So much has happened since the last time I have written. The last time I wrote I was about to go for demonstration at a local B and B. 3 chefs from Johnston and Wales from the Denver campus were coming up to show off some of their skills. I showed up for dinner the night before to meet the chefs. It was a long night with good food and wine of course. I got to talk with the chefs and learn a little more about them.
The next day I woke up early and went to Leroux Creek Inn, where this demonstration was going to take place. We were thrown into it. We started prep work and cooking. Around 10am people began to show up and the demonstration began. One of the chefs, the vegetable chef, did not show up. We had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. The other chefs asked me to step in and take his place. I said ok. However, instead of cooking and telling about the ratatouille, I talked about what I was doing in the North Fork Valley. I told them about my back round and what I had learned while working on the farm. It was a lot of fun. The day ended in success. Everyone loved the food, a lot of wine was sold and the chefs were happy.

The next couple of weeks, life on the farm continued as usual. Waking up and doing work on the farm. The vineyard was finally done. We had tied and cut and now the vineyard looks terrific! The peaches and apples were coming along. Life was really good.

At the end of August our family welcomed a new addition, my new niece, Stella Virginia Samford. She was born on the 22nd of august in the afternoon. Before I left to go home to see my niece, I had the privilege to help celebrate a 21st birthday, Emily’s. It was so much fun. Emily, Wink, Max and I took the afternoon off. We all got off the farm to run errands, pick up yummy chocolates and try a lot of alcohol.
We began with lunch at a brewery in Palisades. We had beer. First we tried the four different beers and then settled on one with our meal. It was nice not having to cook and enjoying the afternoon with a cold beer. After lunch we walked a few hundred feet to a distillery, Peach Distillery. Here, if you can’t figure it out with the name, is an alcohol place. We tried some vodka, bourbon and other stuff. I only tried the bourbon – very good.
After purchasing a few bottles, we all piled into the car and headed for another stop. This time it would be a winery, Debeque Canyon. We tried some wines and talked to the owner, they are close friends to Wink and Max.
After being all alcoholed up, we piled into the car again and drove a little farther to get a few items we need. We then left by 5pm to go back to Paonia for a private tasting at a nanobrewery. It was fantastic. Another friend staying on the farm meet us there, with his cat, Bobby. It was near 7 when we left and went to get food at the local pizzeria. The day was just perfect! I hope Emily had a wonderful 21st birthday.
A few days later she left to go home for college at Colorado State. A few days after she left I left to go home to see my niece, Stella Virginia. I would like to take the time to tell you all that she is wonderful! She is beautiful and she already has everyone doing everything for her. The first grandchild for the parents and the first niece/nephew for the siblings!

I was back on the farm for 3 more weeks. This time we began to pick peaches. That means, we were picking by sunrise and then packing them during the day. Picking peaches has to be done by touch, but without bruising them. It is a way of feel when you hold the fresh peach in the palm of your hand. At the end of the day, I think I understood it. We picked and picked and picked some more. Peaches in the morning are hard because of the cold night’s Colorado air. This is why you pick early in the morning. You have to stop picking when the peaches give just a slightest bit. We would be picking by 6:15 and stopping by about 10isham.
A week or so after we started picking peaches we were allowed to pick apples!!! Apples can be harvest any time, all day long. During this time I am also harvesting the green beans, tomatoes and the other things on the farm. This is a wonderful time to be on the farm!

My last really big deal on the farm was actually not on the farm. A local culinary school in Boulder came up for a 10 days to learn about Farm to Table. I was able to tag along and see some of the things they saw – farms and such. To celebrate their last day in the North Fork and what they had learned in the Farm to Table program, they had a big dinner. The day before the event, we were able to see a lamb being slaughtered. It was very interesting and educational. I won’t go into detail, because it might gross people out, but the slaughter was very interesting. It gives you an appreciation for food. We then went to begin prep for the dinner. I went to help out – 10am to 6pm. It was fun being with students.
These students had only been in session for a couple of months. Some knew about cooking before hand, others were just a tad slower. I had fun getting to know the students and what they wanted to do. I would be with them all day tomorrow as well.
The following day began with prep in the kitchen for a few hours. We then packed up and went to the farm, Zephros Farm. We set-up our work space in the middle of the farm. My plan was to help when needed. I didn’t want to jump in. This was their dinner. I hung out and talked with Yvon, who was cooking the lamb, drinking wine and doing what was needed when I saw something. The bread we were serving for dinner did not work out so well in transport, so we had to do some damage control – I worked on that.
The night was good. It flew by. The students did a wonderful job – a real camaraderie with them. I stayed and helped clean-up. After all clean-up is part of the job. All the food was gone, we got nothing. So after loading up the cars with the students and with our equipment, I went back with the students to eat and hang-out with them. This is how I spend my last night in the North Fork.
The next morning I spend packing fruit, cleaning my house, packing and packing my car. I said good-bye and was gone from the North Fork Valley by about 4pm. I was on my way home, with a quick stop in Colorado Springs to see my friend Amanda and a stop in Denver to see friends Cory McEwen and her boy and pick up my step-sister Amy.
My adventure out west was amazing, a wonderful time spent digging in the dirt and learning about growing. My short amount of time in the North Fork was well spent, learning as much as I could and taking part in everything I could. I hope everyone digs in the dirt and get their nails dirty – it’s a good feeling. Thank you to all those in the North Fork, it was a pleasure in getting to know you and hopefully our paths will cross again.
Since I have been home a ton has happened. I have gotten to know my niece, Stella, just a bit more. She is still beautiful and she still has everyone doing everything she needs. She has grown and is developing rapidly. I love her.

