Many of these art cards and prints are inspired by the natural spirited life here on our East Tennessee Organic Teaching Farm.

The blending of my drawings, paintings and digital photographs are meant to celebrate this living Earth and pluck a chord of re-membering that as we do to our Earth we do to ourselves. ~Cielo Sand, artist

Order Cards and Prints

The cards are not only wonderful notes to have on hand, they also make great gifs. The cards come in a convenient 5 x 7" frameable size for decorating. The card designs are also available as prints, with sizes and prices that vary. Please email for print details.

All images are printed with the Epson Stylus Pro 4880 printer and Epson K3 Ultrachrome inks on archival-quality photo papers. The cards are blank on the inside and many have informative descriptions of the subject matter on the back.

~ To Order

    - Individual - $4.00 + mailing

    - Prints - sizes and prices vary depending on the design. Information upon request

1. Email your order using the name located on the right of the card and the quantity. For size and cost of prints, email: cielosandesign@gmail.com

2. When your order is received an invoice will be emailed to you. Please send postal money order (only) made out to Cielo Sand to: Cielo Sand, 226 Rodgers Lane, Rockwood, TN 37854

3. When your payment is received (postal money order only), your order will be mailed within 2 working days unless otherwise informed.

*SHIPPING - U.S. Postal Service

Cards and Prints will be shipped within two (2) working days of orders unless otherwise informed. 

RETURN POLICY - We have a no return policy unless the cards are damaged from shipping. Please contact us immediately.* Buyer shall be responsible for the cost of return mailing of damaged cards, and seller shall be responsible for cost of replacing and re-shipping.

* contact: cielosandesign@gmail.com

Rooster Series

Our good farm rooster is a reflection of nobility. He is the primary caretaker of his flock. In the field he stands watch for predator hawks and foxes, while hens are single-focused on scratching for food. He calls to his flock when he discovers a nest of bugs and will step aside to let the hens eat first. 

Rooster Reflection

Light Call, rust  

Grey Beard

Light Call, green

Onionheads

Winged Series

 Wetland Flight

Heron Moon

ButterFlies

Heron, Blue Moon 

Heron Night Landscape

Heron Day Landscape

Birds of a Feather

  Nest Bound

  Crows on Turtle Shell, Mandalla

Tree Series

Tree of Life-1

Winter Sun

   Tree of Life-3

  Farm Sunrise

Tree of Life-2

Blue Ridge Night

                     Water Cycle

Maize

St. Francis - acrylic painting

Flowering Series

Winter Poppy

Iris Ivory

Columbine

 Amaryllis 

 Farm Mascot

Plum Moon

Holiday Series

Winter Star

  Winter Star was inspired by the discovery of an unusually late   blooming Queen Annes Lace (Wild Carrot) near the garden gate.  This tiny snowflake-like cluster became the  center from which the bright red and mossy colored sprigs of Lambs-Quarters (Pigweed) spring outward, their rich seasonal colors warming the spirit like the suns rays warm a chilled body.

        Peace Raven

   Juniper Peace

We now have a milk share available from a Jersey-Holstein mix dairy cow maintained with 100% organic plant forage. For information about purchasing this milk-share, please contact us for further details.

Why Organic?

We don't think that applying poisonous or synthetic substances to the food we eat, or the soil we grow it in, is a wise or prudent practice. Organic farming involves not only the avoidance of toxic substances in the growing process, but also the ongoing practice of naturally enriching both the soil and ecosystem, thereby helping to create healthier, more nutritious natural foods. Although not certified USDA Organic, we meet or exceed all the USDA National Organic Program standards.

Why Seeds?

As more of our seed heritage is lost through hybridization and genetic engineering, we feel strongly about our work to protect and enhance open pollinated varieties of seed that have stood the test of time and taste. As climate anomalies increase, we are working to produce better drought, heat, and cold resistant varieties of heirloom corn and bean seed. It is very satisfying work as we continue to build upon and expand the work of other small scale, dedicated, specialized, plant breeders.

