Melanie, me, Khaiti and my eldest daughter
Today was International Women’s Day, so it seems highly appropriate that Farmer Khaiti of LTD Farm (Living the Dream) in Wisconsin and her sister Melanie, Wwoofer extraordinaire recently returned from South America, came by for a visit while they were on Vancouver Island for a family wedding.
Khaiti picking kale
The sun shone, the air was warm, the coffee was great and the company better. Khaiti and I met through blogging and commenting over the last couple of years, and when we finally met today in person, it was like continuing a conversation with friends we knew well but hadn’t seen for a bit. We wandered around the farm in the sunshine, and when Khaiti saw the self seeded kale running amok in my veggie garden, her face lit up. It wasn’t long before we all had dirt under our nails and on the soles of our shoes. In the manner of farmers the world over, we traded what we could provide from our own bounty – they took home a couple of grocery bags stuffed with fresh picked kale and a dozen eggs, plus some lentils grown by my friend Bryce of Saanichton Farm. All the way from Wisconsin, Khaiti had brought us a cornucopia of different varieties of the goat milk soap she makes so well, and a jar of home made herb infused salt (16 herbs) – I don’t know whether to use it as a rub for chicken first, or try it as topping for foccaccia. Maybe we’ll do both.
We were a choir of farmy, foody voices singing from the same score. Over and over again, our conversational ideas resonated and heads nodded or pitch changed in excited agreement or sympathetic indignation. We have similar values regarding livestock, food, and culture, and it felt good to be with fellow travellers on the same journey. I love what Melanie wrote in our guestbook, because I think it should be said to everyone who reads this blog, so many of whom are trying to make a difference in whatever way we can:
“Thanks for working for the world! Rock ON!”
Sailors Small Farm 
Wait! What? We…like…are allowed to meet each other? Like…in person? But you’re Canadian!
Lol…yup…
…and they’re Canucks too.
What a great day that must have been; I can hear the enthusiasm and buoyancy from the visit in your words. Lovely gifts to have shared with each other, and the rest of us. Love the sound of the herb infused salt, by the way, and I’d try both applications!
We tried the salt tonight on some roast veg, and it was wonderful. And yes, it was a fun day – despite all of us being quite tired – we’d been to the airport at 430 am to send off the other daughter on a trip to Europe, and they’d stayed up very late for some family festivities related to the upcoming wedding. Sunshine, coffee and good energy buoyed us all up.
Sending your other daughter off to Europe – that was a very big day! The roast veg must have been tasty. Forgot to say it was great to see a rare photo with you in it! 🙂
Probably a bigger day for that younger daughter – because you can’t get there from here, they had a 6 hour layover in Toronto, a couple of hours in Frankfurt and arrived in Madrid 19 hours after they left home, just in time for an afternoon tour of the museum, and a special feast that night before finally being able to flop into bed. Not that she told me all that – the teacher sent an email :).
How fun! And what a great picture of you all!
That is so wonderful that you all met up in person and a special bonus that it was so unseasonably sunny and warm.
Farmy foodie people are my favorite…
Funny how food and farming go together…
Love that photo of you all; it sound like you had a blast! One day when you’re least expecting it you may just open your door to a bunch of Kiwis – but first I need to work on some suitable gifts for exchange. Khaiti has set the bar rather high…:D
It was a blast. The soap was by pre-arrangement, though the quantity wasn’t! Gifts are not part of this visiting thing. You just get on up here. I will begin taste testing suitable local substitutes for Crema right away – tough work, but I’m down for it. :).
Sounds awesome although we’re still a couple of years away from departing these shores. In the meantime, taste-test at leisure 🙂
So cool! Sounds like you ladies had a great time. I’m envious. I’d love to be able to meet my blogger-friends in person. Melanie will be spending a couple of weeks here this summer and we’re excited about that. She discovered our farm through Khaiti’s blog. I love how blogging can connect us.
It was cool. Khaiti and Melanie are lovely people, and Melanie is pretty excited herself to be going down to White Flint Farm this summer.
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Oh DAWN!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wasn’t it just the most surreal experience!? It was just so absolutely amazing to meet you and have such a wonderful time chatting and learning about each others’ experiences and thoughts. Your daughter was so lovely to meet as well! My face is hurting from smiling as I read your post. What a dear woman you are, thank you for allowing us into your home, for sharing your delicious and thoughtful gifts. That kale ALL was eaten up over the week, and it was a pleasure to have some dirt on my jeans from picking! The eggs were so enjoyed too, thank you so much. I can’t wait to use the Sooke salts on a roasted Bubster and to the cook up the lentils, although I may have to try seeding some of them in the garden as well! Mel had a really wonderful time and really loved to have the chance to talk about her travels with such a rapt audience. Thank you thank you!!!
Thanks for fitting us into your family time up here. The weather broke basically the day of the wedding, I believe, and we’ve been getting drizzle and rain ever since, making the time you were here seem golden by comparison. Mt Work has been socked in with fog or cloud since that weekend, so hopefully you got up there before that happened. Our younger daughter got back from Italy today, and reminded me of Melanie with the bubbling over of anecdotes and adventures, new foods, things learned. We now have a different goat milk soap from you in every soap dish in the house, and the one with the coffee has become my favourite handwashing soap after working outside. I’ve used the herbed salt a few times now – roast potatoes might be my favourite, but I’m about to do a chicken this weekend, and will try it as a rub. MMMM….
Awww, glad she arrived back home safely and excited. Love to picture you with soaps at al your stations around the home, I love that coffee soap for garden hands clean up too! All the best and thank you again for welcoming us into your home!