Blackberries

My name is Natalie Brubaker and I'm a blackberry addict.

Blackberries seem like an infinite treat right now. Each day I eat a ton from a particular section where they are fat and juicy and the next day they reappear as if a berry muncher never stopped by. They are like the thorny bush that keeps on giving.

Mary Alice said that if we wanted to pick blackberries for market we could sell them for $4.50 a pint and keep the proceeds. Now most people outside of the city would see that price and let out a hearty laugh or muffled grunt (depending on their stance in life). They are quite aware that blackberries are a free and infinite resource in their own backyards. Yet people in Victoria may not be so lucky to enjoy blackberries that melt in their mouth whenever the desire finds them. So the city slickers and older folks purchase the blackberries because they don't have the means to pick them...and upon first glance they drool at the chance of indulging in such a joyous occasion of splendor.

So this past Friday, after a long harvest day, I had to dig deep (no pun intended) for the energy to pick a few pints of blackberries. I put on my blackberry garb of several layers and headed straight for my favorite spot: the rock pile. For some reason the blackberries have entirely taken over the rock pile...and out of all the blackberries on the farm these are most certainly the biggest, fattest, most juiciest blackberries...most likely because they are the most dangerous to pick.

There I was, proud of myself for finding the blackberry jackpot. I twisted and turned, balanced and weaved, bent and stretched...and plucked every giant blackberry in sight. Just as I was balancing on a wobbly rock, reaching for the gold, the wind moseyed in. I snickered to see the blackberries bend with the wind, thinking how lucky I was not to have to submit to such a giant force. But I guess the wind was snickering too...or maybe I just lost some weight... because the gust just blew me right over! Of course my reaction was to reach for the nearest thorny branch which came right down with me as I landed bottom side down on a bed of thorns. I looked up just in time to see my bucket of blackberries come pouring down on top of me! I lied there for a good while hoping no one would walk by. The thorns in my bottom brought back not so fond memories of the time I sat on a cactus while peeing on the side of the road in Ecuador.

I slowly got up, eating what blackberries I could save...and peered behind me to see a nice purple blackberry squished bottom. Yeeessshhk! I was about ready to give up, but I just couldn't leave empty handed. That weekend I sold 3 pints! Now that's some serious dough for a poor, purple bottomed, wanna be farmer.

Shhhhh...

I'm talking too much. It is interesting moving to a new place where no one really knows me. No one knows what my life was like back in Atlanta or who I was there. I feel like I can't stop talking about myself...as if the more I tell, the better everyone will know me. It feels like freshman year of college all over again. Everyone wanted to talk. Funny, I didn't realize how comfortable my friendships back home were. How good it feels to be surrounded by people who have spent years laughing, eating, dancing, picnic-ing, drinking, cooking, contemplating, swimming, singing, discussing, music-ing, listening, crying, hugging, secret telling, popcorn eating, organizing, planning, traveling, embarrassing, walking, coffee drinking, camping, art making, partying, and changing by my side. I want everyone here to hurry up and know me! And I want to know them...really know them. That is why I am talking too much. I need to remember that it takes time...lots of time, to feel comfortable in new surroundings. It will happen though, I just need to be patient...and a little quieter...listen.

Is this starting to sound like the beginning symptoms of homesickness? Maybe so. But I'm sure it's just for this week. I'm loving it here.

Trailer Trash

I've been told by a frequent visitor of my blog that I need to post an update. My knitting is taking over my computering!

I spent a good part of Saturday cleaning out the very retro trailer on the farm. This is where I will be moving once I get it cleaned up and colorfied. The problem is that the trailer is REALLY dirty - at least by my standards of clean. I may be a disorganized person...but dirty under disorder is something I do not do. Actually, Mary told me that the trailer is clean compared to how it was left before the previous occupant. Eeek...I don't want to imagine.

I will have the option to live in the farm house or the cob house (really cool space) once Renae and Yoko leave in November. However, I am a cold wimp and it is sounding like the trailer is going to be the warmest option. The problem with the farm house is that it is a very communal space. We all share the kitchen for lunch each day and there are frequent visitors who stay in the guest room and use the kitchen and computer room as well. I like the idea of having my privacy, which the trailer and the cob house both offer. The only issue with the cob house is that it really difficult to keep warm during the winter. There are tons of windows which don't hold the heat at all...and Renae informed me that she would have to get up in the middle of the night to tend to the fire so that she wouldn't have to wake up in freezing morning temperatures. So, seeing as how sleep and warmth are two things I need...and also two things that when absent make me MEAN...I think I should stick with the trailer that is small to heat and has a hot shower.

I am spending my "free time" (which really means my Sundays) scrubbing every nook and cranny. I have plans to recover the seats, do some artwork on the wall, and paint the bedroom section to make it brighter. The entire thing is a fake dark wood...which will surely depress me if I don't liven it up. That's the best thing...I have the leeway to fix it up as I please (within reason) which means that I can really make it my space. It's going to be a haven of color, warmth, and light by the time I'd done with it.

