We've had an amazing late Spring, that is up 'til now.  Not that the future is interminably bleaky, it just looks that way on the NOAA weather website.  We've all been out in the garden taking full advantage of the weather up until now and have gotten most of the garden under control in terms of weeds, seeding, transplanting, and of course, making it bigger and better than last year.  Jason put it a big new garden patch and filled it up (almost) with potatoes, with a long row of hot peppers on the side.
Michael has been getting in touch with our farming friends east of the Cascades and it's been confirmed; Summer will happen, fruit will ripen, we will bring it west to fill our fruit stand for the 13th year with amazing Washington sunshine packed inside drippy, sweet berries, stone fruit, melons, pears and apples.
I've just finished moving this website from SFC, where it was born and lived for the last 1+ year, to Weebly where, as far as I can tell, it will live forever more.  It looks different, isn't as sophisticated as before; you can't send in order forms, per se, for your poultry or meat or csa membership or winter subscription, but you can still get those things ordered from the site via our contact form.
Iris continues her gardening education, becoming an ever more adept weeder, plus planting seed and helping to transplant "little baby plants" in her spare time.  She also knows how to manage the operating end of her shovel and rake to help sift soil and scoop up weeding piles for the compost.
Jen's busy season is on with her day job teaching the masses about the importance of environmental awareness for the health of our bodies and our planet, and how to make better decisions about the products we choose to buy for cleaning our homes, taking care of our bodies and managing our yards and gardens for weeds and pests.
Whew!  What a busy household!
Today we're stewing chicken and kidney beans on the woodstove for dinner and staying inside.  Thank You Gaia for the showers!

Jeannine

Posted 2/24/2013 by Jeannine
This was the scene at Madrona Grove's Summer Fruit Stand at Building Earth Farm in December of 2011; a great photo taken by a neighbor on her morning walk.  Now it's February 2013.  We've made it through the deepest, darkest aspects of Winter; this year without any snow to speak of.  Daffodils and crocus are starting to pop up everywhere; buds are swelling on trees and shrubs and Spring pushes past the chill and dark of Winter to offer us markers of Summer's promise.  We're still eating last Summer's fruit from the pantry and freezer; ever grateful for the amazing bounty that comes to us from Eastern Washington fruit farmers, and dreaming those warm dreams of fresh berries, cherries, apricots...and so the list of deliciousness begins.  Snuggle in against the lingering frosty bite and dream your own warm dreams of Summer; we'll be seeing you soon!

Posted 1/11/2013 11:32pm by Jen

Cold

Dark

Still

The farm feels like we all seem to feel this near the darkness of winter’s solstice.  Solstice means to stand still. We hold our breaths. 

Waiting for what comes next.  Also we are dreaming of new.  Something fresh that still lies deep in slumber. 

The liminal space between inhale and exhale holds us tenderly. We wonder for a moment that breathe will indeed fill again.

So much trusting.

The potential.  Promises we make from a place of untested hope.  

After the holidays are complete, winter is simply winter again.  Dark. Cold. Still. 

The farm feels just like us.

Posted 10/16/2012 12:39pm by Jeannine Anderson

I don't always have the time or energy to make regular postings during the fruit season; here's one I thought shouldn't be missed.  Like Fire and Fruit, it speaks to the hard work of growing food:

Sleeping in our van in the parking lot at Rest A While Fruitstand.  This farm was owned by Bill and Lois Woods when we first started buying the fruit from here.  Their son Tim and his wife Connie also worked here; Tim in the summer months when he was off from teaching school in Brewster, and Connie in the fruitstand bakery creating recipes for all of the fabulous fruit coming in from the trees.  The Woods’ had to relocate here after their original farm was flooded by the Columbia River when the Azwell Wells Dam went in.  There used to be a photo in the stand of Bill and his Grandfather on that farm; Grandpa was driving the tractor, pulling toddler Bill along in his wagon.

Tim inspired his father to change the farm over the years, working with integrated pest management, then replacing old standard packing house fruit varieties with a more diverse, delicious selection of seasonal fruit from apricots, to cherries, to early peaches, mid-season peaches, late peaches, nectarines, heirloom and gourmet apple varieties.  Now the farm belongs to Amy Wu and this year she got her organic certification.  Thanks to the Woods' and Amy Wu for keeping this farm alive and producing amazing summer fruit!

How much work goes into the fruit on our tables? How much struggle, love, devotion, perseverance?  How often do these questions come to you as you enjoy the bright, fresh flavor of summer sunshine as it fills your palate and drips down your elbow?

