Alas, 2010 has started off great! The end of 2009 was quite a bit of fun as well. I’m hoping to make this update as painless as possible, even though there is a LOT to report. I’ll try to stick to the highlights at the expense of some detail.

Michigan

OK. So my winter travels started off in Michigan at Jenine & Chris’s house. My mom and her husband, Gary had decided to spend xmas in Michigan. I think they were mainly hoping to visit with his family, who all live in Michigan. But they also got a white xmas to boot. Which made things all the more fun. We did quite a bit of sledding! With the kids at Jenine’s in Metamora and then up in Alpena. In Alpena we even had a great sled spot that spit us onto some frozen water! It was pretty cool.

I had a brief visit with the majority of the Sparks family, Grandma & Grandpa, Uncle Roy & Keith et al, etc. Then my Mom and I headed to Alpena because she had choral performance on Sunday, December 20. Gary stayed in Metamora so he could drive to Alpena with Anna, who was driving to Michigan from Colorado with her two boys Randy and Jake. Once we all made to Alpena, we all (Mom, Gary, Anna, Randy and Jake) had a fun time hanging out, playing cards, building stuff, opening presents, eating, playing music, sledding, etc. It was a fun time!

After xmas we packed up the house in Alpena (which involved loads of chores like draining pipes, emptying and unpluggin appliances, etc.) and we headed back to Metamora to spend a little more time before we headed our separate ways. Mom & Gary got an electronic keyboard for their grandkids. I had a great time going through the piano book with Cassidy. She was like a sponge, soaking up the lessons! We blazed through like 35 pages in no time. If she keeps at it, she’s going to be a great pianist!

Train adventure

I took the train from Michigan to Chicago. And wow was it FUN. I hopped on in Lapeer, Michigan, transferred (barely) in Chicago and hopped off in Seattle 52 hours later. I was aboard the Empire Builder from Chicago to Seattle. The ride, for all intents and purposes, was pretty much exactly how I imagined: the seats were mildly uncomfortable, I would not be able to sleep, and the food would not be very good. I will say it is way better than traveling on an airplane. The seats are way bigger, you have way more room and there is way more room to walk around. The only really annoying thing about the train was the stinky brake smell. For some reason, whenever the train slows, a horrible electrical fire odor inundates the air inside the cars. It goes away, but it is odd. Overall, I would definitely ride the train across country again. However, unless the two people I met on this trip are with me, I doubt it would be as much fun.

Although the train from Lapeer to Chicago was almost two hours late, almost missing the connection with the train to Seattle, I’m really glad it was late. I would not have met Lindsey, otherwise! She and I ended up being the only two people on the Michigan to Chicago train that needed to get to the Empire Builder before it took off without us. The conductor announced to the whole train to let the two people up and to the front of the train so we could disembark first. So, while she and I were also on the same exact train for almost 8 hours in Michigan, it wasn’t until we were dangerously close to missing another train that we got to meet. We started chatting while pulling into Chicago’s Union Station and ended up (much to the consternation of the conductors) sitting together for most of the looong ride across the country. One of the best things about meeting her (besides the fact she’s like totally hot and a very fun and interesting person) is that she didn’t mind me sleeping next to and from time-to-time on her and vice versa.

I also met Jason, who was also Portland-bound like Lindsey. I maintain that there were not two other people on the train I would have rather met than these two folks. We spent just about all the travel time together, talking, eating, farting, playing games, drinking whiskey, sleeping … Lindsey taught us how to play Golf. A really fun card game I’ve since also showed Robert and Amy. I think at this point I’ve written too much about the train … so I’ll just say that it was a great ride and I recommend it – as long as you are up for meeting some new people and making some friends. If not, it would just be one long boring ride!!!

Island time

As soon as I arrived in Seattle, I headed for Vashon Island. For those who didn’t know, pretty much the whole reason for this trip was because my friends Shane and Emily invited me to their New Years party! It was sure a great reason to take a trip, and the party was indeed the centerpiece of the trip. It was a blast! I got to make many more friends while having such a good time. Pizza making, music, dancing, poetry … Tom put on an incredible and truly amazing magic show. I just love spending time at the yurt. Such great people! I miss them dearly …

Of course while I was on the island I had to see my friends at Plum Forest Farm and at Sun Island Farm and others in-between. I got to stay in the cabin I helped Rob built, which was quite nice. It was like coming home, really. I slept really well, like I’d just been away from my bed there. I met up with my friends Marcy and Mario for coffee and lunch, respectively. The island was such a good time, as always. On my way there even, on the ferry, I ran into Barbara Wells – who offered me a ride. Then I in-turn offered to help her move the beautiful bamboo bookshelf from the back of her car. We ended up meeting up several times while I was on the island. Such a cool little place. I met up with Dr. Bob Norton for wine tasting and coincidentally ended up back at Barbara’s house because Bob had a meeting with her. I even learned to knit and started learning the banjo! I think I pick up a new skill every time I’m on the island. It is such a rich and inspirational place.

Seattle

Phew! Ok. This is getting long … So while I was in Seattle I mainly stayed at Robert & Amy’s new apartment. I initially wasn’t sure if I’d stay with them at all, being a newly-wed couple and all. I was glad they were glad to have me and I really enjoyed spending time with them. While with them, I popped open a couple more bottles of my cider, which I had transported all the way across the country, just so I could share it with them. They were both delicious! The Cider #1 ended up not carbonating, which is fine, because it is quite a nice white wine-like cider. Joe’s Birthday Cider has carbonated nicely and I’m quite happy with that one overall.

The morning after I got to Robert and Amy’s they helped me decide to make a last-minute trip to Portland to see Lindsey. I hopped on yet another train and 3.5 hours I was walking through Portland with Lindsey. It was another great adventure within an adventure and I wish I had more time to spend there with her. She’s got some great roommates a cool job and Portland is just a nice place to spend time in.

