A few weeks ago, a handful of us were lucky enough to head up to Blairsville to help Biodynamic guru Hugh Lovel get the UAI farm in good shape. How does it get better than working beside and learning from a guy who’s so full of knowledge about the soil that you just want to write down everything he says? By staying at Birds Nest with Hugh’s wife Shabari Bird (whose late husband, Christopher Bird, wrote “The Secret Life of Plants” and “Secrets of the Soil”) who not only put us up in awesome accommodations — I, for one, had a bed suspended from the ceiling — but fed us like kings and taught us dowsing and all sorts of interesting stuff.

After a full day of cleaning out the barn and farmhouse (just ask us at the next mob about the treasures we found), clearing a bunch of bamboo, and finishing a bunch of other tasks we all got the chance to settle in and really get to know each other over dinner and drinks…including, of course, Mike’s famous homebrew. Following that, Hugh gave a fantastic talk about learning to read weeds and what they’re saying about your soil. The big takeaway is your land will let you know exactly what it needs if you learn to speak its language, but Hugh explained the chemical makeup of the weeds, what they need, what they produce, and how it affects their physical structure. It was pretty awesome to say the least.

We (mostly) behaved and got to bed (relatively) early so that we were ready to roll the next morning. A little more barn cleaning, and a wood chopping session later, we had a fantastic lunch and sadly headed back to the city. Luckily Shabari told me she just might need help with a few more things in the next several months, so we might just have a chance to head back up there and let more mobbers enjoy Birds Nest and UAI.

But in the meantime, we *might* have a full size mob later this month (still working on that one) – but we do have some work for a few of you who are itching to get dirty. We’re looking for about 5 or 6 people to help out Paula of Heirloom Gardens (if you’ve been to Peachtree Road Farmer’s Market, you know who she is) with her lily field on the 20th. I guess this qualifies as our first micro-mob! She’ll be providing some seriously tasty sounding Chicken and Okra Gumbo as well as a few sides — certainly worth a trip to Cumming and some time digging in the lilies. Figure about 9:30 ’til lunch?

More updates soon if a larger mob will come together this month…if so, it’ll be on the 27th, so keep your calender clear! Plus updates on Crop Mob’s involvement in the Georgia Organics Conference; there are some exciting things afoot!

Click Here to RSVP

Image credit: mike lowe

Well, it’s about that time again. Our sore muscles are all limbered up and our sunburns have faded, and that can only mean one thing: time for another mob! This month we’re heading to Burnell Farm in Royston, GA to do a variety of fun things. For those of you who helped out at Tewksbury, you can experience hoophouse construction from beginning to end, since we’ll be helping Tammy finish up her hoophouses as well as do some weeding, seeding and pulling out fence line. I don’t *think* we’ll be needing any special tools or equipment, but you can always feel free to throw what you’ve got in terms of shovels and such in your trunk just in case! Be sure to remember gloves, water, sunscreen, bugspray, boots, and plates and utensils for lunch! (We haven’t confirmed yet, but are pretty sure we’ll be getting a Miller Union visit. Get excited!)

The impossible happened: we went to a mob and didn’t do a lick of weeding (except, of course, the few weedaholics who just couldn’t help themselves). Instead, we covered fields with straw for winter, picked and bagged some ruby-red field corn, and…oh, you know…built a greenhouse or two. Two, actually. Maybe we didn’t COMPLETELY finish them, but we got the structure up and ready for Farmer Tate and had a heck of a good time in the process! Mr. Tewksbury (Tate’s dad) brought Lou and Sue, their gorgeous and enormous horses, down to the field so we could watch some old-school plowing, and we loved meeting all of the Morgan County locals who came out to help.

Once we were done working, we head up the road to meet some fantastic animals, have a cold one, stuff our faces and listen to awesome music. Seriously, does it get much better than that? The generosity at this mob was really amazing; Plow Point Farms donated and smoked so much delicious pastured Poulet Rouge chickens, Suzi Cooker Catering made amazing sides and desserts (I had no idea slaw could be that good!), the Morgan County Conservancy graciously donated 4 cases of much needed refreshment. And, to top it all off, The Bearfoot Hookers played an awesome set that kept our toes tapping (and perhaps inspired one or two of us to lead an impromptu hoedown by the lunch tables). The weather was finally starting to cool down a bit and hinted at a Fall we never thought would come.

And my oh my did we get our five minutes of sweaty fame! There were no less than four groups doing media pieces on the event including the Morgan County Citizen, Athens’s ezine BLVD, Ramsey Yount, and CNN! Crazy stuff, but it was fun to see all our mobbers getting interviewed – can’t wait to see how everything turns out!

Aaaaaand we’ve already got our September mob planned, too! On the 19th of this month we’ll be heading NE on 85 to Royston, GA (right before Lake Hartwell) to help Burnell Farm get ready for fall. Having relocated from Iowa a year ago after losing everything to floodwaters, the Burnells have worked hard to establish their farm and have several acres for production as well as chickens and rabbits. We’ll have an official chore list soon, but it will probably include finishing up some hoophouses, weeding, seeding, pulling out fence line – nothing our mobbers can’t handle! Expect more details and eventbrite registration soon!

