Its all about Community

Beginning our 7^th year with our Fiber CSA in 2014

We have realized our Fiber CSA is all about the people.  Sally, one of our funding members, says she and many of our CSA members believe what we are doing is important and want to help us be sustainable.  We appreciate each individual involved, each in their own way…with different desires and different skills and abilities.   We value flexibility and appreciate people’s desire to support the sustainability of A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm.

In the book, Small Farms are Real Farms, by John Ikerd a chapter is devoted to perceptions vs realities.  The author says, “Successful small farmers pursue a fundamentally different approach to farming than do big farmers.  They reduce their reliance on purchased inputs …They focus on creating value, as well as reducing costs. “  They build relationships with their customers.  As a result they can achieve sustainability. Sustainable farming is about stewardship.  It is about the pursuit of happiness, family, neighbors, and belonging…having a sense of purpose and meaning.  

In the beginning we thought our Fiber CSA  http://www.awrinkleinthymefarm.com/education/fibercsa.html was about the animals and the wool. (Everyone seems to enjoy petting the sheep and meeting Bubba, the gentle draft horse.) We appreciate a nucleus of strong supporters who love coming to the farm, nurturing our animals and knitting farm yarns.   Each has something important to offer: time, creative energy, color awareness, and more. People love seeing the sheep in the barn or the pasture, and the lambs in the spring.  Each and every lamb is named, cuddled, and nurtured to be a friendly part of the farm.

We began our CSA by offering 10 shares, and exceeded the goal in the first year.  Fiber availability is limited by the sheep we have and we always want  to be sure that everyone got a full share of fiber from our own animals.  Since then we have grown to over 40  members.  It is a little hard to count as some members purchase more than one CSA in a year, and others may take than a year to choose their entire share.

When you become a member of our CSA your  share is available to you as you choose. We encourage you to visit the farm to see and feel the choices available if you can. When you visit you may even choose the animal in the field that you want your fiber to come from. If you can not visit we will work with you by sending pictures of the sheep and samples of the fiber according to how you would like to use it to spin, crochet,  knit, or weave.  We also can include a bottle of maple syrup or a pound of Maple Sausage in your share.

There is a core group of knitters that comes to knit each week. CSA members who who are part of this group often immediately renew their shares each time they are used up.  These same people pitch in when they see that help is needed offering to help as mentors, teaching, promoting, advertising and sharing.  

 I think there are as many ways to be involved as there are people.  We are trying to work out ways to incorporate everyone’s skills in a time frame that works for all of us.

Not everyone can come to the farm.  Some order a CSA Share through our Etsy store at https://www.etsy.com/shop/FiberThyme

One Michigan spinner chose a sheep from a picture.  We sent him a sample of the fiber for color and feel.  After he received the roving CSA share he sent a gracious letter of appreciation. One member who likes to felt lives in New York City, and once or twice a year sends words of  appreciation and orders hand dyed felting wool or gifts for friends.

You will literally feel warm and fuzzy when you knit A Wrinkle in Thyme  farm yarn into a scarf, mittens, socks or sweater.  (Farm yarn is created with fiber from our own animals.) The dollars you have invested in our diversified farm will help us provide the best possible care we can give to our  sheep, lambs, and draft horse. 

Needle Felting a Portrait of Ewe

Timmy, a sheep at A Wrinkle in Thyme Farm

This is Timmy, a needle felted portrait.  People who have seen my art on display often ask, how is that done?

Needle felting is actually quite easy.  It begins with a photograph.  I then transfer a line drawing onto a piece of commercial felt that is 100% wool (not easy to find here, so I order it from away by the bolt).  I use wool from our sheep that has been washed, carded, and hand dyed and in this casse I use wool locks (uncarded long curls of wool).  The tools needed include a firm sponge 10x10x2 inches and special felting needles.  The needles, available in various sizes and shapes, all have barbs and a sharp point.  The process involves placing the colors and wool pieces where you want them, a bit like coloring with wool.  You secure them in place by punching repeatedly with the needle until it looks and feels right. To do larger areas you may choose to use a handle that holds several needles.  Much faster!

If you would like to learn more, I will be demonstrating this at our booth on May 11 and 12 at New Hampshire Sheep and Wool festival.

