Preparing to Plant....

...Tons of Lettuce!

We got an amazing donation of seeds from Bill Simmons at Bakers Creek Seeds. Thank you Bill! We have been preparing our field to plant lettuce, garlic and leeks in bulk and starting to compost with greenwaste, sawdust, and manure.

Green Waste!

Loads of Manure!

Amazing Box of Seeds....even millet for the chickens

and SUNFLOWERS!

Help us Build Our Stage...before December!

Aura Omelet is reaching out for supporters to help us  rebuild our stage before the first brigade of  service-learners and students and teachers from OSBG visit us to work and learn in our farm, kitchen, and outdoor center. 

Why do we want to rebuild our stage? 

 A stage will enable us to host concerts, cultural events, and harvest festivals. We will also hold classes, lectures ,and workshops on our covered stage- making the next  Food Justice Summer (and the whole school year) more enriching. Backstage can be used as housing so that interns, students, and teachers can rest comfortably  and sleep after a long day working and learning! 

Our Fundraising Goal is $5000.00, the quoted cost for 200 sheets of treated plywood, 200 treated 4 by 4s  and 200 treated 2 by 4s. 

Help us raise $5000 by November 16th so students can work with Glenda to design and begin construction- and have housing ready by December. You can donate by clicking the Donate button on the right side of our page. All you need is a credit card(you don't need a paypal account.)

Thank you for your support!

Field Trips

                                       

We visited Ms. Naomi James and (her granddaughter Mia) at her dairy farm in Mt. Herman and had fun laying some grass seed for her cows. We also met their  two new donkeys, Kojo and Joi. 

                                         

A couple weeks ago, we went to New Orleans to visit OSBG and pick up some more tools from Glenda's house. We also visited Ben Hunter, a New Orleans- based musician who wants to come play a show for us ( and eat squash and mustard greens out of our garden). 

More Shots of Our Garden!

 Some more shots of our first seven rows of herbs and vegetables in the kitchen garden. So far we have picked squash, okra, shallots, and lots of basil(which the goats like almost as much as we do). We picked up manure yesterday and  are excited to till it into the field and make more rows for fall vegetables with some folks from OSBG on Saturday.

Permaculture Update and A Wish List for Our Farm!

We are in the final week of our construction in the house that students gutted out and slept in this summer!

Also, this summer NY2NO and Youth Coalition Students composted in a pile next to the main field. A plant started growing out of it this summer and everyone thought it was a watermelon or a squash...

Turns out it was gourd plant that now stretches from tree to tree on either side.  We've been harvesting them, giving some away to our neighbors, and saving some to dry and  turn into drinking containers. We don't know how a gourd seed got into our compost this summer, but we're not complaining! 

David Burley visited us last week and got everyone excited about farm-to school lunch programs and soil-to plate service learning education (as well as adopting the OSBG compost project for up here with green waste from Wal-mart!) Check out this wish list to really get our farm going!

Farm

1)   Tiller to Fit Marshall’s Tractor (prob 5’)

2)   Seeds : Carrots, Lettuce, Green Onions, Kale (red Russian), Swiss Chard, Brussel Sprouts, Beets(Golden, Chioggia, Bull’s Blood), Broccoli Rabe (Rapini), Collards, Mustard Greens, Garlic, Spinach, Cilantro, Parsley, Kohlrabi, Mizuna, Bok Choy, Tatsoi, Cabbage, Broccoli (‘DiCicco’), Parsnips, Radicchio Radishes

3)   Harvest Equipment:

-Buckets

-Coolers

-Huge Fridge(Walk-in?)

-Scissors

-Bathtub or other large tub for washing produce

-Wax Boxes

-Biodegradeable plastic bags, Produce Scale

4) Drip Irrigation System(Using t-tape)

Garden

1)   Perennial Herb Starts

2)   Heavy Duty Hoes(10)

3)   D-Handled Spades(10)

4)   D-handled spading forks(10)

5)   Wood Chips

6)   Green House

7)   Pvc Pond Liner.

Orchard

1)   Fruit Trees

Goat/Chicken Enclosure

1)   800 feet of tall (8’) metal fencing material

2)   120 10’ Fence Posts (metal), w/ caps

3)   120 bags of concrete

4)   Chain-Link Gates (5’ wide or so)

5)   Metal Roofing-20 sheets

6)   Post-Hole Digger

7)   Treated 2 by 4s- 12 ‘  (20)

8)   Treated 2 x 6s (10)

Property Maintenance

1)   Riding Lawnmower

2)   Strubg Trimmer w/ Brush Cutter attachment

3)   Chainsaw (STIHL  or HUSQUEVARNA)

4)   Mattock

5)   Loppers- the beefy “3x force” ones

6)   Felco Trimmers (3)

Stage/Fence/ Bungalows/ Other Construction Projects

1)   Treated Plyboards (200)

2)   Treated two-by-fours ( 200)

3)   Treated four-by fours (200)

An Update on the Garden!

Remember the students that cleared space, spread manure, softened ground, and planted starts this summer?

We now have seven rows of vegetables and herbs growing. We have plans  to shape seven more rows in the next week and Jahba and Alex have been digging a pond for aquatic herbs and plants (inspired by the garden at OSBG). 

Brennan from Our School at Blair Grocery arrives bearing gifts! 

And...

Alex Posing Proudly with a Squash!

From Soil to Plate...

Two weeks with an Amazing Teacher!

For the past couple of weeks we have had the pleasure of working with Glenda, a licensed contractor from New Orleans and an old friend of Sunflower's. She has helped us to sheetrock, mud, and paint the house where lots of young people stayed this summer. She has also taught us valuable skills and plans to stay around to help us design and reconstruct the stage...next time with an even bigger team! Here are some photos of our progress.

We also met Walter Fields, a local retired electrician who helped us finish the wiring job. He also wants to donate his time and teaching skills when we begin construction on the stage!

And of course, when we're not working, we know how to show Glenda a good time!