I Heart the Tooling Lending Library

Posted on May 20, 2010 | 10 comments

In the middle of chaos came Shirley. I was washing salad greens for the Pop Up General store and someone knocked on the door. I’m like, “Who that?” from the top of the stairs, and then just another polite knock. So I went downstairs and there she was: the (relatively) new owner of the lot. “Shirley?” I said, and she nodded. Dreading condos, but knowing the real reason why she had come over, I asked how she was doing, and told her to come out into the garden, as I had a gift for her. I dashed upstairs and got a vase and scissors. Her timing really could not have been more perfect. The orange tiger lilies which she asked me to plant for her were in full glorious bloom. I arranged a vase of the flowers for her, and then we talked about the property.

I really needed to mow down all the weeds in the strip next to the sidewalk, Shirley told me. I know, I know, I said, but I don’t have any time. Then she looked confused: “But what about all the time you spent in here, growing stuff?” she laughed. “I mean, I don’t have time for maintenance,” I giggled. You know how there’s this thing that is really bugging you–some chore that you really need to take care of but never get around to it? Cutting grass is like that for me, I avoid it until it’s too late. Then I gave her a copy of Farm City, just so she would know the whole story.

OK, I thought, after she left, now with a fire under my ass to tidy up the place. I better find my machete. But I couldn’t locate it. Then I remembered the Tool Lending Library in Temescal. The history of the library is cool: after the 1991 fire in the Oakland Hills, they wanted to set up a resource center for rebuilding. It didn’t take hold and get fully funded through the library until 2000. Anyway, I ran down there, signed up, rented two hand tools. The next day I could return the hand tools and will have earned the right to rent a power tool. A juicy WeedWacker! These grasses and weeds were huge. The next day, my savior was there, cleaned and ready. It only took me half an hour to wack it back, and then some weeds out in the garden too. What a relief, and thank the ghods for Oakland’s Tool Lending Library! As for condos? Shirley told me not this year.

If you want to find out more about the TLL, click here.  They do have weird hours, so check the website before hustling down there.

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Posted in urban life

Tagged

Hello Again

Posted on May 10, 2010 | 20 comments

Whoa, I think I went through a time warp and lost a couple of weeks. Springtime is a crazy season for any farmer, and I’ve been doing a lot of book-related travel, which has compounded the problem. Ghosttown Farm has gone pretty quiet, too, while I’ve been traveling to New York, and spending a week at primitive skills camp (which was mind-blowing, more on that later…). The rabbits are now at LaBrie Farm in San Lorenzo, which will most likely be a permanent change. The goats are still up north getting stud service, as no one has gone into heat yet. Here are some of Bebe and Ginger’s suitors.

In other farm news, the Muscovy ducklings arrived, and here they are in their duck car.

Problem with the duck car: the windows have to be cracked so it doesn’t get too hot in there, and one night we think a rat got in and killed three of the little guys. So tragic. The rats in the garden have gotten really aggressive ever since I stopped doing food waste composting out there, which was basically their breakfast, lunch, and dinner. So I’m guessing they smelled the ducks (and the duck food) and went into the car. I’m pretty bummed about the whole thing. So now the ducklings are over at Abeni’s house until they get big enough to bring back to my place. In the meantime, I’ve taken to setting rat traps and feel a bit Charbonneau when I go out to check my traps.

Besides that, the mad schedule continues! In the next few weeks, I’ll be at the following places:

May 11, 12:30

Ecotopia revisited: A conversation with Ernest Callenbach and Novella Carpenter

Join us for an on-stage conversation with Ernest Callenbach, author of the cult-classic, Ecotopia, and Novella Carpenter, an urban farmer and author of Farm City. With its vision of white bicycles, a creek running down Market Street and a female president, Ecotopia (dubbed “the novel that predicted Portland” by New York Times writer Scott Timberg) has gained renewed attention in recent years as urbanists and naturalists alike consider a dizzying array of strategies for living in a resource-constrained world. Where are we now, relative to Callenbach’s vision of the future?
LOCATION
654 Mission Street,
San Francisco, CA 94105-4015

May 12, 6:30pm

CommonWealth Club, The Commonwealth Club is at 595 Market St. in SF, Second Floor

Panel Discussion with:

Jason Mark, Co-manager, Alemany Farm; Editor-in-Chief, Earth Island Journal
Novella Carpenter, Author, Farm City
Christopher Burley, Founder, Hayes Valley Farm
David Gavrich (aka The Goat Whisperer), Founder, City Grazing

