Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Insects' presence, diversity, and behavior provide real-time feedback on the health of the entire system. ~Jay Drysdale Dear Reader Waking to misty mornings and birdsong, I’ve already forgotten the still quiet of falling snow. I've also lost track of how I filled those dark winter days. It’s difficult to imagine, with these abundant days, exactly how I spent my time. That is the nature of seasons: when you are in the midst of one, it's difficult...
11 days ago • 4 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. I used to think farming was about growing food, now I think farming is about growing soil and habitat, and food is what happens when you do that well. ~Jay Drysdale Dear Reader As chilly and often grey May folded into June's warmth, affirmative answers to my many questions arrived. Yes, those gorgeous white beans from Transylvania did germinate and are now climbing up the trellis. Yes, the new potato variety is flourishing in the high tunnel,...
18 days ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. The most terrifying thing is to accept oneself completely.― C.G. Jung Dear Reader In these final weeks of spring leading up to the summer solstice, she is showing me all she can be. She teases with nighttime temperatures that plummet and send me scurrying to cover the garden beds and then the next day rolls out her own blanket of sultry heat. Hanging so thick in the air, you are certain the near frost was a fever dream. She is the gift of...
25 days ago • 2 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Wandering re-establishes the original harmony which once existed between man and the universe. ~Anatole France Dear Reader After three sticky, sultry days that left no room for breath, I awoke Thursday to brisk air with wind gusts rustling the tender young foliage. The 48-degree temperature and cloudy skies were an invitation to bundle once again and prepare for a morning meander. There hasn't been much of that this season, and it seemed high...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water. Loran Eisley Dear Reader Constraints do indeed feed ingenuity and creativity, yet removing those barriers can often unleash a storm of ideas. That is exactly what I experienced on Friday as pumped water flowed onto the Gemmo Forest land. A working irrigation system was and is a cause for great celebration as options open up and potential expands. It was the hands-on skill of volunteers...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Learn character from trees, values from roots, and change from leaves. ~Tasneern Harneed Dear Reader We first arrived at our New Hampshire home in late November as an ice storm brewed. As I made a cursory tour of the cold and empty house, I noted the outline of a tree that filled the kitchen window. In the morning, upon closer inspection, it was added to the list of Things Needing Immediate Repair. As those first days unfolded, that original...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. When you look at a forest, you think you’re looking at a static thing, but what you’re looking at is this incredible cycle. ~Suzanne Simard Dear Reader As April gives way to the first mild days of May, I’ve watched the Red Oak that frames our living room window dress herself for the spring festivities. Standing bare to me and the world from November through May, she dominated my view. Now, dressed in green, she simply fades into the increasing...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. We all have preferences. I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose, I would always greet it in a garden. ~Ruth Stout Dear Reader On our nightly walk up the boarding road, Joachim and I often review the day, sharing highlights and challenges. Deep into our discussion, a movement in the woods to the left caught our attention. Pausing both walk and conversation and scanning the overgrowth, we, at the same time, tracked a set of blue eyes...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
Want to read this email on the web? Click here. Cultivate the root; the leaves and branches take care of themselves. ~Confucius Dear Reader A month ago, I planted 12 lovage seeds. It would be my third seasonal attempt. The first two times, the story was the same. I tapped the seeds into soil blocks and patiently counted down fourteen days, then twenty-one days, and eventually gave up. The soil blocks were then repurposed for more "cooperative seeds". The problem was that I really wanted to...
2 months ago • 3 min read