Harvest Times

In mid-October, we started harvesting the soy beans.. The soybeans were first to be harvested and threshed. Later in the week we started harvesting the peanuts for drying.

It's a good time for organic food.

Soy bean harvest started Tuesday, October 15th and we finished the cutting of the plants about 5 days later, while doing other things during the day.

It's boring work for many city dweller's and it's a good time to practice meditation exercises. Through breathing in and breathing out, the monotony and joints not used to the squatting become the distant noise they should be. At least that is true when one practices enough. I am having these experiences more frequently, but the higher level still alludes me.

My logical mind thinking that this is hard, is tested by the ajummas. I've always had a lot of respect for the ajummas working dilligently. Their pace is slower than mine but they have been consistent and diligent in their work and that proved to be more important than any sprinting I've tried in my practice. They can squat the whole time for this exercise and I have to wiggle around, kneel and stand at times.

After 5 days of cutting with some help we let the soy beans dry on the field. We gathered together the soy beans and started beating them. We used sticks to beat the beans out of the husks. Because the traditional sticks were hard to come by we used smaller and lighter sticks, so we used a modern truck to drive over the soy.

Jack and I, put gathered the beans and put them on a tarp to be beaten.

After Jack, pictured on the left, and I beat the beans. Yang Hejern sepparated the beans using an ancient way of letting the beans fall down and sepparate from the debris using a modern dust pan.

 We bagged 20 kg of beans. We let the remaining plants that didn't split open dry for a week. Today I'm going to beat the remaining beans out of the husks and bag them.

Symbol of the Universe at Mulme Healing Farm

Symbols are important to us so when Yang designed the Healing Farm Field he made a hexagram. It means many things to many people but for us it is a symbol of the universe. 

Acorn Forraging Class, Sunday October 21st

Mulme Healing Farm will be conducting a foraging class for acorns this Sunday October 21st from 9am until the late afternoon. Wild food has more nutrition than our organically grown and loved crops so incorporating wild food is a good way to bring health and a deeper understanding of our relationship with food.

We'll start with a breakfast of Acorn pancakes and go through the uses have a discussion of its uses and value as a food in history. Then we will go to the deep forest to collect acorns to bring back to the farm. We recommend bringing a bagged lunch for our lunch break. Students will get to take home their acorn flour. Depending on how much time is spent and the processing time of the acorns, which vary by the species of oak we harvest from, visitors may have to come another day to pick up their flour.

See our directions to the school for more information.

For whatever reasons you might be interested in forraging come join us and enjoy.

Please RSVP by the night before the class by my email: Greg.A.Sandford@gmail.com

Directions to Mulme Healing Farm

The farm is located in Susan-ri, West of Jeju City. Take the 37 or 38 bus to Susan-ri bus stop, in Aewolup, Jeju. You can get the 37 bus from Jeju City. It runs through the City Hall Area. At Susan-ri bus stop, walk toward the convenience mart. Make a left onto the cross street and walk for 10 minutes. The farm will be on the left side of the street. The totem poles with the faces are our distinguishing feature.

Map of Susan-ri

Harvest Times, Planting Times, and New Arrivals

Currently we have to harvest the soybeans, and peanuts. Soon we'll be harvesting our sweet potatoes.

We are planting garlic and onion in the next week.

In November, we'll be harvesting our winter vegetables such as radish, spring onion, garlic, large cabbages,

We still need to plant garlic and spring onions this week.

There are many things to do, but it's best to take it slowly and remember to deeply breathe.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week Jack from America has signed on to help us build the stove for our meditation room. Our meditators will have a cozier space from which to gather our positive energies in part because of him. Construction will be sometime this month.

Next week, a wwoofer from Germany is coming to the farm. We are looking forward to sharing the farming life with him. .

Mulme Healing Farmer Program

 Mulme Healing Farm is looking for people to participate in and grow from the farm life here. We recommend stays of a week or more. We understand people are busy so visitors are welcome on the weekend for short stays and to come over several weekends. 

The days are long and varied and not easy for spiritual and physical growth. For those not used to farming, you will feel sore at first and then your body will adjust.

Ethically raised meat is hard to find so we often eat vegetarian style, with a little meat. We eat Buddhist style so we don't waste food. If friends give us pork as a gift we have to eat it to respect that animal. 

Farm life is no joke. In fact, it can be very rewarding.

In your stay you can learn somethings about organic farming, herbalism, building, healing foods, meditation and Buddhist style living. Meditation is the
centerpiece of our approach and we hope it clarifies your thinking like it is doing for our own.

Our farm days vary depending on the needs at hand.

 We have one day or a week and sometimes more if the work is particularly hard that week.

Yang Hejern, the farmer and master will need help with his healing food lectures so we will take day trips on certain weekends of the month to offer.

Volunteers may be asked to help with classes and with our weekly meditations.

The order is more important than the times in our schedule. Here is a sample schedule. 

6:30 Martial Arts

7:00 Meditation

8:00 Breakfast

8:30 Work begins

11:30 Meditation and Tea

12:30 Lunch

13:00 Work

16:00 Meditation

17:00 Break

18:00 Dinner

19:00 Freetime

If you are interested, commited or have more questions please email: Greg.A.Sandford@gmail.com.

Taken in August 2011, when there were only Wwoofer here. We are taking a rest after weeding the tangerine trees. 

Tk

What is Mulme Healing Farm?

Mulme Healing Farm is an education center in natural living skills as well as an organic farm growing tangerines and medicinal herbs. We are working to provide healing food, lectures on the medicinal properties of food and teach farm skills.

We advocate a lifestyle in martial arts, farming, herbalism, simple organic foods, and spiritual growth through meditation and these ideas combined.

We also host Wwoofers and volunteers to participate in the day to day life of the farm. For those who want the physical and spiritual demands please see our Wwoofer page.

Greg(farm manager and program director) and Yang Hejern(owner and master teacher)