Sarah Rich, Writer; Editor; Co-founder, The Foodprint Project; Co-author, Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century – Moderato

May 14, 5:30 PM Olympia Public Library, 313 8th Avenue SE, Oly, WA

May 15, Keynote Speaker, Write in the Woods, Shelton, WA 12:00; Reading and Paperback Release party at Sage Books, Shelton, WA

May 17th, 8 p.m, Verdi Club, 2424 Mariposa Street, San Francisco

Porchlight Reading Series: The Last Taboo, Stories about Money

We wish for it, complain about it, lose it, watch it get burned up, and constantly agree it can’t buy us happiness or love. Oh, money! Tonight we will count the ways you taunt us!

Featuring stories from:

Journalist/Farmer Novella Carpenter

Columnist/Blogger Ramona Emerson

Public Health Entrepeneur David Grosof

Comedian/Actor David Moss

S.F. Bay Guardian Executive Editor Tim Redmond

Broadcast Producer/Professional Dilettante Jenn Suttlemyr

General admission tickets: $12. Buy tickets in advance here. Tickets may also be available at the door.

Ages 21 and up.

May 19, Pop-Up General Store, 5-7pm

Grace Street Catering, 4629 MLK at 47th Street

I will be selling salad mix, braising greens, leeks, and fava beans! Hope to see you

May 20, 6:30-8pm at Revival Bar at 2120 Shattuck, Berkeley

“Farmer Jane: Women Changing the Way We Eat,” is a new book by author and sustainable food activist, Temra Costa. Join Costa and inspirational, local women in celebration of the book’s release.

May 22, SF’s Free Farm fundraiser @ 999 Eddy Street, San Francisco

3:30 Talk by Novella Carpenter, Author of Farm City

Music Provided by: Lia Rose

Food Donated by: farm:table, Mama’s on Washington Square, Greens, Maggie Mudd, and Bi Rite Market.

A family friendly afternoon at the Free Farm. Join us for food, wine and coffee tasting, Carla’s kid’s corner and more

Whew!

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Posted in goats, pop-up farmstand

Left my animals

Posted on April 27, 2010 | 10 comments

Did you read that book, The World Without Us? It’s about what would happen if humans disappeared off the face of the earth. Cities would rust, sewer systems would explode, parks would go wild. I’ve been thinking about what would happen if I disappeared–the bunnies would click on their lix-it bottles, the goats would quietly go feral, the bees would swarm over and over again. Knowing this, when I booked my trip to the East Coast, I began ferrying animals here and there. Which always gives me a heart attack.

Last Tuesday I took Bebe and Ginger the goats to a gorgeous goat farm in Vacaville called Castle Rock. I popped them into a big dog crate and drove north. The scenery was gorgeous–green rolling hills, a farm with a bunch of white geese, old crumbling barns. My friends S and J came along because they were interested in goat breeding. Yep, Ginger and Bebe are getting knocked up. We released them out into the pack, and Bebe immediately began head butting everyone. Ginger puffed up. Establishing their rank in the herd. I think they’ll have a nice vacation. I mean, there are six bucks to choose from. The owner, Sarah, and I decided to hook Bebe up with a young buck named Harvey; and Ginger up with a dark and handsome Guy Noir. They’ll stay up there for about two weeks. For days after dropping them off, I thought I could hear them shifting around on the back porch, or nickering at night, begging for some oats. Just my imagination.

Thursday I packed up all the rabbits, and relocated them to San Lorenzo. It must have made a funny sight, several cages stack up in my truck, with black and white rabbits hopping around. They seem happy with the new cages that we built at LaBrie Farm. I bought a whole watering system but couldn’t figure out how to keep it from dripping, so they’re all using bottle waterers until I can get back to fix it. The deck at my house is totally abandoned looking now. I’m not sure what to do with the new space. I was thinking about doing a deep clean, and building a cheese cave out there. It’s a constant 50 degrees no matter what season. Would definitely have to mouse-proof that.

Saturday morning I planted every seedling that I had started. Green bean seedlings had been languishing on top of the duck car, in the garden there were some sad looking tomato starts, basil, and cauliflower, in the laundry room rampicante zuchinis and cucumbers. All planted and deeply watered in before our dawn flight to New York.

I’m in New York still. I heard it rained in Oakland, so I’m imagining the green little ones speckled with moisture and loving it; the goats out in the peaceful fields getting it on; the bunnies snuggled up in the barn in San Lorenzo. Yep, I’m homesick.

