What's Happening: August 2012

Canning & Food Processing

East Winders have been diligent about preserving our abundant garden harvests to enjoy throughout the colder months of the year.  We have already canned nearly 100 gallons of tomato products this season, including tomato sauce, salsa, hot sauce, whole tomatoes, tomato wine, and more.  We deep cleaned and renovated our root cellar this month, and it is now well stocked with delicious homegrown food of all sorts.  Dozens of jars of pickled garlic, dill pickles, pickled okra, dilly beans, pickled beets, applesauce, pickled eggs, pepper relish, and pickled peppers are stacked tidily on our clean new shelves. Our wine cellar is also being cleaned and renovated, and wine racks are being built to accommodate our aging wines.

Our walk-in fridge has been amply stocked with fresh garden produce all summer long, which all of us have been able to greatly enjoy. East Wind is also producing more of our own cow and goat milk than we have in years.  In addition to fresh milk, homemade cheeses and yogurts have been readily available.  

Garden produce for pickling

Nearly 200 jars of canned tomato products (all from our garden this summer)

  

A clean, well-stocked root cellar

Pickled garlic & jalepenos

Garden

August has been a good month for the gardens at East Wind. The extreme heat that we'd been having since the middle of June ended about a week into August, and we've finally had a month with good rains, the first since March. Harvests of tomatoes have been bountiful, and we have canned much of the harvest for the winter. Sweet and hot peppers are really coming in. Jalapenos are popular here, and two of the sweet pepper varieties have been truly outstanding; "Early Hungarian Sweet" and "Corno di Toro" have had quite impressive yields. August is the peak of watermelon season, and we grow a variety of types with their own unique flavors. "Moon and Stars" and "Orangeglo" are two of our favorite watermelons. Okra is very reliable and bountiful here at this time of year. The eggplant harvests are on the increase as well.

We're still enjoying stored potatoes, beets, onions, garlic and carrots from our harvests earlier in the year. August is also the month that most of our fall crops get planted. There are young carrots, rutabagas, turnips, radishes, kale, lettuce and other salad greens growing from recent plantings. The young greens won't be of harvestable size for a while, so right now one of the main greens we are eating is malabar spinach. Malabar spinach is not actually related to spinach, it just has a sort-of similar taste as spinach when cooked (raw malabar spinach has an aftertaste that is unappealing to most people, and is better as a cooked green). Unlike regular spinach, malabar spinach loves the heat and grows best at a time of year when few other greens do well, as long as it gets enough water. Even in July, which was the hottest on record this year with the majority of afternoons 100 degrees or higher, the malabar spinach was lush and growing rapidly. It is great for the season when the weather is too hot for most greens. We planted it here in mid-late May, as one of the last of the summer crops to go in, as it needs a very warm soil to sprout and grow well.

Strawberries, mullien, and malibar spinach in the Upper Garden

Apples from our orchard

Malibar spinach

Hot peppers from our garden being processed for salsa

Herb Garden
Echinacea, chinese chives, cardinal flower, saint john’s wort, wormwood, and skullcap, among many others, bloomed in our herb gardens this month.  Major harvests of lemon balm, lemongrass, basil, holy basil, thyme, and peppermint were brought in and dried.  Our essential oil distillation set is up and running again, and we’ve recently produced lovely holy basil hydrosol and essential oil.  We’ve begun saving seeds for next year, including milk thistle, marsh mallow, basil, holy basil, and cilantro.  As the weather cools and plants focus their energy underground, we will begin harvesting medicinal roots including echinacea, marsh mallow, valerian, dandelion, chicory, burdock, and elecampane.
 

Lemon balm with mullein in the background

Lower Herb Garden

St. John's Wort in bloom

August Music Festival

East Wind’s annual Music Festival took place on August 18^th this year, and a great time was had by all.  Musical talent on the stage included Bruce Salmon, Nora & Gnoll, Mac McNulty, Emily Robinson, Juli VonZurMuellen, Shawn Porter, Max Hills, and the Undomesticated Farm Animals (made up of East Winders: Thaddeus, Pod, Peter, and Cayli J), and a few special musical guests.  East Winders and our guests enjoyed the terrific music and a beautiful sunny day by the creek.

