farmhouses

Stow-on-the-Wold by McLean Quinlan Architects image via the blog The Best Part

Tomorrow we are heading to the Chicago area for another wedding (tis the season). The drive from Saint Louis to Chicago takes roughly 5 hours and goes straight through Illinois farm country. Each time we make the trip, I take note of my favorite farmhouses (maybe I will try for some pics this time to share) and think about what our (hopefully) future farmhouse might look like - can you tell I have farms on the mind since visiting Live Springs?

The farmhouse vernacular is something that more and more resonates with me as a person and designer. I definitely think there is a nostalgic aspect to it and also the fact that I am finding myself to be much more of a "ruralite" than an "urbanite". Aesthetically, I enjoy the simplicity of form and symmetry that is characteristic of farmhouses as well as their relationship to the surrounding landscape. I am not sure where, when or how Jeff and I might come to have our own farmhouse but I like to dream about it. My hope is that we will find either an old farm home to restore and renovate or build our own. In either scenario, it is important to me that our home reflect a modern perspective and lifestyle and not just be a replica or representation of something that once was.  Sort of like these great examples.

FGH Architects image via Chicago Home + Garden Magazine

Woodstock Farm by Rick Joy Architects image via Katepolis

The Floating Farmhouse by Givone Home

Twisted Cabin by Jarmund Visgnaes Architects

Private residence by Truexcullins Architecture + Interior Design photos by Westphalen Photography

Kirchplatz Office + Residence by Oppenheim Architecture + Design image by Borje Muller via Archdaily

garden update

It has been almost three weeks since I have given an update on our garden so I thought it was about time to share our progress thus far. Here is the plant by plant break down: 

Tomato: The tomato plant is looking ok...not great. We think it might be getting too much water since it has continued to rain like mad here. The leaves around the bottom are sort of yellowish which Jeff's mom (a more experienced gardener) said is rather normal as the plant establishes itself. However, we do think we are going to add some extra drainage holes just in case. I am hoping that the plant doesn't have any sort of fungus or bacteria.... 

Cucumber: The cucumber plant is getting taller and seems to be doing well. We haven't had to secure it to the trellis yet but maybe sometime soon.

Green Pepper: We have started to see a few buds which is exciting.  

Green beans: These guys are doing really well and have lots of buds. We have been warned that we will have an insane amount of beans. 

Strawberries: So good so far. We have been told that birds really like strawberries so we have been trying to keep a watchful eye but no problems thus far. Yesterday I even found a berry growing. 

Basil and Dill: Both are doing really well. We have been using the basil for caprese salads and the dill to season fresh vegetables. 

Lavender and Sage: The rabbits got a hold of this pot and nibbled the plants down pretty good so we have moved it higher up and hope that a new location will fix the problem.

Parsley and Chives: Doing pretty well not a ton of growth but still looking healthy.

Flower pots: The oxalis is looking really good however I have noticed that it doesn't like the direct sun that hits the front porch for an hour or two in the afternoon. Some of the coleus is looking good but unfortunately squirrels dug up two of the six and I haven't gotten around to replanting.  

Overall, things are looking hopefully. However, I do worry about the excess moisture as the soil pretty much hasn't dried out since we planted and you can see evidence of too much water retention on the front and side of the planter. It is going to be like 95 degrees here today and tomorrow though so hopefully that will help!

Open Farm Day

Mama goat and baby goats,

Two weekends ago, Jeff and I visited Live Springs Farm for their open farm day. Live Springs is an organic farm in Carrollton, Illinois and is the result of a partnership between Alex and Bobbi, who run the farm, and Dorothy their Slow Money investor. I am not too familiar with how Slow Money investing works but I understand it as a sort of matching system that connects consciously minded investors with a new generation of small farmers. 

After driving roughly a hour and half through mostly a flat landscape we arrived at the farm. Nestled amongst large crop plots, the farm is an oasis of trees, meadows and rolling hills. We were the first to arrive and were greeted by the two employees that help Bobbi and Alex run the farm. Soon after more cars starting pulling in and we made our way down to the house for a picnic lunch. 

The tour officially began with Bobbi speaking about how the farm came to be and a sincere welcome. Then we were off to see the fields and animals via foot and tractor. The first stop was to the laying hens and the egg mobile. Since discovering Live Springs' eggs two years ago I pretty much tell everyone I know about them - usually saying something like "you can't even call what you find in the grocery store eggs once you have tried these TRUE eggs". They have around 350 laying hens and a few roosters who apparently help keep the hens calm and alert them of approaching predators. The hens are contained by a temporary electrified fence. Inside the fencing, is the egg mobile and a couple feeding and water stations. The egg mobile was custom designed for the farm's purposes. It has a netted floor so that the hen's waste drops through and in turn fertilizes the soil. It also is one wheels. Key to the farms whole process is open pasture grazing. This is achieved by moving the animals and corresponding structures just a few feet forward every several days hence the wheels. This gives the animals new feed as well as allows the pasture to grow back. 

Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of the egg mobile but it essential looks like a double wide trailer. 

A rooster keeping watch.

Adjacent to the laying hens are the bee hives. Alex is the resident beekeeper however he said he hasn't had time to harvest any honey yet or really tend to them. His beehives were really interestingly designed as he constructed the boxes to accomodate a more natural shape of a hive - apparently a method he learned while working on farms in Germany .

From the beehives, we walked up the hill and through some of their fields. Alex explained his process for growing crops which I wish I could explain but it really went over my head. What I did gather was that he rotates his fields between wheat, barley, alfalfa, oats and spelt; that he is still experimenting with the best way to work his fields and that he pays a lot of attention to putting nutrients back into the soil. If you are curious to know more their website has more information about biodynamic farming methods as well as the "Eco-Dyn" cultivation and planting system that they use. 

Fields plus farm dog's tail.  

Down from the main fields and close to the road are the butchering chickens. They, like the laying hens, have moveable shelters and are contained by an electric fence. The chickens are sold to market at roughly 4 lbs. The farm has no onsite butchering facility so each week a batch of chickens are driven 2.5 hours to an amish processing facility then the next day someone has to drive back to get them. Alex explained that since the advent of industrial farming the infrastructure to support small farms has almost become non-existent and that to find facilities and business that will work with a small farm and are in line with their organic processes is extremely difficult. 

The next stop was to the pigs. The pigs are located in a pasture along the fence that connects to a wooded, wet area. They explained that since pigs do not sweat it is extremely important to provide them with a muddy area for them to cool off in. This is where all the children started to lose it a bit so the informational aspect of this stop was cut a little short. We did learn that the pigs are taken to the butcher at roughly 300 lbs and that male pigs must be kept separate unless they are raised together since birth.

The last stop on the tour which put us right back where we started was the cattle. Their herd is relatively small (I think they said around 30 but I really can't remember) and they also have 3 bulls. At this point, I have to admit that I wasn't paying as close of attention as I was thinking about the ice cream that was waiting for us back at the main house. We did get the opportunity to meet the farm's butcher from Millstadt, Illinois and speak to some people about their experience (and love) of Live Springs' products. 

Our day at the farm concluded with purchasing some eggs and cherry bratwurst (also ice cream which I, of course, thoroughly enjoyed). It was an amazing day and I cannot wait to go back for their fall open farm day on October 2nd. 

If you are curious to know more about the farm you can check out their website or if you are local to St.Louis you can find Bobbi every Wednesday at the Schlafly Maplewood Farmer's Market and every Saturday at the Tower Grove Market.