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Can a Tomato Change the World?

gregoryjoel

I haven’t had much time to post anything. This was a blog from 2018 and it still applies today!

Thoughts From the Porch: I need to get a little personal here. I have an issue that’s close to the heart and after this week, I’m driven to share it with you. I haven’t spent much time on the porch. The early blast of Arctic weather has limited my time there. It must’ve delivered some silent signal to our trees last night. They seemed to release all their leaves at once. Except for the few bold ‘hangers-on’, the yard, sidewalk, and most of the porch is covered in dead and dying leaves.

My tomato and pepper plants succumbed to the freeze. I knew it was coming. The cycle of the seasons is inevitable. I know the time will always come to say goodbye to homegrown tomatoes for the winter. I had hoped we’d somehow escape the unusually early frost. It’s always difficult to say goodbye to tasty, fresh tomatoes, even if it’s only temporary.

I spent this last couple of weeks working on grant applications for Opal’s Farm. Everything met with our Director’s approval and I’m submitting them this morning. I haven’t written grants in many years, so there’s more than a little fear there. Did I do it right? What if they don’t come through? What if, what if, what if…

I want to do well: for the farm and as a writer. I guess I’ll find out how well I did when the grants are awarded.

I’d like to be offering a grand update on our progress, but the wet Fall weather has slowed tilling and bed preparation to a crawl. There’s still much to be done in this holiday (and giving) season. November 27th is the Global Day of Giving. I hope that you’ll keep Opal’s Farm in mind if such days are more convenient for you. Please remember though, donations aren’t contingent on special ‘giving days’, they are accepted 24/7, 365 days a year!

Personal experience has taught me that ‘playing in the dirt’ has the power to change lives and communities and provide solutions to problems far beyond food deserts and food scarcity. If that were all it did it would be a noble undertaking, but it’s much bigger than that.

Several years ago, I was working on a community garden in a local westside neighborhood for B.U.R.N. Ministries. Some of the young men who were in the youth program came to help one day when harvesting had begun. One of the young men asked me what “those are” as I was picking tomatoes. The question kind of took me back. I just assumed everyone knew what they were.

You see, he had grown up in an urban food desert. Most of his diet had consisted of processed foods from the local dollar and convenience stores. He had no idea what fresh produce looked like!

I pulled a tomato off the vine, wiped it off, handed it to him, and invited him to try it. He was reluctant at first. He took a small bite. I watched as his face went from a turned-up nose to a beaming smile. “That’s really good”, he said as he devoured the rest of the tomato. “Can I have another one?”

I’m not saying that one tomato is going to change the world. But I couldn’t help but notice how it changed his face and his perception. It was like shining a light in to a dark place. Once he ‘saw’ the opportunity in front of him he was able to taste the goodness of God’s world. I’d like to think it provided more than simply a great taste sensation. I’d like to think it provided hope.

That’s why Opal’s Farm is so important: to people, to the community, and to the next generation. A simple tomato has the power to change everything. That’s why I’m so passionate about a couple of acres and some wonderful produce.

I could go on and on. Educating people, feeding folks, and empowering individuals for stewardship and the opportunity to leave things a little better than they found it leaves me humbled and in awe of God’s creation.

As a professional writer, I’m supposed to craft my words carefully and ask you to be a financial partner with Opal’s Farm. I’d love for you to be a ‘farmer’, right alongside us whether it be with financial support or digging in the dirt. Moreover, I’m not too proud to beg. My wife always reminds me, “A closed mouth doesn’t get fed”. This is a golden opportunity to make a difference; to do something tangible. Right here. Right now.

So, I implore you to join us! You can reach us at:

http://www.unityunlimited.org

http://www.gregoryjoel.com

OpalsFarm on Facebook

@opalsfarm on Twitter

Communication, Community, Down On the Farm, Environment, Farmers Markets, Gratitude, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Seasons, Service to Others, Summer, Tarrant Regional Water District, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers

The Beat Goes On…

gregoryjoel

The real dog days of summer have arrived in North Texas. Heat warnings and triple digit temperatures are expected for the next ten days. The tomatoes have gone dormant until Fall, the other crops are growing ever so slowly, and everything struggles (including me) to survive the baking sun. Fortunately, peppers and okra love summertime in Texas so we should have plenty soon!

