that allow you to operate successfully. The tools you need to use everyday just to farm.

Then there are the things you need more than one of. Sometimes they are all in use, sometimes they have to be stored undercover till they are needed next time.

And then there is the cavalry. The guys that need the big spanners and who in return give the big grunt needed from time to time on farms.

Don't ever be fooled by the commonly held image of farmers as laconic, country dolts. Farmers can weld, construct buildings, repair tractors and most other mechanical tools. They are usually competent woodworkers, plumbers and often electricians. These days you will also find farmers at ease with email and the internet and most importantly they are good managers, innovators and inventors.

Why is it they find it so hard to earn a living and respect?

Polyface Farm Buildings

2010-08-15T19:29:00.002+10:00

Apart from all the people coming and going the homestead itself seemed much busier. The first photo is a view of the farm buildings from the paddocks above the farm.

As well as the main house there is a small single story home belonging to Joel's mother Lucille.

Lucille is still a very active member of this farming family and is also a stalwart of the wider community. The morning we left we found her manning the counter in the visitor's centre in Staunton - just over the road from our hotel.

The most impressive addition to the landscape was the new 'shed'. A huge packing and distribution building that was still a work in progress.

Polyface Gardens

2010-08-04T22:11:00.001+10:00

Polyface is an example of sun powered farming. Of course there are trucks, tractors, hand tools, lights etc... that use fossil fuel but the driving force of the production system is pasture, grasses, legumes and herbs which grow by harvesting sunlight. On top of the pasture is a vertically integrated stack of animal production. Cattle are followed by chickens, and rabbits. Pigs are also moved about on the fields. Careful grazing programs fertilise the sod and allow the grasses, legumes and herbs to flourish creating excess. A bounty that can be made into hay, the mainstay of winter feed.

When you use a power source as big as the sun thoughtfully then you will have produce to spare. Meat and eggs to sell, manure and hay to spare. Manure and hay that can be composted to make the ultimate in plant food.

The dark humus (compost) we found in this trailer is the stuff that builds beautiful, healthy, fertile garden soil.

Everyone at Polyface enjoys eating vegetables in some form or other. Joel, Teresa and Lucille have dreamed of having colourful summer flower beds around the houses and a bountiful vegetable garden as well. However Joel's expertise is meat farming and his offsider Daniel has a positive aversion to horticulture. The solution has been a share farming arrangement with a young grower who's dream is to have a market garden and who realises the potential a farm like Polyface presents for intensive growing.

The landscaping and the large vegetable plot behind the house are a tribute to his work. However a quick look back at the expertise obvious at 4 season Farm make us think that Joel aught to make sure that Polyface growers have a chance to do a work stint with Eliot every now and again.

Here are a few photos of the kitchen garden at Polyface.

and we have to include a picture of the curved tined style broadfork that Eliot likes which was found leaning against the wall of one of the polytunnels.

Talking to the Salatins

2010-08-01T21:52:00.000+10:00

Teresa was at the house to meet us. She was sorting out the books with the new bookkeeper and told us tha t Joel was out moving cattle and would be back at lunch time.

We headed back towards the gate to photograph some chickens and were met by Joel on his way back to get some things from the house. He told us that it was fine to do some general filming of the farm until we could sit down together over lunch and do a formal interview.

What a treat. The four of us set out for a walk of this very interesting farm.

Polyface

2010-08-01T21:42:00.001+10:00

Our introduction to Joel Salatin was a funny little home published production 'Pastured Poultry Manual'

Our first 'book' by Joel Salatin

It was typed up on a manual typewriter with hand drawn figures and titles and was photocopied, hole punched, covered, read with enthusiasm and interest and now resides in our library along with many of his other books. Go to the Polyface website to find out more about this farm, the books and the movie Food inc.

We implemented many of his suggestions, visited his farm and along with many others we were inspired by what this charismatic man has achieved. We told lots of other people about him and then visited his farm in 1995. I will never forget reaching out to shake hands with this welcoming, smiling man and thinking 'don't freak out, don't even look at your hands (not to mention his!) and what ever you do stay calm'. He in fact looked at his own shining walnut stained palms then looked at me and laughed and said 'It's all fine it is not axle grease it is the stain from all the black walnuts that I have been processing'. In exchange for being a receiving point for these tasty nuts, he was being paid some money and could keep the hulls - very valuable carbon to line the floor of his winter barns.

Several years later the Salatins came to Australia and we offered to show him, his wife Teresa and their two children Rachel and Daniel around and give them a bed here at our farm. So it was with a lot of joy and anticipation that we got in our hire car and set out to Polyface to do some filming and renew old acquaintances.

Polyface - farm of many faces

Mike turns around and this is the view over the bridge and in towards the farm.

The white house is there greeting us as it did on our last visit but there are a lot of changes.

It is not only the colourful and well tended flower gardens it is the continuous streams of vehicles and people. This has become a very busy place.

The Store Front

2010-07-24T22:00:00.002+10:00

Our next interview was with the Salatins at Polyface. The nearest accommodation is in Staunton, VA and if you are ever planning to visit Polyface do stay at the Storefront. It was one of the accommodation highlights of our trip (blue/grey shopfront on the right of the photo).

The Storefront, 'a very small hotel', is a terrace building that has been a cafe and is now a bed and breakfast run by Terry Shulman a convivial historian who lives out of town on a farm.
The deal is you rent the whole building (Yes! accompanied by that clenched fist, up and down punch thing! This is where I need Fred with his video camera!)

