A Growing Season

Season One - Jake's Burr Oak Farm 

My first season growing veggies kicked my ass in so many ways. Many challenges and lessons learned along the way have informed a large list of what I will do differently next season.

Yes, there will be a next season! While I was fed ample doses of humble pie, my time in the gardens also filled me with gratitude, inspiration, aspiration and, most importantly, balance and re-connection to the land (a major driver for starting the CSA).

I look forward to once again nurturing the Brewer's Garden with it's sustainably grown hops, herbs and flowers for Dave's BrewFarm, and the Market Garden filled with beautiful healthy vegetables and fruit for CSA members.

Challenges were many, including a spring that began with an unanticipated pounding of 14+" of snow the first week of May, which fell atop a water-soaked and mostly frozen field.  And, we ended the summer in a drought.


During the growing season I fought nemeses such as squash beetles, rabbits, deer, a bug which I have yet to identify, and other critters that were less than cordial to my growing plants. Best "win" of the season...I tested a theory I was told about by my Permaculture Design instructor. He said, "Feed your enemies in the garden - create a deer and rabbit garden at the edge of your commercial garden.  They will feed there and be satisfied." This strategy seemed to work for me, as the rabbits fed on lettuce and green beans grown in the rabbit garden and not on any other produce.















Biggest lesson learned? I harken back to my experiences living in the wilderness while leading canoeing and backpacking trips. It was the environment that drove our actions and reactions. We managed ourselves based on extreme fluctuations in weather, water, natural landscape, and the other inhabitants of that land.

Yep, that pretty much sums up this past season too.  Biggest lesson - Be resilient and adaptable.

At the beginning of the season, my knowledge, skills, and physical endurance were lacking.





While formal studies in sustainable farming and creating a farm business plan were important to this venture, just doing it - gaining experience growing veggies and managing the farm, was exactly what I needed to navigate my new path. 

And, while my physical endurance was low at first, I was quite buff and feeling bad-ass by August. Who needs a gym membership when you work on a farm?




Season Five - Dave's BrewFarm

Dave's BrewFarm is poised for a small expansion. We're moving the taproom out of the brewery space and into a new building that will be erected by spring 2014. Yikes...here we go again, another build during fall and winter months. Always makes for exciting and brisk days working on the Farm!

In August a handful of volunteers, to whom we are greatly indebted, helped us take down a barn four miles down the road that was built 100 years ago.  The original builder, Gustav Zillmer, and his family have lived on the farmstead for four generations.

Currently Gus's great granddaughter, Roxy, and her husband Paul Wakeen, their son Joey, and Roxy's mom, Donna (Gus's granddaughter) live on the farm. They all worked long hours to help us realize our vision of creating a Taproom using the reclaimed timber and barn boards. We are so very grateful for all they've done.

We are proud to reclaim this majestic barn for our new Taproom and excited to see the beautiful wood live on. And, we look forward to the big party we'll have to celebrate the new "GZ's Century Taproom" in the spring!