Category Archives: Mother Earth

Apr18

You Say Goodbye and I Say Hello

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Jason and Eric sailed off into the wild blue yonder today upon the wings of a graceful, black Skylark.  It was interesting dinning alone tonight.  We’ve had house guests since February, it’s lonesome, one gets used to having all that company.  The last set of WWOOF’ers, Courtney and Grace headed west, Eric and Jason be headed east.  Jason wants to see more “southern” farms.  Around the campfire last night he mentioned how he hasn’t heard a single southern accent since he started his trip.  He had been in St. Louis, Springfield, to Patrice’s farm and here.  I respect that he’s trying to find a black owned farm and get the stories of those who stayed opposed to those who escaped to the cities.  I hope you find what you’re looking for.  You were a good worker Jason and Paul’s a little misty you took off, but life goes on and you’re always welcome.

On one of their last days here, Jason and Eric stuccoed the inside of the greenhouse, and it’s almost complete!

Adios Gentlemen!

Apr18

Pre-Earth Day Earth Day!

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Yesterday, Sunday April 17th, the family and WWOOF’ers joined in the fun at the World Peace Wetland prairie on the south side of town.  It was an OMNI sponsored event and we were asked to put up a little information at a table, which Paul manned and talked to people who wanted to talk about the CSA.  It was a lot of fun!  There was free food and folk music, the kids went on a wild animal parade walk with Mother Nature.  Mother Nature also had story telling in her tent where there were shrines to endangered species.  It was very kid friendly and enjoyable

Paul doing a tai chi move along with Eric holding up the display.

Isaac hula hooping

Eric chatting with farm friend Bob Campbell

Jason exploring the World Peace Wetland prairie.

Folks reading some posters outside of Mother Natures tent.

Photo Credit: Isaac Chapracki

Bicycle powered PA system

Dr. Dick Bennett and Mother Nature

Isaac enjoyed all of the sweets offered, again and again!

Folk Fun!

The wilder side of the wetlands. Photo Credit: Eric Geiken

Photo Credit: Eric Geiken

Photo Credit: Eric Geiken

Photo Credit: Eric Geiken

E. Geiken

E. Geiken

E. Geiken

"Owliver"

Mother Nature

Kiddos getting masks for the wild animal parade.

Isaac was an arctic fox

Paul listening to Joanna reading a poem about nature.

Wild animal parade.

 

Me, trying to convince Mother Nature to buy a CSA share, when actually she already has.

This is just one of many fun events coming for Fayetteville over the next two weeks as a part of “Earth Week”.  Here is a link to the Eco Passport if you did not pick one up, it has all of the events listed.  Hope to see you locals out at some of them!

Apr15

First CSA Customer

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Kelly Mullhollan came by the other day to give Paul a check for his CSA share.  Kelly and his partner Donna used to live on the farm and are excited that it is finally turning into a working farm.  He saw Paul and Jonathan speak at and OMNI event on Campus about sustainable agriculture and committed to being the first customer that night.  Thank you Kelly for supporting Northwest Arkansas Local Harvest and understanding the value in a local, sustainable form of agriculture.

Photo credits: Isaac Chapracki.

Apr14

It Gets Better

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I have been receiving an overwhelming response to the blog as of late, which is nice.  I’ve kept it for three years or so now and it has always done ok, but like I said, lately, WOW.  Thanks!  I just approved a comment this morning from a reader in India, complimenting me on my herbs and such.  This person also keeps a blog so I clicked on it.  If you want to see some stunning imagery, you should check out this link to Jugnoo farms.

In other news, we received two extra WWOOF’ers yesterday, Shannon and Alex from York Pennsylvania.  They are only staying through today and leaving tomorrow morning.  They arrived about 5pm yesterday, just enough time to take the tour and get ready for dinner.  We all shared a lovely meal of soup and salad under the moon.  The weather was just perfect for dinning outside.  Our WWOOF’er Jason, from Brooklyn, surprised us all by making a lovely salad dressing.  I was surprised because he doesn’t say much, so it was pleasant that he made it and like Santa Claus in the night this present was left on the dinner table.  Thank you Jason.

Apr12

Babies! Babies!

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Some things I’ve been working on.

Herb/strawberry beds.

Strawberries and “Blue Boy” Bachelor Buttons.

That’s ME, and some chives, oregano, mint and the like.

Paul dealing with CSA checks…YES it’s happening!

Garden in my front yard, and the greenhouse.

Peas.

My art project in the greenhouse.  It’s my face cast in plaster, dirt, grass clippings and wheat grass seeds.  The mint is for an aromatherapy effect.

It’s growing y’alls.

Here they are!  Here are my babies!

Tomatoes, zinnias, calendula, marigolds…

Newer tomato babies.

Zinnias…(I’m so excited about these!!!)

Lavender, leeks, more zinnias, calendula.

Apr11

New WWOOF’er, Old WWOOF’er and all of the Inbetween

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We welcomed another WWOOF’er into the fray on Saturday, his name is Jason, he’s from Brooklyn.  He has WWOOF’ed abroad, but this is his first tour in the US and we are glad to have him.

This is Eric, he’s from Chicago.  He’s been here for a few weeks already.  You’re a hard worker Eric!  We like you!