Our Pledge

We value the trust our customers bestow on us when they buy our farm produced seed, and dried bean products. Because we wish to maintain and enhance that trust, we have pledged to manage our farm in the most sustainable and ecologically healthy manner in order to guarantee the highest quality and safest seed, and food beans for your own use.

We welcome our customer's questions and farm visits.

Ordering instructions at bottom of page.

Please Note: Folks trying to reach our farm using Map Quest or GPS are mostly directed to Rodgers Circle, about six miles away. To find our farm, please go to our directions page

Seed & Plant Section

Our seeds and plants are heirloom varieties that we have grown organically here on the farm, year after year, so they are naturally more acclimated to the soil and weather conditions here in East Tennessee. We hand sort our seed to guarantee you get the highest quality for planting.

Organic Heirloom Bean Seeds -Grown annually on our farm - naturally air dried, hand shelled and carefully sorted.

Sold by the packet @ $2.50  (40+ seeds - depends on variety - planting & growing instructions upon request)

Pole beans save valuable garden space, don't fall over so they limit spoilage as the pods don't touch the ground, easier to pick as most stooping and bending is eliminated, and consistently outyield bush varieties.

        Black & White Lima Bean (pole type- vigorous climber, high yielding, drought resistant, very tasty (I)

       Christmas Lima Bean (striking crimson & white color, pole type-vigorous climber, truly giant size, yet delicious dry bean (I)
   
        Rattlesnake Bean (pole type, sweet tasting, stringless green bean, heavy yielding, our favorite green bean, good as a dry bean also, drought resistant (I)

        Granny May Black Eyed Peas (vigorous runner type, heavy yielding, short cooking time, very prolific (I)

        Indian Woman Yellow Butter Bean (semi- half-runner type with dainty leaves and small copper colored beans,  rare (D) (currently sold out)

        Paint Dry Bean (half-runner type, white with yellow saddle marking, heavy yielding, (I)

        Hutterite Soup Bean (semi half runner, good yielding, our best soup bean  (D)

NOTE: With some pole bean varieties, we have harvested approximately 200 beans back per bean seed planted (measured by weight). Requires good soil with lots of organic matter worked in for best results and highest yield. (I=Indeterminate - D=Determinate variety) The determinate varieties will still lightly reflower and produce a second crop if given adequate moisture.

Organic Dried Beans for food consumption  (2011 crop shortage-not available)

The following varieties of sun dried beans are sold for sprouting and cooking in 1 & 2 pound packages. They are a grade below our top choice seed stock. All beans are sold for $3. per pound.

Hutterite Soup Bean - light green solid color - creates creamy bean broth when cooked.

Rattlesnake Bean - looks somewhat similar to a pinto bean in color, but a better flavor.

Paint Dry Bean - a plump medium-sized kidney bean, white with dark yellow saddle markings. A good all around cooking bean with exceptional flavor.

Organic Dent Corn Seed (grown for making cornmeal, cereal, cornbread, or poultry ration)

Note: Heirloom seed moved and grown in a new location becomes "biologically" mated to the particular soil & climate it grows in and becomes "localized" in genetic traits.

Our seed corn is hand planted, hand-picked, hand-shelled and hand-sorted to guarantee you receive only the very best kernels for planting.

Sold by: - pkt. - 1 oz. @  $2.50,  1/4 lb. @ $5.50,  1/2 lb. @ $8.00,  1 lb. @ $12.50,  3 or more lbs. @ $10.50 per lb.

Shipping is by the least expensive priority mail rate possible. It will be shipped either flat rate or regular priority depending on the weight. We use the U.S.P.S. for shipping as they already deliver daily to every residence and business address in the country so no extra fuel or vehicle is used in delivery.

        Ohio Blue Clarage -  (currently sold out)

Very tasty, nut-like flavored, aromatic when ground into a sweet tasting meal corn, (or eaten as a roasting ear) 10-12 ft. stalks. Developed in Ohio & W. VA  1830-1850, tolerates crowding and resists corn smut. 90-100 days. Makes both a superior corn meal and poultry feed.

        Neal's  Paymaster - 

(pre-1915 Tennessee Red Cob)  A White corn with red cob - with good soil moisture-consistent two ears per plant, the first ear often quite large sized.  90 days to roasting ears (excellent tasting)  Overall high yielding and has good dry weather tolerarance.