After my quick jaunt to Portland, my remaining time in Seattle was spend having Sushi at I Love Sushi with my friend Kevin, drinking pints of hard cider at the Hilltop with Jim and Shane and having an extended lunch and visit with my friend Nazma and her husband Suheil. I stayed with Robert & Amy all but one night and am really glad for my time there.

Ok, ok, enough already …

Now that my travels are nearly done, what’s next? I’m heading back to Amesville/Athens, Ohio to pick up where I left off. Part of me sorta wishes I hadn’t bought a return ticket from Seattle. I could have easily spent more time out there. But, I’m really happy with my life so far in Ohio and I’m excited to get back and pursue things further!

Before I headed off for my travels, I started working with Drake, a solar electrician in Amesville. We started on a 2.1 KW grid-tied system and I loved it! We’re hoping to get a lot more work and I hope to be a lot more involved in the business.

I’m still doing some design work and have some people to get back in contact in the new year. I hope to move off the farm soon and move closer town in order to get more involved socially in Athens.

Ok. Enough. If you want more details, give me a call!

From what I’ve experienced and what others have told me, there are basically two ways to go about fermenting things like ciders, wines, etc. You either take the scientific approach and measure things out, keep track of the progress and know more or less what you are getting. Or, you take the more “artistic” approach and essentially throw things together, loosely follow some guidelines and see what you get. People are successful from both approaches, it is really just what fits your personality. It is certainly less expensive to just throw some stuff together and see what happens. But I like to know what’s going on. So, while I’ve got a fair amount of stuff, I could spend a lot more acquiring kit. It’s not high-science, it’s hardly even basic chemistry we’re talking about here! Observation is mostly what I’ve done. People have been making cider for hundreds of years, so the basics are easy to follow without doing all the nerdy stuff. The recipes are pretty straightforward and if something says it takes 3-5 days, if you wait 5 days you’re good to go to the next step.

The biggest concern, really, is finding good sweet apple cider to start with! Most of what is available in a grocery store is pasteurized and has preservatives added to keep the cider from fermenting and spoil while it is sitting on the shelf. Pasteurized is OK, but any unwanted additives are not. If the label doesn’t say simple “Ingredients: Apple Juice” and maybe water it’s probably got something you don’t want. You’ve definitely got to find good starting stock, good juice/sweet cider before any of this stuff below will matter! (You can, of course, buy expensive apple wine base from a web site and start with that.)

Here’s a link to a place that basically has the kit I bought with a bunch of other stuff included: http://www.leeners.com/cider.html
At this site, on the left side, half-way down the page – look for the 1 Gallon Winery. It’s $44.95. From what I can see it comes with just about everything you’ll want. And, you’ll be able to do lots of different things than just hard apple cider. There are a few more things you should get, though.

The kit above is pretty comprehensive (I wish I had bought it!). One more thing to get for sure: I’d grab 1 oz. Yeast Energizer. The energizer might not be essential, but some recipes I’ve seen call for it and I’ve used it in my latest batch. You could probably skip it, but it is cheap. Definitely get some sort of brush to clean the glass carboy and bottles (about $3) as well.

If you want to go the measuring route, pick up a hydrometer and the test jar that’s needed. Search the site above for a 14″ Plastic Test Jar and a dual purpose hydrometer. (Or click this.) These two optional things will tell you approximately how much alcohol you will end up with by measuring the specific gravity before and after fermentation. The hydrometer can tell you when fermenting is done, but it is pretty obvious when it is done – things stop happening! No more bubbling and no gas releasing through the air lock. And, as long as you follow the timeframes on the recipes, you don’t really need a hydrometer.

The last thing you’ll need is bottling equipment. Since bottling is probably 2 months away from the day you start cider, though, you can hold off on capping equipment. You’ll want some priming sugar (priming is what you do when you bottle to make the cider fizzy.) I bottled with the 2-gallon bucket that came with the kit, a funnel and a borrowed capper (and bottles!). A hand capper is $17.95 at the web site above. A 4 1/2″ funnel useful for bottling and other things is only like $2 (you may already own one that will work?). Caps are cheap (less than $4 for 144) and just ask friends to hold back bottles – although they have to be non-twist off. You need the bottles that require an opener… Or, over the two months you are fermenting, drink about 10-11 bottles of something and save them. If I had Grolsch beer bottles, I’d use them! By the end of fermenting and bottling, I have 10 bottles and about 8-9 ounces of cider left over. (This last 8-9 ounces has some sediment in it, I’m going to let it settle and then drink it! When I bottled I couldn’t siphon off this last bit, but I couldn’t let it go to waste.)

Minus the capping equipment, it would be about $74 with shipping to get started. It’s a little steep sounding, I know. When you compare it to what the $19.95 ciderup.com whizbang kit, $74 sounds like a lot. However, I think ciderup.com is really overcharging for what they are selling. There’s about $9 worth of equipment in the ciderup.com kit (based on prices at Leeners). Mainly, though, I think you need more than just a glass jug to make decent cider! I imagine it’s possible to do it that simply, but I don’t think you’d be happy with the results.

Here’s a list of stuff to get started. The number on the left is the web site part number:

One Gallon Winery $44.95
1 oz. Yeast Energizer $1.95
Wine Bottle Brush $2.95
Dual Purpose Hydrometer $5.95
14 inch Plastic Hydrometer Test Jar $3.95

This stuff would be $73.64 with shipping from the web site above.

One other thing I thought about – I have a baster, just one I bought from the grocery store. It helps getting stuff into the test jar in order to use the hydrometer. You and Tracy might already have one. It is not necessary unless you get a hydrometer and test jar.

There are a lot of little things I’ve learned in the three batches of fermenting I’ve done so far. I won’t write them all here! If you have questions along the way, either post them as comments here, email me or give me a call!

