Category Archives: WWOOFing

creating an Earth Oven

February 23, 2015 QueSehraFarm 4 Comments

We’ve wanted to build an earth oven for some time now – we have a small camper oven, but it doesn’t really work that well, and we like to use the abundant free oak wood for fuel when we can, rather than pay for propane. We finally got our chance to try our hands at it at Habitable Spaces – where they encouraged us to build some kind of structure before we left.

Three unrelated projects that we’d helped with in December & January led us to decide on the earth oven build:

First, when we were digging postholes to fence off their first major field, we discovered that the subsoil was a rich, malleable clay, perfect for sculpting and building with.

Secondly, we dismantled and felled the giant tower, made from three massive cable spools stacked upon one another – revealing a perfectly useable concrete foundation pad beneath.

Lily posing on the tower foundation - the 3 spools can be seen in the background where we rolled them away post-demo — Lily posing on the tower foundation – the 3 spools can be seen in the background where we rolled them away post-demo

Third, we’d spent a lot of time scavenging the ruins of two old homesteads on their property, which had been home to Shane’s grandmother and other ancestors. We metal detected and scrounged, and Gabe created a skullpture with items we discovered throughout January.

Lola helping Kristin scavenge in the ruins of Shane's grandmother's Depression-era homestead — Lola helping Kristin scavenge in the ruins of Shane’s grandmother’s Depression-era homestead

"Homestead #2" required us to chop down a thick stand of cacti to get to ... prickly work — “Homestead #2” required us to chop through a thick stand of cacti to get to … prickly work

Kingsbury Totem: wild boar skull with homestead bullet, board knots, cow bell, bed spring, melted aluminum blobs, & other artifacts, secured with scraps of old barbed wire etc

In our scavenging, we discovered piles of old bricks, and several dozen partially-buried split limestone blocks, at both sites – these had once been house foundations. We’d excavated them when we found them, and left them propped up on the surface for possible retrieval later on.

Once we realized we wanted to create an earth oven, we decided these blocks would be the perfect base to build upon – beautiful, free, and full of the character and history of the land. So we borrowed the farm truck and a wheelbarrow, and got to collecting …

all the foundation blocks from Homestead #2 - we got another load the next day from Shane's Grandma's place. (we'd brought home a load of bricks from both sites weeks earlier without any specific plan for them) — all the foundation blocks from Homestead #2 – we got another load the next day from Shane’s Grandma’s place. (we’d brought home a load of bricks from both sites weeks earlier without any specific plan for them)

Kristin ordered a book on earth oven construction – this would be our Bible for the duration of the construction project that we embarked on, not sure if we’d even have time to finish it before we had to head to Austin in three weeks …

We began mortaring in the blocks, one tier at a time, spending hours fitting the stones together with minimal gaps and maximum stability/levelness.

Lily hanging out inside of tier one - the largest & thickest foundation blocks — Lily hanging out inside of tier one – the largest & thickest foundation blocks

as we neared the top, we worked in two tiers of old homestead bricks - and were proud (& sort of amazed!) when the top was level across from side to side in all directions — as we neared the top, we worked in two tiers of old homestead bricks – and were proud (& sort of amazed!) when the top was level across from side to side in all directions

we filled gaps with flame-colored flint rocks, thinking they looked emberesque. (The true color of the blocks shows most clearly when wet - it will be some time before the chalky mortar dust finishes washing off) — we filled gaps with flame-colored flint rocks, thinking they looked ember-esque. (The true color of the blocks shows most clearly when wet – it will be some time before the chalky mortar dust finishes washing off)

Next we mixed the first batch of insulation – clay slip and pine shavings – the shavings dry up and even burn out completely, leaving air pockets and a clay-foam heat barrier.

mixing insulation from clay slip & pine shavings

The insulating clay was used to fill a foot-deep layer designed to prevent the infinite thermal heat sink of the ground from leaching away the oven’s heat. We included a layer of wine bottles, and a layer of beer bottles (from the bottle house supply pile) – these would form stable insulating air pockets within the insulation clay.