From the top down The Storefront starts with an upstairs double bedroom. An upstairs fully equipped kitchen and an upstairs bathroom (shower & toilet) . There are hairdryers, ironing boards and lots of power points, which is a huge issue when you are travelling with 2 computers, 3 cameras, 3 mobile phones, 4 hard drives, uncle tom cobbly and all! The other magical ingredient is wifi - ready and waiting and high speed - an absolute treat!

Downstairs there is a bar (which used to be a coffee shop) and enough very reasonably priced makeshift beds for another four people. AND there is a downstairs loo which also houses a washing machine and clothes dryer.

You have to actually phone Terry to make the booking (but that is a good thing) and he organises a pass key that lets you punch into the keypad on the front door of this one off establishment so you can come and go as you please. There is undercover parking over the road (we are still trying to work out how this is costed), and because it is a bed and breakfast there are coupons on the bar when you arrive which allow you to breakfast across the road at Cranberry's an organic shop that stock Polyface eggs and sausages. Cranberry's also know what they are doing with regard to coffee so the four of us got off to a very good start on the mornings we stayed in Staunton.

Meadowview VA

2010-07-20T23:06:00.001+10:00

Down the road from Abingdon is a small village called Meadowview.

It is an old Virginian country town not very touristy and a bit run down, however two spruced up old buildings were of great interest to us and well worth a visit if you are in this area.

The Meadowview Farmers Guild on the left and the Harvest Table Restaurant on the right are part of the same complex. These two beautifully refurbished buildings house a shop that sells work from local artisans and a restaurant that only uses locally grown produce. What a treat, a place to buy some really good quality presents and also somewhere to eat fresh locally grown and well prepared, unpretentious and absolutely delicious food.

Inside the shop there is a wonderful selection of locally handcrafted items.

In one corner there is a small gardening section in keeping with the local food ethic.

The tools included a couple of old favourites of ours. The professional quality oscillating stirrup hoes are in daily use on our farm and the winged weeder in front is a tool that I had been given by an American friend but had never seen in any gardening shops in Australia.

Mike and I had to try these beautifully made rocking chairs!

These fold down baby changing tables that were in both the ladies' and men's loos did make us smile.

And downstairs is the restaurant.

So why did we make the journey to this little restaurant in southern Virginia? It started with the frontispiece of the book 'Animal Vegetable Miracle - A Year of Food life' by Barbara Kingsolver, with Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver.

When Mike finished reading this inspirational book he really wanted a copy of the drawing of 'The Vegetannual'

"Take a minute to study this creation – an imaginary plant that bears over the course of one growing season a cornucopia of all the different vegetable products we can harvest. We’ll call it a vegetannual ..."

It didn't take us that long to track down the artist Richard Houser and he very generously offered to run us off a number of southern hemisphere versions. It was the start of a number of entertaining late night emails in which he told us about his new venture as chef at this small restaurant in his home town. Jokingly I said that I would have to come and visit and have a cup of coffee. Who would have believed it, here we are enjoying a lunch that he and Philip Newton had prepared.

Out the back the baker is hard at work.

And here is Philip.

Locally grown strawberries were of course centre stage on the desert menu.

Round the corner adjacent to the outdoor eating area was a large bed of neatly tended herbs.

Behind the tables and chairs the walls have been decorated by Richard.

Mike and Richard discuss the difficulties inherent in sourcing local produce from small organic farmers.

What is it about sunflowers? No matter how difficult things get these golden blooms can always make me smile they just radiate optimism and should always have a place in a summer garden.

Abingdon Sustainable Development

2010-07-18T23:38:00.000+10:00

We had a few hours left before we headed north for Meadowview so we called in at the office of Appalachian Sustainable Development and were able to get an interview with the new Executive Director Denise Barrett.

This organisation is not only helping farmers change what they do, it is involved in education and also in looking at sustainable forestry orptions.

Abingdon Organics - Anthony & Laurel Flaccavento's farm

2010-07-18T22:47:00.001+10:00

If you haven't bothered to follow the link to Anthony Flaccavento's 2004 Leadership for a Changing World award and bio do it HERE. I have just been back talking to my 'friend' google trying to find out the name of his farm and thought that I should give you another reference to this quite amazing man click here for more info about Anthony.

The farm he runs with his wife Laurel is called Abingdon Organics and the information on the Abingdon Farmer's Market website goes as follows:

. . . Among the first certified organic vendors at the Abingdon Farmers Market, they have now been selling nearly two dozen types of vegetables and fruits for the past five years. Specialties of Abingdon Organics include over a dozen types of heirloom tomatoes, old world Italian sauce tomatoes, colorful squashes and peppers, and extra sweet strawberries, cantaloupes and watermelons. They also sell through Appalachian Harvest.

Mike made the initial contact via email and Anthony was happy to have us come and film at the farm providing we turned up early and realised that he and Laurel are busy people! We were getting good vibes and were not disappointed. Our gut feeling was that this pair were seriously involved in farming and farming in a world that needs a lot more farmers.

So here is my picture of Anthony taken on his farm early in the morning. He is mik'ed up, ready for filming an interview, yet relaxed and enthusiastic about talking with us - what a warm, intelligent human being.

