Oh, mobbing. Every year we say we’ll have a little space, take a little break before the growing season starts. But the truth is, we just can’t quit you. Try as we might, each new year brings a restored excitement for getting down and dirty. So we’re pleased to announce our first mob of 2012!

On February 11th, we’ll be doubling your mobbing pleasure (and doubling your mobbing fun) by offering TWO mobs for you to choose from! Crazy, huh? Our in-town mob will be at Patchwork City Farms installing fruit trees with the tree guru himself Robby Astrove from Trees Atlanta. Want to spend the morning in a more bucolic setting — or do you have a thing for goats? Join us at Decimal Place Farm to help clear fields and address some fence repairs, creek cleanup and some garden work.

Don’t want to wait until February? Our dear friend and great farmer Andy Byrd at Whipporwill Hollow Farms could use a few hands next Saturday to trim his blueberry and muscadine bushes. There will only be a few spots, so sign up today!

Click the link below to register for a mob

Whippoorwill Hollow Farms – 1/28

Patchwork City Farms – 2/11

Decimal Place Farm – 2/11

Well guys, we sure are excited to embark on a new year of helping Georgia’s agrarian movement and just digging in the dirt with friends. Your Mob Bosses are in planning mode, trying to pull together some fun mobs and exciting surprises for 2012. We’ve already got a few great places looking for our help, and we’re more than glad to help! We’ll send out an update soon with info on an upcoming Speakeasy as well as our first mobs of the year.

Our last mob was a wonderful success at Cumming Elementary School. We had the fortune to work with the school’s “green team” – kids, parents and teachers dedicated to maintaining the school’s very impressive sustainable garden. We all worked together to mulch paths and create row covers for the 25 raised beds tended by different classes so that students can grow throughout the school year. It was a real pleasure to be involved in a farm to school initiative where we worked side-by-side with the children. Anna Doll does a fantastic job making sure the children at Cumming Elementary receive a well-rounded education including a hands-on experience of the food they eat. We were also lucky enough to enjoy a delicious lunch provided by the unparalleled Megan McCarthy (http://www.healthyeating101.com/) with some tasty additions from the parents. All in all, it was a great mob to close out 2011.

Last weekend we had the good fortune to visit our pals Rebecca and Ross (and Crop Mob Superstar, Baby Josephine) at Many Fold Farm. And would could not have ordered a more gorgeous day! Despite the temperature swings of the past few months, we always seem to luck out with sunshine and perfect days for mobbing.

Usually, we all split up into several chores to get more tasks accomplished, but this time we had a big mamma of a task that we all pitched in on together: Crop Mob vs. Privet. Oh yes, Many Fold has some seriously awesome high-as-an-elephant’s-eye blueberry bushes that they’re trying to reclaim from the even bigger privet. We’re talking trees of privet. Seriously.

So we all got to work hacking and pruning and dragging and cursing that good-for-nothing (other than flower arrangements, decorative hedges and – as we discovered – stylish hairpieces) privet. It wasn’t without incident, though, as we accidentally roused the ire of a yellowjacket’s nest and they took no uncertain revenge for our disturbance. But MAN do we have some dedicated folks; a couple of ice packs and benedryls later, we were all still going strong.

I believe we had to make something in the neighborhood of 4-5 burn piles of all the privet we eradicated so as to avoid having an inferno pile. But you should have seen the difference!! That’s going to be one happy blueberry patch next spring…we might just have to have another mob to go and pick/eat them all!

After our work was done, we had some killer gumbo and fixins courtesy of the amazing Suzi Sheffield (you can check out her newest endeavor, Beautiful Briny Sea Salts on Facebook) as well as some mead and beer courtesy of Mike (keep up with his mead at Obec Medovina). It was a delightful time followed by a tour of the property. We were thrilled to see so many new faces and hope they become old friends and seasoned mobbers real soon.

