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Harvesting Duckweed

1/2/2016

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There's a ditch that runs along the west side of our farm. On the other side of the ditch is a cattle pasture and log burn pile.  Duckweed and Water Hyacinth grow vigorously in this ditch, utilizing all of the wonderful nutrients from the surrounding field. From here, we harvest the aquatic plants and muck to use as a soil amendment for our crops.
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Harvesting aquatic plants.
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Mud and aquatic plants draining on a screen in a plastic produce basket
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A curved hand fork is used to harvest aquatic plants and place them in buckets.   A screen in the bottom of a plastic produce container works well for draining the pond mud and plants to make it lighter and easier for transporting.  The containers are then taken to the vineyard and other crops to use as a soil amendment.
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As a bonus, sometimes you can find a very nice tadpole.  This one was rescued from under a pear tree where were distributing the duckweed.
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    My Story


    My name is Georgia, the meaning of which is feminine for "tiller of the soil, or farmer."  I am also a pharmacist and full time mom.

    The slow work that happens on our farm is based on the belief that where things come from matters and the things made by hand are the things I cherish most.

    I consider myself Nature's Sharecropper.  With slow farming, much of what is grown or raised gets taken by nature. But the sharecropper always gets what she needs, and more.

    I'm writing this blog to try to capture some of the challenges, joys and life moments spent as a part time farmer.  Taking the time to snap photos and write blog posts will  be a challenging commitment, but I think it should result in a valuable stream of memories.  I hope you enjoy reading and please feel free to provide feedback!

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