He will probably kill me for saying this but when we told him that we had just come from 4 Season Farm he exclaimed "Eliot Coleman! that man ruined my life!" Well we wouldn't have put it that way but when the world realises that you can eat tomatoes in Maine in June and salads the year round in very cold climates then I guess the concept of year round growing takes on a whole new meaning. What we didn't remember to tell Anthony at the time was that Eliot was equally staggered at Allsun Farm when he heard that we could grow 12 months of the year using plastic and never were able to take a snow covered winter off.

So here is Abingdon Organics, starting at the gate.

A small, diverse, productive mixed farm.

No sign of Anthony or Laurel but we know we are at the right place.

A view from the top of the farm.

And another view face on.

Inside the polytunnels.

. . . and double click this image to get a close up of

the water droplets on the garlic scapes.

It doesn't matter whether it is Virginia, Maine or Gundaroo

garlic just has a complete handle on what day of the year it is!

We have this saying around the farm

"take one risk and learn one new thing every day"

Well today I learnt that you could store floating row cover by plaiting it.

. . . and of course tools.

This time in an barn not a poly tunnel

but the same old favourites were there.

When we arrived Laurel was busy moving her sheep.

What a great opportunity to film sheep being cell grazed in electric mesh

fencing. Fred has all of this on video (watch this space!)

We loved meeting the Flaccoventos - three cheers for small scale organic farmers!

Abingdon Farmer's Market

2010-07-14T21:26:00.003+10:00

In an area where tobacco used to be the main crop grown it is not surprising that the agricultural sector is depressed. On this trip to the USA we decided to venture into some quite unknown territory to find out just what happens away from the buzz of California and the expertise to be found in NE Maine.

If you enjoy learning about the world by reading fiction you can learn about this area of Virginia in Barbara Kingsolver's wonderful novel 'Prodigal Summer'. In fact this visit to southern Virginia was inspired by her book Animal Vegetable Miracle - a year of food life. Our 'growing the growers' question was "just how much impact can one book have on the way people eat, the food choices they make and the way the food is grown?"

The answer is "a huge impact". World wide the concept of eating local is now on the agenda and even In this conservative backwater of the United States a determined band of stubborn individuals are working at offering feasible agricultural and marketing alternatives. Our pilgrimage was heading us towards the Meadowview Farmers Guild & Harvest Table Restaurant however Meadowview is a very small village and there is no accommodation so we had to spend the night close by in Abingdon. And what a treat that turned out to be.

Four crazy Australians visiting Abingdon VA - what better time to test Google with a few questions.

Q: Who supplies the Harvest Table Restaurant with vegetables?
A: Antony Flaccavento (and others)
Q: Antony Flaccavento
A: Abingdon vegetable farmer who started the Appalachian (pronounced - Appala-ch (as in Czech)-an) (Czech will feature later in this blog so be reassured it is not a random illusion!) Sustainable Development organisation.

So off to the Abindon Farmer's Market to find Antony Flaccavento local food activist and grower and to find out what you can buy in this small town in the middle of the week.

What a stark contrast to San Fransisco! This is not a buzzing, high end, glitzy tourist attraction rather it is a warm focus for a small community where locals can come together to buy their food from growers they know and have a chat with friends.

I am still not sure whether or not this building was purpose built but it is a great place for a market. Lots of covered space and a park in front..

Fred Jan and Mike talk to the market manager.

Had to put this one in!

. . . and this was such a beautiful stall.

Spring seedlings of course.

if space hadn't been a luggage issue I would have bought a few of these beautiful baskets.

Never seen these at a farmers market before.

What a beautiful array of cauliflowers

. . . . and of course the grower - Anthony Flaccavento!
What an interesting man. So much to talk about, so much to learn.
We made arrangements to go out to his farm the next day and also visit the headquarters of ASD (Appalachian Sustainable Development) the organisation that he started.

Abindon, southern Virginia

2010-06-21T00:51:00.002+10:00

From Maine we flew to southern Virgina. The four of us picked up a wild hire car at Tri Cities Airport and set off to do a number of interviews before we split up for a few days well deserved R & R.

We headed from the airport to a small town called Abingdon and dropped our cases off at a motel on the edge of town. A friendly southern accent at the motel check in reinforced the fact that we had traveled a long way by plane and with little delay we gathered up our maps and 'Dave' our GPS man and set off to find something to eat before going to the Wednesday afternoon farmers market.

Road signs like this may be alright for the natives but we were really glad that we had Dave to reassure us we were heading in the right direction!

Finding really good coffee can also be a challenge while travelling, however this little cafe and bookshop provided us with what we needed.

The Pond

2010-06-16T04:28:00.000+10:00

When Eliot builds a pond/dam it is not just a round place designed to catch water. It was carefully measured up to ensure that it had the dimensions needed for an ice hockey rink. What better for a cold winter day. At other times it is a great place to dive into after a steam in the sauna.

We love this farm and it was very hard and sad when the time came to say 'goodbye'.

Workers Cottage

2010-06-16T04:22:00.000+10:00

I was invited over to photograph a small workers cottage tucked away in one corner of the farm.

Of course I was thinking about what we need back at Allsun and also thought that Emrys would like to see some photos that would give him ideas for his little house.

Opening Day

2010-06-16T04:16:00.002+10:00

We were lucky enough to be at the farm on 1st of June, the opening of the vegetable selling season.

Of course there were all the last minute things to be done.

Mike helping Eliot with some of the shop fittings.

Barbara doing some last minute weeding.

Bagging up salad in the large, heated, fixed tunnel known as 'Garfield'.

Pickers bringing in produce from the field.

Signs up and ready for customers.

