Personal Space - The Surprise

The day I have been waiting for. The day to spring the surprise !

I woke this morning at 7am. Early for a Saturday. I still had to finish sanding and install the armoire doors before I show it to her. But before that, I had a meeting in town regarding some community work I've been involved with. Right after the meeting I rushed home to finish the job!

Another mid-summer day in Winter. 70 degrees. Sunny. Wow. It doesn't get much better than this. The wonderful thing about Summer in Winter is that you have all the warmth, without the FLIES! Yeah! I got back to the farm just after noon. There was utter harmony. I had given everyone notice earlier in the week that this weekend was a farm improvement weekend. We will all work together on small projects and jobs that will make our lives here happier. Working on things like this together helps bring a sense of collective responsibility to a family. We all really do play a critical role in our life here on Lavender Hill.

My son was well into his task rebuilding some raised beds. This year the wire mesh at the bottom of one of the raised beds in the garden finally rotted through. A gopher wreaked havoc on my tomatoes for about a month before I got him under control. An ounce of prevention though is worth a pound of cure. So rebuilding the beds in the home garden became a farm improvement project. Last weekend, he dismantled the old beds, and today he was rebuilding the new ones with the same wood. Well done!

My daughter was also working in the family garden. The winter veggies needed weeding. Not terribly exciting, but it can be meditative. I actually like doing it in early morning, when no one is awake yet. Seriously, I'm not trying to Tom Sawyer you. But today, since I had to go to the community meeting, my daughter took the task. She says she doesn't like the work, but she was smiling when I checked in. So maybe she found the same Zen, but just won't admit it to ol' Dad.

After checking on progress in the home garden, I finished up my sanding and installed the doors. But in process, I was discovered. All covered in wood dust, I turned around to see my wife staring at me. She wanted to know what I was making. Figuring I couldn't say "nothing" with a 7 foot armiore standing in front of me, a sander in my hand, and covered head to toe in dust. "Go read my blog" I told her, "then come back." She did, returning with a smile.

Now that it's ready, how to break it to her? I came up with an idea. I would tell her to read my blog, and she could learn of the surprise the same way you all did! After dinner, I casually brought up some excuse to tell her to read my blog. I had to insist actually, since I got the standard "I will" with no actual forward motion. This became a bit of a test of wills, but since my wife was in on it, she backed me up. Apparently my son had discovered me earlier that day, so he joined in too, and finally she sat down to read, while we all stared at her with goofy knowing smiles. She smiled. "All this from one outburst?" she said. Maybe I saw a happy tear, I don't know. It could have just been the light too.

Well, it worked. She liked it. We all grabbed a flashlight and hiked over to see it in the dark. I even got a rare hug. That made it all worthwhile.

Personal Space - Day II & III

The last couple of days have been busy. At last post, I had hoped to spring the "surprise" yesterday. However business calls and I only managed to get a half day in for furniture making. However the distractions were worthy.

First thing in the morning, I had a meeting with a local winery to do some custom essential oil distillation. Farming has to come first. I am very happy with the opportunity. I had met the owners of a local winery that grows quite a bit of rosemary. They are interested in distilling essential oil for products, and I am interested in expanding my distillation operation to include other aromatic herbs. So it is a match made in heaven. I had an excellent meeting with the wine maker, we looked over the rosemary and agreed on a plan to move forward. I am looking forward to sharing my rosemary distillation days with you in the future!

Busness in hand, I did manage to get back in the late morning and continue some on the "surprise" project. At three I had a brief meeting with my partner on the Carmel Valley Coop (see weblink at http://www.carmelvalleycoop.org) in the late afternoon, so I had to work fast.

I managed to build the shelves, trim , and crown. Most of the time was spent searching the farm for adequate pieces of lumber from which to fashion the shelves. I also started running out of "choice" lumber scraps. Which means milling pieces from larger scraps of wood. This of course also take time and slows down progress.

As my partner showed up for our afternoon meeting, I had just finished the shelves, and milled the pieces I would use to construct the cabinet doors. And that was a day. So I collected my tools, and put things away.