wine bottle layer being filled in with clay slip/wood shaving insulation mud

we'd found a racoon skull in the woods back in January - the scavenger spirits wanted it included within the base, so we packed it with sand and tucked it in, where it will likely remain for a century or two ... — we’d found a racoon skull in the woods back in January – the scavenger spirits wanted it included within the base, so we packed it with sand and tucked it in, where it will likely remain for a century or two …

Kristin does the Tamping Dance - we filled the lower base with a mix of sand and crushed glass (necks left over from bottle bricks used in the ongoing bottle-house construction, visible in the background) — Kristin does the Tamping Dance – we filled the lower base with a mix of sand and crushed glass (necks left over from bottle bricks used in the ongoing bottle-house construction, visible in the background)

Once we got within four inches of the top of the base, we paused to mix up a batch of “oven mud” – clay and coarse sand. Oven mud clay is designed to hold heat for baking – it would be roughly the same clay used to build the interior of the oven dome, later on.

it turned out that mixing oven mud barefoot was not the happy hippie dance party that we'd been led to believe it would be. — it turned out that mixing oven mud barefoot was not the happy hippie dance party that we’d been led to believe it would be.

The sand we were using was quite rough & coarse – ideal for structural stability, but also quite good at abrading one’s feet completely off. We quickly switched to our rubber muck boots for stomp-mixing. (It might have been easier if the mix was wetter, but we wanted to avoid slumping and long drying times, so we kept it as dry as possible.)

The first batch of oven mud was used to make an oven pad, in the same dimensions as the firebrick interior baking floor would have (we laid out the firebricks on the ground to determine the measurements).

We created a wood frame and packed it with the oven mud to make a subfloor heat pad

Then we filled in the surrounding gaps with more insulation mix, keeping everything level with the top exterior bricks.

In the meantime, we’d created several “test bricks” with different proportions of sand and clay – as well as one of pure soil (from the layer above the clay, but beneath the topsoil).

For the oven interior dome, we wanted to find what ratio would be strongest, and crack or shrink the least. The bricks dried out over a couple of days while we prepared for next steps and gave the water-soaked base insulation time to dry out some.

We decided that a ration of 1.5 parts sand to 1 part clay was our ideal target, based on the test bricks — We decided that a ratio of 1.5 parts sand to 1 part clay was our ideal target, based on the test bricks

Next we worked on the arch opening. The book said that the ideal opening height was 63% of the interior dome, but we had to go just slightly higher to get a nice stable arch, with good supportive edge-to-edge contact throughout. We also tested to make sure that Habitable Spaces’ pizza peel would fit through (yep, just right!)

laying out the arch, using scavenged homestead bricks. Old bricks are actually better than most modern bricks for durability under heat stress. — laying out the arch, using scavenged homestead bricks – old bricks are actually better than most modern bricks for durability under heat stress.

The resulting arch shape was traced onto plywood – Ali helped cut out two pieces in the proper shape and build a form by joining them together with 2x4s. This supported the bricks while we spaced them out with pebbles, and filled in the gaps with oven mud mortar.

We had to shave a 1/4" off the bottom in order to keep the height low while still allowing shims beneath - these shims would allow us to easily remove the form later. — We had to shave a 1/4″ off the bottom in order to keep the height low while still allowing shims beneath – these shims would allow us to easily remove the form later.

We also started work on the protective roof – while rain wouldn’t destroy the oven, it would saturate the clay, requiring many more hours of firing time to get it up to temp, and shortening the working life of the oven. There were a couple short pieces of roofing left over from the house and kitchen, perfect for our needs. We scavenged together some cedar posts and scraps with lovely knotty character, wanting to make the roof match the organic, natural appeal of the oven’s base.

