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

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."

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...

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!

July 20th, 2011

"Double-digging" to prepare a small Biointensive garden plot.

Buckwheat-- a favorite summer cover crop.

Beets--we harvest their greens.

Covering our squash plants to protect them from groundhogs and other hungry critters.

July 13th, 2011

Hill Country Red Okra is looking ready to harvest!

We set up tomato trellisses with volunteers from the Piedmont Environmental Council Fellowship.

Last Friday's harvested included more than 40 lbs. of Cabbage, 70 lbs of Swiss Chard, 5 lbs. of Lettuce mix and 7 lbs. of assorted Basil.

June 18th, 2011

Here's what we've been up to:

Ooh la la, look at all this swiss chard...

Our large back field is rapidly filling with crops. From left to right: beets, carrots, eggplant, peppers, okra and tomatoes.

Huge Onions! Red Tropea, Big Daddy, and Candy Onions plus Lancelot Leeks.




















Raised beds are the newest addition to the LFP garden, planted with flowers and herbs including: Zinnias, Curry, Echinacea, Roman Chamomile, Valerian, Stevia, Rosemary and Tarragon.





















Our Pac Choi suffered with the heat blasts in the last couple of weeks, but has still provided a solid harvest.

In the distance you see bunching onions, swiss chard, and tomatoes. The pretty purple is Mammoth Red Rock Cabbage, and next to that Mrs. Burns Lemon Basil and classic Genovese Basil.

"Basil Enliveneth the Soul."

- Unknown

Freshly hilled potatoes: Yukon Gold, Mountain Rose, Purple Peruvian, German Butterball, and Russian Banana Fingerling.