Indian Spring Farm is located in Virginia, two miles from Great Falls National Park and 14 miles from Washington, DC. The heart of the farm is the ancient springs, first used by Native Americans, and then by the first colonial family to settle the region. The spring gushes mineral rich water which is used to water the vegetables and fruit trees, and is a source of water for the animals. The farm has three springs and three wells……it is water rich. All these sources of water produce a glorious water, rich in vitamins and minerals. Not all water is created equal and plants, animals, and people thrive when they drink this healing spring water.

The family that homesteaded the site did so because of the rich and constant supply of water. They first used this spring as their source of water, and later dug a well next to the log cabin they built. The chestnut log cabin was donated to Sully Plantation, but, their dug well remains, and continues to provide water for the farm.

Indian Spring Farm is what remains of this pioneering families farm. Most of the original family farm has been sold off, and, In fact, what is now the “farm,” was once just the families orchard. But, the 11 remnant is more than enough space for me to get into a more than enough trouble.

Today, Indian Springs Farm is a lot of things…

Its an experimental station. I have spent my life experimenting with plants that increase health and well being and the farm is now the place I do my experimenting. There are gardens where plants are grown and a kitchen lab where they get converted into food and medicine. At the moment I am developing a tonic balsamic vinegar made with apple cider; growing and producing a line of sports enhancing herbal medicines for athletes and aging people; and tinkering with growing and producing healthy sugars.

The farmhouse is situated in the middle of the 10 acre farm and has panoramic views. A remnant of a once much larger holding, what remains of a much larger holding can be seen from all windows of the Main House. It is situated adjacent to the site of the original chestnut log cabin where the settling family lived. The Cabins hand dug well, right next to the farmhouse, remains as a reminder of the farms past colonial history.

The farmhouse amuses me to no end because it’s a real grown up house. It has 7 bedrooms, a real living room, dining room, and library study. I often walk around looking for some adults to appear and then I realize I’m it. However, it is useful to have a grown up house because it makes entertaining easier. And, having the space makes throwing events for like minded people all that easier.

The ten acres that comprise Indian Spring Farm was formerly the orchard planted by the settling family. To the right you can see a surviving apple and pear tree, each likely to be close to 200 years old. The geriatric pear tree is especially interesting as it resembles the French pears brought to Virginia by Thomas Jefferson. While on his mission to Paris, Jefferson noted the similarities between the apple and pear growing regions of France and his native Virginia, and when he returned, brought with him apples and pears. Due to the age of the farms pear tree, its French appearance, and the farms proximity to Monticello, Jefferson’s home, it is quite likely this old pear is of Jeffersonian origin.

Amazingly, both apple and pear continue to produce bumper crops of fruit and are resistant to all the diseases that usually afflict apples and pears in this region. They would have to be resistant or they would not have lived this long in this spot!

The guest house is where visiting plant scholars and enthusiasts from around the world come and stay. As I travel around the globe ,researching and studying plants, I meet all kinds of wonderful people who want to come to Washington, DC, to use the fantastic library facilities… and they always have a room in the guest house! Its a place for visiting scholars to hang their hat!

Through crossing several breeds of chickens, I created a breed that lays a dark green egg. My plan is to distribute the breed to organic egg farmers so they can distinguish their eggs from the factory produced eggs… egg that are either brown and white. My marketing scheme for the green eggs is “Green is Green.” When the consumer sees the green egg, they will know that it was produced in a manner healthy for them, the chicken, and the planet.

Here is the fun part of my chickens. The chickens run around eating grass and bugs, and, their diet is supplemented with food thrown away food from my friend Sue Chen’s restaurant. Chickens have always been natures answer to wasted food… rather than throw it away, feed it to the chickens. When I realized how much food is thrown away by restaurants, I was sickened. So, I started my chicken recycling program. My friend sue saves all the food from the restaurant that would normally get tossed into the bin, and, we pick it up every other day. The chickens produce eggs which we send back to the restaurant, and we use the fertilizer for the plants and fruit trees!

The farm has an 80 foot greenhouse that allows me to continue my plant experimentation throughout the year. Grafting can be done indoors in late winter and the new grafts given a head start in the greenhouse. My specialty is identifying health and vitality plants, from around the world, and I often end up with seeds of these new and intriguing plants. Seeds from around the world are started in the greenhouse before they get planted out in the gardens and orchards.

I say no plant freak should be without a greenhouse! The madness it allows is unimaginable. At the moment, the greenhouse is heated with natural gas. However, I am working on a composting system that will produce enough heat so that we wont have to buy gas anymore. Well see how that goes?

Vegetables and medicinal plants are grown all over the farm, wherever sun and soil permits. Rather than there being one distinct garden, there is gardening going on all over the place. With chicken manure, and water from the old Indian Spring, the garden produces horrifying amounts of produce. Indeed, the amount of produce that comes off this little lot of land is shocking and can be hard to manage!

The crops vary from year to year, depending upon my current interests. I have been working on a book on healthy sugars… so we have been growing sorghum, an annual sugar cane, and making sugar from it. I am also working on vitality products for athletes and the ageing, so, the fields are currently filled with plants with proven vitality inducing activity….plants that will end up in stay strong products. Presently, a lot of elixirs for athletes are being grown in the garden.

This year one thing, next year another!

I have the coolest lawn mowers in the world. A super tough breed of sheep from Africa called West African Hair Sheep. They are disease resistant and incredibly prolific.

Unlike many sheep that produce wool, this breed of sheep does not. I am not interested in cutting my own hair let alone a bunch of rambunctious sheep’s hair so, I picked a breed that does not need an annual trim.

I am breeding them to develop a Dalmatian spotted variety, and as you can see I’m getting close. The spots are getting more and more distinct, and in a few years, I will have black and white spotted sheep.

The best part about the sheep is they cut and fertilize the grass at the same time. And, rather than paying them, they provide a ever lasting supply of lamb! I would say this is the best lawn company in the world!

The kitchen was formerly a broken down garage barn. Using old windows and doors from a demolished house, it was converting into wonderful work and entertaining space. Another exercise in recycling, stuff headed for the landfill got a new lease on life, and, gave a derelict barn the same.

Call it a kitchen, call it a lab, this is the place where all the produce of the farm gets converted into useful products. Apple ciders gets turned into vinegar, muscadine grapes into grape juice, and chestnuts into flour. Everything ends up in the kitchen and comes out looking different than it entered.

This structure started out as a broken down horse barn and has become a meeting place, classroom, lecture hall, and home to the website and publishing company. Here is where groups of people interested in useful plants gather to teach and to learn. Here is where information gets sent out through the web to the rest of the world.

The first floor is 40’ x 60’ and its all open space. It was inspired by a loft I lived in in So-Ho and has plenty of room for big groups of people to congregate. The floor was made with old barn siding and the windows were salvaged from a demolished house.