Our tomatoes are in! They loved all the rain this Spring and the May sun was the perfect topper for a great first week of tomatoes. We’ll have big harvests over the next few weeks so come out and see us at Cowtown Farmers Market and Opal’s Farm Stand.
I had company at the farm this week. We think she’s one of the coyote pups from last Spring. (Sorry I’m such a lousy photographer but I was on a running and vibrating tractor!) This young lady came and spent most of the day with me as I made way for the last succession planting of watermelon and cantaloupe. She stayed about ten feet away all day but was fascinated by the tractor. She kept a sharp eye out for any field mice that ran out as I prepared the beds.
I’m so glad we have a symbiotic relationship with the wild animals that come to the farm. Moreover, I’m really happy they feel safe enough to be there. It speaks to me of the peaceful spirit that exists there. Have a great week!
What a week it’s been. We’ve had a gorgeous week of upper sixties and seventy-plus degree weather followed by a weekend of rain. We’d love to thank everyone who braved the elements to come out to Cowtown Farmers Market on Saturday morning. I spoke with one of our customers who said, “I can’t not be here. I can’t eat that stuff they sell at the store”. I love you! People like you are our best ambassadors! Once you’ve had local it’s hard to have anything else.
I appreciate the commitment to fresh, local, and extremely healthy produce that so many of you have. It really becomes evident on days like yesterday. I enjoy the families that bring their children and teach them the importance of healthy eating. I get excited when the kids point to a bunch of turnips or kale and ask if Mom and Dad can buy that for them. That’s the highlight of my day.
We started bee hives with the help of Brent Bennett from Green Hands Farm almost two years ago. Brent is a Master Beekeeper and has helped us reach the point where we had our first honey harvest a couple of weeks ago. Opal’s honey is not only local (which is essential for allergy help), raw, and unfiltered, it’s some of the best honey available in Fort Worth.
We plant a lot of buckwheat in the Spring. We use it between rows to attract beneficial insects as part of our integrated pest management. It’s also a favorite of our bees who bring that wonderful buckwheat taste to our honey. Come on out to Cowtown Farmers Market next Saturday and try some.
We’re working with Brent to start beekeeping classes in the Spring. Please keep an eye out for the details and sign-up site to come!
Thanks again to one and all for your support of Opal’s Farm and our local farmers markets.
It’s been a great week around these parts. My Assistant Manager, Joey, and I were in San Antonio earlier this week for the 31st Annual Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (TOFGA) Conference. We spent two days learning and sharing with other growers from all over the state. On Tuesday, I was part of a panel discussion on Agrotourism. We’d love to thank Kristin Song from Delve Experiences and the other panel members for helping us (and you, we hope) grow our agrotourism business. We are thrilled to be a TOFGA member!
The weather here has been unusually mild for Texas in February. The long-range forecasts, both from NOAA and The Old Farmers Almanac, point to a cold spell in the middle of this month and a last frost date of March 18th. I can’t wait to start getting the Spring crops in the ground. It’s been in the upper sixties and low seventies the last week. Spring Fever firmly has me in its grip. Still, it is February in North Texas…
This has been a week about community. We had our annual membership meeting of the Cowtown Farmers Market yesterday after the market. One of the questions put to all the members was, why do you sell at Cowton Farmers Market. My reason was clear – it’s all about community.
I spent the first part of the week at the TOFGA Conference. This was my fifth one and I’ve come to know people from all over the state of Texas. I look forward to being with them every year. I often learn more from the conversations outside the meeting rooms and that makes the conference expense more than simply worthwhile. It’s a community of farmers and food justice advocates I am so blessed to be a part of.
Cowtown Farmers Market is the same – both with the farmers and with our customers. A member of the market – another farmer – made a comment yesterday that explains the ethos at Cowtown Farmers Market. He said, “I don’t view anyone else there as competition”. This same member I’ve often seen help, or even sell, for another member farmer when they were sick or needed to be off.
We don’t operate from a paradigm of scarcity. We don’t need to stress and fracture relationships through constant competition. Farmers constantly refer customers to other customers who might have something they don’t have. I have benefitted from the wisdom many of our experienced farmers shared so freely. I’ve become a better farmer and a better person by knowing them.
I’ve also come to know many of our customers because they are there every week (and they usually tell me when they’re not going to be there for whatever reason).They’re there in the cold winter and they’re there during the heat of a Texas summer. I come to know what’s going on in their lives, their likes and dislikes, and they mine. Genuine conversations start – what’d you do this week, how’s the family, or asking about something they’d told me about a few weeks ago. There’s a continuity and a sense of community you simply will never find at your local Kroger or Albertsons.