First, the cider. It’s been racked to a 1-gallon glass carboy and has been in its secondary fermentation stage for over a week now. The bubbles slow down and speed up with the change in temperature, it seems. And, over time if I understand it right, the fermentation will slow down as well. It smells delicious when I sniff the airlock as it releases. I’ve got a ways to go, though before I get to try any. It will be in the current carboy for another almost two weeks. Then, I’ll rack it to another carboy where it will continue for another two months – maybe longer depending on how “clear” it is. How long, I guess, will also depend on where I’m at (Ohio? Florida? Elsewhere?) … starting fermentation experiments like this is essentially a semi-permanent move – it takes a while for the process to finish! It’s probably not a good idea to be moving around carboys full of fermenting liquid. I think it would pretty much ruin the investment.

For my second fermentation project, I decided to go pick some concord grapes at Cherry Orchards. At the market I asked Neil Cherry about his concords and he invited me to come pick some at a discount. I gladly accepted because I really wanted to see his place. Alas, I forgot my camera, so I didn’t get any pictures of his orchard. It’s a beautiful place, though. It’s been a family farm for at least two generations now. He’s got 15 acres in production – apples, pears, grapes, berries, pumpkins and some other veggies. They sell at a couple farmers markets and have a great on-farm stand as well. I needed at least 6 pounds of grapes for my wine recipe, and buying them at the market would have been an expensive proposition. So, I picked 11 pounds! And got a good discount.

They are beautiful grapes! And, pretty tasty too.

Making wine was definitely a bit different than cider. Albeit, I didn’t exactly follow the cider recipe … so this time I tried to follow the wine recipe closer. I had bought a hydrometer and other testing equipment to aid in the process. I rinsed the grapes, de-stemmed them and weighed up 6 pounds. I have a two-gallon primary fermenting bucket, so I decided to try and make a gallon and a half of wine … so I weighed out three more pounds of grapes, bringing it to a recipe and a half. After I put the grapes in the nylon sack, I crushed them by hand.

Once I did that, the rest of the recipe was pretty easy. I added a lot of sugar. I wasn’t so sure about this at first, as I wanted to just ferment the grapes and see what happens. But it turns out that concords don’t really have enough sugar to make a strong enough wine. Apparently because of the length of time wine needs to “mature” in the bottle (a year or more!), the alcohol level needs to be high enough to “preserve” the wine until it’s ready. I guess by keeping any nasty germs or bacterial incapacitated? The recipe called for a starting specific gravity of 1.095. I had to add 5 cups of sugar to get it to that level. After I achieved that, I added the yeast and away we went.

I didn’t take any pictures of this process. I probably should have, because it was a lot more exciting than the cider! I didn’t really expect the consequences of fermenting a higher-alcohol product. The fermentation was a lot more vigorous and audible and messy. The decision to make a gallon and half was not a good one. The little 2-gallon bucket, along with the sack of crushed grapes and the added water and sugar was too much volume for the little bucket. When the fermenting really got going, the sack of grape pulp expanded with CO₂, decreasing the airspace in the bucket. I was cleaning up mess after mess as the fermentation was also creating foam and the pressure was pushing the foam up through the air-lock, making a mess of the airlock and oozing down all over the bucket and sometimes the counter. It was amazing, really. When the cider was just bloop-blooping air bubbles through the air lock every 20 seconds or so, the wine would bloooooop-blooop-blooop-blop, bloop, blooop, bloop constantly almost. Obvious that there was a lot more activity with all that extra sugar.

I stirred and pressed the grape pulp daily to encourage extraction. I tested the SG and when it got to 1.030, I was supposed to rack it to glass carboys. I did, hoping it would make less of a mess in the carboys because the sack of grape stuff wouldn’t be causing a mess. However, my hope didn’t materialize. The racking process went well. I thought all was great, until I left for the afternoon and came back later to find it had essentially boiled over! There was so much activity and so much foam, that I lost inches of wine through the airlock as it foamed over. Whoops. Lesson learned – I bought a “One Gallon Wine Kit” … do one gallon of wine in a two-gallon bucket. Buy a bigger bucket to do more!!!

Things have calmed down now and I don’t have to swap out clean air locks twice a day when the wine foams over. There are apparently ways around the foaming, with additives and such. But I feel like I’m adding enough chemicals already … this is definitely not organic wine … and I know now why there isn’t much organic wine – because to keep things clean, sterile and wild-yeast and bacteria free, you pretty much have to use some chemicals. Nothing horrible or toxic, but definitely chemicals.

Anyway, I really enjoy the process of wine and cider making. All the testing and racking and air locks is very lab-like and the chemist in me (thanks Mom and Dad!) enjoys that kind of stuff. Recently, my friend Jeff mentioned that if he were me, he’d be learning all about wine-making and planting a vineyard somewhere. It’s a pretty damn good idea, really. People will always love alcohol, especially local, well produced brews. I can see this fermentation thing being a part of my life for years to come. I just need my own space to have my own little operation! That, along with space for the wood shop, welding studio, computer room, etc… I’m gonna need a lot of space.

Not a whole lot else is going on, really … the farm is great. But I’m yearning for my own place. The weather is getting cold, although we had a really gorgeous past week. The one electrical/solar possibility is sounding fairly positive, and I should know more this coming weekend, when I hope to meet with the guy who may hire me. There will be a lot of changes this week, I feel. This time next week I will probably know more about what the rest of the year will be like. I’m gonna hold off on making any further plans for now.

Yesterday at the farmers market, I bought 1 gallon of Apple Cider – unpasteurized and no preservatives added – from Cherry Orchards in Crooksville, Ohio.

After the market, I went to the Athens Do It Yourself Shop – a home brewing shop in Athens – and bought a 1-gallon Vinter’s Best winemaking kit.

Once I got home from the market, I tore into the kit and found the recipes and started in on the process. Around 3pm or so I poured the 1-gallon of cider into the primary fermentation bucket and added the crushed Campden tablet to the mix.

Today, around noon, I added 1/2 a package of yeast to 1/2 cup of lukewarm water and added it to the fermenter. I’m excited at this point, because now is when things start to happen! I’ve got the lid on tight, and the airlock installed.

