Chefs and Growers Feast and Hoedown at Manakintown Specialty Growers
A wonderful evening of fresh local food created and shared with Manakintown Specialty Growers "groupies"
It was so nice to slow down and saver what we grow and cook with others who enjoy growing and creating good for you food too.
Thanks Jo & Robbie for mentoring & networking so many people in the local growers and creative food business in Virginia.
This Honey Bee is shimmering in the twilight of a Autumn evening on the rays of this copper sunflower. Autumn's new light patterns and reflection give a beautiful patina to all the colors in the garden. I feel I must rush outside as soon as I can each day to soak up all that I can of this pink and amber light of Autumn, as I know it passes so quickly, this season of patchwork mountainsides and confetti forest I love so much.
Honey comb frames... so perfect, so organized, so sweet, a work of art in liquid gold. While the honey houses filled with bees are beautiful, clean, well organized homes...mine is kaos during July...The long daylight hours of summer turn my kitchen into a bounty of harvest to sort, divide, cook, freeze, bottle, can, package,... the harvest then creeps out into the dinning room, sprawls across the dinningroom table and benches ...and it comes to the point I have to get away for a few hours so I run upstairs to sew and quilt...and that room turns into a frenzy of fabric and thread. If I only had a system like those worker bees...but would I have as much summer time fun, would the creativity flow like honey? 
Sunshine floating in a milkglass bowl on the kitchen table...a beautiful bit of inspiration to enjoy while managing some of the day's duties in the kitchen.
Saturday July 11th Hickory Green Farm donated a bouquet of 15 sunflowers to the Center for Rural Culture's raffle. When the Market official drew the winning number a squeal of delight rang out through the crowd....as I looked around to see who the lucky woman was a darling little girl was skipping up to the Market official with the winning ticket. With a handsome smile the Market official's young son gave her the huge vase of sunflowers. Hugging the vase with all her heart the winner posed for the perfect picture of a beautiful sunny day at the Goochland Farmer's Market. Turning around after taking the winner's photo I noticed the whole crowd was smiling with the winner as though they had won too...sharing the joy...sometimes I think the sunflower should be the olive branch. Hummm....flower for thought...
Visit us at the Goochland Farmer's Market in Virginia on Saturday mornings til noon where you can shop for delicious foods, scented flowers, beautiful art, and you can become a radiant sunflower. This is my Sister in law Kate who is ever so clever and fun.
"A deer" point of view from across the pasture....
"A deer" point of view from the dry creek bottom...sneaking up to the squash, gourds and cucumbers....but really looking for those delicious sunflowers....
The brazing "deer point" of view just outside the tunnel of deer netting and real close to the orchard....
Yea Pearl! Keep the deer out of the garden...Good girl Pearl! Thanks to deer netting tunnels and Pearl's vigilance the garden continues to grow and bloom for "a dear" view from my porch rocking chair.
Ahhh My favorite week of the year has the longest day of sunlight. The sunflowers reflect the beautiful summer sun late into the night this time of year to give way to the beautiful twilight where the lighting bugs sparkle into the clear warm starry nights. Ahhh summer, love it, love it, love it. Let the summer sun rain down on me.
Hollyhocks
Yellow clover is in full bloom at Hickory Green Farm and waving with the weight of honeybees collecting nectar. The field of yellow clover is humming with bees working very diligently to collect all that the cover has to offer each day. It is an amazing little environment to experience. Pearl even notices the field and approaches it with interest and observation, as if she realizes it is a work zone that she should not disturb. In all it's golden beauty the field may simply and quickly be enjoyed for its radiant color...but if you slow down and really enjoy the field for all it has to offer... you will smell the sweetness, feel the swaying waves of amber, hear the hum of the honey bees, if you take the time to really understand what the buzzzzzz is all about.
Beets, Turnips, Cabbage, Broccoli, what beautiful green "eye candy." Soon these crops will be part of delicious meals to share with families and friends.
Green energy for the body and soul.
This beautiful Clematis vine and the Bittersweet vine are rampid with growth this time of year and Ross & I were admiring the architecture of the vines ....When I thought, "My that top vine section is mighty thick." Oh my goodness that's a Black Snake...darn I bet he's gotten those baby wrens in that bird house... darn darn darn...let me look in the bottle bird house.... oooooooooooooh darn...do you see what I see..."
Yea,... A Black Snake in the bird house bottle and a Black Snake on the bird house bottle ... well I guess the mouse population will be in check this season. Note to self: Pay attention when pruning these vines back, getting eggs out of the chicken coop, weeding, cutting the grass, etc. Thank goodness Black Snakes are not poisonous...