I’d love to see you all come out to the market on Saturday mornings. Come join our wonderful community. Enjoy great people, great fun, and great food! If you can’t make it there, please come out to our new farm stand at 2500 LaSalle and be a part of the neighborhood community we’re proud to be a part of. Don’t worry. The community can never be too big, and besides, there’s always room for one more farmers market, right?
The scene beyond my window is rather drab. A blast of cold Arctic air exploded across North Texas yesterday afternoon. It brought with it the cutting icy North wind that plagues the Southern plains every winter. The “feels like” temperatures this morning were in the single digits and they’re predicting eighty-plus hours below freezing and sleet for this evening. Folks in these parts are understandably nervous. Ice brings out the worst in Texas drivers and the memory of Winter Storm Uri in 2021 is still fresh to anyone who lived here then. The power grid crashed, Texans went for days without power and water, and 246 people died from storm-related issues.
Last year saw a major ice storm at the end of January. We were at the Texas Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association Conference in Dallas and left early because of the roads. One of our employees ended up staying at the motel that night. One night turned into a week. Texans do not do well in cold weather. It doesn’t storm often but when it does look out!
Fortunately, we’ve had ample time to prepare for this Arctic visitor. Store shelves are empty of non-perishables and bottled water. Gas tanks are full and homes lucky enough to have a generator are standing by. People take the weather forecast a bit more seriously since the winter of ’21.
( Opal’s Farm and the frozen Trinity River February 2021 )
Personally, I haven’t had much time to prepare our house. I still must make a run to Home Depot. My neighbor said they had some outdoor faucet covers hidden in the back of the store. Information like that is like finding gold. We try to take care of each other in our neighborhood. I have, however, taken steps to prepare Opal’s Farm the best we can to save our winter crops. Frost cloth has been double-spread on the bio-intensive section and several of the hundred-foot rows. Prayers have been said, fingers have been crossed, and if I had a rabbit’s foot, I’m sure I’d be holding it close. We’ll keep you posted…
On a lighter, and somewhat warmer note (it was cool but warmer yesterday), we moved Opal’s Farm Stand hours to Saturday afternoons from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM. We found his to be more convenient for our neighbors and the traffic on Sylvania isn’t rushing between jobs. We had several customers yesterday afternoon. This complements our mornings at Cowtown Farmers Market and our delivery for Hao’s Grocery and Café. We can harvest once a week to bring quality fresh produce to our community.
Anyway…
My fur-babies don’t seem to be bothered by the single-digit temperatures. They are out running around and playing as I sit here. Sitting here watching them got me to thinking about this blog. I’ve always called it “Thoughts From the Porch” because that was the place my thoughts and coffee ran freely since this journey began. I no longer spend my mornings on the front porch. It’s not because it’s cold. When you smoke it really doesn’t matter if it’s the summer Texas heat or the winter freeze, you’re driven to suffer outside.
However, that changed on November 1st of last year. That’s the day I quit smoking. I’ve been cigarette-less since then. The cravings have become less severe most of the time. The operative word being “most”. Other days – not so much. Staying off the porch has been a good move so here I sit. I still get a good view of the world through the patio door next to my office. It’s a constant reminder of God’s goodness and grace in our lives.
Maybe it’s time to find another name for this? Let me know your thoughts!
Please stay warm and safe through this cold snap. Stay inside, make it a family day or a day of introspection. Enjoy the time and pray the lights don’t go out…
We opened our first farmstand of the year at Opal’s Farm on Friday. We anticipated a slow day as it takes time for folks to realize we’re there. True to form, it was a very slow day. A couple of people stopped to ask if we’d be there after work. We’re discovering that the time may not be good for the neighborhood so we will most likely change to Saturday afternoons. We’ll keep everyone in the loop as we discuss those changes this week.
For most of the first couple of hours a small black Corgi-mix and a Chihuahua walked up and down the yards across the street. Stacey, our Volunteer Coordinator, and I were talking to a couple of friends who’d stopped to visit buy some fresh produce and tour the farm. One of our visitors had brought her new dog and her dog caught the attention of the two across the street and they began to venture across Sylvania.
Sylvania is a busy street with traffic that tends to go faster than the thirty-five-miles-per hour-speed limit. We all watched in alarm as they tried to come across the street to make a new friend. They managed to dodge the first round of cars and went back to their side of the street until there was a pause in the traffic. When they tried again a single Lexas SUV came flying down the road. The little black dog escaped safely. The little Chihuahua did not. I don’t wish to be graphic but some of us saw the accident and all four of us heard the loud crunch as the Lexus hit the Chihuahua. It was quite upsetting to a group of dog lovers – especially when the Lexus continued at full-speed down the road, never stopping to check on the dog.
