Harvest Begins

What’s all this talk about a Farm?

Well, it’s actually a large garden. It’s a little over 3,500 ft2 so, we call it the farm. A month or so ago, our neighbors who own a chunk of land near our home asked my wife (Jo Dee) and I if we wanted to plant a garden on it. My wheels started to turn (of course, people around me smelled smoke) and our farm was the result. Now, I’m not a native to the South, so your generous hospitality surprises the heck out of me. When we agreed to use the land they seemed happy and I thought that was it. Well, not so. They called in a friend of theirs with a tractor, plowed and tilled the field for us as a gift. They rock. Our chef, Steve Brown has some experience with gardens. When he was a chef in Hawaii he was able to grow a diverse crop of exotic items in his backyard. This climate is a bit different. I, well, I grow restaurants. I understand the idea of growth from my horticulture classes, but to get plants to grow I would rather consult the experts. So, we called in Michael Porterfield, the owner of Gladheart Farms. They supply us with a portion of our organic foods. So, there was no better choice. He counseled Steve on what foods to plant and gave us ideas on organic fertilizing. We rallied our families (free labor) and started the farm.

I thought I was too busy to actually help tend a farm, but after the last 6 weeks of planting, watering, raking, weeding and did I mention watering, I wouldn’t give it up for anything. It is exciting to watch little plants take root and thrive. It is also sad when one wilts and dies. The stress release from working in the dirt is mu(l)ch underrated (sorry).

We have planted a crazy assortment of vegetables and fruits. Some of the varieties are Dragon Carrots, Stars and Moon Watermelon, 10 different types of Tomato, Cucumbers, 12 different types of lettuce, Swiss Chard, Rainbow Chard, Sweet and Hot Peppers out the wazoo, and more Squash than we could ever use. We plan to first give to those who donated the land, time and effort to this project, then to the Green Sage and then a good supply to local kitchens and food banks who help those in need.

I would like to encourage all of you to go out and plant something today. You will be rewarded. The next time you come in to The Green Sage ask “What is from your farm”? We will be proud to serve it to you.

I will keep updating you on our progress. By the time the next Newsletter comes out we should have a blog where you can contact Chef Steve and get up to the minute (well, when he is not on the line making delicious meals) information on The Green Sage and what the heck we’re going to do next.

This is Easy

Maybe not so Easy

–Tony–