Yesterday was a busy day indeed. My day was still not over. In the evening, I needed to make a meeting with the local Sustainable Carmel Valley group. Deborah Lindsay, council member for Pacific Grove, local radio host of an environmental show called Tomorrow Matters, and personal friend was going to be presenting at the monthly meeting. She is a true visionary. (You can read about Deborah on her website at http://www.deborahlindsay.com) This was a must go! So I fixed some fast food (a very nice omelet), and headed off. The meeting was very interesting. So much so, I would like to dedicate an entire post to my experience. I won't say too much about it today, except to encourage you to visit again tomorrow where I will share details about the meeting which included global warming, peak oil, re-localization of our economy, and psychology of our interpretation of these literally Earth shattering events. And they do relate to my philosophy on farming. So I want to spend some time with this.

But for now, back to the surprise... :)

Today I went back to work, and started working on the cabinet doors. This took most of the day. First I had to rout out the rabbets for the paneling on some of the cross members.

Next I had to drill the peg holes that would be used to join the pieces together. I cut pegs from a piece of 3/8" wooden dowel I happened to have lying around, and securely glued them into the holes. Then I joined the pieces together, and started inserting the panel slats into the slots. Of course this sounds easier than it was. I also had to cut a 45 degree angle as a simple ship-lap in each of the panel slats so that the pieces would join better.

By the end of the day I had finished the two lower doors of the main armoire, and the two upper cabinet doors as well. All that remained was to fasten the doors to the cabinet. But alas, I didn't seem to have any appropriate hinges lying around. After much deliberation, I decided I would take a trip into town and pick up some hinges and fasten the doors on tomorrow.

I seriously contemplated springing the surprise with the doors not yet mounted. But I think I will wait. The impact should be bigger if the armoire is good to go when I spring it on my daughter. I will be patient, and pick up the hinges early in the morning. I am really anxious to see if she likes it, but I try to keep myself restrained. Tomorrow is good.

Tomorrow will be the day. Stay tuned!

Personal Space - An Episode of Cabin Fever

This morning I had a big long list of tasks to get done around the farm. Well, farming isn't all about plants and animals. People live here too, and sometimes they need attention just like all of us. As I walked through the yard to my first task at the distillery, my thoughts were on a conversation, more of an event really, from the night before. Of course, one thing leads to another and I had an idea. A blogosphere surprise for my family. You can all be in on it with me as it unfolds. Here's the scoop...

Life on the farm is not shall we say conventional. Most of our space is outdoors. Fine during the day. But at night, and of course during cold winter rainy season, this makes for cramped quarters. And our house is very small. Let's just say we can amaze even Chinese nationals when they try to complain about THEIR average home size :) I like to think of it kinda like living on a boat.

Last night began with my daughter upset. You see, my son (I know I said my daughter was upset, but it is all connected, bare with me) got a unique Christmas gift, an adorable little device called the Annoy-a-Tron. A tiny little circuit that emits a short, really obnoxious electronic sound once every so often. Just often enough to be a constant distraction, but not often enough to find the darn thing. And it comes with a built-in magnet, so it can be hidden in the most insidious of places. Well a few nights ago he left it in our room and after an hour trying to get to sleep I had to go wake him to find it. The next day he found a new location, but this one wasn't so clever, and ol' Dad managed to track it down, turn it off, and hide it. Then I had an idea, I would give him a taste of his own medicine and hide it in HIS room. Of course in a sinisterly difficult to detect location. He'd have to come wake ME up! While he was at school, I set the trap.

Okay, I know, what about my daughter? Well, apparently it was bothering her while she was trying to study so she came marching in to demand that it be immediately removed. Fair enough, but she was really..., well... really... ANNOYED! I asked her why a silly prank became such a heated issue, and she blurted out: I have no personal space!

It is hard to argue with that.

In fact it is true. For all of us. Cabin fever can take the best. But the key to living on a boat is organization. Or course, closet space is at a premium, and most of our space is shared. For an old weathered goat like me, you stop caring about things like that. But for a young adult, well, it's important. We have always talked about building an armoire so that she would have a personal space to put her belongings. The project never seems to make it to the top 10 list though. Today, it became #1.

So I interrupted my tasks and hatched a plan to build it for her and surprise her. And even better, I would share the progress with you on the blog. All right under her nose. All fun of course. I looked at an old pile of scrap lumber, and visions of King Midas began to overtake me. I would complete it today.

