Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] Trial By Fire

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: "Nan Johnson" <nan AT olemiss.edu>
  • To: "Market Farming" <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Trial By Fire
  • Date: Mon, 12 Mar 2007 10:34:37 -0500

Dear Marlin... I too would like to help out....I would be happy to get a gift certificate from one of your suppliers...please let us know specifics because there seem to be a number of us who want to do this.  If you name the supplier, we can contact them on your behalf, or whatever works best. 
 
I remember reading somewhere in Wendell Berry's writings that a good farmer is first a good neighbor...seems that you have been that to others, now let us be "good neighbors" to you! 
 
nan at dancing goats farm, n.mississippi
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 8:05 PM
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] Trial By Fire

That is quite a trial!  I'm sure the market farming internet community would like to help.  How about a gift certificate to Home Depot or your favorite home and garden supplier?
Sheila
Far Out Gardens
Boulder County Colorado
 
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Sunday, March 11, 2007 4:37 PM
Subject: [Market-farming] Trial By Fire

On Thursday morning, Feb 22 Glen Eco Farm experienced a devastating fire
that destroyed our house, our plant starting greenhouse, and shop.  Our
market van, four wheeler, a car, riding lawn mower, our seed inventory, and
all of our shop and garden tools were destroyed.  A tractor sitting about 15
feet away from the leanto tool shed adjoining the garage was severely
damaged but reparable.  Plastic on the hoophouse another 15 feet farthur
away melted in the heat.  The fire was driven by a 50 mph wind that came up
suddenly in the mid morning and gave me only a few minutes from the time I
discovered it til I could warn my wife, make one futile attempt to put it
out, and dash back to the front of the house to grab a few items.  We
escaped the house with seconds to spare and sped away from the front of the
house in our car with the tail light lenses beginning to melt in the heat.

We were able to salvage some clothing and a few pieces of furniture from the
walk out basement which did not experience fire damage.  Amazingly enough we
were able to salvage much of my work clothing from a severely charred chest
of drawers in the otherwise totally gutted master bedroom and most of the
appliances, utensils, and some food in the kitchen.  We saved about 2/3 of
our already germinated plants from the greenhouse before a large piece of
flaming debris fell beside it, destroying the structure and frying the
remaining plants inside.

We are doing OK considering the circumstances and most of our immediate
needs are being well taken care of.  We have been blessed by overwhelming
response from our local church community, our CSA patrons, and the local
Kurdish community who have been giving us good patronage for several years.
Five days after the fire we held on schedule our annual signup and kickoff
meeting for CSA and signed up once again over 60 CSA shares.  On Saturday
morning, March 3, nine days after the fire, around 30 guys with varying
carpentry skills and a good bevy of women skilled at keeping us fed and
watered, converged on our place to raise the packing shed and 1/2 of the
pole barn we had begun building a few months earlier and to begin repairing
the damaged hoophouse and to convert it to a plant starting greenhouse.
Yesterday we got the plastic on the greenhouse.  I have reordered and
received much of the lost seeds and have been given back significant amounts
of heirloom seed which I had been sharing with friends and relatives within
our local old order Mennonite community for the past several years.  This
coming week I hope to get back to gardening only slightly behind schedule.
Life will go on. For all of this we are deeply grateful!

Due to all the disruption of our routine and the ensuing physical and
emotional stress I have not yet gotten to posting the fire story on my blog.
I have written some of the stories and hope to have them completed and
posted soon along with pictures.  My blog can be accessed by googling
"Musings >From Glen Eco Farm". www.gleneco.blogspot.com   We covet your
prayers as we continue our recovery.

Marlin Burkholder
Shenandoah Valley
Virginia.

_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming


_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page