Farm Profile: UTILITY RESEARCH GARDEN

The Quatro Luna Jardin!  Photo by V.L.Onkow

Hello alllll of ya'll...writing to you from Austin, TX at the moment, sitting in a SUPER hip coffee shop called Cenote on the East Side of town, waiting on a bamboo delivery etc.  Being as that I am not doing anything super important currently, I thought I would take a moment to tell you a little bit more about the farm that I've been working on and my experience in the the Lone Star State.

Veggies ready for market.  Photo by V.L.Onkow

The farm is called the Utility Research Garden and it is located in the little town of Jones Creek 5 miles from the Gulf Coast of Texas.  It is an unconventional farm and edible bamboo nursery nestled within the Jones Creek community on 25 acres of land.  The owner, David Cater, purchased the land some 7 years ago and at the time it was just an open field.  Since then he has created an oasis of bamboo, fruits, and veggies and a home to 3 interns, 5 migrant workers from Honduras and Mexico, 2 farm dogs, a flock of guinea hens, 3 water buffalo, and a coop of laying hens and roosters.  He has built a 40+ person CSA called the Basketcase CSA that serves the Greater Houston area and is in the process of expanding the CSA to the neighboring community of Lake Jackson, TX.  David not only cares for his fruits and veggies, but he cares for the land like it is his own child. The result is a unique variety of the happiest crops which cannot be found anywhere else in the world.  In David's own words, "our food will knock your socks off, rock your boat, be the pea to your pod, a cat in your hat..." and on and on and on.

Bobby the farm dog is ready for the market! Photo by V.L.Onkow

You also may be wondering about the name.  For some it conjures up a sciency picture of labcoats and high tech equipment,  for others a place of utilitarian calm.  In reality, it is a combination of a David's passion for the music of a single man, Frank Zappa, and the inquisitive nature of the farm that is so fine tuned to its purpose.  In David's own words, "We mostly stole it from Frank Zappa's recording studio that was called Utility Muffin Research Kitchen...Food is utilitarian.  Beauty is utilitarian.  We're learning, we're researching all the time...about the land, about the bamboo.  And...it's a garden!"

Intern Jessica and I getting squashed. Photo by V.L.Onkow

So there you have it, a little bit of background on the farm, now I'll tell you a bit about the day to day happenings on this lovely garden that I have had to the fortune to call home for the past month.  So far the weather has been extremely mild (with the exception of today ironically) and I am loving it!  I work 5 1/2 days a week and rise with the sun upon dewy fields every morning. The mosquitos seem to like me alot which is a bit of a bummer but I can deal.  Like I said previously, I work with 2 other interns and a group of migrant workers from both Mexico and Honduras.  I am learning new Spanish words everyday with my Finca Familia and by the time I leave here I may just be fluent in Spanish, who knows!

Playa Hoop. Photo by V.L.Onkow

Every day I wake up at sunrise ready for a new learning experience.  So far I have had the opportunity to do all times of farm work including greenhouse work, planting, weeding, tending chickens, making and spreading compost tea among other things. I am also in the process of updating the farms promotional materials and helping David build a CSA community in Jones Creek!  On Saturdays I go to the Urban Harvest Farmer's Market @ Eastside in Houston and help with setup/breakdown and running the market.  The owner even lets me drive the giant flatbed farm truck...you should see the stares that I get when driving that enormous thing!  My free time I spend at the beach, chilling, hooping, doing yoga, reading and smiling with friends, both new and old.

Greeny greenhouse photos by yours truly.