- Potluck at Cranguyma Farms
The sun came out in the late afternoon yesterday, just in time to take the chill off the holly grove at Cranguyma Farms. There, across from the Blueberry Shed, Erin Glenn and her four WWOOFers (volunteer helpers who are part of the organization, World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms) had set the stage for a potluck ‘farm to fork’ dinner. About 30 of us gathered there, bringing garden bounty transformed into salads and casseroles, breads and wines.
The table, long enough to accommodate us all, was covered with beautifully embroidered and patterned cloths and there was no rhyme or reason to their overlapping arrangements. Nor did there seem to be any matching plates or drinking vessels. Some were glass, some enameled tinware, some crockery. The overall effect was magical. “They all belonged to my grandmother,” Erin said in her typically quiet way.
Participants in this feast-for-eyes-and-palates are members of Tilth on the Willapa – a group of organic farmers and gardeners devoted to the concept of sustainable local agriculture. “Tilth” is an Old English word that comes from the same root as the verb “to till” and is defined as “the structure and quality of cultivated soil” but was once also used to describe the cultivation of wisdom and the spirit. Tilth on the Willapa is a recently formed chapter of the Washington Tilth Association, a non-profit group which grew from a concept begun in Seattle in 1974.
Nyel and I might be called “small potatoes” in comparison to many of the members we rubbed elbows with last night. But, each time we go to a meeting or a potluck, we learn new things and are inspired all over again. And we were proud of our offering – potato salad made from our very own eggs, potatoes, and onions. Yum!
Fun read, filled with the spirit of the earth. We, here in Healdsburg, California, recently enjoyed a meal with Oysterville laid eggs and our own tomatoes, zucchini and cucumbers. During our time in the Northwest, O’Ville included, the two inch long zuke we left on the vine had grown to a magnificent foot plus long beauty!