The Slowcook at Spydog Farm The Slowcook at Spydog Farm

We Bought the Farm!

May 5th, 2013 · 24 Comments · Posted in farming, Sustainability

Introducing our new homestead in Upstate New York

Longtime readers may have noticed a distinct shift of focus in The Slow Cook the past two years. Previously concerned with growing and cooking our own food, and issues related to a more sustainable urban lifestyle, after moving from our corner lot two miles from the White House I  wrote almost exclusively about the “food appreciation” classes I taught at a private elementary school here in the District of Columbia.

The content as well as the frequency of these blog posts changed dramatically, leaving many to wonder, no doubt, whatever happened to The Slow Cook as gardener. Well, I can now reveal that we were hardly idle during this period. In fact, my wife and I have spent much of the last three years searching for a place where we could continue our efforts at self-sufficiency on a grander scale. The search took us to Upstate New York, and specifically a town called Cambridge in Washington County, hard on the Vermont border. We bought a 30-acre parcel of mostly pasture, with a five-year-old house on it, about three miles outside town.

As you can see from the photo above, we are nestled in a lovely little valley with views south and east toward the Green Mountains. Here we hope to build a farm around pastured livestock–sheep, beef cattle, chickens, pigs, maybe a dairy cow or two–in order to feed ourselves and perhaps even others, should a viable business result. I moved here this week, leaving behind friends and attachments in D.C. going back to the time when I first moved there as a college student nearly 40 years ago. The rest of the family will soon follow.

Why would we do such a thing? You must be wondering.

Well, as I mentioned earlier, although we had become committed kitchen gardeners, when we moved from our corner house in the Columbia Heights neighborhood we no longer had an opportunity to garden in the style to which we had become accostomed . But there was more to it than that. We couldn’t help noticing that during summer in D.C.–already notoriously hot and humid–it was almost impossible anymore to work outside for any length of time. The heat had become, for us, unbearable. We wanted to get ahead of global warming and, like many of the planet’s other flora and fauna, our inclination was to head to a more temperate clime. That led us north, closer to the pole.

The criteria for our search included no fracking, lots of sun, and ample affordable pasture for livestock. Consequently, we had to look past the gas drilling zone, away from the Great Lakes and beyond the hip farming areas along the Hudson. We zeroed in on Washington County, a traditional dairying community where land is inexpensive relative to anything we might find closer to a major metropolitan area.

Still, the search wasn’t easy. Originally we hoped to purchase a tract of bare land and build our “dream” house on it. Think ranch house, with no stairs to slow us down in our middle age. Alas, we never found that piece of land. Up here, they don’t grow small family farms on trees. In fact, we had almost given up the search last fall, when something wonderful crossed our radar screens. Having suffered many letdowns after many trips between D.C. and Washington County, we were quick to strike a deal.

In coming posts, I will explore in more detail some of the things we have learned on this new journey and the many issues we face attempting to build a sustainable farm enterprise where none has existed before. Oh, there are a few brave souls up here who thrive selling their goods in the restaurants and farmers markets of New York city–and drive their trucks 3 1/2 hours each way to do so. We hope to stay more local. What are the people in Washington County eating, if not pastured pork and beef, aged goat cheese and $8-a-dozen grass-fed eggs?

We’ve already drilled a new well aimed mainly at watering our future livestock. Long trenches need to be dug for water lines. Construction of an electrified perimeter fence 4,200 feet long is scheduled to begin on Monday. There’s a chicken coop to build, sheep to purchase, a cattle herd to build beginning next spring, perhaps. We have hopes for a large hoop house to extend the growing season. There have been conversations with the local extension agents, soil tests taken, and now questions arise about what to do with the grasses now green and reaching for the sky.

And how, exactly, do we sustain a pasture operation in winter, when temperatures typically drop near zero, water freezes solid and pasture is covered by a layer of snow?

Back in D.C., we caught flack from some neighbors over the years for growing bushels of cucumbers and eggplant and okra in the front yard. Some of those neighbors not very kindly urged us to get a farm somewhere out of the city, out of their sight.

Well, now we have. The Slow Cook blog will soon become The Slow Cook at Spy Dog Farm. Stay tuned and come along for the ride.

 

Leave a Comment

Please note: Your comment may have to wait for approval to be published to ensure that we don't accidentally publish "spam". We thank you for understanding.

*

  • tai haku

    30 acres!! Ooh with that you could plant and graft a heirloom orchard, run all kinds of poultry and animals and do all sorts of wonderful foodie things – good luck!

  • Ed Bruske

    Our thoughts exactly, Tai. In fact, the property came with an orchard of 120 fivei-year-old fruit trees. Next on the agenda: sheep and chickens.

  • Paul Perrot

    Congratulations, Ed. Thanks for sharing your view!

