Looking out over Dayempur Farm on a clear spring day, it's not difficult to imagine this land a century ago.

Many things have changed, but many have stayed the same.

"We promised when we bought the land that we would keep it the way they had it," said Vince Porvaznik, one of the farm's workers.

Dayempur Farm, located in Anna, is one of the many projects by the Dayemi Tariqat, a Sufi community that also owns Longbranch Coffeehouse and Town Square Market. The Dayemi Tariqat purchased the farm 11 years ago from the Basler family, longtime residents of the area.

"They wanted us to continue to be the stewards of this land and protect it for future generations," Porvaznik said.

The farm is run organically, just like the old days.

It's these principles that make Dayempur Farm an example of the ideals of environmental awareness that Earth Day was founded on. These concepts are not new or unique; it's just a matter of getting back to the basics.

One of the ways they recently accomplished this is by putting in a root cellar for vegetable refrigeration. It was built on the side of a hill with concrete walls and ceiling, and a roof with extra insulation.

"There aren't very many root cellars in the country anymore," said Porvaznik, "It's kind of strange. We've stored root vegetables in here, beets and carrots, and it's worked out really well."

Another project is a year-round greenhouse. Using passive solar energy, the structure is covered with plastic on the top and sides and is insulated by bails of hay on the sides in the winter. That time of year, vegetables such as spinach and lettuce are grown there.

"We just let the heat of the day heat the soil up," said Porvaznik.

If the temperature ever dips into the 20s, the plants are covered with plastic inside.

"This ground was always 15 degrees warmer than anything around here this winter," he said.

In the spring and summer, the plastic is removed from two of the sides for it to house peppers and tomatoes. These vegetables like the heat, and the greenhouse also enables better control of their water source.

Sometimes the old ways can be enhanced by technology. The old barn, which now serves as the workshop, is fitted with solar panels at the top, which powers almost the entire farm.

This year started out a little rocky. Their spinach and beet crops survived the recent freeze. Unfortunately, the snap peas were not as lucky, although Porvaznik said he thinks most of them can be salvaged. They also completely lost the fruits in their orchard.

Since the weather has warmed, they're beginning to plant asparagus and carrots. Dayempur Farm provides food for the Dayemi community - about 70 people. Everything is recycled and no chemicals are used.

"This is really acting as a model where people can look at this and go, 'There's something here where someone else can do something similar to this,"" Porvaznik said. "It would be nice to have more of these."

brent.stewart@thesouthern.com

351-5074