Unfortunately, one of our musicians scheduled to perform, Grant Withers, was unable to attend due to medical complications.  We wish him a speedy recovery and hope to see him on the stage next year.

Emily Robinson on stage

Enjoying the party

Juli VonZurMuellen & Shawn Porter

Forestry
Forestry season is fast approaching, and we have already begun marking dead and dying trees to be cut for firewood or lumber.  We mark dead trees by tying a white ribbon around them during the late summer, while healthy trees still have their leaves.  We have a lot of work ahead of us this year, with plenty of trees to be cut up for both firewood and milling.  Many oaks and mulberries have already begun to lose most of their leaves as a result of the drought, while hickories and elms seem to be faring a bit better in the heat.

East Wind voted to purchase a new diesel sawmill to replace our current sawmill.  We have already begun preparing the new sawmill site and making lumber for a wood drying shed.  The forestry branch will be undertaking this project in the fall.

What's Happening: July 2012

East Winders Visit Sister Communities
A group of East Winders spent two weeks living and working at two of our sister communities, Twin Oaks and Acorn.  Twin Oaks, Acorn, and East Wind Communities are all proud members of the Federation of Egalitarian Communities.  All FEC communities have the option to participate in a labor exchange program (called LEXing), which allows members from one community to temporarily live and work at another.  Members are able to report the hours they've worked at one of our sister communities and receive credit the same as they would for work done in their home community. 

A trip from East Wind to visit the east coast FEC communities is typically arranged once per year, and gives many East Winders the opportunity to explore other communities for the first time.  East Winders had a good stay during their LEX trip, and are thankful to Twin Oaks and Acorn for hosting them.  East Winders also arrange a LEX trip to Sandhill, another FEC community, every fall to help with their sorghum harvest.  Nearby Dancing Rabbit and Red Earth Farm are usually visited during this trip as well.  Many of us believe that a strong network of communities is essential to maintain and share our way of life, and we hope to see even more communities join us in the future.

Garden
Summer is well underway, and our walk-in fridge is full of fresh garden produce.  Our watermelons and cantaloupes are sweet and delicious, and available in abundance.  Thousands of tomatoes have been picked from our garden and processed into tomato sauce, salsa, tomato juice, tomato wine, and more (and they're still coming by the cartload everyday).  Peppers (hot and sweet), potatoes, okra, squash, cucumbers, chard, eggplant, and corn are some other garden veggies being enjoyed this summer.  Echinacea, sunflowers, roses, feverfew, skullcap, sage, tobacco, and st. john's wort are all in bloom, enchanting our herb gardens.

 

 

Drought
This summer has been hot and dry, with temperature rising above 100 degrees on most days and very little rainfall.  The leaves of mulberry and sassafras trees have begun to yellow and brown, and dead oak leaves coat the ground and blow in the wind as though it were autumn.  The lawns and pastures around community have turned brown and bare.  Fortunately, our gardens receive plenty of water and are still green and thriving.  Most of us are longing for rain, and the few small storms that have blown through have been welcomed with enthusiasm. 

Peanuts
East Wind Nutbutters is now once again producing our famous natural peanut butter.  We were unable to purchase any peanuts for our business due to massive droughts throughout the country, but received our first shipment of new peanuts this month. You can check out our nutbutters and other products on our website. 

 

What’s Happening: June 2012

National Rainbow Gathering
A dozen East Winders spent nearly two weeks in the Cherokee National Forest in northeastern Tennessee during the National Rainbow Gathering this year.  East Wind donated over 1,000 pounds of organic peanut butter, cashew butter, and almond butter to help feed thousands of people free of charge.  East Winders also set up a free kitchen in the woods, and cooked and served delicious free food to the masses day and night.  East Wind Community Kitchen offered a free 24-7 self-serve peanut butter & jelly bar and handed out sweet gooey nutbutter treats after dark, in addition to serving wholesome, tasty, mostly vegan meals throughout the day.  The East Winders in attendence already understood what communal living is about, and everyone lent a hand by helping to build our earthern kitchen, haul water and supplies, wash pots, tend to the fire, and cook food to share with our larger human family.  This year, East Wind teamed up with a neighboring kitchen, Green & Purple, to serve dinner at Main Circle, where hundreds to thousands of people gather to share a meal every evening.

