Propane Gas at the 60th Annual Delmarva Chicken Festival

When we got the invitation to attend the 60th annual Delmarva Chicken Festival we decided we just had to go!
We met the folks from the Mid Atlantic Propane Gas Association in Centreville, MD and got to exhibit our propane powered lawn and garden equipment along side some other propane powered implements like a barbecue grill and an outdoor patio heater, not to forget the poultry house sanitizer manufactured by Flame Engineering of LaCrosse, Kansas, now celebrating their 50th year, which was provided by Tri-Gas & Oil of Federalsburg, MD.
We were proud to exhibit our EnviroGard propane powered 61" zero turn lawn mower, and assortment of Weed Dragon torches (also manufactured by Flame Engineering) and the new LEHR Eco Trimmer.
The Chicken Festival was an event filled with food, music, vendors and amusements for all ages and interests.
We were greeted at the entrance gate by a gentleman wearing a chicken hat and met people through out the day wearing similar garments. When we asked about the hats the response we got was that they were from Chicken Festivals from years past, so this seems to be a tradition on the Delmarva. Speaking of chicken, the chicken cooked in the giant fry pan was terrific as was the lemonade that we drank a lot of.
Lots of folks stopped by the M.A.P.G.A. exhibit to try their hand at a form of putt putt golf we call earth golf and to learn about propane which isn't just for heating or cooking any more.
Thanks to the folks at LEHR and Onyx Environmental Solutions we can now use propane as a low polluting motor fuel in lawn equipment engines.
LEHR has a really awesome line of propane powered string trimmers known as Eco Trimmers. They have 4 stroke engines that are smooth running and quieter than your average 2 cycle engine with PLENTY of power and a whole lot less pollution and smell. The fuel for the Eco trimmers comes in economical and easy to use 16.4 oz. twist on canisters readily available at most hardware stores, as are the trimmers themselves.
The reactions we got from the LEHR trimmers was always something like... OH! That's Amazing!! It Runs On Propane!! I WANT ONE!!!
Onyx Environmental Solutions is the originator of the EnviroGard fuel system which powers the zero turn lawn mower. They have been a pioneer in the patented propane fuel system designed for rugged use in the turf industry. We had a really positive response to the EnviroGard mower from home owners and professionals alike. The interest in using propane as a clean burning, low polluting alternative fuel has been consistently high, especially when they realize that propane is much less expensive than gasoline during the growing season.
We also had a great response when people saw the new Mini Dragon flame weeder and saw how easy it is to control weeds without the use of dangerous chemicals. Fueled by easy to use 16.4 oz. propane cylinders the Mini Dragon uses heat to bring weeds to the place where they have wilted and will dry up & die.
We met many chicken consumers as well as producers at the Chicken Fest who were happy to see the Flame Engineering Poultry House Sanitizer which does its job using propane heat not chemicals. Better for the birds, better for the environment and better for you.
Can you say Organic Chicken?
Thanks again to the Mid Atlantic Propane Gas Association for inviting us to the Chicken Fest as well as EnviroGard, Flame Engineering and LEHR for the great equipment to exhibit at the event.
A special note of thanks to Timothy Elgard (pictured above in front of the mower) who braved the heat in his chicken costume.
Check out our new environmentally friendly propane powered equipment section of the WayCoolTools on line catalog... coming soon.

Virginia Herb Festival

The First Annual Virginia Herb Festival was a great time of fun, food and fellowship at Sunflower Cottage in Middletown, Virginia.
We had the opportunity amongst many other vendors and crafters to share our products with visitors from around the region.
There were herb plants, herbal remedies, educational workshops, wine tasting, tea tasting, local artists, pick your own Lavender, gardens, livestock, crafts and of course garden tools!
We met many new friends and old friends as well.
It's difficult to describe in words the great fellowship we had with the other vendors.
Amongst others that we met at this event we'd like to thank:

