Living on a working farm.

We are loving it here! Since we've been here, I've learned a lot about living on a working potato and grain farm. 

The first two pictures were taken in one of our two spud pits. After we harvest the potatoes, the pit is completely filled up. I'll show you in October. They are huge and cool (temperature-wise) in there. 

When you are planting, you need to get it done as soon as you can, and as quickly as you can (or so it seems to me), which makes for very long, late days for Mike - 15 hours days and its longer during spud harvest. To plant potatoes, we have to get our seed from a supplier and then we have to cut the potatoes. I wish I had a picture of that, but I don't. Basically, the seed potatoes get sent through a machine that cuts them, then they go on a conveyor belt where some kids make sure they got cut and hand cut ones that didn't. The potatoes continue up a belt into the truck ready to head up to the field where they are loaded into another machine attached to a tractor and they get planted. 

After planting, comes cultivating. I have no idea what happens then, but I'll tell you next week! 

We only grow potatoes, wheat and barley. Anything more than that just grows in our garden. What we grow is not organic. In short, it isn't very cost effective to have an organic farm that is the size we have. To be a certified organic, commercial farm is expensive and you have to jump through a ton of hoops. Plus I've learned that the chemicals and fertilizer that are used on our potatoes (and most crops) are just about 100% gone by the time they get to your plate. There are so many restrictions on what we use and the chemicals are so controlled that to me, buying or growing organic is almost not worth it. 

I don't think I mentioned this, but we are living in the house Mike grew up in. We were going to move into a rental, and long story short, we had a change of plans. Mike walks through the backyard to work. Its great. No more Seattle commute. The house is almost 100 years old. One of the first things I learned was that Mike's Grandpa was born in our bedroom. I happen to think that is pretty cool. I won't be having any babies and in my bedroom, but now our kids get to grow up here. It really is a special place. 

 The girls love it. They love looking out the window and seeing the tractors and trucks. They mostly love seeing their Dad. While the hours are longer, we see him more during  day, which is so great. They have  much room (and dirt) to play and run around. I think Mike is the happiest though. He loves what he does. I am happy, too. A lot of it is because my family is  happy. I knew I could make anywhere home, and I'm glad that this is it! 

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