Everybody loves baby chickens!

We picked up these chicks today and took them out to play in the garden as soon as we got home.

Farming is on the rise all over the globe

"For Young Japanese, It’s Back to the Farm"(link)

Wow, there's been a ton of things going on since the last post!

The school sign is completed now! Josh initially drew a small scale version of the lettering during an art session with Dave and all of the boys helped to paint the sign.


Minnie stopped by to pick up an okra start from us and he taste-tested our recently ripened tomatoes.




This is just about the last of starts that need to go into the ground: little baby lettuce! Behind them is our demonstration wetlands garden in the making. We have two baby cypress trees and day lilies and hope to get a variety of marsh grasses to make a simulation wetlands.


Jim Bremer dropped off a truck-bed full of amazing plants for us the other week. There was ginger, jasmine, a palm tree, monkey grass, some asparagus ferns and more! We've been working on placing all of the plants and this passion flower found his home in the garden next to the herb garden.


And our three sisters are thriving! It's a wonderful example of companion planting that originated with traditional Native Americans in different areas of North America and consists of planting beans, corn and squash in close proximity. The beans climb the corn stalk and the squash acts as a ground cover, choking out weeds and preserving moisture. Each plant fixes different nutrients into the soil and each plant takes out a different nutrient so they're the perfect match!

The best tomatoes ever

We have started harvesting vegetables with the NY2NO volunteers. These tomatoes are the stupice variety. They are a deep red, tender but firm, and sweet. More photos to follow.

A bit of good press

Stephen Maloney just published a great story about the project in New Orleans City Business. Here is a link: http://www.neworleanscitybusiness.com/viewStory.cfm?recID=33058

Thanks Steve

A Movie of Reality & Hope

Click the image to watch the movie

It's hard to believe that Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans 3.5 years ago. I kept having to remind myself that we were not in some 3rd world country because the conditions that many are surviving in is truly unacceptable.

So many thoughts filled my head as we met survivors of the storm, talked with community organizers, witnessed many homes still marked with an "X" indicating the number of people found alive in each home, heard about the educational, healthcare and housing conditions before, during and after the storm, and learned what a large impact we, a group of 16 young adults, could have on such an overwhelming situation.

When my husband, Nick and I, heard about the trip to New Orleans with Jewish Funds for Social Justice, I have to admit that I was surprised that there was still need there for help. I haven't heard anything about New Orleans and the recovery efforts from Katrina in a long time, so I naively assumed that things were back to normal.

New Orleans is not back.

New Orleans still needs help and I believe that it can only get to a better place than before the storm with the help from volunteers. The School at Blair Grocery is proof of that.

I created a slideshow/movie out of love and hope for the people of New Orleans. I was so moved by the vision and motivation of Nat and all the volunteers there that when I arrived back home, I felt I needed to do something, anything to help. Using my gift of photography and my impressions from my time in New Orleans, I hope to inspire others to help in any way they can. Use your talents, your skill, your creative genius, your organizing power, your voice to help because every little bit of help is so needed and so appreciated.

Click to watch the movie and find out why the image above brought me to tears.

And please, PLEASE, share this with your friends and family. My hope is that by sharing my images and thoughts, that you will look into what is really happening in New Orleans and help those in need and the organizations that are there to help.


Written by: Sara Edelstein, Atlanta, GA www.saraphotography.net www.saraphotography.com