COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 14, 2015
D RIVERS
H ORSES
Continued from page 1A
lot like turning back the
clock.
Bernard said Ruby and Am-
ber’s always has visitors, wheth-
er it’s a handful of interns intent
on learning the biodynamic sys-
tem at the farm or the cars full
of customers for the farmstand
out front. On its 70 or so acres
— most of which is worked with
good old-fashioned horsepower
— they learn the intricacies of
a system that Bernard says can
be every bit as productive as the
mechanized farming methods
that have largely replaced it.
“Biodynamic farming is high-
ly sustainable, and it offers high
yields without a lot of off-farm
inputs,” Bernard said. “Fertil-
izers and other inputs are pro-
duced on the farm as much as
we can.”
Horses, Bernard says, are a
key component of the farm; they
run on fuel that’s available on
the farm, and their manure be-
comes compost, feeding a circu-
lar system that aims to continu-
ally nourish itself.
“It’s slower, but it’s all about
scale,” he said. “If you set it up
right, you can work just as effi -
ciently. It can also be quite prof-
itable with horses if you factor
into it the ability to sell their
offspring.”
Unlike tractors, Bernard said
horses appreciate in value, and
at the end of their lifespan, it’s
possible to get a net positive re-
turn on money invested in them.
The Pacifi c Northwest is one of
two hotspots for the use of draft
horses, with the other being the
Northeast.
“More people are using them
than you think,” said Bernard,
who added that the region hosts
an annual gathering of draft
horse devotees.
Briner can be counted among
the draft-horse faithful. She said
she fi rst experienced farming
with horses on a farm in eastern
Washington and that she loves
driving a team.
“I try to fi nd ways to justify
it,” she said. “I love the pace of
the work; it’s challenging and
keeps me engaged, and I’m fas-
cinated with the way the horses
are a part of the farm. It’s im-
portant to have animals for the
overall fertility of the system.”
Ruby and Amber’s will host
another afternoon of visits to
its pumpkin patch this Sunday,
Oct. 18 from 12-4 p.m. The
farm is located at 75976 Booth
Kelly Camp Road.
APC
Continued from page 1A
kindergarten coordinator po-
sition in 1989, she started for-
mulating plans for the resource
center and “buying stuff” that
could prove useful. On Oct. 9,
1990, Lintula paced the halls
in the district offi ce, wondering
nervously if anyone would show
up at the newly opened facility.
Soon, a car pulled up, and from
it emerged Jennifer, Julie and
Martha Anderson, whom Lintu-
la referred to as the “fi rst fam-
ily” of A Primary Connection, a
family that again gathered there
for last week’s celebration.
“I look around me, and I see
the faces of so many that have
11A
given so much to this effort,”
Lintula said. “It takes a commu-
nity to sustain a family resource
center.”
Lintula especially recognized
Dudley and longtime employee
Leslie Canales.
“There are not two people on
this earth that I love, respect or
appreciate more,” she said.
South Lane Superintendent
Krista Parent said that, while
budget constraints have at times
threatened A Primary Connec-
tion and its umbrella organiza-
tion, Parent Partnership, the
need for the service it provides
has never been in doubt.
“Support for families before
they enter K-12 education is
vitally important,” Parent said,
adding that she believes having
A Primary Connection at LCC
can be of assistance to young
parents attending classes there.
At the celebration, many
young parents described the
benefi t the resource center pro-
vides to their lives.
“They give me good ideas of
things I can do at home when
we have one-on-one time,” one
young mother said.
“I just have one, and here
he gets great interaction with
other kids, especially when the
weather is bad,” said another. “I
get to talk to other moms.”
“For out-of-towners, there’s
not much connection out there,”
another mom said. “To fi nd a
place for my child to be social,
we have to have a program like
this. If you’re a stay-at-home
mom, day care is fi nancially ri-
diculous; this is the best alterna-
tive.”
Lintula said the center has
thrived so far at LCC, with about
40-50 visitors each day.
“The room is terrifi c,” she
said. “It has a full kitchen and
lots of windows. It’s an ideal
spot; we are most fortunate.”
A Primary Connection is open
Tuesdays and Thursdays from
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Continued from page 1A
from community requests.
“It’s an effort to try to address
community concerns about poor
driving habits,” he said. “We
want to be responsive and have
our offi cers look for those kind
of things when they’re able.”
The Cottage Grove Police
Department doesn’t currently
write many such tickets, though
Shepherd said he witnesses dis-
tracted driving on a daily basis,
particularly when he’s driving
his unmarked police vehicle.
And truthfully, there may not
be that many tickets written, at
least in the short term.
“I’m cautious about the ex-
pectation to write a bunch of
tickets, because when we have
only two offi cers on duty, we
have to respond to incidents on a
call-to-call basis, and traffi c en-
forcement understandably takes
a back seat,” Shepherd said.
Shepherd pointed out that
CGPD is still understaffed by
“I’m cautious about
the expectation to
write a bunch of
tickets, because
when we have only
two offi cers on duty,
we have to respond
to incidents on a call-
to-call basis..."
— Interim Police Chief
Scott Shepherd
two offi cers, as its newest offi -
cer has yet to complete academy
training and the position vacated
by Shepherd’s move to become
interim police chief has not yet
been fi lled. Still, he said offi cers
will be on the lookout for poor
driving whenever possible.
“We want to be responsive to
these types of issues as they’re
brought to us,” he said.
N UTS
Continued from page 6A
between the nut halves breaks
with a snap. If the divider is
still rubbery, the nut is not dry
enough.
Hazelnut kernels are fi rm at
fi rst and become spongy dur-
ing the drying process. As they
approach dryness, they become
fi rm again. The internal color
gradually changes from white
to a creamy color, starting at the
outside. When the color reaches
the center of the kernel, the nut
is dry.
Unlike hazelnuts and walnuts,
chestnuts are a fairly perishable
product. They are a high-starch,
low-fat food more like an apple
or potato than a tree nut. Clean
and refrigerate soon after har-
vest to prevent problems with
mold and decay. For short-term
storage (no more than three
months), refrigerate or freeze
fresh chestnuts. To prepare
chestnuts for long-term storage,
dry them following the instruc-
tions for walnuts and hazelnuts.
Nuts will be rock-hard when
dry.
Whether storing dried nuts
(walnuts, hazelnuts, or chest-
nuts) or fresh chestnuts, the
best choice is to store them in a
freezer or refrigerator. You also
can store them in a cool room
(55 degrees or lower) if refriger-
ation is not possible. However,
longevity is lower.
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