At the end of September my sister, Suzanne, got married at The Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill Georgia. It was a beautiful wedding. Tons of friends, tons of family, lots of drink, lots of food and a wonderful celebration of life, through the joining of two people and two families. The fun filled weekend was very busy with lots of activities. I made the groom’s cake for the wedding – a reese’s cake, peanut butter cake, peanut butter mousse and chocolate icing. It was good, I was told. I didn’t get a piece. The night of the wedding I spent on the dance floor, dancing my heart out! It was so much fun.

It was then time to go home to recharge and regroup. My next adventure was off to Europe for the two week intensive program.

I arrived in Paris on a Sunday afternoon. I took a long walk through the Paris streets and looked. I went to find Le Cordon Bleu and it was still the same as before. I then decided to walk back to where I used to live when I went to school. My neighborhood was not far away. I remembered the way, like the back of my hand. I found some of my old bakeries open!!! SCORE. I was able to get some food. I hadn’t eaten yet, so I was really happy.

After a few hours, I finally got back to my hotel and relaxed. There was a welcoming dinner at 7:30 in the hotel. It was like any other large group meeting for the first time, a little awkward. I walked in and there were a lot of other men and women. WOW. I thought I hope I am not the youngest (later I would find out I am the youngest). People were soon quite and we all introduced ourselves to one another. We toasted with champagne.

We were led across the way and had dinner. It was hotel food, not so great. But we got to meet a few people and had a good time with all that. I called it an early night – I had not slept for about 36 hours. So I excused myself and went to bed.

The next morning we had breakfast and I led a group of people to Le Cordon Bleu. The program had officially begun. We had our classes at Le Cordon Bleu on the first floor demonstration room, oh the memories. We had many lecturers and some of the lectures were interesting, while others were not.

One of the lecturers was Herve This. This is the guy who is the king of molecular gastronomy. It was amazing to hear him speak. He didn’t have long, but we all soaked it up, whatever he had to say. Another night we would have dinner with him and his wife, a dinner on molecular gastronomy.

The week continued with meals all over the city. We had a medieval dinner at Gregoire-Ferrandi school. They pulled out all the stops for us. It was a great meal and the service was impeccable.

One day we had class at the Sorbonne. That was neat to be there. We then had a lunch with terroir products – food from specific regions, known for that particular food or wine.

Another day, well I should day at one in the morning, we went to Rungis Market, the largest market in Europe. It was amazing! We got to see everything. We took a bus to get to the market. You have to sign in, not just anyone is allowed to come in here. We took a walk through the seafood pavilion. It was huge! There was fish everywhere, any type of fish you could imagine. There were lobsters, crab, swordfish, tile fish, flat fish, round fish, mussels, and so much more. It was incredible to see this in progress. We then went to the meat sector. There were huge halves of beef hanging, quarters of beef hanging, pig…it was incredible to see the amount of animal in the pavilion. We saw the packaged meat products, mostly game birds, since it is the season. Everything was all neat and pretty. There were a few animals that were still fully dressed (they had their heads, fur and so on still in tact). That was a sight to see. We went to visit the offal section. This is the heart, lungs, liver…the insides that people use to make the delicacies. It was pretty cool. We got to see how they take apart a cow’s head, to get to the brain, the check meat and how they use the skin. It was all very impressive. Our next stop was the cheese/dairy section, then the vegetable section. The vegetables had everything you could imagine! Mushrooms of all kinds, fruits, vegetables some of which I had never seen…they had I think 8 of these pavilions for vegetables. There is a picture of Frank Stitt in his cookbook with just bags of haricot verts, well what I saw in just one warehouse would put that to shame…I know they work on different levels, but it was just jaw dropping to see the quantity they house. Our tour ended around 9, this included breakfast at some point. The early morning hours were well spent. The rest of the day I and a few others spent sleeping!