There were 20 different things for sale including a large box of delicious ripe tomatoes

and some green peppers and remember this farm is just about in Canada - a fantastic achievement.

Barbara's bunches of flowers.

New potatoes.

Cucumbers, spring onions, celery and beets.

Delightful hand crafted baskets made by prisoners.

The Farm Shop

2010-06-16T04:01:00.000+10:00

Here is a picture of the new farm shop. There is a central produce room and a small gallery on the right hand end where local artists can display their wares.

Eliot has also designed a great little trailer which can be loaded up with vegetables and towed to local farmer's markets. The sides drop down to make a table and an awning pulls out to shade the produce.

Seedlings

2010-06-16T03:55:00.000+10:00

Here are a couple of pictures taken in the propagation tunnel. The benches are interesting - modular plastic greenhouse tables. Solid, indestructible and the legs come in any length you want. We saw the same tables again in the farm shop.

Soil blocks were pressed out onto sheets of plywood that were cut to hold three lots of floor blocks. (36 x one and a half inch blocks)

The labeling was done with wonderful wooden labels from Johnny's Selected Seeds. I have lusted after them in the catalogue many times but having seen them I am now going to make a concerted effort to buy some for next season.

The Farm

2010-06-16T03:35:00.000+10:00

The vegetable farming at Four Season Farm speaks for itself. If you want to know more or find out about the books go to the website - www.fourseasonfarm.com

The Internet Lounge

2010-06-16T03:25:00.000+10:00

Internet connectivity is a problem in this part of the world as it is in many parts of rural Australia. Barbara and Eliot are not lucky enough to have the good wireless broadband service offered to us by Yless4U they rely on a satellite. This porch at the end of the house is a good place to sit and remove your boots but in the evening it is often full of young people downloading their email. We were all warned 'no big uploads please' because the connection slows down to next to useless after the days allocation of download volume has been exceeded. One afternoon I made a trip to the local library - comfortable, fast, free and unlimited access :-)

and behind the barn . . .

2010-06-16T03:17:00.001+10:00

. . . is an amazing work in progress - a root cellar. Most root cellars are dug into the side of a hill or excavated under a building. This massive concrete structure is backed onto the hill behind the house and is being back and top filled with rubble and huge rocks.

The New Barn

2010-06-16T03:13:00.001+10:00

Immediately behind the house is a new barn. It is not finished yet but upstairs in the loft there is a small room that is being used by one of this season's farm workers.

The Kitchen and Flower Garden

2010-06-16T03:08:00.003+10:00

Apart from the obvious difference of seeing this garden in the spring rather than in the autumn we were amazed at just how much had been done in the intervening years. The decorative iron pergola is now covered in grape vines which were just starting to put out their rush of lime green leaves. The white lattice work fences that had starkly outlined herbaceous borders, enclosed vegetable areas and sheltered walkways are now almost hidden by stunning plantings of shrubs, climbers and tall perennials. There is also lovely new arched walkway and a huge extension to the kitchen garden proper. Plantings of berry canes, strawberries and artichokes which can be tricked into flowering in their first season by timely greenhouse heating and then cooling have been added and everywhere we looked there was order and productivity.

Arriving at Barbara and Eliot's Farm

2010-06-13T20:27:00.001+10:00

We arrived at Four Seasons Farm, the home of our friends Barbara Damrosch and Eliot Coleman late in the afternoon. The most obvious change was the growth on all the trees and shrubs. Driving in the house only became visible once we had turned into the carpark at the back. What a treat being able to visit this inspirational place again.

Getting to Maine

2010-06-11T04:30:00.000+10:00

Getting to our next filming venu, Four Season Farm in Maine, required a short flight back to Los Angeles then an overnight red eye flight to New York. A change of airport, a long delay because of bad weather then finally the flight to Bangor where we had a hire car booked so that we could get to Cape Rosier and Barbara and Eliot's farm.
The short hop from San Fransisco to LA was in one of Richard Branson's Virgin America planes. Brand new, spacious and high tec. I was able to connect to the internet at 35,000 ft - too cool.
The next interesting experience was in the small plane up to Bangor. The man in the seat behind me was traveling with a cat in a carry bag. It sat on his knee yowling the whole way and I couldn't help wondering about the protocol at the security X-ray machine hmm . . .

Inside the Ferry Building

2010-06-11T04:14:00.001+10:00

We lunched well inside the Ferry Building I had a delicious bowl of clam chowder with crusty white bread.
Fred organised a late afternoon interview with a mushroom grower so we had several hours to wander round looking at the shops after the outside farmers market wound up.
I spent quite a while in the kitchenware shop. I have never seen so many things for a barbeque in all my life. I do have a tradition of always picking up some cast iron item while in the USA and was sorely tempted by a set of dishes and irons for making Crème Brulee - no more gas blow torches! However this visit our suit cases are just about at the weight limit for flying so we didn't get them.
Some fresh produce is available inside Ferry Building and the shop below also organised weekly home deliveries

The cheese shop was amazing, just too many varieties to choose from.

There was also many different bottled products.

The display of mushrooms was quite remarkable and after a slight hiccup with security guards who where not that keen about Fred filming he secured an interesting interview including discussion about truffles. Fred is passionate about fungi and he and Jan are returning home earlier that us because he has truffle responsibilities. If you want to know more about the up and coming Capital Country Truffle Festival visit this link.

