On October 12-17, 2021, the Conventual Franciscan Federation (CFF) gathered at the Mexican American Catholic College Center (MACC) in San Antonio, Texas, USA.

Our harvest of warm-season crops is in full swing now! Tomatoes and zucchini and cucumbers (oh my!) are being picked nearly every day. We are also growing a few crops for the first time on the farm, including watermelon, cantaloupe, celery, and bush beans. Despite some stretches of very hot weather, these crops are all doing very well.

It is an exciting time of year as the first warm-season crops are ready for harvest – in the last week we have picked the first few cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchini. By this time next month we will be in full harvest mode! Some of our spring-planted crops are also maturing, including radishes, Swiss chard, and lettuce.

May 2021 Newsletter
May is probably one of the busier months on the farm with all the planting we have to do. Beds of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, cucumbers, winter squash, zucchini, okra, potatoes, sweet potatoes, and more were planted this month. Many of these warm-season crops are covered to provide additional warmth and help them through cooler nights. 

Saturday, May 22, 2021: Our Little Portion Farm ministry, in Ellicott City, MD, celebrated a “Sowing and Blessing the Wildflowers.” This is an important part of an ecological balancing strategy to attract predatory insects to our farm to help control the pests that damage the crops. Farmer Matt Jones (above right – JPIC Assistant Director & Farm Outreach Coordinator), the friars, staff members from the varied ministries on site, and an extensive array of volunteers have planted a diversity of flowering plants to help attract these helpful creatures, in keeping with our avoidance of all pesticides.  During the May 22nd event, guests of all ages were invited to help scatter seeds for the new wildflower section and participate in a brief prayer service. These wildflower sections provide habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects, but also create spaces where visitors can contemplate the beauty of creation. Province JPIC Commission Chairman and Farm Director ~ Fr. Michael Lasky, OFM Conv. (below left) presided over the service. After the blessing, visitors were welcomed to walk around the farm and learn more about our unique ministry, in rural Howard County, Maryland, on the grounds of The Shrine of St. Anthony; home to our Provincial House, the Carrollton Hall Historic Site, the Companions of St. Anthony, the Province Franciscan Mission Association Office, and the Franciscan Soy Candles ministry!
Note from Farmer Matt: “One of St. Francis’ early biographers wrote that St. Francis believed that gardens should always have a part set aside to be “undug.” According to this biographer, St. Francis thought that seeing this wild beauty would lead people to praise the Creator. So the wildflower areas on the farm are an interpretation of this concept, in addition to being places of ecological benefit.”

Wildflower Sowing & Blessing – May 22, 2021

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Be sure to check out more photos from this event and upcoming events & harvests happening at Little Portion Farm via their Facebook page!

Last week we celebrated the feast day of Blessed Giles of Assisi, the patron of Little Portion Farm. Giles was a farmer and early follower of St. Francis. After grain had been harvested in the summer, Giles would walk the fields to glean what was leftover by the reapers, and then gave away almost all that he gathered to the poor.

Beds of spinach and kale that were planted in late October or even early November spent the winter as tiny plants quietly waiting for warmer temperatures and longer days.

Despite the fact that it’s the dead of winter, the farm’s produce is still feeding the people at the Franciscan Center.