Come To The Table: Food, Faith and Farms

This past weekend, I went to Asheville, NC and attended a conference sponsored by theNC Council Of Churches having to do with discussing the connection between food, faith and farms.

Rev. Brian Cole from All Souls Cathedral in Asheville, NC spoke first and discussed how we as Christians can affect our churches understanding the role of the good steward plays in a ministry that serves the hungry and displaced can benefit our communities. He reminded us that in Exodus 16, the Manna from Heaven assures us that God is the source of our food and that the dietary laws of Levitcus were there for good reason. In Luke, we look at who Jesus sat down and broke bread with- the poor, sick and afflicted- this created community. And that in Mathew 25, when the people of God feed the hungry, doing so becomes a way of doing justice.

Also, The Rule of St. Benedict, who wrote as if the world is falling apart- Ch. 39- 'the proper amount of food'. " Nothing is more contrary to being a Chrisitan than gluttony."

So, food is a moral issue. In many churches, this moral vision is starved. It has become more about how much money can the church raise off the backs of their parishoners rather than how much work for the good of the community by feeding the hungry or creating programs for sustainability in a rapidly changing economy.

The Bible is an outdoor document. And so much of Christianity has become an indoor activity.
Rev. Cole related one story from his early days as a Pastor where one KY farmer's wife said 'Farming is the holiest activity that can happen. '

Suggested reading- Thomas Merton's works. Wendell Barry: 'Jaybird Crowe'. 'Practicing OurFaith' Series. Books that seek to make sacred connections. Also, "We plow God's fields".

Next, Mr. Charlie Jackson of the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project (ASAP) spoke concerning food and farms in NC- these are both important to all of us in other states-

The biggest problem is that the US is losing farms at an alarming rate to developers. So, much of our large sources of food production are failing- the small farmer and projects that include community outreach are going to become the biggest source of food production. Farmer's Markets, local food and community supported agriculture is the best way to deal with this changing paradym.

Churches can help by sponsoring markets in their parking lots- also, a church can sponsor things like a community garden, or contact local growers to ask if they will allow a church to glean the fields after the farmer's harvest is in so the food can then be used and distributed among the needy.

Kitty Schaller, executive director of MANNA Foodbank (secondharvest.org) spoke about how so many folks who were able to make their own way now find they are marginalized by a sudden downsizing and job change. Again, our changing economy has forced so many people into a role of not being able to make it any longer- the 'working poor' who suddenly have no health care, housing they can no longer afford, and a support system that turns their back on them. (This is an important one to me as my father became one of these people after the firm he worked for downsized, moved out of the city we lived in and he lost his job- though no fault of his own- and his own family turned their backs on him when he was unable to recover from those devastating effects.)

These are the sorts of folks we see, especially in an intercity ministry- these working poor who feel they will not be able to survive and become angry, with drug or alcohol issues, and often trouble with the law.

The one thing we can give them is a good and healthful diet, full of fresh vegetables and fruit, but less carbohydrates which contribute to health issues and obesity. In food baskets, it is important to remember that fresh vegies are a priority.

Steve Hodges from the Jubilee Project is from Sneedville, TN- this is a faith based non-profit working with farmers from several counties in eastTN to make value added foods and start a farm-to-school project. Their current project is the potato wedge product that can be introduced into local schools, churches and other institutions. www.apspringcoop.com

Steve introduced himself to me and as it happens he knows a neighbor of mine who is on the board of directors with him and also another worker for good in my area whom I have had the pleasure to know for many years.

We enjoyed a lunch of locally made breads, and soup and salad from locally grown sources. After an afternoon of round table discussion, we went on a farm tour of two different local growers.

In NC, these farms are very much on the fore-front. In TN, it all seems about 'how much money can you make for the state', with very little emphasis on how to co-operate with each other- ie. so few farmer's markets as compared to the headspace of NC. Forgive me, this is one of my sticking points.....