The Rainbow Gathering is a completely free and nonviolent assembly of people from all across the country and the world.  There are international Gatherings across the globe as well as smaller regional gatherings, but the annual U.S. National Gathering of Living Light is by far the largest Family Gathering.  The Gathering aims to focus our collective consciousness on the goal of world peace, and a six hour silent mediation for peace is held every year on July 4th.  The silence is eventually broken by the sound of thousands oming and then cheering as we stand together and hold hands in unity. The Gathering promotes acceptence, love, and community, and encourages us to treat our brothers and sisters on this planet as family.  Native American prophecy reads, "When the earth is ravaged and the animals are dying, a new tribe of people shall come unto the earth from many colors, classes, creeds, and who by their actions and deeds shall make the earth green again. They will be known as the warriors of the Rainbow."  You can learn more about the Rainbow Gathering at welcomehere.org or welcomehome.org. 

Working Hard to Grow More & Buy Less
East Winders are making strides towards becoming more self-sufficient by growing, producing, and processing more of our own food than ever before.  Though we still purchase the bulk of our food, East Wind is currently producing all of our milk and the majority of our produce right at home.
 

Our gardens are bringing in an abundance of sweet and hot peppers, potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, onions, green beans, beets, carrots, greens, corn, melons, and more.  Our orchards are berry vines are providing us with fresh blackberries, raspberries, black raspberries, peaches, and a few plums.  Our three dairy cows and four dairy goats are able to provide us with a plentiful supply of fresh milk-- which is also being used to make cheese, yogurt, butter, cream, and ice cream.  Beginning in July, we will be able to provide organic homebrewed wine and beer for all of our monthly holidays.  Wines and meads made of blackberries, mulberries, and plums are fermenting speedily in the heat of the summer.  Fresh oregano, basil, thyme, sage, nasturtiums, dill, cilantro, parsley, and many more spices are readily available in our herb gardens.  The first sunflowers of the year bloomed this month and are already beginning to droop under their own weight.

East Winders are working hard everyday to keep our farm and community thriving.  At any given time, a walk about community may find East Winders hard at work harvesting or weeding in our gardens, caring for our animals or working on our new barn, cooking a meal or cleaning the kitchen, repairing a vehicle or a computer, working in the offices or factory, playing with the children, or any number of other valuable jobs.  Whatever is being done on a given day, there is the unmistakable sense being part of a growing, thriving, working farm.

 

The Idiocractic Life
Film maker/ photographer/ good friend of East Wind Kent Kessinger has completed “The Idiocratic Life”, a documentary on intentional communities in the United States.   The documentary is composed of dozens of interviews from people involved in communal living across the country. Kent spent time living and working at East Wind as well as Black Bear Ranch in California and Zuni Mountain Sanctuary in New Mexico.  East Winders gathered to enjoy the new documentary together as soon as we received our copy, and most of us responded with a lot of laughter and positive reviews.  The film is beautifully done and captures a wide range of perspectives on the advantages and obstacles of communal living. Check out Kent Kessinger’s work here.  

Summer Solstice
East Winders celebrated the longest day of the year on June 20th.  We honored the occasion by gathering at our creek to enjoy the sun, the land, and each other’s company.  Fun and music filled the shortest night of the year, and drums sounded until dawn.

T-Ball Season
The Gainesville Golden Eagles (also know as the Lil' 'Iggles) played their last game of the season this month.  Three East Wind children played ball on the local little league team this year, and two East Wind dads served as coaches for the team.  East Wind children and adults enjoyed participating in the local community, and many good games and practices were enjoyed by all.

What’s Happening: May 2012

Land Day

East Winders celebrated May and the 38^th anniversary of purchasing our land on the 1^st of this month.  Our Land Day celebration was complete with a maypole, bonfire, mud pit, drumming, and musical talent on our stage and around the fire.  Nature smiled on us by giving us a beautiful sunny day for our celebration, and a good time was had by all.

Garden

Tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, and melons are soaking up the sun in our new Mulberry Garden.  Thousands of mulberries ripened on the mulberry tree in the center of our garden, and the first delicious blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries were harvested.  In our upper garden, strawberries were harvested daily during the first few weeks of the month.  Fresh broccoli, snap peas and snow peas, and greens and garden salads were greatly enjoyed in the kitchen, and the first of the summer garlic harvest is beautifully braided and proudly hung in the dining hall.  Caldendula, echinacea, chamomile, bee balm, hyssop, and milk thistles bloomed in our herb gardens, while the enchanting pink flowers of the mimosa trees continue to bloom into June.