I just used the yeast that came with the kit. It’s a Red Star Montrachet “Active Dry Wine Yeast.” I’ve heard and read that champagne yeast is the best to use for cider making, but I just wanted to use what I already had.

Home brewing is something I’ve been wanting to do for quite a while! Especially after I went to the store the other day to buy some beer and everything was so damn expensive. I’ll probably do some cider for now, maybe try some wines but I definitely want to try out some beer soon too.

I am going to try to post updates as things happen!

The farm I am on is pretty great. Out of all the farms I’ve been on, it’s only the second one that is certified organic. The other one having been in La Chalaguere, France. There are similarities and differences between the two, even though the general characteristics of a certified organic farm are the same. Both grow very similar crops, but they differ quite a bit too. I think La Chalaguere was a bit more diverse in the crops they grew when I was there, and they grew a slight bit more than we do here – 7 acres there vs. about 5 acres here. Both have multiple greenhouses, all growing tomatoes in the summer. However, here in Ohio we will be transitioning the tomato houses in to greens (i.e. kale, chard, collards, etc.) for the fall and winter. I’m not sure what they did/do during the colder months at La Chalaguere.

We grow tons of salad mix here at Green Edge, but we don’t bother with sweet corn. La Chalaguere on the other hand, didn’t bother with salad mix, choosing to grow beautiful heads of lettuce. And, La Chalaguere grew sweet corn. Albeit, not a lot of sweet corn, but they did grow it.

Anyway. I could go on all day about the similarities and differences and probably bore anyone who reads this to death. Essentially, they are the same. The main difference being the French farm grew a few more things that the French enjoy and the American farm growing things local Ohioans enjoy (and things that are most economically viable – for instance, they don’t grow broccoli, because they don’t make enough money from it!!! the French would never think of such things.)

One more comparison – marketing. The way each farm sells their products are the same in only one way – the farmers market. The Sunday market we went to in France was a bustling market, for sure. But it was a small market. Two vegetable growers, and that’s it. The entire market fit under a structure not much bigger than a large house. La Chalaguere also sold at their local village local market, but it was tiny and mostly not worth the effort. Here in Athens, Ohio the local market is huge. I lost count of how many vegetable vendors there are. Well over a dozen. And there are loads of other things, mostly food-related though. Not so many crafts. Green Edge goes to two markets, a Saturday market in Athens and a Wednesday market in Columbus. Green Edge sells to quite a few difference restaurants in Athens and in Columbus. They sell to a few grocery stores, Whole Foods among them. However, their 100+ member CSA is one of the main ways they sell their produce. They will have a winter CSA as well and sell at the Athens market all winter. There are very few, if any, farmstands here, unlike Vashon Island where every farm has one.

Aside from the farm, the surrounding area vaguely reminds me of where I was in France as well. The foothills of the Pyrenees are slightly more pointy, where the hills around here are well rounded on the top. But it is definitely the undulating terrain that I like. There are hills and dells and ridges and valleys, and flat bottoms near streams, creeks and rivers. Loads of trees and greenery everywhere. The main growing area is in a valley, along a seasonal creek.

It is beautiful, to say the least. I’m happy with the area, terrain-wise anyway.

The main reason Green Edge Gardens is great, though, is (of course) the people. The owners Kip & Becky are great folks. My “boss,” Dan, even though he doesn’t really seem like one (which is a good thing), is great too. Corey, the other intern living on the farm, is good company. Every one else, Julia, Cale, John, Gwenivere, Rob and Amelia are great. We all get along pretty well and get loads of great work done. I’ll have to get them all to agree to a group photo one of these days.

My living situation is sorta similar to Plum Forest, however it’s not quite as nice. I essentially sleep in a small cabin (or shack as some call it). It’s a decent structure, but a far cry from what Rob and I built at Plum Forest. The cabin here is uninsulated, unheated and the roof and ceiling are one in the same – corrugated metal. There’s no plywood between the roofing and the inside. I thought the rain was loud at Plum Forest! At least there we did it right, with roofing, tar paper, plywood, insulation and another layer of interior plywood between the inside and the outside! Needless to say, it gets chilly in my cabin here.

The rest of the time when I’m not sleeping or working is spent in the basement living/eating/kitchen/bath/laundry area of the main house. Amid the two water pumps, the dehumidifier, the gas hot water heater, clothes washer and dryer, Corey and I end up spending quite a bit of time. I don’t know if I will even bother to take pictures of the basement area. It’s cozy, but admittedly a bit dismal.

I have gotten out into the surrounding area a bit on the weekends. My first trip was with Corey and Julia. A Sunday trip to the Hocking Hills State Park where we stopped by Ash Cave, Cedar Falls and Rock House.

It was a beautiful trip. Quite a tourist-ridden trip, though, as we went the Sunday of the Labor Day weekend. People were out in droves. We even skipped Old Man’s Cave which is probably the most well known of the “caves” in the area. (In my opinion they are not caves at all!)

The next outing was with John, to bike the Hockhocking Adena Bikeway from Nelsonville to Athens. It was an absolutely beautiful day. Perfect weather. His wife, Tera, drove us to Nelsonville. We made a stop by the Rocky Boots outlet store where I was interested in seeing what kind of socks they have. I grabbed four pairs! they were on sale and they are quite decent socks. I’m happy with them so far. I was running low because all I wear is hiking socks and after three years of hard wearing farm work, I’m wearing some of them out.

So John and I rode from Hocking College to Athens. Such a great trail! It reminds me a lot of the West Orange Trail put in through Winter Garden, where I grew up. Very nicely and smoothly paved. Running along an old railroad grade through the woods, along some roads and fields. Very cool. Next time John and I or whoever will bike from Athens to Nelsonville and back to Athens – when we did the 15 or 16 miles to Athens we both decided we could have done the round trip rather than being lame and having Tera drop us off! Next time. We capped off the ride with my first visit to Casa Nueva, arguably the best hang-out spot in Athens for the discerning non-party-animal non-student.

