Category: Service to Others

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.

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Life’s Just a Circle…

gregoryjoel

It’s hard to believe that December is already here. This year has flown by! It seems like only yesterday I was planting early Spring crops and now I’m getting beds ready for them again. I keep hearing the old Harry Chapin song over and over in my head as I pull out the old summer crops and prepare for the coming year. “All my life’s a circle, sunrise and sundown. Moon rolls through the nighttime, ‘til the daybreak comes around. All my life’s a circle, but I can’t tell you why. Seasons spinning round again, the years keep rolling by…” I keep thinking that things will slow down at Opal’s Farm, but the circle keeps rolling on.

Opal’s Farm Stand went on the road yesterday with all the greens and root vegetables that’re coming in this time of year. We were at the monthly Funkytown Mindful Market on Wesleyan Street. Attendance was strong despite the chilly overcast December day, and a good time was had by all. I got to spend the morning with our stand next to my friend Steven from Tabor Farms and catch up with one another. He and all the Tabor crew have done an amazing job building the farm up and growing some fantastic winter produce. Please go by and visit Tabor sometime for a real treat. Even better than that – volunteer with them!

My friends at CoAct, Jesse Herrera and Ashley Munoz, saw to it that Market Bucks went to every market visitor and any produce left over was sent to the Funkytown Fridge. Everyone’s so busy this time of years that it’s easy to forget that many of our neighbors go hungry during this hectic holiday season. CoAct, Funkytown Mindful Market, Tabor Farms, and Opal’s Farm hope to make the holidays a bit easier for those going without. Food, and good healthy food, is a basic human right and we want to do what we can to ensure that everyone has access.

Please remember too, that Opal’s has Fresh Bucks available through the end of December to help those who were affected by the government shutdown. The Sustainable Food Center has graciously shared a grant to make sure those affected can purchase up to $30.00 per day on fresh food with the Fresh Bucks available until they’re all gone or the end of December, whichever comes first.

Fall saw above normal temperatures and December’s moved in the opposite direction. It’s the coldest start to December in sixteen years so we’ve been covering crops to make we have plenty of winter produce available. The good Lord willing, we will be open throughout the year both Cowtown Farmers Market and Opal’s Farm Stand.

There are some changes coming to Opal’s Farm Stand in 2026 so we can serve more of our neighbors. We’re finalizing those plans now and we’ll be making an announcement about those changes soon. Meanwhile, the circle keeps rolling on. Happy Holidays everyone!

Autumn, Community, Down On the Farm, Faith, Food Justice, Gratitude, Neighbors, Seasons, Service to Others, Thanksgiving, The Holidays, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming

Thanksgiving Week!

gregoryjoel

It’s Thanksgiving week. The grandkids are out of school, the calendar is empty for the first time in several months, and the weather looks like we’ll have a “Fall feel” to Thanksgiving. It doesn’t mean the farm takes a break. Plants don’t take holidays. The farm may not take time off, but it does slow down a bit as we all do during the holidays. It rained last night so I got to sit down and write the Opal’s Picks column this morning. I’m so thankful for the rain we’ve had as I’m sure you are too. Nature’s way of irrigating is simply the best!

We spent last month planting cover crops for the winter – cereal rye and Austrian winter peas are our wintertime choices. Othe winter seed mixes are available but these two have worked best for us in North Texas. Cereal rye is great for increasing soil tilth and weed suppression. Austrian winter peas are fantastic at fixing nitrogen into the soil. They also provide excellent weed suppression in the Spring. They die off as it gets warmer and provide a think mat of decaying vegetation over the beds to smother out new weed growth until the beds are ready for new planting.

Photo by Capture Blinks on Pexels.com

We were fortunate to have a warm November, but we still need to prepare row covering for our winter crops. We’ve been busy setting hoops and row covering both (both insect cloth and frost cloth) for our larger crops. We always use floating row covers with insect cloth for our salad mixes and arugula and can easily add frost cloth when required.