Sleeping here at the farm, listening to the wind toss the tree branches, knowing that there is fruit hanging on those branches, being tossed as well, it’s easy to get a sense of what it takes.  How much?  Only the farmers really know how many hours they spend listening to the weather as it rangles their crops around with wind, rain, hail, drought.  They are the ones clocking the hours for pruning, tending, chasing birds; driving fans around the orchards to blow rain of the cherries; watching crops rot on trees from lack of pickers or lack of a price worth paying for the crop to be picked; counting and reporting the number of trees destroyed by unseasonable weather; waiting for the packing houses to pay for the fruit they send them.  Only they know the frustration that comes with raising the best crops they can just to have those packers demand a lower price for their efforts.  What Michael and I do gives us a small glimpse into their realities, and we in turn share our stories with our customers, because we want them to have a small glimpse as well.  We hope it expands their appreciation of the food they get through us, from those farmers who are willing to share the products of their efforts with us.

Think about the food you eat, while you eat it.  Consider the number of hands, hours, resources that goes into producing it.  Do you know where it comes from, how it was grown and by whom?  Do you know that the farmer that grows your favorite old timey apples comes from a family of farmers that stretches back 6, 8, 10 generations?  Do you know how rare that is, and how crazy (I mean truly insane) it is that such a thing is a rarity?

I find myself thinking about the Bullet Tree boys in Belize and their wisdom: “Jah provides, but life is work and work is life.  Ya mon. Inspiration, more time. Yaaaa!”

Over the last nearly three weeks, Washington has been on fire in the East from lightening strikes that ignited over 60 locations in one night.  Driving up the Columbia for fruit has been a surreal experience these last two trips as tens of thousands of acres of forest and sage lands go up in smoke so thick the Sun's vital warmth can barely make it to trees and ground to provide the finishing heat needed for melons, apples and pears to reach their sweetest potential.  Again, I am amazed and what every farmer or gardener faces from the elements, still managing to provide food enough to create the bounty we are used to seeing in our home pantry, local farmer's markets and grocery stores.

It's always good to remember just what it takes to put food on our tables, and to offer a silent, or very loud, thanks to the people who work day to day to grow it up out of the ground, full of nutrients and flavor, for the good of our bodies, minds and spirits.  And to the people who work tirelessly to protect as much of our wild lands, property and persons from the fury of nature's flames.

We're only a week away from our last day for the season and while I'm still hoping for more sunshine to soak my bones, seeing it rain on the burning East would be sweet relief for the people, animals, trees and land there, and I would be grateful for that even more so.

We are still eating peaches and melons.  Fresh apples and pears have just started coming in.  Still the sweetness of summer lingers.   We'll be celebrating the season next Tuesday with refreshments from 4:00 - 7:00 pm.  Stop by and join us!

Posted 9/18/2012 10:49pm by Jeannine Anderson
These lingering Summer days are gently easing us into Fall and beyond.  It’s hard to think about the shorter, darker days of Winter, but let me carry you there for just a moment to remind you that it’s time to consider signing up for the Winter Box Subscription.  Once a month we’ll do our best to pack up some sunshine and sweet breezes to send you home with.  From winter storage fruits, veggies and nuts ripened in our own Washington sunshine to California citrus and tender veggies to other exotic treats from the tropics around this beautiful globe, you’ll get a bright taste of sunshine sweetness blended with the hearty goodness of Fall and Winter coziness; all a tasty reminder of the long, warm days of Summers to come.  To top it all off, you’ll get a selection of food items including baked goods and cheeses from local producers.  It’s a food present you give yourself to put an extra bright spot into each month from November to March. 

Registration for the Winter Box Subscription closes on October 21, 2012.  Participation is limited and provided on a first come first served basis.

You can find out more about the Winter Box on our website: www.farmandfruitstand.com, or send us an email at madronagrove@farmandfruitstand.com.

Enough with winter thoughts, now step away from the computer and get back out in that sunshine while it lasts!  I’m going to!

Posted 6/17/2012 11:17pm by jen.

My plan to blog here weekly hit a little snafu called, May.  May is a thriving, jiving, busy, busy time for farmers and their crew.  My off-farm work gets filled up with spring events, the garden begins to burst in colors of green on green and the need to get all of the warm crops planted is immediate.  Beans are planted on their incredible trellis, peas tangle up the vines in their incredible spiraling lushness and the tomatoes have been planted in their houses of green.  Peppers, cukes, and even melons bring us to June. 

 It’s inspiring to see how much gets done when people can put most of their focus to it – this is not me personally, mind you, but the Mandersons, Jason and Iris have a roving crew of dedicated garden helpers, of which I am thankfully and whole heartedly a part.  I am thrilled to get to do some weeding, wheelbarrowing, watering, and more weeding while the masterminds rotate each plant family, time the seeds just so, and stay two steps ahead of the calendar.  I walk the garden each evening in utter amazement- how can it be strikingly more beautiful than last year, and that more brilliant than the one in its wake?  I know it’s the bias of the present moment but it doesn’t feel like a stretch to call it a miracle.  A miracle that feeds us salad every night of the week.  Last week granted us spinach and cabbage to form the basis of several seasonal specialties  This week the mesclun mix reaches harvestable height and arugula that seeded itself throughout the greens turns beans into verdant hummus, spicy and rich. 

