Spring Trip to Moondance Organic Gardens

"You always get what you need in a day." ~Susan (new farm volunteer)

Nothing says spring like the first visit of the season to Moondance Organic Gardens in Angus. We have been volunteering there for several years now and no matter how far we roam, we always find ourselves going back!

I would say, first and foremost it's Kim, the owner, with her warm, nurturing spirit, who draws us in.

Everyone feels welcomed and comfortable at Moondance. It doesn't matter what kind of a day you are having or what is going on in your life-you always leave the farm feeling loved, valuable and honoured.

It's a safe place, brimming with the healthiest food around and gentle people who care about the Earth.

The kids can have the freedom to run around and explore, plant, transplant and harvest- gather eggs...they meet new people but always love being reunited with familiar faces.

On this day, the sun was shining and the temps rose to 8 degrees celcius. Perfect day to start to think about garden beds and the upcoming growing season.

I was struck by how we just slip back into the ways of Kim's farm. Also, learning from some new volunteers. I met a woman who had such calm energy it was astounding. As, I talked to her, she shared some of her recent story. She expressed that for the first time in her life after years of doing what she thought she SHOULD do, she is now doing what she WANTS to do-what she's PASSIONATE about. She's taking the time to photograph, learn about gardening, do yoga and focusing on growth and the earth. I felt happy for her. And, while I was talking to her, I felt happy for myself and our boys. Our boys have this JOY now...have the ability to experience freedom-to discover-to play-to learn from life whatever they are ready for, whatever they are interested in. I am so thankful to my husband for working so hard for our family-giving us these opportunities to live such a Wonderful Life. I am so thankful that our children don't have to wait until they are older, ailing or retired to have this or to recognize late in life its significance. What a gift!

Matt's Massive Organic Tomato Plant!

I thought it was important to take pics of Matt's plant the night before our first frost, just in case.

Matt picked this tiny little tomato plant at Moondance Organic Gardens in Angus, in June and has toted it around, watered it and then planted it at the beginning of July in the front bed of our new home. Well, this beast has taken over the flower bed! It's huge and producing a tonne of fruit! We don't see it ripening yet, so we brought some of the bigger fruits inside to ripen. We covered it with a sheet, on the night we thought there would be frost as per Grandma Caines advice!

Congrats Matt on a job well done!

friendly to the earth

wow, this is a long time coming.

these images were from earth day.

planting

harvesting

digging

flowers

greens

fresh air

friends

mother earth is grand. :)

return to the farm

yesterday, we enjoyed a wonderful day at moondance organic gardens.

no surprise as everyday is a wonderful day at the farm!

the sun was shining and lots of friends new and old came out to play.

i kept the 2 and a half week old chicks a surprise for the boys. they were so soft and fuzzy!

the greenhouse was already filled with seedlings, plants and herbs well on their way. o so yummy!

we helped to tidy up debris that had blown onto the property, planted bulbs, met new farm friends, harvested and washed many many sweet carrots that had survived the winter well. of course the trampoline, treehouse, muck and potluck lunch were all highlights.

we brought home lettuce, carrots, camomile and lemon balm. last night i drained my cup fast of a long awaited cup of lemon balm tea. delicious! a great relaxing herbal tea!

all in all a perfect day! we didn't leave until late in the afternoon.

dirty knees and nails-

muddy boots and sun-kissed faces. :)

Harvest time at MoOnDaNce

Harvest time at Moondance Organic Gardens has opened our eyes to the amount of work that is involved in having a farm, the sense of community that grows in participating in a volunteer program and to the multiple benefits of supporting local farmers. We have been able to experience first-hand what it is like to collect, haul, wash, prepare and of course-eat everything from herbs to zucchini from this local Ontario farm. After harvesting many pounds of potatoes, gourds, pumpkins and squash last Thursday, we can see how a team effort really helps to get a big job done. I feel grateful for the opportunity to make these connections-connections to people, connections to food and connections to the earth. Actively learning and participating through 'doing' makes a large impact on our views, values and knowledge. We are thankful to our farm friends and of course to our mentor, Kim who makes this experience possible. Kim's vision, strength, knowledge and determination are qualities that we admire and strive to emulate.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Happy Harvest Time!

*NB- I forgot to mention, we also get to interact with many animals and critters at the farm too. See pics above of Lucas's slithery snake find from Thursday. Such excitement over it. :)

lone harvester

making calendula salve at moondance

at moondance, kim came up with an idea to make calendula salve

2 weeks ago we harvested the vibrant flower-heads

they were dried

looking smaller and orange in colour

we noted much lighter once dried as well

we filled our jars with the flowers and added grape seed oil until they were saturated

you can also use almond oil, but grape seed oil is more economical

the infusion sits, sealed for 3 weeks to 3 months

then we will strain the salve which will be rich in vitamin E

and we can use it for dry skin and abrasions

kim swears by it and uses it in her natural body products

thanx kim! we had fun with this project!

more MOoNdAncE memories

getting filled-up with joy, fun, friendship and a sense of belonging

at moondance

thanks to kim and family for including us

and to our good friends for all the laughs!