Murphbell Urban Farm

09/15/2022

Hey there farm friends! It's been almost a month since you've heard from us, and I feel like I owe you all an explanation. So here goes...

Life.

That's what's going on.

I apologize for our absence. Over the last month there have been so many changes here for us.

I was blessed to accept an opportunity to work outside of the farm. I am now the farm manager for an incredible non profit that serves as a day program for autistic adults.

My days, which were busy before, are now chalk full of new fun and exciting opportunities.

Because of this, we made the difficult decision to break down our farmstand for the season. We want to thank each and every one of you who have supported us through our farm fresh produce!

We also had our first loss on the farm today. My sweet chicken Opal flew through the gates of heaven this morning. I am grateful that I was able to be with her when the moment came.

Even with life's recent changes I want to assure you that Murphbell continues to rock and roll.

I will continue to post updates as often as I can.

Thank you all for your support. I hope you've got your hands in the dirt and have been blessed with a bountiful harvest!

08/16/2022

We busted out both canners today, ya'll! Over 50 lbs of produce preserved between crushed tomatoes, squash, sunflower seeds and peppers.

08/12/2022

God bless country (and urban farm) livin' 💛

08/10/2022

Hey ya'll! This is what 62 lbs of *mostly* winter squash looks like. (49 lbs of Zucchino Rampacante, the tan ones will be stored for winter squash and the green ones used as summer squash) and 13 lbs of Butternut Squash. Today's total harvest was just over 71 lbs including over 2 lbs of Sunflower seeds. In total we have harvested just shy of 200 lbs of produce from the garden.

I pulled some summer crops to make room for fall veggies which is next on my to do list!

The sun is finally shining - get outside and get your hands dirty my friends! Happy harvesting!

08/08/2022

Thank you to everyone who has come by the farmstand - we appreciate you!

The farmstand is restocked with plenty of squash (winter and summer), beans, tomatoes, armanian and marketmore cucumbers and peppers!

08/06/2022

Happy Saturday friends and welcome back to Murphbell!

I spent some time in the garden this morning, with the intention on only harvesting Nasturtium flowers and leaves to make Nasturtium infused vinegar and Nasturtium salt. I ended up harvesting another pound of Rattlesnake pole beans and our first Kajari Melon (it's not yet quite ripe, the Cucumber Beetles have decimated my Kajari Melon plants, but I'm hoping for a miracle!)

I also harvested Dill seeds and Calendula seeds.

This afternoon I vacuum sealed 7 pounds of peaches and a pound of Rattlesnake Beans for the winter. That's 8 pounds of food put up for the winter, I'll take it 🙌

I hope ya'll are enjoying the bounties of your garden and getting your hands in the dirt!

08/05/2022

Are ya'll ready for some farm fresh goodies?

Stop on by our farmstand at Treasures and Friends, 2200 State Route 43, Mogadore, to pick up your freshly harvested, locally grown produce!

Available at the farmstand we have Zucchino Rampacante Squash (cook this like a winter squash, it's delicious peeled, marinated and grilled!), large and small summer squash, Rattlesnake Beans, large and small peppers (Banana, Jalapeño, Cooking, Poblano, Bell and Anaheim), Butternut Squash, Cucumbers, a variety of Heirloom Tomatoes and assorted tomatoes.

Our farmstand is open dawn til dusk 7 days a week and operates on an honors system. We strive to bring you affordable and delicious veggies grown using organic practices. We hope to see you soon!

08/04/2022

The August garden is a beautiful mess ya'll! What was once organized and tidy is wild and wonderful and now is the time to start thinking about the fall garden. Truthfully, a few weeks ago was a better time to plan for the fall, but life doesn't always go as planned!

I harvested our blushing tomatoes today in anticipation of the upcoming rain, including this Dr. Wyche's which weighed in at almost a pound and a half. I also harvested the last of our spring planted Beets that I'll be dehydrating to turn into beet powder.

I tore out our Armanian Cucumbers today. I've been battling the Cucumber beetles the entire season and I finally had to throw in the towel. I planted Peas, Kale and Swiss Chard in their place.

I also removed our Summer Squash plants in our raised bed and planted Uzbek Carrots, Bull's blood and Golden Beets, Wasabi Radishes and Mustard Greens.

I've started Broccoli and Cabbage plants to be transplanted... somewhere.

Tomorrow will be time to work on the greenhouse.

Check out these beautiful peppers! We have Banana, Poblano, Anaheim, and Jalapeño ready to harvest, all available at the farmstand tomorrow! We will have Butternut Squash in the near future as well!

