Wednesday, October 29, 2008

THE FEAST

Aprovecho's harvest festival drew almost 200 people out to the farm. The day ended with an elaborate 100 mile feast- one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Hope this fall is finding everyone healthy and happy! I wish you all a bountiful harvest.
The C.E.O. and cutest resident of Apro-Raven and myself.

We share this cider press with 3 other families, and it has made the rounds this season! We have pressed 100's of pounds of apples this fall. We just bottled over 100 bottles of hard cider this week! The press by far my favorite piece of machinery.
welcome to Aprovecho...
Kyle and the cider press.
Lili's fermentation workshop

100 mile diet-harvest festival


Volunteers arriving in the morning.

Downtown on Main St. Cottge Grove, OR

more outdoor kitchen

outdoor kitchen..all wood fired.
garden shed above my tent platform...a second home.

By far my most favorite place to be.

greenhouse

Dino kale

Teaching Rosie how to hold a chicken


Rosie and my pops came to OR for a few days to look at colleges for Rosie. They also got to come and hang out at Aprovecho for a bit. It was great to take them around and also have them here for the harvest festival!
This one is of me and Rosie chatting at the mushroom logs.

HOME

This one is for Bridget, who has been waiting for me to post a picture of my tent home. I felt very much like a garden gnome all season, with my little home off to the side of the garden tool shed.

Saturday, October 11, 2008


Rachel Drying tomatoes and plums. There is pretty much a full drier going 24/7, we are preserving something at all times....just one more way in which our days are full of food.

Honor

Abel standing with our 100mile Chili second prize ribbon and award! It should also be said that the sun did come out in the afternoon and it turned into a really nice day.

100 mile diet

List of all the foods we ate over the last month and where they are coming from-

WHAT WE ATE &WHERE IT’S FROM

Cooking Oils-
Butter –Noris Dairy
Beef Tallow- Full Circle Farm
Pork Lard – Sweet Brier Farm

Meats-
Whole Chickens- Brice Creek Croft
Ground Beefalo- Polyrock Ranch
Stew Bones/meat- Deck Family Farms
Duck- Aprovecho

Dairy-
Cow Milk- Polyrock Ranch
Cheese- Willamette Valley Cheese C.O.
Yogurt- Nancy’s

Nuts-
Filberts- Kronke Family Farm
Acorns- Aprovecho

Grains-
Durum Wheat- American Wheat Growers
Red Fife Wheat- American Wheat Growers
Triticale- American Wheat Growers
Rye – American Wheat Growers

Beans-
Kidney- Full Circle Farm
Black- Full Circle Farm
Bumble Bee- Full Circle Farm
Buckskin- Full Circle Farm
Dried Peas- Slo Farm

Fruit-
Cherries- Slo Farms
Apples- Slo Farms & Kizer Creek & Aprovecho
Pears- Slo Farms & Rivers Turn Farm & Avalon Stables & Aprovecho
Plums- Slo Farms
Blueberries- Brewers U pick
Blackberries- Avalon Stables
Rasberries- Rivers Turn
Cantaloupe- Hayhurst Organic Farm and Nursery
Figs- Aprovecho
Grapes- Aprovecho

Vegetables-
Carrots- Wintergreen Farm
Potatoes- Wintergreen & Aprovecho
Onion- Wintergreen & Aprovecho
Beets- Aprovecho
Parsnips- Aprovecho
Tomatoes- Slo Farm & Aprovecho
Cucumbers- Slo Farm & Aprovecho
Peppers- Crossroads Farm & Aprovecho
Eggplant- Aprovecho
Collards- Aprovecho
Swiss Chard- Aprovecho
Kale- Aprovecho
Lettuce- Aprovecho
Cauliflower- Aprovecho
Green and Purple Cabbage- Aprovecho
Green Beans- Aprovecho
Summer Squash- Aprovecho
Winter Squash- Aprovecho
Sweet Peas- Slo Farm
Sweet Corn- Henson’s via Slo Farm
Shitake Mushrooms- Aprovecho
Garlic- Wintergreen Farm
Sweet Potatoes- Aprovecho
Green Beans- Aprovecho

Herbs (All from Aprovecho) -
Basil
Parsley
Mint
Thyme
Oregano
Rosemary
Chives
Sage
Epazote
Scallion
Marjoram
Tarragon
Tulsi Basil
Lemon Balm

Other Seasonings-
Dried Dill Seed- Aprovecho
Sea Weed- Pacific Ocean
Dried Peppers- Crossroads Farm
Dried Cinnamon basil- Aprovecho
Salt- Pacific Ocean
Apple Cider Vinegar-Aprovecho
Honey- Hummingbird Whole Sale Distrabution (Cottage Grove)

Leavening Agents-
Sourdough- Aprovecho

COOK-OFF

Aprovecho entered the chili cook-off of Cottage Grove. This was quite the scene, the fire dept entered along with many others in what it turns out is a very competitive contest. These people love thier chili! We entered ours as "100mile chili"- so no chili powder, or other non 100 mile spices. Lili, Kyle, Rachel and Myself rose before sunrise and in the pouring rain to load up the truck with tables, posters, food, propane stoves and headed down town, where Main st. had been roped off for the contest. We were greeted by other hardcore chili makers who were already getting their stuff simmering. We set up and got cooking! Mostly we saw this as an educational opportunity for people, fun and good eating for us! But low and behold, WE WON SECOND PRIZE for our dank chili! YAY! What a highlight, and total conformation to us what our diet is not only postive socially but also super tasty (not that we didnt already know that)!!!!!
Kyle King of Sunflowers....

bobbing for apples


Lili bobbing for apples....it may just be the best and most fun game ever.

bread and butter


Kyle taught a bread making class at the start of the diet. We had no yeast, so we were making sourdough for the duration of the program. This an image of the outdoor kitchen ( all cooking is down on wood fired stoves).

When the sky was still blue...

Its been a few weeks since I have made any posts, but I'm back and have some pictures to share! This is looking up at the community building from the bottom of the garden (before the rains came). Currently, the rain is around most days and it has started to get pretty cold, thank God for wood stoves, warm blankets and whiskey. The fall internship program ends this Sunday. We all have been on the 100 mile diet for a month now, and are feeling great, well fed and happy!