Farm Tour

This past weekend I had the chance to go on the 6th annual Kaw Valley Farm Tour. About 20 farms in and around Lawrence are on the tour and you just get in your car and visit the ones you want to see at your own pace. It was the most gorgeous day. My friend, Josh, and I went to 6 different farms, each one completely different from the next.

First off, The West Junior High Garden Project. They have been sponsored by The Merc to have the first school garden in Lawrence. They have a farmer's market twice a week and they use some of the food in their cafeteria!

West Junior High garden. Meticulous!

Our next stop (above) was Moon on the Meadow. It's a certified organic farm inside city limits. She sells to The Merc and at the farmer's market.

There's Jill Elmers watering their fall crop of lettuce.

Next on the list was Vesecky Farm, a 100 year old farmstead that raises turkeys. We actually got to stand in the turkey pen with them. They are so funny (looking)!

Guinea Fowl at Vesecky Farm.

Not sure what kind of bird this is but I like them.

Blossom Trail Bee Farm was next. The owner, Richard Bean, showed us the bee pollen and explained how the hives work.

Here I am at our next stop milking a goat! That was a first for me. This was Landeria Farm. They make delicious goat's milk cheese. We got a private tour from our friend, Holly, who works there. Those goats are so friendly!

The final stop and a great way to end a perfect day was Blue Jacket Vineyard. We tasted a few wines and took a glass out to stroll through the grapevines.

I will definitely be making the Farm Tour a tradition. It was a fabulous day! I'm so proud to live in a community where there is so much bounty!

She's a beauty.

I was preparing myself for disappointment because my tomatoes were all green and have been that way for a while. There are a lot of them on the plants, there just wasn't even a hint of them ripening. Then, all of a sudden, I peeked in one of the plants and saw two of the most gorgeous, gigantic tomatoes I've ever laid my eyes on. I'm not good at guessing weight but from buying tomatoes at The Merc and the farmers market, I'm going to guess this one is close to 2 1/2 pounds. How 'bout that?! She's a beauty. It's going to be hard to eat her. (But not that hard.)

It's really interesting to watch this flower close its petals and turn into an okra pod.

This is from a Pokeweed (Phytolacca americana). They are an invasive plant but I really like them. The flowers turn into dark purple berries. The young shoots are eaten in the South and the root and berries are used sparingly in the Herbal Medicine. They are poisonous so can you imagine what they are used for?

Wild Grape and this vine (which I don't know the name for) are taking over!

There is a 4 ft tall bird feeder somewhere in there. It was fun to see it slowly disappear over the last 3 months.

We have so many cardinals. They are really fun to watch. I think my bird feeder is the party spot for the female cardinals.

The baby doves have flown away but we have been seeing them hanging around our yard. They also visited me in my dreams the other night.