Category: Summer

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.

Activism, Citizenship, Community, Down On the Farm, Equal Rights, Events, Food Justice, Freedom, Hope, Juneteenth, Neighbors, Opal's Farm, Role Models, Service to Others, Social Justice, Summer, Thoughts From the Porch, Uncategorized, Unity Unlimited, Inc., Urban Farming, What Can I Do

Just Can’t Wait

gregoryjoel

It’s an overcast Sunday morning here in North Texas. Rain is in the forecast once again and with a little luck it will continue Monday. Another “rain day” would be welcome during this busy time of year. Another peaceful morning drinking coffee and getting some well-deserved rest and some writing time would be amazing even though this is one of the busiest weeks of the year.

Juneteenth is this Friday and Ms. Opal’s Walk for Freedom is at nine o’clock at Will Rogers Coliseum. Opal’s Farm will be there for the celebration with lots of great veggies. I’ve been told that, God willing, Ms. Opal will be there to ride in the comfort of air conditioning to lead the walk and celebrate her hundredth year. After all the miles she has walked to advocate for a day of celebration on June 19th, she has definitely earned the comfort of air conditioning on a Texas summer day.

Our Executive Director (and candidate for Texas Congressional candidate for Texas District 25) will be in Evansville, Illinois (one of our sponsor cities) for Opal’s Walk and then in Chicago for the Grand Opening of the Obama Presidential Center. We’ll all be walking together at the same time as many folks around the country and the world. Please come and celebrate freedom and unity with all of us.

Event Details

📅Date: Friday, June 19, 2026
Location: Walks taking place across the country

Walk Host Cities:

  • Fort Worth, TX
    • Evanston, IL
  • Cincinnati, OH
  • Los Angeles, CA
  • Grants Pass, OR
  • Washington, DC

Juneteenth has never meant as much to me as it does this year. The constant onslaught of bad news – an unjust war, increasing economic hardships for the majority of Americans, the daily attacks on our freedoms and democracy – can be overwhelming, bringing hopelessness and despair. Juneteenth is a reminder that we all have something to celebrate – our freedom and each other. It offers hope for what we were always meant to be. It’s truly a statement of “we the people”. It’s so much more than a holiday simply honoring the freedom of African American enslaved people. It frees us all from the oppression of fear and hatred that old ideas of class and racism that have weighed on us all. It’s a time to join in unity instead of the deep divisions that so many of us feel.

It truly is a time to, as Ms. Opal says, celebrate freedom from Juneteenth to July 4th. In this 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, celebrating Juneteenth has never been more important – it’s about the freedom we all should have and enjoy. Please join us, whether in one of our host cities on in your town , as we walk together to celebrate unity and Juneteenth.

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

Market Days!

gregoryjoel

Happy Sunday morning my friends! We had a fantastic Cowtown Farmers Market and Opal’s Farm Stand yesterday. The predicted rainy Saturday turned out to be a beautiful summer day. It waited until the evening to start pouring down so Opal’s Farm received a huge blessing with God’s irrigation!

If you haven’t had a chance to visit the Opal’s Farm Stand you need to come by and visit. We’re at the corner of Rosedale and Evans (1109 Evans) every Saturday from 1 PM until 4 PM. We’ve been blessed to have other vendors asking to come down. Stephen from Tabor Farms is there frequently with an abundance of produce grown right here in Fort Worth as well as Demetria’s incredible herbal teas and salves to meet your wellness needs. We’ll be adding two new vendors in the coming weeks so please come out and join the fun.

Tomato season is well under way. First time market goers may want to come early as tomatoes tend to sell out quickly. There’s nothing better than a real tomato – locally grown 100% organically! A warning though, you may never want to eat grocery store tomatoes again…

Please remember that next Saturday, June 13th, from 8 AM to Noon, is Cowtown Farmers Market’s 40th Anniversary Festival. It will be a special day for all of us. We hope to see you there.

Autumn, Community, Down On the Farm, Farmers Markets, Food Deserts, Food Insecurity, Food Justice, Gratitude, Hope, Marginalized, Neighbors, Non-Profits, Nutrition, Opal's Farm, Regeneration, Service to Others, Social Justice, Summer, Thoughts From the Porch, Volunteers

What a Year It’s Been

gregoryjoel

September is finally here, and meteorological autumn has begun. I’d like to think that truly means the end of summer, but I live in Texas, so I know better. We’ll still see some hot days but hopefully no more triple-digit-temperatures. All-all we’ve had a mild summer compared to the last three or four years. We even had rain in July and August, which is rare indeed. Opal’s Farm, with the new fall seed, loves it.