Ferry Plaza Farmers Market

2010-06-08T08:32:00.001+10:00

Jan and Fred stayed in a hotel in San Francisco and we joined them there to visit the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. This majestic old building located in the heart of San Francisco is home to a wonderland of shops selling all sorts of organic goods. You will also find kitchen ware, books and a wide choice of quality eateries.
On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings the wide pavement outside the ferry building you will find Californian certified organic farmers selling their fresh picked wares.
Coming from early winter is was all the tasty berry fruits that caught our eyes but there were great displays of greens, dried fruit, smoked salmon and all sorts of other good things available for sale.

Our Wonderful Berkeley Hosts

2010-06-08T08:07:00.001+10:00

A serendipitous meeting many years ago introduced us to our truely amazing friends Kathleen and Ken who live at the top end of Shattuck Avenue which also houses Chez Panisse. Their beautiful old house is perched on the side of a hill and the view from the living room is quite amazing on a clear day.

What an interesting and warm household.
Inside we put our feet up after filming and are entertained by Kathleen's grandchildren.

The Edible Schoolyard Kitchen

2010-06-08T07:54:00.000+10:00

If you have been to the Growing the Growers website and watched the video clip you will know just what an amazing garden is possible after only three or four months. Berrima has won a Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Foundation grant. The design for the kitchen has been completed - a wonderful, multi-purpose, airy, passive solar space using some existing buildings with a proposal for a beautiful extention. When we were at the launch of the fund raiser for the Berrima PS kitchen we talked to the architects and promised them some photos of the fit out at the Edible Schoolyard Kitchen in Berkeley.
We also wanted to interview the teachers to find out just how the classes were run and how the kitchen, the classroom and the garden integrated at the MLKMS.

Everything from the colour of the walls to the layout of these workstations

has been carefully thought out.

The three work stations each have a large kitchen table which doubles as work space

and a place to eat the finished meal.

The room is very well lit, there is plenty of space and the large oven

is out of the way against the wall to the left of the photo.

There is storage and a wash up area at the far end of the kitchen.

All the equipment is up to commercial kitchen standard including

knives, pots and pans and washing gear.

Chopping boards, aprons, tools, crockery - it doesn't matter what it is

everything is in its place. These utensils are all plastic and belong to one of

the three work stations.

The second station has wooden utensils and the third stainless.

It doesen't matter whether it is in the garden or baking a cake good systems make life easy.

If I had 10 wooden chopping boards I would love a wooden rack to stack them in too!

Ben is in from the garden with salad and broad beans for lunch.

When they can all the Edible Schoolyard staff sit down together

to share a meal and have a chat.

It is the last cooking class for the term so the afternoon task for students

is to make a strawberry short cake - a rare treat.

A periodic table of vegetables - what a great poster.

Time for us to leave and let these generous folk enjoy their lunch.

The Edible Schoolyard Office

2010-06-08T07:21:00.000+10:00

The Chez Panisse Foundation funds administrative staff, kitchen staff and garden staff for the Edible Schoolyard project. The office adjoining the kitchen was a great place to leave all our gear and also a place to wait while the class finished and we were able to go in and film.

There were lots of familiar volumes in the book cases and jars full of seed.

Sitting in one corner was an old bicycle set up to run a small hand flour mill off a belt on its front wheel. Fred had to sit on it and the following day we saw it set up outside in the garden actually grinding some corn. When it is working the mill is out the front of the bike and the drive band simply goes round the wheel and round the drive shaft of the mill. A very simple arrangement. The garden staff told us that the grain is put into bags for threshing and just winnowed by hand as well. I have take notes thinking about the spelt that we are attempting to grow this winter.

Chez Panisse

2010-06-08T01:46:00.000+10:00

This is our second visit to Chez Panisse and the Edible School Yard. On both occasions we have been unable to talk to Alice Waters. We did however catch up with her assistant, a young Australian, David Prior.

We sat in a shady spot under a huge wisteria that covers the entrance to the restaurant.

Mike had to find the owner of a lovely little dog that seemed intent on getting his barks into a documentary. Luckily they were charming (as was he) and we were able to record an interesting conversation with David who filled us in on the history and progress being made by the Foundation.

Tasteful and decorative - what else would you expect here?

The daily delivery from the Acme Bakery.

David takes us round the back to look at the produce that has just arrived.

Fresh Garlic

New Seasons Potatoes

. . . and freshly picked branches of cherries for the table and decoration.

The day concluded with a wonderful meal in the downstairs restaurant where we enjoyed all of the above produce carefully prepared by the chefs who are free to choose what ever menu they want on a Monday.

Edible Schoolyard Garden

2010-06-08T01:28:00.001+10:00

Visiting Berkeley is always a real treat for Mike who did his gradate work there in the sixties. Familiar sights, old stomping grounds, lots of memories. It is also the home of Alice Waters and her famous restaurant Chez Panisse. These days Alice Waters energetically fundraises for her Edible Schoolyard Foundation and together with Carlo Petrini leads the International Slow Food movement.
The philosophy practiced by Alice Waters for over 40 years and which is expoused by the Slow Food organisation starts and ends with three words - Good, Clean and Fair.
At home at Allsun we try to live and farm with this ethic and endeavour to provide ourselves, our family and our customers with good, clean and fairly produced produce.
The problem is that the world needs many more such growers. It also needs consumers who understand what it is to buy such food and this is really the starting point of our 'Growing the Growers' filming trip. We need to address the question how do we encourage the world to change? Who is already making change and what can we learn from them?
The Edible Schoolyard at the Martin Luther King Middle School in Berkeley is where the revival in school garden and kitchen projects really got going. The full story is available on line Edible Schoolyard Garden our visit was mainly to talk to the staff and get ideas and photos to help us with the Kitchen Garden project that we are mentoring with Lucy Turner at Berrima Public School.
The head gardener Ben Eichorn talked with us and showed us around. Articulate, knowledgeable and a very experienced grower the perfect leader for a school kitchen garden project.

