Apples at Afton

Sometime last week Calder and I joined another friendly family for a visit to Afton Field Farm for some apple gleaning. They have a fabulous place out there, and are running the farm with awesome, sustainable practices that have really put them in the spotlight. It's so cool to see a young couple doing really amazing things here in our little town, and I'm excited to have been able to make this contact with them. It certainly won't be our last visit.



With all the other things going on on the farm with regard to animals Tyler and Alicia have let the old apple and pear trees do their own thing for at least one more season. They plan on getting in there for some serious pruning that will aid production and tree health in the coming years. But for now, it was fine by them to let us gleaners come in and pick up what we wanted.



For the kids, however, the animals were the big attraction. There were piggies...



And chickens. (Here we're approaching the pasture where the layer chickens live in easy-to-move hoop houses. This system lets the chickens forage while at the same time they fertilize and cultivate the land getting it ready for a healthier grass crop and more foraging come Spring.)



My little chicken shepherd.

This is a lovely property with the old barn, old fruit and nut trees, and old farm home from the 1800's and it's being used for such an admirable purpose by this great couple. Do check out their work, and if you're in the area (Portland to Eugene) consider getting in on their buying clubs!



And now that we're back from our weekend in Seattle (more on that soon!) it's time to address that bucket of apples!