Good Earth Farm Photo Essay

From the earth to your plate

In the morning, the eight residents of the farm house, along with others that dedicate their time to the farm, delegate the jobs for the day. Typically they tend to the crops and other projects then tend to the animals.

Saturday morning volunteer, Alison, helps to remove nails from reclaimed wood that will be used for future projects. Currently Good Earth Farm is building a retreat cabin on the property.

During the winter season, a few hearty crops such as peas, broccoli and cabbage can be planted early. These crops must be covered to protect them from the weather.

A small greenhouse made from a former chicken coop uses heat from compost piles located underneath the plywood counters. On bitterly cold days the space-heater is used as well.

Seedlings are kept in the greenhouse so they sprout early. When they are planted they will then ensure the farm with a better crop yield.

The lack of crops in the winter shifts the focus to livestock. Chickens roam freely over the farm and provide fresh eggs along with meat on occasion.

The pigs typically go to slaughter at the end of February depending on size. This year only the two in the foreground will be used.

The two dairy cows on the farm are milked on a machine interchangeably twice a day.

Danielito, the newest addition to the farm family was born on Feb. 9.

This dairy cow carries around approximately 100 pounds of extra weight in milk because she just had a calf. Consequently she has to be milked more frequently than usual.

The milk is stored in the root cellar’s refrigerator to be pasteurized or made into products like butter or cheese. The root cellar also stores extra root vegetables like squashes, garlic and potatoes.

Peppers, pickles and various other fruits and vegetables are canned during the fall harvest in order to preserve food for winter.

Volunteers are fed a home cooked meal at lunch time with various ingredients that are available from the farm.

All the food harvested at Good Earth Farm goes directly to feeding the people living in the house along with food pantries and soup kitchens. None is sold for profit and most everything is done on-site.