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Urban Farms on Tour April 6, 2010
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Urban Farms on Tour

We’ve always longed to “time-travel,” for even five minutes, back to the 1840’s, to be on this farm and see what it was, how it worked ... the lay of the land, the hill to the north that harbored the cold, flowing Oak Spring that fed into the meandering Boggy Creek, the outdoor kitchen, the long front porch, the hog pens, the cattle, the fields of grains and cotton, the women in long skirts, the Africans working in the field. Where were their cabins? What about the picket fence that surrounded the farmstead to protect all the people and the animals from threats? Is our current in-the-house kitchen the former back work porch or was it a real dining room?

Lots of questions, but the answers are long gone. All that’s left are hints, copies of archived documents and a few precious Smith family letters.

And all that’s left of the original large farm is this five acres, and it is some kind of divine protection that this plot of non-asphalted land, and the farmhouse, still survive.

Once, the deep, fertile bottom land of East Austin was the agricultural source of grains, meats, and fibers for the growing population of the young City of Austin. Our farm was created in 1839 -- the “out-lots” (generally 10-20 acre parcels of land) were bought at the auction under the oak trees at Republic Square -- the same auction that sold city lots as well.


East Austin remained mostly agricultural into the Twentieth Century, as the plantations gave way to truck farms -- whose farmers sold their produce in downtown Austin. Spinach was a huge crop here, for the soil gave it a unique, rich flavor.

But at the end of World War II, soldiers returning home wanted to settle down and start families, and the farms provided cheap, flat lots upon which they would build their houses. And with their houses came schools, warehouses, factories and shopping centers. Our farm thus dwindled to the current five acres.

Very few open spaces remain in East Austin and those that are available are destined for condos or commercial structures. New farmers generally have to look for farm land east of Austin, instead of in East Austin.

We were fortunate to find our farm, Boggy Creek Farm, across the street from the namesake concrete ditch, during a time, 1992, when prices were still depressed from the mid-eighties real estate/banking melt down, and in an era when no one in their right mind considered farming a five-acre plot of land. It became a new sort of farm, an intensely planted “market farm,” and also, by its in-City location, one of the nation’s first “urban farms.” There is no minimum size to this type of farm, although after just a few years, we found ourselves needing to plant crops on our rural farm in Milam County, as well, to meet the demand for fresh, organic produce.

In the last decade, many citizens have realized that they should “eat better,” which typically means fresh, organic vegetables and eggs, and miraculously, to help assuage this need, three other farms, within just a few blocks of us, have been created over the last six years or so.

The farmers of Springdale, Rain Lily and Hausbar farms share our soil and the water beneath it, and also, the desire to feed people good, clean food. In addition to these urban farms, a lot of back yards in this part of town sport food gardens, and there are many other people wanting to be backyard farmers and gardeners.

Raising your own food is almost a lost art, and this loss must be rectified. But the challenge is how to learn the ways of our grandparents, when a kitchen garden was a necessity, or a big back yard was turned into a mini farm, so that the family could eat well, during periods of difficulties, as well as in good times.

There are lots of books on the market now, and classes in horticulture abound, but one of the best ways to learn is from someone who is doing it. And even better is to be standing on the fertile soil with the mentor.

That will be possible this coming Sunday, April 11, 1 PM to 5 PM, rain or shine. Rain or shine? Yes. If you want to be a gardener or a farmer, you know you will be out in the weather, so bring your umbrella if rain is in the forecast, or raise your face to the blessed liquid and rejoice in it.

The four farms will be open -- you can start at any one of them and visit each at your own pace. The farmers will give continuous tours of their fields and their hen houses, and answer any questions you might have.

The farms are close enough to each other (2 to 3 blocks) that you can park at one and walk to the others. (We have quite a bit of parking space on our farm, and you are free to park on the streets fronting all the farms.) Bicycling is also a good option. Going to each farm by car may make sense if you want to spend more time on the actual tours.

Of course you’ll get hungry and thirsty, so at each farm, two chefs who specialize in serving local produce will hand you snacks made from the farm’s produce, and there will be tea and spirits to slake your thirst.

And yes, the tours cost, but all the money raised goes directly to
http://farmandranchfreedom.org/ (the grass roots effort to protect your right to fresh and real food.)  Adults: advance/$35 and at the gate/$40 (kids under 5 free). Credit card ticket purchases at http://www.farmhousedelivery.com/  or at Boggy Creek Farm Wed/Sat cash/check/will call. On tour day, at each farm, a table will be staffed with a volunteer to take ticket money and confirm will call names. A map to the farms will be provided.

While we can’t go back in time, we can certainly enjoy the present, and look forward to a future in which we as citizens have greater control over our food, cleaner air and water, and are healthier for it.

 See you Sunday!

Thanks,
Carol Ann

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