Another Parsnip Update

It turns out that I may not be more sensitive to wild parsnip, but I am less able to identify plants. I just found out what it looks like when it hasn’t flowered yet. I didn’t know that I was walking through it because I didn’t know what it looked like, so I didn’t know that I should be washing up. Hopefully I can keep away now. And for your viewing pleasure and educational needs, here are some pictures.

Parsnip with flowers. This is the one I've been actively avoiding.

Parsnip without flowers. This is the one that has been secretly leaving me long lasting souvenirs.

Dirty Girl

The old fashioned advice to “wash behind your ears” always seemed strange to me. Seriously, who gets so dirty that they would need to wash extra special behind the ears? Well, it seems that I do. I get so dirty. Here’s a picture of me digging potatoes (on Aug. 19^th):

So dirty.

So smiley.

Absolutely covered in dirt. I will say that showering has an extra special joy. I can actually see myself getting cleaner. It is so satisfying to see the dirt wash off and run down the drain.

I’ve been Parsnipped!

Since my arrival, the farm has waged war on my body. Sore muscles, sun burns, cuts, scrapes, blisters, but by far the worst offence…Poison Parsnip. I had never heard of Poison Parsnip before the farm and it took at least 16 showings before I could even pretend to pick it out of a field. But it’s EVERYWHERE, so it wasn’t too long before I could successfully avoid it most days. And since it’s everywhere, I also learned to be fastidious about washing up with super soap if there was a possibility of contact. Word on the street is, the plant emits an oil when it is disturbed. This oil is sunlight reactive and causes a chemical burn/blister thing. And since the plant is everywhere and we have work to do, running into the plant happens. And even with the most fastidious washings, sometimes it leaves a mark. My lower legs are dotted with poison parsnip burns, scratches, and blisters…it just part of doing business. But dear lord was I shocked to discover a giant blister on my arm. A splotch about .5 inch by 1.5 inch and it was puffier than I’d seen before. Yikes! And that wasn’t bad enough. By the following day it had ballooned into a bulbous nightmare. It was twice as wide and stood nearly a half inch off my skin. G.R.O.S.S. I had to go to market and sell delicious vegetables to people with a disgusting protrusion on my arm. No one said anything about it, but I could feel their horrified stares searing into my already burning bulb. It’s ‘better’ now. After market it started oozing (oozing the oil that caused the affliction in the first place. I was careful to keep it contained.) It oozed for a while as there was a fair amount of liquid packed in. It’s still not looking pretty, but it’s no longer a bulbous protrusion…which is good…right?

UPDATE
I successfully avoided another major parsnip attack for weeks. Then one day I was working amongst some weeds and my legs got all scraped up and those scratches turned to rashes and boils. Apparently I react more severely to wild parsnip than others. Everyone’s good at something…

Update II
A month after the original update and I still haven’t posted it…oops. I am healing quite well, although my legs still look like I’ve been tortured. Apparently, even after the wounds heal, I’ll have discoloration that could last up to 2 years. I’m choosing to look at it as a souvenir of my farming days.

Take a look at some pictures:

That's the good leg.

It's not pretty.

Look at the size of that thing! Yikes.

Old Lady Time

I went to bed last night at 9pm. I could have gone to bed earlier.

Best. Friday. Night. Ever.

Farm Fresh Photos

Enjoy!

In the Beginning

That first week I learned one thing after another. There’s always something to do on the farm. The crops need planting, weeding, watering, harvesting. The animals need feeding, watering, petting. Eggs get collected, coops get moved, fences get erected. And once a week we prep for market and harvest, wash, package, and count countless vegetables. They get loaded into a cooler van and taken to market. And the following week, we do it all again.

My first day of field work left me exhausted and sun burned. We were pounding in stakes for the trellising to support the tomatoes. The stakes were about five foot tall metal stakes (similar to the posts holding up stop signs). We had to haul them out to the field and then pound them into the ground. I was hot and sweaty and trying desperately to not show how out of shape and clueless and I was. I am not ready for this!

UPDATE (It’s another post that’s two months old. Enjoy.)

Apparently I was ready for it. Well, my body was used and abused, but I made it through. And I got a little muscle in the process! Just a little though, you probably wouldn’t notice. You would notice the tan. The hot pink sun burn however has turned into deep golden and it’s all anyone can remark on when they see me. I must admit, it is quite lovely.

These are the posts we hammered in:

Farm Girl

(A note on the following post: I wrote it a while ago. It took me too long to get the post written and it has taken me even longer to get it posted. I’ve been on the farm for over 9 weeks. So much for expediency.)

So, I’ve been on the farm for two weeks now and I haven’t had a lick of time to update anyone on anything. Farming is intense! I hadn’t been on the farm for more than five minutes before I was learning how to put the chickens to bed. And it kept coming.

But more on the crazy hours, grueling labor, and quirky coconspirators later.

First I want to describe the farm:

It is outside of Mineral Point, WI. And by outside, I mean WAY outside. Middle of nowheresville. The farm itself is huge. Word on the street is 800 acres huge. I haven’t seen most of it and there’s a good chance that much of the land will remain unexplored. From the road it’s a five minute drive down to the house. Very secluded. It’s the perfect setting for a horror movie or a naked hippie moon fest…or a horror movie about a naked hippie moon fest.

I feel a screenplay coming on…

It’s set in the rolling hills of southwestern Wisconsin. Day time. A farmhand walks down a gravel road towards a pig pen.

That’s right. They have two pigs. Who will soon be parents! They live in a large fenced in area and get treated like royalty. Yummy scraps every day. Then comes teepee village –where the teepee sits next to a living trailer and the bonfire spot. Further up the road is the packing shed (where all of the edibles get cleaned and packed for market) which is near the house. A few steps up the hill is a large fenced in area for the little birds –chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. A rabbit and a llama also live there. And further still is another pen for the big chickens and ducks. This is where the egg collecting happens…mmm…farm fresh eggs. The big turkeys and geese get to roam freely along with the dogs. And the hill keeps going. Along the way are fields of growing edibles, a perennial forest (still new so it’s not yet very foresty), some sheds, greenhouses, and random farm implements. Surrounding the fields is a wooded area where the bees live and make their sweet honey and where shiitake mushrooms bloom. There are other fields and green and wooded spaces further out. I’ve also heard talk of a swimming pond. It is quite the homestead. And quite magical.

Oh, and everything the farm produces is certified organic.

Visitors are always welcome, so come check it out for yourself!

Manifesto?

For years now, I've been inching my way towards a more sustainable lifestyle. As I've come to learn about the harmful practices of modern civilization and to realize the power my choices have, I've been making changes to lessen my negative impact on the world around me. Less Easy Mac and more farmer's market, less driving and more biking, etc.

As I've struggled to find a professional calling, I've focused on matching my personal life to the ideals I hold. It sounds cheesy, I know, but I'm living my values - or at least trying! And it's hard. Sometimes. Other times it's fun. It's always interesting (at least to me). Mostly, it's important. I'd feel hypocritical espousing values while not actually trying live up to them fully.

What are these values?
Community - Sustainability - Equality

Broad categories, I realize this. Consider this list a work in progress and expect updates.

So that's what this is. I've made a personal mission to live my values and this blog will chronicle that journey. I won't promise it will be entertaining, or that it will be regularly updated, but it will provide a glimpse.

I hope you enjoy it.

First stop: City girl to farm girl. Coming soon.