by Annie Young

When is a farm more than a farm? When it’s a classroom! At  Oak Hart Farm the fields, hoop houses, kitchens, and streams are all places where learning happens. “Let nature be your teacher” is their mission. The whole family brings the philosophy into everything they do at the farm.

Shawna Hartsook, her husband Woody Hartsook, and father Rufus Rinker worked to create the farm model that operates today. But Shawna credits her whole family for making the farm run successfully. Everyone has a job on the farm—either helping harvest the CSA, building hoop houses, teaching the numerous children’s camps and programs, or preserving food. Even the grandchildren are young farmers! From a thriving CSA to children’s summer camps, field trips, farm dinners, even canning and weeding parties—learning is always on.

Oak Hart Farm grows a large variety of vegetables by using sustainable organic practices. It’s important to the farmers that they grow using methods based on healthy living and environmental practices. “I grow food that I feel good about feeding to my grandchildren,” said Shawna. It’s the combination of family values and sustainable growing practices that form the core of their health-based philosophy.

Shawna says  Oak Hart strives to balance rigorous organic practices with practicality. They grow vegetables that naturally grow well in the soil without the need for chemicals. “I am a sustainable organic gardener,” continues Hartsook,

“and I am a local eater.” Eating well and teaching others about healthy living is what the family values most as farmers.

One of the special offerings at Oak Hart is the CSA. The Community Supported Agriculture model is based on a customer buying a share and receiving a bag of vegetables every week. Shareholders receive whatever the farmers put in their share, depending on what is available and ripe. What makes Oak Hart’s CSA different is their Selectable Delectables. Each week shareholders get to choose from eight to twenty varieties of vegetables. From lettuce, carrots, radishes, corn, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplants, beans, greens, sweet and hot peppers, and more, customers get to pick what they want in their share. The CSA season lasts from June through September. When customers get to choose, the Oak Hart farmers say, less food is wasted. It makes for a stronger relationship between farmer and customer too.

The CSA is not all that  Oak Hart has to offer. Their educational programs are popular with many families in the area. In 2011 more than 450 children participated in summer camps, cooking classes, and field trips. Even more children came in 2012.

Six certified Virginia teachers work together to plan and facilitate these programs. Some programs focus on local ecology, while others center on the garden or cooking classes using vegetables from the farm.

“My favorite camp activity at Oak Hart is Creek Mucking,” Bella Stem, a young camp regular told me. “We have discovered lots of neat critters in the Creek. We get to examine them and look them up on our reference sheets. I also enjoy cooking camps at  Oak Hart. I love that we go out in the fields and pick our ingredients to prepare our themed meals. They are so delicious! Farmer Shawna and all her Camp counselors totally rock!”

Creek mucking, vegetable picking, and preparing foods are typical activities that fuel the fun at the farm.

Teaching the connection between growing food and healthy living isn’t limited to children. Adults learn, too. CSA members receive recipe cards about how to prepare their foods. Shareholders connect with the growing process.

Naturally grown veggies look different than polished conventionally grown food in grocery stores. Loretta Stem, a CSA member says, “I love being able to run right down the road and pick up amazing veggies. They taste so much better homegrown on Oak Hart Farm. I also love that we get to see the operation in full swing and many times we are able to help harvest the vegetables right along with Farmer Shawna and her family members.” Tasting the difference is a great way to learn the value of locally grown.

Oak Hart Farm is a vibrant place where farmers are teachers, gardens are classrooms, and everyone is a student. Health, sustainable farming, family cooperation and community are the standards. And there are many opportunities to “let nature be your teacher.”

Oak Hart Farm is at 822 Shepherd Mill Rd. For information, visit oakhartfarm.com or call 540-533-3096.

by Claire Stuart

As a child, David Copeland was fascinated by the swordplay in Three Musketeers and the light sabers in Star Wars. He did not outgrow his enthusiasm. He has been fencing for about 20 years, first competitively, and for 15 years as a fencing teacher and coach.

He and his family live in Charles Town, a central location convenient for reaching his classes in Harpers Ferry, Frederick Md., and Berryville, Va. David serves as Head Coach for his Out Of Nowhere Fencing, and his wife Annette takes care of the paperwork. He reports that he usually has about 100 students, ranging in age from 9 to 72, divided among the three locations.

The Copelands stress that fencing is a mental as well as a physical activity. Says David, “Fencing requires quick reaction time. The mental aspect is different from anything else you do in life. You must be able to mentally process information faster than in any other activity. It’s chess at 200 miles an hour! That’s the best analogy I can give.”

Annette adds, “You are constantly learning, constantly engaging the mind. It’s great for kids with autism or Asperger’s because it forces them to focus. And there’s no team—a person is responsible for their own wins and losses. Kids come in shy and we see them develop comradery here. It improves math skills, too. And fencing usually attracts the top academic students.”

David explains that real fencing is not like the fencing we see in the movies, with swordsmen swinging from chandeliers. “We wish our opponents moved that slow!” he says. “When you are fencing, you are not out to entertain. You are out to win.”

All of the fencing is electric. Sensors in the fencer’s jacket and weapon are connected by wires to a scoring machine. A green light shows when a fencer is hit and a red when the opponent is hit. When a hit lands off the valid target area, there is a white light. David explains that it evolved this way about 50 years ago as a way to be fair and accurate. Previously, someone had to see what was happening. “Since electric fencing, speed has tripled,” he reports. “The timing between lights is less than three quarters of a second, and you have to respond in that time.”