The last week of the program we left for Reims. We had an amazing dinner at the hotel restaurant, a two star called L’Assiette Champenoise. It was spectacular. This might have been for two reasons, first we hadn’t had a real decent meal since we got there and second, the service and atmosphere was impeccable. It was a real treat.

The next week was spent having lecturers at the local university, lunch at one place (with the same plating and decorations for the plate, with ok food) and dinners at different places! The dinners were just amazing – the food ok, the champagne and wine amazing and the ambiance incredible! Our first dinner was at the champagne house of Veuve Clicquot. To make you jealous I’ll just tell you what we drank: 1998 Veuve Clicquot le Grande Dame, Veuve Clicquot Vintage Rose 2002, Veuve Clicquot Rare Vintage 1998 and for dessert Veuve Clicquot Demi-sec carafe.

The next dinner was a the champagne house of G. H. Mumm. We began with a G.H. Mumm Cuvee R. Lalou 1998, Dom Perignon Oenotheque 1995, Krug 1995 and finally a G. H. Mumm Rose.

The next dinner was the Les Crayeres, another two star restaurant in Reims. This restaurant the restaurant we had our first meal, L’Assiette Champenoise, are fighting to be the best. We began with a vin Jaune 1999 Chateau d’Arlay, Beaune du Chateau ler Cru 2005 Bouchard Pere and Fils, Chateau Cheval Blanc 1998, and finally a Chateau d’Yquem 1998.

Our last meal to write about was with Mr. Krug himself. We dined at his house, after a private tour of the caves. We had a Krug Grande Cuvee, Krug 1996, Krug 1989 and with dessert a Krug Rose.

The last week was really something to write home about. It was all amazing. The whole course has been wonderful. I learned a few things I didn’t know and met a lot of really nice people. There was a blend of nationalities which made the program that much better. Everyone brought something different to the table. We were all from different back rounds: chefs, doctors, photographers, and many more. It was great to meet such a diversity of people. Hopefully I will see them again next year, when we get our diplomas!

Right now I am in Germany with cousin Andi, one of mom’s cousins. It has been great to just hang out. My plans are not in stone quite yet, but they are coming around. I’ll be back state side in a couple of weeks, definitely in time for the holidays…until then, I’ll try to make another update….take care everyone

Laura

Let me try to make you all jealous of me. Our vegetables and some fruits have been finally coming in. We are eating so much stuff such as: fresh pulled from the earth carrots, fresh picked green beans, shucked fava beans, hand picked tomatoes, freshly made organic pesto, summer zucchini, currents, little tiny red raspberries, and freshly harvested fingerling and purple potatoes. We are currently waiting on squash, cantaloupes and watermelons to grown and get ripe. It won’t be too long. Our main crop of peaches and apples are on their way, just a few more weeks on the peaches and maybe another month or so on the apples. It is getting exciting. I am finally to reap the benefits from all that hard work earlier in the spring/summer.

We have been staying busy since I last wrote, not a big surprise. We are still pruning the grapes in both vineyards, pinot gris and noir. I think that job is never ending. It just won’t go away.

Right now our main thing is thinning the peaches. You through each peach tree, there are 1000, by hand and pick off peaches. This gives other peaches room to grow and ripen in time for harvest. A peach tree has so many peaches, so someone has to go through and take off half the fruit. We do the same thing with apples, but the apples are not in bad shape. Our peaches right now are not growing in size or changing color, so we are thinning once again, hoping this will help. I’ve been told that once the peaches take off in size, they will get bigger in two weeks, growing from a small fist to a softball shape. I can’t wait to witness the changing!

Besides work, there have been guests come and go. Anno, Wink’s daughter, left us at the end of July to go back to Argentina. She is missed. I was so happy I was able to meet one of my best friend’s friends from college.

My parents came out, my mom and Mac. They were here in the end of July for a few days. It was great for them to come out and see what I do everyday, where I live and what I grow. I think they were impressed! We cooked meals and just had fun. They went around to the small towns and looked around. I live in a really cool place.

