I had a great experience this week. It was fun and educational to boot! I had the opportunity to join a group of fellow Master Gardeners for an early morning cold, but sunny, tour of local family-owned Turkey Hill Farm. Okay, I acknowledge many of you will not find going to a farm much of an experience to write home about. Actually, I think I heard some yawns and maybe even a few clicks on that little x on the upper right hand corner of your screen. But, for those of you still with me, believe me it was quite cool.
For example, did you know you could grow shitake mushrooms on a freshly cut oak log? I didn't but it is one of the many things happening at Turkey Hill. If you want to grow your own, there is a lot of information on the Internet on how to do it. I learned you have to obtain some spawn initially, which is a fungus tissue used to propagate mushrooms. You can order it online as well.
As the tour continued, I realized the diverse ecosystem on this 89 acre piece of property was not set up to be a huge commercial corporate-type operation. Instead, owners Herman Holley and Louis Divine dedicate their days to practicing tried and true, as well as modern, organic and scientific methods to produce vegetables, fruit, and honey. They sell to local restaurants, to the public at weekly farmer's markets, and on the Red Hills Online Market (
www.rhomarket.com)
Herman led us through his gardens, fruit orchards, and the pastel colored beehives with enthusiasm, sharing an amazing amount of information, from composting to planting, harvesting to grafting and honey production. It was quite obvious he had done an incredible amount of research He frequently referred to Sir Albert Howard's
An Agricultural Testament as one of his resources. It is available on Amazon.
As I listened to Herman, I knew I would never acquire the amount of knowledge he had. However, the most impressive and inspirational part went way beyond his "book learning." His whole sixty-something body exuded the passion he felt about his this farm. He laughed easily as he shared some of the trial and error methods he and his wife had attempted over the years. One of those things we learned is that you can get a jump on growing and harvest-ing tomatoes by putting seedlings in the ground as early as February, in north Florida where it doesn't drop below freezing for long. I have always waited until mid-March. He contends it makes them stronger but you do have to cover them if you expect a freeze.
Near the end of the tour, Herman offered all of us a turmeric root to plant on our own. Now, in case you didn't know, turmeric is a spice which has a plethora of medicinal and nutritional benefits, from being an anti-inflammatory to a cancer preventing agent. He said, "You should put it in about everything you eat."
I checked it out on the Internet. It's true! Chinese medicine has known this forever and Western medicine is getting on the bandwagon now. I've already put my root in a pot to grow. Apparently, it does take a while to grow (8-10 months) to a harvest stage, so if you are not patient you can buy turmeric root ready to use in some stores or online.
During the tour, one of my friends leaned over and said, "This makes me want to go home and get started on my Spring crop today!" Me too! As a matter of fact, I potted a variety of tomato, pepper, green peas and lettuce seeds the next day. I'll keep them indoors until they sprout and then put them under a grow light until they get strong enough to put in the ground.
What a great job Herman and Louise have! Their customers enjoy and appreciate what they produce. They always have fresh, healthy food to eat, and the hard work and exercise keeps them young. It's a passion!
