Newsletters: September - October 2007

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Local Spotlight - Ladybird Farms

Natural Times-September/October 2007

By Bridget Kamke

As I enter the 50-acre grounds of Ladybird Organics and Monticello Vineyards and Winery to meet with owner Cynthia Connolly, I see a deer leap across the driveway from one section of woods to another, and I get the feeling already that this farm is in harmony with nature.

Farmer Connolly gives me a tour on a golf cart. She shows me rows of organic, native Muscadine grapes in vineyards that are scattered throughout the property, separated by woody areas and fruit and nut trees, and span about ten acres. It has been the driest year on record so far, she tells me, and they have not yet irrigated. Yet the grapes are thriving and pest free. She attributes her success to her sustainable practices, especially the enrichment of her soil with worm castings collected from her many worm beds. She feeds her worms vegetable matter gathered from her farm and from New Leaf Market's discards and the worms then break down the compost into a healthy living soil. She also sells worms or 40-pound bags of worm castings directly from her farm. Smaller bags of castings are available from Native Nurseries in Tallahassee and O'Toole's Herb Farm in Madison.

Her 70 beautiful, rust-colored hens scratch in their half-acre pasture, peacefully nibble on greenery, and hunt insects. Her "pretty girls," as she calls them, are fed raw and living foods in addition to what they find in the pasture. They eat leafy greens, pulp from Connolly's juicer, raw whole grains such as rye, oats, and viable whole seeds from wheat Connolly grew. Connolly says the hens seem to prefer organic foods when given a choice and wonders if they smell or sense the difference. The Ladybird Layers lay brown eggs every day or two and you can buy them at New Leaf Market. Other products available at our co-op from Ladybird Organics are Muscadine grapes, sunflower sprouts, and wheatgrass.

Farming was not open to women when Connolly was younger, so she went to college and got a master's in English at FSU. But she soon realized there was "more to life than words on a page." For her, farming was a natural step, and she took technical agriculture courses at FAMU and graduated summa cum laude. After FAMU she went on to graduate school in agricultural education and engineering at Iowa State University. She was the first woman to complete a doctoral degree in agricultural engineering in the United States. She then did doctoral research in Sudan, the largest country in Africa, where she set up a model of vegetable production at Ahfad University College for Women, the only non-religious institution of higher education for women in all of Africa. Connolly spent ten years abroad on several different continents. She also worked for a United Nations food and agriculture organization, which took her to Rome and various African countries.

For her, farming is like coming home to what is true. She feels that life in the ground and on the ground is connected, and we're part of it. She's living in harmony and has been since 1989. Her farm is biodiverse and certified organic. Pecan trees planted by the original owners provide shade. Fig, mulberry, orange, grapefruit, persimmon, pecan and pear trees punctuate the landscape. Woods, edged with ornamentals like crepe myrtles, create a natural boundary, microclimates, habitat for beneficial insects, wind blocks, and beauty.

The farm is open to the public for You Pick grapes through September (maybe October); and for wine tasting. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday for picking or tasting. Call first to 850-294-WINE or 850-997-7224. Consider attending "the crush" on Labor Day weekend, which kicks off the farm's wine making. Or, bring the whole family to the September 23 farm tour and open house with hors d'oeuvres provided by New Leaf Market and live music.

Monticello Vineyards and Winery offers various vintages of Muscadine wines including three new varieties (made with one kind of grape each). There's the Carlos, a dry white wine; the Magnolia, a premium white wine with a golden finish, dry, more mellow and floral than the Carlos; and the Florida Red, a dry, fruity and flavorful wine. The winery uses only certified organic fruit and minimal processing, minimal sulfites, and no added colors, concentrates or preservatives. Wines are sold directly from the farm, over the phone or via the Internet at www.monticellowinery.com. Jelly made from red grapes is also for sale.

At the end of my tour, Connolly hands me some grapes fresh off the vine, sun warmed. I eat one and am genuinely impressed. I tell her in all sincerity, "That was the best Muscadine I have ever tasted!"