stories of our lives... now with a brand-new chapter of retirement!
Once upon a time, there was a boy with a green thumb and a girl with no idea of his existence...
In 1989, the now-young man introduced the now-young lady to his humble piece of country living, complete with a charming (ok... "old") farmhouse (he'd learned her weak spot for historic buildings!). His quiet patience provided her the space in which to learn to appreciate the beauty hidden inside plywood walls, drafty windows, overgrown fields and a barn overflowing with stuff...
After the wedding, a child's arrival, a plunge into graduate school for the lady and a modest home purchase within commutable distance to NY/NJ, the family began its weekend treks to the historic farmhouse, growing the garden, rebuilding the barn, and tearing down plywood and crumbling plaster.
After a few years, it became obvious that the growing family could neither consume nor put away the abundant veggies in a timely fashion, even with regular sharing among family and friends. So the lady donned her brave, entrepreneurial cap, loaded up the red Jeep Cherokee, and drove off to turn some of those surplus greens into cold, hard greenbacks. Lo and behold... Rusty Plough Farm was born, a permanent move to the farm was organized, and the adventure unfolded.
House repair and renovation continued, in among the planting, fence-building, field-clearing, water-bucket carrying, fire-wood gathering, diaper-changing, homeschooling, masters thesis-writing, and everything else. Rusty Plough Farm expanded to include Rondout Valley Organics in 2006, stepping fully into the 21st century with online marketing.
It's now 2020, and some of the plaster stubbornly hangs on, along with a smattering of plywood. Uncompleted tasks remain, but the barn stands solid and sturdy, with a recently completed adjunct space. The house, too, not to be left behind, has been growing an appendage out back for grandpa. Fields no longer need clearing, automatic irrigation has forced water buckets into retirement, diapers are currently out of the picture, the masters thesis sits bound on the office shelf. And life goes on...
Suddenly it's springtime, and just to keep the "leetle grey cells" sharp, Nadia plunges headlong into learning how to create an online shopping space! Who knew?? Perhaps her father did, when he encouraged her to take those dreaded computer courses in college, all for a "well-rounded" degree. "It's the newest thing", he'd said to her, as she proceeded to barely squeak by with passable grades. Ya just never know about that "invisible hand"!
Welcome to the long, hot days of July! Rondout Valley Organics celebrates its 15th year (we just did the math recently & this was a revelation to us!!) and what an exciting one it is. Thank you to our partners Barbara & Mike of Farm&Granary for sharing in the seeds of this project oh-so-long ago.
As we round out to the close of 2020, with these milestone anniversaries, we are grateful for the colorful journey, for the blessings of good friends and good food.
Spring 2021 settles upon our humble corner of God's world, andwe are once again excited to explore what's ahead. Nadia's father is now living with us, a true blessing. While he's no longer climbing scaffolding on the barn, he does enjoy the fruits (and veggies!) of the fields. Beautiful things await us all, amidst the planting and harvesting and marketing! As we move through this well-oiled and familiar routine, we hope to pause along the way for a military recruit graduation, a big break in the music scene, a few weddings/ one-year anniversary celebrations, a weekend teaching workshop, and perhaps an occasional getaway to that local spot that we've been wanting to explore. Stay tuned...
Welcome spring 2022! We've officially retired the farming business, enjoying eggs from our flock of hens and planting out things we just can't live without in the kitchen... onions, garlic, lettuce, asparagus, strawberries, herbs, and other various yummies. Oleh's been savoring his less-hectic spring routine - mowing the grass, clearing fallen trees, makin' woodchips, repairing equipment, tackling the home renovation list, sleeping in! As Nadia's school year winds down in the coming weeks, perhaps we'll plan a few local explorations.... kayaking on the Basha Kill on a Tuesday?? enjoying some French desserts at Jean-Claude's in Greenwood Lake on a Wednesday??? shopping at local farmers' markets?? Oh, the abundance of possibilities!