Summer on the farm at RootedNW!

“I could never in a hundred summersget tired of this.” ~ Susan Branch

What’s Happening Down on the Farm?  From celebrating the summer solstice, to school visits, to helping Reconnecting Roots Farm set up the very first hoop house on the land, a lot has been happening this summer at Rooted NW! Unlike a greenhouse, a hoop house (also known as a polytunnel) allows crops to be planted directly in the ground. They use only the power of the sun to warm the soil and promote growth. Hoop houses can be used year-round.

Although she couldn’t be there in person, Susan, an out-of-state member, wanted to make a contribution to our annual Summer Solstice celebration.  Susan is a great seamstress and craftsperson, and enjoys creating projects using scrap material.  The fabric for these three beautiful banners were donated by a local upholstery shop where she lives. She created the Rooted NW logo by hand, using rulers and round plates to make the shapes. The tree of life was her own artistic interpretation.

One banner was left intentionally plain so that the solstice celebrants could decorate it themselves. They used block prints created by Yuko – a local member and artist – or designed their own, then added their imprints to the piece. All ages had fun creating this work of art. The three beautiful banners now adorn an old barn wall, adding cheer during work parties and events. Thank you Susan and Yuko!

Education Rooted Style! “Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder.” ~ E.B. White Seattle’s Bright Water Waldorf School visited Rooted NW for our first official educational event. (We hope our future will include many more!) The 3rd -and 4th-grade kids’ field trip was a day of hands-on learning and experiential engagement with Nature. What an opportunity for building connections with soil, forests, and ecosystems! They started with a little invocation of the directions and simple smudge ceremony after learning about the Stillaguamish people. The day’s activities included a treasure hunt on the land, building shelters from natural materials at hand, and mapmaking and orienteering. Rooted NW member Brett from Reconnecting Roots Farm also taught the kids about planting the season’s corn and sunflower crops.

Of course, romping around on the hay bales (aka giant marshmallows) and exploring the fields and trails completed a day of joy and wonder for all!

Meet a Member  Meet John. Originally from NY’s Catskill Mountains, John hitchhiked out to the Pacific Northwest, turning 20 on the road. It wasn’t long before the area felt like home, but he kept moving nonetheless! Highlights from his adventures include several months each in China, Ireland, and England, plus nearly two years in Bavaria. His wanderlust waned by the time he turned 30, and since then he has been deepening his appreciation for the beings and dynamics of the land and sea so cherished by hundreds of generations of Coast Salish peoples. Union activism, youth services, and managing the water resources program of a local tribe have been some of his eclectic pursuits over the past decades. He’s excited about joining Rooted NW where care and respect for land, water, and all living things is such a central tenet.

Permaculture Dave says:  “Summer is here and the harvest is probably rolling in for all you gardeners. If you’re getting good marks for abundance, that probably means you’ve got more fruits and vegetables than you can eat fresh. Time to get canning! Canning in the house on a hot summer day can be awful, so consider setting up an outdoor kitchen. Outdoor kitchens are great design features for enjoying more time outside and having your food prep happen as close to the garden as possible, especially if you’re a canner. Plus, if you make a mess, it’s way easier to deal with outside than in the house!

The simplest way to plan an outdoor kitchen is to locate it right outside the house from your indoor kitchen so you can share utilities (gas, water, sewer, electric) easily. That won’t always work out, but it’s a good place to start. Alternatively, you could even do a pop-up outdoor kitchen that you just set up for the summer and fall. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive to have the experience of hummingbird visits while you’re canning your cherries!”Dave Boehnlein – Rooted NW Memberand Permaculture Author/Educator

New Members & Explorers  Like a good crop, we just keep growing! Since our last newsletter in May, we’ve grown by three new member households — greetings to Morgan, Kris, and Dan & Avital. And a warm welcome to our newest explorers, Tricia & Mike, and Abby & Jacob. Although we are almost full, it’s not too late to get involved. We are  actively seeking farmers. This 30-minute video outlines our agriculture vision and describes how we plan to combine cohousing with community-supported agriculture. Please watch and share! We are also adding folks who are not farmers to an “interest pool” in case spots open in future.

Join us! Want to learn more about how we’re combining co-housing and regenerative agriculture to create a dynamic new community in Arlington, Washington?  Subscribe to this newsletter at rootednw.org. And be sure to check us out on Instagram and Facebook.  Photos by Rooted NW members.