Before starting the next phase of the build, we mixed up a huge batch of oven mud, making it a little bit wet and leaving time for it to dry out a bit, before we launched the most significant single piece of the construction – the interior dome.

we decided to test out the concrete mixer for making the oven mud - and boy was it a time and effort saver! (Especially since we wound up making two to three times more than we actually needed ...) — we decided to test out the concrete mixer for making the sand & clay for the oven mud – and boy was it a time and effort saver! (Especially since we wound up making two to three times more than we actually needed …) We still foot/tarp mixed it, but only after a pre-mix tour through the mixer

First, we built the sand mold, like a sandcastle – this was the shape of what would become the void within the oven. We sprayed it with water and patted it tightly as we worked, attempting to create a smooth, flowing interior that fire and hot gas would roll through nicely.

building the void - sand form almost completed (with the beginnings of the roof visible in the background) — building the void – sand form almost completed (with the beginnings of the roof visible in the background)

The hardest part of the sand form was the newspaper layer, which would help us remove the sand from the clay later – it was frustrating to get it to stay smooth and in place, but we learned as we went, using lots of water, and smaller pieces of paper.

The sand form and the oven mud interior layer had to be done the same day – we we launched immediately into it.

The going was slow, as we carefully packed the oven mud into place, a fist-sized chunk at a time, maintaining a consistent 3″ thickness, and only applying force into existing clay (not into the fragile sand form). A CD we’d bought in Austin from the musician Kiko Villamizar played on repeat for hours – it was not the first or the last time the album provided the soundtrack to our work, but it was the longest continuous stretch.

We each worked from one side of the arch to the back, meeting in the middle – and then switched sides for the next layer, so that any idiosyncrasies in our individual methods would be evenly distributed on either side, and layered with the other’s style.

step by step, blob by blob - higher & higher ... the oven mud layer slowly formed — step by step, blob by blob – higher & higher …

Darkness fell, and we set up lights on each side so we could finish the vital layer.

While the interior oven mud layer dried, we left it alone and spent a day working on the protective roof, not wanting to impatiently cause a collapse.

Once it seemed dry and stable, we filled in a couple of drying cracks with oven mud, and pulled out the arch form to reveal the sand within.

sand behind the arch form - we let it sit open to help the oven mud dry out more from within — sand behind the arch form – we let it sit open to help the oven mud dry out more from within

Then it was time to scoop out the sand form, and create the void.

removing sand form, with the roof in the background

interior layer complete! the five firebricks within and beneath the arch are not for baking (they lack the thick subfloor heat pad - the outer support the arch, and the inner 3 allow bread or pizza to be slid in and out from the baking surface) — interior layer complete! the five firebricks within and beneath the arch are not for baking (they lack the thick subfloor heat pad – the outer support the arch, and the inner 3 allow bread or pizza to be slid in and out from the baking surface)

Once the oven mud was stable and we’d pulled the sand out, we started on the next layer – 4 inches of the same wood shaving/clay slip insulation that we’d used in the base. This layer went much more quickly – the insulation was simple to mix, and fast to apply and shape in big double handfuls.

Widget & Cleo loved hanging out beneath the roof-in-progress & watching us work - here, the insulation layer is almost completed — Widget & Cleo loved hanging out beneath the roof-in-progress & watching us work – here, the insulation layer is almost completed

The next day, we started the first-ever fire inside – a drying fire, which we kept going for about two straight days, speeding along the drying of the water-soaked insulation – we needed it to be mostly dry before we applied the final exterior clay, and we were quickly running out of time at Habitable Spaces.

at first, we kept the drying fire small ... — at first, we kept the drying fire small …

... but as the insulation began to harden, we grew bolder and build a sweeping wave of flame, moving the fire around the interior throughout the days and enjoying the way it moved through the oven — … but as the insulation began to harden, we grew bolder and build a sweeping wave of flame, moving the fire around the interior throughout the days and enjoying the way it moved through the oven

In order to use the oven effectively before we left, we had to dry out not just the insulation layer over the dome, but the insulation down in the base – which was now wicking moisture up, into the dome, and out into the air as the top dried out more and more.

steam exuding from the insulation, driven out by the fire inside

While we burned the drying fire for days, we built a baking door out of cedar scraps – this would seal in the heat of the oven after a fire had heated up the clay thoroughly, the embers had been removed, and the pizza or bread or pie was inside.

cedar baking door - plugs the entrance, sealing in heat — baking door – plugs the entrance, sealing in heat