The rows still left to dig.

Raspberries!!!

The man, the myth, the legend.

Onions and leeks.

Basil.

Tomatoes.

Hoop at large.

Jason.  New WWOOF’er.  Brooklyn represent!

Eric’s Skylark.  It’s not blue, if fact some might call that color black.  I have a special place in my heart for Buick Skylarks.

Mar28

News Brief

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Paul informed me today that we have been approved through the USDA for two grants.  One for a new hoop house and the other for funds to develop and NOP, or National organic program to help develop a…well this. Basically, the government will pay for you to become organic. We are already Certified naturally grown.  Quite exciting.  There aren’t very many people in the great state of Arkansas participating in these programs.  When Paul called to the USDA office to see about applying, the person on the other end of the line didn’t even know what he was talking about, because there aren’t a whole lot of takers in this area.  Paul had to be passed off to one of the higher ups to get any information.  But we’re in there for better or for worse.

Mar24

A Photo Essay

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There has been so much tat has happened, so, I’m posting pictures…Come visit! I need more volunteers!

January-ish, possibly early February, greenhouse and gorilla(s).

Snow and freezing temps outside, almost 70 inside AND it’s not even insulated yet!

Inside Hoop house, snow on the ground outside.

See.

Lettuce on the inside.

A team of tree cutters came through and cut down a bunch of trees lining the driveway because they interfered with the power lines.  This is a group of neighbors helping to clean up the mess that the tree guys left.

Back side of the greenhouse.

Paul and intern Johnathon putting up a gutter on the hen house to catch water for them to drink.

Rose, the first place volunteer in our ever-expanding group of volunteers and Grace, one of our latest WWOOFers getting rid of the lettuce in the hoop.

Courtney, WWOOFer #2, keeping it real, building potato beds in Carharts.  And to all of my Humboldt homies, she’s wearing a “Drive thru Tree” hat from Leggett California.

Johnathon, Grace, Courtney, Amanda making potato beds.

Courtney and Grace stayed for a month volunteering for us.

Stuccoing the Greenhouse was part of the agenda.

Ike took this picture.

 

Lettuce out, potatoes in.

Plantin’ ain’t easy.

MORE POTATOES!!!!

John and another guy, I don’t know his name.  But, he came for a day to volunteer.

Tractor came to plow it up.

MORE POTATOES!

Zack.  Says he’s “WWOOFing”, but I’m not so sure.  He has a strong back, but if he could only get up before 2.

More tractor action.

This is Courtney and I getting ready for 26 high school students to come and volunteer.  We’re straight up bustin’.

These students were from all of the area high schools.  They are a part of a program called “Upward Bound”.  Their supervisors found our farm through a volunteer list serve via the University of Arkansas.  I was worried that these kids wouldn’t be into it, but was pleasantly surprised at how into it they were.

So we are turning over the dirt that the tractor plowed, to get rid of the grass and roots.

I gave them a greenhouse tour.  See the girl in the blue?  She was the only one who was not into this farming thing.  She picked at the same clump of roots for two hours.  It’s cool girl, that’s why you’re in that program…you’re a somebody who has options.  Farming isn’t for everybody.

We had them plant potatoes too.  We have about 2000 sq. ft. planted.

The girl with the sunglasses on told us her sister was “impregnated”.  It was random, and funny, but that’s Arkansas for you.

This patch was tilled up to eventually plant sweet potatoes but for now, it will be an irish potato patch…because the theme of this photo essay is POTATO.

This is Alyssa, she visited us from Ohio for her spring break.

Here’s a better picture of Alyssa.  Thanks for your help girl, it was fun having you.

Here’s some community garden action happening.  The group dug a trench and is laying pipe for water spigots throughout the garden.

GO TEAM!

And this was this morning, when Grace and Courtney were leaving.  They are off to Texas, continuing their farm tour of America, and we are keeping on here on the farm.  Best of luck Ladies, you were an awesome help!

 

Sep19

It felt good

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Synergy, in general, may be defined as two or more agents working together to produce a result not obtainable by any of the agents independently.

We had an unbelievable day today.  Well, I cannot speak for Beth and Franchy, but to me it felt good.  We finished what we started yesterday.  We were widening a row by a few feet.  That’s how Franchy had his accident : )  We pitch-forked the Bremuda grass up and then shook the soil from the roots.  This morning we finished that chore.  Franchy continued to work up the grass the next row over and finished it.  Bet raked the first row to even it and we started planting more cilantro seed.  It felt great getting dirt jammed under my fingernails.  As Beth and I were scratching dirt over the holes we drilled with our fingers, Beth said “Scratching Mother Nature’s back”.  How apt.  It felt really good to have my hands massaging the warm soil.  You should try it sometime.  Then we watered in all the seeds.  Good work team!  We broke about 1:00pm for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a salad.  Never had a meal tasted so good.  I felt so exhausted and dehydrated.  I had to sit still for a while because I had too much sun.  I don’t know about the weather in your neck of the woods, but in my yard it’s in the high 80’s/low 90’s…it’s brutal out there come 12:30 pm.  We took the rest of the day off.  Still ore to do, but tomorrow is another day.