Thursday, December 31, 2009

Icey on the farm this morning. A few brave hens are still laying. We have faith that carrots, beets and onions are still growing strong below the frost line.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Happy Solstice every one! Let the light increase, so the veggies can grow!

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

The remains

When the market season ended the fields were still producing. The remains became a charity CSA to new parents and struggling farm friends.

More hens

Replaced the missing hens with 2 barred rocks and one more red. Even in this cold weather the hens continue to lay. 3 dzn in the last 4 days.

Friday, December 11, 2009

3 in, 3 out.
Our new RI reds were short term guests. I believe the new 12 week olds slipped through a hole in the cage the others couldn't, but need more.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

CSA FAQ

How do you sign up?


Please make all checks payable to Edible Old Dominion LLC
and mail to
Edible Old Dominion
2006 Farrand St.
Richmond Va. 23231

In this economy, or any other, cash talks. Though we are happy to hear from everyone who is interested, we start counting the members when the checks start showing up. One membership is paid in full as of 12.01.2009. The plan is to have a total of 40 members this year.

If I want office delivery do all members need to be whole share members?

No. It's the member count that we are looking for, the amount of bags we will be bringing. Those bags can be whole or half shares.

What is included in an average bag?

The goal is to have on average about 25 to 30 dollars worth of produce for each whole share bag per week. The produce is selected from what we will be bringing to market that week. Member shares are pulled first. Some of you may have seen us at markets this past season with only peppers, or a few other oddities on the table. That is because the production that week was only enough for the members. Our final delivery this past season was 1lb of Mixed Greens, 2 bundles of brocc raab, 2 bundles of kale, 3 bundles of swiss chard, and 3 bundles of radishes. Our Chickens only begin to lay towards the end of the season, so next years members would also be getting a half dozen eggs with that same bag. Half shares are literally half. Half share members receive eggs every other week.

Are you organic?

No. Organic is a government certification that takes three years to obtain and can cost several hundred, to several thousand dollars, to maintain. We do use organic methods. We never use synthetic fertilizers, herbicides, or pesticides. My daughter runs through the fields on the farm. I want to be able to keep it that way.

Do you grow only Heirloom vegetables?

I wish. We are huge fans of biodiversity and use heirlooms whenever possible. The split this year will probably be 50 /50. Losing half of a tomato plants production can be hard when you are growing a couple in your backyard, when you have 800 plants of that variety it can bring you to your muddy knees.


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

2010 CSA

Howdy all!

Enrollment in the 2010 CSA has begun! The first half share was given as a wedding present in mid-September. Membership is limited to 40 or so members. Fresh local food introduced me to some amazing people last year. It is wonderful the experiences that can be had bringing real food to others’ tables. It would be great to expand every year, but the "C" in CSA is the important part. The connection to the community is paramount and keeps me from distributing solely to the restaurants and wholesale clubs. Last year I had the chance to establish a relationship with a business office and deliver directly. After years of sales I can appreciate the difficulty to get out to the local markets. If you can come up with four other members in your office (5 members total), I will be happy to deliver to you at work once a week. For everybody else, I will be at the following markets for pickup:

Bryan Park (North of the James), Tuesdays, 3 p.m. – 7 p.m.
Innsbrook, Thursdays, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Forest Hill Park (South of the James), Saturdays, 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Community Supported Agriculture works a lot like buying bonds in a company. You buy in at the beginning of the season and receive dividends, or produce shares, throughout the season. The first shares this year will be available starting the first week of May and continue weekly through the third week of November. Each week your shares will consist of the current in-season produce for market, as well as some limited or specialty items that were not produced / picked in large enough quantity for market sales. In-season means there will not be tomatoes in May, arugula in July, nor blackberries in November. Some produce has a very long season, others a much shorter harvest window. I will be offering tips on preservation, and if there is enough interest, a canning party is always a ball.