The days program is always written up on a white board that hangs in the small ramada where the students gather for the start of their gardening classes. One of the jobs listed is 'the Potato Tower'. In Australia these towers are usually constructed with old tyres, however a circle of weld mesh seems to work just as well. It may however require a lot more water.
Everywhere you look there are edible plants and flowers.

Wheat, one of several cereals grow.

Broadbean plants have just been removed from these two beds.

Compost will be added ready for the next crop.

A moveable chook palace that neatly spans one garden bed.

When not hard at work the hens are free to

wander around the garden during the day.

A mixed flock of colourful, sleek and entertaining fowl.

Mike checking out the broad (fava) beans.

Freshly havested and on today's kitchen menu.

Tool sheds, green house and a large poultry shed are at the far end of the garden.

From gum boots to wheel barrows everything is in apple pie order.

Seedlings ready to be planted out.

Figs setting on a huge shady old tree.

The outdoor woodfired pizza oven.

Art in the garden.

What a wonderful place to visit and film.

Catching up at last

2010-06-08T00:22:00.000+10:00

We have finally reached White Post Virgina the home of our dear friends Winkie and Mathew Mackay-Smith. Lots more about them later. We have had two days rest after a punishing schedule on the east coast of the United States and I am finally starting to catch up with photo filing and editing. I have gathered my thoughts, found some fast internet and will start where we left off at Meg and Jimmy's in Yucca Valley.
We left the four of them after dinner and drove back to Ontario to sleep in a hotel near the airport ready for an early flight out to San Francisco the next morning. The drive was into both the setting sun and a solid three lanes of head lights. Exhausting! So it was with great relief that we deposited our hire car and trundled into the hotel.
I have been carting my bathers around with me in the mistaken hope that I could put in half an hour of lap swimming most mornings while we were away. Somehow the plan has been thwarted at every turn, however when we reached our room and I got stuck into all the signage and hotel printouts I discovered that the Red Roof had a pool and spa. So down to the ground floor, into my swimmers and a quick plunge into an small freezing outdoor pool. My splash generated a round of applause from a small group in the spa who thought that the resident Aussie was quite off her head and no, Mike was not there with the camera - sorry :-))
PS these blogs are being published at huge speed and I know there are a few spelling mistakes and typos - please forgive your roving farm correspondent - I will clean up the errors (or not) at a later date - Jx

Slap Chop

2010-05-31T13:20:00.001+10:00

There is such a huge amount happening every day that most posts on this blog get done very late - sorry. However tonight I just need to put up this note. We are at Four Season Farm with Barbara and Eliot and have just had the most amazing meal. The photo says it all.

Went upstairs to bed and checked my email and found Rory's comment if you have never seen it before it is amusing - go Rory! His question was "is Jimmy using a Slap Chop?"

Joshua Tree Farmers Market

2010-05-29T19:53:00.002+10:00

There are farmers markets everywhere in the United States. They can be on any day of the week and even in tiny towns like Joshua Tree where there are precious few vegetables grown.
There was a good array of early summer produce but very little of it was grown locally and just like the farmers markets in Canberra many of the tomatoes were hydroponic.

There were oranges from as far away as San Diego and these berry growers come from Nipomo which is north west of Los Angeles - a five hour drive.

The fruit was absolutely delicious. Madison is a fan of raspberries, Gavin prefers strawberries.

Mexican Food

2010-05-29T19:32:00.001+10:00

The first night at Yucca Valley we went out for Mexican food. Mexican restaurants are often a really great family affair in this country and it was another opportunity to sample some of the wonderful choices available. I am still trying to get my head around the names and styles of all the dishes but it seems that everything we try is delicious.

Mike had a sizzling meat dish and I just had to try the deep fried fish tacos. An unexpected combination which works.
There was live music too.

It was a bit too close making it very difficult to talk - Gavin sums up the situation perfectly.

The RV

2010-05-29T07:54:00.000+10:00

For the uninitiated an RV is a 'Recreational Vehicle', and we were uninitiated. This is no ordinary carivan, it is huge and has an articulated hitch on the middle of the 4WD tray.

Inside there is the usual bedroom and bathroom area. The middle section has sides which move in while on the road but which expand out to provide a big living area when you are camping.

The back is a garage for Jimmy's 4 wheeler motor bikes. It doubles as a second bedroom and play area for Madison and Gavin.

The House

2010-05-29T07:45:00.000+10:00

Jimmy and Meg have a single story house with a large veranda. There are a few fruit trees out the front but gardening basically consists of raking sand.
People use water but when I asked Meg where it came from she didn't know so I decided to research the matter.
Water comes from dams and reservoirs as part of the State Water Project, underground water is also used especially in drought years. More details on the Where does MY water come from? website.

Snapshots

2010-05-29T07:29:00.001+10:00

Here are some snapshots taken at home, at the park and at the farmers market at the town called Joshua Tree.

