Gardening Classes Begin Now!

Now that the chicks are out of the barn, and our 2009 staff- Wayne Jones, Farmer John, Melissa Guingona and Nick Broerman can take down their hoodies- it's time to get into the soil with our bare hands- or rather your bare hands! Make a note to tell others about these opportunities on the farm.

Build your own Earth Box! May 9

John and our friend Dave Reilly are offering a Build Your Own earth box workshop on Saturday, May 9 from 10 am-12 p.m. Bring a cordless power drill and a 1/4" drill bit if you have one. The cost is $50.00, and includes all your supplies. You'll bring home an independently designed growing box. Limited to 20 people. Please call the farm to register at 427-6515 or email to farmerjohnnewearth@yahoo.com. RSVP by May 7.

Intro to Organic Gardening May 16 or May 20

For novice gardeners and/or folks who think they are green-thumb challenged!

Farmer John takes you through the basics of organic gardening, with tips on developing good soil, planting, choosing plants, the value and application of compost and how to deal with insects. This class is held in the field and greenhouse. Wear a hat and covered-toe shoes and bring a water bottle along. Saturday May 16 from 10-12noon or Wednesday May 20 10am to 12 noon. This class is $30.00. Once again: please call 427-6515 to register at least two days before a class or send an email to farmerjohnnewearth@yahoo.com.

Deep, Dark, Gorgeous Compost!

The people who KNOW about compost say that you should always have a bar of chocolate with you to see how good the compost is. In this case, I am holding a 67% organic cocoa bar next to a gorgeous pile of finished compost from Pennsylvania, delivered in a tractor trailer truck to the farm on March 23. John is selling this compost in larger dimensions for landscapers and gardeners- to folks like our new friend Heather Driscoll, one of the only landscapers in the area who had taken courses in organic landscaping and understands the Real from the Faux-green. Heather owns a company called Familycare Lawn and Landscape. She called us one day to find soil amendments because she decided that she was going to work with Organic Only products. Heather is the real deal. You can call her at 673-6981. Heather says she's working on a website which should be up soon : www.familycarelawn.com

Here are a few shots of the compost delivery. The driver left PA at 1 in the morning and arrived just after John fed the chickens. If you have the desire to get a bigger garden going this year, give us a call and we can give you the details on prices/yard of this stuff- plus John can show you all the data- this is certified, high quality stuff.

It's Happening on the White House lawn!

After a week of rain here on the farm, and watching John wade through the ditches to get to the chickens and collect the eggs, we decided not to have our Potato Planting party this weekend. It's just too muddy- and would be a sad, rough way to introduce folks to the joy of planting.
But in Washington D.C., Michelle Obama and friends will be planting the first food garden on the White House lawn since Eleanor Roosevelt had a Victory garden in the forties. It will be pretty big- 1,100 square feet, with 55 varieties of plants coming from organic seedlings started in greenhouses on the property.
I am over the moon with joy about this. Not only, is our First Lady making a choice for her own family- with a couple of pizza eating girls whose pediatrician urged her to adjust their nutrition-but she's getting help from the fifth graders at a public school in the district- and the Prez himself! What a great example she is setting for the rest of us.
So, once the ground dries a little, we'll get out there and plant the potatoes. And it will be great fun, and we'll be so happy a couple of months later on when we dig up our " precious" tubers.
For more info on the White House organic garden see: www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/dining/19garden-web.html

Signs of Spring in Frigid March

A flock of fifty chicks of various colors and kinds arrived on Sunday, March 1. It was a cold rainy day, preceding the mighty storm that brought snow and bitter temps to the farm and surrounding areas of Tidewater. John and I had to hurry up and create a nursery for the less than one week old chicks who were shipped via US Post Office special delivery from Iowa's McMurray Hatchery. The chicks were in a small cardboard box, all fifty of them squished together , with only nickel sized airholes for breathing during their journey to Virginia. The two at the left are going to be lovely hens, and there are several with furry feet often associated with hobbits! These chicks are FOR SALE! John will be happy to build you a little mobile henhouse and we have plenty of organic feed for them too! Call us at 427-6515 if you are interested. We're keeping them warm and fed till the spring sunshine makes the earth ready.

We have collected deposits from many of last year's CSA members, and are filling up the spots that remain from the ones who will not be joining us this season. Some of the 08 group are growing their own food this season, and many say they'll be purchasing produce from the Five Points Community Market that moved last year to 26th and Church streets in downtown Norfolk.

