Field of Dreams

I just got in from working in my Connecticut garden, and finished the really delightful task of harvesting my lavender. Who doesn't love this plant? Its pest-free, really pretty, smells wonderful. I am thinking we should put a whole field of lavender in at Villa Mir Farm.

I checked out other 'lavender farms' on the web and learned a few important facts: (1) you can not make money growing lavender, there is no market for the stuff, and unless you are really into crafts or willing to put in a steam distillation unit to extract the essential oil, you can forget about making money (or even breaking even!). (2) There are quite a few farms out there, nonetheless, which appear to focus on 'agritourism' and 'entertainment farming' (didn't know there was such a thing, it doesn't sound serious does it?). Check out this site for more on farming lavender and a list of websites: http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/lavender.html#direct . (3) There are two kinds of lavender - L. angustifolia (sometimes called English lavender or 'true' lavender) and L x intermedia (which is the kind they grow in Provence, and less hardy than the angustifolias). They have different chemical compositions and I suppose they must smell different too! (4) Lavender has a variety of uses - as an herbal remedy, as an aromatherapy plant, bees love it and it makes nice honey, and even the flowers themselves have uses in cooking. Its best known for its relaxing, soothing properties and is often used for stress relief (N.B.!!) I even found a site where its used for its 'magical properties' - oddly enough, it appears to be useful in spells for attracting money! I need to re-think Number 1 above!!http://www.gardensablaze.com/HerbLavenderMag.htm

Net, net - lavender is beautiful and it sure smells nice. I might just plant a whole big field of it at Villa Mir anyway. Just because I can! We'll call it 'Carol's Field of Dreams'.

(Lest you think the picture above is my Connecticut garden, I have to be honest! Took this shot off Flickr, and have to give a picture credit to noe0712 - really pretty shot! But not my garden...!)

Farm n' Fun

OK, folks - here are the photo's you've been waiting for! Its better if you start at the bottom and work your way up, but it works the other way too. The pictures are small, but if you double click on them you'll get a larger image. And PLEASE - give me some comments here, I don't want to be all alone out here in the blogosphere!!

Yeah, I guess you can see its really a haywagon in this picture! 

Here's Paul and friends on the 'haywagon stage' - this is as formal as the music gets at this party!  

And more music! 

Let the music begin! 

Jack, the chick magnet! 

Food is always great! Everyone brings something, and there's a big table under the tent on the right and more stuff just keeps on comin'! Here's Laura with her most popular bok choy salad. My mom's meatloaf was always a favorite, and I found it very moving that multiple people asked to have the recipe so they could bring it - Mom would have liked that a lot! If anyone wants the recipe - let me know by posting a comment and I'll send it along (or put it in the blog!)

Neighbors Ginni Huxel and Pat Shiflett with our friend Jan Oakley.  

Niece Helen hanging out with her homies. Note the chartreuse refrigerator behind them, which served as a guest book for all to sign during the party.  

The bonfire is a tradition - and one that always used to make my father nervous! This one is small by Paul's usual standards, I guess we've gotten a bit more conservative in our old age! The fire gets lit at midnight, preceded by the ritual of playing Scottish war bagpipes.  

It takes a lot of work to get ready for the party. Paul has a 'work party' three days before, where lots of guys show up with tractors and fork lifts and chain saws and other manly toys, and much work is done mowing and trimming and setting up tents and equipment. Thanks to all the brave volunteers who came out for the work party this year! 

Farm n' Fun 2005

Every year, Paul and Laura invite about 300 friends, family and neighbors to picnic, camp if they want, make music together and just have fun. This year we celebrated 55 years of Villa Mir Farm, at the 2005 Farm n' Fun event. What started as a typical hot and humid Ohio summer day, gave way to a storm - complete with lightning, thunder and torrential rain! But it passed quickly and though it dampened the ground it didn't dampen anyone's spirits, and the party went on. The great thing about Farm n' Fun is that it has something for everyone - little kids, teenagers, boomers, and seniors, they all come and have a ball. The music is something else - all kinds of acoustic music, and wonderful voices singing traditional songs as well as those written by some of the talented songwriters among the guests. Following are a few of the pix I got during our Farm n' Fun week this year.

Here's my most charming nephew Jack, showing off the flowers.  

This is an aerial view of Villa Mir Farm. The town of Chardon, Ohio is 4 miles to the east, which is directly the top of the picture. The houses and barns are in the lower left. Once the land was mostly all cleared, but early stage woods have taken over the eastern third of the property. This is going to be tough to clear! There are a few acres in evergreen trees right now, and we're working on some agricultural ideas for the cleared fields and pasture land. The old woods in the lower right of the property are good maple syruping woods, and we have a partner who collects sap every spring. Now that there is this much woodland, we have a real haven for animals - there are deer and fox and wild turkeys, the occasional coyote, and Paul actually saw a black bear a number of years ago, but that's pretty rare. 

Nowadays, my brother Paul, wife Laura and their two kids Helen and Jack live on the farm, together with dog Whiskey and cats Meadow and Spike. That's Helen on the left with my son Michael - hanging out in the trees. 

Sustainable Agriculture

We're working on some ideas to increase the utilization of the land for agriculture. We've been collecting a lot of ideas from local farmers, the county extension office, and from seeing what small farmers around the country are doing to create sustainable businesses and keep the land nice. Its amazing what people are doing, but it sure takes creativity and dedication and skill. My long-time friend, Bob Sage and his family are a model. Their farm is about 3 miles from our property, mostly apples but also other fruits and vegetables. Five generations of the Sage family have worked this land. Here's a picture of Bob and his son Jordan.
You can see more at their website: www.sagesapples.com. And make sure to stop by their farmstand on Route 6 just west of Chardon, especially in the fall when the Melrose have come in!

I'm also really interested in people who have created new and innovative ways to market their produce - the Jones family farm in Huron is a great example, where they have created something called the Culinary Vegetable Institute and attract top chefs from around the country. Check them out at: www.chefs-garden.com . Meanwhile, give us your ideas and help us along as we think about more ways to make Villa Mir a working farm again!