Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education

Horn Farm Happenings – September 15

September on the farm

Suddenly, the whole farm is tinged with gold—zinnias, sunflowers, golden rod, and sunchokes (Jerusalem Artichokes) are in bloom. The leaves of the Black Walnut trees are turning from green to gold as and the Sumac leaves are drenched in magenta and gold. Fall arrives next week as the Autumnal Equinox falls on September 22. The day and night will be of equal length. Then we will begin the descent into the dark toward the Winter Solstice on December 21 after which the light begins to return.

As the growing season winds down, we’ve spent some time inside preparing for the Forest Garden Design Intensive we’re holding in October. We’ll be hosting students from all over the United States and Canada at our sister organization Heritage Creek Farm Camp. This course is a deep dive into the vision, theory, and practice of designing wholesome, dynamic, and resilient edible ecosystems using temperate deciduous forests as models.  Design projects include designing forest gardens for: urban and suburban homesteads, an educational garden, and farm-scale locations. Participants will leave inspired and empowered to design food forests for themselves, friends, neighbors, and clients. There’s still time to register!

base map drawing

Preparing the Forest Garden Design Intensive Base Maps for the Design Projects

Looking for a more basic introduction to ecological design? Try our Introduction to Permaculture course! Permaculture is a practice that is steeped in deep observation, understanding relationships, and designing systems that meet our needs while simultaneously caring for the Earth and providing for future generations.

Upcoming events:

Foraging – September 18
Tending the Susquehanna Riverlands – September 22/23
Pawpaw Festival _ September 23/24
The Art of Seeing and the Science of Observation – September 24
Wild Lands Immersion -Primitive Skills – September 24 through October 22
Foraging – October 7
Harvest Festival (free to the public) – October 11 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Edible Ecosystems Emerging: Food Forestry for the 21st Century – October 13 – 22
Breadbaking (full day workshop) – October 21
Offal: Tongue & Brains – October 26
Bowmaking – November 4, 5, 11, 12
Foraging – November 4
Making Soup Stock – November 15
Foraging – December 2

See you at the farm!

CSA Newsletter- September 11

Last week’s share

The Weekly Share

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

  • Cherry tomatoes
  • Garlic
  • Herbs – oregano and sage
  • Hot peppers
  • Onion
  • Potatoes
  • Scallions
  • Squash
  • Sweet peppers
  • Swiss chard
  • Tomatoes
  • Watermelon

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

 

Oh Melons!

Watermelon mint ice cubes

Another week, another watermelon! Like anything in our CSA shares we can run out of ideas of what to do with a fruit or vegetable that we get for several weeks in a row, especially something that is traditionally eaten plain and raw – as delicious as that is. In our house, with just two of us, a whole watermelon alone can be a lot to go through so we’re getting creative. Here’s some ideas:

  • Watermelon ice cubes – Puree watermelon, strain out the seeds and pour into ice cube trays. These are great for flavoring water, cocktails or even wine. Add some mint to your puree for some extra summer flavor.
  • Watermelon salad – Mix up watermelon cubes, feta cheese, basil and some balsamic glaze for a delicious summer salad.
  • Smoothies – Freeze watermelon cubes and use in smoothies. These also make great popsicle treats for kids.
  • Watermelon rind pickles – I remember my aunt used to make and can these, unusual but tasty.
  • Watermelon granita – I know frozen treats seem to be a theme but the added lime and ginger give this watermelon treat a welcome twist.

How have you been enjoying your watermelon? Any recipes to share?

News from the Farm

  • The end of tomato season is nearly upon us. The field tomatoes are finished for the season but we’ll still have a couple weeks of hoop-house tomatoes from Kilgore Farms.
  • For those enjoying the pick your own herb garden you’ll notice the basil had to be cut down, powdery mildew unfortunately claimed the patch.
  • Just a reminder for Seventh and George share pick-up folks, please remember to return your share boxes.
  • Just some sights around the farm:

    Three sisters

    Purple silk

    Socks in the barn

    Boots in the corn barn

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.

Horn Farm Happenings – September 8

squirrel tail ovenAs the weather cools our thoughts turn to warm food, maybe even food cooked in a wood burning oven…
We are offering three hands-on workshops this season that cover the basics along with some expert techniques:
Roasted Vegetables [Wait List] , Bread Baking, and Making Soup Stock. All three will be held in our historic summer kitchen with squirrel tail oven. The summer kitchen has all the modern conveniences of electric appliances along with a fully functional, wood burning, squirrel tail oven. Class size is limited to ten, so register soon!Bread Baking Class in Horn Farm Summer Kitchen

Besides roasting, cooking, and baking, there are other ways to play with fire. hands holding flamesConsider joining Wild Man Wilson Alvarez for one or all of the the Wildlands Immersion series of five full-day workshops designed to reconnect you to the land and develop essential survival skills.
Sundays, 9:00am-4:00pm, beginning September 24.
Students will gain hands-on experience with basic, pre-industrial, woodland-style survival skills/bushcraft. This includes gathering wild foods and medicine, building debris-huts, animal tracking, fire-making techniques such as hand-drill and bow drill, making basic hunting implements such as a survival bow and simple traps, and much more.

Are you ready to upgrade your yard from a chore to an edible landscape? Check out our Edible Landscapes for the 21st Century Design Intensive. People with all levels of experience are welcome!forest garden design intensive banner

Upcoming events:
Roasted Vegetables – September 12
Foraging – September 18
Tending the Susquehanna Riverlands – September 22/23
Pawpaw Festival _ September 23/24
The Art of Seeing and the Science of Observation – September 24
Wild Lands Immersion -Primitive Skills – September 24 through October 22
Foraging – October 7
Harvest Festival (free to the public) – October 11 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Edible Ecosystems Emerging: Food Forestry for the 21st Century – October 13 – 22
Breadbaking (full day workshop) – October 21
Offal: Tongue & Brains – October 26
Bowmaking – November 4, 5, 11, 12
Foraging – November 4
Making Soup Stock – November 15
Foraging – December 2

See you at the farm!