CasaSugar

Cool Idea: Grain Silo Converted Into Gazebo

CasaSugar — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:00:22 PDT

While most grain silos in the rural Midwest are put to use storing grain, seed, or silage, this one has a much more decorative purpose. I spotted this silo at the farm where my friends recently tied the knot, and I had to take a closer look.

The silo's wire exterior was used as a giant circular arbor. Years' worth of ivy snaked its way to the very top of the structure. Inside, skeletal, industrial furniture in keeping with the silo's look waited for guests to take a seat and relax. There was a stripped-down lounge chair in particular that I absolutely adored. Want to see it? Check out the gallery for all of the details.

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Cool Idea: Ghost Town Farm

CasaSugar — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 07:00:56 PDT

On a rough-and-tumble corner in Oakland's Ghost Town neighborhood, the most unexpected of sights awaits you. Behind a chain-link fence, on an abandoned lot, sits a thriving urban farm. I stopped by Ghost Town Farm yesterday afternoon for its informal farm stand, where preserved lemons, dinosaur kale, and extremely local honey, among other selections, were being sold.
The force behind this farm is Novella Carpenter, author of best-selling memoir Farm City, which notably begins, "I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto." In the book, Carpenter describes the evolution of the empty lot next to her rented flat from garbage-filled wasteland to thriving urban farm. It's a great read, and I recommend you pick up a copy of the book, which is now in paperback.

If you're planning on visiting the Bay Area, be sure to check Novella's blog to find out about the time of the next farm stand. Her site is also packed with anecdotes and advice on everything from building a cob oven to keeping livestock in the inner city. Curious as to what she's raising? Check out my photos of her 4,500-square-foot farm. While I didn't get pictures of the bunnies and chickens, I did snap some photos of one of the goats, one of the beehives, and quite a few of the veggies and fruit trees that abound on this unexpected piece of agrarian culture in the middle of the city.

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On the Market: Field of Dreams Farm

CasaSugar — Mon, 17 May 2010 14:00:00 PDT

If the words "If you build it, they will come" make your heart go pitter-patter, I've got one real estate listing that may strike your fancy. The real farm made famous by the 1989 Kevin Costner baseball flick Field of Dreams near Dyersville, IA, is on the market for $5.4 million.

For that price, you can call yourself the proud owner of the movie's baseball diamond, a two-bedroom, one-and-a-half-bath house, six outbuildings, and 193 acres of land. The current owners have owned the property for a century and have preserved the famous field since Universal Studios built it in just four days in 1988. Two buildings on the property actually date back to the 1800s, so it's a historical home in more ways than one. If you're interested, you'd better be tourist-friendly, as the farm is visited by an average of 65,000 people a year. The land comes with two souvenir sands, and a merchandising agreement with Universal can be arranged, so you may make a pretty penny off of this home, too!

Want to see more photos of the farm?

Would You Take a Farm Vacation?

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:00:12 PDT

If you're looking to get away from it all, Feather Down Farm Days offers family getaways on beautiful US working farms, and its sister sites offer the same opportunities in Europe. So far, there are only three farms on the US list, including two in New York and one in Illinois, but I have a feeling that number will rise in the near future. I love the idea of getting away from civilization and spending a few days in the great outdoors, living in one of these cool tents, gardening, and gathering eggs. What about you?

Source

10 Great Urban Farms Across the United States

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:00:42 PDT

Who says that farming has to happen exclusively in rural areas? These 10 farms prove that you can grow veggies in any city in the country. Better yet, many of these farms also run substantial education programs, providing city kids with great information about where their food comes from. Check to see if your city's urban farm made it in my slideshow, and then go volunteer!

Source

Do You Have a Gorgeous View?

CasaSugar — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:00:08 PDT

I wish this were the view from my front porch! It's actually the view from a farm stay at a cabin I visited in New Zealand a few years ago.

I also love the view from my home's deck, but I've lived in a few other places where the view was less than desirable. What's it like at your casa?

"Wee"kend Getaway: Manchester, VT

LilSugar — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:00:00 PST

With the state of the economy up in the air, families throughout the country are putting their vacation plans on hold until things begin to stabilize. Rather than plan a week-long trip to an exotic locale, many are planning extended weekend getaways to locations within driving distance of home. With this in mind, we are beginning a series called "Wee"kend Getaways, highlighting vacation spots that offer a little something for everyone in your family. First stop is Manchester, VT, located in the southwest corner of the state. First incorporated in 1761, the town offers outdoor activities during each season of the year.

Nice and New: Simrin Farmyard Placemats

CasaSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:30:30 PST

You may not enjoy the scent of cow manure or the sound of a rooster's crow at the break of dawn, but you can still bring a little farm life into your home without counting Babe as one of your dependents. Velocity has introduced Simrin Farmyard Placemats ($36) into its collection of fashionable table linens, and I think they're just the thing to give us all a taste of the old days, short of rearing animals ourselves. The placemats are made from 100 percent cotton, and can be easily machine washed and dried. But that shouldn't prevent you from line-drying them out in the pasture, if you so please.

In the News: Farms Sprout in Suburbia

CasaSugar — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 07:00:40 PDT

The Wall Street Journal's "Green Acres II: When Neighbors Become Farmers" reports that a growing number of Americans are "turning grass into edible greens and maybe even greenbacks," by growing food in their front and backyards. Since 2006, in Boulder, CO, school-bus driver Kipp Nash has "uprooted his backyard and the front or backyards of eight of his Boulder neighbors," and spent his afternoons "planting, watering, and tending" these minifarms, growing vegetables like tomatoes, bok choy, garlic, and beets. Although not everyone in the neighborhood finds this suburban farming aesthetically pleasing, particularly not during the Winter months, the locally-grown food market has grown, leaving yard farmers with an opportunity to sell to nearby restaurants and other neighbors. Since land is expensive, and nearly a third of residential water goes to landscaping, the financial advantages of suburban farming are clear. But, environmentalists also support it because it "cuts the distance - and the carbon dioxide - needed to get food from farm to consumer." To see a video on the topic,

Midday Muse: A Home at the Top of the World

CasaSugar — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:53:43 PDT

I snapped this picture of a small mountain farm last September when I was visiting my brother in the Western fjords of Norway. It is so remote and beautiful. Sometimes I dream about living in a place this far up and away from the bustling urban world.