Note: we recommend the removal of tillers (suckers) from both types of corn plants as they fail to produce viable ears.

     

Perennial plants      

Strawberry Crowns  - High yielding vigorous plants, individually potted, ready for Fall planting.  $2.50 ea.  3 for $6.  - (sold out)

Multiplier Onion Bulbs - (Egyptian walking onion) for use as green onions, onion stem top forms self-propagating onion bulb sets. Plant in late Summer for Fall & Winter onions, early Spring for summer onions.

Sold as sets - 25 for $5.00

Annual plants

Tomato Plants - Farm pickup only - $2.50 ea.

Early Stupice -Small size fruit , round, smooth, golf ball size & larger, very sweet,  55-60 days to ripeness.

Italian heirloom - Medium size fruit, flatter shaped with vertical ridges on the sides - great tasting slicer.

How to Order

1. E-mail us a list of the seed varieties and quantity you wish to purchase.
2. Please include your postal zip code so we can determine postal shipping costs.
3. We will then e-mail you an invoice.
4. We accept payment in cash or a postal money order made out to Leaf Myczack.
5. Once payment is received, we will ship your order using priority mail.

Thank you for supporting small, independent seed producers.

"I have enjoyed doing buisness with you. It is nice to buy seed from someone who can tell you about it first hand."

Rachel - SW Virginia

The "new-farm start up" workshop will be presented as a total, custom-event for each participant(s). There are no pre-scheduled calendar dates for this workshop. We will conduct the workshop "on demand" when you the new farmer(s) are both learning ready and have the day time available.
The workshop sessions cover enough topics to require at least a couple of days. Additional training can also include a "work-to-learn" component that is a hands on labor exchange for practical farm knowledge, experience, and wisdom, and can be arranged at a later, separate time. The workshop is available throughout the week.

Meals and overnight lodging can be made available, allowing the participant(s) to experience our actual daily farm living routine.

Fees are structured along a sliding scale based on income level and ability to pay, otherwise it is $150 per person.

Please Contact us for more specific information concerning registration and cost.

Subjects covered:

Designing an efficient, low maintenance, water rich, diverse feature, farmland infrastructure (whole farm planning)

Benefits and wisdom of multi-seasonal crop diversity.

Soil information through identifying the presence of plant species and viewing them as messengers.

Utilizing internal & external nutrient inputs to kickstart a worn-out farm

Managing sustainable growth & expansion in poultry and livestock ventures

Recycling & resource reconfiguration (permaculture inspired) of "other stuff" made into useful farm items, especially in constructing rainwater collection systems.

Basic Business management guidelines to maximize your profit potential

Establishing a signature farm product that keeps loyal customers coming back

Minimizing fossil-based energy costs through green construction and appropriate landscaping

Sustainable agricultural practices on our East Tennessee farm

Seed saving and improving your crop plants genetics, and it's not rocket science

Rebuilding and nourishing the topsoil down so that it grows the healthiest plants for you to eat and sell.

Testimonials

 We really enjoyed our visit out to Broadened Horizons Organic Farm, meeting you and Cielo and learning about your farming practices. You have clearly invested a lot of time and energy into growing your farm, and your experience and enthusiasm are evident.

It was very helpful to see the systems you have put in place, and to hear about the recycled and salvaged materials you have incorporated into your farm. Books, conferences and the like are certainly useful tools for beginning farmers, but the opportunity to see and learn about examples of sustainable practices first hand is invaluable.

Chris & Dana Saywell, Blount County, TN.

We can't thank you enough for the time you spent teaching us about the practices you've put in place at Broadened Horizons Organic Farm.  Though we've read about Permaculture and attended lectures, those experiences are incomplete compared to the opportunity you provided to see your projects and learn from your work first hand.

You covered a broad variety of sustainable and organic practices that any small farmer can apply, and you showed us how they can be achieved at relatively low cost using mostly recycled materials.

We’ll certainly be following your progress and continuing to learn from your experiences as you share them in your Weekly Farm Journal and your Blog.

