Kluge

The NY Times book review section recently added a word to my lexicon – kluge. Rhymes with huge and means “a clumsy or inelegant – yet surprisingly effective – solution to a problem.”  Best example is the Apollo 13 space mission’s use of duct tape and socks to fix a life-threatening carbon dioxide crisis.  I’m convinced that kluge is really a word invented by farmers as we face day to day problems and crisis on the farm.

Both Paul and I remember literal baling twine and wire used as a fix all for equipment, gates and tools on our home farms.  Today, no self respecting farmer would wander far without a can of WD-40 and a roll of duct tape.  It seems that much of our operation runs on pure kluge power.

Of course, the real issue is how “inelegant” the solution is and how permanent the inelegance.  Makeshift wiring, extension cords and other powering methods work well for the moment, but after time those quick fixes actually hinder the operation, moving from unsightly to irritating or even hazardous.  So while we certainly run on kluge power here at the farm, our objective is really to use that spark of ingenuity in solving a problem toward something much more elegant and sustainable.

The problem of course is that once you’ve fixed something, who wants to waste any more time and energy on making the fix better?  At what point do you tip over from effective solution to a complicated and expensive solution that really is no better than the original short fix?  And how much of our kluging (oh, I’m just making up tenses to this verb as we go along!!!) is stopping a symptom of the problem instead of the real problem itself?  I know that all of these are questions you could apply to a dozen “fixes” around your own houses, garages and work as well.

I’d like to tell you we have an elegant matrix or flow chart we use in evaluating and solving these problems.  But that’s not true. Much more of our solutions are borne of two things – the problem becomes untenable and affects other areas of the farm, or it just gets to the point where it drives us crazy and our anxiety and frustration causes us to take a deeper look at the problem and all its roots.

From a big picture perspective, we’d love to have all the problems or possible problems mapped out like they talk about in all the management books and articles.  The reality is that many days there are simply too many alligators to conquer until we remember that our objective is to drain the swamp.  What this means to you, is that sometimes we’ll get it right – all the preparation laid out will get everything done when and how we planned.  AND sometimes, we won’t.  Those times we’ll come up with some stop gap kluge that allows us to work through the job, hopefully having the time, energy and wherewithal to go back and add some elegance and permanence to the solution.  In the meantime, hang with us as we juggle all the details – know that we always remember that our job is to feed you and your family each and every week – a job we all take very seriously, putting our best kluges forward.  Enjoy and eat well.

What’s Cooking?

We are so tickled to have chef David Swanson as a regular feature each week right here at our website. David introduces himself this week, running through his chef credentials and love of local food. Each week, David will open up his CSA box and share his impressions and ideas with you. While you hear David’s voice going through the items in the box with ideas for preparations and meals, you’ll see each produce item on the slideshow, so no confusion when faced with hakuri turnips or fancy radishes. Now, the audio/slideshow feature may take up to two minutes to load (an eternity in the world of internet waiting), but we think the 120 seconds of waiting is well worth the time and slight irritation

We’re so glad that David is able to join us this season and feel confident that his advice and experience will help you utilize your CSA share even better. Welcome David.

Art Camp on the Farm

Again this year, we are so happy to have art teach Paul Kapral back at the farm in our artist in residence program. Paula has put together an incredible art program that focuses on creativity in nature. Artists and budding artists of all ages are welcome to come spend time on the farm as Paula leads you through an exploration of color, sounds and tastes. It’s an event that my kids look forward to all winter. Click here for the art on the farm brochure.