And so last weekend was the Pawpaw Festival. The Pawpaw is an interesting fruit. I’m not the biggest expert on it yet, but apparently it is one of the few native tropical fruits to the US. It’s very banana-mango-like. It’s an odd fruit – the skin is apparently toxic, so you gotta peel it. And it has these huge seeds. It’s quite good though. So good they have an entire festival centered around it! Pawpaw samples, foods with Pawpaws, pawpaw icees, pawpaw ice cream … pawpaw beer. Mmmmm.

So that’s the update for now. There’s more to write, for sure. I’m going to try and be better about posting goings on. Especially because the next few months will be interesting. I don’t have winter plans yet. I’m not sure if I’d like to stay on at Green Edge or not. I’m still very much thinking about going the electrician route. Possibly even taking classes at Hocking College for commercial and residential electricity. However, I’ll only do that if I can get around the out-of-state tuition. I’m going to follow just about any lead I can for an interesting winter employment. I’m definitely at the point where I need to bolster my financial situation again. My accounts are looking pretty grim. So ideally I could find a job doing some electrical work starting as soon as I’m done here in late November. I’ve even thought of going to Walt Disney World and working there over the winter, or possibly even just staying there and doing an IBEW-NECA Journeyman apprenticeship there. I still very much want to be closer to brother and sister, especially when I see pictures of the nephews! And when I talk to old friends whom I miss. As much talk as I’ve talked about not ever wanting to live in Florida again, part of me thinks it is all but inevitable. With this December being exactly 10 years from when I moved out of Florida initially, it could be time to go back.

But I also think I could settle here. There is definitely good community. And I like the small town rural feel of the place. I look at land for sale from time to time as it truly is affordable here. However, there are a few things that turn me off about the area too … perhaps I shouldn’t be too hasty.

The suspects who have been charged with terrorism since the Sept. 11 attacks were fueled by a variety of motivations and influences, and often a mix of them: politics, family, economic deprivation, social alienation, the work of a terrorist recruiter. Religion sometimes provides a general framework and sense of identity, but other factors and events frequently drive the transformation.

It’s obvious to me, and has been for years that indeed – economic deprivation is the start, the first downfall of any criminal. Be it a drug-dealer, drug user, thief, “terrorist” … if you’ve fallen on hard times, and can see no other way to get by – you turn to crime. Or you join the army. But who the hell wants to do that?

Especially when you have someone that pays attention to what government does. When politics comes into the equation. It is easy to see how one-sided and elitist, really pro-American but also anti-American at the same time politics can be. There have been articles about Osama Bin Laden, where he’s been quoted expounding that American foreign policy is one reason they fight. A terrorist is simply someone who has been economically deprived and has identified those who are engaging in the deprivation.

A terrorist recruiter is probably the scariest part of this simple equation posted by the NYT. The recruiter is simply taking advantage of those who have been economically deprived and are tired of the politics.

The family impact and social alienation is where things really sting the individual, I can imagine. And, when people really start thinking of retaliation. At home the government and its safety and security measures racial profile and essentially suspect everyone who isn’t obviously white as being a terrorist. Because of the terror alerts and the constant media attention on Muslims of Middle-Eastern and Arabic descent, it seems most people are simply afraid of associating with anyone potentially that looks like a terrorist. This social alienation has got to stop before things get better.

Everything in that mix of influences has got to change before the “war on terror” will ease and cease to exist. Simply not calling it a war on terror, which I think is already happening, will help the situation. I’m not excusing the actions of terrorists by any means. I don’t think they are right in doing what they are doing. I just wonder if the government gives any thought to their plight. Because, in some ways, they are right. It’s not that “the terrorists hate our freedom” as some in high places have said. They hate what we do with our freedom. We waste it. Squander it on Britney Spears and McDonalds and endless, pointless crap. We waste oil and energy. Eat too much and drink too much. We suck oil out of the Middle East and burn it in pointless ways, supporting pointless and wasteful industries and habits. They are messengers, delivering their messages in horrifying ways, yes. I definitely don’t condone that whatsoever. But I do wish the world, and the USA in particular, would change in ways they would like. It would not be a surrender. The terrorists would not “win.” We’d all win. And what is wrong with that? I can’t be the only one who gets that.

Alas, this was a very quick and unedited post. I just had to get these thoughts down … sorry if they are incoherent and don’t make sense.

It wasn’t a really tough decision. Green Edge emailed me. I read it, said “holy crap” and told Robert they offered me the job. Then I wrote back and accepted it pretty much right away.

This was after wishing for a few minutes that I wish I had more time back in Seattle before making such a big decision. But, I had made up my mind already. It’s too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The only thing I didn’t like about it was having to leave so quickly. I was offered the job on 8/14 and I had previously agreed to be there by 8/31 if I got the job … and the two weekends between the 14th and the 31st were already spoken for. I didn’t get to say goodbye in person to several people who are important to me – Kevin, Nazma, Geoff, Carol and Mario to name a few! These are people I spoke to almost every week if not every week. I feel bad I’ve left them behind. I had to do what I had to do, though, and it is certainly not like I will never, ever see them again!

Needless to say, my life has been fun and interesting over the last few months and downright crazy for the last few weeks. I am really looking forward to getting settled at the farm and for all the craziness to die down!

My last days in Seattle were a blast, even though I didn’t get to see some folks. Mainly, because I was in Robert and Amy’s wedding!

I was honored to be a groomsman, but I don’t have any pictures of me in a tux … though I have a feeling there will be some. The wedding was good, no one fainted or tripped. However, there was one slight slip up by the wedding party during the complicated catholic service … but the wedding coordinator finally gave us the tip to get back up to the alter and in place! The reception was fine. Not crazy at all, not to late.