Dudley & Patria Leath, Blount County, TN.

"As a young farmer, I often despair that so much agricultural knowledge has been lost, and  few people around me consider restoring lost earth knowledge while finding new solutions to feeding ourselves, to be worthy of their time.  This was why it was such a relief and a joy to talk to Farmers Leaf & Cielo about my specific concerns and questions about starting up my own farm.  Being from Nashville, we had to drive a ways to their teaching farm, but it was well worth it to spend the day getting sound, practical answers to my most pressing agricultural questions.  

I found the Broadened Horizons Organic Farm to be a place of creativity, inspiration, and respectful earth-care. I'm so glad it exists in my state! (Don't leave their farm without a few dozen eggs--they're the best I've eaten!)"

Katy Savage,
Nashville, TN

Like to learn more before you leap into starting up a new farm. If you are planning to start a small acreage (5-15) organic farm from scratch, you owe it to yourself to be as well equipped with a first-hand knowledge of what is required, and how you can meet the diverse daily farming challenges with some degree of confidence on a very modest budget. Start-up costs can kill any size farm right on the front end.

Under the mentorship of Farmer Leaf, you will learn how to successfully and sustainably manage your land (and soil) and other farm assets, grow plants, use and repair hand tools and farm machinery (small tractor, irrigation water pump, etc.), create a viable business plan, build your own size (scale) farm implements from recycled steel, restore to full working order a 50 yr. old barn, milk a cow, set a proper fence corner, hand bale hay, extract honey, collect and store rainwater, avoid debt, and design ecological and energy efficient buildings & structures. In other words, everything you're going to have to know in order to operate as a competent and sustainable organic farmer. View our farm at our gallery.

This broad range program open only to those actually planning to farm or homestead as their career choice. Single person or couple eligible. Six (6) month commitment required.

 Contact us.

We're looking to teach a few good interns.

We also offer a very limited number of apprentice-type intern positions, short term (2 weeks or less) month-long, and long term (4 months or more), for a select few. 
We are looking for self-motivated, mature thinking, responsible and committed individuals who have a serious desire to learn numerous worthwhile practical skills based upon the fundamentals of organic, sustainable, permanent agriculture (perma-culture) and creating a supportive, climate-friendly farm infrastructure.


We offer free room & board at our organic, small family farm located near and within sight of the Tennessee River in Roane County,  (East) Tennessee.


If you have a good work ethic, like to rise with the morning sun, have a genuine desire to learn small-scale, sustainable organic farming techniques, aspire to work in harmony with the earth, are compatible with our guiding philosophy, and are ready to commit a few days, weeks or months of your time and effort as a staff member at our teaching farm, we would like to hear from you-please contact us.

Only serious inquiries will be acknowledged. Open to non-farmers and novice gardeners.

Farm Volunteer Opportunities

Like to get down, dirty and intimate with the soil, but don't have a viable "dirt" outlet where you live?  
Here is an opportunity to be a volunteer worker on East Tennessee's only perma-culture based organic teaching farm. Work alongside experts who have nearly 40 years experience. We offer volunteer opportunities throughout the year with our work-to-learn program.
 For more information, please contact us.

Be a Farm Patron

The primary mission of our teaching farm is to present a more naturally balanced approach to sustaining marginal land used for agriculture. We do this in a myriad of ways, from wooded "shelter belts," selective area mowing, to creating numerous rain catchment ponds. 
Since our inception as a teaching farm in 2004, we have focused primarily on soil fertility and water source restoration. In the process, we have created a highly-acclaimed demonstration model of intelligent and sensitive land management.

This has been a relatively costly process for a limited income operation like ours. However, we consider the educational component of our farming program to be equally as important as the food we grow. We have a college oriented outreach program that targets interested UT-Knoxville students. Farm volunteers often bring other skills and resources that benefit the stated over-all mission of our organic-based teaching farm.


We are seeking financial scholarship funding for our intern program. Although we can provide room and board, we would also like to provide a sustaining monthly stipend for our full-time, live-in intern(s), for keeping up with individual personal needs.


