jefferson farm & gardens

I promised an entry about Jefferson Farm, so here it is. A good friend of my family started the Thomas Jefferson Agriculture Institute, which is a nonprofit education and research center for agriculture. This farm is the long-awaited dream of the Institute. The farm is a microcosm of Midwest agriculture. Now the farm has goats, horses and sheep. It will soon have cows and pigs. Its berry patch is overwhelming, and I left having tasted several varieties of blueberries. I haven't lived on a farm since I was 14, but I sure grew up on one. This place gives anyone - farm or city raised - a small taste of farm living. Here are several photos from the visit. The farm is still a work in progress scheduled to open in 2009.

This sheep was super friendly.



This is a horse named Diva. With a name like that, you better have eyelashes like these. ;-)



This was too fun not to photograph. These cutouts of coyotes help to keep the geese away. They almost scared me away too.



The lily pads are near perfect. They reminded me a lot of the Missouri Botanical Garden because they are nestled next to a beautiful, Japanese style wooden walkway.



This is the proud family we have to thank for this great place - thank you!