Isis Gardens

Renegade_Kitchen_Party 2011

Hey all!

I have not been the best blogger

the cutie needs a home!

this past year, my apologies. I am going to try and get in the hang of adding whats been going on. The gardens this fall are looking beautiful. We have all kinds of lettuce, mustards, tomatoes, carrots, and much more in the field. We have started to harvest some of the lettuce and will be notifying all of you of a pick-up coming up very soon. With the new addition of our hoop house, we will hopefully have tomatoes late into the fall. We have planted them already and are crossing our fingers for another round of harvesting. We are also going to try out another round of potatoes!

Sadly, late this Spring we lost our best farm dog and friend, Cale. In his honor, Horton planted wild flowers in the field. He will be greatly missed.

The Chickens are doing wonderful. We are getting a dozen eggs every other day. If you are interested, please let us know. They are $4.00/dozen. The Chicks are getting big. We have five that are not big enough to be put with the big Chickens but soon they will be united.

We have a dog,  Buck, who needs a home! If anyone knows of anyone that wants a very cute dog, please contact us. His name is Buck-Shot because he came to us after he was shot by a neighbor. We have taken care of him but it will be too much for us to keep him.

As fall weather comes near, my heart is filled with so much excitement. I love the warmth and cozy atmosphere that surrounds the holidays. Plus, all the fall crops have finally started to be harvested. MMMmmm how I love warm cabbage/potato soup. I have added a section in the blog for recipes. Please add in-season recipes so we can all enjoy! I will be adding my own.

FOr anyone who is intrested there is a nice fellow in this area who is raising some beef cows naturally and is willing to sell shares of the cows for meat ( half or quarter)  It is possible to get custom cuts of meat.  Please contact if you would liek some more Information about Mr. Ellis’ wonderful animals

Yeehaw!!!

April is moving right along folks.  The early garden is pumping and leafy greens and some other root crops are swelling day by day.   If you haven’t made it out I reallllllyyyy suggest it.   I wanted to remind everyone that we are going to have the first Veggie pick up from 4-6 on Thursday May 6th out here at the farm.  I am anxiously watching (and tasting some of the lettuces and other greens to make sure that this heat does not make them go bitter on us.  If I start to taste the decline  or see some plants start to bolt/head out/ flower,  I might have to call in the CSA for an early pickup of a few things.  I’ll keep you posted.  It has been kinda tricky around here trying to plant successions of the early season greens that will fill our plates until the warm season stuff takes hold, mmm…mmm.. cucumbers, but I am working hard.  There is also a portable chicken coop in the works.  These mobile birds will be able to patrol around the garden eating some insects, weeds, and all of our veggie waste,  man those eggs are gonna be crazy good!!

A quick note…  If you haven’t been out here yet i will have you know that I am starting a garden straight from an established pasture.  What this means is that there is grass and annuals (some people call these weeds) everywhere!!!!  So if you are in need of any sorts of meditation or therapy or back stretching, Please feel free to come out to the farm and get those services for FREE, all the while you will be able to watch the veggies grow that you will soon be eating.  [Layman's terms:   The garden can always use some more hand and hoe weeding,  your presence is a blessing]

Hope to see you guys soon

Enjoy the SUNShine

“The regenerated do not go to war, nor engage in strife.  They are children of peace who have beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning forks, and know no war.“  –Menno Simons

Any leads  would be delicious!!!

We are now offering eggs for sale! we have a terrific flock of hens (sexlinc, dominikers, araconas, Russian orlock, dominiques, and jungle fowl) that are starting to fully produce eggs of many different shades. $3 dollars a dozen. call and come by to get some of the goodness and bring your own basket or crate to carry home your eggs. hmmm hmmm good

the hobbyist showing off the first batch of eggs, at thanksgiving

the chickens foraging in the forest yard

two's a crew in the laying boxes

Hello Good People,

Thank you sooo much for the interest you have shown in supporting fresh local vegetable farming in Tupelo, MS. I am ecstatic about Isis Gardens!!! I just returned from the SSAWG (Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group) conference in Chattanooga (www.ssawg.org). It was a wonderful experience!! I was blessed to receive a scholarship to attend this conference, and even more blessed to attend it with my fellow Mt. Vernon farmer, Will Reed (which is a great story that we will save for a later time). Many growers and community members throughout the Southeast whom are trying and succeeding in providing fresh healthy food to their local communities attended the conference. To my great excitement, there were a lot of young and new farmers in attendance, which I was able to share ideas with and set up some hopefully long-term connections, truly unbelievable. Mr. Reed and myself were also able to catch the eye of some folks from the Delta who are strong forces in the local food movement. They were extremely encouraging and have invited the two of us to attend a small conference in Cleveland in a few weeks to focus more on local issues and possibilities. You can check it out at www.deltafreshfoods.com.

As far as the happenings on the farm…. Well, it’s wet and I seem to get lost easily in the seed catalogs!! But that’s o.k. because there is still plenty to do. I am working to procure as much poop (organic fertilizer) as possible. This will help build the soils and sustain them for the future. I have also finally moved into my great-grandmother T. Horton’s house. Being built in the 1930’s, It had a good bit a work to complete before I could take up residence… NOT ONE STITCH OF INSULATION! It is a really good feeling to be moved in; as I can start to feel the energies of the farm take their hold.