Please contact us for more details if you would like to support the teaching / intern role of our farm by becoming a patron.

Please note, we are not a 501(c)-3 organization, your contributions are not tax-deductible.

One day workshops

begin at 9 a.m. and end at 5 p.m.

A wholesome farm-grown lunch is provided to participants.

Weekend workshops

Begin on Friday evening and end on mid-day Sunday .

A light potluck supper on Friday, three full meals on Saturday,

and a light breakfast on Sunday is provided.

Weekend workshops

Include an evening campfire and story telling at our "Between the Ponds" fire circle.

Musical instruments are always welcome.

For more details-contact us by phone 865-354-8170 or by email

Fees for workshops are as follows:

• School groups and home schoolers $5.oo per person
• One day workshops - $75.oo per person - Bring a friend and get a $10 discount.
• Weekend workshops - $150. per person -  Bring a friend and get a $25 discount.
  
• Sign up for two one day workshops for $125, or three one day workshops for $175
• Sign up for all four one day workshops plus the weekend permaculture workshop for $425.
  
• Active full-time student, lower income, or simple lifestyle practitioner - 50% off of full price.
• Work to learn participant - $5 per day - must be pre-approved following a trial day at the farm. **
• It is our intention to not exclude any serious potential workshop participant due to a financial hardship in paying the posted workshop fee. If you need scholarship-type financial assistance or other special consideration, please contact us via email.
  

**The Work to learn program is design to exchange sweat equity for practical knowledge. In exchange for hands-on labor provided to the farm, participants receive practical knowledge, and  credit applied toward workshop participation. WTL programs can be tailored to address learning specific skills, i.e., construction, gardening, water systems, etc.

Workshop Deposit Required

For one day workshops, we require a $25.oo non-refundable deposit to be paid no later than two weeks prior to the workshop date. For weekend workshops, a $50.oo deposit is required two weeks prior to the workshop date. Special arrangements may be made for late sign-ups.

Please make checks payable to Leaf Myczack

Overnight lodgings & facilities -

• primitive tent campsites
• sheltered loft space in the main barn
• graveled parking area for camper - no utilities provided
• rent the farmhouse guest bedroom overnight
  
• enclosed outdoor composting toilet facility w/ wash water sink
• enclosed outdoor kitchen w/ propane fueled stovetop
  

PLEASE DO NOT BRING PETS, FIREARMS, ALCOHOL, OR DRUGS TO THE FARM

Workshops Offered

1. Permaculture, learning from nature - (weekend)
2. Rainwater Harvest and Storage - Basic - (one day)
3. Rainwater Harvest and Storage - Advanced - (weekend)
4. Introduction to Organic Gardening - (one day)
5. Simple Green Construction & Retrofitting Techniques - (one day)
6. New Farm Start Up for first time farmers- (weekend or two day)
7. Basic free range poultry care & management (one day)
   

At this time we are not pre-scheduling calender dates for our workshops.

HOW TO REGISTER FOR A WORKSHOP

1. Choose a workshop topic (from the list above) that you would like to learn.

2. Contact us by email

• Tell us the name of the workshop
• Tell us how many persons will be involved (up to 4)
  
• Tell us the best available date (weekend or weekday) for you or your group. Most workshop sessions are limited to the months of April, May, June, - September, October, November due to seasonal weather conditions and temperatures. Introduction to Organic Gardening & Simple Green Construction are available after March 15th.
  

3. We will confirm the workshop date, and then request a non-refundable deposit from you.

4. Show up at the scheduled workshop, and be both educated and inspired.

Coming from out of state?

email us for details & lodging information.

NEXT SCHEDULED WORKSHOP

New Farm Startup March 3 & 4th - contact us for details

In 2007, our area of East Tennessee experienced double the number of days when the temperature exceeded ninety degrees. (31 days normal - 62 days in 2007) That year, we also experienced the worst drought in our recorded weather history (117 years).

In 2009, we had the opposite situation from 2007. Rainfall totaled a whooping five and a half feet, with three months averaging over nine inches. We finished the frost-free growing season with our rainwater storage system 100% full. The July-Aug weather was appreciably cooler than 2007. These two extremes are what we work at in our sustainable design. It is a process of enhancing the ability of healthy soil and natural land features to provide a micro-climate moderating bridge between the different seasonal extremes.

