Sunday, November 2, 2008

At Last Organic Outpost



Having meant to go for years, I made a visit to the urban community farm Last Organic Outpost yesterday. I stayed a little while to see Dan Phillips demonstrate how to prepare a cork floor, using wine corks. In a slight error of judgment I followed friends away to an early dinner when I really just wanted to hang out amid the greens and community farm folk. Here are a few images right off the cell phone (I am comfortable in the knowledge that no one comes to this blog for the fine photography).

Summer and autumn merge gracefully here and heat-loving crops like okra keep producing alongside the fall plantings of greens. Unexpected combinations of volunteer plants and crops made exploring interesting.

For example, spearmint and broccoli raab...

Squash, lettuce, and mustard greens...

Kabocha squash, I think.


One of several eggplant varieties I saw, here cosying up to okra:



Mint corrals...


Edible and ornamental coexist:


Children tried their hand at the cork floor and bottle cap wall model. Dan Phillips designs and builds houses together with the house’s future residents. The building materials are reclaimed to keep costs low, and so inventively recycled I urge you to see some examples at the website.



A few parting shots...
















4 comments:

Sheila said...

It looks like a fun day!

Anonymous said...

Hi Muddy Mary,
Wow! Now that's a cork floor. We make cork floors too, but we just had to comment on the love that went into this...
We don't go about it in the same way, but if it's eco-friendly we're all for it.
Thanks for sharing.
Cheers!
Team Wicanders

Muddy Mary said...

Wicanders--yes there are cork floors and then there are CORK FLOORS. Glad you enjoyed it. And Sheila, it was fun (but if someone had a wok fired up it could have been even better).

Last Organic Outpost said...

We are having a Farm Party at The Emile Street Community Farm in the 5th ward, January 10th Saturday from 2 til dark. We will featuring the expansion of the Emile Farm to Buck Street. Everyone is welcome and please tell a friend.