Happenings

Horn Farm Happenings – August 10

After many requests, we’ve created a way for kids to get connected to the Horn Farm! Research shows positive links between direct experiences in nature and children’s mental, emotional and physical health and well-being. Benefits of nature experiences include increased self-esteem and resilience against stress and adversity; improved concentration, learning, creativity, cognitive development, cooperation, flexibility, and self-awareness; and reduced likelihood of childhood obesity. Research has also shown that through positive experiences outdoors, children will develop their love of nature and a foundation for the development of responsible environmental behavior. Hands on experience with a bit of freedom for creative exploration is described as the best way to engage and inspire children and cultivate a sense of wonder.

We are excited to offer four short sessions for children, aged 6-12, in our new Children’s Discovery Series beginning September 2nd. These classes are being offered as stand-alone sessions but as a series provide a well-rounded group of nature and farmed based activities. Classes run Sundays from 2:30pm-4:00pm.


wild-lands-immersionSaturdays, 9:00am-4:00pm, beginning September 1, we are excited to offer four new full-day workshops designed to reconnect you to the land and develop essential survival skills. These new daylong workshops build upon skills taught in our previous Wild Lands series and are also accessible for new students with experience and comfort being in the outdoors.
Advanced Camouflage, Stalking, Awareness
Basketry, Coppicing, Netting
Hunting, Fishing, Trapping
Primitive Butchering and Cooking

Students should be in good physical condition and be prepared to hike, get dirty, sweaty, and be outdoors regardless of weather. These classes are geared towards adults, but children 12 and up are welcome with a parent. These classes are being offered as stand-alone one-day workshops but as a group provide a well-rounded introduction into these skills. Discounted package for those signing up for the full four-class series.


Celebrate the bounty of the season! Meet your local farmers!Join us Tuesday, August 21 – 6 pm – 8:30 pm for our annual Seasonal Eat & Meet at John Wright restaurant.

Gather with your friends, family, and co-workers to meet and mingle with our farmers and producers. Chat with others who are passionate about supporting local farm businesses. Enjoy a delicious meal of seasonal local foods prepared by the chefs of John Wright Restaurant!

Proceeds will benefit the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education. Get your tickets now! Seasonal Eat & Meet


CSA pick up dayCSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Shares
Here is what we plan to include in this week’s CSA shares:
Summer squash
Potatoes
Carrots
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Swiss chard
Sweet Peppers
Hot peppers
Garlic
Onions
Basil (purple and green)
Enjoy!


Upcoming events:

August 18 – Foraging: Medicine Making
August 21 – Seasonal Eat & Meet
September 1 – Advanced Camouflage, Stalking, Awareness
September 2 – Children’s Discovery Series: Nature Speaks
September 8 – Pond Building Workshop
September 15  – Foraging: Field Walk
September 15 – Basketry, Coppicing, Netting
September 16 –Children’s Discovery Series: Seed to Table
September 22 – Hunting, Fishing, Trapping
September 22, 23 – Pawpaw Festival
September 29 – Primitive Butchering and Cooking
September 30 – Children’s Discovery Series: The Compassion Project
October 6, 7, 13, 14 – Bowmaking
October 7 – Children’s Discovery Series: Let’s Bee Friends
October 13 – Foraging: Wild Soup
October 14 – Harvest Festival & Annual Open House
October 16 – Bread Baking Basics
October 26 – Offal: Tongue, Brains, and More!
October 27, 28 – Wilderness Skills Overnight Immersion
November 3 – Dine & Discover – Farm to Table Dinner at the Farm
November 17 – Bread Baking Full Day Workshop
November 17 – Foraging: Roots
December 8 – Foraging: Winter

See you at the farm!

Horn Farm Happenings – August 3

 

katydid laying eggs under tree barkbee on borageThere’s still space for you in our Insect Identification and Management class Saturday, August 11.


A pond in a forest is like a coral reef in the ocean: it is where the greatest diversity of plant and animal life can be found! To increase the biodiversity and wildlife habitat in this woodland, we will be building a 35 foot diameter pond at this location as part of our woodland restoration project. Please join us on September 8 for a Pond Building Workshop. Instructor Wilson Alvarez will lead participants through the process of site selection, pond design, pond building, earth repair, using clay as a natural pond liner, and an exploration of native edibles that can be grown in ponds. Space is limited. Register today!


Starting in September, we will be rolling out some new classes designed to improve your self-sufficiency skills. Join Wilson Alvarez for one or more of the following: Advanced Camouflage, Stalking, and Movement; Basketry and Netting; Hunting, Fishing, and Trapping; and Primitive Butchering. In October, we will be holding a Wilderness Skills Overnight Immersion for those who are ready to test their ability to provide for their needs for water, food, and shelter! Registration opens next week. Mark your calendar!


Celebrate the bounty of the season! Meet your local farmers!Join us Tuesday, August 21 – 6 pm – 8:30 pm for our annual Seasonal Eat & Meet at John Wright restaurant.

