A Return to Firewood

Collecting firewood was a novelty when we first moved here over ten years ago.

It was an opportunity to spend some time in the forest, exploring and hunting for dry wood.

Running a chainsaw was a new experience, and splitting wood by hand for the stove made me feel like a real woodsman.

Each year I would find new ways of getting the wood in.

We bought an old tractor at the end of our first year and put it to work hauling wood.

It pulled a trailer, a dolly, and eventually, just the whole logs.

Each year it took less time to do, and I thought I had everything all sewn up.

But we grew.

And growing means adding more to the chore list.

Firewood could be done after all the the other jobs.

So it fell to the bottom of the list.

And then it didn't get done in time.

A wet Fall and rutted trails meant that the job wasn't so easy anymore.

The standing dead trees and dry windfall had all been harvested.

Splitting wood by hand still made me feel like a woodsman,

but with a sore back.

Last year was by far the worst.

The time we set aside for firewood was taken up by making a living to pay the bills.

A hard choice for sure.

So we gathered our wood using snowshoes and sleigh throughout the Winter.

Last Winter was pretty tough.

I vowed to never let the firewood lapse again.

But I did,

until the very last minute.

Two very large windfall Ash trees, and a back route to our woodlot saved us.

And so far, this Winter has been merciful.

We have firewood.

I only hope it is enough.

In truth, the firewood novelty has yet to wear off.

Spending time in the forest gathering fuelwood is still a beautiful experience.

It's honest labour that you can feel really proud of at the end of the day.

Especially if there's a big pile of wood to show for it.

Fuel is of such tremendous importance on the homestead.

Using our own woodlot means that we are directly responsible for our heating fuel.

There's no calling the utility company or turning up the thermostat.

It's one of the few acts of self-sufficiency that we can manage on our fledgling homestead.

Having said that, we need to reset our priorities.

Our Winter fuelwood needs to get done sooner than it has been.

Working for money can wait.

I need to get out into the forest.

Peanut Butter Spelt Cookies with Chocolate Chips

 

 

 

 

Peanut butter spelt cookies with chocolate chips.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter

3/4 cup sucanat or coconut sugar

1 duck egg

1 1/4 cup light spelt or while spelt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 375

In a stand mixer, beat until smooth the butter, peanut butter, egg, and sugar.

Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Spoon onto a cookie sheets and bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Heart of Farming

Spelt and Einkorn

There are two worlds of field crop agriculture.
The mainstream agroindustrial system, and everything else.
They blend at the edges, but also show clear divisions.

Conventional farms belong to a well managed supply and distribution web.
The business formula and methodology is spelled out with assurance and backed by government ministry.
Typical crops include field corn, soybeans, wheat, and some oats and barley.
Corn and soy overshadow everything else; significantly.
Virtually all field crops are used to feed livestock.

Farms are well connected to a predictable distribution chain.
Farmers are well connected to seed companies and government guidance.
It's a well oiled, and tightly controlled system.

Spelt

Then there are the others. 

Typically organic or biodynamic, they are run by those who farm on the margin.

Unconventional in many ways, these farms struggle to find their place.

Alternative methods and crop choices divide these farmers from the readily accepted norm.

Information is scarce.

Support is thin.

And the market is elusive.

Most often, these are the reformists.

The dreamers; driven by passion.

Outliers overshadowed by an infinity of conformity.

Swather

Operating outside of the system often means greater risk.

The incentives are elusive and failure is only one twist of fate away.

Crop yields are lower when you're farming using sustainable methods.

The soil is heart and soul, not simply a growing medium.

Alternative endeavours are usually small scale ventures.

Minimal capital means working with outdated and weary equipment.

It means scavenging for unwanted machines, cast away by the modern conventional farms.

There is no manual.

The neighbouring farms may be disdainful.

Government agents indifferent.

Friends and family, skeptical.

Volunteer Buckwheat

Dreams

Passion 

Commitment

Foresight

Hope

Selflessness

Tenacity

Self Determination

Vision

Empowerment

Resilience

Our blessing is to be given the opportunity to work with these people.
We play a role in making connections and offering support where we can.
And by promoting agricultural systems that will be strong and lasting throughout generations.

The real reward is the challenge of agricultural reform,
and the hope that comes along with it.
We draw strength from the passion of others.

Farming has always been known for heartbreak and failure.

There is a great deal of burden.

Not everyone survives.

The problem is that food is a commodity.

The farmer's livelihood depends on the the whims of the marketplace,

and the ebb and flow of crop yields.

Wisdom, knowledge and hard work alone are not enough to weather the market system.

When crops are good, prices drop.

When there is failure, precious few prosper.

This is true of both agricultural worlds.

But that is the past.

And so it should be.

Undeterred by the obstacles, more and more people dream of meeting the challenge of farming.

Young families, seasoned workers, retired professionals, all disenchanted with the status quo, 
looking for change,

looking for more.

And there is more.

I have seen it.

In the hard won successes.

In the face of adversity.

In the people who forge their own destiny.

In the field.

In the heart.

Ripening Buckwheat

And what about you?