I went out to the woods today, beyond the pasture, to haul back some oak with Tony & Big Ed, the midnight ploughboy. The plan is to let them incubate a bit, build a rack for them to stand in, and come spring, drill them out for shiitake spores.
We clung to the rickety wagon as Ed’s duct-taped gloves loosely clutched the steering wheel of an old, but still bright green tractor. Tony has probably done this a million times, but it was entirely new to me. The floorboards of the agrarian chariot were rotting and the metal carriage was loosely held together by ancient bolts – the flex would prove crucial on our return, wagon brimming with several thousand pounds of wood. Ed hopped off to fell an enormous oak, probably a good 80 plus footer. We went on to collect from a different section of woods before heading back.
There was a slight gap in the forest where the tree had been, as well as the other trees it leveled with it. It was all planned of course – Ed is a master. He knows the trees like an addict knows veins. The man is over six-foot-six and weighs a good 240 pounds. He is lean but colossal and muscular, as is Tony. Standing beside them, my six-foot-two frame seems diminutive in comparison. They toss logs like toothpicks.
So we loaded wood. Not 5, or 10 logs. Seventy is a low estimate. Five feet in length, 3 to 8 inches in diameter, we stacked them into the wagon steadily over the course of an hour and a half, whilst making a separate pile for firewood and branches that will quickly be consumed, back into the rich forest floor from which they came.
When we returned, we clung to the outside of the wagon, gas can clacking against the rails. A chain connecting the two side walls kept them from breaking from the immense weight of wood. The wheels bulged, almost flat, and the back end dragged through the deep snow troughs along the tractor path.
It was fun. Hard work, but fun – and a great way to stay warm and fit. The mushrooms will be included in the CSA baskets for the season, and sold to restaurants and farmers markets. I can’t wait.