Week 9: Things Happening Fast!

When things start happening, they start happening FAST! If you have driven by the land, you will see great changes happening every day. Our families have walked the land each evening to see the work being done and we are all constantly amazed. The first day, the bulldozers cleared a huge path from the front of the land all the way around to the back. After many months of walking in the woods, it was a bit strange to see part of it cleared away! Our kids had an absolute ball, however. The dirt that was packed down by the treads of the bulldozer became pieces of clay that they were going to make into pottery. The slope became a snowboarding hill. And then at the end of the paths, sat the bulldozers themselves! Who-hoo! We got to sit on them, “drive” them, see all the parts…does it really get any better than that?!

Since then, much more of the woods have been cleared away, gravel has been delivered and placed for erosion control, and a driveway has even been cut into the sidewalk. It is a wonderful feeling to see what has only been in our imagination actually becoming a reality. We urge you to come take a look. It of course is better to come by in the later afternoon after the work is finished so that there is no danger of getting in the way of the big machinery. And if you come by in the early evening, you might see some cute little boys pretending that this is their construction site, kingdom, ski jump, wilderness survival course….

Glimpse:
This week we began what we hope will be a long relationship with Coon Rock Farm, a local organic farm in Hillsborough. When we were planning the meal program for the new school, we visited several local farms to investigate the possibilities of providing our chef with local, organic fruits, vegetables, and meat. We were very pleased with the philosophy, commitment, and creativity of the folks at Coon Rock Farm and we began talks with them about next year. Together, we also determined that although we were not able to cook this year in our current facility, we could offer our families access to fresh, organic food through their Community Supported Agriculture program. In this, families sign up for a weekly delivery of fresh fruits, vegetables, even honey! As is the case with most of our ideas, our families jumped on this right away. So many families agreed to join, that the farm agreed to make our school a delivery site. Now every Thursday, the farm deliveries boxes and boxes of fresh food for our families to pick up. In addition to providing our food for our chef, we hope to continue to be a part of the CSA program next year as well.

If you would like to know more about Coon Rock Farm, please feel free to visit their website at www.coonrockfarm.com. They have also been written up in the most recent Southern Living, Edible Piedmont magazine, and the News and Observer Earth Day edition.