Andrew Myers (left) and Christopher Douherty hand harvest baby-lettuce leaves at the Manakintowne Specialty Growers, a 21-acre farm in Powhatan County, Virginia, on Friday, May 6, 2011.
Specialty produce for chefs and markets of Richmond, Charlottesville and Williamsburg, is raised on the farm. The plants continue to grow leaves and can be harvested several times before they have to be replaced. Rotating the crop types and using proper intervals, maintain sustainable soil and plant health. This is one of the farms that produces unique greens such as French Sorrel, Pea Shoots, Frisee, Tat soi, Mizuna, Pink/green radish shoots, Sunflower shoots, Baby red mustard, Tuscan Kale, Beet greens. All harvested by hand, micro greens such as Pak choi, Tat soi, Mizuna, Purple kohlrabi, Shungiku (edible chrysanthemum), Ruby chard, Purple/Daikon/Triton radish, Red amaranth and Bull's Blood Beet as well as edible flowers such as African Blue Basil, Nasturtiums, Johnny Jump Ups, and Chive blossoms Dianthus (pinks).. The seasonal choices are listed by suppliers and ordered by members on Lulus Local Food website, the food is distributed to pick-up points in the Richmond area. Together, they offer a wide variety of household food staples and specialty fruits, vegetables, meats, soaps, eggs, cheeses, flowers, honey, pastas, sauces, syrups, baked goods, mushrooms, flour and grains from and for the Richmond area. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung. Original public domain image from Flickr