It should be a great year- the fourth for our CSA- and we'll be working with some new systems. For one thing, there will be no boxes this year- You can either bring your cooler or a cloth grocery bag to bring your produce home, and we'll use a choice system rather than pre-pack your share. We have enjoyed the calls and emails from our new members as they get ready for the season.

Keep March 21st on the calendar. From 9am to noon, we'll host the first annual PotatoPlanting/St. Patty's Day Breakfast party. Check back for more details! Here's another pic of the chicks gathering under the lamp for heat!

Declining Nutritional Values of Produce?

An interesting piece from the US Food Policy blog.

A Rainy November Day

The chickens look more like ducks today, wandering in and out of their "Coop de Villa", while Adam, the young rooster, reminds them that , yes, he is in charge. He's a gentle leader, firm and kind, so far. There are puddles all over the chicken's area. Everything is dripping this morning, the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

We finally had to ask our webmaster, Cathal, to make the announcement that we can't take any more names for the CSA waiting list for 09. There are so many people who want fresh, local organic food and our farm is only so big. We are harvesting greens these days, and the young chickens should be laying any minute now, so we may have eggs for market soon.
But it's been frustrating to get emails and calls from folks who are so excited they've found a local farm when we can't meet all their needs. Even Mattawoman Creek Farms on the Eastern Shore has a huge wait list for next year. And we are still holding the idea of selling this farm so we can buy another.
It's more on pause as the winter sets in.
The word is out that fresh and local is the best you can eat, and I only hope that in time, we can provide that to our community. So, in one way, I am thankful for this year, for the third season of CSA and our fabulous committed members, and I am also hopeful that we can do more.
Mostly, I am thankful to John, whose vision opened the whole thing- and to all the farm laborers and CSA helpers who made this year feel easier than we had imagined at first.
And as I cracked enough pecans from one little tree on the farm for a butternut squash cake for Thanksgiving- I was also thankful for the things that come of age on their own, abundantly invested with their own purpose in life. Let's hope more things work like that.

Late Fall on the farm and Edible Chesaopeake magazine

It's nearly Halloween on the farm. Nick, Melissa, Chris and John are digging up sweet potatoes today and the temps are in the low fifties. The chickens have grown and it turns out we have one young rooster- we're calling him "Adam" ( first man?) and his crow is still developing. He sounds like a rooster with a speech impediment at the moment, more a " ur-uh-urrrr" instead of the true " cock-a doodle-doo".

John is still distributing produce at The Heritage, Virginia Garden and the Norfolk Farm Market. The lettuce is amazing and the greens are gorgeous, collards and kale are ready to pick and eat.

This fall, I still mean to put together a CSA survey to distribute to our members online. Members- look for it in the next week or so.

I've been spending more of my time writing than ever before, now from my upstairs office, where I have a beautiful view of the farm. It's a dream come true!

Speaking of dreams coming true, I have will have two articles in the winter edition of Edible Chesapeake magazine, produced up in the DC area. One is a short piece about Croc's Bistro-a little place with a big green heart- and another is a first person essay about being a farmer's wife. This is great news for me as a writer because Edible Chesapeake has a large distribution from Northern Virginia all the way to Tidewater! It's a beautiful magazine, with lush photography, great writing and delectible recipes, a great addition to the side tables and kitchens of our CSA members. We have a box of the fall edition here at the house if any CSA members want one. They are also available at Virginia Garden and The Boot and some other area locations.

Check it out at http://www.ediblechesapeake.com/

Here's a photo I sent to the magazine. I'm usually the one who takes the pictures at the farm, but I stooped to shameless self-promotion just this once! The apron belonged to Margie Zentz, my daughter Skye's grandma.She was a great cook and a loving woman.

Week 20 (September 27, 2008)

After the rain, red was the color of the day ...

In this week's share: basil, bok choy (2), eggplant (4-6), garlic (3-4), leeks (2, 1 lb), okra (pint), parsley (bunch), peppers (1.5 lb), potatoes (2.5 lb).

Don't forget that many of the recipes from the last three years can be found at the New Earth web site.

Week 19 (September 20, 2008)

In this week's share: basil, edamame, eggplant, garlic, okra, parsley, peppers, choice of green beans or tomatoes (shown), choice of bok choy (shown) or tatsoi

Missy trims a fine strand of edamame

The ephemeral okra blossom

A List Of ...

...One Hundred (Vegetarian) Things To Eat Before You Die