Indian Creek Farm

TREE HUGGERS and ecologists have a rule of thumb:  For every tree you cut down, you must plant 35,000 more.

Zorro couldn’t care less about that rule or any other.  But Lewis Billy was contemplating the notion while brushing his teeth last week.

“We have exactly 35,000 fruit trees ready to plant in the spring,” he mused.  “Can’t we apply that credit to one Xmas tree?”

Brilliant work, LewBill!  You eased our Yuletide guilt.  So, the gang fanned out and went hunting for the perfect evergreen.

Just a homely troupe of farmers on the slow slog of democracy.  How many votes for that tree?  How many for this one?

Partisan bickering blinded the collective to the most perfect specimen of all.  But before long a Christmas compromise was in the works.

Nobody delights in a watered-down solution so much as The Reaper.  He will have his tree, and all parties will accept vanilla.

A few sparkles raised everyone’s spirits, though Balto fretted about pine needles mussing the rug.  You know the type.

Extra lights spilled onto the tractor and a new tradition was born.  The Tall Boy is lit for the winter and says, “We’re Open.”

That’s right, the farm stand is open daily in self-serve mode.  We’ll have fresh apple cider and assorted premium apples for the next few months.

Order 4+ gallons at (607) 793-3560 for only $5 a gallon.  We even have apple sauce growing on trees—stick a spoon right into these old mushballs.

On slow news days, we like to feature the work of our friends.  Last time we reported on a fresh crop of paintings.  This week, a new book.

Ithaca author Brad Edmondson has written “the riveting story of one of the world’s most iconic mission-driven companies” with ties to Ithaca.

Ice Cream Social is available now on Amazon, and you can see Brad’s new site for supplemental material not found in the book.

Ice Cream Social makes a great gift for friends interested in sustainability and social justice in food production and business management.  Happy New Year’s Eve from all of us at The ‘Creek.

AS THE DAYS GET SHORTER, so do these newscasts.  In today’s edition, we thank the several thousand (!) of you who tune in each week, and the handful of diehards who have been shopping at the stand this December.  That’s right, we’re still open every day with apples, cider, and sundry foodstuffs.

We have to keep the show going, after all.  That’s what Farmer Sergei says.  He’s machining the winter mud with obvious urgency.

Just a few more weeks before the ground is hard.  So Farmer Ducky is mucking, too, under a darkening sky in ice-cold slop.

And Lewis Billy, he’s mucking around with a faroff stare.  His revery is evident: rhythmic daydreams of summer bounty.

But there are bright spots.  Get 4 gallons of cider for only $5 each!  Please call the Cidermeister (607-793-3560) to arrange a pickup.

We have mutsus, honeycrisps, and other apples for snacking, pies, and sauces.  Just come inside and use the self-serve thing.

Last chance for the cutest Brussels sprouts ever.  As you can see, perfect size for packing in your holiday travel bags.

The Boston architect John Rufo, principal at Form+Place, is a friend of the farm.  He has never been here, but he reads the Crop Alerts.

He has been painting Indian Creek tractors, inspired by photos on the blog.  John calls the paintings “Machine Motifs.”

They are lovely, architectural pieces—especially to the eye of a tractor-lover.   The mechanical beasts are part of our farm family.

They are rendered in oils and mixed media on 8- and 10-inch boards.  You can see these paintings and many others on John’s web site.

You can contact John Rufo with inquiries about the paintings, purchases, and so on.  Many thanks, John, for taking a painterly view of the farm.  And to the rest of you, hope to see you at The ‘Creek.