Examples of this year's produce:

Early Spring
arugula mix
spicy greens mix
swiss chard
broccoli rabe
bok choi
radishes
beets
kale
carrots
peas
onions
herbs

Early Summer
tomatoes (possibly by late June)
peppers
eggplant
beans
salad mix
herbs

Mid Summer
squash (3 kinds of zucchini)
cucumbers (slicers and picklers)
melons
patty pan squash
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant
salad mix
herbs
beans

Late Summer
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant
okra
salad mix
herbs
beans

Fall
winter squash
tomatoes
peppers
eggplant
okra
herbs
swiss chard
broccoli rabe
bok choi
radishes
beets
kale
carrots
beans

THE TOMATO QUESTION

Tomatoes have taught me that one cannot live on heirlooms alone. Almost a third of the farm is dedicated, at one point or another, to love apples.

· Cherry tomatoes
There will be pints of cherries made up of the classics: sungolds, green zebras, oregon springs, wasipincon peaches, and either brown or black cherries.

· Beefsteaks
o Great White is a low-acid white beefsteak that is soft, delicate, meaty, and juicy.
o Red Pear is a large heirloom Old North Italian pear-shaped beefsteak.
o Hybrid beefsteak varieties will be grown, but only included in CSA members shares upon individual request.

· Paste tomatoes
o Black Plum is my all time favorite sauce tomato – perfect in my Eggplant Parmesan recipe.
o San Marzano Redorta are large roma paste tomatoes great for canning and sauces.

Half vs. Whole Shares
It is usually doubled when it comes to comparison. THERE WILL BE EGGS THIS YEAR, chickens willing and foxes staying away. Whole shares will get a half dozen every week, while half shares get a half dozen every other week. On rare occasions, whole share members receive the oddities that are less abundant. This past year, for example, whole share members got more eggplants.

COSTS AND DEADLINES

Whole shares = 500.00
Half shares = 275.00
50% due February 19
50% due March 19
No refunds after April 1
There is a 10% discount for returning members (you wonderful, patient souls!)
Office delivery is available with a minimum of 5 members.

The majority of produce will be grown in Louisa County.
Feel free to tell friends.
Please post any questions.

Just restocked the Rhode Island Reds with three from or friends over @ Eden Farms. We rest assured they will be safer then three we lost to a coon.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Preparing for Snow

With the first snow expected in a few days another half dozen bales of straw were spread out over next springs root crops.

Friday, November 20, 2009

The land adjacent to the farm is for sale. Anyone got an extra 100k they can spot me?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The first load of leaves were delivered to the farm today. One of our 2010 CSA members called asking if we would like leaves w acorns. YES! Chickens lovem!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

What is on your menu for next year?

The great clean up and pack away has begun. Before I sit down with seed catalogs and calendars and start counting days and such, I was wondering if there if there is anything ya'll would like to see grown with you in mind.

Corn is still out of the question for the moment. I love it too, but the ramifications and feeding needs it would have are too much for the land in 2010. I am hoping to expand the farm again over the winter with hopes of preparing land (1 acre) for heavy feeders in 2011. I missed the order date for sun chokes this year, but have plans of planting a small field of them for 2011 and beyond. Asparagus will be planted in early spring, but it is rare they produce fully for 3 years, so 2012 at the earliest. Strawberries will be planted in the spring as well. The future location of the strawberry patch is currently in spinach and will be followed up with clover in an effort to enrich the soil and minimize pests.

I have plans for a greater number of salad greens next season, as well as adding potatoes to the line up. There will be deer fencing going up over the winter, which should give us a better retention rate on the crops we grew this past year that ended up in bambi's belly. The deer fencing will also provide a few small pastures. It is very feasible to have a small herd of something next year. Any requests? The animals would be purchased at auction in the spring and raised through out the year on pasture and mineral supplements. I would not be administering any form of antibiotics or other drugs, simply rotating the herd often. There is a slaughter house in Fredricksburg that will kill and cut the animals for you. This would be a similar setup to the current CSA plans. You would need to come up with the initial purchase price as well as a small management fee and I would deliver the animal to the processor in the fall. There are multiple benefits to the farm to have pastured animals on it, such as land management, added nitrogen, and pest control. if anyone is interested feel free to start the discussion here. Goats, sheep, or pigs are the first three species that come to mind. The pastures will be too small for cattle.