I did have a moment when I got back to Robert’s place with his tux. After I got my tux off and ready to be returned back in it’s bag, I had a few moments to myself. I broke down a bit and even shed a few tears. I was leaving this place and these people. It didn’t really hit me until then – until after the wedding, after taking off the tux, when thinking about where I was going that night and what I was doing in the next few days. It’s hard to believe this was not even a week ago! A week ago tomorrow, yes, but it’s hard to believe it just happened and I’m already so far away. I was struck saddened for a moment knowing I will be in a different place in a week, and that Robert and Amy are truly my best friends in Seattle! I guess that kind of thing happens after an emotional wedding afternoon. I’m really happy for Robert and Amy!

And, I’m looking forward to Ohio! I have no idea what my online status will be at the farm. I’m sure I’ll be posting something again in the next few weeks with details.

I can’t say I have really had time. I just haven’t made time. There have been plenty of hours sitting in front of the computer. Most of them have been spent researching other places in the USA to live, how to get to those places and what would I do with myself once I got to those places.

The rest of the time over the past months have been spent working at Sun Island Farm three days a week. From May through mid-August we had wwoofers on the farm – Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and Jennie, whom all made my time there a lot lot of fun! At one point, Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and I were all there at the same time, which made living interesting in the container. But it worked and we all had a blast! I did some work for Dr. Bob Norton, building things, some irrigation work, planting stuff. We’ve done some great stuff on the farm. When I left things were growing like crazy, when I get back it will probably look completely different!

There have been days spent in Seattle, dinners with friends on and off the island, lots of hiking, some backpacking trips, and even a golden parade. It’s been a great summer, and I am really really really glad I did not make the move to NC I had written about long ago in my last post.

So, the current update:

As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at my sister’s house in Minneola, Florida. It’s hot and humid outside and I’ve spent more daylight hours indoors in the past few weeks than I have in a couple years combined. Florida is hot. Damn hot. And sticky. And flat. But at the same time very comfortable and fun. I’ve seen the best of old friends and spent a good amount of time with them. I’ve made gestures and thought a lot about seeing other friends, but I’ve got only so much money and so much time. I’ve really enjoyed seeing my brother and sister. And, had only a few good days spent with my Mom right when I got here.

My trip to Florida was primarily to help out my brother, who is in the midst of a divorce. There’s a lot I could say about this, but it’s best that I don’t. Mainly, I helped him move out of his apartment and into his new living situation – now he is living with my sis along with her husband and almost-three-year-old Cam. I will say I am slightly jealous of the situation because they will get to spend mucho amounts of time together (which I don’t get to have) and all my nephews – Tyler, Aidan and Cam – will have an absolute blast when they are all around.

There is definitely a part of me that wishes we all were under the same roof again. Being around my brother and sister, there is a relationship like no other – I relate to them and feel a comfort being around them that I do not feel anywhere else. I miss that.

However … I don’t think it’s enough to bring me all the way back to live in Florida!!! If only it weren’t so damn hot and flat. I’m just not compelled to make the move all the way back.

Which brings me to the other point of the trip. I hopped in my mom’s aging Nissan 200SX and headed north. I left August 2 and got back late on the 7th. Aside from a minor electrical breakdown on I-95 in South Carolina that delayed me for almost a day, it was a great trip. I swept through the Appalachians on a mission to put my feet on the ground in a few places I have been considering moving to. Asheville, North Carolina, Athens, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina (in that order). It was a great little adventure of 2000+ miles of driving, couchsurfing, camping, exploring and even an interview. 

Asheville was great. Pretty much what I thought and was hoping it would be. The night I got there, I met up with my couchsurfing host, Jason, and his girlfriend Monica and went to a potluck. Apparently one of the multitude of weekly potlucks that Asheville is famous for. It was a great first impression as everyone I talked to was really great. Very friendly and doing interesting things. All were very welcoming and encouraging. The next day Jason, Monica and I took a fabulous bike ride around Asheville. We stopped for coffee and did a nice bike tour of the city. I like the terrain a lot – it’s hilly, but not as extreme as Seattle. There’s green everywhere. Lush grasses and lawns, beautiful front-yard gardens and trees everywhere! We met up with another couchsurfer, Katie, chatted for a bit and then walked to Greenlife, the local PCC and Wholefoods-like stores. Greenlife was nice, a little pricey and over-polished – just like the Seattle organic stores. I picked up a few things and we all chilled outside for a few minutes listening to a busker jamming on guitar out front. Once we had our fill, we pedaled downtown, grabbed a cookie at a sub-street level cookie shop called Sugar Momma’s Cookies!  We stashed the cookies in our bags and headed off for the banks of the French Broad, where we dispensed of most of our clothing and took a dip. After the refreshing swim, and with thunderclouds looming, we sped back towards West Asheville and had some delicious Mexican fare. We chilled for a while. Jason and I hung out at his place for some hours, exchanging music, talking about life, living, work, eating, etc. Napped, read, prepared, etc. Then we went to a great local eatery for dinner that night, meeting back up with Monica and Katie and with Katie’s friend (who I can’t remember her name…) Dinner was great, then we went to a blues bar for a beer. A pitcher of PBR, an awkward dance, a glance at the watch and we were out of there. I was planning on leaving at 5 am the next day for Athens, Ohio and wasn’t going to get much sleep as it was! 

Great time in Asheville. A big plus by that one. I can definitely see myself being there!

So I got up bright and early on the 5th and headed towards Athens. The drive was amazing. Western North Carolina, Western Virginia, Western West Virginia and yes, even Southeastern Ohio are all absolutely gorgeous. The six hours from Asheville to Athens went by really quickly. My main goal was to get to Athens to see what the Wednesday Farmers Market was all about. I made it just before the closing time at 1 pm, arriving about 12:30 after touring downtown Athens hoping to simply run across the market … I neglected to write down directions to the market, but ended up asking someone on the street for the info. The market was bigger than expected. Athens was a larger town than expected, too. I started counting the farmers at the market, but lost count after I got to 10. I guess part of me was hoping Athens was an untapped market of sorts, but there is no shortage of farmers. However, even having gotten there right before closing time, there were a fair amount of people still shopping. And, after having a great conversation with Angie Starline about their Starline Organic farm and the market, Athens and such, it seems the market isn’t really saturated – at least not with organic farmers … and the Saturday market is a whole different story. Bigger, better, etc. I scored some sweet corn and cherry tomatoes while talking with Angie. I also picked up some delicious strawberries from another vendor and ate ever single one of them over the next day and a half. 