I grabbed my notebook and sketched out a simple design. Looks easy enough, no? And I think I can make it entirely from stuff on hand. Let's give it a try.

With the design in hand, I collected some pieces of lumber from the scrap pile and started cutting. I cut out all of the pieces for the frame, and made the saw cuts for the mortise work. This went pretty quickly.

Next, I chiseled out the mortises for the cabinet frame. I am not a cabinet maker, so this went more slowly. But surely. As the pieces were worked, I fastened them together to make the frame. I had some old 1by6 tongue and groove paneling pieces lying around, so I cut these to length for use as side panels, and fastened these into place using finishing nails. So far, so good.

Uh oh, twilight was upon me. These winter days are so short. I finished the main cabinet frame and side panels, but the shelves and doors remain. As usual, my dream exceeds my day. Fastening everything together had taken more time than I though, getting all the pieces square and lining up right etc. But I had to clean up and put the tools away. I "hid" the 7 foot cabinet in plain sight right on the patio just by leaning it on its side. A simple "fine" seemed to satisfy any questions about my day. He he. If I can only get them all off to school in the morning. Hopefully, no one will notice!

Check back tomorrow to see if I succeed and finish before I'm discovered. With luck, I can spring the surprise when they get home!

Mid Summer's Day in December

Um, did I wake up today in Australia? It didn't seem like it when I went outside this morning at 7am and the temperature was a balmy 34 degrees F. But by 10am, the Sun was shining bright, and I started shedding jackets and layers like a Siberian Husky blowing his coat (more about huskies later).

I started noticing a few bees around, so I went to check the hives. The little ladies were pretty active at the entrance. They were taking advantage of the nice warm day to take cleansing flights, and even doing a little foraging. The lavender from the distiller seemed to call them over from time to time. And my cup of tea also seemed like quite tasty (I suppose it was the sugar). That reminds me, next week I'll need to order some replacements for a few of the hives I lost last year. Hard to believe it's that time already.

The whole family pitched in today and vegetable garden and the garden around the house. The storms had made a mess of the place. Grass was growing thick, the mint all needed hacking back. The finally dead tomatoes and basil plants needed clearing. And of course, weeding. We even had a chance to harvest a few carrots for dinner tonight. Look at this ugly root my daughter pulled up. Not pretty, but steamed long enough, anything can be tender and tasty! I had some this evening for dinner. Very yummy. Daniella roasted pumpkins for soup tonight. You can make a delicious pumpkin soup very much like the carrot soup I described in my previous post (see Season's Greetings w/ Carrot Soup), but with roasted pumpkin. Use more paprika and garlic rather than ginger (we use jalapeno, because that is the pepper I grow a lot) to spice it up. I'm stuffed now on roots and squash.

I've been taking advantage of the holidays to spend a little time with Sofie, my dog. Sofie is a Siberian Husky. No, she is not blowing her coat right now, thank goodness! But she has been hanging out with me while I do my lavender distilling. Unfortunately, Sofie isn't well. A couple of months ago, she went lame in one of her legs. She's taking medication now, and that seems to be keeping things manageable for now, but the doc says that it is only a matter of time before the medication won't be enough. She is losing weight, but she is still as beautiful as ever. If you know huskies, the advise is usually to make them work for their treats. I've been a bit lax these last few months knowing her state, and she takes advantage of me. Oh well, everyone needs a free lunch now and again. She's comfortable now, and I'm thankful for that.
Well, looks like the mid-summer's day has given way to the realities of the season. The mercury is at 39f and falling. Gonna be COLD tonight!

Season's Greetings w/ Carrot Soup

Season's Greetings from Carmel Lavender. Here at the farm, it is Christmas Eve, and we wish everyone a happy Holiday Season, and a very joyful New Year.

We were fortunate last week to be treated to a mini snow flurry up here at 1700 feet, bringing a white Christmas to us a week early. These things are ephemeral, and it didn't last long, but I took some photos and thought I would share them with you today, along with my recipe for cream of carrot soup!


In this photo, you can see the lavender fields sleeping under the snow. Don't worry, they will be fine. Within a few hours, the snow would be gone anyhow. But it was sure beautiful while it lasted. I am fortunate to have been here to see it.