 If you would like to try doing a sheep portrait something like this, register now for a class I will teach on Sunday, Mothers Day, May 12 at 9:30am at the NH Sheep and Wool festival.

To register contact us at info@awrinkleinthymefarm.com.

The class is $75, including the pattern and all the materials needed to complete the project.  You will need a sponge, $38 needles, and a multi needle holder (available for purchase if you don't have them).   This art is really easy and goes pretty fast....no counting, and using natural materials.  Try it...you will like it!

Maine Maple Weekend 2013

This year we had over 200 people come through the sugar house, many of them here for the first time to see the wood fired evaporator in operation with a gravity feed system.  Over the weekend Mary Ann made over 2 gallons of syrup while explaining how the evaporator works.

Wood Fired Evaporator in action

Collecting sap along the road

Overall this year has been a much better sap year than last. The main problem this year was ice in the buckets.  We had to gather ice from the buckets on Thursday and Friday and put the ice in blue barrels inside the Tesseract where the radient heat from the solar panels melted it over a couple of days…this in order to have sap to use for the demonstrations.  We have a bigger holding tank for gathering sap from buckets along the road with the truck, but it is not good for the ice.  

New big sap tank in the pcikup

 A big thanks to Lee Ann, our regular farm hand, and Sophie and Renee, our WOOFers.  Sophie and Renee came to us through our connection with Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF), an organization that links willing workers with host farms, facilitating the sharing of knowledge and skills in exchange for room and board on the farm.  For weeks they helped us prepare for the weekend event, tapping trees, gathering sap, making and bottling and tagging maple syrup, cleaning inside the barn, outside, in the sugar house, and in the Tesseract. 

Everyone seemed to lambs in the barn, where Renee, Anna, and Sophrinia offered information and tours to include petting baby lambs just a few days old. 

 

Bubba, the draft horse stood out back, grateful for the carrots and apples offered to him. 

The yearlings, also behind the barn, a week later are still waiting to give birth to their Finn cross lambs.  

Thanks to Barbara, here on her spring break, who  made the kitchen and workshop area ready for guests to enjoy the pancakes and sausage breakfast. 

Thanks also to Jen, who periodically transforms our store into a beautiful sight to behold. 

Both days our fiber CSA members were here to help out. Wendy served by greeting people and organizing parking. At one point on Sunday there were over 20 cars here.Priscilla and Kathleen did an awesome job as cashier in the store while Marty demonstrated spinning and needle felting and answered customer’s questions.

Jan, Edith, Cheryl, Lee, Marianne, and Diane kept the sausage and pancakes coming fresh and hot and washed dishes. We made several 8 big batches of Master Mix for the pancakes.  I guess we need to get more plates from the free store since there were times when all the plates we had were in use.  We planned to serve 20 at a time, and ended up setting up an extra table for more to be seated.

Kathleen’s hubby, Kevin built an awesome fire in the earth oven, our new addition for 2012.  After lunch we enjoyed fresh biscuits baked in 4 minutes flat, and later in the day on Sunday delicious pizza filled our appetites.  Maybe next time we will be able to feed more people.

We appreciated Robin and Patty, friends who were here throughout the weekend to help with whatever needed to be done from splitting wood for the wood fired evaporator to mixing pancake batter and serving tables.

After lunch visitors, including a group of eager children went out into the orchard field and around the stone walls to collect sap.  Everyone seemed to enjoy that.  People seemed comfortable here….sitting around with an extra cup of hot sap tea or maple coffee and chatting with friends.

At the end of the day Sunday, after we gathered up a pair of boots, a jacket, and sunglasses. Guess we need a lost and found department now. If you are missing personal belongings from the weekend call us.

As the Farm event signs came down we evaluated the weekend….make more pancake mix next year, how much sausage to thaw, a sign up sheet so we know how many people come, take more pictures…..by the way, if you got a good picture of your family or children needle felting, gathering sap,  petting lambs, or Bubba, or just being cute we would love to share them on our web site.

We wondered how people found us, heard about us, and decided to come. We appreciate  that so many people came here to help and to enjoy the spring ritual making of maple syrup in Maine. Our thanks to all who made it a great weekend to remember.

The Sugar House