When they left, another couple came, friends of the farm. They provided Wink and Max with some pinot noir. They were driving to Denver and decided to make stop here, to finally meet Wink and Max and have a look at their grapes. They were a very knowledgeable couple. It was fun to meet more farmers and have a night of talking under the stars.

Our lasts guests were Jacob’s family (a boy from Colorado College who is living on the farm and going to classes in Paonia). It was his uncle and his two nephews. It was crazy busy with lots of people and lots of noise. They were here for a few days.

There was about a week of non stop cooking. But I loved every minute of it. We used our produce and other farmers and made wonderful meals every night. I am trying to come up with different recipes for potatoes, since we have so many…so any ideas, shoot them this way.
We are about to have another week filled with people staying on the farm. So I think my days will be mostly spent in the kitchen working then on the farm itself. But this why I am here. I have a great menu planned for everyone. It is going to be crazy week. Next week I am going to go help with a chef’s demonstration – four chefs, one from here who I have worked with before and three chefs from Denver’s Johnston and Wales. I can’t wait! Hopefully I will make some contacts!

I have decided to stay on the farm until September 16th. I leave for home for good on the 17th. I am going to my sister’s wedding at the end of September in Georgia and then home for a bit. In mind October I am leaving for France for two weeks and then Germany for a week. In France I am attending a two week intensive program at Le Cordon Bleu and at the University of Reims. The program is divided up into three sections – all about food, wine, technology, science, economics and legal matters. It is going to be great. I will hopefully be receiving a diploma from the university. I have to pass a test and I will have 6 months to write a thesis, at least 30 pages long. Again, I am open to suggestions. I am thinking my thesis will be on the evolution of southern food. The programs name is Hautes Etudes du Gout. When I graduate I will have the diploma Diplôme Universitaire du Goût, de la Gastronomie et des Arts de la Table). Pretty cool huh?!!!

After France I am going to Germany for a week to stay with a cousin. I have never been and I wanted to see her when I was Paris last time, but it never worked out. This time it is. I’ll be hanging out with her at her house in St. Leon and then to Berlin for a few days to do the tourist thing and see her perform!

I’ll be home for the holidays and then off the Africa again to work in the children’s village with my aunt. I can’t wait to see the children and see how much they have changed. I think every year should start off that way.

As for now, I still love Colorado and the farm. It will be so sad to leave in a 6 weeks, but I know I have so much still to do. Until I leave, I am living it up and trying to learn as much as possible. Stay tuned for more adventures from around the world…

these are just a few pictures of my life. the place where i live, the mountains i look at everyday, the scenary of the farm - grapes growing and such.

the last picture is of tree graphing. it's great. i even got to do some graphing and i didn't kill them. fantastic! it's alive!!!

Summer is here. The work days are longer and the sleep is shorter, or at least it seems like it is. The snow has melted from the mountain tops. The sun is staying up longer. The summer is finally here.

I realize it has been a long time since I have written. I apologize. Things have been crazy here. We are in full swing. We are planting and weeding and pruning like crazy. We planted 500 grape plants in just about 2 weeks. Three different grapes and they are all doing well – growing so well in their new home.

The apple thinning is done. We got help, thank god! The peach thinning is done as well. The same people who did the apple thinning breezed through the peaches. All the fruit trees are looking good, even the cherry trees. However the cherry trees are only in their second year of growth, so there will be no fruit this year. But they are growing beautifully. A local grower told us that most people would kill for their cherry trees to look as good as ours! Now that is exciting.

Now that our huge project of planting to 500 grape plants is over, we now are concentrating on pruning the 6 acres of grape plants. Now that is a true task. We tried to get help, but that hasn’t gone so well. We hired a family of 4, plus one kid who did not do anything. They did not come back the next day. A man and his brother are working in the grapes and they are wonderful! Their work is great and they go fast – weeding, cutting the tall grass between the plants and pruning. We have about 3 acres done.

During all this planting, I managed to escape for a couple of days with some really great friends from home – the McEwen’s. I was able to go meet them in Granby, because an intern showed up before she was actually due. So Max and Wink let me leave for a day or two. I worked the morning and left in the afternoon to go to Granby – about 4.5 hours away. It was a dude ranch I had helped them find and it was set in a park. It was so pretty. The whole family was making an appearance, except for their eldest, Will (one of my best friends from high school). He had to work (he is in the real world) and he had to work on his kitchen (he is redoing his house).

I arrived at King Mountain Ranch in time for dinner. It was great to see friendly faces from home – Mr. McEwen, Mrs. McCall, Sally (the graduate) and her friend Alexis. The middle child, Cory, was due to get in late. She was working and could not get away from work in Denver until after her day was done. We all hung out for awhile after dinner and then went to bed. It was going to be a long day tomorrow.