Cream of Carrot Soup

I would like to share my latest culinary experiment. As you can see, winter has finally come to the farm. The tomatoes, which were actually still producing in early December, have finally succumb to the frost. Within one day of the first frost, the basil was gone. It was amazing it had lasted so long as it was. My turnips and cabbage are not yet ready to harvest. So what I have most of right now are carrots. And lots of them! I planted these last spring, and they are quite large. So I thought I would try my hand at adapting a favorite recipe I make for cream of squash soup, but use carrots instead. The results were amazing! I used real cream, but if you use soy milk instead, it would be entirely vegan!

What you will need:

• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Water
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Ginger root
• Cream (or soy milk)
• Paprika

The ingredients are listed above in the order they are added. I must apologize in advance for the lack of measurements. The fact is that I don't use them. Why? Well, because eating is very much a matter of mood. The proportions change with the mood. But here are some guidelines I used. A large bowl of chopped carrots is about 1 quart of volume. Olive oil is maybe a few tablespoons. I use an entire onion, because the more onion, the sweeter the soup, and I want it sweet. Use less if you don't like it as sweet. The ginger root is metered by smelling the soup as you grate the root into it, while stirring occasionally. Stop when the soup smells "gingery" enough. And the paprika is simply to add a dash of color and zip at the end. So very small quantities.

First, I picked a large bowl of carrots and cleaned them. I cut them into chunks about 1 inch long, and set them aside. I did not bother to peel them. First, the skin is nutritious. If nature intended us to eat carrots without skin, they would grow naked. This is all part of whole food eating. Second, it is work. Why make work out of taking the nutrition out of your food?

Next I got a large soup bowl. Put a thin layer of olive oil at the bottom, and saute an onion. In case it isn't obvious, chop the carrot into small 1/4 inch pieces before placing into the oil. When the onions become translucent, they are ready.

Then add about a 1 to 2 pints of water and the carrots. You want the water to just cover the carrots maybe 1/2 to 1 inch higher than where the carrots would fill the pot w/o the water. The more water, the runnier the soup, the less water, the thicker the soup. I like thicker soup, so I just cover the carrots with water. Let the pot boil, then reduce temp so that it simmers. Let simmer until the carrots start to melt. You should be able to easily mash a carrot with a fork with very little effort when it is done. Don't be impatient. Let the heat do the work for you! I also add a few minced cloves of garlic at this point.

While the carrots are simmering, grate a peeled ginger root into the soup. I used a peeler to get the skin off (yes I know what I said about holistic food, but the ginger root skin is too tough and won't melt when you cook it, but feel free to keep the skin if you don't mind some bits of ginger skin in your soup). Grate some root, stir it in. Then smell the soup. Gingery enough? No? Add some more until the ginger smell is apparent. I used about two to three inches of a fairly large root. Don't be shy! Ginger not only tastes great, but it is healthful too.

Once the soup has cooked sufficiently (at least an hour or two), then puree the soup in a blender. This will most likely need to be done in batches unless you have a humongous blender or are making a tiny amount of soup. Once all the soup is blended, put it all back into the soup pot, and add the cream. I add cream until the color starts to turn just a bit pale, but not too much. You also want to make sure the consistency stays thick enough. I put about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of cream to achieve this. Remember, cream is very rich. Taste as you add if you aren't comfortable w/ the color guidelines.

At this point, I usually turn the heat off. The soup is pretty hot, and you can burn the cream. But if you want, you can cook it on low for another 10 minutes or so, but take care to stir continuously so the cream doesn't burn. Once the cream is added, you have to be careful.

Serve into bowls, and sprinkle just a pinch of paprika on the top to give a nice dusting of red color. Not too much, unless you really want it spicy. Though consider carefully not to overpower the ginger. Less ginger, more paprika will be okay. If you have made it really gingery, then you're not going to want to complicate the ginger with too much paprika.

Now enjoy! Mmmm. Should be very nice treat on a cold winter night. Happy Holidays.

On Christmas Eve, a family of wild turkeys came to visit us. I watched them through the window as my pumpkins roasted for the pies I will be making tonight. Good thing for them we're eating a traditional Bulgarian vegetarian Christmas eve meal tonight!

