Black Cap Raspberries

Berries, berries, and more berries.  Since I've been in Oregon, I have learned of so many berries, some wild like black raspberry caps.  Sara's has many different ones just in her garden from red raspberries, fall gold raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, strawberries, and blueberries!  They are all so delicious, especially in jam :)  So today, we drove up the mountain to look for black caps, which are wild raspberries.  We also picked a few wild blackberries which are tiny, but veryy yummy.  Along our trip, we saw many open range cows, picked lots of berries, and got tangled up a bit too.  The black caps are super seedy, so they don't really make a good jam, so the best thing to really do with them is to make syrup.  We started before dinner and didn't finish till after...lots of straining and lots of stirring.  How is it?  I'll let you know after pancakes tomorrow morning...

The cows we passed on the way up the mountain

Jackpot spot

Black Cap Raspberries

This past week has been filled with garden work..less weeding than the past, more transplanting and harvesting..lots of berry picking.  The aphids and white flies have been a battle.  A lot of time was spent keeping up with them...spraying neem, putting down tin foil (to confuse them to which way is up) and laying mint down near plants.  Finally, it seems that we are getting a hold on them..the cucumbers are making a comeback and they are looking better and lots of cucumbers are growing.  

Picking raspberries

Golden Raspberries

Corn!

Salsa from a can, mixed with green tomatoes, onions, and jalopenos.  The hottest pepper I have ever tasted in my life.

Raspberry Jam..yumm

Thursday, Lisa and I got dropped off in Ashland and we got to explore for the day.  We went to a coffee shop, did some shopping (window shopping because it was not my price range), except for the used book store.  We drank from the Lithia water...people were told in the past that it was good for you, even though they then discovered that it wasn't.  The water did not taste good either.

The water fountains that tasted not so yummy.

Cool sign in the Ashland Co-op

Patriotic ice cream for the opening ceremony of the olympics!  With fresh raspberries and blueberries from the garden :)

Love,

Meg

Back to work...

Sunday afternoon, Lisa and I went camping!  We set off with a tent, sleeping bags, food, clothes, and firewood.  We picked up some beer and grabbed ice cream. We saw the Natural Bridge along the way.  It's a bridge that naturally formed from Lava.  Through some process, the lave hardened, but created a tunnel that lave flowed through.  Over time, the lave stopped and water then passed through.  You could actually walk over the river on this before.

Our campsite at Union Creek

First fire

The Rogue River along our hike

A huckleberry!  still too ripe though.

Trippy look up at a tree...one of my favorite things to look at.

Another spot on the hike..this is lava rock that formed over time.

Just a beautiful flower.

We then set up camp at Union Creek..a hot spot with the highest price so far...$14! We were stayed in a very historical spot.  Our camp was one that was used very much in the 1800s and through the early 1900s. We had coffee and very berry pie (homemade) at a restaurant that was built in the 1930s.  The recipe for the pie even dates back to the lady who helped open it with her husband for travelers along the route.

Monday, we work up and had some breakfast, then headed to Beckie's for coffee.  After a relaxing morning we set off for a long hike..roughly 6 miles.  We took lunch with us and ate along the river.  A couple passed by and chatted with us, and wanted to connect me with a farmer in Medford that is doing a CSA thing.  We walked back to their cabin, got a beautiful tour, and chatted.  They drive up in the winter, and then snowshoe into their cabin from about 1.5 miles away...prettttyy cool.  After our hike we were pretty tired.  We got Lisa'a car and then hit up the country store for snacks and stuff.  We ate dinner back at our campsite, then back to Beckie's for the pie :)  Had a short fire and off to bed.  We had some real good conversations about the world...a topic that frequently comes up.

Woke up early this morning to head back to work.  A usual morning in the garden and great lunch.  Afterwards, Sara showed us how to braid garlic..which we get to keep...soo cool!

We're All Growing

BEFORE...

AFTER...

This is how transformed the garden is from the beginning of my adventure here.  The growth is a wonderful visual parallel of the changes happening to me.  The best part of it all is that it’s not finished…and in a way, it never will.

