Horn Farm Happenings – July 14

flower beds at the Horn FarmJuly 15 is the 3rd Saturday of the month, so you’re invited to a guided tour of the farm! Get a close up look at the farm fields, the summer kitchen, and the community gardens. Meet at the corn barn (the small barn) at 10 a.m. While you’re here, pick up some fresh produce and flower bouquets available at our farm stand. The farm stand is open from 9 a.m. to noon each Saturday through October.
eggplant varietiesThere are still a few spots left in the Cooking with Eggplant workshop being held Tuesday, July 25.

Now is the time to think about storing some of the abundance for the winter. Explore various methods in the hands-on Preserving Herbs workshop on Thursday, July 27. Both classes will be held in the newly restored historic summer kitchen here at the Horn Farm.

If you are craving some farm time that involves getting your hands in the soil, the Tuesday Evening Farm Crew works from 3 to 7 p.m. each week and the First Saturday Work Crew meets from 9 to noon on the first Saturday of each month. Come for all or part depending on your schedule. It’s helpful if you register so that we know you’ll be joining us. Thanks!

See you at the farm!

CSA Newsletter – July 10

Last week’s CSA Shar

The Weekly Share

Here’s what to expect in this week’s share:

  • Cabbage
  • Carrots
  • Cucumbers
  • Herbs
  • Lettuce heads
  • Potatoes
  • Swiss chard
  • Summer Squash

Let’s Talk About Herbs

I think sometimes herbs kind of become the forgotten toss-up of the CSA share, an extra we don’t always know what to do with.  Here is a list of my favorite things to do with my CSA herbs:

  • Roasting – toss fresh herbs like oregano, rosemary or sage in anything you are roasting (meat or vegetable) for extra flavor.
  • Flavor my water – honestly 9/10 times those mint sprigs make it into my water bottle and give me water some zip to get me through the work day. Bonus – the added flavor makes me more likely to drink more water
  • Mix with fruit – ok so when the mint isn’t in my water it’s topping some of my favorite fruit. Cut into ribbons and tossed in with your favorite berries or melon, refrigerate for a couple of hours to let the flavors blend, it’s a refreshing summer treat.
  • Drying – Not all herbs retain their flavor when dried but many do. Rosemary, thyme, and oregano are great dried. Just hang in a cool dry place to dry. Then place in a sealable container.
  • Marinade or salad dressing – Oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper – perfect combination for roasting meat or vegetables for grilling or a dressing for your salad. Fresh herbs add a kick of extra flavor that dried herbs can’t compete with.

Farm Happenings

 Picking up your CSA at the farm this week you may have noticed an explosion of color. The flower rows have jumped into bloom! 

Connect and Share

What is your favorite part of your CSA share? If you have a recipe or picture you want to share, a trick you learned, or a question about your CSA produce please let us know at csa@hornfarmcenter.org.  Share on social media with the hashtag #HornFarmCSA.

Horn Farm Happenings – July 7

Whole Systems Design - Rochester, VTThis week, Executive Director Alyson Earl returned from a 9-day permaculture design course. This immersion in hands-on ecological design work left her ready to shepherd the existing Land Use Management Plan for the Horn Farm to the next level. While in Vermont, it rained every day–over 6 inches in one week. This allowed for lots of practice designing earthworks for directing the movement of water across a landscape!preparing the base map

On the final day of the course, the group looked far into the future and planted oak trees in an area of the forest that is being restored to include plant species which were lost during previous clear cuttings of Vermont’s forests. Planting trees now is a gift to future generations.oak tree planting

Much of the work we do is focused on the future. By restoring habitats, we also affect the quality of our water, air, and soils. This spring we began regular volunteer work days in a degraded woodland adjacent to our farm fields–building trails and removing overly abundant plant material. We will be posting more opportunities for being part of our woodland restoration next week.

This October, we are pleased and proud to be hosting:

Edible Ecosystems Emerging:
Food Forestry for the 21st Century
A 9-Day Forest Garden Design Intensive

FGDI2017Flyer
We hope you can join us!

Coming up on the farm:
Cooking Eggplant
Preserving Herbs

And every Saturday from 9 to 12, the Farm Stand is open!

See you at the Farm!