More summer pictures

Pink-eye purple hull peas!


Baby watermelon on the vine


Surprise tomato harvest! Mecca didn't have a basket with her while strolling through the tomatoes.


Beautiful Summer squash and golden zucchini harvest

We have our photographer in residence to thank for all of these wonderful pictures of the farm- Mrs. Judi Jackson of J. Jackson Photography!! (Mecca's mother).

Summer Pictures on the Farm

Rattlesnake Pole Beans climbing high.


Drip irrigation at work on Rattlesnake pole beans, summer arugula and okra.

Checking on the beans and squash.

Update From the Field: New intern and field activities

We would like to welcome Mr. Kevin Hebert to our farm this season as Turtle Bend's first Intern! Kevin is from New Hampshire and came all the way down to Rockmart, Georgia to learn about sustainable agriculture and see a new part of the country. Sofar, Kevin has enjoyed being outdoors and working hard on our farm, as well as the new sights, sounds and most importantly, tastes of the beautiful Southeast! Kevin is interested in pursuing a masters degree in Sustainable Agriculture and also joining the Peace Corps. We look forward to working with Kevin this season and hope that most of you will get a chance to meet him at some point. Here is a picture of Kevin and also a video of him helping lay drip lines on our farm with narration by Adam... enjoy!

Fried Green Tomatoes

While waiting for the tomatoes to ripen, it's hard not to pull a few off the vine and fry them up. Of course, green tomatoes are good in other ways (throw them in a stir-fry, make green tomato pie), but we couldn't resist frying them. Here's my recipe.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Basil Lemon Mayonnaise

3-4 Green tomatoes
1 cup all purpose flour
2 eggs
Salt & Pepper
1/2 cup oil (vegetable oil)
8 inch iron skillet, (another type will do, but a larger skillet will require more oil)
2-3 sprigs fresh basil
1/2 lemon
2/3 cup mayonnaise (may cut mayo with some yogurt if desired)

Slice Green Tomatoes 1/4 inch thick. Break and beat eggs in a small bowl. Place flour in a bowl. Salt and pepper green tomatoes on both sides. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat until a pinch of flour thrown in the skillet sizzles upon contact with hot oil. Dredge green tomatoes in egg mixture and then in flour and place in hot oil. Fill up the pan with one layer of tomatoes. Tomatoes will fry quickly. Flip over, giving each side 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a plate with a paper towel on it.

For the mayonnaise- Chop basil as small as you can and mix with mayonnaise. Squeeze about half of the lemon juice in and taste, adding more if needed. Squeeze remaining lemon juice on fried tomatoes.

Serve Warm!

Below is a green tomato sandwich I made for the boys (Adam & Kevin) for lunch. It was delicious!! Basil Mayo on bread, some crunchy lettuce and the tomatoes- yum!

Summertime...

We are officially into the summer months and we can feel it out on the field! All of our spring crops are done and we are focusing on summer production. Below are some shots of the field this time of year as we begin harvesting the first crops of summer: green beans, squash, cucumbers and basil. Our tomatoes will be in very soon, along with the bell peppers and eggplant. We're watching the okra shoot up and the cowpeas start to flower. Our winter squash and melons are taking off as well and our sweet potatoes are growing like weeds (and that's something because we have some killer weeds!!). Enjoy the pictures and we will post more soon- as you can imagine we are very busy on the farm this time of year. Also, notice the shot of the new Rockmart Farmers Market, which is being held every Thursday from 4-7pm in historic downtown Rockmart (100 church street). We have had a great response and we are full of vendors selling homemade and homegrown products!

Full Swing

We are almost in full swing this year with all of our spring crops in the ground. We are harvesting many greens and expect some of our root crops to come in soon. The Marietta Farmers' Market has been open for a couple of weeks and we have been selling our kale, mustard greens, spinach, arugula and lettuce mix. People seem to like our vegetables and have been sharing some great recipes with us. The following recipe comes from an anonymous customer at our booth last Saturday with a few additions from us.

For kale, and possibly other hearty greens:
Saute garlic and a little onion if desire in some (2-3 Tbs) oil in a skillet or frying pan.
add red pepper flakes if desired.
Wash and de-rib kale and roughly chop. (1-2 bunches)
Throw into pan and coat with oil, stirring around a bit.
Once kale has some heat in it, add 1-2 cups broth or stock (chicken or vegetable).
Add 1-2 teaspoons stone ground mustard.
Simmer as long as desired, 10-25 minutes.
Serve warm, with slotted spoon or tongs if you still have liquid in the pan.

Internship Opportunity

Turtle Bend Farm is now accepting applications for summer and fall internships. We can host 1-2 people that are interested in learning about sustainable agriculture, community food systems, or southern foodways. Room and board and a modest living stipend are included during the internship. We grow 5 acres of certified naturally grown vegetables and raise pastured poultry for eggs. Work includes harvesting, weeding, planting and other farm activities. We also have a small library of organic and sustainable farming books and other interesting social, cultural and political topics as well as high speed wireless internet. Interns are expected to work a full work week with a day or two off each week. Plenty of local natural beauty, hiking, swimming holes, biking trails and more.

Contact Mecca at turtlebendfarm@gmail.com for an application or call us at 678-986-9776.