If you are reading this in TN and would like to get involved with the Appalachian Grown project, visit www.AppalachianGrown.org or www.buyappalachian.org . The listing online is free and they welcome all farms and other endeavors from the whole Appalachian region. As our economy changes, local food becomes that much more important as we begin to take care ofeach other more instead of relying on our government or outside sources for food and sustainabilty.

Encourage your churches and communities to grow a small garden to feed the people who need help and know that each small thing done with great love to help someone else in need is sufficient in the eyes of God.

Dogs do the most interesting things......

This is Gir, my daughter Kat's Min-Pin. You've seen Invader Zim, I'm sure. Doom, doom, doom. dah-doom, doom dah-doom doom doom doom....

Gir, also known as Gerty-Berty, Gir-Doo, Gerty-B and several other names used to call a small very vocal dog- the kind Gary Larsen wrote about in the cartoon 'nervous little dogs prepare for their day, rules the house. Gir also has a very short learning curve- she 'gets it' really quickly.

Yesterday, she came up to me with an egg in her mouth. The chickens are a bit indiscriminant about their laying habits, so the dogs get fresh eggs frequently. Not thinking, I took that egg away and threw it out not knowing how long it had been there. She was patient becasue she knew that goodies come her way anytime I am in the kitchen.

So today, Gir came in from her morning run and ran back to where I was at the computer, and dropped an egg at my feet! Smart doggie! I picked it up and praised her, then took it to the kitchen after I finished my emails and cooked it right up for her! She knows a good thing when she sees it.

Unto the Gentles of the Knowne World....

....Lady Gregoria Anne du Lac sends greetings! It certainly has been a long time. Many thanks to Lady Jerusha for this archival photo. Since I am definitely of the 'Old School' in the SCA, I have a lot of catching up to do and lots of stories to tell of my travels. Also, please keep in mind that I will likely switch back and forth between mundane-speak and SCA-speak in theprocess of this set of blogs so it will be easier to explain in terms for those SCAer's of a city persuasion that would like to make the move from city living to country living and perhaps how to do it on your own, with little or no help from a bank or other modern mundane worldly financial entanglements. In the mundane, we are using solar, wind and geothermal power sources to enable us to get 'off the grid', as well as sustainable agricultural practices to keep food sources local.

From journeys long and through lands far and wide, this is a window into the world here at Glastonbury Farm. This past winter, we began a new milk shed for my goats and their feed, which will become a craft shop as soonly as a more correct milk parlour is built, which could take a couple of more years.

The excavation for the new manor house cannot happen until the a few things take place, one of which is the construction of the new shed and the destruction of the old shed. I currently milk in this shed and it is not a very pleasant place as the chickens have taken residence.

A curious thing happened as we began the new shed- several levels of what appear to be an old medieval manor raised itself out of the dirt as we began to peel back the layers of time. This old manor may be several hundred years old, or possibly even almost twenty years old. In any case, this is to document the archeological records of the old manor and the construction of the new manor house and grounds. If any scholar wishes to visit and observe the process, you are all most welcome to come- just let us know ahead of time.

I'm going to attempt to do a weekly update on each level of Glastonbury Farm since it began as some of the oldest levels are still here and functioning. These will also be illuminated with photos and drawings of the oldest positionings of the structures here. The old gate house, called 'The Dragon's Gatehouse', is still in use somewhat, and while the structural integrety is still there, the house itself does need to some work to complete it. The chances are it will be deconstructed and then reconstructed in some manner after the new manor house is built.

This is a photo of the new shed foundation as it was framed in. In the background is ' The Dragon's Gatehouse'. We found an old midden behind the house with all sorts of curious objects and broken tools. You will also see in the background one of the 'caravans' that some travelers decided to sell and it is now used as supplemental housing for my older daughter. Discovered to be from the 'level 7' configuration of Glastonbury Farm, it is still of some use, but will be offered for sale here in the near future. The cleared area up the hill and to the left of the photo is the bottom of the clearing for the new manor house.

