Get to Know the Farmer: Weston Lombard of Solid Ground Farm
All photography by Laura McDermott with permission from Weston Lombard
  
On a 17-acre plot of land just outside Athens city limits, Weston Lombard is growing his ideas for sustainability, natural farming practices and the connection to important native species. As co-owner and Executive Director at Solid Ground Farm, Weston left behind a business background to devote his life and land to permaculture, which is loosely defined as self-sustaining agricultural and living practices which do not deplete the earth nor disrupt its natural harmonies. (See Urban Harvest's definition of permaculture here.)
  
Solid Ground Farm hosts frequent classes, workshops, tours and camps devoted to embracing self-sustainability and making the most of the land around us. "Reasonable Living Workshops" have included alternative shelter building, planting and permaculture design certification courses. In collaboration with Rising Appalachian Warriors, or RAW, Solid Ground Farm also hosts a number of events with the "alternative outdoor education provider," including youth camps on primitive skills, music and basic sustainable living topics for the younger set.
  
Beyond providing an outlet for instructional and important classes, Weston grows a variety of foods, including some species native to southeast Ohio. Read on to learn about Weston's passion for farming, his favorite vegetable and a favorite recipe for simply roasted sweet potatoes.

What do you farm?

Solid Ground is a small family farm seeking to provide for the needs of its contributors without the use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers or industrial equipment. To meet this need we grow a large variety of kitchen vegetables, but our focus the cultivation of perennial fruits and nuts.

 

We celebrated our most special mothers in the latest Edible Columbus cooking class, featuring recipes perfect for a meal in which more time is spent with mom than in the kitchen.

A bright and colorful salad with lots of texture prefaced a more traditional, creamy chicken entree, followed by a sweet and airy pavlova for dessert. And while some class participants brought their mothers along, others took careful notes and planned their Mother's Day meals accordingly. However, we would recommend these dishes for any loved one, on any occasion!

This Thursday evening, Dine Originals presents their annual and beloved "Taste of Dine Originals" food and wine event. From 6-9:30pm, guests are invited to sample food from 50 participating restaurants, sip wines from 30 vineyards, beers from 2 craft breweries and spirits provided  by our handful of talented micro-distilleries.

Edible Columbus is excited to be hosting our first Food & Artisan Fair at the Taste of Dine Originals event. We are presenting 20 local vendors and their wares, all of whom play an important role in our food community. We've selected businesses, dairies, farms and organizations that deserve to be recognized for their talent and high-quality products. Guests can stop by each of the vendor booths, learn more about the products and sample to their hearts content.

We recently heard Warren Taylor speak so passionately about the state of our food system - we are pleased to bring you a video of his speech. I promise you will learn something & be inspired.

From the Net Impact - Food and Fashion Sustainability Summit.

Just as farmers markets begin to trickle back in our calendars and we look forward to the earliest of spring vegetables, the talented Tricia Wheeler put together a lovely class celebrating the flavors of the season. 

The vegetarian menu celebrated the best and brightest of the spring harvest thus far. The centerpiece? An enormous bag of savoy spinach freshly plucked by the farmers at Wayward Seed. Tender spinach leaves bolstered a snappy veggie saute in the second course, retaining their deep color and rich flavor throughout the sear. 

Tricia also sourced radishes, spring onions and peas from H&W Organic Farm's at the Olde Worthington indoor farmers market, which ran through last week. (The indoor market resumes on the first Saturday in May.) H&W grows a variety of vegetables in greenhouses during months of in-climate weather, including our selection. Check out the posted link to see which markets H&W Organic Farm will visit this summer and what we can expect in their harvests. 

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