The insect cloth limits pest issues, particularly with the Brassica plant family. Bogada bugs, of which Harlequin bugs are a part of, love brassicas. Infestations are worse in Fall and Spring, but fortunately, if they can’t see them, they tend not to eat them. The other thing that works well for us is planting a “trap crop”. We use Tokyo Bekana (Chinese cabbage) and leave it uncovered. The Bogada bugs tend to flock to it and leave our production beds alone.

We also take this opportunity to prepare our potato, onion, and tomato beds for Spring. We clean out the new potato and onion beds and cover them with black silage blankets to kill of the weeds. We prepare next year’s tomato beds with new compost and cover them with hay to help with water retention and weed suppression.

We hope you have a delightful holiday and a happy New Year. Don’t forget to put coverings, new tools, and seed on Santa’s list…

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The Shutdown May be Over but the Pain Is Not

gregoryjoel

“When people were hungry, Jesus didn’t say, “Now is that political or social?” He said, “I feed you.” Because the good news to a hungry person is bread.” – Desmond Tutu

In October of 2018 I shut down my business to work full-time as the Farm Manager for Opal’s Farm. I knew from my first meeting with Ms. Opal that the farm is where I was called to be, but the first time I saw the whole five acres tilled I wondered how I’d ever “eat the elephant” in front of me. Thanks to my dear friend and mentor, Charlie Blaylock, I didn’t have to. He told me to take one bite at a time, plant one row at a time, and do what I could do each day. If I did that the “elephant” would turn into a glorious farm.

Charlie was right. Nobody wanted to donate to a dream that first year, so money was scarce. All we had were donated tools, donated seeds, and one volunteer to help start our first acre (We love you, Brendan!). The two of us built beds, planted those donated seeds, and with help from the weather that year we had our first harvest on the first acre of Opal’s Farm. What started as a vision of what could be has become a reality over the last seven years. Ms. Opal reminds me that “we’ve done so much with so little for so long that we can do anything with nothing.”

Once we had something to show the funds started coming in slowly and we added more tools, equipment, and crops each season. More volunteers came to the farm and became valued members of the Opal’s Farm community. We were even able to add some paid farmhands (my back was celebrating!). We’ve been proud members of the Cowtown Farmers Market since 2019, hosted events and pop-up neighborhood markets, and opened our own Opal’s Farm Stand in 2024. We became an authorized Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – SNAP – retailer in 2023 and recently added the Double Up Bucks program this year thanks to Texas Health Community Hope and Double Up Texas.

The past ten months have seen many changes in the political and social climate we live and work in. It came to a head when the federal government came to a screeching halt for forty-three days while the Democrats and Republicans argued about policies and funding issues. On October 27th, SNAP Benefits halted to forty-two million Americans in addition to the many federal workers going without paychecks during the shutdown. Food insecurity and hunger became an even harsher reality for more low-income households, seniors, and children. People face tough choices – food or medicine and bills, – even if the shutdown has ended for now.

I have private opinions regarding the debacle but the bottom line for me is that food is neither political nor social in nature as so eloquently in the above Desmond Tutu quote. Food is a basic human right for everyone. It’s not whether one is Democrat or Republican, wealthy or poor, but for everyone. No one, especially our seniors and children, should have to go hungry.

Opal’s Farm is committed to helping those affected by the government shutdown through our farm stand at the Funkytown Mindful Market and the “Doc” Sessions Community Center. In partnership with @Sustainable Food Center (SFC), we are launching

Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos, a temporary program to support farmer sales

and food access for families at our market. 💚

Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos provides [$30 or market amount] worth of

market dollars for shoppers to buy any food or drink item.

Any market shopper affected by loss of services and/or income due to the government

shutdown can receive Double Up Fresh Bucks / Dólares Frescos. Double Up Fresh

Bucks / Dólares Frescos expire on December 31, 2025.

How to Participate:

1️⃣ Visit us at Funkytown Mindful Market (1201 Wesleyan St.) on the 1st Saturday of the month and at Opal’s Farm Stand (“Doc” Sessions Community Center 201 S. Sylvania) every other Saturday from 1pm to 3pm

2️⃣Ask to receive Double Up Fresh Bucks / Double Up Dólares Fresco

We’ll see you there!

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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!