Gather with your friends, family, and co-workers to meet and mingle with our farmers and producers. Chat with others who are passionate about supporting local farm businesses. Enjoy a delicious meal of seasonal local foods prepared by the chefs of John Wright Restaurant!

Proceeds will benefit the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education.
Get your tickets now! Seasonal Eat & Meet


CSA pick up dayCSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Shares
Salsa season is here!
Here is what we plan to include in this week’s CSA shares:
Summer squash
Cucumbers
Cherry tomatoes
Heirloom tomatoes
Sweet Peppers
Hot peppers
Onions
Cilantro
Enjoy!


Upcoming events and volunteer opportunities:
August 4 – First Saturday Volunteer Work Day
August 11 – Volunteer needed to represent the Horn Farm at the Rudy Park Open House
August 11 – Insect Identification and Management
August 21 – Seasonal Eat & Meet
September 1 – Wildlands Skills: Advanced Camouflage, Stalking, Movement
September 8 – Pond Building Workshop
September 15 – Wildlands Skills: Basketry and Netting
September 22 – Wildlands Skills: Hunting, Fishing, Trapping
September 29 – Wildlands Skills: Primitive Butchering and Cooking
October 6, 7, 13, 14 – Bowmaking
October 27 – Wilderness Skills Overnight Immersion

See you at the farm!

Horn Farm Happenings – July 27

Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education Receives Grant for Stream-side Planting Project!

Riparian, or streamside, plant buffers are an effective way of reducing soil erosion and runoff of sediment, nutrients, and other potential pollutants. Agricultural runoff is largely responsible for much of the pollution in our regional waterways. To address this issue, the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education designed a riparian corridor restoration project. The Horn Farm was recently awarded over $24,000 towards the implementation of this design through Stream ReLeaf, a program jointly organized by Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy, and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. This project will have numerous economic, educational, and ecological benefits for the community.
Horn Farm Center will be able to demonstrate various productive uses of a multifunctional buffer. The stream corridor itself will be cleared of invasives and planted with natives, including black walnut, sycamore, and red maple. The funds will help Horn Farm Center establish an orchard of pawpaw and persimmon alongside rows of mixed berry varieties for fruit production. Silvopastures, which combine trees with grassy areas for grazing animals will be planted. Plants in the silvopastures will be selected to boost honey production for local beekeepers. A section of mixed species for woody floral production will supply the burgeoning local floral market.
The awarded funds will also contribute greatly to The Horn Farm Center’s education offerings. The Center currently offers a variety of programs, including educational workshops, educational internships, and onsite support in the form of an incubator farm. The multifunctional riparian buffer will allow for the expansion of the farm’s educational offerings, with newly created spaces for research and teaching about agroforestry and perennial farming.
As a leader in regenerative agriculture, the Horn Farm Center focuses on land management practices that not only “do no harm” but actively seek to revitalize the soil and surrounding environment. Buffer plantings are proven to reduce sediment and runoff from farming. Buffers also improve water infiltration which will help keep valuable water on the farm. With funding from the Stream ReLeaf Program, the Center will be able to reintroduce more than 35 species of native plants to 6.1 acres of degraded stream-side woodland ecosystem. In addition to improving ecological health on the farm, this project will positively affect the health of waterways downstream, namely, Kreutz Creek, the Susquehanna River and eventually the Chesapeake Bay.
2077 trees and shrubs are scheduled for planting this fall and in the spring of 2019. The Horn Farm Center is seeking additional funds and volunteers for this ongoing ecological stewardship project. Please contact Community Outreach and Development Specialist, Kristi Allen at outreach@hornfarmcenter or 717.757.6441 if you would like to get involved.


Celebrate the bounty of the season! Meet your local farmers!
Join us Tuesday, August 21 – 6 pm – 8:30 pm for our annual Seasonal Eat & Meet at John Wright restaurant.

Gather with your friends, family, and co-workers to meet and mingle with our farmers and producers who are passionate about supporting local farm businesses. Enjoy a delicious meal of seasonal local foods prepared by the chefs of John Wright Restaurant!

Proceeds will benefit the Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education.
Get your tickets now! Seasonal Eat & Meet


CSA pick up dayCSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Shares
Here is what we plan to include in this week’s CSA shares:
Cabbage
Beets – Chioggia/Red Ace
Summer squash
Collards
Cucumbers
Sweet Peppers
Hot peppers
Onions
Enjoy!


Upcoming events and volunteer opportunities:
July 31 – Tuesday Evening Farm Work Crew
July 31 – Knife Skills for the Home Cook
August 4 – First Saturday Volunteer Work Day
August 11 – Volunteer needed to represent the Horn Farm at the Rudy Park Open House
August 11 – Insect Identification and Management
August 21 – Seasonal Eat & Meet
September 1 – Wildlands Skills: Advanced Camouflage, Stalking, Movement
September 15 – Wildlands Skills: Basketry, Coppicing, Netting
September 22 – Wildlands Skills: Hunting, Fishing, Trapping
September 29 – Wildlands Skills: Primitive Butchering and Cooking
October 6, 7, 13, 14 – Bowmaking
October 27 – Wilderness Skills Overnight Immersion

See you at the farm!