We're back with another update about our month!
November has brought so much! New sprouted seedlings, rain, lovely events and even some goats... for one day!
The Tale of Elton and John, reads almost like a bedtime story with a blatant moral. Justina and I were absolutely pumped to have some goats at the farm, we built a fence over the course of about a week and waited in anticipation. When we met the two of them we were enamored in every sense of the word, they were the sweetest (huge) animals and they seemed excited at the prospect of new plants to much on. At the direction of the previous owners we took them on a walk, and they met Frank who was slightly terrified, though they could not care less about his existence. Eventually though we took them over to their new home and closed the gate, as we walked away chatting about their new names; Elton and John (haha), we heard the distinct sound of bending metal. As we turned our heads towards the inevitable, Elton and John came hurtling towards us, absolutely intent on receiving what I am sure they believed they were owed (a pat on the back for outsmarting the fence). So Justina and I returned to the fence and began to mend it in a way that would not be so easily pushed through. the next attempt by our Houdinis was to simply rest all of their weight on the top of the fence until it had sank the few inches blocking them from vaulting over the entirety of it...
Cut to three and a half hours later and you will find two exhausted hysterical people who have all but given up on fences altogether.
It was easy to understand the problem here, Elton and John adore people and want to be with them 24/7, which was not exactly Justina's or my view of how this was going to go. After nearly four hours of the back and forth between goat and human we realized there was probably not going to be a resolution to this problem, as the goats probably would have ceased their efforts only after being allowed to live as Frank's siblings and sleep in a human bed. In the end we had to give them up to a wonderful friend of Justina's, who has graciously offered visitation rights for us (haha). Elton and John were not meant to live at Araceli Farms, but they did remind us that we are still learning and that sometimes you just have to use trial and error to get anywhere. All in all we look back on that day with laughter, knowing that the goats ended up in a perfect home and we get to have our beds to ourselves.
Now for a more general update about the farm and a reflection on Dia de los Muertos!
Farm
What are the lavender plants doing during this month/season?
The Lavender is dormant now and it is still time for us to prune! We harvested some fresh lavender recently to distill for hydrosol (it's way too late to distill for essential oil) but they all look great and huge! Pruning them can be tough because they are so large it becomes hard to push the pruner through the rows.
How is the garden doing?
Our no rules garden is still so pretty in my eyes! I really love how much it produced and took off. Right now the Zinnias, Amaranth and Celosia are still blooming! The squash plant is now fully dead and we are just going to let it do its thing and see what happens next year. Most likely it will get grazed.
What is our main goal for projects/farm work?
Right now it's just sorting everything out that we have to do for the holidays and also for me (Justina) to delegate. In terms of farm work I love using the winter to stay on top of the field and have sheep graze the field. Now I just need to get some sheep and some fencing! I am also knee deep in grant work right now. One grant is funded and I need to do some ordering but we should be planting soon. I am finishing up the budget for another grant; and all of the paperwork needed for it which can be time consuming!
How are we prepping for the next season?
So far no prep for the next season in terms of lavender but there are a lot of projects we are undertaking to make the spring-fall season magical! There is one thing I will be prepping/ delegating that I'm hoping comes to fruition; BUT not ready to talk about that just yet.
How did our goals from last month pan out?
I need to make goals for the team and I'll be doing that this week (hopefully). As far as November it was a great month, we had one of our favorite weddings we've ever had, toured the space a ton, and finished up fencing the small flock of livestock we will be getting (over time).
Venue
What events do we have this month?
I'd love to do a friendsgiving clothing swap or some sort of community based event. We all have so much stuff we want to get rid of so I'd like to gather everyone and just have a nice afternoon together. Swapping items, doing crafts together, listening to music, having some tea or coffee would be the perfect day! Hopefully I can line up someone to take items we want to donate to families in need as well. With time just flying by if there is enough interest maybe we can make this happen next year!