Friday, November 13, 2009

The Last Market

It's late and I'm still bundling veggies. Tomorrow will be the last CSA pick up and last market EOD will be participating in for 2009. It has been a mind blowing and back breaking first year working the farm, but it's been a good one. We are planted now to start next season, and are finishing up strong with lots of french breakfast radishes, Swiss chard, and Broccoli raab. The 2010 CSA fliers are in, and will be on display at the market in the morning.

I am looking forward to starting the great clean up tomorrow afternoon. Four months with no coolers by the front door, bushel baskets in the kitchen, or rubber bands everywhere, what a crazy thought.

Looking forward to recapping the season starting next week. Enjoy the perfect growing weather!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

More Coming Soon!

Head grower and blogger has been a non functional concept, especially with our new "no txt while driving laws" I'm hoping to have a couple of catch up - dates up in the next 48.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

the markets roll on

What a difference a little sunshine can do! We just completed our second day vending @ the Bryan Park Market. Last week was a total flood with flowing water to mid foot. This week was just sunshine and bliss. If you haven't been yet, the market is very similar in lay out to the South of the James Market, though about half the size. It is located near the azalea gardens and soccer fields of Bryan Park. There is a great mix of growers, producers, and crafters. We were offering our early season wares of tomato plants and dried bhuts. We look forward to being able to offer greens, and some herbs next week.
We will be at the Lakeside Market tomorrow and look forward to seeing many smiling faces. Lakeside is a much smaller and less eclectic mix, but the consistency of the growers makes it a perfect dinner pick up market. Come on out and see us.

Sunday, May 3, 2009

First Day @ Market




We successfully completed our first day @ the South of the James Market. The market has extended it's hours this year and will be open till 1pm all season. The location is convenient to our CSA members and the majority prefer to pick up here. We were able to offer both Black Plum And Yellow Pear tomato plants to our retail customers, as well as dried Bhut Jolokia peppers. The response to the Bhuts was surprising, with one customer rather giddy that we were able to grow the famous pepper locally. We look forward to first days at Bryan Park and Lakeside this week as well as a long and bountiful season interacting with our community.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Growing Pains

We continue to press forth in our westward expansion. This is our first year growing on our permanent farm, and are having normal first year difficulties. Our lovely Virginia clay that people have been complaining about since at least our founding fathers, is slowly turning into the more organic mix we prefer. It will, however, take more then a season or two for it to produce on the levels we were expecting, but it is turning around slowly. We have been adding composted saw dust slowly in with each bed and look forward to adding more as well as a short term cover crop once the greens are out and before the winter squash goes in.

The irrigation situation is moving at a similar pace. Our Greenhouse is fully automated now and is moving forward near schedule. We are currently redesigning the irrigation plans for the majority of the exposed fields. Since our operation is currently off grid we are working with gravity fed water pressure and that has presented some difficulties. Plans are in the works for small scale water towers and we look forward to higher gpm with in the week.

Other then a minor raccoon invasion, things are moving along well, and we are looking forward to a more bountiful second third of the growing season.

Friday, April 17, 2009

First Shares Delivered ... With a little help from our friends

Our 2009 CSA members received their first shares of the season today! Due to the two week gap between when the CSA starts and the first markets open we are offering home delivery. All 20 Shares were delivered in just under 3 hours. CSA members this week received Spring Onions, Salad Greens, and a few brave souls took us up on the offer to also receive dried chilies from last season. I really enjoyed meeting our new customers for the first time. There is no greater feeling for a grower to be able to shake hands with the consumer.

