Fall Harvest

Today was a sad day in the garden. We pulled the beets but they didn't produce anything and we realised somebody took the long skinny mirror which was pretty disappointing cause I wanted to take that with me when I moved to a new apartment. Jen was kind enough to take pictures. So here are some of the day's happenings:


This is a baby gourd. I hope this is more successful than the ill-fated beets. The whole gourd


These are some of my beautiful marigolds that are doing well and have been looking ever so lovely as when I first planted them.


I'm pulling up the beets, frowning at the great lack of beets grown.


This is the last beet to be pulled up, pretty discouraged. Oh well, better luck next season.


That is the closest thing to a beet that we got this year. A tiny tiny little tuber, but nothing of which to eat.

My Own Garden

Here are some pictures of my own micro-farm, also known as my backyard garden:


This is Phat Harry. Jen brought him back from New Jersey and is going to give it to Darcey someday because she collects dead things.

These are my lovely gourds that bloom at night!

My depressing little tomatoe that came into being while I was away so it didn't get watered and now I'm trying to nurse it back to health.

Some marigolds that have more than doubled in size since I bought them as a potted plant.

A beautiful jalapeno, one of many in fact. They're growing so fast!!


Going to Norway is currently on hold for a year. However, I am still intending to WWOOF in the US. I'm going through the application process with one farm and called three other farms. So that is my current situation. I will keep you updated on how my application process is going when things have changed. The farm that I am applying to is in near Purcellville (about 40 miles NW of DC).

We've Made Contact!

Yesterday I received my first reply from the three Norwegian farms that I contacted. The farmers' names are Anders and Hilde. I'm a little confused if they are married, or if they are friends that are sharing a membership, or if WWOOFers work at both farms. In any case, there are two farms. Hilde's farm is on the west coast near Florø and her sheep are wild sheep of the Old Norwegian breed. And Anders' farm is located in Førde which is in a fjord (omg!!) and he has a normal (who knows what kind) breed of sheep that are kept within the parameters of the farm (all 19 hectares of it!).

It sounds wonderful to be sure, however I have my questions about it. Like, what do they use the sheep for (meat, cheese, wool, friends?)? And what would the WWOOFer do on their farm? How little and how long can a WWOOFer stay? I've asked them these questions so in a matter of time I'll know. So in the mean time I'll just keep dreaming!

The First Step: Email the Farm

I have started the first step in my WWOOFing process. Last week (or perhaps it was two weeks ago?) I signed up to be a WWOOFer ( http://www.wwoof.org ). And this week I've started the process of emailing the farms I'm interested in. The farm that I am the most interested in says this:

Vegetable and herb farm, located on an island in a coastal fjord / archipelago area, 50km north of Bergen. The area is part of a cultural heritage landscape, with beautiful heathlands; lots of sheep and open sky in all directions. We grow vegetables and herbs for sale at Farmer's Market and restaurants, we gather wild food and we have a flock of happy, free-walking inbred hens. We also have 100 sheep of ancient "viking" breed, but these are only tended twice a year. We love good food. Most meals are vegetarian, occasionally meat from our farm or fish that we catch ourselves. Evenings are spent reading, making music, painting, handicrafts... No TV, lots of internet:) Except for that, we try to live as ecologically and self-sufficient as possible.

In a coastal fjord -- can it get any better?? I am really hoping I will be able to go over there starting in the months of January - March. I don't have any idea as to how long I will be there and if I will actually be able to go there as early as I am hoping to. We'll see!