08/03/2022

Hey there, friends! It's been awhile since we saw you last and I apologize for our brief hiatus. We took a few days off from the hustle and bustle of life and headed into the woods. We did some off roading and had a great time. I'll attach some pictures of our little vacation!

We're home now and back to the grind. Tomato season is just around the corner and we can't wait! The farmstand is restocked with fresh veggies, so don't forget to stop and pick some up!

The garden is getting a makeover tomorrow, thanks to the squash bugs and cucumber beetles. Thankfully we still have plenty of time left in the season for organically grown veggies.

We hope ya'll are getting your hands in the dirt and enjoying the bounties of your harvest!

07/26/2022

The farmstand is restocked!

We have Marketmore 76 Cucumbers, Caserta and Yellow Squash, one pint of assorted Tomatoes (mostly cherry) (plenty more Tomatoes to come!), Zucchino Rampacante Squash (both large and small -perfect grilled or sautéed!), Jalapeño Peppers and Armanian Yard Long Cucumber.

Stop by and see us at Treasures and Friends, 2200 State Route 43, Mogadore!

07/25/2022

Our Tomatoes are blushing!

07/20/2022

Hey there friends! We are so excited to announce that the Farmstand at Treasures and Friends is officially open for business!

We're proud to bring you farm fresh produce grown using organic practices!

We currently have Caserta Squash, Yellow Squash, Marketmore Cucumber, Swiss Chard, Banana Peppers, Jalapeño Peppers, Armenian Yard Long Cucumber, Zucchino Rampacante Squash and Fresh Cut Flowers.

The farmstand is open daily and operates on an honors system. Simply pick out your produce and place your payment in the blue box. We also accept Venmo.

Stay tuned to the Murphbell Page where we will keep you up to date on all of the produce at the farmstand. We will have plenty more to offer as the season continues and the harvest really starts to come in!

07/19/2022

07/19/2022

The Market Garden is coming together. We should have a soft opening tomorrow. There's a lot of cool stuff coming & we're excited to bring it to you.

We're gonna be almost entirely on an honor system. We've done our homework & our prices will be extremely competitive. If you can pay, please do so. There is a cash box & a Venmo link.

If your family is hungry, we understand. Please reach out. We have a couple gardens & would be happy to assemble a care package

07/19/2022

Hey, ya'll!

I'm super excited to let you all know that the Murpbell Urban Farm Farmstand at Treasures and Friends will be open tomorrow!

The Farmstand will be operated on an honors system, and open dawn til dusk.

We are so excited to bring you farm fresh vegetables!!

So today, let's talk squash!

Zucchino Rampicante Squash to be exact.

This Italian Heirloom vining zucchini and pumpkin squash is unlike anything you've ever seen. This squash can grow to be up to 8 lbs! Taste is mild and slightly nutty, much like that of a summer squash when harvested young.

What do you do with a squash that size? Anything you want!

Zucchino Rampacante squash can be eaten raw, stuffed or sautéed like a summer squash.

This is a variety that you won't find anywhere else and is sure to please.

Stop on by the Murphbell Urban Farm Farmstand at Treasures and Friends, 2200 State Route 43 in Mogadore, to stock up on your farm fresh veggies!

07/18/2022

Happy Monday, friends! Today's highlight is the Armanien Yard Long Cucumber.

Don't be fooled by the name, the Armanien Yard Long Cucimber is actually not a Cucumber, it's a melon!

The flesh is crisp, sweet and mild, similar to that of a Cucumber.

It's a great addition to any salad, sandwich or pasta salad. It can also be grilled, pureed or pickled. Cut it up like a Cucumber and dip it in hummus, it makes the perfect snack.

We will have Armanien Yard Long Cucumbers available at our farmstand!

07/17/2022

Hey there, friends! We have some big news!

The Murphbell Farmstand at Treasures and Friends will be open for business within the week!

The farmstand will be operated on an honor system. Just stop by, grab your farm fresh produce and deposit your payment into the box. There's also a Venmo option for folks who don't carry cash

We are so excited to offer a variety of "traditional" vegetables as well as many rare heirloom varieties!

As we prepare to open the farmstand, I want to highlight some of the amazing produce we will be offering.

Today is all about the Caserta Squash!

This cocozelle (variety of Zucchini) type squash is as beautiful as it is versatile. With a slightly nutty taste and a creamy flesh, Caserta Squash is sure to please. It's delicious stuffed, sautéed, used for zucchini bread and muffins or dehydrated as an alternative to potato chips.

