Author Archive: Alyson Earl

Soil, when it is healthy, is a complex, interconnected community. Healthy soil is the key to a successful garden. We have two excellent classes coming up that may be of interest to you. We have a class on getting to know your garden soil on March 25 (Saturday morning) and a class on Starting Your Garden on March 30 (Thursday evening). Please sign up soon! Details and registration can be found at these links:

Stone Soup: A Guide to Soils
Starting Your Garden

Ready to take your gardening skills to the next level? Consider the Farm Internship. This program is valuable and suitable for anyone interested in exploring a future in small-scale vegetable production as well as anyone interested in learning growing skills for the purpose of homesteading, gardening, and feeding themselves and their community.

This season we will be growing Arugula, Basil, Beans, Beets, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots, Cantaloupe, Cauliflower, Celery, Cilantro, Cucumbers, Dandelion Greens, Dill, Eggplant, Garlic, Green Onions & Bulb Onions, Kale, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Parsley, Peas, Peppers (Hot & Sweet), Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach, Squash (Summer & Winter), Strawberries, Sweet Potatoes, Swiss Chard, Tomatillos, Tomatoes, Turnips, Watermelon, various herbs, and more. Wouldn’t you like a share?! We still have space for you in our CSA.

And beginning April 1,  our popular Wild Lands Immersion begins! Five full-day workshops designed to reconnect you to the land and develop essential survival skills. Sign up for all five for the price of four. Details here.

These are some of the ways we are connecting you and the rest of our community to local food. Support our work by donating today, every gift means a lot! Thank you.

We were pleased to add some wild edibles to our meals this week. We picked wild lettuce, purple dead nettles, chickweed, garlic mustard, and dandelion leaves and flowers. Some we ate raw–mixed into a salad with arugula and kale that kept growing through the winter. Some we steeped in hot water to make a spring tonic to boost immunity.

Can you tell the difference between the three leaves in the photo? We can show you how! Students in our monthly foraging classes often say that they see the world differently after two hours of looking closely at the plants we often take for granted. Many former ‘weeds’ in the garden are transformed into edible plants! On March 18, our monthly foraging classes will resume. On March 25, the 9-month Foraging Intensive begins. What’s the difference between the monthly classes versus the intensive?

-both are open to anyone regardless of experience level
-class size will be limited on the intensive (15-18 for the intensive vs up to 30 for the monthly)
-with the same group of people going through the intensive throughout the year it gives the chance to customize the course material
-the intensive will be more hands on–learning by doing
-the intensive includes optional homework assignments to encourage further learning
In short, the intensive is designed to go deeper and leave folks with a much more well-rounded knowledge base. There’s more information here.

On the farm this week we’ve been planning and planting for the Heirloom Plant Sale on May 6 as well as for our CSA. Carrots were planted under row cover to protect the seeds from the roller coaster weather we’ve been having. We still have CSA shares available. Share distribution begins the last week in May.

Also coming soon:

• Stone Soup: a Gardener’s Guide to the Soil on Saturday, March 25 from 9 a.m. to noon
• Starting Your Garden on Thursday, March 30 from 6 to 8 p.m

And beginning April 1,  our popular Wild Lands Immersion begins! Five full-day workshops designed to reconnect you to the land and develop essential survival skills. Sign up for all five for the price of four. Details here.

These are some of the ways we are connecting you and the rest of our community to local food. Support our work by donating today, every gift means a lot! Thank you.

Last Saturday, Scoutmaster George Gayman supervised his 70th Eagle Scout project. Not all 70 projects are at the Horn Farm! One you’re all familiar with is the Horn Farm sign that you can see from Route 30. That sign has introduced the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education to thousands of people. We are delighted to have had Boy Scout Brandon Sprenkle design and build the two display cases on the front porch wall. We plan to fill these beautiful cases with examples of the plants and animals that live on the Horn Farm. Thank you!

Do you ever wish you could make your own bread? It’s easier than you think. On Saturday, March 11, join master bakers Ellen Gibb and Gary Jones in our summer kitchen for a full day bread baking. Step by step hands on instruction– from recipe selection to knowing when it’s time to take the bread from the oven, you’ll learn it all. Space is limited. More information and registration…

Calling all wild food enthusiasts! Ramp up your skills by taking our 9 month Foraging Intensive. You’ll learn:
Foraging basics and precautions
Ethics of foraging and other considerations
Plant observation
Basic botany & ecology
Plant identification – meadow and woodland species
Foraging for mushrooms
Medicinal and culinary uses for wild plants
Harvesting, preparation, and preservation
Making plant medicine
Utilitarian uses – cordage, basket making, tools
The first monthly class meets Saturday, March 25. More information and registration…

Love the work we do at the Horn Farm? Join the community of people who make our work possible by donating today! Thank you!