Butterfly Hill Farm: Molasses Production and Food Sovereignty

Banner Photo

May 20:

The Farm is really greening up. Plants are breaking into buds and flowers, under our ever watchful eye. Buffalo Gal, a rose we brought with us from North Dakota, is covered with buds and today she presented us with her 1st flower.

Irises began blooming yesterday. And we were not surprised that the 1st to flower were Irises from Melanie's 2 Grandmas (Ethel and Dorothy, who have both passed). I noted that the Yellow Columbine is also breaking into flower. And the Bleeding Heart just continues to throw out cascades of flowers.

We got 1 inch of rain last night. We did lose a few limbs, but otherwise, the countryside is in that luscious, after rain, spring-moving-into summer, green.

I do remember that my Dad, when he came to our Farm in 2007 just 2 months before he passed, said: "This is paradise. When I go to Heaven, I want to come here." It surely is beautiful here. The landscapes are radiant.

And the Hummingbirds, with all their energy, have just arrived. They buzz about. I don't know how they have all that energy. They wintered in the Yucatan, crossed the Gulf on those tiny wings, and now are setting up home here. I supposed you could say, they are setting up home just like us.

All this makes a perfect backdrop for wedding preparations and for the wedding itself. Is this for real?

Photos

Except in very specific circumstances, all photos depicted here were taken on our Farm. Those circumstances off the Farm relate to the purposes of this Farm and this writing exploration. Almost all were taken by 1 of the 3 C's. If not, I try to make sure others are credited. I (Glinda) am usually the one carrying the camera, but not always.

I do my best to gain permissions of Folks whose pictures are shown on this Blog. If for any reason, you are pictured and would like your photo removed, just let me know. Thanks.

Glinda

...began her professional career as a Home Economist, later serving as a Home Economics Teacher Educator for 2 decades. In 1995, she moved into analyzing the Human Side of Environmental Issues. She went from studying Humans in their Little Homes to studying Humans in their Big Home, the Earth. Those 2 leggeds were, after all, creating a substantial problem for the Earth, which sustains them. After 30 years in higher education, she became Professor Emerita of Sociology and Interdisciplinary Ecological Studies at the University of North Dakota in 2005.

Glinda has a special interest in analyzing the split Humans have with Nature. Her focus is bringing Humans home to the Earth, opening at long last to the awe, magic, and love of this beautiful Earth whirling in the Great Cosmic Sea. She is a writer, teacher, poet, artist. She is the writer for this Blog, the substance of which will likely become a book she has known she would write.

Recent interview with Fast Recipes: http://www.fastrecipes.com/latest-news/nature%E2%80%99s-recipes:-living-off-the-land-in-missouri-2010061740080/

Richard

...grew up on a 120 acre Farm about 5 miles west of here. Those humble beginnings have had a profound effect on his Life. He was trained as a Wildlife Biologist and later responsible for the Wildlife Management Program at the University of North Dakota for over 3 decades. Retiring in 2007, he is a UND Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biology.

Richard brings to the Farm a lifelong interest in the Natural Sciences (Birds, Wildlife, Prairie Restoration, Ecosystems, Gardening) and the Humanities. As his wife (Glinda) says: "He is one of those few people in our Culture who can still read Nature's story and make it accessible to those around him."

Melanie

...would list a bio a little shorter than her Mom and Dad. That's because she hasn't lived quite so long, which is the normal course of such things. But her bio would be no less interesting and perhaps even more so. She has come to this work and this walk far earlier than her Mom or Dad.

Melanie has an interest in healthy lifestyles. It's not something you read about; it's something you do. She brings her love of life, her travel near and far, her love of people known and unknown, her playful curiosity, and her knowing to Gardening, Raising Chickens, Herbal Healing, and the Culinary Arts. She makes a place for Kids of all Ages on this Little Farm.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Molasses Production and Food Sovereignty

Today was a most lovely day. A work crew came up from the Possibility Alliance to help with the Sorghum Cane Harvest. They included: Skylar and David (visitors from Lawrence, KS); Dori, Dan, Ariel (from the Possibility Alliance); Matt (visitor from Virginia).

They stripped and headed cane. Then they cut it and laid it down in bunches. From there, the Cane was loaded into Hollis' truck and taken to the staging area at the Family Farm near Millard. We took a break for lunch at that point. Then the crew headed over to Hollis' to finish his harvest where they were joined by Michael (from the Possibility Alliance). The whole process also included collection of Seeds for growing crop next year and for Bird/Chicken food, Human food too.

Allen and Heidi with their beautiful family of 5 boys also joined us to oversee the process. They are living in California and thinking about moving to this area. So they seemed eager for anything we wanted to share. In the meantime, we were in the thick of the Sorghum Harvest. They fell right into place.

When the Crawford Family began reclaiming the Molasses tradition in 2003, I had no idea that over time there would be many people who would come to help, to share stories, to seek to know more about it. At that time, it was described as a dying craft. I would say that period of dying is changing and I feel very privileged to see it.

David took away seeds which he will use for planting. He is going to check out whether there are Sorghum Syrup (we call it Molasses) producers in his area. I did a bit of searching and discovered that Kansas is one of the top 3 producers nationwide.

Silas, who is Allen and Heidi's son, watched the process intently. Soon, he was carrying 1 or 2 stalks of cane to load onto the truck. He is 4. The whole family seemed enchanted by the taste of the juice fresh from the stalk. Ethan, who is 1, was the most of all.

The Sorghum Field was just a buzz of activity. When we broke for lunch, I asked them to offer as blessing what involvement in the process meant to them. Dori talked about how involvement in Molasses production meant independence. Farm families could produce their own sugar, rather than reliance on other industrial sources.

I chewed on that one for a while and concluded the Sweet Sorghum Syrup Production (or Molasses Production, as we call it here) is a great example of Food Sovereignty. This is something that our family does. We save the seed from year to year. We plant it and tend it. We harvest it and process it. It is our main source for sweetener. How cool is that?

Thanks for all your help today. Thanks for sharing time and space at this beautiful time when much is being reclaimed.