Cooperation is Key to Local Success

Last night, the Carmel Valley Cooperative sponsored a local Holiday Faire. It was a small event in size, but the event for me represents what is needed to make local economies work: cooperation and community.

Of course, this sounds obvious. We've been told since we were young, that cooperation is the key to success. We all know this within our hearts. However practice can sometimes be more difficult than concept. For just as we all know the value and benefits of cooperation, we are equally trained in the art of competition. Finding a balance can be a delicate endeavour, but one I feel is worthy of pursuit.

The Faire last night, for me, was symbolic of the purpose for which the Carmel Valley Cooperative was created: for small local producers, to work together, to create relationships with customers. The goal is for each and every product to find maximum potential to enrich the lives of those in our community, and by making our labours of love sustainable for our lives too. After all, if we cannot afford to do those things that enrich our community, then it benefits no one.

Community truly a powerful motivating force behind everything that I do. I am often amazed at how strongly this has developed, especially when I reflect on my thoughts years ago when I first considered farming. In the beginning, farming seemed to be the ultimate independent experience. Just one's self living off the land. It doesn't get any more independent than that, right? Well, as with everything in life, reality is much different when experienced first hand. The reality has been that nature is amazingly complicated and powerful. Living off the land, so to speak, is just as complex. I am a hands-on person. I actually like to get my hands dirty (literally!) and what I have learned is self evident in retrospect, but unpredictable. When you throw a shovel at the earth, and it bounces back from a stone the size of a golf-ball, and you look at the size of the field that must be turned, it is not really overwhelming independence that you feel. In fact, it is quite humbling. The value of neighbors and community is never so evident than when you are doing everything on your own.

Well, yesterday's Holiday Faire reminded me of this value as a microcosm of how we can come together in a community to enrich our lives. I was struck by the thought last night while talking to some of the guests that came looking for Holiday gifts, what an amazing thing it was that they were there. Today's local newspaper (http://www.montereyherald.com/) runs the headline:

HOLIDAYS FILLED WITH PLENTY TO DO
Take a deep breath and count your blessings
Shopping: Four area shopping centers will offer extended hours as the Christmas holiday approaches.

When I read this, I wondered: Is this serious? We are bombarded with messages like these. Go to the large corporate box stores. Be thankful that you can buy plastic toys from China, produce from Chile, cheese from France, and shoes from Italy. Almost every dollar we spend at these malls gets put on a truck heading straight out of town. When it comes to building a local economy, the competition comes from outside the community. The challenge is always to keep our competitive energy focused in the right place: in building a larger local economy for everyone. As a small producer, I have talked with some of these stores about interest in carrying produce from a small producer like myself. There is always initial interest. But so far, the red-tape has made this difficult, esp. with the larger stores. I am pushed to add overheads. Outside of my personal dislike for spending more time on things that are not directly related to growing and producing, adding overhead creates pressure to grow bigger. Something I do not want to do. I want to stay small. I know that sounds strange in today's world. It seems the key is to stick with smaller, locally owned businesses, and to continue to reach out directly to the community.

Last night's event gave me hope. The people there were either friends or friends of friends. They were a community in the truest sense. And they were supporting us in our passions for creating local. This is a very precious gift that we should not take for granted. In return, it is my hope that the product of our passions will make their lives richer too.

My co-op partner Elizabeth was there with her soaps. She has been working long hours these last few weeks on her craft. In fact, a conversation only a few hours before I left yesterday, she was in her workshop bottling lotions. You can see the care and attention she puts into her products in her beautiful display as well as the variety. Soaps, lotions, lip balms. Plus two new products this year, a shampoo bar gentle enough to use to wash your hair with, and a lotion bar. The lotion bar is very cool. It looks like soap, but when you touch it, it feels like lotion. You have to try it to really know what I'm talking about! Elizabeth's husband Mark brought refreshments to make the mood more festive. Everyone pitches in to add their touch to the experience. That's what makes cooperation work.

Kerin is a local artist that produces beautiful jewelry. Kerin has been making jewelry in the area for ten years. Kerin has been travelling quite a bit lately, so we were fortunate that she was in town this month. She brought with her special pieces including some stone pieces that were very unique. There was one agate piece that had the most amazing natural spirals in it, a theme that is common in her work. It was fun just to look at the different pieces, and the creativity that goes into each one. Kerin has a business called Acqua Fire, and you can see more about her at the http://www.acquafire.com/ website.

