Tuesday at Kreeky Tree

Life is so unwieldy, and, strange. Sometimes the thing you need is the thing that was always there. The thing that was always around you, waiting to be embraced. The last two weeks have been a wild whirl, which is why I missed posting Thursday past. But that is another story, one for this Thursday coming. Time of Obligation has shifted, opening space for new opportunities. Today begins something new.

This is the first of a new weekly, Tuesday at Kreeky Tree. 

Kreeky Tree has been in Slatington for four years. Chris and Allan raise and sell chickens and eggs, and also make and offer organic cured egg yolks, a multitude of jams, chèvre, goats milk ricotta, sauerkraut, and chicken stock on their Farm Store page. They do all this, and it is just the two of them. While the items on their store page are available for postage delivery, you must go to the farm for chicken. It is well worth the trip.

The road to Kreeky Tree is winding, tree-lined dirt and stone, wide enough for one car. You see open fields and an ancient mountain on one side, rhododendron, deciduous and firs on the other. You hear chickens calling, roosters crowing, ducks honking, donkeys, horses and goats speaking before your sight reaches the farm. The sounds of the life of the farm and the scent of deep green welcome you to a different space and time that Chris and Allan create, and live within. It is real beauty. 

I heard about Kreeky Tree from my friend Sarra, who knows them. I was told of a farm in the woods, where two people made a life change and a commitment to build a thing of value, together. I was smitten from the very start. One Farm Day, I was finally able to visit. There was a chill in the air and a light rain. The life on the farm was subdued. It was lovely.

I met Allan and Chris in person for the first time that day. I had followed them on Instagram for awhile before, and it was really nice to finally meet the real people. You can, too! They are preparing for another Farm Day, the 3rd Annual KTF Fall Farm Day, October 21 & 22, 28 & 29, from 10am to 4pm. 

Since that fall day, I have attended two of Allan's cooking classes, and have had the great pleasure of becoming acquainted with two remarkable humans. I have also come to understand how much work they do on their farm. 

While I may not be able to do much, I can do a little. I mentioned that I was neither adverse nor unfamiliar with farm work, and if I could be of use, I would love to come and help with whatever I could a day a week. And, so, I have, these last two Tuesdays.

I mucked out stalls last week, but I think I would probably double their bedding expense if I did it every week. It sometimes happens that in my eagerness to 'do a proper job' I go a little overboard. I also helped paint some coops. Among all the chickens, Allan raises a very particular breed of French chickens, poulet de Bresse, and paints a French flag on their coops, so I helped lay some background white. It's really cool. The chickens are really cool. At times, you can find the chickens on the menu of Bolete. You should call and ask when they will be offering them next. %^)

This week I helped with weed control. Kreeky Tree has a large, and very much alive, interesting garden where, among other things, they grow their chilis for the KTF hot sauce. One of the reasons I say it is 'really interesting' is because there is a variety of asparagus that currently has tiny crimson 'seeds' on the tips of the ferns. I have never seen anything like it. It is beautiful color and hard texture among the pale green feathered fronds.

A day a week on the farm grants me the opportunity to gain a feel for the life on their farm, something which I could honestly not even imagine. Something I wanted to write about.

This is the beginning of that.

I hope my weekly words do justice to the farm life Chris and Allan work so hard to nurture. Kreeky Tree Farm is a poultry farm, and so much more. It is a space of beauty that two people create. Join me next week to see and learn a little more of the beauty in our backyard.

Next week I will finally remember to take pictures and, if I pay attention, some audio. My Baby Brother, my Beautiful Sister-In-Law, and my Gorgeous Nieces (6 & 4) will accompany me on a visit to their farm. They live high in the skyline of Seoul, and I cannot wait to have my nieces walk on the ground of Kreeky Tree Farm. 

You can find writing of others on Kreeky Tree in the Huffington Post and in Modern Farmer. Check it out!

Until next week, here are some pictures from the first Kreeky Tree chicken I ever cooked. Recipes will follow at a later date.

Cheers!