Above, we see the new shed framed in and in the background is the area cleared for the excavation of the foundation for the new manor house. We have done all the proper augeries and dousings, and have offered prayers so that the foundation construction will go well and not fall over into the swamp next door, which is also called 'mud waller flats'. We have been assured by the local thaumaturge and several out of state alchemists that the dragons and gnomes are well satisfied with the gifts we've given them in exchange for allowing us to build here.

These are our Town Crier's, Violet- left, and Willard- right. Along with the poultry constabulary of roosters Wakie-Wakie (that's what he says) and Mohammed (Upon Whom Be Peace!- When you pick him up, he shouts 'Allah! Allah!'), and a grimace of guineas, the farm stays running smoothly- no ticks or other bad insect pests.

This is our 'Fore-goat', Ammalyn Starchild, who oversees construction and keeps an eye on things. She also milks a gallon or so of milk a day, so she's a keeper here at the farm. Ammalyn is a Saanen dairy goat, also called Gessenay, which comes from the Saanen Valley in Switzerland.

Look for us in the next installment, at least each week. As we get more into the workings of things here at the farm, I hope folks will comment or ask questions on how we have done this or that or perhaps offer suggestions as to how we can do things more easily.

Thanks for stopping by- Lady Greggy, somewhere in the "Land of Shining Water'

Hard Scrabble vs. City Minded

This is Our Lady of the Harvest. More about why she is here later- sorry it is a thumbnail picture.

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We bought our land here in 1989, and moved onto it in 1990, with only our hands as our tools- not many city folks care to do what we do- it actually involves doing some physical labor, getting your hands dirty, living with no indoor plumbing for a couple of years and dirt under your fingernails for months on end. The girls did enjoy their muck bucket bath tub when they were little though.

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First the cabin came, then an outbuilding for the goats and then more outbuildings...if you cannot stand living in what city folks term 'a big nasty mess', then please don't do what we did- It is like doing the mortgage trip thing in very slow motion- the very same thing as, but almost to the point of entropy. On the other hand, if you want to have a satisfied soul at the end of the day, along with no mortgage, total creative control, not 'beholden-to' anyone for anything to do with your property other than yearly land taxes, then the rural sustainable lifestyle may be for you.

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And you may find that you are a different person than you thought you were.

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Walking away from the matrix of the modern day 'normal' 'get it and spend it', credit card lifestyle is well....more 'normal' than the afore mentioned 'normal' lifestyle. Keep in mind that the word 'normal' is a judging word- a word that denotes rather a lack of courage. Besides, when one gets a comment like 'you have a pioneer spirit' from an MBE recipent (Member of the British Empire) who barely knows you and a comment of 'Eeeewwww!' from family, well who are you going to listen to? 'Normal' is in the eye of the beholder- what is normal for me may not be normal for you, but each form is just as valid and wholesome to each person.

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After all, no farms = no food.

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To the city folks that go 'Eeeewwww!', I usually say ' are you going to stand there complaining and critisizing or are you going to pick up a hammer and pound a few nails with me?' These folks really need to get their heads wrapped around Habitat for Humanity or Heiffer Project. Or even the Manna Food Bank. If you can't pound nails, then learn to use a measuring tape and marker to measure the length on a 2x4 for the person who cuts the wood!

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Still, at the end of the day, I have so much to be thankful for.

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Each year, we do a farm blessing. Father Andreas comes out to bless the farm and the animals- he's excited about blessing our tractor- he says he's so happy to be a country priest. We have a potluck lunch after the blessing- which takes place after Pascha, Easter for all you heterodox and pagans. :-) This year, we will be holding it on the future site of Our Lady of the Woods Chapel- a place for all people to experience the Mother of God in all her forms. Our Lady of the Harvest will be there, along with Kwan Yin, the Bodhisaatva of Compassion and Our Lady of Einsiedlin (Switzerland), one of the Black Madonnas of Europe. The name Einsiedlin means 'Place of the Hermit'- I went there during a band trip with the Dobyns-Bennett HS band in 1972- the Cathedral there is enormous and beautiful. It is the first place in my life that I met the Living Lady in one of her myriad and eternal forms.