SO getting down to the bones: I would like to tell you a little bit about what I have in store for you. I am looking for members of the community who are ready to actively support the growth of a small-scale sustainable young farm. In my recent path taken through Colorado, I have seen the power of such endeavors. I spent two years in beautiful SW Colorado, outside of Telluride, working on the foundations of a new organic farm, Buckhorn Mountain Gardens, as well as the better part of two seasons working on a Colorado State Univ. research farm in Fort Collins, CO. Both of these farms were set up as CSA farms or Community Supported Agriculture. Now, I realize this is a new concept, so let me share my vision.

A CSA is an unbelievable model for small-scale local farms and all of the surrounding community. Members of the community, customers, and shareholders, take a pivotal role in making the farm work sustainably. Members by sharing in the risks and bounty offered. Members buy-in to the farming endeavor by purchasing shares up-front, providing seed money and operating funds for the farm before the crops come in. In return for this commitment, the farmer will provide back to the members his/her bounties of nurturing produce on a weekly basis. Thus providing the members with a beautiful progression of produce throughout the growing season, as well as helping build on to the farm for future products (i.e. fruit orchards and animals). Members are strongly encouraged to come out to the farm as often as possible to hang out, pick veggies, pull weeds, sow seeds, get chased by the dog, and whatever else. These interactions I have seen contribute greatly to the sense of belonging to the farm as well as an added understanding of knowing where your food comes from and what it takes to get it to your plate. YOU make the experience/connection what YOU want it to be!!!

Another aspect of the CSA model that is very important is the sharing of the rewards as well as the risk. Due to our complete ignorance of Mother Nature and her ever-changing weather, things can happen. Floods, droughts, tornadoes, disease and insect outbreaks, and the elusive coons; many of these things are mostly out of our control as a farmer. So buying into the farm, members have to understand the realism of farming WITH nature. These forces will give us shortfalls in some crops as well as abundances in others (which we will enjoy together fresh as well as preserved for winter use). I as the farmer will do everything in my power to secure a bountiful crop for us the whole season, but manure happens on occasion. This type of experience will help us to truly love our vegetables and the blessings of variety that nature provides us through the year.

The plain and simple Nuts & Bolts:

ü I will grow as many varieties of vegetables as possible. Some you will know from your childhood and some you may have never seen.

ü Season: May through October ~~~~ 26 weeks. This could go on a bit longer depending on the weather.

ü Price: $650 dollars for the year. This breaks down to around $25 dollars a week. May be paid in 1, 2, or 4 payments. A $100 dollar deposit by February 26th will reserve your spot in this limited inaugural year. I will only provide 20-25 memberships the first year to keep it within my capabilities.

ü Quantity: A share of produce should provide an adequate amount of vegetables for a family of 4 that cooks several times a week or a couple that cooks most nights of the week. (Please note: quantities will change throughout the season, these are just averages)

At this point there will only be one share size.  If I receive great interest in something such as a half share, I might make that available.  Weekly shares may be split between families or individuals or even are a great idea for weekly dinner clubs or pot lucks.  let me know what you like!

A little note about the $$$$$$$

The income on a farm is always tricky. Cash is short in the spring when operating expenses are high. As a member, providing funds in the spring covers some of the built-in expenses on a farm (seed, labor for land preparation, planting, weeding, and everything else associated with getting these veggies growing for you, like whispering to the seedlings in the evenings). This is a very important issue for growers to assure his income and cover the associated cost. Addressing this challenge through the CSA model is one of the most sustainable aspects of farm support. Also, I really want to provide good food for people of all income levels; it is what’s right. To do this I will offer the CSA on somewhat of a sliding scale. If you are able and willing, you may pay more than your share of the cost and we will be able to offer this membership to some family who cannot pay the whole amount. For lack of a better term this can be a way of helping out neighbors who are less fortunate. Also if some families cannot pay the amounts asked up front, I am more than willing to work something out, including some forms of work share memberships. This farm should be the community’s farm and anyone and everyone is welcomed!!!

I hope this gives a pretty good idea of what I am trying to build here in Tupelo, and out on Mt. Vernon Road. If you are interested in this opportunity, please send feedback. I would love to know your thoughts or concerns on anything associated with getting food from the soil to your kitchen, including:

· Your favorite vegetable varieties. If you know it, I will grow it.

· Any preference on how you want to obtain your weekly share of food. Day of the week to pick up, time of day, and delivery or pick up at the farm (really, really, really preferred and an integral part of connecting to your food)

· Anything else that you have questions about!

I hope that you now have an idea of what we are trying to build on MT. Vernon and it sends music to your ears, I know it does to mine!!!!

Straight from the farm,

Sincerely,

Horton Nash

P.S. Check out a truly under-construction website/blog on Isisgardens.blog.com

We hope for this to be a good way to share the news of the farm as it grows. And please if you have any questions, let me know.

Disclaimer: If you are not willing to try new and unusually nutritious vegetables; If you do not like to cook; If you prefer to eat out mostly; If you are not going to be around for most of the summer; or If you do not want to be a completely awesome person……

This may not be for you!!

Thank you for visiting our blog. You can find all the information and history about our farm under “the Unsettling of Mt. Vernon.” Make sure to read about our CSA by clicking on “csa” at the top of the page. If you feel the need to join the CSA, make sure to contact us via email or phone:) If you have questions, you may phone us, email us, or just write down your question on our blog. We hope to talk to you soon.

Thank you, Horton and Genevieve