Visiting Meg, Jimmy, Madison & Gavin

2010-05-29T07:22:00.001+10:00

The reason we went to Yucca Valley was to visit Mike's daughter Meg and her family who live in the dessert east of Los Angeles. Here they all are from left to right Mike, Meg, Gavin, Madison and Jimmy.
The house is situated 30 mins from the base at Palm Springs where Jimmy works as a naval medic. It is also a commutable distance for Meg who is Principle at a primary school in Riverside but her trip to work takes an hour and a half.

The landscape is dry, sandy and arid. There are rocky outcrops on the side of the valley and as well as the usual small desert shrubs there are these amazing Joshua trees everywhere.

Driving From Los Angeles To Yucca Valley

2010-05-25T12:57:00.003+10:00

We only had to drive once from Seth and Em's home to our apartment to know that if we were going to hire a car we were definitely going to need the GPS that we had just bought. The technical hitch - the USA maps refused to load and kept crashing my computer. It took a fraught six hours but I eventually worked it out and mention it here only because in my search for a solution I discovered that there were other people who had had the same problem with TomTom as me. I simply didn't have enough free hard drive space on my laptop to allow the maps to upload. We are traveling with plenty of portable hard drives so I did some spring cleaning and bobs your uncle.
So on with picking up a hire car. We were given a Toyota Yaris and as my mother and a couple of friends have told me they are roomy, comfortable and very fuel efficient. Very happy. Not so happy on my first go at driving on the right hand side of the road. Only one truly terrifying moment to report. In an indecisive moment on a downtown Los Angeles highway I couldn't make up my mind whether to peel off to the right or keep going straight. Sitting in the middle of a stripped piece of tarmac with streams of cars speeding on both sides of me and no room to accelerate so that I could merge got very tense. Mike just went very quiet and we did make it out of the city to visit Mike's other daughter Meg who lives in Yucca Valley, East of LA.

The drive is a steady climb towards the San Bernadino Mountains which still had a mantle of snow. Would have been really beautiful if you had been able to see them properly without the smog. Close to the top the smog starts to clear and the wind starts to blow. At the start of the pass that opens out into Yucca Valley proper there are wind turbines as far as the eyes can see. What a positive sight.

La Brea Bakery

2010-05-24T11:14:00.002+10:00

Fragrant sour dough, chewy fruit loaves, baguettes, pastries - you name it. Of course we thought fondly of Silo on the other side of the world. The bread is so good at La Brea Bakery we had to go there twice so we had plenty to take with us to Emily's sister's place in Yucca Valley.

The coffee didn't match up to the cakes but we did enjoy sitting out in the sun drinking it.

Cheese & Coffee

2010-05-24T11:04:00.001+10:00

Oh my - so many interesting cheeses to try and just not enough time to investigate them all. If you want to have a better look at what is on offer go to the following link The Cheese Store of Silverlake
Coffee has also had a reformation in this country. Silverlake has a world class coffee shop called Lamill

The Apple Store

2010-05-24T10:56:00.001+10:00

We really did need to visit the Apple Store! Emily's iPhone had had a little adventure involving a glass of water and a young child hmm . . . but we would have had to sniff one out sooner or later. Look if money was no option of course we would be seduced by the iPad.
I love examples of fractals and this is not an example quite. What I really wanted was a photo of mike looking at our blog which had the picture of him looking at the blog on an iPad which was open at our blog . . . you know the story. (fractal (as in "form") n. : a geometric pattern that is repeated at every scale and so cannot be represented by classical geometry )

The Farmers Market

2010-05-24T10:43:00.000+10:00

Of course we had to go to the nearest farmers market. Nothing like the one at Davis or San Franisco. This is the skelton of an old farmers market that has been completely made over into a trendy tourist venue. In fact there were almost no fresh vegetables (and let's not mention farmers) to be seen.
However we were not on the hunt for vegetables. Really hot food is a cure all for jet lag and Emily new where we needed to go for lunch.

Seth

2010-05-24T10:36:00.002+10:00

Seth is an artist who designs lighting. He is also a really good cook. He made us pizza the night we arrived.
These are not the best photographs but I am still on a steep learning curve with the camera I have been allocated for the Growing the Growers filming.

Emily

2010-05-24T10:30:00.001+10:00

Emily is Mike's youngest daughter she works in the film industry and for the last few years has been involved with film distribution. We have lots in common with both her and Seth and really enjoyed this opportunity to spend time with them in their home.

Rose

2010-05-24T10:25:00.001+10:00

Rose is 18 months old. What can you say - gorgeous! We spent a lot of time just playing with her, resting, going for walks with the dog and talking. Skype is good and will be even better now that we have met her but seeing grandchildren in the flesh is quite another thing.

I was able to be useful and did a bit of work on Emily's computer. A small melt down with her address book and a systems upgrade kept me out of trouble. I did have one nerve wracking moment. Our new GPS would not talk to my laptop and every drive from 1171 S Tremaine Ave to Silverlake (20 mins) raised the anxiety levels a notch. I kept finding reasons not to go get the hire car! However a late night 6 hr computer stint and I got it worked out - there was not enough room on my laptop to upload the USA maps grrrr . . .

Our 'Appartement'

2010-05-24T10:10:00.000+10:00

The arrangement was supposed to be a bit of garden work and consulting in exchange for use of the granny flat underneath this great house perched on the side of a very steep hill.

However Heather, David and daughter Wren had had to go to an unplanned family gathering and were exhausted and over committed when we saw them. So we had free lodgings for the week. This is a very unusual setting, hilly very narrow lanes and fabulous houses and gardens. Heather is keen gardener and there is lots of work in progress.