Please take it easy this week if you work in this heat. Hydration, both water and plenty of electrolytes, and shade breaks are absolute necessities. Heat illnesses can sneak up on you and hit suddenly – I learned a lesson last week during a farm tour! – and heat injuries are serious.

We’ll be closing the farm for the month of August. We won’t have as many varieties of produce at Opal’s Farm Stand. I’m delaying some planting as I’ll be in at Texas State University in San Marcos next weekend for the Southern Family Farms and Food Systems Conference. Then I’ll be back home on Tuesday, but Margaret and I will be leaving on vacation Wednesday. We could have chosen a better time to go with rising gas prices (as well as for everything else!) but it’s the first real vacation we’ve had since the farm started in 2019. A huge shout-out goes to Amir for irrigating while I’m gone and to our friends at the TRWD police and the Fort Worth police for additional patrols at the farm.

We’re going to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to see my stepson. To be honest, Iowa was never on my bucket list as I’ve always assumed that Iowa was just a lot of cornfields. Stereotyping anything is poor practice. You’ll miss out on the real beauty of a place. I’ve flown over Iowa many times, but I’ve never been there so this will be a new experience for me. It’s also going to be a bit challenging – it’s the first time we’ve ever been away from our pups for a whole week. I pray that their (and our) abandonment issues are minimal. Many thanks go out to our friend who’s housesitting in our absence.

Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

Aside from the brutal August heat. I won’t be at Cowtown Farmers Market until the end of August. I always miss Cowtown when I can’t be there. I’ve had the privilege of gaining so many new relationships with our “regulars”. There’s one couple I want to acknowledge in a special way. Larry and Virginia (I don’t have permission to use their last name) have been incredible friends of Opal’s Farm. I didn’t see them this summer and just found out that they weren’t going to be able to come to Cowtown due to some health issues. I want you to know that you’ve been our my prayers. I’ll be sending some farm-fresh tomatoes when they come back in season. I miss you guys and love you so much. Thank for everything you do.

I hope to see you all in September. We love all you folks that volunteer and support Opal’s Farm. You have become part of the Opal’s family!

Community, Down On the Farm, Farmers Markets, Gratitude, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Service to Others, Summer, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers

The Heat’s On

gregoryjoel

I’m sitting here enjoying my morning coffee and typing this extremely slowly so please bear with me. Thank goodness for spell check and autocorrect! I’ve been plagued with numbness in my hands for the last year or so due to a cubital tunnel issue. I’ve spent many days walking around shaking my hand to get some feeling back in it to continue working – and no, I don’t have a nervous tick. I went on Friday morning for surgery to decompress the nerves and I’m pleased to report that my hand hasn’t been numb for the last couple of days! You have no idea how wonderful it is to sleep through the night without waking up with a throbbing hand. I’m having to wear a sling for a couple of days to aid the healing, hence the one-handed typing.

My doctor said the recovery is short, but I needed to stay home over the weekend to let things settle down and avoid tears or post-op infection. Therefore, I was unable to do the Cowtown Farmers Market and Opal’s Farm Stand yesterday. I’m so sorry I missed you all. I can say that I’ve truly enjoyed the air conditioning and spending time with my beautiful wife this weekend! Now if I can just convince the puppies not to nose my arm while I sit here.

The heat is finally coming on strong this week so veggie production will slow down as we finish out the summer. The tomato production is rapidly declining so please get your summer tomatoes as we might not have many until Fall. We’re finishing out our pumpkin patch for the Fall, and several new beds are coming in so we hope to keep having our produce available through the summer doldrums.

We may not be at Cowtown Farmers Market every week. If we don’t have enough for both markets, we will be sending everything to the farm stand at Rosedale and Evans. We’re also changing our summer hours to keep everyone safe in this Texas heat. Beginning next week, Saturday, June 25th, we’ll be open from 9:00 AM until Noon. A big shout out to Jay and Vicki for manning the farm stand this summer. We have been so blessed by their help and support. Please let Jay know if you’d like to volunteer, either at the farm stand or Opal’s Farm. Feel free to contact me to get you set up on the volunteer’s text thread.

Finally, a huge shout out goes to Amir for irrigating for me yesterday. This weekend was not a good time to go without water for three days (I get to go back for light work on Monday!) Opal’s Farm is so blessed with all our volunteers and friends. Please stop by and see us soon. We love and appreciate our little community.