Horn Farm Happenings – April 27
For the first time ever, on May 4, 2018, our community will be transformed into a community-wide celebration of generosity that benefits hundreds of nonprofit organizations serving York County. This celebration is called Give Local York. We are just one week away from the first-ever Big Give Day in York County! Give Local York happens Friday, May 4 from midnight until 11:59 p.m.! The goal: 200+ nonprofits. 24 hours. $1 million. Please remember the Horn Farm Center when you give! www.givelocalyork.org
This year the Horn Farm Center will once again offer vegetable community supported agriculture (CSA) shares. We have five CSA options at the Horn Farm in 2018. Our Vegetable CSA, Betsy’s Flowers at the Farm Cut Flower CSA., and, new for 2018, we are partnering with Rising Locust Farm to serve as a drop off location for their Egg CSA, Pork CSA, and Mushroom CSA. There are still a few shares available! Season start is weather dependent and ranges from late May to early June. Sign up today!
Collagen-rich and nourishing, bone broth is revered for it’s many uses. And it’s easier and less expensive to make than you may think. Learn about the how and the why of pressure cookers, instant pots and slow cookers. Sip your way to a whole new world of goodness. Making Bone Broth takes place Wednesday, May 9. Our instructor, Liza Naylor, is a certified personal chef. Liza expresses her joy of cooking while meeting the goals of healthy everyday eating and using fresh, local ingredients. She has cooked for York’s Farm to City Dinner, the Healthy World Café, and Leg Up Farmers Market. She now shares her talents by leading cooking classes around the region. Space is limited, register today!
Raising insects for food and farm use can be fun, entertaining and rewarding – and meet many different needs.
On Saturday, May 12 join William Padilla-Brown for discussion and demonstrations as he takes us on a journey through many different insects and invertebrates – starting with our two ancient aquatic invertebrates, Brine Shrimp and Triops, then our Subterranean Red Wiggler worms, followed by crickets, roaches, mealworms, waxworms, superworms, BSF larvae, hornworms, their beetles, moths, and flies!
Participants will get hands-on time, setting up small habitats to take home with choice of crickets, roaches, mealworms, and/or Red Wiggler Worms. The course will end with a demonstration on how to cook with edible insects and participants who wish may participate in an Entomophagy (the eating of insects). Register today for Raising Insects for Food and Farm!
HEIRLOOM PLANT SALE!! Saturday, May 5, 9 to 3
Plan to get your seedlings at our sixth annual Heirloom Plant Sale on Saturday, May 5th from 9 to 3. More than 10,000 plants in over 300 varieties of vegetables, herbs, and flowers will be available. Most plants are priced at $3.00.
Heirloom varieties are cultivars preserved by gardeners and farmers who hand-select seed for a special trait displayed in the parent plant. Heirlooms were commonly grown during earlier periods in human history, but are rarely used in modern, large-scale agriculture. All plants are grown from non-GMO, non-treated seed using organic methods. Come early for the best selection!
Check out this article about regenerative agriculture in the New York Times Magazine: Can Dirt Save the Earth?
Upcoming events:
April 28 – Garden Planning
April 29 – Low-tech Mushroom Cultivation
May 4 – Give Local York
May 4 – Horn Farm Pizza Night at John Wright Restaurant
May 5 – Heirloom Plant Sale
May 5 – Wilderness Skills: Foraging, Hunting, Trapping
May 9 – Making Bone Broth
May 12 – Raising Insects for Food and Farm
May 12 – Wilderness Skills: Advanced Primitive Hunting Techniques
May 13 – MAEscapes Native Plant Sale
May 15 – Tuesday Evening Work Crew (begins)
May 17 – Monthly Foraging
May 19 – Insect Identification and Management
June 2 – Introduction to Permaculture
June 16 – Monthly Farm Tour – Third Saturday
June 16 – Introduction to Plant Communication
June 23 – Cycle the Solstice
See you at the farm!
Woodland Steward Wilson Alvarez shared information about forest ecology and the progress being made clearing and building trails. The bulk of the work is being done by students from Columbia High School who are part of a vocational training program. In the fall, when the students first started coming to the Horn Farm they acted withdrawn and unenthusiastic and were reluctant to participate. As they learned about the ecology of the forest and how to restore it with proper use of simple hand tools, both they and the woodland were transformed. For example, one student named Jerry now reads the landscape and decides where the next stretch of trail should go. His confidence in his own abilities has soared and he eagerly welcomes and trains new volunteers. We recently learned that school attendance rates have gone up since these students began volunteering at the Horn Farm each week.
This project is good for the woods, good for the farm, and good for the people who reconnect to the land!
We’ve been as busy as bees! There’s so much work to do that we’re excited to announce that we are hiring! The Horn Farm is growing and we are looking to hire our first ever Executive Assistant. This is a part-time position. We seek applicants who share our passion for regenerative agricultural practices. Preference is for applicants interested in transitioning to full-time employment as the organization grows. 
We are looking for volunteers to represent the Horn Farm Center at these upcoming events:
The Community Garden season kicks off tomorrow! Orientation for new gardeners takes place at 10 am. We still have some plots left, so