The little black dog walked back out on the street to check on his friend. I ran over to see if his buddy was still alive. Fortunately, it wasn’t. The hit has been loud and fast. Most likely the poor Chihuahua was dead on impact. It was a small comfort to my friends who were crying.
I gently took the body and laid it on the grass. The small black Corgi-mix came over to his friend and sat by the body. He periodically would head a short way in the direction they had originally come from, but always stopped and looked to see if his running buddy was coming and returned to his friend. This went on for about an hour before he headed off to his home around the corner. I followed him to see if I could find the owner. I found his house but not the Chihuahua’s.
I debated telling this story because of its graphic nature. It was upsetting to watch. I’m a dog guy. I have four of them and I love them dearly. My kids and grandkids are out of the house. Jamison, Sadie, Ricky, and Lucy are like our kids. They’re family and, to many of our friends’ chagrin, they are treated as such. I know I’m not alone in this. Just see how many billions of dollars the pet care industry makes per year.
Yet in watching the little black Corgi-mix’s concern (and what I believe was grief) I became acutely aware of our connection to other living beings in our world. I know the human tendency to anthropomorphize our furry (and not so furry) friends. I’m sure that there are many examples that may support this. Science debunks many of the things we attribute to human-like behaviors and emotions in the animal kingdom. It thinks of them as having simply natural, instinctive behaviors. However, they can’t measure or even observe the spiritual connections that are prevalent in the animal kingdom.
I’ve always been taught that language is what differentiated homo sapiens from the rest of the animal kingdom. Recent scientific studies have revealed that the same gene that helps enable language in humans is present in many birds, reptiles, and mice. Studies have shown that other species have the ability to learn new ways to communicate amongst themselves. Language isn’t unique the human beings after all.
Many humans have known this all along on a much deeper spiritual level. Some ancient theological text, such as the books that weren’t canonized into the Hebrew or Christian Bibles, like the books of Enoch, refer to a time when all created beings shared the same language and communication. Indigenous cultures around the world respect the connection between the natural world and humans. They act accordingly and treat creation with care. Saint Francis of Assisi, the founder of the Franciscan order, talked about Brother Sun and Sister Moon – that all created beings are part of one family and should be treated and respected as such. Ask any pet owner if their pet communicates with them. The answer is a resounding yes!
I don’t pretend to be a scientist so whatever I think is simply my personal belief and experience. I would like to think that my dogs are spiritual guides of a sort. It’s no wonder that “dog” is “God spelled backwards. They are loved and give love unconditionally. They experience grief and loss and can tell when I am going through the same. When Missy, my Sheltie passed we buried her in the backyard and placed a stone marker on her grave. Several weeks later, Jamison came to live with us (all our dogs are rescues) and when he went into our backyard for the first time, he walked to Missy’s grave and sat down very respectfully. I’d like to think he honored her and promised her to take care of Margaret and I – which he’s done extremely well.
All four of our fur-babies know when something is going on with us and often respond accordingly. As I sit here working at the computer, Ricky and Lucy are outside playing. Periodically, Ricky comes running in, noses my arm, and checks on me. I love on him for a minute and off he runs out the door to play with his sister.
I see this kind of behavior with other animals as well. We have had a farm hawk for the last couple of years – Ethan – yes, Ethan Hawk. Ethan would follow me through the field as I cleared it each season for new planting. I would chase field mice as I cleared the field and Ethan would gobble up as quickly as he could. He’d stand next to me while doing so. He’d often sit on the bucket of my tractor and “talk” to me.
We loved having Ethan around. He was a magnificent Cooper’s Hawk. We knew that he and his mate – who was usually close by – would leave for a couple of months each summer and come back in the Fall. He and his mate didn’t return this year. We wondered if he was okay and were worried about him. Although he didn’t return, a young Cooper’s Hawk did. He came down and sat on the tractor the other day. I could swear he was Ethan Jr. and tried to let me know. He then flew to Ethan’s tree where he appears to have a nest now. The tradition continues…
I don’t discount science in any way. It explains so much and helps me be a better farmer. However, I intend to continue believing that Spirit is what connects us to each other and to the whole of God’s creation. I’ll continue to treat the natural world as family and do my best to love, nurture, and protect it. After all, isn’t that what we do for family…
gregoryjoel.com 