What Farmers Want You to Know and What They Need to Hear

Damn...sometimes this farming thing is hard. Okay, actually, most of the time it is. Today was one of those days where I had to keep reminding myself that it is worth the pain, the tears of frustration, the extra expenses and time. Oh so much time.

Ric working on the fence that this guy keeps escaping from.

As I looked out the window to see Rocky, my Shetland sheep ram, hanging out in the yard...the part of the yard that is not fenced, I mumbled under my breath something slightly colorful. The 3rd time today that I saw him doing the same, it was less quiet and a bit more colorful. And after the 6th time, I looked at my phone to realize that a day planned for other endeavors was basically gone. The light was waning. And out of desperation I touched the electric fence to see if it was even working. It was.

Damn it is cold in these here parts.

This post is to illustrate something specific for two different groups of people.

For those that have never had to bundle up in 20 degree weather to walk a fence to find out where the weakness is, those that have never really worried that the hay you just bought is full of crap and can’t be fed to your animals, those that have never lost their entire crop of tomatoes to disease, or lost one of their animals, I wanted to paint a picture of the struggles that the small farmer goes through on a day to day basis. It is just a reminder that when you buy that piece of pizza, that salad, or that knit sweater, of the things that could (and should) have gone into making them for you. I know you know, but sometimes we take things for granted. Not all the time, but sometimes we wonder why that farmer is charging a bit more for that organic carrot, or why that hand spun yarn is $20 a skein. And the sad fact of the matter is, almost never is that a true representation of the time and resources that went into that product.

Take that destructive tomato hornworm. (A parasite laid its eggs on it.)

So you are saying...man, then why do it? After a day like today, freezing pipes, sheep running amok, moldy hay, I had a moment of that, too. But I do it for the same reason so many other farmers and ranchers do. It is important work. It ties us to our past, our heritage, to the food we eat, to the clothes we wear. We know what we put in and on our bodies, as well as our friends, families and our customers. As a society, we have lost our passion and respect for it, and we see that as we lose countless acres of farmland, and as our aging farmers look to retire and don’t see who will take up the reins. But luckily, it also seems like there are some folks going back to the land. More new-to-farming folks, women and young people. And most of us run at it headlong, not really knowing what the hell we are doing. But after doing this for almost 3 years in some fashion or another, it kind of seems like no one really ever does. Sure, you learn a lot, but something new is thrown at you all the time. What farmers are really good at is learning to roll with the punches and make due as best is possible.

I urge everyone to look into the slow food and slow fashion movement. Go down to the local farmers’ market and ask your farmer more about how they grow and the challenges they face. Or just say thanks and buy that carrot or skein of yarn and make yourself a new, cozy hat and some yummy soup.

I made dis. (From shearing to finished piece.)

Wait, who is the other person this is for? For all of you either doing this work or thinking about doing it. I just want to say I am here for you. I am still new, and definitely don’t know it all. But I do know that having others to talk to is pretty much the best thing there is for any of us. And if you are thinking about going into this work, but hesitate because you don’t know much...just do it. It will likely be very hard at first. And even after you feel like you sorta have the swing of things, there will be days that are still very hard. But hands on experience and learning as you go is sort of the only way in this field. And to those that have been doing this a while, those that I have made a panicked phone call to when my ewe lambed the day before a HUGE move or who taught me about natural insecticides, THANK YOU. All of you out there being an inspiration and going through as much, pardon my french, shit, and more than we tiny fiber farmers do, THANK YOU. We all need you.

Ash

New Year, New Hustle...and special 2017 manifesto download!

First...Happy New year!  We hope you had a great first couple days of the year.  Admittedly, 2016 brought a LOT of change for us at Fiberton, and we have had to work really hard to keep ourselves treading water.  But we are also looking forward to the New Year as that marker for sitting down, an figuring our priorities and coming up with a new game plan.

The last several years I have been making a "Manifesto" for the year.  Something nice to look at, that I can hang on the wall, and that reminds me of the things that we want to work toward. Some of the things are just reminders to self about being 'yourself' and others are larger concepts or plans for the business.  These are personal and business goals and aspirations for the year...aka, how we wanna hustle this year:

Here is a pic of it hanging up... (tiny home = awkward photo angles)

I made it 8x10, so I could easily print and then frame it for all to see.  I love sharing, because it creates a bit of accountability, too.

So, want to make your own? We have created a special downloadable blank manifesto for you! Maybe you have been practicing your hand lettering, and want to fill it in by hand?  Then download the PDF version here. Or you want to drop it into a doc or drawing program and make it your own.  In that case, download the png image here, and draw your own text boxes in the spaces. (We used google draw and used their fun open source fonts. Just make sure that you format the page to be a 8x10.) Either way, we hope it inspires you to make some reminders/aspirations for your new year. (Oh, and don't forget to unclick "fit to page" when you go to print!)

Thanks for being our awesome readers, and let's all get that hustle on!

Ash

PS - If you have not had a chance, or you want to hear about the crazy year I spoke of above in our own voices, please check out our podcast!  Just look up Fiberton Acres on your preferred podcast platform. like iTunes, Stitcher, etc, and subscribe, OR you can go direct by clicking here!

Podcasts, Patreon, and Recipes, Oh My!

We have been freezing here on the ol' homestead. Literally.  We may have slightly underestimated how cold it would get in our new home, and how the RV would do.  So we have been distracting ourselves with other things.

First and foremost, with our podcast!  We have been enjoying this so much!  This week we reminisce the foods of summer, in particular, tomatoes!  Who knew we would have so much to say about tomatoes! You can find the podcast on your fav podcast listening thing-y-mo-bobber (like iTunes, Stitcher, etc) or you can click on the image to go listen directly. And please make sure to hit the like button and if you can, rate and review!  It helps us get seen by other folks!

And speaking of, we have created a Patreon account!  If you are not familiar with Patreon, it is an awesome site that helps people support artists, including podcasters like us! For as little as $1/mth, subscribers/supporters can get exclusive content!  Check it out here!

In our podcast, we talked about a few recipes that we created this week out of necessity.  One was Ric's special winter warm up drink (with rum), which you can find here on our FB page.  Make sure to follow us there for other fun stuffs, too!

We also talked about how we sort of ran out of propane and had to make due with the microwave.  I created my own "Mexican style omelettes in a bowl" and they turned out awesome! We had to share this recipe.  If you don't feel like dirtying extra dishes, or you are living a simple lifestyle or just feel like a quick meal, here you go!

Fiberton Acres Microwave Mexican Style Omelette in a Bowl

Ingredients:

• 3 eggs
• Splash of milk (dairy or non)
• 1 hot pepper, diced
• 1 tomato (yay!) or 1/4 cup of canned diced tomatoes without the liquid
• 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder (or if you have Adobo seasoning, use that!)
• 1/4 tsp oregano
• Some Parmesan cheese (or even better is cotija!)
• Cilantro to garnish

How to make this lovely dish:

1. Crack eggs into microwave safe bowl
2. Beat eggs and add splash of milk and spices and whisk well.  If you are at work or something, use a fork to whip that up.
3. Add tomato, pepper and a small handful of cheese and mix well.
4. Put in the microwave on high for 3-4 mins (start with 3 and check center to see if eggs have set.  My microwave I have to do 4 mins.)
5. Chop up a little cilantro to throw on top, toss on a little more cheese and enjoy! Add salsa if you like, too!

Last, but not least, we referenced the Ball Blue Book Canning guide!  Here is a few shots of our 1983 guide and the things we referenced...

That's it folks!  

-Ash and Ric and the Fiberton gang