Casey O’Neill is a farmer and owner of Happy Day Farms in Laytonville, Calif. The opinions expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect the views of The Mendocino Voice. If you’d like to write your own column for The Mendocino Voice, send your idea to info@mendovoice.com.
Eating a midnight Gala apple with peanut butter after arriving home late from the Hog Farm and Friends in Open Celebration event. Thinking about our farming mentors who have taught us so much over the years. Thinking about the joys of being in community, gathering to see live music and share food and fellowship. It makes me happy to have such great fun so close to home, and it all weaves together into the tapestry that is my life.
Getting apples from John and Marbry at Redtail Ranch is a keystone in our CSA vegetable subscription service along with our farmstand and other sales channels, and they make the best late-night snack ever! John and Marbry have given much as mentors, teaching us over the years since we were young farmers starting out. One of my great delights is to talk farming with them in the downbeats during markets, sharing in the universal truths of weather, soil, growth, the celebration of successes and the inevitable commiseration of hardships and failure.
After our late night return Friday night from our time with the Tokeland Seniors Club, I spent Saturday morning unloading the van of all the empty totes and coolers. It takes several hours to wrap things up from the week, cleaning, organizing, restocking and getting ready for the week to come. We’re coming to treasure the biweekly trips to the Bay Area, building relationships, connection, and participating in community while learning to manage our schedules and expectations around farming and family so that the pieces fit together smoothly.
We had hoped to make it down for Hot Buttered Rum, but a necessary afternoon nap had us arriving just as our friends, the Real Sarahs, came on, playing a beautiful set that brought me deep joy as I relaxed in a borrowed chair and chatted with friends while listening to the music. We ate communal dinner Hog Farm style (big shoutout to Mary Jane and the team for feeding everyone in style and grace!) enjoying fellowship and food with friends at the big picnic benches.
After dinner, we adjourned to another mentor and treasured farmer friend’s space at Irene’s Garden to pick flowers from her incredible acre of U-Pick blooms. Listening to the warmup music from Poor Man’s Whiskey (“Hey, what song is this? It’s a sound check song”) as we harvested, I remembered being on the same spot doing the same thing a year ago listening to the same music, and I reveled in the sense of continuity in my life. We had forgotten to bring headlamps, but cell phone flashlights stuffed into shirt pockets and clipper holsters worked well enough to bring in 400 stems of varying marigold, celosia, globe amaranth, stattice, zinnia and strawflower.
With harvest complete and the buckets stowed in the van for transport home, we headed back into the show. Amber brought her LED hula hoop and we smoked a doobie with friends and watched the music while she mesmerized us with the twirling lights of the hoop. Hog Farm events are always crucial for getting to see old friends and have time to catch up outside the hustle and crush of daily life, which is a key part of the joy of festivals at Black Oak Ranch.
I love the magic that well-produced festivals create, the basket the forms to hold and foster joy is one of the most special human experiences we can have. Big gratitude to Biahsa, Ella, and the whole Hog Farm team for holding it down so tough for our community, and to all the Hog Farm elders who created such a magical place that has touched so many people for decades. Y’all work hard so we can have fun, and it damn sure means a lot to us!
I love being part of a community of farmers, both the connection we share in the work, but also the bounty that moves among us. This week we got our first shipment of potatoes from Wild Rose Farm through the Humboldt Food Hub, and I’m delighted by their return to our plates and our CSA program. Relationships between farms and distribution channels make up the circulatory system of the local food system, building strength and resilience for our communities.
We’ve been working through the MendoLake Food Hub for years, feeling supported and appreciated for our efforts and delighted to see our produce go out to land around the county. Seeing our salad mix on the shelves at Mariposa has been a deep delight this season, though we’re in a slight production downbeat that has us missing this coming week.
Deep gratitude to all the people who make our local food system what it is! We each play a part, for people are the whole makeup that creates the sum-is-greater-than-its-parts that we call community, and it is good. As always, much love and great success to you on your journey!