Great job, guys. Crop Mob:1, Privet:0

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Alright folks, the day is finally upon us: the last mob of 2011 is on the horizon. After this, it’s a month or two of planning for how to make Crop Mob even awesomer (yup, said it) in 2012. And, of course, a Speakeasy somewhere along the way to keep our spirits high and ward off the winter chill with camaraderie and merriment. But, if you’re itching to get one more day of dirty fun in with your Crop Mob friends, come out to Cumming Elementary on Dec. 3rd.

Cumming Elementary has a fantastic garden they need our help winterizing. This would be a great mob to bring kids to, as it will be the school’s Dig In The Dirt Day with 75+ Green Team students and their families. Crop Mob will be joining them to lend a hand creating mini hoop house row covers for their 34 raised beds, cleaning up and winterizing as well as digging trenches for their irrigation system. That means bring along your shovels and battery-operated drills.

We love supporting a school doing so much to teach their children about growing food. So come show the Cumming Elementary families what Crop Mob is all about and sneak in one more day in the dirt before it’s fireplace and hot chocolate until 2012.

Can’t wait to see you there!

Click Here to Register

Photo credit: Huron Pines

We had a lovely crop mob this past weekend at Cedar Hill Enrichment Center; the group helped create passively aerated (read: don’t need turning) compost berms to help enrich the soil and reduce runoff. As we worked, we got to learn a few permaculture basics including how to use a water level to determine the shape of berms and swales — which are constructed, level mounds and ditches that redirect rainfall and help irrigate — and much more.

Everyone kept busy with tasks including pulling up spent plants, breaking down cardboard boxes, hauling woodchips & soil but the fun part was that all our separate projects were just different components of the berm. By the end of the day, we were all pitching in together on the same task and left with a pretty impressive berm constructed. Permaculture involves a lot of work upfront to reduce the amount of work needed over time, and we were glad to play a small part in helping Cedar Hill begin implementing these great practices. And, of course, we were well fed and felt fancy with cloth napkins and actual flatware. We look forward to continuing to work closely with Cedar Hill as they increase their focus on sustainable living skills.

Remember, one of our last mobs of the year is coming up this weekend at Manyfold Farm and we still have spots to fill. Rebecca and Ross know farming, sheep, cheese and much much more – all knowledge that I’m sure they will be happy to share. So enjoy a wonderful weekend getaway with friends before the real cold weather sets in – and before Crop Mob goes into planning mode for 2012. See you there!

Last weekend, we had a fantastic in-town Crop Mob at Coan Middle School and the Edgewood Community Garden. Our first cool, crisp mob, we were greeted by Almeta with hot coffee and delicious treats from Cafe Campesino; there’s no better way to start a day in the garden.

We quickly split into groups and tacked a variety or projects from mulching and digging trenches to harvesting the last of the green tomatoes & beans. Several groups cut up old vines, branches and plants to help them break down faster in the compost. Speaking of compost, we shifted the semi-finished goodness in the bins and spread the finished compost in the raised beds of the community garden. We also had the fun of putting new mulch bedding down for the super awesome chickens (who made lots of new friends that day.)

It was the perfect way to get to know folks, and it was great to see how many mobbers brought their kids. By the end of the day, the kids had all gathered for an impromptu game of jump rope using old drip tape and other goodies from the garden…talk about recycling! We even had some families join us from the neighborhood who just happened to be walking by. It was a pretty great community feeling.

After some hard work, we all got to hang out at picnic tables and enjoy an absolutely delicious meal together courtesy of Karen from Sweet Potato Cafe in Stone Mountain. All in all, it was a wonderful day with great people and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Kyla, Ashley and Leslie who work hard every day to ensure the availability of clean food in our schools and in neighborhoods like Edgewood. Coan’s doing some great work – be sure to stop by and check out our handiwork next time you’re over that way.

Don’t forget – we’ve still got spaces open for our Permaculture workshop at Cedar Hill Enrichment Center as well as our on-farm mob at Manyfold Farm. Check em out, tell your friends, sign up. We’ll see you there!

