Water, Wool and Peaches

I have my second "Getting Stitched on the Farm" class this coming weekend. It is the "Celebration of Flowers and Color" theme and I am really excited to meet the students. (Still 2 spaces available if anyone is up for a last minute trip!) A lot of cleaning up to do. Going to be tough to get much done outside with all the rain we are expecting this week! Yes, more rain, on top of Irene.

My garden is so waterlogged. Doesn't look like I will have too many tomatoes. Most are green and the ones that are turning red are splitting at the seams. I have nothing to complain about though. All this news about the damage caused by Hurricane Irene just a few minutes from our farm. It's hard to believe that just a mile down the hill from our house, the only covered bridge in Greenfield is dangling. The Green River made a new path..... as seen on this video. So many farmers have lost their entire crop. This video from Evening Song Farm in Vermont is unbelievable. Their farmland literally washed away down the river. The stories keep on coming. On the other side of our small town, a house was picked up off its foundation and swept down the river. I went to have a look the other day and took this photo of the river which has widened its path. The only thing left of the home was the shed.

I got a note from one of my readers named India who happens to be the aunt of our friend Addie. Addie's family home in Vermont was totally flooded and many family treasures were lost forever down the river. Her family, like so many other families in Vermont and western Massachusetts, is living with family members until their home can be repaired. India, Addie's aunt and a passionate knitter (besides being a loyal blog-reader) is spearheading a campaign for handknit donations for the flood victims of Vermont. (And we all know how cold it gets in Vermont in the winter!) From her Press Release:

"On August 28, Hurricane Irene visited Vermont. Although my town was spared the worst, many towns throughout the state suffered devastating flooding. My husband’s brother, sister, and mother narrowly escaped the rising waters of the Mad River, which inundated their home and their village, soaking everything in its path, taking out roads and bridges, and leaving behind inches of muck and piles of debris.

My family was lucky. Many of their things, including their clothing, are salvageable. But many others are not so fortunate. Though it is still quite warm here, we all know that soon the weather will turn much colder, and people will reach for that favorite sweater or scarf, only to remember that it’s gone.

I’m collecting donations of handknit hats, scarves, mittens, sweaters, socks, blankets, baby items, and knitted toys, items for anyone from babies through adults, to distribute to flood survivors in Vermont and upstate New York. If you would like to ply your needles for people in need, please contact me, India Tresselt, at warmhearts2@gmail.com. Thank you!"

I find knitters to be such generous people. I wish India luck. Maybe you have a wool hat that doesn't fit you? I'm sure someone in VT might like to wear it this winter! 

Not to get you all too depressed, check out this fun project being done in the UK to celebrate wool. Get a group of knitters together and make a pom pom sheep or two! It's Wool Week in the UK this week. Wonder what they have cooked up.

And speaking of cooking. I made this recipe from Food52 and it sure was delish! 

I added 1/3 cup of almonds (pulverized in my coffee grinder) to the crust, and it added a nice crunchy texture. (Also used all veggie oil instead of Amanda's use of part olive oil.) Really quick to do. It was hard not to eat the whole thing! Think it might be great with plums too.