Beasts of the Farm

Yes, I am talking about the beasts, instead of the farm animals. I think a lot of people should have covered sheeps, cows, chickens, sheeps, etc. So I am going to talk about the beasts instead, the wild things, the untamed!! Ok, before things got a little bit too exciting, I have to admit that I will just write about those creepers which inhabit the vast farming ground.

I basically started to notice them as soon as I touch the soil for some weeding during my first day here at the farm. At first, the sight of various creepers popping out from the ground or just roaming around the surface was not that exciting for me since there was not only bugs, but also centipedes, earth worms, and some unidentified creatures from the belly of the the earth… hhhmmmm… sorry, more like the skin of the earth maybe? Well, for the record, I don’t mind bugs at all, but when you have to be on all four or sometimes just sit on the ground when you’re tired, the idea of those critters creeping into your clothing was not that great for me.

After a short while though, I got used to them. Now I pay more attention and even get excited on new creepers that I encounter whenever I am weeding. I realize that they are part of the ecosystem that helps the plant in one way or another or it is a blatant proof that this is an ecological farm. I admit that I haven’t been to an industrialized farm, so the previous statement might not be true at all. But I understand that they use chemicals to deal with unwanted living beings around their crops, based on this, I assume that those creepers might not really enjoy the living condition being provided in the industrialized farms. Don’t take my word for granted though, it is just a utopic thought of mine

Before I end this, I want to touch a little bit on the more normal farm animals. Today three cows were just sent to feed on one of the field. They are really big!! Erland, my host, said that they are not that big since they feed on grass. The ones that feed on some additional nutrients are bigger than those. For me, they are already very big.

Since I have almost always related my thoughts with self defense /martial arts, I began to think about their power. With that kind of mass, they don’t need any technique to fight with a man. Being close to them made me feel really small. But self defense is not only about power. It is a combination of power, wit, technique and the ability to adapt to your environment as soon as possible. We’re lucky that humans are more capable to use those to our advantage for our own survival. That’s why cows and sheeps live in fenced fields while we can enjoy the luxury of free movement.

Oh, btw, we finally moved seven sheeps from one field to another yesterday. The previous field had run out of grass so we needed to move them to another place. How long do you think were needed to move all seven of them? It took us easily half a day!! They are coward creatures although very curious as well. We had to move very slowly so as not to scare them away and bait them with some grains and leaves. It took patience and wit

Woofing Log: Rhubarb and a Shitty Day

These few days have been a really good learning days. Two of the most exciting activities that I’m going to share are rhubarb harvesting and the other one is quite shitty… not as in having a bad day, but dealing with actual shits!! Oh well, more like compost actually

Rhubarb or rabarber (in Swedish) is one of the plants that are not so common in my birthplace. In fact, I’ve only seen it when I started my study in Sweden last year. Furthermore I’ve only seen them in the form of juices that are sold in stores. Yesterday I happened to have the honor of harvesting them together with Valentine. The method of harvesting is by pulling the stem by the length of it so as not to break it. The leaves are then thrown away as they are poisonous. At the end of the day we managed to harvest one full wagon of rhubarb stalks. They are going to be processed for marmalade and juice. I’m quite excited to taste it when they’re done, as this is my first time harvesting something.

Wagon Full of Rhubarb stalks

Pile of Shits!!!

Fertilizing the Field

Harvested Rhubarb

Today is full of shits!! What a shitty affair!! I’m standing on a pile of shits!! Shits, excuse my language, was the main theme of today We were transporting the shits that had been composted for a year to the field to fertilize it. The shits or also known as manure were from the sheep house that was used during winter time. The shits are mixed with straw to produce good fertilizer.  At this farm, I see for myself that most of the things that are done here are always connected to one another. The sheeps are not only raised for their meat and wool, but the manure is also very useful in producing fertilizers for them plants. Fertilizers are not cheap at all, so by using the waste of the farm animals, the farm can cut down the cost of operation. This also contributes a lot for the farm to be more self sustaining.

Woofing Log: Costly Food Worth the Pennies You Spend

My second and third days at the farm were filled with the same task, weed removal. Got more used to it and I have managed to increase my speed in removing those pesky weeds, but Valentine, the French with amazing beard, can remove those weeds much much faster than I am. He might have some secret technique or he is just used to remove those weeds or maybe it is just his beard power!! Sorry Valentine I grew more appreciative with ecologically grown food because of this. Weed removal is a tedious job and requires a lot of patience.

On my previous post, I said that I am going to enter an idyllic farming experience. In fact, it is not as idyllic as I have imagined before. The idyllic life begins just before dinner, but before that, there are so many things need to be done in the farm. I have basically spent three days plucking weeds from the farm for almost three hours a day. Although the busiest season in Sweden is early May to June where people starts planting and August is the harvesting season, but in July all the other chores should be done. Things like fixing road, barn, transporting goods, cooking, cleaning and other manual labors. Making oil is done all year round.

If you compare with regular farm, the work is more than doubled. In regular farm you can use pesticide, poison and other chemicals to get rid of pests, weeds and to help enhance the probability of good harvests. But in eco-farm, no chemical or poison are allowed. So the odds of having good harvest are reduced by many unpredictable factors. If you understand this, you will also appreciate that eco-labeled food is more expensive than mass-produced food.

But even though many campaign are raised, majority of people don’t really bother with this. I, for one, already knew about the benefits of this but I just didn’t give a damn. I do have the lingering curiosity about why people get really into green living, sustainability, eco-friendly, vegetarianism, etc. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to do this. Just reading about these issues is not going to move me. On the other hand, experiencing things by myself works so much better and to be able to eat what you grow yourself is pretty awesome I’m just a practical person; I will not jump into bandwagons by simple preaching. Besides, experiencing something is much more fun right?

Real Life ‘Farm-Ville’

Finally after a long absence I got into my blogging mood again. I know that I should have written about my life in Sweden, but what I find interesting during my second stint as a student might be too boring for most… But of course it is just another excuse for my laziness

So why do I decide to write again? First and foremost is that I finally get a volunteer work in an ecological farm through WWOOF at Oliviaeko in Bitterna, Västra Götaland, around 100 km from Gothenburg (Göteborg in Swedish). The family farm mainly produces organic rap seed oil as well as raspberry, sea buckthorn and honey that are sold within the local community.

So, this morning I took the morning train to Herrljunga, the closest station to Bitterna and reached the station by 9am. Erland, my friendly host, kindly picked me up and my idyllic farm life finally begins. Erland introduced me to his wife Carina, the lively mormor (grandmother) and Valentin , another volunteer from France.

After a short tour around the farm, I was assigned my first day duties which include: road and pavement leveling as well as weed removal. But working in Sweden is not complete without their famous ‘fika’ or coffee break. We had two nice fika sessions with the renowned kanelbulle, Swedish cinnamon bread and fresh berries. It just took me a couple of hours to realize that it might be idyllic but it surely is not a walk in the park. The work is not the easiest, but to experience Swedish farm life is a chance that I will enjoy as much as possible. With this much inspiration, I am pretty sure that this will not be my last blog on Bitterna. Stay tuned!! Hej då!!