I’m reading in the DC area April 29, 7pm at the Arlington Public Library.

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Posted in travel

Popping up is fun to do

Posted on April 15, 2010 | 14 comments

Abeni and I had so much fun popping up at Samin’s Pop-Up General Store! We were there with a woman who makes amazing English muffins, an empanada maven, Samin’s dry goods counter (vanilla beans, high-quality cocoa powder), a kimchee goddess, and many many more food purveyors.

Since this was our first time, we brought a million things from the garden: favas, salad mix, braising mix, bouquet garni, artichokes, honey, candied fruit, leeks, and chantrelles wrapped in what we called a Hobbit shire cabbage leaf. Though we were proud of our bounty, next time at the General Store (we are invited back, right Samin? Right?) we might focus on just Ghosttown salad mix and candied citrus peels from the LaBrie farm. What would you like to buy at the next General Store?

Thank you Janet Hankinson for taking the photos!

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Posted in pop-up farmstand, vegetables

Tagged ,

Popping up

Posted on April 9, 2010 | 11 comments

Rain or shine!

Lord, the Fire Marshall came to the farm early this week. They’re doing an assessment of all the “vacant” lots in Oakland, looking for fire hazards. I saw them idling their truck at the gate, looking curiously in, so I walked up to ask if I could help them. He asked if I had the land zoned for agricultural use. Um, er…I didn’t even know that was an option. Long story short, I impressed him with my stripped car that is serving as a greenhouse, and told him I would clear away brush and other fire hazards. Before he left he said, “And no parties or events here. What if someone has a cigarette?” So there you go. I think I will NOT be building a cob oven out there this Saturday.

Still, I will be popping up, and have the Pop-Up Farm stand on Sunday from 10-12 (note time change). I don’t want to risk getting busted, so it’ll just go for two hours. I’ll be selling pet food yogurt/cheese, favas, beets, leeks, tee-shirts, and books. See you there, and remember don’t park on 28th Street, park on MLK. Note: Unlike last time, I will not be doing tours. This is just a farm stand. You’re welcome to look around the garden but I’ll be focused on sitting behind the table and talking to people. As that one lady demanded last open farm: “I was told there would be animals!” There will not be animals, gotta wait until the next Open Farm day, which will be in July. 665 28th street, at Martin Luther King Way in Oakland.

If you can’t make Sunday, I will be part of the Pop-up General Store at Grace Street Catering Tuesday 5-7. It’s a really fun food event, with lots of yummy goodies to be had. Plus, Samin is so rad. 4629 MLK at 47th Street.

See you out there! And remember: no cigarettes.

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Posted in pop-up farmstand, visitors

Tagged , ,

LaBrie Family Farm

Posted on April 4, 2010 | 12 comments

I’m ready to announce it to the world: I’m starting another urban farm. It’s in San Lorenzo (okay, maybe it’s a suburban farm…). One acre, a barn, with fruit trees and fields. My farm partner, Abeni, brought some of the goats up today and installed them in their new digs. Read about it here, at the new blog, LaBrieFamilyFarm.

There’s still so much work to do before we plant, but we’re just going there and working, not thinking about the endpoint. The biggest job was clearing out the barn, which we think was built in the 1940s. It had years of stuff in it, and opossums had taken up residence, so it was pretty gross. But now it’s great, and a good place for the goats to sleep and have babies. There’s a hayloft upstairs, which is perfect for storing alfalfa for the goats and rabbits.

Karim and Jamila, our other partners in farming, are total bad-asses, and macheted down the grass in the fields. Check out how high the weeds were (photo below). The soil is very dark and rich. There are two fields, the north and south, each about a 1/4 of an acre. We’ve seeded a bunch of stuff off-site: tomatoes, herbs, peppers, onions, chard, cucs, and zuchs to transplant once we get the fields tilled. We’re specializing in French heirloom vegetables, but this first year we’ll be field testing a lot of things to see what our main crop should be.


We’ll also be keeping honey bees. I’ve noticed a lot of fruit trees growing around San Lorenzo, so the bees will be happy there too. SanLor used to be a big ag hotspot with lots of small family farms. They would grow and harvest produce, then bring it to Oakland to sell from the back of the pick-up. Which is kind of what we’ll be doing with the Pop-Up Farm Stand (BTW: April 11, 10-1 is the next one, here at G-T Farm). Everything old is new again.

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Posted in labrie family farm