 June has been wet but long hours of light keep the plants healthy.  I wouldn’t want to try and grow the nightshades (tomatoes, peppers) without season extending hoop houses.  They need protection from Junuary’s wind and rain, and may very well need it again on chilly days in September and October. Although, we do have several hearty cherry tomatoes planted in the field that are flowering and bushing out.  I am not bragging (maybe a tiny) but can you believe we are still eating last year’s tomatoes?!  We froze enough sauce to last our pasta, pizza-loving souls for a seeming eternity!  Or at least until late-August when we begin again.

 An entire day awaits me tomorrow without leaving the farm plans.  Amazing how rare that can seem - I want to get my hands dirty and feel it in my arms (just a little bit!) tomorrow night.  Now that Iris is nearly three, mama gets to get her garden on and I am loving it.  The song of birds, the wind in the trees, the plants joyous all around, hey, I already called it a miracle, how much more profound can it get?!

 Thank you to everyone sending in deposits!  We don’t even realize we are holding our breath until the confirmations begin to roll in – well, Jason realizes it more acutely – he gets kind of lightheaded!  The groundedness and gratitude in receiving allows us to trust and BREATHE as we get to keep on doing what we love – growing the best food we can for YOU!  AND US!

The fruit stand opens SOON!  It must be summer…

Posted 5/17/2012 1:44am by jen.

Here I am, publically marking the timing of the first tinges of overwhelm as they sneakily creep in.  Always hoping to postpone it but being caught up in its tendrils in random moments.  A quiet shower to realize how far behind on marketing we are, as May’s operations quickly surpass winter’s planning. 

This winter was filled with planning as we created a farm business plan for our farm.  This labor of love has been so much work and clocking in at 20 pages is an impressive road map for the farm and life we are creating.  I will share more of the specifics in the introduciton pages soon as I figure out how to paste it in there!

 I love May –Love it!  Coat-less and peeking over the edge of summer’s green hill.  It is always a wild ride around here!  Careening down that hill while Cramming in as much fun as possible.  The real challenge is making everything fun – digging in the new garden beds, planting tiny seeds of hope and faith, grateful to May’s sun for creating watering chores, barbecuing last summer’s bounty, eating the last of 2011’s preserves, beach combing, hot afternoons in the cool forest, sand box castles, bicycle/tricycle rides and honestly, the list of play and chores goes on and on.  This is May. Turkeys in the brooder, pigs and lambs ripening in the field and on the verge of hundreds of peeping chicks.  Fresh and fanciful salads lighten us all up as surely as the promise of summer lends its energy.  The sunshine is the anecdote to overwhelm.

 Welcome to another glorious farming season!

 Posted 5/10/2012 1:54am by Jen.
I am living a lifelong dream.  Tonight a celebration of many (including my own daughter) danced the May pole on my own land.  Our own land, really, because land can never be singular.  There is always community associated with land.  It really is the land of the future generations.  May they live to plant maypoles and pole beans.  May they burn a fire and squeal like giddy children when the moon rises through purple and blue.  May they live in a strong healthy community of ages and sages, wise men and crones.

And so it is.

Another dream lived and living– to create a community and family with like minded, creative, curious, food-growing souls.  The gratitude for all of this is held in the pole – a lightening rod of universal abundance and forthright calm.

Another dream lived and living – a women’s circle of shining faces and happy kiddos.  Grandmothers joining our circle, easy conversations and shared appreciation to know and reflect each other’s beauty.

The pole was erected in the center pasture.  In sight and smell of the lambs, chickens, and pigs.  Surrounded by forest on the perimeter, on the leeward side of the garden.  Songs sang as the dance undulated were discordant but joined in laughing melody.  The ribbons were cut and tied pieces of fabric with story and patterns diverse as birthday clowns and ladybug spotted mushrooms. 

The little ones tried to hang on but it was the adults meeting eye to eye – not following instructions but still creating the patterns of a weave.  A joined intention for peace across the land, our land, all land...

Every person’s hands helped bring it together and now it stands, sentinel at Building Earth Farm.  Thank you, Divine.  We are humbled by your inspiration and power.  May we all live our dreams.  May all beings in all worlds know happiness, may all beings in all worlds know peace.

And so it is.

Posted 5/2/2012 11:46pm by Jen.

Spring may be the finest farm season - fluffy baby chicks, leaping lambs, pettable piglets...Everyone (including the farmers) so fresh and perky still.  I heard a farmer recently describe the approach of the summer season as trying to outrun the weight of the farm - soon it will be sitting on top of you.  In the spring, everything feels manageable, you are still in front of it, nothing on top of you although the list of chores grows as surely as the peas poke through amended soil, tomatoes find larger pots, and everyday brings new wonders.

The intention of the blog is to keep you connected with the farm - if you have questions, ask 'em.  Something you've always wondered, let us know!