Ananda Farm goes to Folk Life
Yesterday, Memorial Day, concluded an eventful and engaged 4-day sojourn for Ananda Farm, as first-time vendors at the Folk Life Festival at the Seattle Center. For myself (and others), this was the first experience with Folk Life altogether; an event which has continued since 1972 to be one of the largest free festivals in the world, celebrating music, arts, food and culture from the world over, finding home now in the PNW. This year there is an estimated 250,000 people who attend, 6000 performers (volunteers!), and 800 volunteers. For us as Ananda Farm, the experience was a surprising and joyful one. Only two or three weeks we ago received invitation…
The Spirit of Natural Farming
The Spirit of Natural Farming Recently while walking the farm with a couple visitors (and CSA members, who happen to be two of the greatest supporters of the farm’s ‘prana’ greens and herb mix), one of them said to us, “You need the sign we have at our front door: ‘Ring bell. If no one answers, pull weeds!'” Though we don’t actually have a door bell on the farm house, nor can a person easily make it to the front door without the dogs giving them away, we do have an abundance of weeds! or seen in another way, dense, lush, tall vegetation! I recall times in the passed…
Fall Newsletter – Final week of CSA
Greeting farm friends The seasonal shift is officially upon us. The first order of business: this is indeed the final week of the CSA for 2016. So we want to offer a huge heartfelt thank you to everyone who made the great commitment to grow with us, each and every week this season. We realize it is in fact a great commitment; to be present to pick up your box each week (and hopefully return them?), to be willing to adapt your own kitchen customs, and to support an alternative and still-evolving no-till, yoga-nature farm model. Meanwhile at the farm we are setting the sails to catch the winds of fall, and…
The last farm supper. Farming harmony.
Yesterday, Sat October 1st, we concluded the farm supper season at Ananda, with a final hurrah, a four course farm feast. A mixture of roots (turnips, beets, carrots, potatoes, leeks), leafs (Kale and Basil), Flowers (in the form of brocolli fritters), and fruits (tomatoes, apples, pumpkins, and cucumbers). It’s always fun to welcome friends and newcomers to the farm, and especially to feed them. The supper yesterday was especially sweet, as the seasonal transition forced us to reinvent the backyard summer suppers into the cozy confines of Haven House, candle lit, with about 35 guests and 10 or more farm residents and friends. Paean serenaded us with her violin, and then the rest of the farmily joined her for a song to the…
Burbank and the Blackberry
Burbank and the Blackberry Recently I had the pleasure of being sent a radio and written feature from KUOW here in Seattle, on Luther Burbank and the Himalayan Blackberry. The article reveals the little known fact that the blackberry was actually an experiment by the legendary ‘wizard of horticulture’, Luther Burbank. In fact, he brought this blackberry from the East because of it’s incredible propensity for growth and abundance, like many an eastern export! Yet, we find many a garden clubber, homeowner, farmer, and conservationist alike, a wee bit troubled by this plant and it’s seemingly uninhibited expansion in the landscape. Ultimately, much like Burbank himself, the blackberry lends itself to…
Gandhi’s 3rd Principle of Natural Farming
“Farming is not man’s business, it is his moral duty.” Mahatma Gandhi, Third principle of natural farming. What does farming mean to you? A dictionary definition of farming reads something like “the activity or business of growing crops and raising livestock.” Farming, however, represents much more than crops and business. Agriculture has been at the heart of human activity for the last 10,000 years; with the development of grain and vegetable cultivation, came the development of human culture. Today, agricultural land currently represents over 18 million square miles, or almost 40% of land on the planet. In 1870 America, between 70-80% of the population was employed in agriculture; today, remarkably, that…
2015 Fall-Winter Newsletter
The days feel a little different at the farm. The winds are howling and the rain is falling. Interspersed with Poseidon’s gusts, the clouds part, revealing the deep blue sky and the natural grace of the crisp fall weather. The fog horn can sometimes be heard faintly in the distance of the nearby Saratoga passage. A golden yellow hue decorates the surrounding greenery, as the massive leafs of the Big Leaf Maple dangle and sail in the breeze. The mighty winds and rains of fall provide a sense of normalcy and comfort to the farm, bringing with them more time to slow down, go within, and reset our roots for the future. Greetings farm friends and family,…
Drought, Trees, and Water
Recently there have been many articles relating to NASA’s research and predictions of “mega-droughts” for the American West. See one example from the BBC, here. The ultimate conclusion reached by the scientists states that “The cause of the drying was twofold: reduced precipitation – that is, reductions in rainfall and snowfall; but also increased evaporation, driven by higher temperatures, leading to more parched soils.” Certainly, in California, and even in Washington, where the snow-pack is at record lows right now, and where February has felt more and more like April with each passing day, none can deny the significance of such a report. NASA’s findings of reduced rainfall and…
Ananda Farm Camano Island Winter Reflections
February 2015Newsletter and Reflections Greetings farm friends, 2015 is the beginning of our 3rd year of Ananda Farm on Camano Island (Wow!). We finished up 2014 with successful holiday markets and were able to share a lot of the farm’s herbal care products with a lot of really nice people. And we hear that some of them are really helping people too! Comfrey oil, the farm salve, herbal hydrosols, handmade soap, to name but a few. What a blessing it is to provide for basic needs, for ourselves and a growing community of friends. With another year upon us, more residents are calling the farm home (Welcome Home…
Autumn Update
A Joyful Season The seasonal shift has already begun, and so too at the farm our priorities will begin to change. Last Friday marked the final Port Susan Farmers Market of the 2014 season, with the Camano Island Farmers Market ending a couple weeks ago. We said hello and goodbye to many new familiar faces of customers and vendors whom we’ve gotten to know this year. The connections made were great strides taken towards the community building model we seek and require as a community farm. Fall Garden Prep Workshop We will be offering a hands on workshop on Saturday October 25th 1-4pm, for fall bed prep here at the…
Farming with Spirit!