Too. Busy. To. Write. Instead, Anna offers up some farm pictures for your edification. Farm porn is a thing, you know. And it's much more family-friendly than it sounds. Kinda nice to immerse one's eyeballs in scenes without the end-of-the-world filter, and remind ourselves that the Life Force is nothing, if not resilient.
Be sure to register your children (or yourself!) for the Cedar Weaving workshop (roses or bracelets, cost $10/person, spaces limited) or for Storytelling with Tanina! (Reply here, send us a message or email at pfmmarketmanager@gmail.com) And look for our Children's Treasure Hunt and Activity Sheet! via Pemberton Farmers Market
On Wednesday, the first day of summer, I borrowed a packet of shelling peas from the library. I sifted through a box of seeds, picked out the peas, signed my name to the register and pledged to return my loan in, oh, about 5 months time – once I’ve planted and eaten its harvest, and … Continue reading Future-proofing Pemberton, one packet of loaner seeds at a time: Pemberton’s Seed Library launches at the library
It doesn't take much for the conversation to shift to all things mechanical in some company - not my company, certainly, definitely, and most emphatically. However, one brother is a heavy duty mechanic and the other is a farmer. My husband is an iron worker/welder. Put the three of them together and they easily slip … Continue reading The Parts Archive
The seeds of my favourite winter squash were piling up nicely on a piece of paper towel last fall. I was feeling slightly smug that I remembered to save them from my favourite variety and best formed, biggest, strongest looking fruit. As a novice seed saver I was filled with deep contentment as my involvement … Continue reading ISO Seed Saving Guru. With the launch of the Pemberton Seed Library, Dawn Johnson gives herself (and you) permission to learn as you go
Having children, it seems to me, is a golden opportunity to experience a constant sense of pride, freedom and downright celebration of accomplishment. That’s right, and allow me to explain while those without roar off to procreate. Before kids, were you a bit of an over-achiever? Doing things one after another? Active, intellectual and well-read? … Continue reading Farm story does parenting
Mom was an awesome cook. When she first moved to Pemberton, there were not many supplies so she figured out what to do with the basics. Her dad sent her a book with a title like, “101 Things to Do With Eggs.” It was there she learned that freezing eggs was possible. One night after … Continue reading Mom’s Baking
The farmer in winter. Is a mess. She is gaining weight, most notably. She is unproductive, almost concerningly. She has probably created at least one cavity per week in her sugar assaulted teeth. The hard-working aspects of her life have been shoved aside by riotous leisure. To set the context, recall she is allowed a … Continue reading Anna Helmer’s creative non-fiction column for the New Year: Personal Issues Edition.
The shortlist of self nominated, self-awarded, self-indulgent and perhaps of interest only to self Awards for the 2016 season at Helmer’s Organic Farm are as follows: Crop Flop: Celeriac Doomed from the start. The first set of terribly delicate, freshly sprouted, faintly visible and hand-seeded starts got mistakenly baked by an unseasonably powerful February … Continue reading Anna Helmer’s Creative Non-Fiction Column for December
When the crabapples starting dropping off the trees in town I thought to myself - Don’t panic. There is no way that they can be ready. It is two weeks ahead of last year, which was two weeks ahead of the year before. But then the heat set in and there was no doubt. The … Continue reading The Great Crab-a-thon of 2016
The Wellness Almanac 