Author: Horton Road Organics

Hello all!

So far, September has been a beautiful month here on the farm. Our harvest has shifted a bit as the seasons change and summer makes way for fall. Certain crops are no longer bearing fruit, new crops are ready that weren’t before, and we are still waiting on some storage crops, like squash. This is my favorite time of year; I love the way the light changes with the leaves and the feeling on the wind. We have spent much of September in rain gear, and though water falling from the sky is an incredible gift, today it is sunny and warm and I feel grateful for that.

For much of my life I have kept a watchful and loving eye on the moon, each phase filling me with lessons and ancient memory. Each full moon is special to me, but this September full moon, the Harvest Moon, that we had on the 13th, was especially dear to me, for all day, I harvested. My wish is that these words remind you of the circular way of the Earth and her seasons, and that you feel a love for this planet and all of the friends we have here: the wind, the rain, the moon, the harvest.

Lily

 

 

Lily Hanson is an apprentice this year at Horton Road. She was born and raised in Bend, OR and enjoys expressing herself through art. When she isn’t at the farm it is likely you will find her by the river with her guitar.

With all this rain and mud clubs for feet, my mind has been traveling back in time to our first couple of weeks here at Horton Road. The fields were practically flooded and the paths were tall with grass. Our kitchen was the only place with some amount of warmth and our days started late (9 AM that is). Our eyes were filled with newness and our minds hungry for knowledge. The birds sang long into the morning and the summer solstice was upon us. All of these things feel as if they were yesterday. Now the fields are swallowed in produce and the paths are worn and beaten. The kitchen is the coolest place on the farm, in my opinion, and our days started as the sun rises. Our eyes could be closed as we move though work for our muscles know the movements and patterns. The birds have long passed and now we watch the leaves fall from the ash trees. Colors are changing and we are too.

I remember my first week here and all of us apprentices sitting in the kitchen with Bill. So vividly do I remember him saying, “It all goes by in a blink, so absorb as much of it as you can.” My reaction was disbelief. But now I write to all of you in the longing for longer moments here or to hear the birds sing their spring songs again. I don’t believe I would change anything that has happened, but as this time here comes to a close, part of me wishes to relive it again.

 

Erika Vu

A young woman, from Bend, Oregon, who is changing and growing with the seasons.

One of the major motivators that took me from the studios and theaters of New York to a farm in Oregon is the urge to take part in something that was on the positive side of environmental impact.

This is what led me to do the plastic free July challenge. This is also what had me so engaged when i read this article on climate change and farming from February.

As Awareness Grows About Food’s Role In Climate Change, What Solutions Exist?

I appreciated the varied perspectives in the experts invited to take place in this roundtable.

They highlight farming as the source of around 30 percent of greenhouse gasses produced, and point out that despite this, there has been little focus from mainstream media and environmental organizations on agriculture as a sector to focus on when addressing climate change.
The main reasons agriculture produces greenhouse gasses are: deforestation, methane emission from cattle and rice fields, and nitrous oxide from overusing fertilizers.

I have been thinking a lot about deforestation since reading this article, and thoughts on deforestation and its environmental impact have come back up recently because of the fires in the Amazon that have been in the news recently. One of the experts in the roundtable lists deforestation in Brazil and Indonesia to be of the greatest concern for global carbon emissions, and the decisions of the current Brazilian president to be of the greatest concern. It seems in recent weeks that his worries were prescient.

The Civil Eats article mentions a program in India called Zero Budget Natural Farming, which encourages farmers to use compost instead of chemical fertilizers, saving them money, while giving the side benefit of helping the environment.

There is cause for hope, as we have collectively become more aware of the environmental impact of our food choices.

This is one of a whole series of roundtables on food that this website (which to be honest i had not been previously aware of) is doing for their 10th anniversary.

In July they talked about the rapid growth of the organic food industry, and August focuses on the labor aspect of the food industry, both in restaurants and on farms.

After 10 Years of Rapid Growth, What Does Organic Mean Today?

 

I appreciate these looks at the broader system within which i am working here on the farm. It’s sometimes easy to just put my head down, focus on the daily routine of planting, weeding and harvesting here on the farm. But going to the farmers markets or the grocery store, or reading the news, I am reminded again of the broader picture and broader focus of what i am doing here, and what it means for the future of the planet to be growing food in a small scale, organic, sustainable way.

 

Amanda is a New Yorker at heart who relocated to Oregon a year ago to try her hand at farming.

Oh how the time is moving. So quickly. So slowly. Somehow simultaneously. We are in the depths of the season, with many crops ready to harvest,and  more weeds to pull than ever. Persistemce. The days are growing shorter, and fall is beginning to show her presence in the most subtle of ways. In the last few weeks I have begun to notice many crickets and grasshoppers that weren’t with us before. They have been making beautiful music at night. The flowers we planted on the summer solstice are in full bloom. The occasional heron flight over head, the raven songs, the deer calls at night. These are how I will remember August.

Lily

Lily Hanson is an apprentice on Horton Road this year. She loves to express herself through art. When she isn’t farming it is likely you will find her by the creek with her guitar.

Greetings everyone, Erika here! The majority of you receive a CSA box from us and I believe it’s important to bridge the uncover the mystery of who or how these boxes are created.

Without a harvest, there would be nothing in your boxes. Here we are in our beloved barn field cutting salad.

Here is one of the stations for packing the box. Potatoes are weighed by yours’ truly!

This is where the boxes begin to take physical form! They are sprayed, constructed and papered before they are filled with lush vegetables.

Every week myself and one other apprentice creates these boxes for y’all. For the next month, Lily will be helping me. This means your boxes are packaged with songs and laughter.

Lastly, here is the final product (minus the green onions). I’m always joking that configuring the placement of vegetables is like being a CSA interior designer. There are many forms and “rough draft” boxes before we find ourselves content.

Thank you for reading and I hope this provides some insight to our life here on the farm.

Blessings and love,

Erika

 

Erika is a young woman who was born and raised in Oregon. With the desire to touch the Earth with care, she has found herself farming.