Today is one of the one-in-seven instances that the Labor Day holiday falls on the first day of September. Those who get the day off will be spending time barbequing with family and friends or simply catching up some sorely needed rest. Thanks to the rain this morning I get to spend some time at the desk and reflect on what Labor Day truly means. Labor Day isn’t always a holiday for farmers, so I thought I’d take advantage of the weather to play catch up on the recent farm news.

Most of you all are aware of the cutbacks that led to staff layoffs at the first of the year. Add to that an April knee injury and I’ve been working a bit slower than usual this year. I also had to scale back the amount of land we were cultivating to our original one acre. The good news is that we were still able to surpass last year’s total in pounds of produce grown. That’s what happens as the soil becomes healthier with each passing season. That’s why farming regeneratively is one of our core values.

Stacey Harwood, our Volunteer Coordinator, has remained on staff although paychecks have been a bit erratic this spring and summer. She’s been with Opal’s for six years now and has become a loved member of Opal’s family (we may be a non-profit but we’re really a family farm!). She’s done an excellent job of working with our volunteers and we’ve had some great groups and individuals come out to work on the farm. If you have volunteered with us, please know there’s no way to adequately tell you how much you mean to us. We’ve been able to get so much more completed with your help. Your impact has reached far beyond just the farm to the tables and people across the communities we serve.

Help is treasured, but the reality is that most days it’s just me at the farm. That’s not always so bad though. I’ve really thought about how we can serve our community better. One way we have done that is to open Opal’s Farm Stand every Saturday from 1 PM to 3 PM at the “Doc” Sessions Community Center Parking lot (201 S. Sylvania – the corner of 4th and Sylvania).

Opal’s Farm Stand offers more affordable prices for our quality organic produce to our neighbors. We are also a SNAP/EBT retailer and began offering Double Up Bucks two weeks ago with the help of Texas Health Resources Community Hope and Double Up Texas. SNAP participants can redeem up to thirty dollars in SNAP benefits to purchase fresh produce. Those thirty dollars then becomes sixty dollars, doubling their purchasing power.

We’re still at Cowtown Farmers Market most Saturday mornings, but our emphasis is switching from so much being sold at retail to lower pricing for our community. To be honest, it’s a bit of a financial risk. It takes time to build a market location. Farmers live on slim profit margins. People fail to realize the work that goes into growing good heathy food. That’s why Cowtown offers great food at a fair price.

Unfortunately, farmers markets are not always accessible to marginalized neighborhoods: either in location or pricing. We’re so grateful to be a part of the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program at Cowtown. The market and our regular customers are a blessing to us. They’ve helped sustain Opal’s financially and we wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for them. However, we will be taking less produce to Cowtown so that more is available to the neighborhoods we serve through Opal’s Farm Stand.

We also want to extend a heartfelt thanks to Jesse Herrera of CoAct and the Funkytown Mindful Market. Their market is held on the first Saturday of every month at Texas Wesleyan University (1201 Wesleyan in Polytechnic Heights). They’ve been purchasing Opal’s Farm produce to sell to the Eastside neighborhoods they serve. The next market will be held on September 6th from 11 AM to 2 PM.

I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout-out to the Dallas Wings WNBA and the Texas Fence Association. In January, they built a chain link fence around our bio-intensive third of an acre. The Dallas Wings front office spent a volunteer day at the farm and got so much done that I am in awe of them. They’ll be returning in September and the Texas Fence Association will return to fence another third of an acre (you all are amazing!).

Our first cohort of Taste the C.U.R.E., in partnership with Tarleton State University, graduated on June 28th. The students did a great job of learning and using bio-intensive farming methods. Several have kept their farm plots while others have chosen to take the knowledge they learned and apply it to their own backyards and neighborhoods. The next cohort starts in February and more details will be forthcoming.

Finally, I want to remind our readers of the importance of today, Labor Day. It was signed into law June 28th, 1894, by President Grover Cleveland following the Pullman strike and decades of struggle by the US labor movement as industrialization grew throughout the end of the nineteenth century. Labor Day is a day to remember and celebrate the sacrifices of the US labor movement and honor their achievements and the prosperity we enjoy today.

Have a great holiday. Enjoy your family and your neighbors. Stop by and see us at Opal’s Farm. We’d love to have you join the family!