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The foundation for the Chapel is there, but it needs work before I would trust people on the platform. I'll blog more about this as we come closer to the date, as yet undecided, but after Pascha, so I can cook!

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Have a blessed Oestarra, ya'll! Christ is Risen! Indeed He is Risen!

For the honor.....

It's 5am here and the next round of kidding is in the offing- we are on baby watch and bleary eyed to say the least. I am making it through with the help of medication for my Spina Bifida- don't worry, it is the 'occulta' kind that we found on a x-ray in the 80's, so I can still function. It has been a quick two weeks since the last two does kidded and all girls. 4 of them, Annie and Laurie, and Lucy and Ethel. Yeah, I know- Lucy and Ethel's daddy was named Desperado, called 'Desi'- someone had to do the obvious. :-)
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There comes a time for most folks that it is also painfully obvious that working with people becomes a big chore- which is why I like living in the woods, away from most type A's. Some folks take nasty medications to help them deal with other people's personalities. And some folks just keep going into the same rut with the same type of people that have no respect. These folks are generally really good people, but they tend to be enablers- 'give give give give give' all day long to folks who have no intention of returning the exchange. I fall into that catagory. I own it. I do come by it honestly- growing up, my mom was an enabler- her thing was money/food/stuff= love. Dad did his best to keep her satisfied (he couldn't), but his own addiction to 'more more more more' was too strong. His addiciton became hers in short order- it happens when you don't have much when you are growing up and then suddenly have everything you want.
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Lest I become maudlin, here is the point of the story- and it is about goats. Some years ago, when I had been in goats for only a few years, I had done some trading around- 'a goat for a goat' sort of thing with another person. I registered that animal I traded for with the name I chose and used him. When I was done with the buck that I had traded for, I asked the person if they wanted the buck back- they said yes. Of course, my goats were long gone by then- this gave them everything and left me with nothing, so we agreed verbally that I'd get back equal value of some sort- goat equipment, etc. That was OK, since I trusted the person.
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Sometime during the next couple of years, the person's spouse got hurt on the job and they began to sell off their animals. That's alright, I said, I am patient, I know you will keep your word. So, over the next couple of years after that, each time I would ask for the trade to be honored- either following an advertisement for their equipment for sale or on my own- the person would say 'we need the money'. OK, I thought, they are still in a tight situation, I am patient, I know they are honorable. Even last summer when I asked after an ad for more equipment being sold, I was told again 'we need the money'- this was getting way too old.
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So most recently, I saw yet another ad for more equipment and I went a bit further in asking by also asking folks publically to wait until I could bring this to a head privately. Interestingly enough, the person now said that I must be mistaking them for someone else- they did not owe me anything and refused to even deal with the subject. OK. Let's examine this from a persective of 'letting go'- In the end, it is all just 'stuff' after all.
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Doing business on a handshake used to be the norm everywhere- today, it ain't so common. I recognize that this went on way too long, but from the perspective of the other person, I know I could not live with myself if I did not honor a situation, no matter how long it had gone on- my connection with God is way too strong to not recognize that I would be very much out of Grace to not make it right in the other person's mind as best I could. NOTE: This may discount stupidity on the part of the other person who will not understand, no matter what you do since some folks cannot be taught- this is where a written contract or bill of sale comes in, but I digress and that's another story- whooo boy, is that another story.
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The lesson, for business purposes, is to always get it in writing. And make sure each party has a signed copy of the agreement.
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The lesson, for spiritual purposes, is to 'trust in God, but always tie your camel' (old Arab saying). IE. keep the beast tied. If things do not work out as agreed and you are the one that gets the short end of the stick, let it go and let God take care of it. Be nice, let the folks know you see what they are doing and that you deplore their lack of honor, but do it nicely. God will take care of it in the fullness of time. Then go and do more work for the good.
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Cherokee Wisdom
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A Grandfather and his grandson were sitting under a tree, fishing by a stream. The Grandfather
said to his grandson, 'Inside of everyone there are two wolves fighting each other. One is an evil, angry wolf. The other is a kind, benevolent wolf.'
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The grandson thought a minute and said, 'Grandfather, which wolf wins?'
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The Grandfather paused a moment and answered, 'The one that I feed.'

