Enchanted KitchenOrganic Farming, Baking & Catering from Fire Fly Farm

So I have gotten my bees and am thrilled.  One nuc and another to be ready very soon.  I drove very carefully home with a buzzing hive of bees in the back of my van.  Boy do they ever have a sweet tooth.  I am feeding them a sugary syrup I make up for them every day until they have enough food built up for themselves.  They are slowing down on the syrup now but they were going thru four pounds a day for a couple weeks there.  Their little leg satchels are loaded with bright yellow pollen as they roll back into the hive.  All is well in the bee kingdom it seems.

The demolition of the packing shed is complete as of today.  Whew!  Construction on the new kitchen starts MONDAY!!!!!  I am so excited that I could just burst!!  I will be ready beyond words to spread out.  I am down to half the space and half the ovens so as you can imagine, bake days have been interesting……

I have a new lovely apprentice, Laura.  She is fantastic and as I shared with her the other day how happy I am and how comfortable I am around her and how much I appreciate her being here, Laura said she felt the same.  She said being here is better than she ever imagined!   I am relieved.  It makes me happy when others are as happy here as I am.

Laura’s first day, Memorial Day, was a huge adventure.  I told her every day wasn’t quite like this…..thank goodness.  It is a loooooong story but the short version is we worked on salvage wood reclamation,  forest fire suppression (with the assistance of the fire department) and a manure treasure hunt together.  Then, finally, we were able to do some work in the fields transplanting before the rains came the following day.   We enjoyed a fabulous feast of market and Fire Fly Farm cuisine at the end of the wild day.  She is still here.  I am grateful.

Geez, so much has happened since my last post.  Wish I had more time to update the ole blog….

The Beltaine celebration was fabulous as always and I think each year is better than ever.  My wonderful neighbors came this time and other new faces which always makes the whole party!  The perfect day for me is to have my friends together laughing, sharing food and having a great time.

The next week had challenges but they are over, thank goodness.  The highlights were losing my apprentice and cracking my clay oven.  My help leaving was best for us both in the end, we both knew.  The oven cracking broke my heart.  I realize I have to ask more specifics when someone advices, “go ahead and make a big fire, using wood stove sized wood”  Me being the one who just dug an asparagus bed for 50 crowns and ended up planting 125 in that dug trench…..so needless to say, I made a ripping fire and later heard a bang, ran to the stove seeing smoke billowing out from everywhere.  It is moments like this that I turn off, go numb, telling myself to keep moving, no time for a melt down and when ready, go for plan B.  I am ready to tackle the oven again, but won’t have time until next week.

This week has been incredible, I feel I am back on track and ready for my  season.  I am lining up more help, getting in my groove and getting loads done.  The demo of the addition is coming along great, I have a lovely hive of bees and more coming in a couple weeks.  The fields are mostly planted, greenhouse is cranking out the yummy greens, I am trying to shuffle my baking schedule around to be sustainable and life is good.

My life lessons are to live in the moment, have patience and to keep breathing~  as another spectacular birthday was celebrated last week, I made my toast to this!

Cheers everyone!

Another whirlwind week…..

Last weekend I had the clay stompin’ party to put up the dense layer of the clay oven.  It went wonderfully.  So many folks showed up and the air was filled with laughter as we took turns stomping clay barefoot as it drizzled and snowed around us.  Yes, it was the coldest day of the last month but it made it all the more adventurous!!   The oven is gorgeous.

Monday, I attempted the insulation layer but stopped after one ring of bottles.  I felt like it needed a little time and I needed more materials.  So today after the Orono Farmer’s Market, one week from the building of the dome, I scooped out the sand that was the mold for the dome and what held it up.  I took out the wooden form that we used to support the brick arch doorway and the arch crumbled and came apart in a couple places.  No worry, breathe, that can easily be repaired I coached myself….the sand was still damp and packed tightly.  As I scooped, I kept thinking “what if it collapses??”  Kendra (clay oven builder and wood fired bread baker extraordinaire) has been one of many wonderful encouraging folks and she told me today at market, if it collapses, you will just build it again.  Just the thought of it collapsing made my chest tighten and heart skip a beat.  Better to find out now than spend more time and resources on the insulation layer.  Okay.  I can do this.  So it started slowly and tentatively which was quickly replaced by excitement as I caught a glimpse of a piece of the interior clay wall as some sand fell away…..and it stayed intact!!!!  Then the rest went swiftly and smoothly.  Kendra also gave me a tip today at market of taking a tin can, punching holes in the sides along the bottom and lighting a small fire inside to be able to easily move it around.   This worked wonderfully and I will do this each day until ready for a larger fire.   So now I am VERY  much looking forward to baking in this amazing clay oven!   It has been so long in the making, I am beside myself with excitement to think of baking in it soon….