I am going to go attend to this dreadlock that seems to be forming on the right side of my head. I guess that's what I get for not brushing my hair for a week. More to come later...

Soap Making

After market on Saturday - Renae, Yoko, and I made soap! It took us about 5 hours, only because we were not very organized - running off to gather herbs and flowers to add...eating Yoko's miso soup...stopping for pie...building a fire (it was freezing! unbelievable for you hotlanta folks.)

Yoko has made soap many times and was our expert teacher. Safety was key when working with the lye, also known as "caustic soda" - ouch!

The first step was to measure out 3 pounds of water (kind of strange to measure water in pounds), adding the lye slowly to it. Within seconds the water became very hot as the chemical reaction was taking place. While the lye was cooling, we scooped a ton of coconut oil and palm oil into a pot to melt together with 4 pounds of olive oil. The lye needed to cool to around 80 degrees before we could mix it with the oils. In the meantime, Yoko showed Renae and I how to line bread pans and box lids with wax paper...our molds. This was quite the annoying task trying to fold the edges perfectly and not make creases. We used an electric mixer, along with a hand mixer to mix the oils and lye together very thoroughly. We took turns with the hand mixer for about 40 minutes until the liquid became thicker. I believe Yoko added a little grapefruit oil also as a preservative. Once it was ready we quickly divided the mixture up between us and hurried to add our herbs and essential oils of choice. I added tons of dried lavender flowers to one mix, along with some lavender essential oil to make sure it would smell yummy. My second batch I added ground up calendula flowers to the lavender which changed the color and scent a bit. The final step was the most fun...I got to had whole calendula flowers on top as decoration...I liked to prettify. And that was it! A nice cozy way to spend a Saturday evening.

My New Friend

Four year old, Chloe, and her family came to visit the farm the past couple of days. They came all the way from Vancouver to check out the farm and to meet Mary Alice.

Chloe and I hit it off right from the start...and then she wouldn't leave my side. From across the farm she would yell my name "Matalie! Matalie! I picked some potatoes!" or "Matalie! Matalie! Here's a strawberry...it was right next to the reindeer poop!" My favorite line was when she asked me if I have "bras on my boobas." Ha! Oh man, it was great having a little munchkin around...even when she stepped on a head of lettuce and pick a succulent tomato that needed just a bit longer to get bigger.

I guess you would really have to let go of perfection if you were to ever raise kids on a farm or near a garden. The good thing is that they sure don't have a fear of getting dirty!

*I was able to add the rest of my photos to my flikr account. Check them out!

Tomato Seed Saving

The whole point of seed saving is to preserve certain favored traits in a particular crop. If you have one gigantic juicy tomato wouldn't you want to produce tons of gigantic juicy tomatoes? The problem with veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers is that the seeds are within the fruit part that we eat. So when you sell a tomato you are basically selling the seeds along with it. This is why Mary Alice has mandated that we save ALL of the seeds of any tomato we plan to eat or cook with. As we all know, tomatoes have the gooey outer covering that is nearly impossible to remove. There are four ways to get rid of the tough outer coating of tomato seeds:

• Stratifying - freezing the seeds
• Scarifying - blending the seeds
• Chickens - digesting the seeds and pooping them out. Yum!
• Fermentation

The farm usually uses the fermentation method to remove the outer coating.

Tomato Seed Saving

1. Cut the tomato in wedges opening up each chamber (or carpel if you want to get technical).
2. Scrape the seeds into a plastic cup. Make sure to label the variety!!!
3. Cut out any bad parts and add it to the seeds. It is good to have some pulp in the mix because the sugars in the pulp aid in the fermentation.
4. Add a little water.
5. Cover the seeds with a labeled coffee filter for ventilation.
6. Let the seeds sit for 4-5 days until the mold starts to from. It is good to swirl the seeds around every once and a while.
7. Once the fermentation has happened, strain out the pulp.
8. Fill the cup with water. The non-viable seeds float and the viable ones sink.
9. Gently pour the out the water, along with the non-viable seeds. Pour the rest through the strainer.
10. Rest the strainer on a towel to absorb excess water.
11. Spread the seeds out to dry on a paper plate. Don't forget to label the plate also!

That's it! You don't have to buy tomato seeds again! The only problem is that it makes cooking with tomatoes much much longer....

Baby Chicks

We have 15 baby chicks that hatched yesterday! I must say, they are pretty cute...even for a non animal lover. And they will stay cute as long as they stay away from me. Actually, this is a ridiculous fear that I really need to get over...but if they peck at me, walk on me, or flap their wings at me - it's over!

Yoko did a wonderful job taking care of the brooding hen...making sure she was comfortable and not stressed out. I think the last brooding hen pecked the eggs to pieces. But! With Yoko's close care there was a 100% success rate. Now the hope is that they are all females...so that we can eventually have more eggs for market. The first step is to name them all feminine names and keep our fingers crossed.