Rainy day Tuesday.....

I was supposed to go to a seminar on handling animals in disasters, but I woke up a bit too late to get all the chores done before the start of the thing an hour and bit's drive from here at UT in Knoxville. I've got goats telling me they want to kid, so who knows when that is going to happen, but the look is sure in their eyes and I don't really want to spend the day away from them. Those long suffering looks that convey the weight of the world- oh my! If I had their worries I'd be a goat- which I am anyway, I'm a Capricorn, born on December 25th. Don't worry about the birthday thing, I got over that a long time ago- in fact, I'm telling folks not to get me Christmas presents, or even birthday gifts, any longer- I've got all I want. I don't need any more 'stuff'. Except for maybe a new AI kit (artificial insemination) so I can use all those dead frozen billy-goats in my nitrogen tank. Or a preg-tone ultra-sound machine.
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Bucks are an essential part of a goat farm- either you have them or you don't- some of them can be quite amusing as babies, but absolute lothario's as adults. Take Chicago for example- he's a sweetie pie, but bucks are 'supposed to' have gone out of rut this time of year- yeah, right. Everyone else has. The weather says otherwise for Chicago. It is still colder than dammit and we are carrying water because the hoses are frozen. My pregnant does like to waddle right up to me when I am carrying two full buckets- and who's got his nose stuck up where we won't mention in polite company? Yep, himself. (Gee, maybe they want me!) So we all do this circle dance around me a couple of times until I get around the behinds of some of them and make a dash to the portable water trough. So I smell of 'au d' buc' for a while- and I also use the same barn clothes over and over again until they stand up in the corner by themselves. This conserves water as there is no need to use the washer so much if I do it this way. Sometimes I venture into Newport to the feed store, or just up to get gas at Jack's Market, in my barn clothes- I earned that badge of honor, by golly!
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I could put him in the buck pen, but he is still in rut and we don't need 'fighting boys on parade'. Their dominance dances (ahem!) can get quite rough, but it is also amusing to see who the 'bitch' is from day to day. So, Chicago runs loose for now and takes the girls who are the closest 'ladies in waiting' up into the woods to browse a bit-
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It still looks like rain, but then it always looks like rain here, unless the weather changes- which is usually about 15 minutes between changes.

Chance would be a fine thing......

The snow from yesterday seems to have gone the way of things enough to let us get in and out of the hollar. I was supposed to go Saturday to pick up some does and take Rosie along- we seem to be conspiring to go on a restaurant critic's tour of BBQ places and other interesting side bars. Maybe Brown Mtn. Or Max Patch. Well enough, since Ammy came back into heat and Chicago bred her. I don't mind late babies from him.
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So, the doe excursion is to take place today-
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Anyway, I'm waiting for the hens to start laying- we've had fresh milk and cheese from one doe- Ammy, above- and for more of the does to kid, some are due this coming week, so I 'll attempt to get some shots up of the process. I'll put some recipies with goat cheese up soon too- my stufed Portabella mushrooms are to die for.....
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We actually got the vinyl flooring on the shed sub-floor before the snow hit- and with any luck we will get the first wall up this coming weekend- 'if' the weather holds, yeah- right....I'll put the process of that up on webshots soon-