The whole roof is covered in solar panels and they are producing more power than the house uses.

The little apartment is really well fitted out. There is a good sized living area with a kitchenette plus a bedroom and bathroom. My mind went straight to the sort of accommodation we need for interns. The living space is less than the size of our old shed by the kennels. There was lots of discussion about what we could start to plan when we got back home.

Here are some more pictures.

And after all it is LA!

Arriving In Los Angeles

2010-05-24T09:35:00.002+10:00

Traveling from Australia to the USA is always a very long day experience. Our flight was uneventful and 40 minutes shorter than usual because of a tail wind. We were entertained by an Indian family in the row in front of us. Two small children, mum and dad, grandma and grandpa and uncles and aunts. I dozed most of the way but Mike never sleeps as well as me and has legs that are so long they jam into the back of the seat in front - most uncomfortable.

But we made it and got through the queues, the paperwork, the fingerprinting and photography. This American database is going to be so bloated it will explode one of these days. Hmm I suppose there will be a whole new criminal industry of fingerprint transplants - who knows?

Emily was there to meet us and we headed off home. You have to work to see beauty in this flat often run down looking city but the street where Emily and Seth rent contains an eclectic display of old and new houses with colourful rendered walls, small cared for lawns and gardens and some startling renovations.

Em and Seth's tiny four roomed duplex is light and airy. They live in the bit on the right hand side and share the garden and front courtyard with their neighbours. Suits them perfectly but doesn't have room for visitors so we headed off to Silverlake where Emily had negotiated some accommodation in one of the oldest parts of Los Angeles.

Reality Check

2010-05-20T16:58:00.002+10:00

Airports and anxiety seem to go hand in hand especially when it is over six years since I have travelled overseas. Have we got the passports, did the USA online visa waver really work, is there going to be a problem with something in our hand luggage? It's not that we are inexperienced it is just that we don't do it very often.

Sometimes when I fly I get plagued with guilt - all that fuel being burnt up just to get me from one place to another quickly. This time the fuel about to be expended was the least of my problems. Immigration - security - piece of cake. Once through all the formalities we took stock of the time and looked for a quick cup of coffee and something to eat and all I could see was this -

A wash of apprehension bled over me as we looked for something civilized to eat. 'How can we possibly hope to change this?' was the question that kept going through my head.

We did find something tasty and fresh to eat and the coffee was good. The plane left on time and the next stop was Los Angeles.

Leaving

2010-05-20T16:32:00.001+10:00

Three cheers for Helen! She was at the farm by 5.30 am despite thick fog. We gulped down some breakfast and headed to the Jolimont Centre where she dropped us off in plenty of time to catch the coach to Sydney International Airport.

Around The House

2010-05-20T16:23:00.000+10:00

Cool late summer weather together with rain is giving us a stunning show of autumn colours.

Protected inside our solarium the tomatoes are heaving a sigh of relief and putting on another flush of fruit and no matter how cold it gets outside the warmth in this wonderful north facing space is enough to ensure a picking of chillies.

Meanwhile I am inside packing and doing some last minute emergency repairs!

Winter Is On Its Way

2010-05-20T15:46:00.003+10:00

In a vegetable garden the time of year does't matter there are always new things to do but as you can see the nights are getting very cold. These icy conditions together with the rapidly shortening days slow growth to a crawl for most plants. However there are still a couple of beds of Cavolo Nero to plant and I am getting to panic stage wondering if I will in fact get the seedlings in the ground.

Yes I did! (This shot is looking back down the beds in the other direction.) It was very much a last minute thing and there was almost no light left when I took this photo. I am testing the limits of the camera in my phone and this was way too dark.

Quotes

2010-05-11T18:25:00.001+10:00

Because we cannot travel with a lot of books one of the jobs that I have to do before we leave is go through some of the books that we have and extract background material and some quotes. Tonight the location I am working on is Berkeley, California. We will be visiting both Chez Panisse, Alice Waters' famous restaurant and the Edible Schoolyard which is the main benificiary of the Chez Panisse Foundation.

There is plenty of zesty text for me to scan but I had forgotton just how charming the little children's cookbook 'Fanny at Chez Panisse' can be. And powerful.
Alice Waters writes in the first person using the voice of her daughter. History, philosophy, recipies and humour - it has the lot. If you have never read it do treat yourself to a copy. You will read it to yourself and then to children, delightful!

Last minute planting

2010-05-10T22:26:00.001+10:00

Today is a garden day. The last day that Michael and I will be down in the commercial garden working with Helen and Matthew before we leave.
All the garlic is planted and the earliest varieties are up. Matthew and Helen got stuck into removing a few of our perennial (annual!) winter weeds - nettles.
We then took turns on the tractor. Here is Matthew hard at it spading in some limestone on the area that the chickens cleaned up last summer.

I have been re-reading Gene Logsdon's 'Small Scale Grain Raising' and although vegetables go into recess at this time of year cereals, green manures and broad beans do need to be planted before the days start to lengthen again in July. I want to plant an area that has been really worked over by our chickens last summer to oats. Enough oats to harvest as hay which will mulch next years tomatoes and capsicums. We also have a dear friend that likes spelt. The seed is sitting here in a bag screaming to be planted and I dream about harvesting the bursting heads next summer and baking a loaf of bread. What a lot I still have to learn!
Helen spreads limestone ready for Mike to spade in. Behind her are the beds of early red garlic that have been mulched with straw.