Since the 1974 oil embargo, we have been continually learning and working on sustainability concepts and practices including shelter design, organic food growing, storage water security, and the natural heating and cooling of dwellings. Over the decades since our initial efforts, we have honed our skills, increased our knowledge, and have expanded our experiential background, so that we are now able to provide comprehensive and in-depth holistic consultation services to clients for a wide range of environmental projects designed to improve the livability of your homestead or farm.

These are examples of some of the many services we provide:

• Consultation services, on your site and /or over the phone
•  Land use survey, for determining land suitability for solar oriented dwellings, rainwater pond construction, fruit orchards, row crop areas, gardens, sustainable forest management, and shelter tree belts
•  Rainwater collection systems - design and installation
•  Mechanical pond digging / old pond reclamation / pond repair
•  Shelter belt tree landscaping

 •    Workshops

• Rainwater collection
• Simple green construction and exterior energy efficiency retrofitting techniques
• New Farm or homestead start-up
• Earth systems awareness & permaculture basics
• Introduction to organic gardening

We are ready to put our many years of rainwater collection experience

and successful storage design to work for you.

Please contact us for more information:    865-354-8170 or

leaf@sustainability-teaching-farm.com

The most obvious benefit of fertile soil is that one can feed themself with wholesome, highly nutritious food. As the soil fertility improves, the quality of the product also improves. Appearance of produce is not nearly as important to us as nutrional value. We grow some wonderful "standard profile" specimens, but we also grow a large number of "irregular" shaped and slighly blemished produce. What matters for us is how it tastes. Good soil adds good taste to the food.

Our customers in search of nutritionally loaded food understand the health benefits of eating wholesome food grown organically on healthy soil. They have come to appreciate the superior flavor and strong natural color inherent in our farm produce. There is nothing weak or pale about our food. Eating healthy food from healthy soil should make the eater healthy, whether it be human, or livestock.

Healthy, naturally balanced organic soil resists plant diseases and pathogens, weed pests, and soil-borne parasites, eliminating the need to spray poisonous insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides on the land. If one has trouble growing healthy crops with good seed, then the problem lies within the soil. The answer is not to harm the soil with chemical quick fixes, but to build the soil to enable a long term and sustainable improvement to take place.

Fertile, well aerated soil drains water from the surface which prevents surface puddling, which in turn can drown plant seedlings. Conversely, it helps retain moisture during dry times. The soil fertility encourages an abundance of beneficial earthworms and organisms, which in turn enriches, oxygenates, and aerates the soil. This in turn creates more plant matter, which will be returned to the soil as "food" for soil organisms. Re-establishing this self-perpetuating circle-of-fertility is of the utmost importance in creating a sustainable garden or orchard.

Loose, fertile soil is easy to plant in, and guarantees good root penetration. When planting, I mostly use a small, pointed masonary trowel for potatoes, garlic, and onions. I just stick the point in the soil, wiggle it back and forth a couple ot times, and then drop in the bulb or tuber, and let the soil fall in on top of it. The results speak for themselves. The same at harvest time; a gentle wiggle and tug to remove the onion or garlic or potato vine. This eliminates damage to the food through accidental slicing or stabbing by eliminating conventional digging methods.

Fruit trees in fertile soil can accelerate their growth sequence through their early stages, thus reaching fruit bearing maturity up to five years earlier than trees in mediocre soil. If a fruit tree or berry cane is advertised as tolerant of poor soil, don't keep it there-enrich the soil until it mimics your best garden soil. The better the soil conditions, the better the growth and disease resistance of the fruit tree or berry cane.

In summation, fertile soil is easier to use, grows more food with less time and effort, and produces a more nutritious product. It costs time to work in a disciplined, harmonious manner with the soil under our feet, yet in the long run we save ourselves from lots of money related expenses. And we have the satisfaction of knowing that the soil fertility and harvest improved under our stewardship.

-farmer leaf