We also mocked up a simple “fire door” – not totally necessary, but nice to have on windy days when the fire is struggling to breathe due to turbulence. Cool fresh air comes in the bottom to feed the flames, and hot gases and smoke swirl out the top of the arch and above the door.

the metal fire door also reflects radiant heat back into the oven, for added efficiency

It was rainy on the final day of the drying fire, so we put the unfinished roof over the oven as it continued to dehydrate. We prepared for the final coat by mixing up a big batch of exterior mud the day before – this consisted of a new mix:

some fine playground sand,
a bunch of subsoil (above the clay layer and beneath the topsoil – we did a soil test with a jar of water that indicated it contained mostly very fine sand),
some clay (about 1 part to the 2 parts of fine sand), and
about 3 gallons of fresh cow manure (for the smooth strength of the fine fiber of 7-times digested grass)

adding in the secret ingredient - cow poop! — adding in the secret ingredient – cow poop!

the exterior mud was much softer than the interior clay - squishy & without rough sharp sand in it - barefootable! (as long as a little cow poop doesn't scare ya) — the exterior mud was much softer than the interior clay – squishy & without rough sharp sand in it – barefootable! (as long as a little cow poop doesn’t scare ya)

cleaning out the last of the sand. the insulation layer has baked almost dry, so we let the long drying fire go out, in preparation for the final exterior clay — cleaning out the last of the sand. the insulation layer has baked almost dry, so we let the long drying fire go out, in preparation for application of the final exterior clay

the "Bible" told us to "schmear" the final layer on like frosting, but we found it much more effective to throw it on by the handful - "splat! splat! splat!" — the “Bible” told us to “schmear” the final layer on like frosting, but we found it much more effective to throw it on by the handful – “splat! splat! splat!”

Once we had a 2-4″ layer of plaster mud all over, we got to work shaping and decorating – smoothing, adding flame and ember colored rocks around the base and arch, and sculpting flames and heat waves in the mud …

We had just two days left before we were leaving Habitable Spaces – and we were determined to be able to eat some food from the oven before we left!

So we started a new drying fire inside, knowing that the fast drying would likely lead to cracking, but willing to take our chances.

cracking of the exterior plaster due to fast drying — cracking of the exterior plaster

There was, indeed, considerable cracking due to the fast-drying action of the fire, but the scary-looking cracks turned out to be easy to fix – we waited until it was dried out and stable, then filled them in with a wet mix of the same plastering material.

The warm exterior (from the sunshine and drying fire) caused the repair slip to dry almost instantly, creating a rough surface – which led us to the discovery that some wirebrushing created a nice light color, which highlighted the flame patterns pleasantly.

We built some tools from the junkpile (a scraper, a cleaning swab, and a fire blowing tube) – and eagerly awaited the next day: our final full day at Habitable Spaces, and the day we would finally test the oven out on some food!

We tinkered and smoothed and prepared throughout the day and the following afternoon …

the interior reveals the clump-by-clump construction method of the oven mud layer

We kept the drying fire going – now it was going to provide the heat for the first baking!

Kristin prepared two kinds of pizza dough – Neapolitan & New York style, and we soaked the inside of the cedar baking door by floating it in a large bucket, in order to minimize burning/charring.

Finally, we there in the first pizza, which sizzled satisfyingly as it hit the firebrick. Within minutes, delicious scents began wafting from the narrow gaps around the baking door …

baking the first pizza behind the soaked door! — baking the first pizza behind the soaked door

first pizza emerges!! (We got better at shaping the subsequent five pizzas, which had various combinations of bacon, caramelized onions, mushrooms, herbs, garlic, cheeses, pickled jalepenos ...) — first ever pizza emerges!! (We got better at shaping the subsequent five pizzas, which had various combinations of bacon, caramelized onions, mushrooms, herbs, garlic, cheeses, pickled jalepenos …)

And five minutes later, we pulled the first pizza from the oven. (It will take less time in the future, once the oven is finished drying out – at first, it loses efficiency to the energy that water takes to steam out.)