Check out the event photos on Facebook:

Crop Mob Atlanta
Patagonia Atlanta

Howdy mobbers. We’re sure you’ve all been spending plenty of time outdoors enjoying the amazing fall weather, and here are a few more opportunities. Come share the day with your mobber buddies and get some dirt under your nails while the crisp breezes blow. Followed, of course, by lots of food. Sounds pretty good, huh? We think so.

10/22 Family Mob @ Coan Middle School

Bring out the whole family for a day of middle school mobbing followed by a APS Farm to School rally. We’ll be doing all kinds of kid-friendly chores including creating pathways, mulching (relays anyone?), weeding and planting. There’s talk that the unparalleled chef David Sweeney might be whipping up some tasty creations for us. We’re even opening up more spaces for this mob so nobody gets left out. Bring your kids, bring your parents, bring a friend – just come on out for the fun!

Click Here to Register

11/5 Permaculture Gathering @ Cedar Hill Enrichment Center

You might have heard a lot about permaculture recently but still aren’t quite sure what it’s all about. Join us back at Cedar Hill to find out hands-on with an introduction to working with the contours of the land to hold moisture, soil and nutrients without large-scale, expensive earthworks.

Click Here to Register

11/13 Mobbing Manyfold

Some of you might have met Ross and Rebecca at our latest Burge mob (you know, the couple toting around the absolutely adorable and astoundingly well-behaved baby) and now it’s their turn! We’ll be heading to Manyfold Farm to help them get ready for winter by weeding and pruning their numerous blueberry bushes, weeding around the barn, some general maintenance tasks and helping build winter lambing jugs – little pens for lambing on pasture.

Click Here to Register

Related Events

There are also some great events coming up that we thought you would like. Check them out.

10/24 The Greenhorns Screening
10/29 Farm to Kitchen Urban Picnic and Launch Party
10/27 Atlanta Screening of “Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead”

Photo credit: seamark

Has anyone noticed how incredibly amazing the weather has been? This past weekend was no exception. Mobbers joined Andy Byrd at Whippoorwill Hollow Farm to help get the farm in tip top shape for the Field of Greens festival the following day. And man, did we have a lovely day.

There was tons of laughter, some awkward posing, and a lot of new-friend-making. Most of our efforts were focused on planting and getting the space ready for the hungry folks arriving for the festival. We were also joined by photographers from Southern Living and all had a hilarious time playing models for a day – there was a lot of trying very hard to look busy (poor Emily must have plowed one row 57 times) and new nicknames like “blue shirt guy” etc. But in true mobber fashion, we made up for lost time by working hard and hanging around to work more after lunch.

Speaking of lunch, our Crop Mob hero Suzi Sheffield (who was at Field of Greens peddling her amazing Beautiful Briny Sea salts) whipped up an amazing vegetarian spread for us – I think I even saw some people going back for 4ths. All in all it was a great time, and I was thrilled to see most mobbers come back on Sunday for the 6th annual Field of Greens. It was a hit, as always…we’ll have to discuss favorite dishes at our next mob!

And I received a call from Andy asking me to thank each and every mobber and to let all of you know you’re welcome to visit, explore, and enjoy Whippoorwill Hollow Farm whenever you want. If you made it to this mob, you know what a special and wonderful guy Andy is…if you haven’t met him yet, make a point to do so.

Stay tuned for a post in the next few days about our upcoming mobs. We’ve got exciting stuff planned! First up on the docket is our Family Mob at Coan Middle School where we’re partnering with Atlanta Farm to School Coalition. Up next in November are a small permaculture intensive at Cedar Creek Enrichment Center and a full-scale mob at Manyfold Farms. Details and registration coming soon!!

