Phase teenager

So commences the awkward period; beyond the childhood epoch of apprenticing in cheeseplants, in caves, and with farmers, I am not yet the entrepreneurial full-fledged farming adult.  Tempting as it is to keep hopping from one bucolic landscape to another, this initial training period grows stale as I look toward embedding myself into one lone farm.

An initial trip to Vermont was lovely.  I visited Twig Farm again about a seasonal job, two farm properties for sale, two individuals seeking farm partners for cheesemaking, and one Ben Waterman of the UVM Extension office about land possibilities.  I also spent an evening in Burlington to discover where all the other Subaru Outbacks were living these days and where the bearded men had been hiding.  While these visits filled me with excitement at the farming potential, I have yet to decide on the opportunity most worthy of seizing.

Currently, I am in Providence visiting some friends as well as one of my original inspirations, Anne Petersen from Rosasharn Farm.  I'm hoping to chat with Matt Jennings of cheese shop, Farmstead, Inc., and the folks at Farm Fresh Rhode Island and Narragansett Creamery.  I'd like to get a sense of the market for cheese here in Providence, as well as the possibilities for leasing time in a cheesemaking facility.  Phase Trying to Farm and Make Cheese on a Budget: Go!