The week was also filled with preparing for the demolition of the attached building to the house and rebuilding it.  A 20 x 36 foot structure.  Permits, contractors, deposits, ready, set, GO!!  Another dream ready to become reality.  What an exciting year.  So many ideas for the season to soon share…..

My new favorite program is: <a href=”http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution”> Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution</a> and I don’t have TV.   I have been watching it online…… What Jamie Oliver is doing is incredible.   Jamie is completely genuine and has such character, he is the perfect leader for the Food Revolution.   Watching the Food Revolution is so inspiring, I am thrilled to be growing vegetables and being a part of the localvore community.   Every school will hopefully embrace the Food Revolution!!  Maine has been working on farm to school for years.   It is exciting to see a major network supporting this and Jamie.

Here’s to change~

Aaaaaah~  what a day!  The fields are tilled!  The back field that I put in clover last year, I am prepping to be the vineyard along the orchard and it looks fabulous.   As I prepped the front field for tilling I noticed that the peas are just starting to pop up and I was delighted to forage some greens that had wintered over.  I have been enjoying the chard and cilantro and noticed the watercress today~ YUM!!  I dug loads of yellow dock root for tincture and the rest of the parsnips.  There are enough parsnips for recipes to feed folks during this Saturday’s clay oven building party here at Fire Fly Farm.  We will be finishing the clay dome, I am SOOOOO very excited.  The next party for the oven will be making pizza!!

I am trying to salvage some wild grapes that have taken over the back tree line along side the front field.  They have been running wild longer than I have been here and have climbed several stories into trees.  They are lovely Concord grapes but are so tall, I can no longer harvest the fruit.  Inspired by Savage Oakes’ pruning workshop, I set to work.  Trying to pull them out of the trees is harder than imaginable.  I was literally swinging from them and several wouldn’t budge.  Some came down and I realized that safety glasses would be a good thing when a load of debris came showering down and a large piece bounced off my eyeball, managing to scratch both my cornea and new glasses.  Argh.  At this point, I am happy I can see!  Irritation will heal.

It has been the kind of satisfying day that you feel your muscles sighing in relief as you sit down for a moment~  I like these kind of days~

What an spectacular week here in Central Maine.  Daffodils are blooming, lilacs are leafing out, garlic is several inches tall, an evening chorus of peepers, larger frogs and LOONS.  The fields are greening and it feels like it is time to plant!  I have several hardy greens and peas in the ground and want to do more, so I will.

The clay oven project is progressing as well as other exciting building projects.  It is amazing to have this gift of early spring.  Apprentice applications are still pouring in which is exciting.

I went to a grape growing and pruning workshop at Savage Oakes Winery last weekend in Union that was fabulous.  I learned so much and what a beautiful farm and vineyard and lovely folks.  Their wine is fantastic.

I am trying to declutter.  Spring cleaning with an edge.  It is so hard to separate.  But it must be done.

I have participated in a couple online auctions last week.  Interesting events, auctions, even online they can be intense.  I am happy with the items that I won.  The highlights are the stainless steel.  Inserts, pots, a monster awesome griddle (cast iron), and wire racks (most exciting).

I hadn’t been contra dancing for YEARS and went to the Belfast dance Friday.  What a blast.  For anyone wanting to contra who is or even more importantly ISN’T experienced, Belfast is the dance for you.  What a wonderfully gentle crowd of all aged folks having the best time.   The band was fantastic and Chrissy Fowler is the best caller ever.  Every first Friday of the month at the American Legion Hall on High St, Belfast, 8pm.

Have a stellar week everyone~

March is coming to an end.  It has been a little cooler this week but Spring is here.  I baked this Friday evening, it is wonderful to break bread again.

