Obiora Embry’s Blog - Page 4 of 27

Obiora Embry’s Blog - Page 4 of 27

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Sunday, 3 March 2024 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Added more decaying branches. Put out longer branches in different places to decay deer. Removed unwanted vegetation.

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Saturday, 2 March 2024 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Harvested fallen Shagbark Hickory bark. Checked on our babies while broadcasting Zeolite on most of our two acres. Emptied out 11 jars of Hi...

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Sunday, 24 December 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Harvested Loblolly Pine needles and tree branches. Collected Illinois Bundleflower seeds. Put out decaying branches in southern brush pile t...

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Saturday, 23 December 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Opened up dried fruit of the American Holly to let out the seeds.

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Sunday, 29 October 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

In the rain, I harvested wild Onions, Nootka Rose Garlic leaves, Pine needles, Eastern Redcedar tips and berries, wild Blackberry leaves, wild Rose hi...

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Saturday, 28 October 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Weed whipped parts of the pathway. Cleared around hte wild Black Cherry and Sumac trees, and added heirloom Corn shucks and cobs. Cleared pa...

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Sunday, 24 September 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Took photographs for the 2024 calendar. Harvested Goldenrod (flowers, leaves, and stems), Eastern Redcedar berries and tip, Pine needles, Sas...

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Saturday, 23 September 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Brought the Vernal/Autumn Equinox in with a ceremony. Mowed paths in the South and the North. Added more rocks and stones to the roc...

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Friday, 22 September 2023 by Obiora Embry

Greenville, KY

Made a weak German Chamomile tea.

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Getting Back to Nature™ @ Martin Acres

In March 2013, when twin brothers, Obiora and Irucka Ajani Embry, visited, for the first time, the two acres (now called Getting Back to Nature™ @ Martin Acres) they had requested for growing food on their eighth‐generation, black‐owned family farm, Martin Acres, they knew it would be an up‐hill battle because the soil was not fertile. Through Obiora’s reading of The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way by Michael Phillips, he knew that trees thrive in an alkaline (fungal dominant) soil; however, there were tell‐tale signs that the soil was acidic (bacterial dominant). This led Obiora and Irucka to utilize their previous experiences with growing food & information they gleaned from elders, books, conferences, and other resources to start improving the soil. Due to their family’s rich legacy and because of their non‐standard way of regenerating soil and growing food, they were interviewed in May 2020 for an article in the Middle Tennessee Local Table Magazine’s 2020 Annual Guide.

Their initial idea of planting heirloom trees and perennials paid off, even though the soil was too depleted for their survival, as the series of unfortunate events made their commitment to Getting Back to Nature™ stronger. The brothers had to re‐evaluate their approach and began to dig deeper into forgotten "southern foods." This is food that was (and is hopefully still) eaten by the original inhabitants who lived in the area. However, partly due to a planned disconnect of humans from Nature and the growing and/or foraging of food, our collective food intelligence has dwindled. Thus Irucka and Obiora have been re‐learning about these and other forgotten foods. Obiora and Irucka grew diverse native plants in the early years, and with the help of a now deceased cousin, Kevin C. Martin, they started to realize that some of the purchased plants were already growing at Martin Acres!

Along with the native perennials growing on their two acres, the twins sow heirloom annuals and forage wild plants to use in their diverse value‐added products. Through their similar but different agricultural practices they have been transforming the once fallow grazing land into a food ecosystem. Obiora and Irucka do NOT irrigate, but try to put plants where they would be found in Nature. By growing in this manner and by continuing to create healthy soil, even when there is a drought, the plants are often resilient.

In 2018, Obiora stopped talkin’ about it and started making artisanal products to sell. He tired of going to grocery stores and reading the long ingredient list of "simple" products, and wanted to become the change that he sought.

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Rooted in love for family and Nature, we take pride in processing food slowly and creating products for you with love.

Vision

Our vision is to regenerate and heal neglected land, create a diverse and vibrant food ecosystem, develop unique value added products, and inspire others to get back to Nature.

Aerial Images Acknowledgement

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Copyright Text: Sources: Esri, DigitalGlobe, GeoEye, Earthstar Geographics, CNES/Airbus DS, USDA, USGS, AeroGRID, IGN, and the GIS User Community

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