We baked into the night, leaving each pizza in for one minute longer than the last, until we were all too full to eat another slice and we’d exhausted our supply of ingredients. Then we threw a shortbread crust in for awhile, took it out and added a filling of blackberries, apple, ginger, and sugar, and replaced it inside for another 40 minutes of baking.

When it was done (and devoured), we used the considerable remaining heat to overnight slow cook a cast iron pot of beans with jalepenos, pepper, and cumin for our breakfast tacos the following day – our last morning at Habitable Spaces, capping off our wonderful two-month stay!

Postscript:

A couple of days after we left, Shane and Alison sent us the photos below – while they were soaking the door (in preparation for a bakefest of 8 pizzas & a loaf of bread), both a chicken and a cat had decided that the earth oven was a “habitable space,” indeed ….

It was a lot of work but incredibly rewarding and fun – we’re looking forward to visiting again to eat from it someday … and we can’t wait to build our own, back home on our farm!!

Uncategorized, WWOOFing

January in Texas

February 2, 2015 QueSehraFarm 1 Comment

In our first post from Habitable Spaces, I mentioned how when we first arrived and the van got stuck on a tree stump, it seemed like a sign of how would be rooted and grounded here.

It turns out this was more accurate than we knew – our planned three and a half week stay has transformed into a two months, as plans fell apart with the next two farms that we’d lined up.

This could have been a minor disaster, but for two things – we like Habitable Spaces, and they like us.

We’ve been having a great time settling into to the space, getting to know the people, the animals, and the area … here’s some of what we were up to throughout January!

(they’re not really in order, I assume no one really cares ….)

the mysterious trophy in the window at Dean's bar in Kingsbury. Karate racing? — the mysterious trophy in the window at Dean’s bar in Kingsbury. Karate racing?

Cleo don't give a duck — Cleo don’t give a duck

of course we had to build them a rocket stove (this one is for boiling pots of water to dunk chickens in for plucking)

Kristin & Ali working on the bottlehouse walls

bottles must first have their labels removed, before being cut in half, taped to a matching size bottom, and mortared into the walls - here Seth & Kristin work the de-labelling step — bottles must first have their labels removed, before being cut in half, taped to a matching size bottom, and mortared into the walls – here Seth & Kristin work the de-labelling step

Shane peers through the new hole in his home's roof, in the midst of the wood stove installation (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December) — Shane peers through the new hole in his home’s roof, in the midst of the wood stove installation (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)

Shane putting the finishing touches on the new woodstove chimney (oops this pic is actually from the last days of December)

Lynx spider helping us roof the bottlehouse

scavenging beautiful big glass doors for a future kitchen addition

every time we go for a walk with the dogs, Mina finds a mud puddle to lie in

harvesting the fruit of prickly pear cacti for making preserves (for some reason these are called "tuna fruit" which is just weird) — harvesting the fruit of prickly pear cacti for making preserves (for some reason these are called “tuna fruit” which is just weird)

Cleo beholds Bertha in her newly-built enclosure

RIVER SWIMMING IN JANUARY FOR THE WIN! (the San Marcos river is 73 degrees all year long)

herding Bertha across the farm to greener pastures we fenced in

excavating the ruins of an old homestead from the cacti it was buried in

the newly-cleaned and organized tiny kitchen, ready for seed trays

leveling the foundation for the new structure — leveling the foundation for a new structure

beginning the fencing of the new field (to keep out deer, dogs, wild pigs, etc - and temporarily contain Bertha) — beginning the fencing of the new field (to keep out deer, dogs, wild pigs, etc – and temporarily contain Bertha)

Kristin found a wild boar skull, which would later become the center piece of an art project