This seriously just keeps getting better and better. And now we’ll have a good Georgia autumn to enjoy it by! I smell bonfires already…

Go Mob!

It remains to be seen if we’ll have an Indian summer this year, but we know one thing for sure: it was a deep south summer day at Indian Ridge Organic Farm this past Sunday. Over the day, the heat index climbed upwards of 103. But did that stop us? Heck no! Didn’t even slow us down! After a scenic hike around the gorgeous property (think horses, wooded paths and a breathtaking farmhouse) we showed up at the fields already sweating through our clothes and ready to go.

Some first-time mobbers had a trial by fire (almost literally) and did GREAT. You should have seen the areas we cleared in no-time flat. We were lucky enough to have a mid-morning refreshment of iced coffee and goodies from Cafe Campesino – and it was exactly what we needed. At that point, the heat was so intense that I pretty much expected most mobbers to chill out in the shade until lunch. But no, not this crew. After a brief break, it was right back to work in the mid-day sun. We worked straight through until the smell of frying catfish called everyone in. That’s right – Miller Union did it again with an old school fish fry complete with the world’s most amazing hush puppies, field pea and tomato salad, coleslaw and watermelon. It’s funny how a staggeringly good meal can make you forget the heat. Darby announced the first of two August mobs (stay tuned for more info on those) and we all got a chance to unwind a little from a great day of work.

And then, we discovered the best feature of Indian Ridge Farm: the Soque River runs through it. Most. Refreshing. River. Ever. We all had a heck of a good time splashing around, cooling down, and sipping on some of Mike’s famous homebrew. Check us out – cool as cucumbers – at the end of the video!

It was a great one. I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: our mobbers are the best. We work hard, we play hard and we get a couple of months worth of farmwork done in the process.

Keep an eye out for details on next month’s mobs!

Photo credit: Pete Mora

Hey Mobbers!

Hope you had a fantastic 4th of July complete with fireworks, BBQ or whatever tradition you like best. We’ve got another way for you to appreciate our nation — from the dirt up.

Come help the farmers at Indian Ridge Farm get the place in tip top shape at the end of July. Yeah, we know it’ll be hot, but that’s why we’re heading up into the mountains to a farm with a built in water-park (you know, rivers and lakes and such). So bring your swimsuit, your sunscreen, and those muscles you forget you have until you spend a day with a shovel in your hand and come play with us on the 25th! We’ll let you know a little closer to the date what to expect in terms of jobs and if we’re on the hunt for any special skillsets. Plus, we’ll get the absolute joy of having Miller Union provide food AGAIN! They’re kind of our heroes. Y’all have to check out the restaurant if you haven’t yet. It’s good. REAL good.

So more to come on the Indian Ridge Mob! We’ve been asked to cap this one at 50, and we’ll try to organize some carpool magic before we head up there.

And now, a word from Thomas Jefferson: “Cultivators of the earth are the most valuable citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most independent, the most virtuous and they are tied to their country and wedded to its liberty and interests by the most lasting bands.”

We’ll have Crop Mob ATL shirts for sale at the event. They are $15 (cash or paypal will be accepted).

Can’t wait to see you guys soon!

Register Now (Click Here)

That first Mob with the Sun Dog Farmers at Skip’s Garden was such a good time, we’re already hankering for another. This go around we’re heading south of the city on June 6^th to Greg Brown’s GreenLeaf Farms in Barnesville, GA. Get ready to tackle projects from creating squash beds and chopping firewood to digging water lines, painting signs, and much, much more.

We’ll have plenty more details as the date approaches (including what you can look forward to for lunch and info on carpooling) but here’s what we’ve got so far:

• If you have any old newspapers or unwaxed cardboard, bring it along to use under mulch for weed control
• Please bring any wheelbarrows, pitchforks, rakes or shovels if you have them
• Be sure to bring the essentials (water, sunscreen, plate & utensils, etc.)

We have to cap this event at 50 participants. So if you sign up to come and realize you can’t make it, please let us know so we can free up the space for someone else who would like to come.

We know there are lots of mobbers eager to get involved, so we’re potentially planning a mini-mob for this month so you have some events to choose from. We haven’t gotten the green light just yet, but we’ll give you a hint: we may be planting a restaurant garden for a hot, up-and-coming Atlanta restaurant. So, we’ve got more info on the way, but this should whet your appetites.

Register on Eventbrite (Click Here)

Hey Mobbers! We sure love how enthusiastic you guys are and would love to have you involved in the leadership of the group. We’re all in this together for the sustainable well-being of our community, so let us know if you’d like to get more involved – we could use some extra help on the organization front!

More details on the way! And be sure to check out (or volunteer at) the Crop Mob stand at Evolverfest this June 20^th at the Lake Claire Land Trust.

Photo Credit: bcballard