And of course, there was lavender. In the photo at the right, Daniella displays the various products, including the new pint sized hydrosols we showed at the Yule Fest. It was so rewarding to meet the interesting folks that love lavender. Many just enjoy the scent. But I also met some very interesting individuals that use lavender and other essential oils for well being and healing. Learning a bit about people's lives and how what I do enriches them is one of the best gifts of all for me.

Yule Fest at the Gardiner Tennis Ranch

Last week I got a phone call. It was Kathy over at Carmel Valley Olive Company. If you recall from my article this summer (read August article, The Olive Connection), Kathy and her husband Alfred grow olives on their farm just down the road from me. Kathy would be exhibiting their olive oil at The Gardiner Tennis Ranch in Carmel Valley that weekend. She had mentioned our lavender, and the owner, Monique, was interested in having Carmel Lavender there as well.

Yule Fest was an all-weekend affair. There was a dinner on Friday night, wine tasting Saturday, and a brunch and puppet/magic show on Sunday. I spoke to the folks organizing it, and we would be exhibiting on Saturday and Sunday. The folks at Gardiner had really decked the place out nice. The courts were transformed into a Yule-time celebration facility, with large heated tents beautifully decorated with boughs of fir and cypress, holiday banners, bows, and bigger than life stuffed animals. (See the resort at the Gardiner's Resort website)

Daniella and I prepared what to bring that week. We decided to introduce a new product at the Yule fest. Events like these are always good for finally getting around to finalizing that product you've been thinking about. In this case, Daniella has been using the lavender hydrosols in our laundry since August, and she swears by it. The lavender water definitely gives a nice scent to the wash. And what's more, she finds the wash to be softer and fluffy. We don't really know why, but when something works, you go with it. Also, since the hydrosol is distilled water, it is ideal for using in the iron. Daniella's idea is to bottle the hydrosol for laundry use. So we set to work on preparing some product samples for the event. You can see the results in the photo to the right. Each bottle bears the characteristic Carmel Lavender hand-stamped label, and a single stalk of lavender.

Once we arrived, we set up the table. Here Santa Daniella shows off the lavender products that we had. We also included some lavender lotions and bars from our neighbor at Lizard Creations. You can see our new product creation displayed prominently. Daniella also showed-off some gift packaging, with diffuser pendants packaged together with essential oils in a Carmel Lavender gift box. She really put together a nice display.

Going to these events is always a treat. I love talking to people about lavender. So exhibitions where people come to smell the fruits of our labor and enjoy the beauty of lavender make me feel wonderful. In this particular event, there were periods when folks attending were eating or watching the show. And during these times there was opportunity to meet and fraternize with the other exhibitors, which is always fun because it expands your awareness of the creativity of people that live around you.

Here on the right is Kathy and Tracy talking in front of the Carmel Valley Olive Company exhibition table. Kathy was treating visitors to yummy samples of olive oil drenched bread. If you would like more information about the Carmel Valley Olive Company, their delicious olive oil, or contact information, you can find it on the Carmel Valley Chamber of Commerce website. Tracy was exhibiting some of her antiques which included some amazing bola ties, jewelry, and Christmas ornaments.

Also showing her wares was Therese Baisinger. Therese is an amazingly talented artist from nearby Santa Cruz. She makes very beautiful and unusual glassware. Her work really made an impression on me. The first thing that strikes you are the brilliant colors. Vibrant reds. Florescent greens. And each having some unique adornments in accenting colors or gold. In addition to the display in the photo above, her work was being used by the chef serving hors d'oeurves during the wine tasting. Very esquisite I must say. (Visit Therese at her Baisinger Studio website)

In all, it was an extremely fun event. If you wish to see the exhibit, we will be displaying today, Saturday December 20th from 4pm to 7pm at the Monterey Stone Chapel (next to Tarpy's Restaurant) at the intersection of Highway 68 and Canyon del Rey.

Hope to see you there. This year all our family and friends receive the the gift of Carmel Lavender, just as we have throughout the year.