Green Cedars Farm Pensacola FL

Local Foods | Earth Day

admin — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:22:14 +0000

Did you know that the average distance for food to travel to your plate is 1,500 miles? 1,500! (figure found in the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan) That’s a lot of miles, and a lot of resources used to get it from the source to your table.

Here at Green Cedars Farm we not only provide local food but we also consume it. Strawberry season is over but not before we managed to pick close to 40 pounds for eating, juicing and canning from Andrew’s Sod. This summer we’ll be getting our annual load of sweet corn from Steve’s Sweetcorn Farm. We buy milk from Farm Girl Produce and Yoder Family Dairy. We get blueberries and muscadines from Touchablue Berry Farm. We also buy bread and other fruits/vegetables from our fellow vendors at the Palafox Farmers Market. Very often we can look at our dinner plate and 80% or more of the food is from our farm or local. For a list of local vendors in the Pensacola area you should check out the Palafox Farmer’s Market every Saturday and Naturally Escarosa.

~Michael (the farmer’s son-in-law)

Building Honey Bee Frames

admin — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:59:01 +0000

With all this spring weather and everything blooming the bees are in full time honey production mode. Here’s a frame full of capped honey I found in the hive today.

I needed to build some more frames so I thought I’d shoot a time lapse video of the process. I wish it went this fast in real life!

Happy 1st Birthday Strider!

admin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 16:56:02 +0000

Our Great Pyrenees livestock guardian dog, Strider, turns One Year old today.

Bottom Left photo is Strider at 8 weeks old and right is Strider a couple days ago. What a difference a year makes!

Three New Lambs and First Set of Twins

admin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 23:06:01 +0000

Three new lambs at Green Cedars Farm were born today and our first set of twins for 2012. Here’s a few pictures.

Separating Lambs at Green Cedars Farm

admin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 14:49:37 +0000

A little behind the scenes look here at Green Cedars Farm. When trying to separate animals sometimes we have to wave our arms and act a little silly. Here’s a video of the farmer and his son-in-law separating the boys from the girls.

(For best playback press “play” then “pause” to let the video fully load. Then press play and enjoy!)

First Lamb of the Season

admin — Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:24:11 +0000

Say hello to the first Green Cedars Farm lamb of 2012.

Bee Time Lapse

admin — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 00:22:16 +0000

Doug Corbin coming out last week was the confidence boost I needed. I jumped into beekeeping with both feet and wasn’t afraid of the bees at all… until I started getting stung. The last few months of just trying to fill their jars with sugar water has come with several stings resulting in a deflation of my confidence. My bees seemed to be more aggressive than I remember and I started keeping my distance.

In talking with Doug over the phone he diagnosed the problem without even seeing the hive: mites. Varroa mites to be exact. They attach themselves to the bees and crawl into the cells where the queen has laid eggs. It can be very damaging to a hive if not controlled. There are two basic ways to take care of varroa mites: chemicals or powered sugar. Powered sugar is the organic way to treat bees and this is the path we’ve chosen to take at the farm. You’re probably wondering how powdered sugar could take care of the mites, after all, it is just sugar! Once a bee is covered in powered sugar they will groom themselves and the mites will become dislodged from the bee. For this to be effective the bees must be sugared over a period of time. Doug recommended every 3-5 days for a period of 35 days.

There was a lot of activity at the hives today. It was a very warm day and some plants are beginning to bloom. I saw lots of bees with big yellow balls of pollen attached to their legs. Here is a time lapse video I did today of me sugaring the bees. – Michael

Doug Corbin works my bees | Bee State Inspection

admin — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 15:37:27 +0000

Doug Corbin is the state bee inspector for our area and he came out to the farm to take a look at our bees. It was amazing to watch a master beekeeper work bees in such an efficient and comfortable way. As you can see below my bees took a liking to Doug and wanted to tag along on his jacket. Doug is an amazing teacher and I learned a lot. A big thank you to Doug Corbin for your time and expertise!

Meet Arnold | Pensacola Hog Farmer

admin — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 03:16:31 +0000

Arnold, a Tamworth boar from nearby Green Acres Farm, has come a-courtin’! Pansy and Petunia are still primping while Arnold patiently waits for those girls to get ready! Don’t you think they’ll be smitten with his stunning good looks and charming personality?

Peter Parker tells the farmer, “That’s sooooome pig!”

Jasper Goes for a Swim

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 03:43:58 +0000

Jasper has been an entertaining and fun addition to the farm! He continues to amuse us in all his Corgi ways. He’s all boy and all Corgi and we love him for it. Our resident photographer was in the right place at the right time today to catch this hilarious snippet of Jasper quenching his thirst. He likes to put his feet in the water and today he got a little more than he had bargained for, enjoy!

(To play the video press play, then pause. Wait a minute to let the video load and then press play again.)