I don’t have television but can watch programs on the computer.  I checked out Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution reality show.  I really dislike reality t.v. but this one is so far palatable and I just adore Jamie Oliver…. so I enjoyed the two episodes I watched the other evening.  I am impressed that ABC is showing this.  Startling facts about how horrific many American’s diets are and how the children of this time will have shorter life spans than their parents due to diet.  Things like this NEED to be realized now and more importantly changed.   I was speechless at how these children could not identify any vegetable, not even a potato.  But they all knew what a french fry or chicken nugget looked like.

It is late….more soon~

**WOW** What a first day of Spring it was….almost 70 degrees, sunny, the perfect day….it just went too quickly~  It has been a fantastic week back.  Spending time catching up and trying to focus on completing a few things.  Coming home after an extended trip always seems overwhelming.  I am happy to be here and excited to jump right in and end up jumping into everything all at once and the end result seems pretty scattered.  Now time to make a list and stick to it.  Big things are getting under way….very exciting ones that I will not mention right now….but soon…..

Managed to seed four varieties of peas and many hardy greens in the ground before the rain.  Just couldn’t help myself!  The garlic in the field and greens planted in the greenhouse are up, as many other signs of Spring are popping up everywhere.  It is here so early this year, it still feels so strange….

One of the best things about coming home is eating the food I have grown and put up.  Farm meals which every ingredient has come from Fire Fly Farm is about as good as it gets.  The next best thing, is to share it~ Life is good~

I am home now, ready to hit the ground running.  I cannot believe there is NO SNOW.  Record winter cold and snow everywhere I have traveled to arrive home to bare ground.  Amazing.  I am now trying to switch into Spring mode and am very excited to be able to do so this early in Maine.

The last couple weeks of my holiday were perfect.  Puerto Rico and Culebra Island.  Cave exploring and snorkeling were the highlights.  The best snorkeling in the Caribbean they say and it blew me away.  I cannot even try to describe the colors and fish I saw, it was magical, I was so excited and snorkeling was all I wanted to do.  The days flew by floating in clear blue water, swimming with the fish of every color of the rainbow, through waving vegetation and coral of equal stunning colors, it was breathtaking and blissful.  As I sit here, I still feel as if I am floating upon the waves, a smooth rocking my inner body still is doing~

Camuy cave was incredible.  There is something about a cave…..This one is the third largest in the world.  There is a group of spelunkers that I want to hook up with next time to do deeper exploring.  It had been closed several years ago when we tried to go due to a fatal accident so I was happy to go in at all.

The juicy ripe fruit was my favorite food eaten on this leg of the trip.  Papaya large as foot balls, pineapple, mango…..with all the fruit, beans and rice and occasional fish, swimming and riding the bicycles we rented to get around, I feel as if I lost weight on this vacation!  Especially when trying to out ride the barking dogs chasing us…..

I have never realized how many different types of rum there are either…..

The best ending to the amazing travels and time with family I have had the great fortune to enjoy this winter is coming home to Fire Fly Farm.  It is a brilliant sunny morning here and I am just beaming with joy with all that I am filled with.  I could not be more grateful.

I found out today, I don’t have my “mountain lungs” quite yet.  I remember how wonderful I felt last year at the end of my spectacular Switzerland holiday with Jen and family.  I felt like I had been in marathon training hiking every day and felt fabulous when I returned to the low lands, so much energy.  It was very obvious that my lungs were NOT in that shape today.  Pack mule lungs I called it then.  I didn’t float up the trail, I more like flailed.  Well, maybe not that bad but it took much longer to go the distance than I remember.  Yesterday I did better but took an easier route.  Today was another perfect day, sunny and warm, typical Switzerland winter day.

Jen, Maks and Vladimir are on winter break so that is why we are now in Switzerland.  Since they had lived here for several years before moving to Germany, we all drove back for them to visit and Maks is old enough now to take ski lessons.  Vladimir is a skier also, so the guys are going to hit the mountain on skis.  I have lost my need for speed long ago and I hyper ventilate just crossing these insanely steep trails on my snow shoes!  Skiers must wear helmets it is so dangerous.   Not for me.  If I injure myself or worse, I want it to be doing something I LOVE, so at least when my self employed self is healing I won’t be cursing myself, I will be fondly remembering the what ever of a lifetime.   That is my adventure rule of thumb,  be bold but LIKE it!

Maks was adorable on skis today.   I can hear him purring in the distance, fast asleep.  Sounds like a great plan~