Aspiring young farmers got an earful from Farmer Reuben on their personalized farm tour. Alex and Andrew come from Rodale Institute farmer apprentice program to see how we farm organically with vegetables, animals, pasture and hay fields all working together on our land.

 

Then they met me.

Little me. The farmer’s wife. Mother of nine kids and Reuben’s helper to keep it all running. (I’m only 5 2 to Reuben’s 6 feet.)

Andrew’s really insightful questions gave me the opportunity to explain our personal key to parenting.

“How do you balance a 100 acre farm and a family of nine kids?”

We teach our kids how to work and give them responsibility from a young age.

I’ve learned that it’s more work to teach kids how to do chores but it pays off in the long run.

Blaise’s earliest memory of working with Dad in the field is picking potato beetles off the leaves of the potato plants. He used his fingers to pick up the bugs and drop them in a pail of soapy water. This simple task is perfect for short people who can easily see the damaging insects on the undersides of the leaves without leaning over.

Even when he was three years old Blaise often spent hours in the field chatting with friendly, farm interns in their 20’s while they weeded rows of beans or planted lettuce transplants by hand.

At age 8 he was given the responsibility of “watering the pigs.” He was too young to haul bags of feed but he learned to hook up a long hose and fill their water trough before breakfast every day.

In our home, when you learn to do a job well, you get to train and younger sibling to do it and then graduate to a new job.

Blessed with a good memory and innate sense of duty, Blaise soon graduated to learning one of the hardest tasks on the farm.

Milking. By age 11 he was helping manage the cows and assist with milking them every morning.

At age 13 he was earning a paycheck from the cheese business by getting himself out of bed to milk the cows single handedly everyday without complaint, even in the dead of winter.

Working full days in the field with our planting and harvesting crew every summer meant he was no longer a kid. The kids only work until lunch in the summer.

Ready for College?

This is Blaise’s last week in the field.

He leaves for a brand new adventure as he transitions to college life at Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, WY.

Besides the physical exhaustion, the only complaint in his years of helping Dad on the farm was when it cut into his academic study time in the spring and fall.

You see, Blaise isn’t just an outdoorsman who loves hard work. He also has a keen mind and a love for intellectual learning.

His goals for his academic progress have always been important to him and felt dissapointment when the needs of the farm cut short his ability to finish another latin translation or submit another assignment in Boethius’s Arithmetic.

You won’t be surprised to learn that his college of choice pairs intense classical education with rigorous outdoor experiences.

Why Wyoming?

I asked Blaise to explain what is unique about Wyoming Catholic College.

“I was impressed on my visit that WCC wants studetns to learn wisdome through real experiences in nature using all the bodily senses. They teach that before you can learn intellectually and discipline the mind and the soul your have to discipline the senses. This is done through real experiences in nature: hiking, horseback riding, rock climbing in addition to studying the stars, music and poetry.

The greek word for all this is “gymnastics” which means “naked” or “raw”. The greek athletes did of course, work out naked, which we won’t do. But we will have raw experiences in nature.”

Blaise’s first “class” is a 21 day backpacking trip with his group of entering freshman which will give them the real, lived experience and the physical data of muschle memory to take into their classroom learning the rest of the year.

Once he settles into a class schedule he is eager to learn with smart people and teachers who will help him progress in wisdome. Though his is unsure of his ability to keep up with the academic work load, especially math, he is excited about his upcoming music and latin classes.

I think he is ready for the challenge of college life because from has learned three critical lessons on the farm and in our family.

• From Farmer Dad he learned to work hard and not give up.
• From his siblings he learned to deal with annoying people.
• From his mom he learned how to listen to his body and eat well.

What will he miss most?

I’ll miss the good, healthy organic food, family and church community.

I might even miss the physical labor that keeps me so in shape.

Most of all I’ll miss the babies who will grow up without me and be so different when I come back.

Blaise with 3 month old nephew

How Does Mom Feel?

The most important question, right?

I feel grateful.

For the opportunity to give my children a good family life surrounded by loving community support and enriched by “raw” experiences on the farm that prepare them for life.

I’m excited to hear how Blaise meets his future challenges and learns in a new way to appreciate his youthful preparation.

Deep gratitude overflows in my heart for YOU as a part of our circle of friends who visit our farm, interact with our children, pray for us and value what we do by spending your hard earned income on valuable, life giving food for your family.

THANK YOU!

As you know we love to give back from our overflow.

Many of the skills Blaise learns on the farm are ready for you to build into your life if you join us for our Homesteading Conference on September 7.

A whole day of sustainable living and traditional skills is built into an “On the Farm “raw” experience you won’t forget.

In fact, you’ll be empowered to pass your new found skills and knowledge on to your own family and community as your practice what you learn. Save the date and make plans to sign up for this 2nd Annual Event.

 

Bless Blaise on His Way!

You know what would make me even more grateful and humbled by our community?

If you would send a message to Blaise as he says his goodbyes to friends and family this weekend.

I know you’ve enjoyed watching him grow up through the stories and videos over the years.

Let him know how much you appreciate his hard work and great attitude as he served each one of you.

Reach out by making a comment on this post on Facebook or Instagram.

Best Wishes Blaise!

You’ll see that he was one of our Pizza Makers last Friday.

Yes! Pizza Night with Massimiliano is ON for tonight!

I can hear the music and smell the wood smoke wafting into the farm kitchen.

See you soon!

As Always…

We support your desire to have a good, healthy way of life and food on your table that supports that goal.

We’ll keep farming for you!

Reuben and Tessa DeMaster
Willow Haven Farm

Coming up:

Brick Oven Pizza Night

Join us every Friday night from 5:00-9:00 P.M.

Relax and enjoy the farm-to-table flavors of hand-crafted pizza. Tonight made by Artisan Massimiliano!