Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education

Horn Farm Happenings – December 8

Snow is in the forecast for tomorrow. The farm is ready to rest. The garlic is planted and mulched. We’ll harvest this garlic around July 4th then hang the garlic to cure in the corn barn. Then we will share the garlic with our CSA members. Interested in being part of our CSA in 2018? Our Community Supported Agriculture program offers you a weekly or biweekly share of produce grown here at the Horn Farm. Early bird discount is available through January 31, 2018. And yes! Gift shares are available! More information here: Horn Farm CSA.

In 2018, we will welcome a new farmer to the farm business incubator. Betsy Dorbian will be growing flowers for local florists as well as a for a Cut Flower CSA.Betsy is offering an early bird discount through January 31 as well. Pick up locations include the Horn Farm as well as locations in Harrisburg and Lemoyne. Click here for more information about Betsy’s Flowers at the Farm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

People often wonder why we leave dead plants standing over the winter. This photo shows a Praying Mantis egg case on a dried plant stalk. The eggs will hatch in the spring just in time for these beneficial insects to start munching on the creatures that eat our lovely vegetables. When we provide places for helpful creatures to spend the winter, we are rewarded when the growing season arrives.

In addition to our insect friends, we rely on people like you to keep the Horn Farm Center running. Our volunteers and donors are the ones who make our work possible. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to the Horn Farm today! Thank you!

See you at the Farm!

Horn Farm Happenings – November 17

glass gem corn cobsFrost has pushed us into fall clean up mode on the farm.  The 2017 CSA season is behind us.We hope you enjoyed your shares as much as we enjoyed ours! Early bird discounted registration for 2018 is available here. We are harvesting the last of the root crops: carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes, dandelion and burdock root. The last of the garlic will be planted in those beds this week. We will still be foraging for wild edibles in December. Join us on December 2 for a field walk at the farm.

We are pleased to have been offer more than 65 classes and workshops in 2017 in the categories of Farming and Gardening, Cooking, Wilderness Skills, and Ecological Design.  Our last formal educational offering for 2017 is our favorite ecological design tool: permaculture. It’s the tool we use constantly on the farm and within the nonprofit business. Permaculture is a design practice that calls for deep observation, understanding relationships, and identifying goals. Learning to model our designs on the interconnectedness of healthy ecosystems allows us to meet our needs and those of future generations while respecting and caring for the Earth–our home. Introduction to Permaculture on December 9permaculture design drawing

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for being part of our community!

horn farm

See you at the farm!

CSA Newsletter – November 6

Last week’s CSA share

The Weekly Share

This week is the last week of our CSA season Here’s what to expect in this final share:

  • Carrots
  • Collard greens
  • Garlic
  • Glass Gem Popcorn
  • Herbs
  • Hot peppers
  • Kale
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Scallions
  • Sweet peppers
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Swiss chard
  • Sunchokes (Jerusalem artichoke)

*Due to the unpredictability of weather, pest problems, and other factors produce in the weekly shares are subject to last minute changes.

Compound Herb Butter

Thyme, sage, and rosemary

Thanksgiving is only a few weeks away!  An easy way to season a turkey, roasted vegetables, grilled steak, baked potatoes or even biscuits is with compound butters. Compound butters are easy to make and can be made in any flavor combination you can think of – a great way to get creative in the kitchen.  A compound butter is just a mixture of butter and seasoning, such as your CSA herbs, citrus zest, or other aromatics. Here’s a basic compound butter that I love spreading on and under turkey or chicken skin before roasting.

2 sticks of butter, softened

1/2 T chopped rosemary

1/2 T chopped sage

1/2 T chopped thyme

1 T chopped garlic

Use a food processor to finely chop the herbs and garlic then add the butter until all the ingredients are blended evenly. Spread the mixture onto plastic wrap and roll into a log and chill. I recommend letting it set overnight before using it but it can be left in a sealed container in your fridge for a few weeks, making it an easy Thanksgiving treat to make ahead of time.

Other flavor combination ideas:

  • Orange/Honey/Lavendar
  • Cilantro/Lime
  • Scallion/Ginger/Orange
  • Lemon/Parsley
  • Roasted red pepper
  • Lemon/Basil
  • Cinnamon/Honey
  • Roasted garlic
  • Cilantro/Jalapeno
  • Cranberry/Orange

Glass Gem Popcorn

Glass gem corn is a colorful variety of popcorn. Glass gem corn is stunning in the variety of colors and beauty but its also quite delicious as everyone’s favorite movie night snack.  Popcorn is easy to make and you can do it a variety of ways. In the microwave place 1/4C of kernels in a brown paper bag (those ones we used to carry lunches to school in) roll and fold several times to close securely and cook on high for 1-2 minutes, season once its finished. On the stove-top – place one part vegetable oil to two parts popcorn kernels in a pot, cover with a lid and heat, shaking the pot frequently until it’s just a few seconds between pops, add your favorite seasoning and enjoy. As for seasoning – try a compound butter, or melted butter and your favorite seasoning mix, or your favorite cheese.

Connect and Share

What is your favorite part of your CSA share? Are you having trouble figuring out what to do with something in your 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.