Farming, Fishing, and Digging a Hole

Trevor and I just got back from a weekend at Green Flamingo, where we finished digging the aquaponics pond we've had going for awhile. Aquaponics is like hydroponics, only it makes use of animals in the water for purposes of filtration, plant nourishment, and mosquito control. As you can see, it has not been filled yet, but we have lined it with carpet and pool liner so that the water won't seep through the ground.

Other duties included assisting intern Steve with an after-hours trash run...

...and assisting him again when he ran out of gas on the way back :(

Other than that, it was a very relaxing weekend. We visited Green Flamingo's booth at the farmers' market in New Smyrna Beach...

...fished...

...cooked a spicy skillet meal (visit The Chickenless Kitchen for the recipe!)...

...and lied around like the trailer trash we so desperately hope to be one day.

We still have not decided on an internship for this summer, but for now, Green Flamingo is a fantastic place to be and we are ecstatic to be volunteering our time there. It's hella-difficult to get back to civilization and see ridiculous stuff like this sign outside Cracker Barrel:

Will keep you updated on the internship story as it unfolds!

Pictures from Virginia

Hello again, finally. Trevor and I just returned from a too-brief stay at a farm in Virginia. Farmer Sandra (who grows Asian pears, artichokes, sunchokes, and asparagus just to name a few) and her animal companions were sweet enough to put us up for the weekend. Theirs is a stunning piece of property, so be prepared for lots of pictures!

An Amish buggy (there is a large Amish population in the neighborhood)

Sandra's cabin: a work in progress

Well house

Classically photogenic tractor

Sandra and Trevor walk down to the lake

Sunset at the lake

Finally making progress with the shy donkeys!

Tobacco barn... isn't this the perfect Halloween picture?! Oooooooooo...

Peeking in the window of the tobacco barn

Inside the tobacco barn

Outdoor kitchen

"Hmm, wonder if I can get away with sneaking into the pig pen?"

"Just a little push..."

"Score!!"

A warm thank you goes out to our wonderful hosts:

Tom the Turkey...

...Puppy-Puppy...

...The rabbits...

...The Malaysian fighting cocks...

...Girlie-Girl...

...the donkeys...

...Daisy the pig...

...the chickens...

...the horse...

...and Sandra!

Remembered the Camera

Here is the fabled Green Flamingo. I went yesterday while Trevor was at work. We planted broccoli rabe, kale, onions, beans, and four papaya trees; then did some watering, fertilizing, and weeding. Fun stuff!

Shameless Self-Promotion

I was so flattered that some of you wanted the recipe for my Down-Home-Style Thai Chicken Soup that I went and got a big head about it and started another blog, The Chickenless Kitchen. Check it whenever you need a culinary jumpstart.

Paradise Farm Lives Up to Its Name; Trevor and I Do NOT Live Up to Our Ultimate Decision of the Moment

Microgreens live here.

The downstairs part serves as a kitchen/recreational area. Didn't see the upstairs. If anyone can figure it out by looking in the windows, let me know.

Jackfruit... bigger than Butch's head!!

The mushroom house.

The gazebo, where charity dinners are served.

Outdoor showers.

Kitchen.

Sadly I don't remember the name of these... they're related to lychee.

Yesterday I toured the lovely Paradise Farm in Homestead, pictured above. This morning Trevor and I had a torturous decision to make: Should we throw away the lives we've built here in Orlando and start from scratch 250 miles south of friends, family, cat, and steady work? Despite the Mosquito Infestation from Hell, Paradise more than fulfills the requirements we thought we had. But in the end, our decision was based on the merits of our current circumstance. Very few people are lucky enough to live as we do, at the heart of a vibrant city surrounded by great people and just a hop-skip-and-jump from our beachside hometown. We've already deemed Green Flamingo a perfect place to focus our volunteer efforts; why not ease into the world of farming by assisting Elizabeth and Mary on weekends? Why not find other farmers in the area? Why jump into a situation that would torch our bridges, leaving us virtually penniless and vagrant? In the end it made little sense. So thank you, Paradise Farm, for your hospitality, and we hope to work with you in the future once we are better-prepared. But for now, I'll sign off with an exhausted sigh and the announcement that O-Town is officially where it's at... until next June, at least...

More to come.

Green Flamingo Trip a Success!

Yesterday was Trevor's and my first day volunteering at Green Flamingo in Oak Hill... an extremely positive experience, to say the least! Our hosts, farmers Elizabeth and Mary, were exactly the kind of people that we see ourselves being in a few years. They have done a number of internships and volunteer programs around the country, and have finally re-settled in New Smyrna to run this fabulous, 100% organic operation. The four of us spent a full day shoveling/spreading mulch and compost, installing an irrigation system, planting, and harvesting. Above you'll see some of the yummies they let us bring home... bonus!! Here they are after being cooked into a Thai/American Southern fusion dish...