Billie and Arnold Clifton, the owners of Sunflower Cottage - www.sunflowercottage.net , our hosts. Sunflower Cottage runs a nursery, holds workshops and has a lovely restaurant.
Sandra Dee: who works in the nursery at Sunflower Cottage
Chuck & Karen White: Chuckie's Cactuscopia -www.chuckiescactus.com
Patty Hankins: Fine Art Floral Photography - www.BeautifulFlowerPictures.com , prints, cards and more.
Sarah and Peter Roussos: Agro-Depot /Green Alchemy Herb & Mercantile Co. , locally made foods, produce and products catalog.
Robert & Jennifer Fabrizi: The Alpacas of Cedar Knoll , beautiful sweet alpacas, wool and knitting or spinning lessons!
Jill Larrabee: Persnickety Pup - www.persnicketypup.com . Adorable and unique collars, leashes and more for the discerning doggies in your social circle.
Sondra Johnson: Natures Common Scents - www.naturescommonscents.com , herbal remedies and preparations that really work! Made in small batches by Sondra herself.
Doug McKenzie: Between The Hills Wood Working - www.BTHWoodworking.com , Doug and son create high quality outdoor furniture and all proceeds benefit his son's overseas mission work.
We'd all especially like to thank Doug for the impromptu gospel sing along on Sunday morning.
It was a great time in the sun at Sunflower Cottage!
We wish you all the best.

Cindy Conner, Cover Crops video

Here's a 3 minute teaser for the full length video.
We recently met Cindy at a Master Gardeners event in Goochland. She is truly a fountain of knowledge about gardening sustainably! Check out the full length video about cover crops available in our online store:
Out-compete weeds, nourish your soil, and enjoy abundant biomass for mulch and compost using techniques from Virginia sustainable agriculture teacher/expert Cynthia Conner. This 66 minute video takes you through the seasons in Cindy's intensive garden, showing you cover crops growing, harvesting, planting into stubble, timing, varieties and more! Overflowing with valuable tips and tricks for gardening and processing the harvest without power tools and in a sustainable manner. Learn something new every time you watch it!
Cindy is a teacher of sustainable agriculture at J. Sargent Reynolds Community College in Goochland/Richmond(they even have a sustainable ag CLUB!!) and a certified teacher of John Jeavons' GROW BIOINTENSIVE method of gardening, holds a certificate in Permaculture Design.
For more info on Cindy's work see www.homeplaceearth.com
We really enjoyed meeting Cindy, talking about the old Ecovillage, John Jeavons, oxen, tools and on and on. What a delightful gardener to know, we look forward to learning more from her!

Spring Garden Fest 4/25/09

See the link for more info...

Presented by the Goochland-Powhatan Master Gardeners in cooperation

with J. SargeantReynolds Community College and VA Cooperative Extension

Saturday, April 25, 2009

8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

at

J. SargeantReynolds Community College

1851 Dickinson Road, Goochland, VA

• Classes, workshops, demonstrations,

displays, plant and garden vendors,

food for sale, and ask the experts

•Register in advance for classes or

just stop by to shop, browse, and learn.

• Visit www.gpmga.org or contact the Goochland

Extension office at 556-5841 for more info.

Update on the cold frames

It's late March now and we are harvesting greens from our homemade cloches
Here are a few pics featuring the greens that survived -2F temps with no additional protection and our new fave harvesting tool: Sheep Shears!. They are handy for harvesting greens, cutting back liriope and shearing back leggy annuals or perennials. If you have sheep, these will shear them beautifully :-)This model comes with a free belt holster, so you can store them safely when not in use.

Eat the View! Obama vegetable garden

It is so exciting to see an edible landscape being created at the White House! I would love to have all that help in our little garden here :-)
It is a national movement of great importance: teach a man to garden and feed him, his family and neighbors for a lifetime!
Garden tools that last and get the job done are important too! We have a line of steel tools made in the USA of US steel that will never bend or break under normal use. Or our Brook and Hunter oak and steel tools that carry a LIFETIME replacement guarantee!
See more at our website: www.waycooltools.com

Alice Waters, featuring Brook and Hunter tools!!

Watch CBS Videos Online

The whole local/grow your own food movement seems to be nosing it's way into the mainstream! We were excited to see Brook and Hunter stainless steel digging forks and spades make an appearance in the Edible Schoolyard segment of this 10 minute video. (around the 9 minute mark) They look great, and it's good to see they are pretty easily handled by the children. When your kids are outgrowing their colorful kids tools, why not invest in their future? A beautiful set of heirloom quality digging tools from Brook and Hunter and WayCoolTools.com makes a fantastic Spring season gift!