Jacob's Well almost claimed our souls — Jacob’s Well almost claimed our souls

on our walks, Mina usually manages to find a deer leg to parade home for gnawing

metal detecting for cool old garbage out among the prickly plants

decorating a cacti with found rusty debris

Kristin and I enjoy fetching firewood for the house's woodstove - we like knocking over standing dead snags best ... — Kristin and I enjoy fetching firewood for the house’s woodstove – we like knocking over standing dead snags best …

basking in both sunshine and satisfaction, after completing the bottlehouse roof

Widget greets the day from the cabin's loft — Widget greets the day from the cabin’s loft

feeding the neighbors in Jess's friend Ray's backyard — feeding the neighbors in Jess’s friend Ray’s backyard

injured or ill vulture out in the wasteland

Lily enjoys the new platform after we took down the old cable spool tower — Lily enjoys the newly-accessible platform after we took down the old cable spool tower

the petrified wood collection so far, gathered on our walk abouts on the property

returning from an attempt at making the entrance culvert a bit more accessible

the rocks n stuff collection is outgrowing the spool tabletop

rocks and artifacts and bones outside the cabin

pool at Dean's in Kingsbury — pool at Dean’s in Kingsbury

remains of Shane's grandmother's old house — remains of Shane’s grandmother’s old house

unearthed an intact Presto glass container with lid from the 40s

Mr. Pettibone squeezes into the dog food container he knocked over, as Scout observes

archeologistizin' the old homestead — archeologistizin’ the old homestead

the Kingsbury Aerodrome museum is next door ... they have many many cool toys — the Kingsbury Aerodrome museum is next door … they have many many cool toys

whitewashing Craigslist Free section fence wood for interior paneling — whitewashing Craigslist Free section fence wood for purty interior paneling

western San Antonio is colorful — colorful western San Antonio

Jess at the altar of an abandoned church

So that was January! We’re going to be here through February 19th before we start making our way west toward Arizona – and from there, home again in mid March to get the farm kicking! Its coming fast now … woo hoo!

homestead, WWOOFing

365 Days of Que Sera Serain’ … & some pics from last week

January 2, 2015 QueSehraFarm 1 Comment

One year ago we left our home in Minneapolis and dove into our new life.

During the year since then, we’ve traveled for four months working and learning on other farms throughout the southern states, and spent 8 months building up our little homestead farm in the sand barrens of Western Wisconsin.

It’s easily been the best – most rewarding, most interesting, most promising, and most exciting – year of our lives, at an age I feared I’d be settling into an increasingly domesticated rut. Living outside my comfort zone – learning skills and approaches that make me acutely aware of how little I know and how much there is to learn – has been humbling and awesome.

Today, we’re ushering in the new year at Habitable Spaces down in Kingsbury, Texas. It’s been cold and rainy since 2014, although the chill is only by Texas standards – it’s currently 40 here, but only 12 back home on the Que Sehra Farm … I’ll take it .

bottles awaiting de-labeling, halving, taping, and mortaring into the bottlehouse walls

testing the new rocket stove (for heating up chicken/duck dunking water)

Kristin had some good photos on her phone that didn’t make it into the “Inhabiting the Habitat” post last week, so here some of them are …

the standard rocks here are mostly gorgeous flint

Mina loves her body inside the warm kitchen and her face out the kitty door

Happy New Year everyone! Life is short and we’re writing our life stories every day – let’s all make this next chapter the best one yet.

WWOOFing

Inhabiting the Habitat

December 27, 2014 QueSehraFarm 2 Comments

From Yokna Bottoms Farm, it was an 11 hour drive to our next host farm – Habitable Spaces, a “sustainable farm & artists residency,” growing in spaces carved from the scrubby oaks, mesquite, and cacti of Texas, out beyond the outskirts of both San Antonio and Austin.

We arrived in the darkness of the new moon, in the first hours of the longest night of the year – winter solstice, time for openings and new things – and immediately ran aground and became happily stuck (Huey Lewis style) upon a rooted tree stump. How metaphorical! I liked it.

Although I wouldn’t completely feel good about it until I was sure the transmission hadn’t been damaged or something …

(this uploaded upside down but I’m just going to leave it as is.)

We cut the stump down the next day and drove to a more convenient dock.

Our dogs got along great with their three girls (Mina, the giant; Lola, the sweet; and Lily, the wild). Our cabin – “El Casa De Escorpio” – was awesome, and surprisingly similar to the Rust Shack back home in layout. It, too, was a pallet shack with a loft – but slightly bigger and significantly more finished than ours, with insulation, wallpaper, a heater, and meticulously and artfully applied interior wall paneling. And a bottle window!