This is the Hickory Green Farm booth at the Goochland Farmer's Market. This time of the year we are featuring; gourds for making bird houses and crafts, Bearded Iris tubers to plant in your gardens, Garden Gate wreaths made from eleagnus branches with pockets of potted live plants. "Meadow Bouquets" of fresh cut flowers and herbs, Fresh cut Iris blooms to arrange, "Pussy Willow" branches, and unique garden pillows that are beautiful botanical accents for any gardener. To see the weekly features of the Goochland Farmer's Market click on our side bar link. Each week the market vendors keep it fresh and local.
From the fields of Hickory Green Farm we are harvesting meadow flowers. Apple mint, spearmint, chive blossoms, mustard blooms, arugula blooms, allium blooms, saliva, crimson clover, hosta foliage, and orchard grass are gathered for a mildly spring scented arrangement. "Blooming Joy in a Mason Jar."
Mini environment:
This is our kitchen counter....or the seed sorting desk. 8 feet of counter under the cover of seed packets and jars of saved seeds with notes and dates sprawled 24/7 for the last 2 weeks. I try to contain the bounty of seeds in the wooden bowl in the left portion of the picture, but we are always regrouping and organizing and planning. A temporary collage of seeds for our counter...beautiful.
Fresh spring greens. We use to gather these "field greens"or "salad greens" for a inexpensive accompaniment to poached eggs of any sort, duck, turkey, or chicken, when we were first independent young adults trying to stretch our pennies. A great dinner would be steamed "field greens" and wild onions with a poached turkey egg and maybe a piece of bread with wild blackberry jam. Now these tasty nutritious greens are cultivated and sold at farmer's markets and grocery stores. You can discover more about "salad greens" in this month's, "Virginia Living," magazine featuring our favorite farmer of "salad greens" Manakintown Specialty Growers. Field Cress, wild onion, and dandelion greens are pictured here on my Grama's china.
We are grateful that last week's frost did not damage the Apple Blossoms. The bees are enjoying the nectar of these beautiful trees, and we hope to enjoy the fruit this fall. It will be Pearl's job to keep the squires out of the orchard until harvest time.
A walk through the orchard this time of year is great place to capture photos of family and friends.
The rhythm of our daily lives is beautifully reveled all around the farm these days. Outside and inside.
Red Bud blossoms are yummy for people and bees. We eat them on our salad.
My Gramps use to dig dandelions up and out of his manicured lawn. Gramp's most hated "weed" next to wild onions was dandelions. Ross, he is thrilled with dandelions...food for bees and good for honey production. One man's weed is another man's gold. (me) LOL
The Dogwoods of Hickory Green Farm
Pink and green are my mom and daughter's
Of coarse we shared good food and giggles while enjoying the sunshine, blue sky, rolling green fields, and blossoms.
Last Saturday I saw: hope, anticipation, encouragement, compassion, excitement, determination, shear guts, humor, friendship, strength, community spirit, kindness, positive energy, exuberance…
Guess where …
It starts at 4:45 am, I prepared for year, I pray, I see: Elvis, Divas, cows, people from several nations, architecture and landscape from a 100+ years to present day, famous works of art more than a hundred years old, contemporary works of art, cobblestone alleys and brick walks, dogs of many sizes, bananas, bagels, granola, lots and lots of cups and bottles, signs and banners, Flags, band aids, & bands, dancers and cheer leaders, Parrot-heads, dancing dragons, readers, buffets, brunch, fried peppers & onions with hotdogs, birthday cards & birthday balloons, coaches, grandmothers & grandfathers, sisters & brothers, daughters & sons, aunties & uncles, friends and teams, fraternities and sororities, officers, priest, juice and water, hats of every color and style, Easter wreaths and eggs, balcony parties, sidewalk picnics, cameras, reporters, a college campus, mossy tree trunks, cranes, canes, places of worship, historic landmarks, tents, port-a- potties, philosophy, poetry, posters, flags, plus 66,000 sneakers.
Yea you guessed it…
I was lucky enough to participate in the Ukrops 10k Monument Avenue Race in Richmond, Virginia. That evening we met several friends at the White Hawk Café in Goochland County for sandwiches and some great Bluegrass music by “Maidens Crossing.” A beautiful Spring day in the heart of Virginia shared with friends old and new. A very fine day to remember.
“Zippity-do-daw !”
Hat, gloves, mud-boots, seeds, well tuned tiller, basic garden plan, hoe, rake, shovels, garden hose, string, marker, stakes, watering can, straw, bone meal, compost,...and "we'rrrrre off!" Spring gardening has begun. yeh!
" Inch by Inch row by row we're going to make this garden grow" and enjoy a day together outside. Tonight it will be aspirin for aching muscles. As the garden shapes up so does the body...I hope...LOL. 
Through the brown blanket of leaf mulch ...
From earth and log new life is rising up.
Golden crowns are radiant in the glorious sunshine.
and the woodlands are carpeted in blue.
The Lenten Rose is swaying in the breeze.
Quince brightly beckons 
