Author Archives: Virtual Farmgirl

Photographer John Ficara has a beautiful traveling exhibit as part of his “American Black Farmers Project,” which the media, including this piece in the Roanoke Times, is reporting during Black History Month. The series purports to document the demise of black family farmers in the United States. A description of Ficara’s photos, says “Through hisContinue reading “Photos Chronicle 'Demise' of the Black Farmer”

A story in the Capital Press this weekend featured an Oregon family who turned grain silos into contemporary bedrooms for their “country contemporary” bed and breakfast at Abbey Road Farm. The one-time 82-acre horse farm now attracts wine tourists and bicyclists who visit area vineyards near Carlton, which is about 35 miles north of Portland.Continue reading “Farm B&B Goes 'Country Contemporary'”

The Associated Press had this story today about the latest fad for farmers: the Internet. According to interesting, but not-so-groundbreaking piece, more than half (51 percent) of U.S. farms had Internet access by July 2005. That’s up from 48 percent in 2003. Forums are busy with farm talk too. The AP reports that Farm JournalContinue reading “Farmers and the Net”

The family headed to southern Indiana to visit my mother-in-law this weekend and listened to the Feb. 3 edition of Geek.Farm.Life (http://www.three-elms.com/gfl/) on the way down. Loved all the info about making cheese from excess goat’s milk and the teaser about spinning yarn. I’ll be eager to hear more about both, which Farmgirl Misty andContinue reading “Cheese on the Podcast, Ice Everywhere”

The big Farmgirl celebrity gossip is that Bedazzled star Liz Hurley is giving up the glory and glam of Hollywood for the “simple life” of farming. Farmgirl Liz says: “When we get our organic status we’re going to farm properly and we’re going to have a heard of cows and proper sheep and proper chickens,Continue reading “Extra! Extra! Hollywood Goes Farmgirl”

After buying the most flavorless tomatoes I’ve ever seen at the local grocery this week, I fully appreciated this story in the Indianapolis Star about where to find fresh veggies, meat and other farmers market items mid-winter. The story features Zionsville, Ind., small grass-fed dairy Traders Point Creamery. The dairy hosts several vendors every SaturdayContinue reading “Finding Fresh in February”

I was looking through my first issue of Ornamentals & Edibles and came across Wisconsin tree-Farmgirl Caron Wenzel, who wrote a short piece [Not Online] about the curious-looking root veggie celeriac. I’m anxious to try one (or both) of the recipes the magazine printed the magazine, especially the Celeriac and Bacon Chowder.

Mother Earth Living had a nice piece about raising backyard chickens to ensure your family is eating healthier eggs. Healthier indeed. Mother Earth News says it tested four flocks of free-range chickens and found that their eggs had half the cholesterol than the USDA’s official average. The study also found the free-range eggs had 50Continue reading “Healthier Eggs with Backyard Chickens”

I was going to blog about how even Hawaii, with all its majestic shorelines and dramatic cliffs, mountains and lava veins, is recognizing the value of Agri-tourism and is forming a Hawaii Agtourism Association. But we’re celebrating the Colts win, Indy Coach Tony Dungy and MVP Peyton Manning.

A very special Virtual Farmgirl thanks to the husband for directing me to a story in the Indianapolis Star headlined, “Just a Very Thankful Farm Girl,” about 113-year-old Edna Parker, who reigns as the oldest person in the United States. She also happens to be a Colts fan! I was wondering how I’d manage toContinue reading “Oldest Farmgirl, Oldest Colts Fan”