Adventures with Fergus: Pumpkins at Hollin Farms
Posted by Susan in Virginia Tourism on Sep 15th, 2010 | 0 commentsFergus takes a tour of the Hollin Farms Pick-your-own pumpkin patch -- the largest in Northern Virginia. Ten acres of corn maze and pumpkins. Also fall garden greens for pick your own. Fergus is a Fells Terrier. For another adventure see youtu.be
Tags: greens, pak, ridge, fells, crookedPlanting potatoes with tree planter
Posted by Susan in Virginia Tourism on Jun 19th, 2010 | 0 commentsPlanting potatoes on Hollin Farms with tree planter. The tree planter plows open a furrow and the potatoes pieces are dropped into the earth. The furrow is closed by two heavy duty tires that push the earth back together. We are planting nearly 800 pounds for dig-your-own next to the peach orchard. This year some of the potatoes are red ones from the high Andes region in Bolivia and Peru. Virginia Young Farmer of the year, Matthew Davenport explains.
Tags: planting, hollin, peru, bolivia, delaplaneFlowers: Robert and Elizabeth Davenport
Posted by Susan in Virginia Tourism on Jun 5th, 2010 | 0 comments"Flowers" is a 16mm film I made in the late 1960s, during the Vietnam War. It features my father and mother Robert and Elizabeth Davenport. My father Robert C Davenport was born in Norfork, NB in 1905 and moved to the DC area with the New Deal. Robert C. Davenport conceived and built Hollin Hills, a well known community of contemporary houses south of Alexandria, Virginia. My mother was born in 1906, the daughter of Hungarian immigrants from South Bend, Indiana. She helped my father with Hollin Hills as a secretary. My parents bought a 1000 acre farm in the Crooked Run Valley between Delaplane and Paris Virginia in the early 1950 when land here was $50 an acre. They retired to the farm which they had named Hollin and my father raised registered Angus cattle, specializing in selling bulls for commercial herds. Both Elizabeth and Robert are buried in the cemetery at Emmanuel Episcopal Church, Delaplane, VA.
Tags: farms, Davenport, delaplane, Tom, fathere
Posted by Susan in Virginia Tourism on May 5th, 2010 | 0 commentsBurning in the early spring is one of the oldest traditions in agriculture. Charles E Strother of Valley View Farm next to Sky Meadows State Park in Northern Virginia, follows the traditional agricultural practices of his father Eddie, burning his fields every year in March. Charles explains why he burns, and shows how he prepares by first carefully burning the perimeter of the field. During March Fauquier County burning laws permit fires only after 4PM. Consequently the big burns occur after dark and these night fires light up the sky on busy Route 17 just at the time when commuters are returning home. With cell phones in most every car, the local fire department gets hundreds of alarm calls and people pull of Route 17 to travel down Leeds Manor Road to watch the spectacular scene.
Tags: burning, Farming, slash, traditional, grassBurning in Virginia Traditional Agriculture
Posted by Susan in Virginia on May 25th, 2009 | 0 commentsBurning in the early spring is one of the oldest traditions in agriculture. Charles E Strother of Valley View Farm next to Sky Meadows State Park in Northern Virginia, follows the traditional agricultural practices of his father Eddie, burning his fields every year in March. Charles explains why he burns, and shows how he prepares by first carefully burning the perimeter of the field. During March Fauquier County burning laws permit fires only after 4PM. Consequently the big burns occur ...
Tags: crooked, Farming, run, grass, delaplane
Virginia