  • Pattie Baker

    Bravo!!!!!! Am so happy for you and your family, Ed! I gave you a shout-out: http://www.foodshedplanet.com/2013/05/introducing-ed-bruske-farmer.html

  • Ed Bruske

    Thanks for all your support, Pattie. In all the excitement, I neglected to give you a heads-up about this post. But I’m grateful you spotted it.

  • Ed Bruske

    Great to hear from you, Paul. Be sure to pay us a visit next time you are in the area.

  • Joanna Cary

    Hey, Ed – that’s WONDERFUL news, and I’m really looking forward to reading all about it – I’ve missed your gardening posts, but now, as we’ve all grown our environmental views together with our vegetables, it will be great to hear about what you and your wife will do with 30 acres. Best of all possible luck – Joanna

  • Ed Bruske

    Wonderful to hear from you, Joanna. Thanks for your support. Turns out, 30 acres is quite a lot.

  • Marcello Napolitano

    That is very exciting news. I am looking forward to hearing more about your adventure. We moved from the suburbs of Portland, Oregon to a house with 11 acres of pasture in the middle of Ireland 8 months ago, and it’s been a busy winter with pigs, cows, chickens and the recent addition of milk goats. Lots of lessons learned. If you have tall grass and no animals to eat it at this time, get a neighbor to help make hay, you are going to need more than you think to make it through the winter. Well done and best of luck.

  • Ed Bruske

    Thanks for the encouragement, Marcello–and the advice about the hay.

  • Craig Herndon

    Ed:
    My brother-in-law sent a link to the new farm post. Congratulations and I want to honor your courage and devotion. You and yours are troopers. Peace and blessings.
    Craig

  • Mendy Heaps

    Enjoy!

  • Lisa

    Yes! Bravo! I just started following you a couple of weeks ago and in your transition we share more in common. We purchased only 5 acres about 7 years ago, and now grow more than enough food for ourselves. We feed 25 families who subscribe through our CSA–who also buy our hens’ eggs and the bees’ honey. So go forth–and may you find your work is not only for you, but ultimately for others as well! Towards a sustainable future!

  • Delora

    Congrats on your relocation! I look forward to following your story as you chronicle your adventures. I confess to being quite surprised at the end of your last post when you announced your move, but it sounds like you and your wife are pursuing your dreams! Here’s hoping your daughter acclimates quickly 🙂

  • sylvie in rappahannock

    Ever since the e-mail last year, I have been awaiting for the post saying you are on the farm. Congrats to all – make no small plans! I look forward to read about your adventures. We have never ventured into livestock here (except for egg chicken and bees), but the garden has kept us well employed. But yes, gardening on a large scale or farming on a small scale is very different from a town garden – no matter how “committed” you were. I know! Have fun you all. Sounds like an deal location.

  • Ed Bruske

    Thanks for the encouragement, Sylvie.

    Yes, we read somewhere that would actually be easier on us in our dotage to move livestock around a pasture that to tend to a large vegetable/fruit operation. Plus, we eat low-carb, so raising animal protein made more sense. Within the next few years, we hope to have a full complement of sheep, cattle, pigs, chickens grazing these hillsides. We will need all the luck you can send us.

  • Yoni

    Congratulations, and all the best, from a neighbor in CH who always gazed in envy at your beautiful garden.

  • Ed Bruske

    Thank you for gazing, Yoni.

  • Diana Dyer

    I cannot help but have a huge grin on my face Ed. Yours was the very first blog I ever read way back in 2007, and I have been a fan ever since.

    We ‘bought the farm’ in 2009 and are no where near being self-sufficient yet, but actually we are fortunate to be a small part of a larger local effort focused on creating a healthy community through healthy soil and healthy foods, so there is a lot of mutual support.

    Only those who have made the jump know the amount of work involved with setting up a farm (especially as ‘old-new’ farmers like we are), however, I know that I still pinch myself nearly everyday, often with tiny tears of gratitude for this opportunity to be part of something important that is much larger than myself.

    Have a blast, Ed!

  • Ed Bruske

    Words to live by, Diana. Thanks so much for being a reader and a supporter. I really feel like this is what I meant to do. If only it hadn’t taken so long to get to this point….

  • Celia

    This is wonderful news,Ed!
    I loved following your urban plot in DC and have waited patiently for the gardening to reappear.
    And, what’s more you have selected a plot in an a region of the US that I’ve been too (unlike DC) so I can sort of picture where you are … and know just how lovely it is 🙂
    Exciting times ahead!
    Best wishes from our little patch in a valley between Cambridge and Haverhill (England).

  • Ed Bruske

    Great to hear from you again, Celia. It’s been much too long. As a matter of fact, there is a strong British connection here going back to colonial times. We are very close to some of he most important Revolutionary War battlefields. But we are all friends now.

    Hope you are doing well.

  • Celia

    I’m good thanks. And what’s more, my peas now live in a ‘Pigeon Proof Pen’ (this makes me deliriously happy) … something you will understand if you manage to thwart attacks by local feathered or furred vermin!