Week 4, Fall 2024

Sharing this update later than usual because it’s been such a full week of farm events, travels, and explorations! Wishing a gentle evening for readers near and far. 

Monday, September 23

We <3 Wisconsin 

Woke up mummified in a heap of blankets on a grassy knoll in Wisconsin, decorated with morning dew and berry bushes. I wandered the forests of Acacia’s childhood home and drank in views of the valleys and ridges surrounding us.

Acacia and I stopped on the way home to collect soil samples for a future basalt-related project at Iyabo Farms. We met one of the owners and pet their gentle cows. Back at the farmhouse, we hung up the damp tents and sleeping bags around the living room and ate leftover soup. Feeling sleepy (despite many car naps) and content with this long weekend. Looking forward to the weeks to come.

Sunday, September 22

It rained overnight, which created a small pond within the yurt (I fell into the small pond within the yurt) and drove us inside the barn for coffee and pancakes. The pancakes had pawpaw fruit inside! We packed up our soggy camping gear and parted ways, one car heading home and the other two heading north, to Acacia’s family in the Driftless wilds of Wisconsin. Can you guess which strange animal we spotted on the way? * Once arrived, we clambered through the bushes into a stunning ravine full of moss, bones, and minerals. Acacia showed us how to identify autumn olives, wild grapes, and sumac on her family’s land. Ella built a bonfire and we roasted veggies and chatted before curling into sleeping bags under the milky way.

Wisconsin woods, wow!

Saturday, September 21

Wild yeast workshop @ Farmily. 

We road-tripped to Hazzard Free Grains in Pecatonica for the third annual Farmily Festival, put on by the Northern Illinois Young Farmers Coalition! The Hazzard farm was gorgeous, with sheep and pigs and a highly swimmable stream running through the property. We splashed about and set up the yurt in a grove of other tents and hammocks before gathering for dinner with over a hundred other farmers. The night ended with dancing, worming, spooky stories, and a bonfire/banjo situation. I slept in the yurt, bone-tired and satisfied by a day of new connections. There are so many young people doing good work on the land in this part of the world. Feeling grateful for new farm friends.

Friday, September 20

I started the day collecting bitter melon, okra, and many shishito peppers. A light rain made the fields extra beautiful, and the cows monitored my progress from the adjacent pasture. Margalit and I worked to preserve some of our fall abundance by drying basil leaves and stewing apples and pears over the stove. We started packing for our various weekend adventures across the Great American Midwest. I baked more tahini challah in the evening, between garden rambles and last-minute house cleaning. We lit Shabbat candles under the oaks and Daniella taught us a new melody for Elul. The night wouldn’t have been complete without Patricia’s ZA-themed jeopardy masterpiece. The final answer, you might ask? Soy!

Thursday, September 1

Today we hosted a field walk and climate roundtable in conjunction with The Land Connection! Daniella and I cut zinnias to decorate the tables while visitors trickled in from across the state — growers, scientists, land stewards, students, community organizers, and more. Lexi and Eric led the field walk and talked about the enhanced rock weathering projects at ZA. Patricia expertly facilitated the roundtable, generating strategies from the group about mitigating and adapting to climate change. We enjoyed a fantastic meal from our friends at Sugar Creek! 

Phoebe all tuckered out. 

After all the excitement, I ran across the state line and watched a family of deer grazing in the evening light. The day’s activities left me with big questions to mull over. How can we grow a food system that works for people and the planet? Why are there so many barriers to regenerative land stewardship? What does it mean to be a farmer, even for a short while? And why do cats have a knack for sleeping in such inopportune places?

Wednesday, September 18

I harvested basil, peppers, okra, tomatoes, and eggplants while listening to good music and relishing a slower morning on the farm. The sprouts that we planted last week are looking amazing! In the afternoon, we wrestled the pepper plants in the high tunnel into a new trellis system that makes the fruit easier to pick. A group of us wandered the main road at sunset, observing the herd and ruminating on our days. One of the cutest calves has a sideways snout (I think wry nose is the technical term, though Mark assures us that her snout isn’t an impediment). For the last night without artificial light, we gathered for dinner beneath the oaks and read our various novels by candlelight before hitting the sack. Waking up so early feels like a positive change, though it has exponentially increased my need for a 9pm bedtime!

Tuesday, September 17

Another huge weeding push, after a calm (and early!) start to the day. Margalit and I plucked bindweed from the radish beds in Goat Garden, then attacked the weed bushes and trees that had colonized the edges of the high tunnel. Daniella transformed Kentland Garden, revealing a bounty of kale and dahlia plants. Lexi, our farm friend and research mentor, arrived to hang out and share more mycelial knowledge. We gathered in the yellow room for the Four Corners Fellowship call, where we discussed queer ways to read Torah with the awesome R’Avigayil Halpern. Afterwards, we enjoyed Eric’s homemade mooncakes for Mid-Autumn Festival! The mooncakes were stuffed with red bean paste, salted egg yolk, and spiced apple (for a vegan egg alternative). Eating mooncakes felt especially special by candlelight.

Do you like his hat?

Monday, September 16

This week we’re celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, a Chinese harvest holiday that coincides with the full moon and traditionally features mooncakes, lanterns, and family gatherings. Folks on the farm have been scheming about ways to connect with cycles of light and dark, especially around the Autumn Equinox, so the Mid-Autumn Task Force decided to combine more typical Mid-Autumn traditions with three days of no artificial light on the farm. This plan requires bonfires, lanterns, and an earlier schedule to better enjoy the morning light! Getting up early also means we could hang out with Patricia, who usually leaves for school while everyone else is still dreaming and talking in our sleep and such. We spent a silly Monday morning on the trampoline, singing sun songs and enjoying Patricia’s company, before beginning the work week in earnest. More Mid-Autumn updates to come. 🌚 🥮 🌝

Bonus pig pic. 

* Because you’ve read this far, the mystery animal was a camel. Yes, the camel lives in Wisconsin. Do with this information what you will.