Products
OUR CULINARY JARS ARE BACKKKKK AND they are so gorgeous. I also have a secret project I've been working on that I sampled last Wednesday and I am SO excited. I already know it's going to be such a hit!
Other
Markets, etc
We have Makers Mart on Dec 7th and we are hoping to get back to the midtown farmers market soon!
BTS
What are your overall goals for the month?
I want to have 1 day that I don't run errands, work or leave the house lol. Just a total day to lounge and rest. Outside of that just the goals I said above.
Are there any life lessons you learned last month?
Nothing monumental, something I'm working on in my personal life is detachment and I feel like my business has helped me tremendously with this. You really can't farm/ have a small business and be attached to outcomes!
What was the hardest part of work last month?
Still that whole balance of working and working through really hard life stuff in the background. My world gets super small when I'm busy and I try really hard to focus in on taking care of myself.
What are your current obsessions?
Frank always. The importance of a local economy and supporting it. Pickled cucumbers I get from the Japanese market I love to go to and decluttering my space. I’m kind of in that phase right now where not a lot of food is hitting the spot and I'm sick of most of my music which can be hard!
A little while ago I also asked Minerva and Justina some questions about their experiences with Dia de los Muertos! In previous years the farm has hosted an event for the holiday, however this year due to schedule conflicts we were not able to make it work. We decided that having a little reflection on the meaning of Dia de los Muertos would be nice, in lieu of an entire event!
What is your earliest memory of celebrating Dia de los Muertos?
MINERVA: My family actually didn't celebrate Dia De los Muertos when I was growing up. I'm not sure if them being catholic had something to do with it. But I started celebrating it by myself around 2015.
Do you have a favorite memory/part of celebrating Dia de los Muertos at the farm in past years?
M: Oh yes! My favorite memory at the farm during our Dia de los Muertos event was when I was dressed in full catrina mode picking marigolds in the field. I felt so in touch with my roots. Something so simple but truly meant so much to me.
Are there any pets that came by for you on the 27th?
M: My boyfriend’s sweet pet cat Artemis and lovely black lab Marley visit us on the 27th. Marley passed away last year and Artemis passed this year. It is said that you aren't supposed to set up an altar for your pet that has passed away until a year has passed. But I really don't have the heart to leave out Artemis until next year so she is on our altar this year.
What does the celebration of those who have passed mean to you?
M: I truly think it is a beautiful way to celebrate both life and afterlife. I also think it's a great way to heal some grief you may have regarding someone who has passed away.
JUSTINA: Celebrating Dia de los Muertos is so new to me and it's fun to see it so widely adapted and see how it's being celebrated here in the states. In the last 4 or 5 years celebrating it, it's really meant a lot to me. It's given me space and time to reconnect with my loved ones in a beautiful, vibrant way and has laid out traditions and rituals that I love. I love being able to associate colors, warmth, beauty with death. It's new to me and I'm excited to continue to learn.
How was your holiday this year?
M: I always end up crying a bit when I set up my altar. I am always hit with a bunch of emotions and memories when I set photos on my altar. It feels like I'm a step closer to healing when I do though.
J: This was our first year we didn't celebrate at the farm and honestly I didn't do a whole lot to celebrate personally. I did and i didn't but it was so tough!!! It's one of my favorite holidays but the time of the year just crept up so fast. I was beating myself up about it and trying to make it work but thank god for my team. They reassure me in moments I can't reassure myself that it's okay to take a break. I'm glad they can be honest with me in those moments because it saves me a lot of stress from forcing something to work. Here's an example of the detachment work I have been doing :) I really do hope we have time for it next year. We are getting so busy with events, which is wonderful, so that was the biggest reason we didn't have the time to prep how I would have wanted.
Are there any other things you would like to share about your experiences with Dia de los Muertos?
M: I think everyone can celebrate Dia De Los Muertos. I find such joy seeing people set up their altars to celebrate the life of someone who has passed. As a Mexican American it doesn't bother me one bit that people are celebrating Dia de los Muertos.
Happy Holidays, we appreciate you all so much!