Due to numerous events with our first season growing on our new site we were unable to deliver the quantity we were hoping for the first week. On Wednesday we realized that no matter how hard we stared at them our greens were not going to be ready for delivery this week. Thankfully our good friends at Victory Farm were able to provide us with salad greens to balance out our first weeks delivery. Victory Farm is located in Hanover county and only a dozen or so miles away by way the crow flys. The amount of space they have under greenhouse is quadruple ours and they have literally ten times the years of production experience. Victory are currently providing for a 400 member CSA doubling their size from last year. We have the greatest respect for their natural growing process and are deeply in their debt for their assistance this week.

We are hopeful for Broccoli Raab and Arugula next week, but late April frosts are not helping our progress. We will be adding large quantities of compost to what will soon be our tomato and squash fields and look forward to warmer nights and lots of rain.

Saturday, April 11, 2009

Greenhouse up, Tomatoes in








The green house has been up for a little over a week. The first 200 plus tomatoes were planted last week. The green house tomatoes are a mix of sub arctic plenty and an early producing Italian variety. These are both a traditional red beefsteak varieties. The beds were prepared using the double dug method. The soil in each bed was enriched with a mixture of composted saw dust and a small portion of pearlite. We will be installing irrigation as well as several hundred additional tomatoes this week and are hopeful of a June 1st harvest date.

Change in author

Edible Old Dominion has to sadly announce that our founding blog author has moved on to other projects. Rachael Deane established this blog and has maintained it since it's inception. Her non horticultural perspective has been greatly appreciated by all and will be sorely missed. Rachael will be dedicating more of her time to her first love, land use law. Everyone on the farm wishes her their best, and are looking forward to seeing what this amazing women accomplishes next. Russell Bell will be taking over updates immediately. Russell is the head grower and EOD's founder. Expect more technical updates on the plantings, soil conditions,. and water consumption. Please don’t hesitate to send any questions to Russell care of Farmerrussell@gmail.com.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Greenhouse almost finished in Louisa


The rain and mud have made it difficult to get around on the farm this week. Multiple cars have gotten stuck at this point, and walking is no easier! Still, the greenhouse in Louisa is almost finished,and most of the rows for planting are complete.

We will be transplanting the veggies from the little greenhouse in Richmond out to Louisa and then starting more plantings in the big greenhouse. There is a lot going on, but the most exciting thing is that spinach should be producing in the next few weeks! As April looms near, the idea of cooking with fresh veggies from the farm is getting us through the dreary weather.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Check Out EOD on LocalHarvest

Edible Old Dominion is now listed on localharvest.org. Be sure to stop by, take a look at what we're offering, and review us!

http://www.localharvest.org/csa/M27337

The sun is shining--it's going to be a great week for planting.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Great Article re: Organic Branding -- New York Times

As if they were reading our minds, the New York Times carried this article about organic foods yesterday. It highlights many of the reasons we've chosen not to be certified organic.

Saturday, March 21, 2009

Organic: To Be or Not to Be?

Many CSA members have asked why we are not certified organic. To sum it up, our food philosophy is about nutritious, locally-grown whole foods, and "organic" foods do not always fit this description!

To be certified "organic," farmers must pass rigorous government inspections, which takes time and attention away from the labor-intensive process of planting, growing, and harvesting. It is also very costly to obtain organic certification from the government, and we would rather not have to pass that cost along to customers and CSA members.

This is not to say that we don't favor pesticide-free produce--we never use pesticide on our fruits or veggies. The truth is that a wide variety of food can be certified organic; it is even possible to have an organic Twinkie. There is organic maltodextrin and organic corn syrup--items we tend to avoid in our own family. Further, organic food is shipped all across the world--that organic apple juice box you pick up at the supermarket in Virginia may have come from Turkey. "Organic," in our view, has become just another brand, and we prefer to offer brand-free, pesticide-free, real food that goes from the farm to your dinner table.

