We have an endless supply of potatoes in the ground her at Ozark Alternatives, and they’re for SALE (*wink*). Marine, Annie, David and I were digging potatoes, until Annie and David broke for dinner duty. We took a little breather when David brought out some wine, we were pretty much done for after that.
The Ozark Slow Foods movement held a potluck here, as part of their effort to support local foods and local farmers. Paul and our neighbor Pauline, the produce manager at Ozark Natural Foods, were interviewed before the event by Kyle Kellams, for Ozarks at Large, promoting the event. Please click on the link if you wish to hear the interview. It’s funny in the write-up how they butchered Paul’s last name, Chapracki. It was a nice turn out, where good food was shared, which had to have one local ingredient present. So, needless to say, there were a lot of potato dishes. The event also gave us time to promote our CSA to a new crowd of people who were ripe to listen. Most of the people who came, came because they heard the story on the radio and were intrigued. Thank you to all of you who attended.
On this day, the team harvested potatoes. Shiori invited two of her friends from Fayetteville to come over and help, their names were L.J. and Hirona. We also received McKenna, she came to us from Louisville Kentucky on her way west. I can’t forget our newest recruits, David and Marine, coming all the way from Toulouse, France.
The team found snake eggs
Digging up more eggs.
After I told the boys that they had found snake eggs.
Everybody is interested now.
Roy giving everyone a lesson about snake eggs.
Hirona.
L.J.
McKenna.
David and Marine.
Father’s Day, does it always fall on a Sunday? Sundays are our Farmer’s Market day, so we watched all of the daddy’s with their children, young and old. Channel 5 news was there, a local news outlet here in Northwest Arkansas and they interviewed Paul, Oliver and Isaac about Father’s Day and what they were going to do for their Dad. I have a link posted. We were the first to this market with tomatoes. Lest you forget we sell at the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks, every Sunday, from 9am-2pm. Also, I take that back about the first with tomatoes, that accomplishment was shared that day. Another vendor had tomatoes also, they weren’t quite ready, but it’s important to be first. The people are tomato hungry right now and I don’t blame them.
Paul and Isaac at the farmer’s market on Father’s Day.
Later in the day we sat and prepared garlic to cure. Here is Shiori doing an amazing job.
I was really pleased to know that a neighbor of a friend of mine reads my blog. When I saw him recently the first thing to come out of his mouth was how I had a “buy local” sticker on my foreign automobile. The second thing was “You need to update your blog, and with close-ups of all of your hot volunteers!” I’ll try my best Dale, and for the record I think he meant hot, as in it’s hot outside and therefore they are hot…it’s just a guess. Like I had said before, on day one of the CSA we received Nora and Will from Brooklyn. Shiori and Keyohei were here as well. A few days after Will and Nora’s arrival, Hayley also arrived from Albuquerque.
Kyohei and Nora in the hoop harvesting potatoes.
Part of the “Take” before being washed.
Everybody, this is Will. He’s planting cucumber seeds.
Rose kicking butt as always.
A picture courtesy of Isaac.
sweatshirts? Yes, remember I’m behind in posting all of these lovely pictures. Nora ate as many peas as she picked, if not more. You would too, they were AWESOME!
Crew cleaning onions while Oliver just watches.
Kyohei and Isaac cleaning radishes.
You want to know what I love about Jonathan? He’s a thumbs-upper. Those are my kinds of people.
Hayley keeping it real…and forgive me girl if I misspelled your name.
These were some great people and great volunteers. Thank you Will and Nora for bringing Brooklyn to the farm, and to any future Brooklynites who are interested, BRING IT!
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.
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!
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