Thursday Thoughts

I used to say that July was my favorite month of the year, but I might have to change my mind on that one because September's shaping up to be pretty darn excellent.  The heat of summer still lingers heavily in the air, the creek is running slow and warm these days and I will find any excuse to wander down to the burbling waters for a slice of peaceful reflection.  The school year begins anew and despite what everyone said, I feel not a hint of sadness to be apart from the world of academia.  With all there is to do on the farm, I can't find the time to mourn the fact that I'm not going back to school this autumn.  Indeed, yesterday I took two large containers full of the ugliest, spottiest, gnarliest little apples you've ever seen and turned them into deliciously sweet & tart apple cider.  Next week I will un-freeze all of it and begin the fermentation process--my first foray into homemade hooch.

Over at the goat farm there is a new buck and boy oh boy is he a sight to behold.  Weighing in over 300 pounds with a black beard that extends from just below his eyeballs to half-way down his chest, this big boy means business.  As such, one needs to be extremely mindful around this critter because he could be a serious threat if he chose to.  Allegra, the white doe who has featured prominently in my photographs this summer, took an immediate liking to Mr. Buck and they flirted upon meeting.  She kicked up onto her hind legs in a kind of dance, while he peed all over himself, tongue hanging crudely out the side of his mouth.  In the words of Lis, goatherd extraordinaire, "they are grotesquely human".

Today it's rather hot and I've taken a piece of the afternoon to do some household chores, artwork and self-educating.  Before I dive head-first into all my fermentation projects I would like to have some idea what I am doing.  I tend to begin projects and then decide how to go about them, not always the best choice.  I've also found myself increasingly interested in keeping-up with politics: food and otherwise.  With lots of time spent listening to the radio, I cannot help but feel an increasing interest surrounding political topics: food and otherwise.

Earlier this week my father sent me the link to a New York Times article about a meta-study comparing organic to non-organic produce, which lamely argued that the health benefits of the two were indeterminable.  The article was annoying to say the least. Luckily, Michael Pollan (all of our hero) responded to it perfectly in this interview.  I'll let Pollan speak for himself, but needless to say that with all the junky (gmo) crap they are putting in "food" these days, I am so lucky to be learning how to raise my own.  Not to mention it's just about the most satisfying work there is...

Time to go milk the goats!