All Entries in the "Farm & Garden" Category
Ferguson Farmers Market named #1 in Missouri (again)
More than 50,000 people nationwide cast a vote in the American Farmland Trust’s 2010 America’s Favorite Farmers Market contest, and finally the results are in. The Ferguson Farmers Market has been named the #1 market in the state of Missouri, as well as the #18 medium-sized market in the entire country!! As you may know, [...]
Ferguson Cycling Club hosting local garden tour
After years of being involved in the Ferguson community, I guess you could say I’m a familiar face around town. But for many people, my husband, Keith, is a total mystery. A broadcast engineer for KTVI, he works odd hours and often misses our local meetings and events, but without him I promise you NOCO [...]
Can you bake the perfect All-American Pie?
On a steamy July day four years ago, I saw one of the most magical things ever: a line of 30 people each bringing me a delicious home-baked pie! It was the Ferguson Farmers Market’s first All-American Pie contest, and these ambitious chefs had stopped at nothing to create the perfect sweet-tooth masterpiece for our [...]
The Gardens of NoCo: Chan Mahanta
“In wildness is the preservation of the world,” wrote Henry David Thoreau, and I’m pretty sure Chan Mahanta agrees. This talented local gardener has created a wondrously wild native prairie in his front yard, which NOCO’s newest contributor, JoAnn Batzer, recently had a chance to visit. Here’s what she learned… Chan Mahanta doesn’t flinch about [...]
EarthDance Fresh Ideas returns on July 11
In case you missed it, the initial EarthDance Fresh Ideas was a huge success in May, with more than 100 people packing St. Stephen’s Church in Ferguson to watch the documentary Dirt and hear a lecture from author Temra Costa. This month, the film series and “green” discussion forum returns with Homegrown: The Movie, an [...]
It’s Children’s Fun Day @ the OFW Community Garden!
In 2004, when Larry and Heather Robinett bought a long-neglected, seriously rundown house up the street from me in Old Ferguson West, I never imagined they could top the spectacular feat of its extensive renovation. They spent several years completely gutting the old Victorian and bringing it back to life, all the while working full-time [...]
The Ferguson Farmers Market opens May 1
I’ll just come right out and say it: If you live in North County and you haven’t been to the Ferguson Farmers Market, you are NUTS! Since the market first opened with a handful of booths in 2003, it has grown and improved every single year – to the point that now 40 vendors and [...]
EarthDance launches Fresh Ideas film series
Happy Earth Day, NOCO fans! As you all must know by now, Ferguson is home to the oldest organic farm in Missouri, which the Mueller family started working in 1883. Today, the farm’s 14 acres are under the care of EarthDance, a fabulous nonprofit that’s currently training 30 apprentices in the ways of organic farming. [...]
Normandy’s Wayside Community Garden opens this Sunday
If you’ve ever driven on Florissant Road near Bermuda, no doubt you’ve seen “Wayside.” The sprawling Victorian house, built in the 1890s by John Mullanphy Cates, was for many years home to wealthy salt baron Thomas Hardy. Upon his death in 1960, his wife donated the property to the Normandy School District, stipulating that it [...]
The Gardens of NoCo: Jeanne Garofalo
If you’ve driven along Elizabeth Avenue in Ferguson, chances are you’ve seen the picturesque garden of Jeanne Garofalo. Started 25 years ago as a buffer between the busy roadway and Jeanne’s charming 110-year-old home, this colorful space proves that you can achieve big impact even in a small yard. The style of the garden is [...]
The Gardens of NoCo: Linda Mosley
I’m not quite to my winter breaking point, where I’m stir-crazy and ready to go anywhere with heat and sunshine. That usually comes in February. But I am counting the days until spring. To help tide myself over, I like to look through my old garden photos. And while I was doing that today, I [...]
EarthDance seeks 2010 organic farming apprentices
If you’ve ever dreamed of getting your hands dirty in the rich soil of an organic farm, head on down to the Ferguson Library this Tuesday for an informative session on EarthDance Farms‘ organic farming apprentice program. Launched in 2008, this hands-on “school” allows Freshman Farmies to maintain their own organic plots at Mueller Farm [...]
J. Goeke Produce: bigger and better
For more than 140 years, farming and produce have been the lifeblood of the Goeke family. In 1867, German immigrant Joseph Goeke began selling vegetables at St. Louis’ Union Market, a Soulard-like market that once operated at Sixth and Broadway. That same year, his brother John also entered the agricultural field, managing what the 1924 [...]
Good green fun at Pesto Festo
As if the glorious weather wasn’t enough to celebrate this weekend, last night’s Pesto Festo event in Ferguson made North County the place to be. Hosted by EarthDance Farms, the annual fundraiser drew more than 300 progressive, green-minded guests from all over St. Louis, and featured delicious local food, gorgeous artwork, and swingin’ performances by [...]
Hey! It’s hayride time!
Larry Hammer’s picturesque farm at 15310 Old Halls Ferry Rd is one of the few places in St. Louis where you can purchase organic, grass-fed beef, by the side or a whole steer at a time. I’m sorry to report that the deadline for fall orders has already past, but you’ll still have a chance [...]
Shop fresh: just 2 more weeks!
One of the very best things about North County is the Ferguson Farmers Market, which I would happily promote even if I wasn’t a former market employee. I’ve been to every farmers market in St. Louis, and I can honestly say that Ferguson’s is among the very best. This time of the year, it’s bursting [...]
The Garden Boys of Kinloch
If you drive on Hanley Road through Kinloch, you can’t help but notice the large vegetable garden that sprawls over several acres near Bradfield Drive. This tapestry of individual plots rests on land owned by Lambert Airport, but it has been meticulous maintained for decades by a group of locals who call themselves the Garden [...]
Your suburban farm awaits!
Yesterday I wrote about EarthDance and how founder Molly Rockamann is hoping to spur a new generation of organic farmers. What I didn’t mention is that my husband Keith and I have spent years fostering the same dream. We’ve been small-scale organic farmers for a long time, and we’ve always thought North County is the [...]
Green Goodness: EarthDance at Mueller Farm
Like North County itself, Mueller Organic Farm is a place that many people assumed was dead. Located on 14 lush acres at the border of Ferguson and Kinloch, this historic farm was founded in 1883 and was worked by members of the Mueller family up until the mid-1990s. After Al Mueller died in 1999, his [...]
El-Mel: 48 years in NoCo
I’m a big fan of shopping locally. Whenever I can, I shop at small independent businesses instead of big chain retailers – mostly because I want to put my money back into the local community, but also because the customer service is usually way better. Luckily, North County is home to many thriving small businesses, [...]
Locations in Florissant,
Chesterfield & West Port
Sept 4 "R" Pizza Farm Grilled Pizza Demo 10am, Buy a Bag For the Hungry Day 8am - 12pm, to benefit Operation Food Search, a St. Louis food bank that distributes food to poor & hungry. While you're shopping, buy an extra bag for this worthy cause. Live Music - Dixie Rhythm Kings 9-11am. ALSO 45+ vendors!
Saturdays 8am-2pm in the 2500 block of Woodson Road