Thought for the day from Erin.

I was just reading Erin's email from One Wild and Precious Life.

it signs off with:

"we are the ones we have been waiting for"

The Elders, Hopi Nation

www.ianwalthew.com

'One wild and precious life' Recommends...

Five extremely interesting recommendations by Erin over at One wild and precious life in Brewster, NY.

As an author myself I love author run blogs but do wonder how on earth they manage to maintain such good blogs and write - something I can't do. As you can no doubt see (from this blog I hope, not from my books!).

Here's what Erin has to say about his recommendations - btw, the perfect length and interest for anyone recommending blogs.

1. I really like the blog "Dissertation to Dirt" by Neysa, who also is making a transition from academic life to the farm. Neysa originally interned at a farm near me here in New York, but now is in Austin, TX at a large CSA.

2. "Restoring Mayberry". I like this blog as it's about homesteading, self-sufficiency, and the environment as well--and how these are all interconnected. The author, Brian Kaller, lives with his family in rural Ireland, but is from the US originally.

3. "Stony Run Farm". The author focuses on living simply and sustainably, and is inspiring to me because it's about being self-sufficient on just one acre. She's a wonderful writer, too. The farm is located in Oregon.

4. I also like a local blog, called "Farming the WC" (Westchester County), which is near us in NY. They have both a farm and an environmental center in operation, over 180 acres, which makes for interesting comparisons with our little spot.

5. The last blog I'd like to recommend is "Urban Gardens: Unlimited Thinking for Limited Spaces" which is a great combination of urban farming and green design. The blog is run by Robin Horton, and I think she's in the New York area, but not sure.

www.ianwalthew.com

One Wild and Precious Life (NY, U.S.A.) Recommended

Erin's blog One Wild and Precious Life is absolutely fascinating. Well-written a wide array of photos on the blog and Flickr.

She follows her journey alongside a small group of nuns on their organic farm, in Brewster, NY. Her writings document what she's learning, simultaneously, about food, farming and faith.

Bluestone Farm is a small farm, devoted mostly to sustaining the Sisters of the Community of the Holy Spirit (Episcopal Church USA) and their guests, but they also sell at the local weekly farmers market from June-November, and they sell eggs and maple syrup throughout the year. They raise chickens, ducks, and bees, and we do maple sugaring as well.

The farm is less than an acre, farmed intensively. We grow more than forty crops, from corn and oats to snap peas, from Scarlet Runner beans to New Zealand spinach.

About 85% of what we consume at the farm is grown on-site, and we spend a good deal of time preserving and storing food to last throughout the winter months.

The Sisters also make wine and weave cloth, write music and tan hides.

Erin writes that 'It's a pretty good life!' and I can well believe her. A recent post on drinking fresh sap had me drooling.