The next day we woke up for breakfast at 8. We woke up to snow, all around us. A white blanket gently covered us. After breakfast Sally, Alexis, Mrs. McCall and I went to an orientation about horses and then on a short ride. It had stopped snowing by the time we got on the horses, but it started up again for a short while when we were riding. It was a lot of fun to ride in the snow – something I have not done for a very long time, since Creste Butte.

It was soon lunch – Mr. McEwen had come back from golfing and Cory took a break from work. We had a lovely lunch. Our next activity was riding for Sally and Alexis and then the rest of us went to shoot skeet! We were up on a mountain, with the entire world to see. We each got a round of skeet. We made a rule, if we got three clay pigeons we would be able to have all the cookies we wanted. Everyone passed.

The rest of the afternoon was spent doing whatever, I napped and just took it easy. It has been forever since I have had time to just sleep and do nothing! It is a luxury that should not be taken for granted. Then it was dinner time.

The next morning we woke for breakfast. Mr. McEwen went to try golfing again – hopefully no snow. Mrs. McCall and I went for a ride. After lunch I hung around to watch a group try to herd cattle. It was pretty entertaining. I sadly left in the afternoon to begin my drive back to the farm; it was going to be a work day tomorrow. My trip with the McEwen family was so much fun! Thank you for my break from farming.

Last week I went on another outing, to another farm, Zephyros. This is a farm that is about 3 or 4 acres. They grow a lot of flowers and vegetables. They also have goats and sheep – to make cheese and to eat. We (Annon, Emily, Gail and I) went to work for a Saturday, next week their interns would come and work at our farm. We arrived at the farm at 6:30 and got a tour of the farm. It was impressive. Then we were put to work – weeding! All day long. It wasn’t too bad. We got to meet some new people and we were feed a good meal – lamb curry with rice. We were done by about 6.

This week, three interns from Zephyros came to our place and helped us. We got them to help us prune our grape plants. I think they enjoyed it. There was some weeding in the pruning, but no pulling; only cutting. We feed them a great meal, then sent them back out to prune. We began our work day at 8:30 until about 6. Not a bad day.

Today was interesting. Today we went to a slaughter house. Emily, Gail and I went to process chickens, 77 of them. It was a really cool experience. I think it is important to see how your food is killed and how it is treated. Thomas Keller of The French Laundry, raised his own rabbits and them slaughtered them. He thought it was important to see where his food came from and what was done to it. I agree.

We got to see the whole process – from the actual killing to the packaging. I won’t go into great detail, but there are 6 steps. First the killing (in a human and kosher way) by bleeding them, then the taking off the feathers by hot water and a spinner, then the singeing, then the removal of the insides, then the cleaning and finally the packaging. It was a cool experience. We were done cleaning the chickens, all 77 of them by 12:30. I think they started around 8, but we did not show up until 9. After lunch we cleaned up and packaged them. We were out of there b 3:15. I had a great time. Hopefully they will call me when they process beef and deer and other game. I think it is important for a chef to see how things are done – well really anyone.

Well that is about all I got. Things have been busy and I think after we have the pruning done, things will calm down, a bit. Or maybe that is only wishful thinking. We are still planting food. We are now able to pick strawberries and eat them. We have been eating the lettuces I planted (I didn’t kill them) and other various things. I have been experimenting with foods and spices and just loving it. I might stay out here longer, until November. I am just really enjoying life here. I miss life at home in the south, but Colorado living is just different. I could use to this. I can understand why my sister and my brother wanted to come to college out here. I might be the one who doesn’t leave…

Until next time…


ps - pictures are coming, soon, promise

I am sitting outside on my little stoop. I have the mountains, with still some snow at the top, as my view. The sun is still beating down on my back and I am probably the happiest I have been in years. It is beginning to get a little warmer here, but nothing like home (Birmingham, Alabama). Home is where humidity lives and dwells. Here in Colorado, it is PERFECT! It is hot, but not too bad, like sweat just pouring out of every pore. I have a little perspiration on my nose, but what’s new. It is a sweat that I will become accustomed with. The weather is really ideal with now.

The last time I wrote, I had been here for only a week or so. Now I have lived here for over a month and I am still learning and loving it! I have planted lots of vegetables and they are actually now growing. We have a bed of strawberries and we can now see little green strawberries beginning to sprout. We have one semi-red one – almost time to pick and eat. We have been eating spinach almost every night now. One of the reasons I chose to come to work at a farm was to reap the benefits of eating food pick steps from the kitchen. The taste is just incredible.

