Ananda Farm no-till community-grain-growing experiment
Ananda Farm no-till community-grain-growing experiment – This Saturday, April 26, 11 am – 4 pm Lunch served at 1 pm ($5) The first annual community grain sowing happens this Saturday at the farm on Camano Island What is this for? To prepare seed beds and sow grains and chickpeas at the farm for the 2014 season. Why? Last year we began the exploration of no-till grain growing, with Barley, Oats, Quinoa and Rye. No till means no tractor and thus no disruption to the life in the soil, and no dependence on oil. The goal is sustainability as a farm and community, and cultivating uplifted consciousness in our farming methods.…
Spring Garden Tour and House Blessing
Enjoy Lunch and Tour the Farm Sunday March 16th Vegetarian Lunch at 1:00pm @ Haven Place Haven House Blessing @ 2:15pm Garden Tour at 2:30pm Parking @ 732 Haven Place, Camano Island Directions Spring is Coming… The plants have gone dormant for the winter, but we haven’t! Help us welcome our second spring here on Camano Island. Come view transformations in the landscape, meet new animals, see the first plants of the year, and enjoy lunch with friends. Walk about the Farm… We love working out here with Mother Nature and are looking forward to sharing with you! See for yourself where this year’s fruits, vegetables, and herbs will grow. We’ll…
Winter 2014 Update
I do believe Nivritti will begin moving in this weekend? I do know from going inside the Haven house that it has been painted! Haven Green House raised beds have been constructed on both sides. Today we began filling the base layer with wood from the arborist, Doug. He has volunteered to come by this week or next to prune with us the handful of fruit trees on the Haven side. These didn’t produce much fruit this year, and are badly overgrown, so it will be another good experience to see how we can reshape the trees back into production. Larger prunings can be used for cooking wood stock-pile (which…
Alpacas!
We have four new residents at Ananda Farms Camano. Left to right they are Vermeer, Pascal, Toulouse and Hobbes, all male alpacas. We will have two female alpacas moving in soon. Their job is to eat grass, manifest organic fertilizer, and grow fleece. They will be sheared in the spring for their own comfort. So as to not waste a thing, we’ll turn that fleece into roving or yarn that can be used to create beautiful fabric and garments.
Open House August 10
Join us for our first open house, August 10, 10 am to 3 pm. We will have tours and samples, nature activities and food and herb processing demonstrations. All free – all are welcome! Click here for directions, or set your GPS to 749 Tycory Lane, Camano Island, WA.
Lavender Hydrosol for burns
One of the products being produced at Ananda Farms Camano is lavender hydrosol, using lavender grown on the farm. This preparation is very effective in preventing kitchen burns and treating sunburn. Lavender Hydrosols are made by distilling Lavender flowering stalks. Distillation converts the volatile liquid (the essential oils) into a vapor and then condenses the vapor back into a liquid – it is the most popular, and cost effective method in use today to produce essential oils and hydrosols. Literally all of the commercial products of lavender hydrosols have extracted the lavender essential oil so only the water portion is left. By contrast, the process Sara, Joanne and Hailey are using at…
A Great Success!
A big thank you to all those who turned up to help with the farm activities on Sunday, from Lynnwood to Bellingham (Dave and Marylin) and out to Whidbey Island (Krishnapriya). Many hands lead the lavender harvesting charge and processing, too (Sadie, Chandi, Betty, and many others), leaving the entire house smelling of divine essences. Bundles hang on the walls drying, and bowls filled with flower trimmings await honey infusion. Hailey will be joined again today for more processing activities. Randa lead the kitchen charge, creating delicious lemonade, farm salad, and a fresh Tabouli salad that warranted 3 servings on such a hot day. Dakshina supplied the farm with much…
Healing Gardens
Now is the time to visit the healing gardens on the Ananda Farms at Camano,Island. I had the pleasure to visit on Saturday to help Hailey and Zack during the Saturday harvest. Something touched me so deeply when Zack talked about the harmony, how they planted certain combinations together, and the ancient ways of the Native Americans. It was so moving. I could resonate on the deeper truth of his wisdom while we picked. We didn’t even touch the surface of the bounty that lays in this land. It felt like each plant was raising up sweetly as a choir,in joyful service to us. Then the next day after service,…
Farming with Spirit!