I’ve learned a lot since I got to the Hammonds on June 1st.  The soil is alive.  We plant the life of a plant from a seed the size of a bead and given the right conditions, it grows to offer a great bounty back to us.  When we use it for all that we can, it withers away and falls down the ground, to only become part of the soil again.  It’s a cycle that life goes through.  I’ve been growing right along with the tomatoes, the corn, and squash.  I’m even relating to the strawberries who are having their second spurt right now, with a third to come.  We’re all connected to each other; and we’re all trying to grow into something beautiful.  Sometimes it’s amazing like that, and other times it’s brutal.    Life is constantly fighting to survive among each other.  The aphids are thriving in the garden this summer, probably due to the wet spring and mild summer, while (check this out for sure) we’re struggling to control them so the cucumbers and squash and peppers, etc. can survive.  We’re battling the white flies, and the cucumber beetles, and the gophers, and the cows.

Sara reminds me that it’s hard enough to grow food, without all the pests and animals.  Lisa began reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma and we’ve had some really great, but also frustrating, conversations about corporations and mainstream life in America.  Are we doomed to fall into the traps they lay out for all of us?  Where do we find power to fight for what we believe rightfully belongs to us?  We all need to realize how hard the small farmers are working, and appreciate the food that is grown on these lands that we somehow came to inhabit.  Maybe here we can find the strength to stand up for so many things that somehow fell aside as we pushed forward with “progress.”

I go to sleep at night and wake up every morning here with a bigger smile on my heart and soul.  I know that the path I’ve chosen for life is right for me, and hopefully for many others.  There’s so much beauty in the world that I truly believe, that if more people took the time to see the world around them, they would rethink so much more.  In a world that offers a plentitude of beauty, you can’t just ignore it after cracking the door open.  It flies open and birds zoom out singing, the wind starts talking through the trees, and world awakens as the sun rises.  You can so easily get caught in a daze of love with nature; including people…

We are nature too.

Past halfway through :/

So, as promised, I have some pictures to put up there.  Things have been normal here.  Another wwoofer came a few days ago..Lisa.  She is a really cool person, and I love her spirit.  Everybody gets along wonderfully and we've gotten a lot of work done in the past days.  Last night, Lisa and I made pierogies from scratch with various fillings...potatoes, potatoes and squash, mushroom and onion, and then dessert ones...boysenberry jam, and a cinnamon apple :)  The jam one was sooo good, especially with Ben and Jerry's ice cream.  Milk and cookies and Vanilla Heath Bar :) Loovee.

We did a bunch of harvesting today and transplanting like 30-40 Napa Cabbages.  I got to use the 4-wheeler to take the diseased or thorny scraps away to the fire pit..that was cool.  After egg and bean burritos for lunch, I read a bit on my hammock in the orchard..so beautiful, especially with Hobbes laying with me.  And then I started a book..not reading, but writing one.  I have tried it before and never get far, and who knows, maybe that will be the case again.  But it was really nice...I was writing on my laptop on the balcony and it was just beautiful.  I have a lot of time to write so maybe it will turn into something?  Then for dinner, Lisa and I made homemade pizza...with the following toppings from the garden: green bell pepper, tomatoes, zucchini, and tomato sauce.  Then we had some onions, shiitake mushrooms, olives, capers, feta cheeze, mozzarella cheese and some pepperoni.  We made four pizzas mixing a bunch of the stuff up, with the last one called, "The Kitchen Sink"...with all the scraps we had left.  It was reallly yummy but we made almost two pies extra!  There's tomorrow's lunch and dinner, hah.

Enjoy some pictures...

Gracie fishing

The kids fishing at the pond during the reunion.

Lillies at the pond.  Beautiful how they open up every day.

Sand Candles!  So cool...mine in the light blue on the left.

Some of the kids when we were leaving the creek.

Beautiful picture at the meadow.  Courtesy of Emma (the girl from the above picture)

Diamond Lake, where we went fishing

Some of the fishermen.