There are three beds right outside of the living quarters, a big bed, a circular bed and the infinity garden. The big bed is half filled with spinach and cilantro, while the other half is partly filled with weeds/flowers and some herbs and arugula. Hopefully soon we will plant some more. The circular bed is mostly filled with herbs (rosemary, parsley, oregano, thyme, tarragon), a couple strawberry plants, savory (like celery), and a few other things. The last bed, the infinity garden, is filled with radishes, lettuces and a few leftover things (spinach seeds).

Right now, we are working on the irrigation system for the grapes, peaches and apples. We are also working on pruning the wine grapes and thinning the apple trees. There are lots of both. But I am learning. The other farm work, such as planting and weeding, has been put on hold. Hopefully we will get help with the thinning of the apple trees. It takes about 30 minutes or so to just do one! We have finished pruning the old wine and table grapes. We will soon move on to pruning the younger wine grapes which should not take us as long (hopefully, fingers crossed).

A couple weeks ago, Max and Wink left to go to St. Louis for Max’s daughter law school graduation and her first grandchild (her son). Wink came home a week later, while Max stayed behind to help her children with the adjustment of life and a new baby. For the week, Anno (Wink’s youngest daughter) and I held down the farm. We were in charge and you know what, it was so much fun! We got a lot accomplished and had fun.

We had a few house guests during this time. A friend from C.C. (Colorado College) came by and stayed with her climbing partner for about 5 days. Althea, the friend from CC, helped us on the farm a day or two, but her and her friend, Emily, mostly went climbing.

They left to go on a wild adventure to Alaska to climb. Wink came home a day later and then another friend from CC came, Julia. I had met her before. About a month ago I went into Paonia to celebrate her birthday. She had even come to the farm to work a couple of days. She came to actually stay for a few days and help out, until leaving for her summer job/adventure, a leader on Outward Bounds.

Then it was suddenly Memorial Day. We had a bar b-que, well….we grilled hamburgers. Some more friends from CC came by to help us celebrate. Gregg and his girlfriend, Avery, another graduate from CC, and her mother and almost stepfather came by. Also Grady, a helper on the farm, and his girlfriend, Laura came. We drank beer and ate lots of food. It was nice to be able to unwind and just chill out with some friends. There was lots of talk about CC, so I now feel like an honorary graduate. They should make diplomas for that, I would have graduated from so many schools!

A few days ago, an intern arrived, earlier than expected, Emily. She is a senior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. She will be here working on the farm until August. A day or two after she arrived another intern came to work, Gale. She is working here part time and working at other farms around the North Fork. She is living just a mile down the street at the CSU research station. It is great to finally have all this help on the farm! It makes things go so much faster!

Life on the farm is still fantastic. I am still loving everything and enjoying being here. I think the coolest thing I have seen since I have been here are the bee hives. A few weeks ago, Mark, another organic farmer, came over and showed us how to put a new queen bee into the hive. You are supposed to put in a new queen every couple of years. Who knew?!? They ship the queen bee with a sugar pellet and enclosed with drones (basically boy bees that impregnate the queen. It was so cool to se the inside of the hive and the honey supers (where they store the honey and where the baby bees incubate). It was an awesome site. A bee hive is so interesting. They work as one and should be considered as one. I don’t think any one bee can live by itself. It needs all the bees to survive. By far the coolest thing I have seen yet!

The days on the farm are getting longer, so that means that summer is a coming. My daily schedule hasn’t really changed. I have more responsibility, which is a little scary. I now have a better understanding of what they talk about, well sort of. And I am getting faster at the tasks, like hoeing water ditches to irrigate the grapes, or pruning grape vines or thinning apple trees.

Well…until next time…

My new adventure has indeed begun. A new everything!

I have been here at Mesa Winds Farm for almost two weeks now and I have loved every minute of it, even the long hours. My hands are beginning to show sings of wear and tear, due to the hard work and the manual labor – something my hands are not used to seeing.

A little history before I tell you about my stay so far. Mesa Winds Farm was bought by a couple, Max and Wink. They bought the farm a few years ago and have made it their home, for the two of them and their dog, Monty. The farm is located in Hotchkiss, Colorado, the valley of the North Fork and the Gunnison River. It is a lovely town. Hotchkiss is sandwiched between two neighboring towns, Paonia and Delta. I have only seen the outer sides of both towns, but the small town of Hotchkiss is ideal.