We grow what you eat. Our produce comes from fewer than 50 miles away to the farmers' markets and your homes. It has not been treated for flavor, color, or shelf-life. We do not use pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. Our prices are much lower than those of our competitors--you shouldn't have to go broke to enjoy whole foods. Fresh, local fruits and vegetables form the basis of a healthy diet--no Twinkies in sight!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Spring is here

The weather is delightful today, and it seems as if spring finally is here in Richmond! Just a little over a month to go before the summer markets start, and we are very excited to report to that we are officially selling at the Bryan Park and South of the James markets this season. Be on the lookout for us at the markets, and if you're in the CSA, please let us know your preferred weekly pickup location. Depending on when you stop by, you may also get to meet our littlest farmer, Charlotte!

We have spinach, turnips, and onions in the ground and will be planting tomatoes next week. The seeds are coming along very well in the greenhouse--the temperature has been cooperating, and the plants are loving the warmth.

Monday, March 2, 2009

Snowy Greenhouse and March Updates

Wow, we can't believe it's March! We have not updated in the past week, mostly because we've been busy going back and forth from East End headquarters to Louisa. The plants in the greenhouse are loving the heating mats we have on the floor. We are seeing sprouts from most of the plants at this point, and we are almost ready to transfer them to Louisa for growing.

We have heard many requests for strawberries. At this point, we will not be offering strawberries this season, but we're looking into it.

The snow storm yesterday was beautiful, but we had to stay on our toes to keep the greenhouse
from being covered. Gentle sweeping with a broom kept the roof of the greenhouse free of a heavy snow load. We'll be heading out to Louisa later this week to check on the land and start tilling.

Please keep us informed of your questions and concerns--the growing season is really underway, and the local markets are all starting to get geared up. Look forward to seeing everyone.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Market Updates

Due to a miscommunication, we will not be selling at Byrd House this season. For those who were planning on pickup up CSA shares at Byrd House, we will be offering delivery instead. We are now looking into a space at the Bryan Park market for Tuesday afternoons.

We're still planning on Lakeside on Wednesdays and South of the James on Saturdays.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at the markets and talking produce!

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Book Recommendation -- The Heirloom Tomato

We have a couple varieties of tomatoes germinating in the greenhouse right now, and we're already coming down with tomato fever. We are coming up on the last of the tomatoes we canned and looking forward to eating fresh tomatoes to eat this summer. Last summer, we enjoyed reading The Heirloom Tomato: From Garden to Table by Amy Goldman. The book has gorgeous photos, good recipes, and, most interesting for us, detailed descriptions and histories of the world's best heirloom tomatoes. Featured in the book are the Black Plum, Great White, Yellow Pear, and Zapotec, all of which we're growing this season. Heirloom tomatoes are grown for flavor, not appearance--they won't look like the pictures on ketchup bottles, but they give you divine taste experience. We enjoy growing heirlooms because we love to cook and we love the natural variety we see in our tomato harvest. There's nothing like an eggplant parmesan made with heirlooms for the sauce.

Peppers, shares, and Sunday updates


Only 17 shares left in the CSA. They are selling fast, and we're excited about the produce and being able to see everyone as they come to the markets to pick up their bags. Looking forward to a good growing season.


The "little greenhouse that could" at RVA headquarters now holds 1800 sprouting seeds--mostly chiles (yep, it's gonna be a spicy summer, folks). If anyone needs chiles for medicinal use, we do have dried bhuts for CSA members. We also have early-producing tomatoes germinating (including a few hundred yellow pear tomatoes).


Saturday, February 14, 2009

CSA shares are selling fast!


We started with 20 shares in this year's micro-CSA, and they are selling fast! This year's CSA will feature a variety of seasonal produce--squash, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, beans, and greens, depending on the month. The CSA will be producing from April to November. Shares are priced at $500/whole and $250/half. Should be a great growing season!