After my market stop, I had plans to meet up with another couchsurfer – Kelly. She was working at a coffee shop, off at 1:30 and was willing to show me around a bit. We had a really great time! She was a great tour-guide – taking me to the places I would have wanted to see without me really asking to see them. We have a lot in common, which is what made her such a great guide. She’s moved back to Athens four times now, I think. Which is a characteristic of the place I’ve heard from others – it has a strange magnetism that keeps bringing people who’ve lived there back. Of course, I think it’s the great community that is going on there. I’ve just heard rumors, though, and can’t say that yet from experience! Overall, though, Athens is definitely a place I could spend some time in. 

There were two other big things I was to do in Athens – visit some property in Dyesville and meet and interview with Green Edge Gardens farm in Amesville. The property is Dyesville is the first property I’ve really looked at on my quest to find my own spot on this earth. It’s a nice spot. Right about 30 minutes from Athens. It’s potentially a little too remote for me … the central “village” of Dyesville isn’t much to look at. An old church, a few other houses, and mostly decaying trailer homes. There are some houses in the hills and woods around Dyesville, but they are mostly secluded and not visible from the road. I could probably go on and on about the property, and the 1887 house that’s on it, but I’ll link to the pictures instead.

After camping out in the pasture, I headed back to Athens, got coffee at Kelly’s shop and headed to Green Edge Gardens. Amesville is a nice drive from Athens. Amesville itself is a bit more substantial than Dyesville, but still a teeny dot on the map. I met with Dan at Green Edge to inquire about a position that is opening up there. One of their interns is making an unexpected early departure at the end of August. So, they are looking for someone interested in working with them from late August until Thanksgiving. I had previously contacted Green Edge about an internship there and was on their mailing list of potentials. The timing was perfect! I had already been planning on seeing Athens, and it fit right in to my trip. I think the timing of the position will work too. It’s something to bring me east, give me a place to live, put a little bit (and I mean a little bit!) of money in my pocket, and give me a chance to experience southeast Ohio without much commitment. And, mostly, to get some incredible experience on a bigger, very successful farm.

Green Edge is awesome. It’s what I’m looking for in a farm at this point. It’s not “big” per se, but bigger than anything I’ve been on both in scale and in sales. I’ll let their web site do more explaining about who they are and what they do.

Anyhow … this is getting long. I’ll try to summarize the rest … after Green Edge, I headed straight south. I had one more stop on my trip – Charlotte, North Carolina. I had a couchsurfing host lined up there and it was six hours away! I got to Charlotte no problem, hunted down Dave and Hannah, my couchsurfing host and got to spend a bit of time in Charlotte. The reason I had Charlotte on my list is there is a decent Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center there … and I wanted to see if my gut would like Charlotte or not as I really knew nothing about it. Dave was a great host. We hit the bar that night, played some pool and once again I had a stellar couchsurfing experience. Charlotte is yet another place I could hang my hat (though it’s low on the list), if only for a while.

Electrical?

Huh? It might be my next direction. There’s not really a short way to explain this one. But it makes sense – when I first went to college, I was enrolled in an “Electronics Technology” degree. Essentially the program was electrical engineering without all the math. The program tanked due to not enough interest. I have always been interested in wiring – initially mainly just car stereos, home stereos, etc., but at Sun Island Farm, working with Joe on some electrical work (and some solar stuff) I realize I have a long-lost interest in such things electrical. The electrical trade is a quite flexible one, and the energy industry is one of those things that is never going to go away and is going to expand, if anything. People will always always need electricity. Renewable energy has long been an interest of mine, and is now finally becoming a national and global interest. The time seems right to me, albeit possibly slightly behind the curve, to follow that path once again. Hence, the interest in the Charlotte JATC. However … I did not even stop by and talk to them (because I previously communicated with the training supervisor there and he was on vacation …)

What of Seattle?

So what does all this mean, then? Actually, I’m not sure yet… Why? 

As of today, Green Edge has my references and they are interviewing other candidates. I’m pretty hopeful of getting the position, but am not fully inclined to take it even if offered. I won’t know until Friday at the latest. And that’s the only real opportunity I have in the East.

Mainly because part of me is still looking for a reason to stay in Seattle. It will be really really hard to leave there. The trip I’ve been on to Florida was mainly to see if I can find a reason to leave the Northwest. There are plenty of them, for sure. But man, does Seattle have some gravity to it. And, they have a really good electrical apprenticeship there too. Seattle has just made such an impression on me, and is the place where I feel like I really created myself and who I want to be. I will surely be that person anywhere, but it was most definitely the influences of the people and the surroundings there that have made me.

Realistically, though, to get what I want I feel like the east is where I need to be.

Essentially, Eric & Melissa were offering their previous house as an incubator “farm” to a new farmer for them to get their start. They were offering an 1100 sq ft, 2-bedroom house with a full, unfinished basement on 2/3 of an acre to the right person/couple to live in for free! I almost couldn’t believe how good of a fit the opportunity was. I immediately contacted them via email. And, I dove in sorting out details from the moment I read the email to see if this move was feasible. (Here’s a link to a real estate listing for the house.) Here’s a google street view image of the house. (image used without permission …)

Eric called me back the same night and we had a great conversation, the first of many, about farming, Wilkes County North Carolina and the possibility of me moving there.

For most of March I spent a ton of time researching the area, the nearby farmers markets, towns, farm supply places, land for rent, moving costs, etc. I spent almost a whole weekend just researching crops to grow in North Carolina, planting dates, harvest times, where to buy seeds of varieties suitable for the region and on and on.