The farm itself is about 36 acres. It is lovely. They have orchards for two types of apples and two types of peaches. They also have vines to grow different types of grapes, for wine making and for eating, table grapes. There are also two hoop houses, almost like green houses, that hold room for vegetables for us to eat on the farm – any leftover will be given up the farmer’s market. There is also an herb garden and small beds for vegetables to grow closer to home.

The living arrangements are apartments. The land does not have a house. Instead there are picker houses. There are six houses located at the front entrance. There are two rows, the first row houses Max, Wink and Monty. They converted two picker houses into one for them. The second row is four picker houses with two houses connecting. Each has a bedroom, bathroom and kitchen/living room. Not the entire second row is livable right now, but soon. One house the winery, one house is the tool room and then there are two houses are for people to actually live in.

My life for the past (almost) two weeks has been amazing. I have been working hard and sleeping hard. My day is pretty routine. I wake up about 7:45 and get dressed and get to work by about 8 or so, sometimes stopping for a cup of tea. For the first week I did a lot of planting with Max. We planted spinach, cilantro, different varieties of lettuces, three different kinds of onions, asparagus, raspberries and blackberries and cherry trees. There was a lot of digging and a lot of weeding! But it was a ton of fun. I can’t wait to see what I have accomplished. Right now, we can see the young sprouts of spinach and cilantro. It is very exciting!

A few days ago, a friend of Max and Wink’s, came over and taught us about pruning grapes – wine and table grapes. It was very interesting. We spent six hours roaming the fields and trying our hand at the pruning. It was very informative. He liked to talk.

The farm houses five hives, bee hives. They are located down by the irrigation canal and the cherry trees. I got to help Max (mostly by watching) put new houses on the hives. The new additions are for us, so we can collect this house and make honey. The bees live in two story houses. They use this honey to feed themselves and to house their young. It is really cool. Each hive has its own personality. I can’t wait to eat fresh honey from the hive! The buzzing noise is really pretty – soothing.

On top of the farm duties I am also cooking meals for the three of us. I usually do not make it to breakfast – but Max and Wink, usually fix that. Really good pancakes. I made lots of dishes, drawing inspiration from home – baked chicken with a compound butter, burritos, daddy’s pasta with pesto, soups and some other stuff. I have even done a little baking. I am in the process of making my Caramel Brownie Cheesecake! I can’t wait until the garden begins to produce food, so I can outside to pick out what I want to make. Talk about fresh food!

Max and Wink are very nice people and want to introduce you to their town and to their friends. They have made friends with some really neat people – I have only been able to meet a few, but then again, I haven’t been here long. A friend who is a chef is coming to dinner tomorrow. Hopefully, this will be a great contact later on in life. Max has been so kind to sign me up to work a few functions with the local talent here – big dinners! This will be an experience!! The area I am in is the most concentrated location in Colorado to house Organic Farmers! I can’t imagine working with such fresh produce – dairy, meat and vegetables. Oh my!

A few days ago, Max and I went hunting for wild asparagus. We found lots. That night we enjoyed fresh steamed asparagus for dinner. It was wonderful. The first day I arrived, Wink took me on a tour of the property. We found a few wild asparagus hiding and he cut one for me to eat. I ate it right there and it was so sweet! This is why I am here and I knew it at the moment.

My time here is just the tip of the iceberg. I am surrounded by amazing views of mountains, the babbling of the irrigation canal, and soon the sweet smell of ripe fruit. My hands are beginning to develop rough spots – from all the manual labor. I guess I’m not a southern belle anymore – Rhett Butler from Gone With The Wind said that you can always tell a lady by her hands. They should be soft and well groomed. Mine aren’t soft anymore, but they look nice, if I scrub off the dirt from under my fingernails. The farm was a great move for me. I am going to learn so much more than I thought I would. Food is not just about what you get on a plate, but where it comes from – what goes into growing it, how does it develop, what is ripe. You appreciate things far better if you put your blood, sweat and tears into something you love and I intend in doing just that this summer – watch out - - - -


ps - pictures might come later, if i can get my camera out

Buckle down, this is gonna be a long one...

Just a recap from my graduation, because I can brag about it. Graduating day I received a diploma from superior cuisine, a medal and a pin. But that’s not all. Since I completed both the cuisine and patisserie program I got a bottle of nice champagne, another medal and a huge, pretty, fancy diploma. I have received from 4 different Le Cordon Bleu schools (around the world) 7 diplomas, 3 medals, 6 pins, plus an award for being the top in my class. I even graduated with honors from my patisserie program. It was a great feeling to see what I have done in a year. An accomplishment.

