Farming in October

Heritage Hen Farm            Boynton Beach, FL

Brunch at Heritage Hen

Lunchtime under the Seagrape 

Free Range Rocks

All Goat

Florida's growing is season is well underway. My new work on local farming here in South Forida has official started. Last week, I was out on Nancy Roe's farm, Green Cay http://www.veggies4u.com/, and this week I visited with Marty at Heritage Hen Farm www.heritagehen.com.
I look forward to documenting their season and sharing the beauty that goes into farming.

Green Cay Farm    Boynton Beach, FL 

Corn Maine, Green Cay Farm

My Outdoor Office, Green Cay Farm

New Image

The rain has kept me still and at the computer writing. Good thing since the cooler weather will bring some great mornings photographing. The next few weeks will still be work from the Everglades.
My new work is in "processing." I hope to start posting the farming work soon.

Hidden Trail on the Lox River                                                  By Sarah Brown

Photographic Work

My personal goal for the remaining months of 2011 is to just post recent work. Sometimes when we working artists need to pay more attention to the buisness aspects of daily office work, we neglect why and what it was that inspired us to become working artists.
I hope to post a new image every week.
Special thanks to all my supporters, collectors, and collegues for their continued support.

Sunset over the Gulf of Mexico                                              by Sarah Brown

The Lox is Running Fast

I managed to squeeze in some me time on the Loxahatchee River last week.  I have never seen the water so high and running so quickly. Returning back up stream in a canoe certainly warranted the chile rellenos I had later. I am reminded about the extremes South Florida's weather brings with extreme drought that we had for most of the summer to lots of rain; although I hesitate for any celebration, the rain will begin to fill the aquifer again. We have a long way to go to get out of the red.

Swirling Water, Loxahatchee River                                                                           by  Sarah Brown

Here's a quote from the article link below:

"Developers and local governments no longer have to prove that there’s a financially feasible way to supply roads, sewers, parks and schools to new exurban developments. The legal definition of “urban sprawl” has been watered down to make it harder to prove in court that a project is sprawl."


http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_politics/2011/09/how-floridas-new-growth-management-law-shifts-the-legal-playing-field.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+news%2Fpolitics%2Fpoliticalpulse+%28Central+Florida+Political+Pulse%29


Check out some good news! Conservation easements benefit everyone and the land.

http://www.npr.org/2011/09/12/140403285/agency-takes-new-approach-to-save-everglades-land

Before the Storm

I was able to spend some time at the beach before Hurricane Irene blew by us. The colors were very blur and green this morning.

Lone Boat on the Atlantic                                                                                          by Sarah Brown

Local Small Farms are Florida's Legacy

Red Bib Lettuce, Green Cay Farms                     Sarah Brown

Did you know, in 2000, that about half of the land in Palm Beach County was still farmed? That's a lot of local produce. So why does my grocery cart seem to fill up with things from California?
My new work photographing local small farms begins in September. I always wanted to live on a working farm and am anticipating the project will be a satisfying addition to Wilds of My Home (my ongoing series of South Florida's remaining lands). Farming or even just a small backyard garden reduce our carbon foot print. Want to do something to help the earth and tastes good? Check our your community agricultural programs at your local farm, buy some containers and start growing your favorite things.
I am a longtime subscriber to Green Cay Farms in Boynton Beach, as well as, a backyard gardener myself.
Even though I can't grow everything that my family eats, we eat as local as we can. Although it is a green choice for me, the rest of my family will say it just tastes better. I hope you follow my year into the agricultural culture that remains in Palm Beach County and the farmers that feed us.

Rich in History, A Double Sided Treasure of Photographic and Cultural History

Lawrence E. Wills and his Flint 1927    Belle Glade, FL 

Since I am elbow deep into the Belle Glade Historical Society's photographic collection, I can unequivocally state that there is both the intrinsic value for the actual negative and print (or tintype, etc) as well as the historical record of Florida's native landscapes, the cultural illuminations, and the focus on agriculture. I am staring to feel that a return to agricultural as a sustainable food means(South Florida has 2 growing seasons and a long history of providing food through out the country.) and a sustainable economic industry. We all need food, every day. Palm Beach County was once a king agricultural mecca leading the economic trail to prosperity. I saw the photographs of inventions, acres of fields that probably fed some of us, and communties that started it all.

This is all leading to a new collection of historic photographs. I am beyond words over the collection that is both full of significant history of the land and settlement, but the actual collection is a photographic treasure.

If you would like more information about the collection, the Belle Glade Historical Society, and our mission; or you would like to assist with a donation please contact me for how to proceed:
sbrownimages@gmail.com

Here are some glimpse into the past(I captured using daylight bulb lighting and a copy stand):

Early 1900's view of the landscape around the southern part of Lake Okeechobee

Seminole's sailing their boats (dug out canoes with homemade sails)

Special Thank You to Steve for his continued efforts to care and over see the collection, and letting me a part of the process.