A Day in the Life of Heidi Feldman, Micro Farmer |
Heidi Feldman’s day revolves around the weather.
As co-owners of Down Island Farm, she and her husband, Curt, micro-farm edible flowers, culinary herbs, wheatgrass, and shiitake mushrooms using organic inputs and practices. Before moving to the Island, Heidi's technological and trouble-shooting skills were aimed at implementing e-commerce business solutions.
Now, the shape of her days is ruled by the barometric pressure rather than her mobile, pager and Palm Pilot.
“First comes the feeding of the tick-eaters - the ducks and peacocks - who keep things relatively bug free. Then comes a check on the progress in the various gardens. If the shiitake logs need rotating, I pull a batch to stand and put in another to soak. Since tomorrow is a pick and pack day, I water early so that everything is happy and dry for tomorrow’s picking.
“Into the car go the gardening and swim clothes, Eco-Bags® for the CSA, and egg cartons. Traveling up-island, I drop off wheatgrass trays to Fiddlehead Farm, and treat myself to one of their yummy raisin croissants.
"After doing some personal gardening and taking a water aerobics class, I stop at Whippoorwill Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) for our weekly supply of Andrew Woodruff’s beautiful vegetables. On the way home, I exchange the egg cartons for more eggs at Stoney Hill Farm. My cell rings and I pull over to respond to a chef who orders as many shiitake as I can grow. (Yippee!)
“Dinner is in process as I walk through the door, so I check the animals and set up some irrigation. Curt and I dine outside. It's a relief to see leaves on the trees that had been stripped bare this spring.
“Darkness falls and the irrigation is turned off. Voice mails and e-mails are checked. Thoughts and actions turn to preparing for picking and packing tomorrow's harvest and deliveries. I tick off the next day's stops: Cafe Moxie, Zephrus, Detente, Fiddlehead Farm, the Kitchen Porch."
And, as another busy day comes to an end the inevitable question lingers: Would she choose it again? “In a heartbeat.” comes the instantaneous answer. "After spending so many years touching nothing but keyboards, my hands and soul are happy to reconnect with the soil and the weather. Curt and I feel incredibly lucky to live here and pursue our dream of owning a working farm."
Why farming? “I had to get out of the office and off planes, and work my body as hard as I worked my mind. The corporate cultures did not satisfy anything but my bank account. Even though I was raised in suburbia, my family always had a vegetable garden. Since graduating college, I’ve made sure that gardening was part of my life. When Curt and I bought our property in Tisbury, we knew we had a wonderful opportunity to try our hand at farming.
Aside from what your family grew, did you try your hand at gardening as a child? While I didn't have a garden of my own when I was growing up, I spent some wonderful gardening times with my mom and dad. Mom and I would shop for annuals every spring, and pick out vegetable plants. Then on a Sunday (my dad's one day off a week) all of us would tend the vegetable garden.
Any advice for first time gardeners? Yes. First time gardeners should get to know what type of soil and exposure their potential garden has. Plant successes are heavily dependent on those two variables. Here on the Vineyard, I strongly suggest gardeners use both drought and deer-resistant plants otherwise they will spend a lot of time watering, and protecting, their investments.
What are some of the particular challenges and rewards to farming on the Vineyard? The biggest challenge is staying ahead of too much or too little rain.The biggest joy of farming is being outside. Even when the bugs and weather are working against us, being outside on this Island that we love is one of our biggest joys.
Why shiitakes? Our property is heavily wooded predominantly with oak trees. The trees are fourth growth and crowded without much room in the canopy. Our goal was to cull smaller trees to better manage the overall health of the woodlot. Curing and selling firewood was one option we explored but then an Internet search yielded the alternative use for oak wood. Cultivating mushrooms on oak logs seemed the perfect; it met both our want to farm and need to manage the woodlot sustainability.
What's your idea of the perfect day off?
I rise from bed a little late, pack up a lunch and load the dogs into the car. After heading over to the Scottish Bakehouse for a breakfast sandwich, I spend the day out on Cape Pogue. Returning home at dusk, we'll cook up some fresh local ingredients and eat in front of the wood stove in the yard. Especially fun are the forced days off--like the big snow storm two years ago when we waited three days for the plow to come. I cooked, we skied over to the neighbors' and generally loved being cut off from the world at large.
Favorite meal ? Soup anytime, but only hot soups. In the summer, a huge salad of local greens with feta or blue cheese, dried cranberries, cucumbers and balsamic vinaigrette. I can never pass up a locally made baguette slathered with Kate's butter. In the winter, a sturdy stew of Stoney Hill Farm lamb and white beans or a family favorite - stuffed cabbage rolls. Curtis and I both cook and bake and so there is usually something yummy in the works.
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