The next adventure lined up was going to Africa for a month to work at a children’s village. I was in Tanzania, Africa, a couple hours from Arusha and about a 45 minute bumpy red dirt road car ride from Karatu. This was an amazing time and experience. I played and taught children, even disciplined when it was warranted. I even cooked in the kitchen. It was an amazing experience. I think everyone should try to go do it. Being apart of what they are trying to build is truly unbelievable. I don’t even know how to explain it, words and pictures just do not do it justice. You realize after being there what you truly value and maybe you get a little better understanding of yourself.

So then I jumped from the beauty of the mountains of Africa to the beauty of the ocean, the Bahamas. I spent some time with my family. Then dad and I went on a trip just us. It was wonderful. Hearing the sound of the ocean is soothing and gives you peace; at least it does to me. You almost forget how beautiful unspoiled land can be. I was blessed to experience it twice within a month and at such opposites of the spectrum.

I went home for about a month to relax and just do nothing. It got boring very quickly but I think that was good for me. It makes you realize just how much you want to work and do something you love or just to get a pay check! I left the beautiful land of Birmingham, Alabama to venture out to the mountain ranges of Colorado. Leaving home is never easy to do, but for some reason it was easier for me to do it this time. I drove through the marsh lands of Louisiana and hit the Lone Star State of Texas. I stayed here a few days to reconnect with old friends. The Freidlanders took me in for the night and feed me good home cooked food. The next day I went to see a friend from Le Cordon Bleu Paris, Beka. We talked for 2 hours and caught up on life and what we were doing now and where we were going. Then I went to see a friend from way back in the day, Paige Wolfe. I got to go out to dinner with her and her family (her dad, brother and new stepmother). It was great to see old friends and catch up with them. Early the next morning I drove to the pan handle of Texas, Amarillo, Texas. It was a long day of driving and I watched the temperature drop, from 70 to 49. It was rainy and cold when I pulled into the Hampton Inn for the night. But I got food and went back to the hotel to cuddle in the great cozy beds. Today was an easy drive and by far the shortest day yet, 6 hours to Denver, Colorado. I came from the flat lands of Texas through the hilly range of New Mexico and found salvation in the snow peaked mountain ranges of Trinidad, Colorado. I think my heart stopped because I was happy to see the mountains. I am staying here with a school friend, Cory McEwen and her boyfriend, Greg, for a couple of days. Then it is downward at a slight angle and to the left to Hotchkiss, Colorado where my new job awaits me as a private chef/hopeful gardener.

My journey is just now beginning. I think this adventure is going to be better then culinary school.

I realize it has been a couple of months since I have written...so sorry. But, good news! I DID GRADUATE FROM LE CORDON BLEU!!!

Graduation was lovely. Dad, Laura Lee, Mom and Mac came up for the occasion. I was so happy they were all able to come and help me celebrate. I just wish the rest of the family could have come, but oh well...they are happy for me as well, I know it.

We walked in with our chef coats and in our classes: basic, intermediate and then SUPERIOR. They called each class, cuisine then patisserie for each basic, intermediate and superior. Then Le Grande Diplome was called. There only four of us. We got called up on stage, given a gold medal, a huge and beautiful diploma and of course a bottle of really nice champagne! It was such a great feeling to be done and to have actually graduated!! After the graduation ceremony, people went to eat little foods and have more champagne. The superior students were toasted to first. We got the first glass...it was great.

After the ceremony and reception, we all went to relax for a bit, then met for dinner at 6:30. Dinner was amazing. We went to eat at a place called eighteen. The food was great and the wine was superb. The next day, I was going home with my diploma and the feeling of being done with culinary school! What a great feeling.

My holidays were spent cooking at home and also getting a non-paying job. I got to work at Bottega, a local restaurant that serves amazing food. The chef/owner owns three other restaurants and I got to help make desserts for all his restaurants. It was great work. A great experience.

Now I am getting ready to go once again out of the country. I am leaving for Africa, Tanzania to be more specific. I am going to work at a children's orphanage. My aunt, Laurie, worked here last year and said it was the most rewarding experience she has ever done. Now my aunt Laurie is an amazing woman, like every woman in our family. She cares and loves all children and does anything and everything she can for them. This is just more thing she does.

I am going to be there for about a month. We are going over a few days early to adjust to the time change. Then I will be at the village for a month, working. A friend of mine, Art, is coming as well to make a film about the village. It's gonna be a great time spent there. I am going to try to blog while I am there, but I am not too sure about the Internet usage...so it might be up later, when I get home. So until then....