Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Buckwheat is lush after the weekend's rainfall.



Remember the watermelon you saw in last week's blog? This is the same one-- it's grown!




A critter is nibbling at our soybeans.

Monday, August 29, 2011

Irene- The Morning After

These photos were taken on Sunday, August 28th after the storm passed through Warrenton. We are fortunate that our garden is essentially undamaged. Look at the plants and you can see which way the wind blew!



Bunching Onions and Zinnias




Airlie Apple Tree



Okra



The Corn Maze





Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We added compost to our struggling squash plants and they blossommed, truly, overnight.



Little baby watermelons are coming in! These are smaller than a tennis ball.



Looking out the door of the hoophouse for a view of our organic corn maze. The corn is more than seven feet tall now and ready for scavenger hunts, teambuilding activities, and "cornferences."

Friday, August 19, 2011

Shirofumi Soybeans growing tall in the backfield:



Our harvest is in full swing and we are happy to deliver loads of tomatoes, sweet peppers, hot peppers, okra, swiss chard, leeks, bunching onions, red and yellow onions, eggplant, potatoes, beets, herbs and flowers to Airlie's fantastic chefs. On August 8th we harvested nearly 300 pounds of garden fresh goodies for the LFP Harvest Dinner held as part of the 5th Annual Local Food Project at Airlie Conference. Here's our garden crew after enjoying the delicious meal:




You can't even tell that we're usually covered in dirt! The theme of this year's conference was "The Role of Institutions in the Future of Local Food" and featured keynote speakers from the USDA's National Program for Small Farms and Beginning Farmers and Ranchers, the Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York, and the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems at the University of California, Santa Cruz. The day's workshops were a hit-- my personal favorite breakout sessions discussed local food in hospitals, and social justice in sustainable food systems. More conference photos to come...

Wednesday, August 3, 2011




Volunteers helping with the harvest in hundred degree weather, sporting new LFP t-shirts. Check out our new shade structure and harvest station!


Breaking for water and enjoying the bright yellow shade of the Coolero!