Happenings

On Saturday, June 22, The Cycle Works of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, along with title sponsor, 7group, will be hosting the 5th annual Cycle the Solstice bicycle ride to benefit The Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education.  Cycle the Solstice is a 30- or 62-mile bike ride through York and Lancaster counties. The purpose of the ride is to showcase both the beauty and the bounty of the river valley in eastern York and western Lancaster Counties. The proceeds from this event will be used to offset the cost of the center’s new Youth Education Program. The general format of each ride will have riders leaving from the beautiful grounds of The Horn Farm Center in the morning, riding their chosen loop at their own pace, guided by road blazes and cue sheets, and returning to the farm upon completion of their loop.  Along the way, riders will stop at local small business farms and markets for refreshments produced at the farms and other local food and agriculture businesses.

Thank you to our bronze sponsors: Lemon Street Market and Pennsylvania Truck Centers!

Upcoming events:
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 25 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program

See you at the farm!

We planned to get them planted sooner, but today we are putting these beautiful willows in the ground! Thanks to a DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) Stream ReLeaf grant, we are planting another agroforestry system close to one of our three streams. Soon we will be able to harvest the branches for ornamental use, for making baskets, and for restoration projects on other parts of the farm. These willows come in all sorts of different, colors, shapes, and even scents!

We learned more about one of our friends the red-winged blackbirds this week. Even though there is plenty of work to do on the farm, we recognize the vital importance of taking time to simply observe. Observing from a single place over time can reveal patterns that remain hidden to a mere passerby. Here’s an example. This year, we have deliberately decided to stop mowing certain areas of the farm in order to create more diverse habitat and to save resources like time and fossil fuel. When we take the time to observe, we discover that there are many more creatures moving through and within the landscape. There is more habitat, there are continuous corridors for safe passage, and, in some cases there are particular structural elements needed by certain species. The wooden stakes that we put into the ground next to the newly planted trees have doubled as perches for blue birds who need a stable perch from which to hunt. The male red-winged blackbirds, on the other hand, don’t mind a perch that moves in the breeze, and they have moved in to the field where the tall stalks of yellow dock grow intermittently amongst the grasses. They perch there and sing letting others know whose territory belongs to whom! Check out the call here: red-winged black bird. We couldn’t get close enough for a photo of the birds, but, while trying, also noticed that the mate of the male bird fed on the dock seeds while he chased other females away. There’s so much to see and learn!

Upcoming events:
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program

See you at the farm!

This summer, we are very excited to be offering two ecological design courses for kids interested in becoming ‘Junior Naturalists’!

Junior Naturalist Training: Building Community Habitats for ages 12-14.

In this three day adventure, we will design a simulated “Horn Farm village” community master plan that meets the habitat needs of wildlife and the people that call it home. Conduct a bioblitz scavenger hunt on the Horn Farm grounds to gather baseline biodiversity
data of the area. Then, propose a solution for improving the ecological health of the property, while also meeting the humans’ food, water, and shelter needs for the simulated village. Learn skills that budding city planners, landscape architects, naturalists, and dedicated community members will need to reshape how our communities coexist with the needs of wildlife. Come ready to think deeply and solve real-life problems facing today’s communities!

And for kids 9 to 11, Building Backyard Habitats In this three day adventure, explore the Horn Farm Center through the eyes of your favorite critter (mammal, bird, reptile, amphibian, insect, etc.). Will a Red-backed salamander or Monarch butterfly be able to find food, water, shelter, and places to raise young for their survival? Through gathering found materials on the Horn Farm grounds, you’ll design a model of all the needed elements of your critter’s habitat. Then, take the skills you learned from this week to start supporting wildlife in your own backyard!

Photo from: “Eat Well, Be Well: Ayurveda Cooking for Healthy Living” by Lois Leonhardi

Starting June 29, we are offering a series of monthly classes at the Horn Farm: The Ayurvedic Kitchen. Ayurveda is an ancient form of healing developed in India and has been practiced for more than 5,000 years. It is a system of daily living which promotes physical, emotional and spiritual well-being.

In Ayurveda, the five elements (ether, air, fire, water and earth) are present in each individual but the proportions and combinations vary from person to person. When these elements are in balance, the result is good health. When these elements are out of balance, the result is illness or disease. Ayurveda treats the whole individual, not the illness or disease in isolation.

In these classes, you will learn how to cook seasonally, how to use the six tastes in your daily cooking and how to make simple, but tasty and satisfying meals. All recipes are vegetarian, gluten and lactose free. Even though Ayurveda originates from India, this is not an Indian cooking class. Find out more and register here: The Ayurvedic Kitchen.

Upcoming events:
June 1 – Introduction to Plant Communication
June 4 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
June 5 – Wednesday Woodland Workers
June 6 – Thursday Woodland Workers
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – Raising Insects for Food and Farm
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level

Woodland Steward Training Program

See you at the farm!