Memphis Democrat Column from March 05, 2006

The feeling at Sandhill Farm these days seems to be that spring is on the horizon. We are starting

in on some of our outdoor work. Stan has been doing field work the past few days and got a first planting of oats in ahead of last night's rain. He also disced the South Garden yesterday and I saw him climbing around in the fruit trees doing some pruning. Gigi has worked up her beds in her "fun" patch next to the White House and is getting ready to sow some early radishes and some hardy herbs. Michael has also hoed up a bed for spring spinach and hopes to get it planted tomorrow.

Michael, Gigi and I are starting our first flats of seedlings. Michael sowed some cauliflower this past week, Gigi planted some of the assorted seeds she grew out and saved last year and got a flat of onions done this morning. I followed her this afternoon at the shop bench and got three flats of lettuce going.

Otto has been putting in some long hours the past two weeks getting some trees cut, moving the wood and getting it split. Michael, Stan, Stefanie and Arjen were his helpers. Michael was particularly glad to see a big honey locust in the chicken yard gone. He has been concerned about some of its limbs coming down on someone in a big wind. All this labor has put us in really good shape for next year's heating season and this coming fall's sorghum cooks.

Our social scene has been active lately. Tamar and Susan from Dancing Rabbit have joined us for meals. Farnaz and her three children were here this afternoon. Renay spent the day with them in Kirksville yesterday enjoying some activities and spending the night at their house.

The crowd at the weekly inter-community potlucks is obviously larger now that more folks are home from winter travels. There was a "no talent" show at Dancing Rabbit after last Tuesday's dinner and most of our group stayed to watch the fun. Renay participated and wowed the crowd with her comedic joke routine.

Some of our crew have been doing their own late winter travelling the past two weeks. Stan and Gigi went up to Wisconsin on the 20th. Stan attended an advanced level training for organic inspectors and then he and Gigi went to the Upper Midwest Organic Conference. While they were there they spent time in Viroqua with former Rabbit Halle and her children, Jack and Sarah. Just prior to that, Gigi met French and Renay in Northfield, Minnesota after their visit with French's family and took Renay to Halle's with her while French headed home to Missouri. The three of them got back home on February 26.

We said goodbye to our friends Arjen and Stefanie this past Thursday. They packed up their possessions that they had left in storage while they were in Europe into a rental truck and headed west for Oregon. Arjen, who is a wildlife biologist, will be starting a new job doing field work in late March and Stef will be settling down in her hometown Portland.

We have really appreciated all their help the past month and also enjoyed their company. We had a special cake for them after supper Wednesday and French joined us for the meal and dessert. Stef and Arjen even managed to get in one last game of Ultimate at Dancing Rabbit before they left.

Someone asked me a question when I was at Zimmerman's one day about what kind of meals we have at Sandhill. The first part of my answer is that we grow about 80% of our own food. In season, we have a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruit. As regular readers of the column know we also do lots and lots of food processing-canning, freezing and dehydrating. We have eggs and meat from our chickens. While we don't have cows currently, we have been eating venison provided by Ceilee. We also grow our own wheat and dried beans. What we don't grow, we try to buy in bulk and we purchase as much organic food as possible.

We have meat usually about two times a week and the rest of the cuisine is vegetarian. If meat is served, there is a vegetarian or vegan option when we have folks here who prefer that diet.

All members, interns, and extended visitors take turns cooking on a regular schedule and it is fun to see what everyone will come up with. Good food is an important part of our life here at the farm and we feel fortunate to have such abundance.