  
Elections

May is the time for East Wind’s annual managerial elections.  Members of East Wind are able to run for year-long terms in positions such as Garden Manager, Ranch Manager, Membership Manager, Kitchen Manager, Recreation Manager, Food Processing Manager, etc.  The term ‘manager’ is used very differently at East Wind than in most places.  At East Wind, managers do not have the authority to hire or fire or give commands.  Managers are just East Winders who volunteer to see that a job gets done, and are given access to a budget agreed upon by the community as a whole.  Managers aren’t bosses here; they’re coworkers.  Some managerships are very big jobs and can become overwhelming, and managers often need a lot of help and teamwork to accomplish their goals. There was a lot of community participation this year with over forty members voting in the elections, and new managers take on their positions on the 1^st of June.

What’s Happening: April 2012

First Aid Training

This spring we began offering first aid training for East Winders interested in learning these important skills.  This month East Winders learned CPR, how to move injured or unconscious persons, choking care, as well as how to  react in various medical emergencies such as heart attack, stroke, shock, anaphylaxis, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, hypothermia, frostbite, poisoning, and diabetic emergencies.  We plan to continue these workshops and to include wilderness first aid, drowning care, and giving sutures, among other relevant topics. East Wind is located in a very rural setting (an ambulance can take thirty minutes or more to reach our community), so knowing how to properly respond to an emergency situation is of the utmost importance.  By learning this knowledge, we are more able to help ourselves, our loved ones, and anyone in need.

Garden

Garden is in full swing, with the last of the warm season crops being planted out over the next few weeks.  An abundance of delicious ripe strawberries are coming in everyday now, and greens and wheatgrass are readily available.  Blueberries and chokecherries are nearly ripe, while peaches and apples continue to grow larger still.  Our herb gardens are lovely as ever, with chamomile, echinacea, calendula, comfrey, and sage in flower.  We have just begun a small new culinary garden directly next to our main kitchen, which will offer cooks fresh basil, dill, peppermint, spearmint, fennel, cilantro, tarragon, sage, rosemary, marjoram, lemon balm, lemon grass, oregano, thyme, nasturtiums, and chinese chives, among others.

Ranch & Dairy

Baby animals are abound this month.  Our ranch and dairy programs are now caring for adorable baby goats, pigs, cows, ducks, and chickens.  Our dairy program has begun milking our first dairy cow, Marmalade.  Raw goat and cow milk are now readily available to community, fresh from the farm.  Our dairy barn is finally nearing completion, with East Winders finishing up on electrical and plumbing in the near future.  A new duck hutch located in our Mulberry Garden has been built, made completely from wood sustainably harvested on our land and milled on our sawmill. The ducks will be raised in the garden and used for pest control, eggs, and meat.  A new coop-on-wheels is also being built for our egg-laying chickens.

What’s Happening: March 2012

Spring!

It’s spring in the Ozarks, and all of us are loving it.  The days have been sunny and warm (warm enough to jump in the creek for many of us), and winter is far behind us. The Ozarks are vibrant and alive with plant and animal life.  Chickweed, toothwort, trout lily, plantain, wood sorrel, dandelion, cress, wild grape, and violet are just a few favorite wild edibles popping up in abundance this time of year.  Many trees and smaller plants have already begun to flower, with our many dogwoods and red buds putting on a brilliant show of spring color.

Garden

Our gardens are looking better every year, and this year’s gardens are definitely a sight to behold.  Our garden beds are planted with garlic, onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, broccoli, rhubarb, cucumbers, strawberries, greens, and more. Tomatoes, melons, peppers, and other warm season plants are still cozy and warm in our greenhouse.  Seedlings of healing herbs such as chamomile, calendula, milk thistle, lemon balm, valerian, and echinacea are being lovingly cared for in our gardens and greenhouse.

Goats

Nine baby goats were born in our goat barn this month.  The births were assisted by dedicated East Winders, and the new babies and playing and running around already.  Our dairy program is able to provide more and more milk, and we hope to stop purchasing milk in the near future.