Even when harvested large, Caserta maintains a soft skin. (We cooked up a 4 lb Caserta this evening and it was delicious!).

We will keep ya'll posted on when our farmstand is officially open and can't wait to bring you farm fresh produce, grown using organic practices.

07/08/2022

Hey there, friends! We had our first official harvest in the market garden today - Yellow Squash, Jing Okra, Caserta Squash, Cherry Tomatoes and Peppers.

I also found a beautiful Monarch enjoying our Milkw**d!

Stay tuned for the grand opening of our farmstand at Treasures and Friends, where we can't wait to bring you farm fresh produce.

As always we hope ya'll are getting your hands in the dirt and enjoying the beauty of the garden!

07/06/2022

It's a beautiful evening to walk through the garden!

We got a lot of rain yesterday into today and the plants are looking happy. Our Zucchino Rampacante, Armanien Yard Long Cucumbers, Kajari Melons, Caserta Squash, Luffa Gourds, Marketmore Cucumbers, Butternut Squash,, Tomatoes, Yellow Squash and Peppers are starting to produce.

Harvest season is right around the corner!

07/04/2022

Happy 4th of July, friends!

I started the afternoon by putting together the best red, white and blue bouquet I could... and now we're ending the evening by grilling and hanging out with the dogs.

I got the chance to take a little walk through the garden and I gotta tell ya, I'm so excited for these Kajari Melons (aren't they the cutest little things ever!?).

We hope you all have a safe and relaxing holiday!

06/28/2022

Today was all about the Market Garden. Let me tell ya, w**d pressure is real ya'll, especially in a newly established garden space. But we aren't scared, we've got a battle plan and have implemented phase one. I must say, it's looking much better now! The plants are happy and starting to produce.

Here's some pictures of today's progress.

Phase two will be delivered in the coming days.

We can't forget to mention that we had a special aerial visitor today, the Goodyear Blimp!

Stay tuned for more updates on the Market Garden as we continue to grow produce using organic gardening methods.

From our farm to your table. 🍅🫑

06/25/2022

We're all set up and ready to jam (Pun totally intended)! Come see us today at the Emersyn's Army Craft and Vendor Show, Portage Lakes State Park (off of Manchester Rd), until 4pm!

06/23/2022

Hey, ya'll! Isn't it amazing the difference one month makes?

This garden definitely makes my heart happy!

I hope ya'll are getting some time to get your hands in the dirt and enjoy this beautiful weather.

Happy (almost) Friday!

06/16/2022

Happy (almost) Friday, ya'll!

Wanted to give a little update on the market garden. Things are coming along well! We do have a lot of grass growing back up, which is to be expected, but the plants are happy, healthy and starting to produce!

Tomatoes, Yellow Squash, Zucchino Rampacante Squash and beautiful flowers!

We will keep you posted on the opening of our farmstand at Treasures and Friends. We can't wait to bring farm fresh produce to you!

06/13/2022

Hey there friends - welcome back to Murphbell Urban Farm!

I started filming a garden walk, but it turns out my phone doesn't have enough storage space available. While I'm pretty good at growing food, I am anything but a techy person so we're gonna have to do this the old school way.

The garden is at the point where it is changing every day. Between the rain and the heat, everything is growing and happy!

I harvested our first Caserta Squash and Yellow Squash today.

I hope ya'll are having a good Monday. Don't forget to get your hands in the dirt!

06/11/2022

Thank you to everyone who came out to the Louisville Farmer's Market yesterday! We had a great day and got to meet some amazing people!

As always, we appreciate your support!

Stay tuned for another garden walk, coming soon. You won't believe how much things have grown!

06/10/2022

Happy Friday, Friends!

We are going to be at the Louisville Farmers Market today from 5P to 8P with jam, relish, sourdough starter and a limited supply of bread!

There will also be food trucks, music and fun for the whole family!

Stop on by and try our newest jam, Strawberry Mint. It tastes like summer ☀️

Hope to see you there!

06/06/2022

We have our first Nasturtium bloom!

Stay tuned for garden updates as well as info on events we will be at!

As always, we hope ya'll are getting your hands in the dirt!

06/01/2022

Calendulas and Marigolds are starting to bud, Sunflowers are happy, we have squash and our first Zinnia bloom!

Happy June, friends!

05/27/2022

It's been two weeks since our last walk through the garden. Take a little stroll with me to see how things have changed!