And YES, okay, fine, you caught us... we DID forget our camera when we went to volunteer. We're totally new at this blogging thing; cut us some slack!! We plan on going out again in a couple weeks, at which point we'll take pictures of tranquil groves, truck-chasing dogs, and flying saucer squash that would make E.B. White sob with jealousy. Also, stay tuned for more on the Paradise saga... I will visit Homestead on Tuesday (camera in hand, I promise) to learn more about their facility and see if I can't lend a hand for the afternoon. Unfortunately as great as it was to meet Elizabeth and Mary, and much as we'd love to be in on the ground floor of their project, it would not be feasible to do a full-time internship at Green Flamingo for the coming season; so Paradise is our "ultimate decision of the moment." It's not without its difficulties. For instance, we will not be able to take our beloved kitty cat :( :( :( due to anticipated disputes with the local guard dogs. But Trevor and I agree that it's a wonderful chance to learn more about growing organic produce, not to mention cooking with slow-food techniques. Plus, there will be opportunities to earn extra money while we're there. So we are very excited :)

That's all for now... If I don't have pics of an actual farm for you by Wednesday, feel free to click "unfollow" (is that even a word?)

What a fantastic dilemma

So how cool is this?

After making our plans to visit Green Flamingo Organics, we get a message from Paradise Farm in Homestead. Seems they are exactly two people short for their season and they could use us starting in September. Our lease ends in Sept., so that is what is commonly known as perfect. They host their interns (sounded like through the productive season, so into spring), meals are provided, and they work a 30-hour week, so we would have time to freelance.

Paradise has been productive for something like six or seven years. They grow avocados, mangos, bananas and other tropical fruits as well as mushrooms and something called "micro-greens," all for high-end restaurants in the area. They also host charity dinners where all the food is prepared in front of the patrons. Lindsay being the chef is particularly interested in this.

I told Gus at Paradise that we had already made plans to check out Green Flamingo, but that if things didn't work out, we'd give him a call.

So we have our first guarantee - a place to stay and work to do. Let the learning begin!

Green Flamingo Organics

So it looks like we're gonna go volunteer at Green Flamingo Organics next Saturday. Here's the basic description:

Green Flamingo Organics is a small organic farm in the midst of 140 acres of citrus groves located in Oak Hill Florida. This is the first year of production and we are working on growing the vegetable garden, keeping a flock of laying hens, and propagating perennials and fruit and nut trees. As the farm develops we are interested in creating more projects in living systems. New projects we are working towards include rain water catchment, alternative energy, green construction, beekeeping, mycology, and really almost anything that sounds fun, interesting, and produces deliciousness. The farm will produce for a CSA and market this year. We are located 30 miles south of Daytona Beach, FL, in very close proximity to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, and miles of intercoastal waterway.

To Lindsay and I, this is like saying, "Hey, how about you start out in Heaven?" It's located in the most ideal place imaginable for us and it's working on sustainable systems, which is exactly the kind of farming we want to do. If things work out, we might make it our first full-time internship.

Apparently this is their big season. I'm sure they'd welcome extra hands (mainly because they said so). If anybody wants to come along next Saturday, drop me a line.

Giddy giddy giddy giddy!

The Latest Offer

My biggest fear about this whole undertaking is that we are wishing on a star; that we are hoping to get something for nothing.

Take the most recent contact I've gotten:

King County, Duvall

19 acres for long term lease. Land is within the Farmland Preservation Program. In pasture for last 10 years. River water available. Potential for organic certification. Organic cow manure for fertilizer available. Buildings include: 100’x100’, 30’x150’, and 30’x65’ sheds that could be converted to other uses. 2 bed/1bath single dwelling (700 sf) available. Lots of possibilities. Land owner willing to work with you.

All well and good, but once again sounds like somebody would have to come in with some serious startup.

Is it unreasonable to want to go enter a lifestyle so far removed from your own?

No, that's poor phrasing.

Is it unreasonable to say, "Hey, farming happens. People do it. We're people. We can farm."

Bear in mind, Lindsay and I are not asking for anything even kind of resembling ownership right off. We're not saying, "Give us a lease on spec and if it doesn't work out, then we'll just walk away from it." We're saying that we want to learn. We want to work on a farm. Don't people do that? Are we too old?

I'm thinking we might need more education. So we're looking into internships now. We found this wonderful site that has a list of programs around the country. I'm a big fan of the Central Rocky Mountain Permaculture Institute in Colorado. They're full until Spring, though.

We have written to Green Flamingo Organics and Paradise Farm, both in Florida. We're probably going to write to two or three a day until we start getting favorable responses.

The whole thing is, it looks like we're going to have to shit or get off the pot, though we don't have a pot and we're a little constipated.