There are three weapons used in modern fencing. The foil has a flexible, rectangular blade, similar to the light court sword that was used in training for duels. The valid target area is where the protective vest covers the back and front of the torso, but not the arms, head or legs. The epee is heavier than the foil and similar to the dueling sword. The entire body is the valid target. The saber is based on a cavalry sword, and the target is the body from the waist up.

People who know absolutely nothing about fencing can start with the beginner’s classes (for ages 9 through adult). The classes run 8 to 12 weeks, and beginners are not required to buy any gear except for a glove, offering an opportunity to see if fencing is for them before purchasing gear. Basic fencing equipment consists of a jacket, mask, glove and sword. Intermediate students buy one piece of gear each session.

For people who like to fence all the time, a fencing club is open five nights a week. Members pay one fee and can fence as many times as they wish. There are many competitions within a 200-mile radius, usually about three a month, David explains, and “It’s virtually impossible to compete going to practice only once a week. There are some high-level fencers in the area, and they do very well at state tournaments.”

David says some people are ready to compete in three months, although it usually takes closer to a year. He has seen some of his students go to the Summer Olympics and Junior Nationals.

“Fencing is not like other sports,” says Annette. “You can compete for the rest of your life. There are tournaments for veterans, for youth, for over-40s. And because it’s an indoor sport, it keeps people’s interest up because they can do it year round. And it is a sport that the entire family can participate in.”

Although 80 percent of fencers are male, Annette reports that the sport itself is actually gender-friendly. “If you are fast or can outsmart someone, you can win.”

Regardless of statistics, on this evening there were practically as many women fencing as men. Autumn Bergen, age 14, was practicing with David for a tournament.

Her mother, Lorri Bergen, declared, “He’s the best coach!” She went on to say that fencing was the best thing her daughter ever found. “Now she eats and sleeps it!”

Fencing is a safe sport, says David. “You are more likely to die playing a round of golf than from fencing! The commonest injuries are to knees and ankles because you are moving so fast. The first thing to learn is footwork. It’s the most intense game of tag you will ever play!”

For more information, visit the Out Of Nowhere Fencing’s web site: www.swordsmen101.com.

It’s the day after Thanksgiving. You have the day off and you are planning to hit the sales.  You wake up bright and early, walk into the kitchen and turn on the light. All around you is trash. Yesterday’s turkey carcass is in pieces and you notice that most of the bones are missing.  There is no doubt who did it because he normally meets you first thing in the morning for breakfast: your dog.  You are so angry because now you have to clean up this mess!  But first, you go looking for the culprit.  You find your beloved friend in his bed and he is obviously sick.  He has vomited multiple times and has even had diarrhea inside the house.  This is so unlike him!  You go to him to try to pet him and when you touch his belly, he cries out in pain!  Now what?  Your regular veterinarian is not open until later but your baby is very sick and in pain!

You decide to take him to the emergency vet where you fill them in on the last 24 hours:  the little bit of turkey and stuffing with gravy yesterday (it was Thanksgiving!), the pumpkin pie your kids gave him and then the trash, including the turkey carcass, overnight.   The veterinarian is astonished at what your dog has eaten.  She proceeds to tell you how dangerous these things can be, even in small quantities.  She goes on to explain that, in general, table food can be bad for your dog and can cause something called pancreatitis, and that he may have to stay in the hospital!  Radiographs (X-rays) show that the turkey bones are small and are not causing an obstruction or blockage.  However, the blood work indicates pancreatitis.

The pancreas is an organ that lies near the small intestine.  It has many jobs but one of them is to secrete enzymes to help digest food.  If these enzymes are released and activated prematurely, which can happen in response to a dietary indiscretion (i.e table food, foreign objects, etc), the pancreas can become inflamed.  With this inflammation comes pain, vomiting and diarrhea.  This is not to say that every dog with GI upset has pancreatitis but it has to be on the list of possibilities.  Blood tests can help to determine if the pancreas is inflamed or not.  This is important because if the pancreas is inflamed, called pancreatitis, your pet can be in danger.  Through loss (vomiting, diarrhea), dehydration, protein loss and electrolyte imbalance can occur.  These, in turn, can lead to other signs of illness and even death if left untreated.  Treatment usually includes IV fluids, electrolyte supplements, pain medication, anti-nausea medication and anti-diarrhea medication.  It can take days for a pet to fully recover from pancreatitis.  During this time, as long as they are not actively vomiting, they are fed very small amounts of a bland diet which is continued for a period of time at home.

All of this because of some Thanksgiving dinner?  Maybe next time you should just offer an extra dog biscuit or two.

Jennifer Lauer, DVM

Dr. Jen Lauer graduated from The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2007.  Prior, she received her bachelor’s degree in Biology/Pre-veterinary Medicine from Clarion University of Pennsylvania in 2001.  After completing veterinary school, she moved to Northern Virginia where she practiced emergency medicine for 3 years.  She has been employed at Valley Veterinary Emergency Referral Center since the summer of 2010.  Her medical interests include emergency, critical care, internal medicine and complementary medicine.