The following posts were taken from the website for Harms Vineyards and Lavender Fields, which we operated from 2010 until 2019. They offer a window into our lives on the farm and the ways the farm changed us. In 2018 we decided to end our lavender business but we continue to work with our land in ways that bring balance and health. Posts on this website will continue to follow our work.
The moon is full tomorrow, February 7. Do you remember a time we always knew the phase of the moon and could read the passings of the clouds like e-mails from the gods? Being receptive to the cosmos opens our psyches to knowledge that our shared consensual state of consciousness, as it is often called,… Read more »
Farming and Politics: a Personal Story is a longer blog, and I provide a link if you are moved to read it. We are always surprised at how we farmers can vote against our own interests by stopping government regulation, leaving the field open to corporate control. This is a story of how this impacted… Read more »
We are waiting on rain again! Even after last weekend’s six inches, the garden needs watering! But it is great weather for pruning vines. Ramon is almost 2/3 done and we have not had to spray the biodynamic preparation 501, a solar spray, to insure the pruning wounds do not get infected. Meanwhile, the plum… Read more »
Paul Wenger, President January 22, 2012 California Farm Bureau Federation 2300 River Plaza Drive Sacramento Ca. 95833 Dear Mr. Wenger, We have been farmers in California for the past 25 year and have been members of the Farm Bureau most of that time. My wife, Patricia and I are from farm families in the Midwest,… Read more »
Monday: ’twas a symphony out there, water rushing everywhere! —after a weekend of over 6 inches of rain! The smaller irrigation pond is now full; the large one has quite a ways to go. In just four or five days the ground cover in the orchard has thickened and grown a good two or three… Read more »
Snowberry grows on the forest edge and is largely responsible for holding our slopes in place, particularly important this time of year when the earth can become so waterlogged, it flows. View Our Lavender Products
What to do while it’s raining? During the Biodynamic crystallization period, January 15-February 15 (see last year, Crystallization), the earth is at its most dormant, but it is also most receptive to the cosmic forces. It is agreat time to read and to ruminate on the greater questions in life! Recommended Reading:The Earth Has a… Read more »
Recycled Plum Prunings, forcing blooms! —we took a long walk, cleaning up stray coyote bushes and madrone on the way. —accidentally flushed a covey of quail into the willow by the small pond. —”recycled” plum prunings. View Our Lavender Products
Finally, after a month of no rainfall, rain is predicted! The clouds gather this morning. I take the goats on an extra long walk, as they hate rain and may be barnyard bound for several days. We stop pruning to replenish firewood, clean ditches and gutters of leaves and debris, cover equipment. And we give… Read more »
First Milkmaid, January 15, 2012 The first wildflower of the season was spotted Sunday in the ditch of our driveway: milkmaid. Milkmaid is a member of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family whose ancestor is a wild cabbage. It seems late arriving, but I see in our notebook that actually it is just in time! These are the dates… Read more »
© 2024 Patricia Damery.
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