Category: Environment

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!

Communication, Community, Composting, Conservation, Down On the Farm, Environment, Food Justice, Gratitude, Non-Profits, Opal's Farm, Service Organizations, Service to Others, The Holidays, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

Early Christmas!

gregoryjoel

It’s almost Christmas and I haven’t done well in keeping our friends up to date with Opal’s Farm this December. I guess you could include October and November in that as well. It’s been a hectic Fall! Our unseasonably warm weather and only occasional cold spells have been great for the farm.

Thanks to the Conservation and Environment Fund at North Texas Community Foundation we’re looking forward to a great Winter and an even better Spring. Christmas came early for Opal’s Farm when we were awarded a grant from the Conservation and Environment Fund at North Texas Community Foundation. We’ll be adding new pollinator habitats throughout the farm, improving soil health with better composting, and expanding our production area so that we can feed more of our neighbors while taking care of the land we’ve been so graciously been granted by the Tarrant Regional Water District.

“North Texas Community Foundation drives meaningful change through charitable investment. The Foundation helps donors meet the needs of our community by providing tax-efficient strategies to support the causes they care about most. At the core of everything we do is a network of generous individuals, families and businesses intent on shaping the future of North Texas for good, forever. Learn more at northtexascf.org.

5K Races, Autumn, Community, Down On the Farm, Environment, Events, Faith, Food Justice, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Opal's Farm, Persistence, Running, Service to Others, Social Justice, Spirituality, Thanksgiving, The Future, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

A Time For Reflection

gregoryjoel

Fall always seems to be a time of introspection for me. The weather gets cooler and although it’s really busy at the farm, I seem to naturally bend toward refection. I often wish I still had my staff to help out at the farm. I’ve been slowed this year by the aches and pains that accompany age and I feel way behind on so many things. However, there is an advantage to working solo. I can contemplate where I am at, the future, and grow in gratitude toward the God that has so richly blessed my life.

I just celebrated my eighth anniversary as the Farm Manager at Opal’s Farm. I’m so grateful for the opportunity I’ve been given to work for such a fantastic organization and serve our community in the most basic manner – growing healthy, organically grown food and creating access to that food to the communities that need it the most.

Fall is a great time for growing here in North Texas. Although we’ve had above-average temperatures for most of the last couple of months, we’re through the oppressive heat of Texas summers, and it’s the perfect weather for farming and gardening. It’s also a great time for reflection and begin planning for 2026.  As we look forward, I’m reminded of the importance of decision-making in line with our core values – resourceful, rooted, and resilient.

Resourceful – Opal’s defines resourceful as the intentional effort to restore resource to the land and the community. We use what is available in creative ways to leave a better community behind. Ms. Opal reminds me that “we’ve done so much with so little for so long that we can do anything with nothing”. We also rely on the community of farmers and volunteers that we’ve become a part of forcontinued learning and action.

Rooted – Staying true to your roots is an important aspect of community empowerment. Opal’s Farm believes in aligning its efforts with its surrounding community and tailoring those efforts to those it serves. To be aligned with our community requires the

open-mindedness and willingness to listen and act accordingly.

Resilience – To be resilient is to be tough, persevering, and brave. We are on journey that demands our attention, a commitment to action, and a dedication to create lasting impact. The political, economic, and environmental climate we find ourselves in demands adaptability.

While most businesses list honesty, integrity, service, and commitment to excellence as stated values, those go without saying for us and the local urban farming community you all are a part of. They’re part of our DNA. So, I needed the reminder that being resourceful, rooted, and resilient just as important as those values that are second-nature to Unity Unlimited, Inc.

The final thing that dictates everything we do is a deep sense of gratitude – grateful for the opportunity to do what we do and to be a part of the vibrant farming and local food community we’re a part of. As we enter the holiday season this month, we want to exercise extra thanksgiving for you all. May you all have a great Thanksgiving and success sin your farms and gardens!

Please remember as well that next Saturday, November 1st, is the 3rd Annual “High Strides Against Diabetes 5k and Walk” at Joppy Momma’s Farm in South Dallas. We are proud to co-host the run with Joppy Momma’s and celebrate Diabetes Awareness Month with the community. The Block Party will be great this year!

Acceptance, Aging, Belief, Christianity, Community, Connection, Consequences, Down On the Farm, Emotional Health, Environment, Faith, Farmers Markets, Food Deserts, Food Equality, Food Insecurity, Food Justice, Gardening, Generations, God's Economics, Grace, Gratitude, Health, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Persistence, Practice, Service to Others, Simplicity, Social Justice, Spirituality, Thoughts From the Porch, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, Volunteers

Bumps in the Road

gregoryjoel

It’s been an interesting Spring at Opal’s Farm. I’ve been busier than a one-armed paper hanger as my uncle used to say.

For one thing, I received a letter from the Social Security Administration this week. It said I’ve reached the age where I am now considered retired. I have to laugh when I realize Ms. Opal “retired” the year after I graduated high school. If that’s what retirement looks like, then I’m grateful for it. It means I can focus on loving and serving others full-time just like her. At ninety-eight, she reminds me that she just keeps running forward so the good Lord can’t catch her to take her home. Besides, there’s so much more to do. Especially now…

The other thing that happened is a little less humorous. My left knee blew out on me last Wednesday as I was putting tools away for the day. That wouldn’t have been unusual as it tends to happen now that I’m old enough to suffer the consequences of an overactive youth. This time was different. It didn’t stop hurting the next day and the pain was in a different part of my knee and increasing rather than decreasing. I decided Friday afternoon I had better go to the ER and have it checked out.

Fortunately, nothing is broken, but since X-rays don’t show cartilage or ligament damage, I’ll be seeing the orthopedic surgeon this week. Moreover, the ER doc said I had a lot of arthritis, and the next step was a knee replacement. I feared that might be the case. I guess I’ll find out this week. It’s a pretty big bump in the road.

He also told me to take steroids and pain medicine, wear the immobilizer, use the crutches, and stay off my knee for a few days. I can take medication. I can use the immobilizer most of the time. I can even use the crutches sometimes. However, for a farmer four days of bed rest isn’t possible this time of year. My doctor and I have an agreement – I don’t tell him how to practice medicine and he doesn’t tell me how to farm.

I went market and “Taste the C.U.R.E” class yesterday. If people ask me what happened I simply tell the truth – I got older!

I guess there’s more news to come and a lot of decisions to be made. I’ll just hobble along and work on the farm until then. I’m going to be much slower so I’m extra grateful for the volunteers we have right now. Spring is the busiest time of year for farmers and Opal’s is no exception. The farm still needs daily care. I’ll be there as long as the good Lord lets me, but we need extra volunteer help right now. Please think of us if you have a little spare time and want to get you’re hands dirty. After all, dirt don’t hurt.