Fruits of Our Labor

We are nearing the completion of our first season as farmers. Our first tomato and pepper crop yielded a decent harvest, and we were able to grow them organically. Next we'll harvest the onions, watermelons and pumpkins, all of which are coming along nicely despite the drought.

SalsaFest was a fun project with a surprising win for best use of local ingredients! It gave us the chance to break in the Market House kitchen and involve some of our Southwood employees: Anna , Emmie and Juan. The salsa turned out delicious, with the sweet flavor of the heirloom tomatoes against a little heat from the jalapeño, anaheim and bell peppers.



Ginny (my mom), Emmie and Juan prep the tomatoes for the salsa.
The varieties we used included Cherokee Purple, Brandywine and Azoychka.

Joe (my husband) appears pleased with the salsa display at SalsaFest.

The salsa took all of the tomatoes we had harvested, and the festival took almost all of the salsa - we did put bowl of it in the employee break room at Southwood right after we made it. I understand they ate it all.

This Friday, July 13 from 9-11 a.m., we're offering our friends one more way to taste the fruits of our labor, at the OSU Extension Center on 15th Street. We'll have the heirloom tomato and pepper varieties available for tasting. Dr. Brandenberger is bringing forms for participants to fill out as part of the trial we're performing for the OSU Horticulture Department, too. Drop by if you have a chance!

Little by little, I'm finding a niche for myself and my project in Tulsa's local food and health nutrition scene. At SalsaFest, I knew a lot more of the core organizers and volunteers than I expected. The event was held by Sustainable Tulsa and Elote Restaurant, both very active in the drive to bring more local food to Tulsans. The two groups who are working to build community grocery stores in the downtown areas (Cam's and Archer Market) were also represented. I'm discovering an exciting sense of community and common goals among these people, and I'm really looking forward to continuing to work with them.

Another exciting project I'm working on is Pathways to Health, through the Tulsa City-County Health Department. My fabulous cousin, Lynnsey Childress, is spearheading this collaborative effort to improve the health of the Tulsa population. We had our first planning meeting at the end of June, and I'm so impressed with what they've done so far to build momentum. If anyone is interested in hearing more about it, please email me or leave a comment. The more people who join in the fight to take Oklahoma off the top of about every national bad health rating, the better.

Next up, we're going to launch into the design phase for the Market, and some long-range planning for the Farm & Market as well as Southwood's Production department. That department, which grows a lot of the plants we sell at Southwood, is located at a greenhouse range about two miles from the retail facility, but will also expand to include part of the farm. A new Production Manager just joined the Southwood staff, and we expect that department to grow as part of this venture.

My Dad says the secret to growth and development is "measure twice, cut once" so that's what we're doing!

I couldn't resist posting our trophy! Best Use of Local Ingredients.
We're proud of our upside-down bowl, mason jar and basil plant!