A Morning on Everhart Farm

While during the school year my mornings involve multiple cups of coffee to keep up with a classroom full of kids, my summers tell a different story. During the summer I wake up, drive to the farm, make myself a cup of Neil's Yard herbal tea with Camomile Infused Honey from my girls, and head outside.

I put on my Roo Apron, take off my shoes, and become one with the mud. Then I spend hours hand picking grass and weeds.

(Here's a picture from the beginning of the Summer 😳)

Sounds crazy right? Surprisingly I've learned the love the routine and simplicity of picking grass. My vocation, teaching, has some routine but obviously is more complicated than picking grass. I say vocation rather than job because teaching has never felt like a job to me. It's the thing I love to do most in this world and the thing you love to do most isn't a job. My new job of farming is neither a job. Here's to a moment of gratitude to have two passions that provide me with my basic needs and more.

When summer comes, my co workers become feathered creatures who enjoy shaking their tail feathers. I don't wear heels and a dress, instead I wear an apron with bare feet. I pick grass because we choose not to use grass killing chemicals. We avoid chemicals to remain organic and to support our honey bees.

#PlantMoreSprayLess

I encourage everyone I meet to plant more flowers, crops, etc and spray less fertilizers and pesticides. Take a step back and think...almost every flower that blooms, and fruit or vegetable that grows from a flower exists because of a honey bee. When you spray that plant and a bee attempts to pollinate, the bees life has been compromised. 1/3 of everything we eat is pollinated by honey bees. With a dramatic fraction such as that, how can you risk spraying your crops?

We use natural alternatives to prevent bad bugs such as a mixture of Chili, Garlic, and H20. Expect a blog post on healthy alternatives to pesticides. When natural alternatives don't work on strong bugs, for example squash beetles, we pick them by hand. Yes...this girl picks bugs.

Aside from picking grass, ever two weeks I replant seeds for crops such as carrots and lettuce to ensure consistent growth. I water the crops, toss the compost, and occasionally steal some goodies from the garden to share with the chickens.

The chickens and ducks are spoiled! The ducks have their own pool, chickens have unlimited grass (and not just any grass, a mixture of high protein types of grass, wheat, etc). They also have constant access to our compost pile which they love to till and take protein from.

I go back into my classroom soon and as excited as I am, I'm going to miss my mornings with the farm. I highly encourage everyone to have a garden, even if it's small. If you ever have questions about getting started, please use us as a resource. There's nothing better from watching growth.

Remember the picture above? Check out the different a little under 2 months & a lot of hard work made...