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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK B Wednesday, October 17, 2012 Hampshire @ Review.com Panhandle Living JULIE LANDIS Review Staff Woven together like a tapestry, the separate but cohesive parts of Taproot Farm make the 20-acre spread a joyful place to visit. In their fourth year of building a homestead farm, Beth and Tim Reese have accomplished more than most people could imagine. After living in Arlington, Va. for 25 years and raising three children there, Beth and Tim were looking forward to the next stage of their lives. Experiencing an empty nest after sending their youngest off to college, they found a small piece of land just outside of Capon Bridge. Not sure exactly what they would be doing, the Reeses did have some goals in mind to live healthy by growing their own food, to have a homestead where family and friends could gather and to foster creativity. Were letting it evolve organical- ly, Beth said. From an artists studio to goats and honeybees, the farm has a little sam- pling of everything. When you arrive, the two farm dogs, Banjo and Pick, greet you with gusto. Both dogs were adopted from a pet rescue site. The Reeses drove six hours to adopt Pick who had originally lived in Bloomery. The Reeses house is built out of Structurally Insulated Panel (SIP) con- struction that involves sandwiching in- sulating foam between two structural facings. This results in construction that is strong, energy efficient and cost effective. The Reeses use geothermal heating and cooling, solar panels and radiant heat in their floors to make their home more energy efficient. A passive solar design was also used when building the home to capture the sun and wind and utilize their power most effective- ly. Across the creek from their home sets a little outbuilding that is not un- like a fairy cottage. The artists studio, dubbed Querencia, is called a cob cot- tage and is built out of straw bales and clay from the farm. The cottage was built as a workshop model where people interested in learning about natural building could obtain firsthand knowledge on how to build a structure using all natural ma- terials. Local residents along with people from all over the east coast signed up for the workshop taught by Sigi Kodo of Down to Earth Designs. All local materials were used in the construc- tion, and over the course of building Querencia, hundreds of workshop par- ticipants were involved. The participants shared the common interest and passion of building natural homes. The spirit of the building pro- ject was reminiscent of an old-fash- ioned barn raising. The finished workshop is able to withstand earthquakes, flooding, fire and hurricanes. A variety of art pro- jects, from sculpting to painting, take place within the walls of the work- shop. Beth also holds meditation sit- ting groups there every week. On the rooftops of their home and studio, small green plants make the ar- eas into living spaces to capture rain- water and reduce runoff. As far as farming, Beth and Tim are working to make their farm sustain- able. The farm has, but is not limited to, a vegetable and fruit garden, fruit trees, honeybees, chickens, hogs and lambs. Its small scale and sustainable we are doing a homestead, Tim said. Their garden is called potager, which is a French word for soup. In essence, the garden is an eclectic mix of all types of farming. There are raised beds that can be covered with low tunnels to sustain the crops until January. Crops also grow in long rows that are not tilled. Vertical spaces are used to grow climbing vines like beans and cucumbers. Herbs, berry bushes and fruit trees are interspersed among the vegetables and colorful flowers. A pair of guinea fowl prances around the garden and eats insects and other garden pests. This half-acre garden is surrounded by a 7-foot high deer fence that makes the area feel like you are walking into a private, secluded space. Next to the garden, is a permacul- ture patch that appeared on its own this spring where the hogs had previ- ously been kept. The patch has pro- duced a bountiful supply of fruits and vegetables. A compost pile and manure from the animals help the Reeses replenish the soil that has been depleted by hun- dreds of years of farming. They grow everything organically, so pesticides or other harmful sprays are not used. Instead, crop rotation is utilized to fool the intruders. There is no such thing as a spotless apple in nature, Beth said. The animals that live on the farm stay in mobile quarters so they can be easily moved around the farm to greener pastures. This helps to fertilize the soil and prevents the animals from depleting the grass. The animals include Boer goats, Katahdin sheep, Hampshire-Berkshire hogs and three different breeds of chickens. The Reeses want all of their animals to have grass under their feet, fresh air and sunshine. All of the breeds are relatively docile and weather-hardy. We want the animals to be outside, Tim said. Many of the animals come with in- teresting stories. The goats were ac- quired from a mother of a 4-H student from Martinsburg who had lost inter- est in them when she began dating. All of the goats have been named after musicians, and the lambs share their names with first ladies. We have small flocks that rotate in and out of the farm as we process them, Beth said. The Reeses also participate in World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) where interns come and stay at the farm to learn more about organic farming. So far, the Reeses have hosted volunteers from London, Chicago and Charleston. The interns live on the farm for about a month and are treated like part of the family. We love to have young people around they are full of energy, Beth said. Their three children, Jenny, Kate and Allen, are all in their 20s and love to visit the farm and bring friends with them. The Reeses are in the process of building a small barn so the animals can have shelter from the elements. They are also installing a high-tunnel greenhouse in the near future with help from the National Resources Conservation Service. Their beehives sit next to the small fruit orchard to give the honeybees easy access to fruit blossoms. A small pond has recently been built for fish- ing, watering livestock, irrigation and recreation. So much happens at Taproot Farms but the atmosphere is so relaxing that it is hard to believe that it is a working farm. The Reeses insist that they have made many mistakes along the way, but the mistakes are not evident and the farm is warm and welcoming. We are in awe of people who do this so much better than us. We are learning all of the time, Beth said. We have the basics of life on our farmstead and have the door open to family and friends. The Artist’s Studio (below) includes a sitting nook and a “nest” ceiling inside. Outside you’ll find a cob oven and a meditative labyrinth. Beth and Tim outside their Honesty Store, where you can buy their farm fresh food on the honor system. AN Organic EVoLUTION Taproot Farm mushrooms into a hub for arts, food and contemplation that owners Beth and Tim Reese simply call home LIFE ON THE FARM Tim picks tomatoes, pigs chow down, Beth feeds the sheep, and Tim and Beth keep bees. Vinegar tales Nora Kimble, Weekly Chat, Page 6B Apple time Melinda Chambers, Homespun, Page 4B
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