DC Honeybees: Arcadia Rocks DC Honeybees

We're getting BEES! We are really excited about the partnership with DC Honeybees and the potential for pollination, honeybee preservation and, of course, LOCAL HONEY!

DC Honeybees: Arcadia Rocks DC Honeybees: "Arcadia Center For Sustainable Food and Agriculture is an organic farm that is the brainchild of Neighborhood Restaurant Group’s leader, Mic..."

Hot off the Presses

In case you missed it... yesterday Arcadia was featured in the Washington Post Food Section! We loved how the piece came out. Read it and let us know what you think!

We had such a fantastic time with Post writer Kristen Hinman showing her around Woodlawn and giving her the grand vision for Arcadia. Giving interviews can sometime be nerve wracking, because you can never be sure what they'll say about you, but we felt Kristen captured the spirit of Arcadia and truly understands our mission.

Thanks to everyone who sent congratulations and offers to volunteer our way! Even as I watch the snow come down outside our office window, I am looking forward to March when we will need everyone's hands in the dirt to get the soil tilled and seeds planted!

In the meantime, look out for our upcoming Kickstarter campaign in January to get the wheels rolling on our Mobile Fresh Market... literally! We have BIG plans for helping local farms thrive while eliminating food deserts in DC. Ambitious? Absolutely. But with the community behind us, we know a change is gonna come.

~Erin

Discovery Creates Change for Arcadia

How lucky we are to be chosen as one of the non-profits for Discovery's Creating Change: Discovery Impact!

Erin and I had the amazing opportunity to attend the Discovery Communications 'Creating Change' workshops, their first pro-bono creative initiative, utilizing the power of our employee workforce to fulfill design, marketing and communications work on behalf of local nonprofit organizations. Our team had innovative and thoughtful ideas and it was incredibly encouraging to hear their enthusiasm about Arcadia. And, to boot, they convinced one VERY reluctant farmer to join Twitter (@ArcadiaFarmer). I guess it's time I get with the times.

Watch our amazing team hard at work below! For the full article, click HERE

Meeting the Chefs

What an exciting week for farm plans! I had the privilege of meeting with all the amazingly talented NRG chefs to discuss the types of things they would like to see on the farm. From elderflower to arugula, the chefs were full of insight and great ideas. I have to say, as an amateur chef in my own kitchen, it was intimidating to be with people who can turn basic farm produce in to stunning and complex culinary delights. I can't wait to be their farmer and I am sincerely excited to work with all the NRG chefs.

I look forward to the spring and meeting more of the NRG restaurant staff (I, myself, was a server for almost a decade!). I hope they will enjoy the farm as their space and see how different a meal can be when the plants are grown in a healthy, positive, love-filled place. Now, to finish my planting plan and volunteer schedule....

-Mo

Worms!

After a week of dumpster diving for cardboard and "stealing" leaves off of the roads of Alexandria...We have started work on the gardens at Arcadia!

I never knew how excited I could be to see worms! We have broken ground on the gardens and I was ecstatic (and surprised!) to see the dirt teeming with life. While the soil is clay, it's a good sign to see dozens of worms squirming their way through and aerating the soil.

The grass sod in the area that will become the gardens in the spring has proved a challenge-- even my gas-powered tiller didn't stand a chance against the grass and clay soil (note: grass is evil. grass lawns are over-rated). After battling with my digging fork for two afternoons, my sore shoulders were telling me it was time to bring in some bigger machines. Thanks to some farm friends with a heavy-duty tractor, the ground will be tilled next week and we'll leave it to the winter snow to permanently get rid of that grass!

Not all the plots will be tilled, however, and I chose to "lasagna" mulch one of the plots to stifle the grass. With the help of badass volunteers from Neighborhood Restaurant Group (a special thanks to the kitchen from Birch and Barley!) we got a huge piece of land under cardboard, shredded leaves and woodchips (hence the dumpster diving and leaf-stealing). While this area will be wet come spring, it will be the perfect spot to plant late summer crops!

Thanks to an amazing donation of compost from Vale Inc. in Alexandria, VA, we also have rich black compost to add to the soil and start building up the plant-friendly nutrients for the spring!

Late fall is a beautiful time at Woodlawn and while I know the winter cold and snow is on its way, I am already excited for all the possibilities of spring! I can't wait to see the first seedlings in the ground...

Vices That Made Arcadia!

Whew... what a party! Vices That Made Virginia was by all accounts a wild success and helluva good time. The bourbon was flowing, the band was rocking, and the food was delicious. The Neighborhood Restaurant Group chefs really outdid themselves and put out a feast of local food fit for kings. And with over 500 people in attendance, a feast it certainly was!

The live auction was a hit and raised over $13,000 for Arcadia, which will go a long way to getting our farm up and sprouting by springtime. The lucky auction winners bagged a farm supper at Arcadia, a 4-star dinner with Post food critic Tom Seitsema, dinner for 12 by Chef Tony Chittum in Frank Lloyd Wright's Pope-Leighey House, cooking classes with Chef Will Artley... and even a live heritage breed pig!

Here are some of our favorite pictures from the night (courtesy of the marvelous Sarah Bernardi). To see all the rest, check out our Flickr page.

Check out Ibti's report from Vices!

http://abikeablefeast.blogspot.com/