I had decided originally to just go. No visit, nothing. Just pack up all my stuff and head to Ronda, North Carolina sight unseen. It was invigorating, exciting and felt like just the challenge and change and adventure I was hoping for. The house sounded great. Eric had some concerns about me fitting into the area socially, but I brushed them off thinking I could deal with the change and I’d find a way to get what I need. I was so ready to start my own farm. I even put my motorcycle up for sale within a week of hearing about this opportunity in NC, knowing that I can not be a farmer with a motorcycle. If I wanted to get serious about being a farmer, I needed the money I had tied up in that fun machine to buy a more practical farm truck and farm tools.

However, after much prodding from friends and relatives who thought I was crazy to just up and leave Seattle without visiting the house in North Carolina first – I caved and went to visit the house in Ronda, meet Eric & Melissa and do some on-the-ground research. They were incredibly generous – delivering me to/from the airport, and providing lodging, meals and even a car to use while I was there.

Alas, in the end, the visit was a huge reality check. After actually seeing the area, driving around the first day by myself, being at the house alone, stopping by the local hardware stores and such – the first day was a bit of a bummer, really. I had a sinking feeling in my gut when I first drove up to the house in Ronda. It was cold, the garden was in bad shape (tons of weeds gone to seed, remnants of past crops left to rot, untended, forgotten), the house was empty and somewhat uninviting. I felt very lonely and realized that’s how I’d be, at first and for a while anyway, as a stranger in a strange land, very much a foreigner in a small town culturally the opposite in most ways from where I am living in Washington.

I ultimately decided the timing was all wrong for me to uproot and move all the way across the country to that place. This was even after being there and deciding that yes, I would definitely be making this move … after deciding that dammit, this is what I want to do, right? Start a farm? Here’s the opportunity, stop hemming and hawing and do it! 

I didn’t decide until I got back to Seattle. After thinking about everything on the flight home, sleeping on it another night, and spending the night and next day with my good friend Robert and meeting up with another friend Danielle for coffee in Fremont … I just couldn’t see moving to NC so suddenly at the end of April. It was a beautiful day in Seattle and that along with being with good friends made me realize that I didn’t want to leave … yet.

It wasn’t only my social connections that I didn’t want to sever with such an abrupt and monumental move. I’ve been wanting to get this all down, mostly for my own purposes to get a wider grip on things.

1. First and foremost, starting a new farm as a new farmer completely new to the area – the end of April is about the worst time to start. Timing is a massive part of farming, and since I’m not in dire need of starting a farm right this minute and I have the flexibility and option of starting when I want, right now is the wrong time. From a marketing perspective, a new farmer needs to be at the local markets as soon as possible in the spring, showing their face and products to become familiar and establish relationships with the locals. Getting an early jump on CSA recruiting is crucial too. From a farming/garden perspective, missing out on the winter down time to get things established, make compost, plan for early and spring crops, get spring plants started, etc., etc., etc… coming late in the game is a significant disadvantage in more ways than I’ve listed here.
2. Wilkes County, and Ronda specifically is most likely not where I want to settle long-term. Eric read my blog and correctly deduced that the area might be a challenge for me. In his own words: “Wilkes County is dominated by people that grew up there, that have rarely left the state, let alone traveled internationally, that voted for McCain-Palin, that attend Baptist churches every Sunday and Wednesday evening, that shop for seemingly everything at Walmart, etc.  Would you rather find a way to live closer to a place like Chapel Hill?  Are you going to find the social life you want living in Wilkes?” No. I would have a very hard time relating to people like that and finding what I need and enjoy in the area. I am a very tolerant, patient and accepting person, but if I have a choice, I would not want to live in a place like that. I don’t think I want to say any more about this. It also doesn’t make sense to start establishing a customer base in an area I’m quite sure I won’t remain.
3. When I spent all this time planning on North Carolina, I had been stuck on the island with only a motorcycle in the cold rain and snow for literally months. (i.e. I was severly limited in where and when I could go anywhere.) I was isolated, albeit voluntarily, didn’t get out enough, didn’t spend enough time with the people hor at the places that I really enjoy spending time with. The motorcycle idea was stupid. In hindsight, anyway. It was fun in the summer. But now I look back and don’t know what I was thinking.
4. Spending the summer in Seattle is a reward for suffering through the winter … there is no better place to spend a summer that I know of. I’ve started so much over the winter, so many things that I’d like to see take root and grow this year. I’ve grafted trees, planted dozens of things, built buildings, dug trenches, prepped beds. I want to finish what I’ve started, or at least see them through a bit longer. 
5. I want to more carefully plan what I hope to be one of, if not the last big move I make! As much as I think North Carolina is where I want to be, I think it behooves me to do a bit more research. And, talk to my family a bit more and seriously think about where I want to be in relation to them. I keep saying I don’t want to live in Florida again. But I want to be closer to my family. I think I want to be really close to them, like within an hour. And if they don’t ever see leaving Florida, and I don’t want to live in Florida, that’s not going to be possible. Maybe I could live in Florida again? I don’t know. My dream is to cooperatively buy 100 acres with my family and each member have their own house on a corner of it. And not in Florida … We all like the mountains, and North Carolina has them. But maybe I’d like Massachusetts, or Vermont, or Upstate New York, or somewhere else a little less … “southern.”
6. I really have an aversion to being a bachelor farmer. It’s just really not what I want to do. Food is closely related to community for me. Growing it with help from family, friends and neighbors is the only way to do it “sustainably” in my mind. I’ve been thinking since I started envisioning being a farmer that I would not do it alone. And I won’t. 

So, anyway. That’s the recent story of my farming adventures. For now I am happily staying in the container at Sun Island Farm with Joe & Celina and the kids.

March was very educational, and very helpful for me. It got me thinking about things in ways I’ve never thought of them. I’ve taken many more steps towards my goal and will be better prepared when the time comes! (And, I have a truck again now, too!)