Photo credit: Patagonia Atlanta

This past weekend our mobbers had a wonderful – and delicious – time laying the groundwork for a wonderful garden at local artisan food producer Bella Cucina‘s East Point warehouse. Along with planning help from Sustenance Design, we all broke into groups to tackle the days chores. And, in typical mobber style, knocked them out at an impressive clip.

The brawny and brave of the group helped take down the chain link fence and accompanying barbed wire while other groups helped mark out beds with broken-down cardboard, created a composting station, cleared underbrush, and more. Finally we all pooled resources to create raised beds of dirt and very fragrant, almost-compost (ZOO POO!) and mulched them. As we left, the water was being hooked up and plants were ready to be popped into the ground and watered.

All in all, we did a great job getting this project off the ground; our tasks for the day encompass only about 1/4 of the proposed plan for that space, which will eventually include a chickenhouse and permaculture elements including fruit trees and an herb spiral. And then, oh then, we were fed. And it was unbelievable. I knew we’d be receiving good treatment on the culinary front, but nothing could have prepared us for the amazing spread Alisa provided: two kinds of focaccia, an arugula pasta, amaaaazing torta rustica, a savory apple salad, chicken kabobs with meyer lemon cooked outside over Tuscan grills, death by chocolate cookies…it was a feast of epic proportions.

Afterward we got to enjoy a tour of the facilities, which are unbelievably impressive and much larger than they appear from the outside (as one mobber asked “where’s the pool?”) It’s amazing and impressive that even at the large scale on which Bella Cucina operates, everything is still created by hand – right down to the labeling – and without preservatives. Soon, the warehouse and garden space will also function as a community hub for classes and shared commercial kitchen activities. Additionally, Bella Cucina is looking for a farmer who might be interested in tending the space – so we’ll keep you updated as we get more info on that in case any mobbers want to try their hands at being a farmer without having to leave town.

Thanks, everybody, for a great mob. We’ll report back on Field of Greens and our pre-event farm extravaganza soon.

Photos

Crop Mob Atlanta
Patagonia Atlanta
Bella Cucina

Video

Hey mobbers! Just wanted to check in and let y’all know about something fun as well as put out some farmer requests for help. First, the fun stuff:

Southern Living has reached out to us asking to do a piece on Crop Mob in an effort to feature more content about local foods, sustainable ag, etc. We’re excited that they’ll be joining us at the Oct. 1st Whippoorwill Hollow Farms mob. Since the piece won’t come out until the May issue, we might have to pose with an out of season veggie or two or all get close to each other’s sweaty selves for a group shot, but I know mobbers can go with the flow. We still have some spots open for that mob, so join us! We’re working on a fun plan for food…we promise something delicious…

But, until then, we’ve got a great mob planned for Sept. 24th at Bella Cucina’s warehouse; we’ll get details about that event to those of you who are signed up in about a week. Want to help outside of these mobs? We’ve had a few farmers reach out to us for individual volunteers. If you find yourself eager to play in the dirt on a gorgeous September day, just contact the farmers below to set up a time to stop by and help:

• Whipporwill Hollow Farms: Even though we’re going to help Andy out on Oct 1st, he needs a few hands to help him get the plastic up on his hoophouse with a quickness. This would be a great opportunity for some of our Athens mobbers, as the farm is located in Walnut Grove, east of Atlanta. Just give Andy Byrd a call at 770.601.0110

• Patchwork City Farms: Many of you might remember Cecilia from when we mobbed PCF – and that she was pregnant at the time. Well, it’s been several months and – as those things go – we’re about to have a new mini-mobber on our hands. And that means PCF needs a few hands to fill the gap until we find garden tools small enough for the newest little farmer. PCF is located in West End. Interested? Email patchworkcityfarms@yahoo.com to set something up.

• Oakleaf Mennonite Farm: Live in or near East Atlanta? Why not stop by Oakleaf, meet the new farm managers and help out for an hour or two when it fits your schedule? Email oakleafmennonitefarm@gmail.com to set up a time.