We had underestimated two important factors: Hazel’s intelligence and strength. Up at 4:30am we attempted a revised plan. We moved the carrier closer to the pen so Hazel wasn’t able to escape and readied ourselves with crackers and pasta. The elusive dance began. Kindness wasn’t working, food was ineffective and Hazel quickly broke free of our DIY harnesses. Frustrated, with 5 minutes left until our 7am deadline, I decided to be a little more aggressive and sprayed her with

In the spring of 2016, we decided to raise our first pig to fill our winter freezer. Part of our progression towards self-sustaining living included developing the ability to raise and harvest livestock for sustenance, which is an essential protein staple during long cold Vermont winters. If we couldn’t do it, we’d stop eating all meat. When Hazel, aka ‘Hazel Razzle Dazzle Bodazzle,’ arrived in early June, we were instantly blown away by her intelligence. Small, cream and pin

Vermont Mandala Round and Round, defiant of the straight line I til the dirt with my orange hand, My strong arm, my iron spine White and gray layers dance in my spirals, gleefully trapping earthworms in their chiseled beaks He yells over the engine to go in straight lines, and I pretend I can’t hear There is no stopping my private dance The engine hum adds to the soundtrack superceded only by my inner mandala erasing lists and thoughts beyond the now Clearing now, I backtrack

For the past two years, I set aside a huge chunk of time in September and October for harvest and preparation for winter storage (freezing, root cellaring and canning). This year, with the addition of 15 meat birds to our flock, our first ‘harvest’ was planned for a hot weekend in the middle of July, a date determined more by the size of the birds than our desire to do the deed. We decided to try Jumbo Cornish X Rock chicks from a mail order catalogue. These little ‘fat birds

Next, we need a cash crop. It seems like everyone in Vermont raises heirloom vegetables and the market is saturated from July through October. I've explored the idea of raising specialty items for restaurants, but the truth is, without being grid-tied and having established greenhouses, the expense of getting it all started is more that I want to commit to. My next thought guides me to fermentation and specialty mushrooms. Sean has been experimenting with pickle fermentation

Weeding is the perfect mental activity for farm planning. As I nimbly separate curly dock and bedstraw from acorn squash mounds and tomato plant rows, I sort through a matrix of ideas we've identified that could support our goal of becoming self-sustaining. Our focus thus far has been to being to build farm 'systems' that support each other. In order to grow vegetables for consuming, canning and storage, we need organic fertilizer, so we built a rudimentary compost pile. With

I'm a project person. I have the type of mind that only releases its anxiety after I make sure the checkboxes are filled in on my daily TO DO list. Throughout my incarnations as a filmmaker, mother, graduate school student, therapist and non-profit administrator, I've achieved varied amounts of success with this coping skill. The completed items on my lists laid the pathways for my ambitious quests for vertical advancements on a spiral stairwell fueled by a need for upward mo

DAY SEVEN - SUNDAY I love Sundays. Building a self-sustaining lifestyle while having to do 'off farm' work is a triple full time job. I admit I get caught up in my to do lists and become overwhelmed by having to assign priorities to a few tasks when 10 need immediate attention. As a rule, I place an intention to rest and reflect for a few hours on Sundays. During this, the last day of our spring locavore project, I defrost a Rennsli Farm-grown chicken and pop it in the oven,

DAY SIX - SATURDAY Two days left and little produce left in the house, I drove to work wondering about what to pull together for tonight's local dinner. Sean wasn't working so I asked if he could spend some time going to the Brattleboro Co-Op to see what they have to offer. Never a man to avoid a challenge, he said sure. What I didn't realize was that his plan was to include our daughters in his quest, turning their privileged adolescent perspective into a new kind of work et

DAY FIVE - FRIDAY Friday is usually pizza day here at the Kirby compound. When I have time, I make pizza dough and sauce in advance and then purchase mozzarella and toppings with the girls on our way home from school. Or, as a break from cooking, I buy a 'veggie pie' from our local pizza shop. This Friday, I chose a simpler route. Realizing that I had spent a considerable amount of time this week shopping, planning, cooking and downright obsessing about eating locally, I need