We scurried around cleaning up the barn for Monday’s overnight guests soon to arrive from Boston. Alongside our note welcoming our guests we placed a farm-grown calla lily in a bud vase, (harvested from our “living machine”, grey water system in the greenhouse).
Eventually we learned that one guest had run the Boston marathon and was within 7 minutes of the finish when the bomb went off and that his wife and daughter had been
waiting for him near the finish when the bombs went off. We were pleased that we had found a simple flower on our farm during this season of mud that day. And one that symbolizes, among other things, rebirth and resurrection.
We wish we could send everyone in Boston a flower.
And we are glad that our farm serves as an everyday retreat and that this day we could offer a dose of time with the goat kids, their bounce exuding promise or a chance to witness the male woodcocks Spring mating ritual in the back fields, demonstrating marathon-like stamina. Or just a simple farm-fresh meal and a cozy night tucked in the barn loft.
As the snow melted away we turned our attention to the Elderberries in the swales. Water swamps this low area as seasonal springs gush and our swales established by Ben Falk and Whole Systems Design enable us to hold the wealth of that water and keep plants safe from the inundation. However, the hens ran through this area just as the snows arrived and they had scratched up the soil around these shallow-rooted shrubs. So before the Spring sun scorches the tender roots we did a quick weed, provided seasonal amendments and tucked the ‘elders’ back in under compost, chip and a blanket of burlap.
Meanwhile, with the tutelage of Chef Lee Duberman, the Green Mountain Girls made exciting progress preparing stocks and glace de viande! Modern life leaves many without the time to create the flavors of our grandmothers’ kitchens or French country dishes. We are happy to take some of the bones saved when we sent trim for sausage and capture that flavor for you. Beyond flavor, the slow simmer of these bones releases incredible nutrition and healing properties, which it seems we all need.
Along with a calla lily, we wish we could send nourishing soups as well to those in pain.