"The House of Scorpio" - until they'd finished the walls, the place became home to dozens of scorpions . — “The House of Scorpio” – until they’d finished the walls, the place became home to dozens of scorpions .

They had a good junkpile/supply, the native rock poking up everywhere was a sexy glassy flint, and animals and evidence of active construction projects were everywhere.

rainwater collection system – totally going to borrow that sediment trap design back home

– needless to say, we immediately felt at home, and were excited to wake up to the reborn sunshine of the first lengthening day of the year.

While helping out with projects, we met the ducks and chickens, the cats and kittens, the friends and family, the pig and the place.

clockwise from foreground: Widget, Cleo, M, Lola, and Lily) — clockwise from foreground: Widget, Cleo, Mina, Lola, and Lily)

We also did a lot of scavenging; a friend’s family had moved away from their farm, and left behind a rich and satisfying array of plunder for Habitable Spaces to pick through.

We ate great food and closed down the the only bar in town and got to know good people, human and otherwise.

It was a damn fine week.

Kris the bartender trying to animate the singing deer

And today Habitable Spaces got the letter announcing that they are now legally a Non Profit organization, with all the benefits entailed!

farming, WWOOFing, Yokna Bottoms Farm

final days in Oxford

December 20, 2014 QueSehraFarm Leave a comment

This was our third and final week spent on Yokna Bottoms Farm, in the beautiful Faulknerian land of northern Mississippi. Preparing t leave back during the first time we WWOOFed here (January 2014), it seemed weird that we might not ever see the characters here again – which makes sense in retrospect, since fate conspired to get us here again this winter.

Widget does not think the chickens deserve all of the bread.

A year later, we’re not thinking about how weird it is that we may never see the Yokna farm and its cast of human, canine, and kitty characters again – because we assume that someday, we probably will.

mixing up worm castings, chicken manure, and dirt into a batch of potting soil for the strawberry project

potting up dozens of little strawberry plants we dug up from a crowded and un-loved patch of field, with Jeff

Gabe chewing through wicked blackberry canes with the flail mower

Kristin bashing low-hanging branches from the pines to make way for the flail mower’s passage

Cleo & Faith in their hours-long staring contest

you can guess how Faith earned her nickname, "Scarf" — you can guess how Faith earned her nickname, “Scarf”

Faith does not mind that Gabe is allergic to her. She may even prefer it.

This week we visited Richardson Farm – a startup operation founded by former Yokna intern Nate, who we’d met last year. He is leasing some really interesting land along a lakeshore, and has big plans for what he’d like to get growing and built there. For now, it’s been fulltime work just getting a liveable shack to stay in, a small greenhouse built, etc – things are starting to come together and it’ll be great to see where it goes from here,

and old treehouse failure decorates the woods of Richardson Farm

Another former Yokna Woofer, Reynaldo came to stay at the Farm over the last few days to house & dog sit for Doug, who left for a few days of family time in New Mexico with the ‘old boys,” Merton and Shivas. We hadn’t met Reyndaldo before, but we’d enjoyed his work – he’d done a great painting of the old farm truck and Missy, which graces the living room wall of the house.

While staying in the house, he’s working on a new piece – a vortex-looking spiral which is steadily resolving into an amazingly well colored and rendered hay bale.

When not housesitting here, Reynaldo is WWOOFing on the nearby Canebreak Farm – another up and coming small organic farm. We went to check it out with him – I wish we had a photo of the sweet bamboo cane thicket growing along one edge of the field, where the farmers hope to one day clear room for tables and chairs – a dining space for the Asian farm-to-table dishes they hope to serve from the produce they grow on the land.

We made cornbread and went to a Chili Cook-Off, where most o the entries included Yokna Bottoms veggies, and longtime Yokna Farm staff Betsey took home the prize … but we felt like the biggest winners, with all the delicious food we got to eat.

At the house, we've gotten into doing crossword puzzles for the first time — At the house, we’ve gotten into doing crossword puzzles for the first time

Tomorrow, we leave for Habitable Spaces in Kingsbury, Texas first thing in the morning!

living close to the ground