Love,

Meg

Happy, happy, happy

So this week has been much more intensive, with farming.  The reunion over, Sara and I really got back to work and caught up on weeds.  They're still fighting us, but that's life.  Every morning we work from about 8 to 12ish.  After lunch, I usually read a bit, or write, and then head back out on my own for a bit.  I feel really connected to the garden now and it's amazing.  I have been thinking about my future and what I really want to do.  Today, I sent an e-mail out to friends who I thought would be interested in my future plans.  And what is that?  I want to get a group of people together, hopefully, and purchase land to have a CSA, and more.  More of what?  Whatever we all can bring to the table.  One friend loves flowers...so we grow them and sell them?  We've got marketing majors...farmer's markets and such?  Arts and Crafts?  Yoga?  There are so many possibilities that is overwhelmingly awesome.  I want to bring so much talent and love together to create a place where people can come, experience, learn, grow, and change.  I'm not happy about where a lot of food in this country comes from...how do I change that?  I start with opting out of those options, and growing food myself...as much as possible.  I create a community, and contribute to communities, in order to spread that love for yourself, others, and the earth...that gives us so much.  I don't want to be a coward about my life's aspirations and dreams...I want to dive right into them, sink or swim.  Struggles are gonna be apart of it, I know that, but the journey is what matters.  And with people who want to do the same...it could really be awesome.  Already, one person really liked me email so hopefully the future brings great possibilities :)

Yesterday was a great day.  After harvesting and transplanting some baby lettuces, I had a yummy lunch and a great afternoon.  Steve came back from the fire in Montana so we played some badminton and then went to a swimming hole a few miles away.  We sat in the sun, had a beer, little something [ :) ], and talked for two hours.  We talked about life, and spirits, and so many cool things.  I realized how connected I am starting to feel with life.  We talked about my connection to my Grandpa, and I realized in the moment, how connected I really feel to spirits.  I don't know what happens when we die, but we don't just disappear..
I also realized that I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life.  I am finally doing what I love and it feels amazing.  It's a ridiculous adrenaline rush.  Afterwards, we went back home to do ceramics!  He showed me how, and then I made a bowl and cup...it was soo much fun and I think I'm pretty good at it!  I would like to experiment with it some more...especially learning how to glaze it after.  But the wheel was so much fun.  Then we had a great dinner, played a game of cribbage with him and Sara and then relaxed for the night.

Today, Sara and Sherm were off to a wedding party, so I worked in the garden, with the weeds, for about 2 1/2 hours.  Made myself an egg, onion, tomato, avocado sandwich with some cole slaw on the side.  Most things were from the garden :)  Now I have the afternoon to do whatever...I think I'll go outside and enjoy the beautiful weather and listen to the birds sing and trees talk :)

Love,
Meg

Beginning of July

So my laptop won't connect to the internet, so unfortunately no pictures today, but I'll add them soon.  The past week has been their family reunion, so it's been a bit crazy here.  People slowly began arriving 2 thursdays ago and the last two just left.  It was an adventure everyday with lots of fun, drinks, and events - the creek, fireworks, ATV rides, and more....all of this left the garden a litttle bit unattended.  And with all the rain, the weeds were slowly creeping up.  One day when most of the crew was gone for something, Sara and I went out there to get some work done.  I spent about 2 hours weeding one field...phew.  It was all done though so that's good.  Friday, we did some more work because it just needs to be taken care of now. More weeding was done.  Much more needs to be done, but that waits till tomorrow.

Today, we all went to Diamond Lake to fish trout.  Exciting!...but I didn't catch a fish.  It was real slow and we only caught 2, and kept 1.  I got lots of sun though...even a bit too much on some parts of me, but it was a very relaxing day.  I needed the rest on my foot.  I was running for 4 days in a row and Friday I ran even though my foot somewhat hurt.  It might have been a bad idea because all day yesterday it hurt.  I tried to rest and stay off of it, and so today was great for that as well.  Hopefully it continues to get better because I would like to get back to walking normally, and running.  Might have to suck it up and order a new pair of running shoes too :/  I think Soco was definitely right about that ha.

Anyway, we stopped at Becky's Cafe (we did after Crater Lake too) and it was yummy once again.  I got a veggie burger topped with sauted onions and mushrooms. I still have half left :)  Afterwards, I had to get ice cream.  Sara said it was really good, and it was such a perfect day for it, anddd we were previously talking about it.  She said to get the baby, so I got the "1 scoop" and it was not the baby unfortunately.  It was a waffle cone with 3 scoops.  Hmm..don't know how that worked out but I had to finish it!  It was coffee with almonds and fudge.

I really met some great people this past week, and enjoyed a lot of time with them.  At the same time, it will be nice to get back to a bit quieter time, with more time in the garden.  I have actually missed working out there.  The bugs have also taken over :(  I don't know if it's because of the warmer winter or what, but they are seem to be a bigger problem for Sara than last year.  Hopefully we'll get things under control this week and see plants flourishing without them soon!  The tomatoes are outgrowing their posts and some still need them.  This week has a lot of things for the list...