NHESP 2010 - Update 2

Left to right: Dylan, Julia, Armin, Jake, Marcela, Michael, Peter, Hannah, Iyla, Connor, Carina (front), Gabe. Missing: Hakeeem

Uphill loaded with gear

       Hello, my name is Hannah Gelb, otherwise known as Hanita or Juana Maria. My dear friend, Hakeem, had been struck by a sickness last week, which involved many trips to the outhouse during part of our farm expedition. Therefore, I have taken on the responsibility of archiving the activities of the past week. On Tuesday, after loading up our bikes to their fullest with panniers and dry bags, we finally mounted and set forth for our first, long ride of the week. We rode twenty-three miles to Westmoreland, New Hampshire, where we reached our destination of Hillside Springs Farm. With sore bums, we dismounted our bicycles and were greeted by Frank Hunter, the owner of the farm. Hillside Springs has been an organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm for over eight years, and in this time they have expanded enormously. This year, Frank noted he sold 60 full CSA shares, and 30 half shares. As the afternoon progressed, we were given a tour of the beautiful farmland, which included an apple orchard, a hay barn with mountains of loose hay, the horse stables, and of course the vegetable gardens. Frank, his daughter, Gwen, and wife, Kim, maintain the farm. Because this farm is run completely by horsepower, many of the rote tasks must be done by hand. We made a difference by weeding numerous rows of baby carrots; in return we received fresh vegetables for our dinner. As the day came to an end, we were excited to crawl into our warm sleeping bags for a good night sleep. Much to our dismay however, Mother Nature felt the need for a storm, thus soaking many of us due to our hastily constructed tarp.

A little rest for Armin, Jake and Iyla

Wednesday morning, we helped with the chores around the farm, said our goodbyes, and continued on our long journey. Up and down, over the rolling hills and highways of New Hampshire we went, finally crossing into Vermont from Walpole, NH. Our nifty navigator, Gabe, directed us towards Vermont Shepherd Farm, a sheep farm in Westminster, Vermont. Because it was only slightly out of the way, we left our heavy gear at Harlow Farm Organics, also in Westminster, where we would be spending the night. Our travels continued, up, up, up (or arriba, arriba, arriba in Spanish) a dirt road on what felt like the side of a mountain. The ride was well worth it however, when we finally reached our second destination, Vermont Shepherd Farm. It was beautiful with the rolling hills surrounding us with the colors of fall. Here we were introduced to Dave and his crew. We were split into three groups, each one off on a separate task. Julia ‘Huligan’ and I were sent to the cheese house, where we sanitized ourselves before entering, and were covered from head to toe in aprons. Here we learned the art of making different kinds of sheep cheese. 

Julia and Hannah in the cheesehouse

A tour of Vermont Shepherd

With precision and accuracy, we flipped and wrapped the soft rounds of cheese for draining and aging. Gabe, Connor, Armin, and Peter idly grabbed axes and splitting mauls and set off to chop up a large tree that had fallen nearby. Connor, with his mighty strength, only managed to break two axes. Dylan and Jake were confined in The Cave. As much as it may sound like a punishment, the Cave was actually where the soft rounds of cheese were taken and kept for up to six months, in order to harden and flavor. With full body aprons as well, they brined the cheeses with watery cheese milk drained from previous cheeses. This caused bacteria to grow in a coat around the cheeses, protecting them until they were sold. And last but most definitely not least, Iyla proved her true strength by weed whacking and raking the whole area in front of The Cave. She only paused briefly to entertain Julia and me in an Eminem serenade.

Iyla's Eminem serenade

Gabe found a new friend

Harlow's Organics

      Tired and hungry from our 17 mile bike ride in the morning and an afternoon of work, we slowly made our way, up and down again, back to Harlow Farm Organics, about eight miles north. Upon arriving at dusk, we were greeted by the owner Paul, and given two dozen ears of corn, 4 dozen eggs, enough sausages to feed a small army, and an abundant amount of associated vegetables. Slightly overwhelmed with food, we cooked ourselves a feast including roast corn on the cob, vegetable stir fry, and other assorted goodies. Sleep seemed to last a mere few minutes, but as morning rolled in, we again gorged, this time on eggs, toast, and fresh sausages. With our tummies full, we started our workday by picking various vegetables, and weeding many rows of blueberry bushes. Here we finally met up with Hakeem, who was feeling much better.

Harlow’s is completely different from Hillside Springs because tractors till the land and many Jamaicans are hired to work as part of a government program. Harlow’s delivers to many supermarkets, including different coops in the local area. We had an enjoyable morning as we learned the ways of a mass production farm. Splitting up at times, we helped with a large order of broccoli, kale, and collards, and then watched as our hard work was sent off to be packaged. Then we biked 18 miles back to Kroka, only stopping for a short time at Walpole Creamery to enjoy some maple walnut ice cream and a brief refreshing dip in Lake Warren.

Peter, refreshed from the lake

Morning swim at Gustin Pond 

    Upon our return to base camp, we spent Friday relaxing and unpacking all or gear. Saturday, we were very lucky to have Marina join us again for a water testing session, followed by a wonderful theatre class taught by our lovely actress, Marcela. Finally, Sunday morning we slept in until 8am, then spent a few hours stacking wood for our friend, Wilma, in Saxons River, VT before heading out to Michael Kohout and his family. Here we will be exploring river ecology and forest life, meeting the mushrooms of the woods and doing some underwater climbing with masks in the river.

     This concludes our thrilling second week here at Kroka. You will hear from Hakeem next week, as he will be back in action!

I would briefly like to shout out to the Gelb family, Happy Rosh Hashanah!

Sincerely,

Your substitute scribe, Hanita

Environmental tip of the week: Marina came in on Saturday and taught us about water testing. It is important for your water at home to be tested for sulfur dioxide, and also magnesium and calcium which causes ¨hardness.” making it difficult to properly wash your hair and can be dangerous to your health.

Spanish with Dylan 101:

granja= farm

Eso= that

Bicicleta= bicycle

Llevar= to carry

Logistics of our bike trip:

Kroka to Hillside Springs: 25miles

Hillside Springs to Vermont Shepherds to Harlows: 27miles

Harlows to Kroka: 18 m

Total: 69miles