On the Farm

Hugh and Hanna of the Threshold Farm were kind enough to share their home and their farm with me this weekend as I chased everyone around with the camera.  I was a media magnet- pulling in every image and sound I possibly could.

It was only a couple of days but it felt like a week or two.  I could ramble on about all the sights and sounds of my farm adventure, but that's what the iBeat multimedia explosion is for.  So instead here's a brief summary of the highlights:

Day One- Thursday June 4th (my birthday)

-Took a train from Penn Station to Hudson, NY.  Realized travel by rail is my new favorite mode of transportation.   

-Arrived in Hudson and  met up with Hanna who drove me to the farm in the village of Philmont.

-Greeted by a juvenile water gun firing squad upon my arrival

-Made hay, took photos, saw a turtle, learned how to thin apples, ran from a peacefully sleeping black snake, walked around in cow crap

-Had a very energetic discussion with Hugh about the politics of food production

-Canned chutney

-Met the WWOOFers 

Day Two- Friday June 5th

-woke up at the crack of dawn (approx. 6:30)

-filmed the WWOOFers having breakfast

-did Hanna a favor by making sure the kids got on the school bus while she and Hugh prepared bunches of vegetables for the CSA pickup

-hiked a mile or so to the farm (the house is in the village away from the actual farm land) schlepping my gear up and down hills

-filmed and did interviews in the orchard while the WWOOFers worked

-helped make lunch

-ate a giant feast of spaghetti with meat sauce, green bean salad, beet salad, and steamed beet greens: all of which was from the farm except for the noodles

-napped

-interviewed WWOOFer Andrea  a little more.

-WENT TO A HO-DOWN!!!!!  Learned how to contra dance and do-si-doed until midnight

Day Three- Saturday June 6th

-slept in (which on farm time means waking up at 7:45)

-Biked through the foothills of the Catskill mountains with the WWOOFers to another organic farm called Hawthorne Valley Farm

-went on a foraging walk led by conservationist Russel Cohen- ate flowers and grasses and such straight out of the ground

-learned how to make Dandelion omelets, Cattail biscuits, and Sumac tea

-biked back 

-filmed WWOOFer Mirabelle playing guitar and singing in french

-caught a ride back to Hudson to catch the 5:10 train back to the city

whoa.

that was quite the experience.

I had to pull my weight while I was there especially since Hugh and Hanna were feeding me and allowing me to stay in the farm house.  So, I washed a lot of dishes, thinned some of the apple trees, and tried to be generally helpful.

Needless to say, I got really immersed in the story.

Now I get to spend the next 6 days reliving it all as I begin the editing process.