Hello Summer 2019! Summer officially arrived at 11:54 a.m. here in York, Pennsylvania marking the longest day and the shortest night of the year as well as the beginning of the summer season. Today we also welcomed 12 volunteers participating in the United Way of York County’s Day of Action. They came despite the early rains and stayed to plant 200 trees along the stream edge. Pawpaws, red maple, sycamore, swamp white oak, and river birch were planted next to existing black walnut, black locust, mulberry, and cherry trees. The wild black raspberries just ripened this week, so there were treats along the way.

Thank you for all of your hard work and good humor!

We just added two new workshops. Both are happening on July 27, so you’ll have to choose…

Make your own Paintbrushes from Natural Materials!
For foragers and naturalists alike! Do you enjoy both art and nature? If so, learn how to make your own handmade paintbrush with plants and other natural materials found in the wild and landscaped areas that surround us. In this hands-on class, you will create a paintbrush from plant materials. For more information and to register, visit: Do-it-Yourself Natural Paintbrushes.

Or perhaps cooking is your thing! Join us as we demystify pickle making – more than just cucumbers Quick Pickling! Short on time but long on harvest? Learn how simple it is to preserve your bountiful haul with quick pickles. We’ll create two different brines and then explore the various homegrown items you can pickle and the many delicious and unusual uses for quick pickles. They’re not just for sandwiches. We’ll also discuss knife skills and you’ll get to put them to work. For details, visit Quick Pickling!
See you at the farm!

Upcoming events:
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 25 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 27 – DIY Natural Paintbrushes
July 27 – Quick Pickling
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program

On Saturday, June 22, The Cycle Works of Wrightsville, Pennsylvania, along with title sponsor, 7group, will be hosting the 5th annual Cycle the Solstice bicycle ride to benefit The Horn Farm Center for Agricultural Education.  Cycle the Solstice is a 30- or 62-mile bike ride through York and Lancaster counties. The purpose of the ride is to showcase both the beauty and the bounty of the river valley in eastern York and western Lancaster Counties. The proceeds from this event will be used to offset the cost of the center’s new Youth Education Program. The general format of each ride will have riders leaving from the beautiful grounds of The Horn Farm Center in the morning, riding their chosen loop at their own pace, guided by road blazes and cue sheets, and returning to the farm upon completion of their loop.  Along the way, riders will stop at local small business farms and markets for refreshments produced at the farms and other local food and agriculture businesses.

Thank you to our bronze sponsors: Lemon Street Market and Pennsylvania Truck Centers!

Upcoming events:
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 25 – Tuesday Evening Farm Crew
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program

See you at the farm!

We planned to get them planted sooner, but today we are putting these beautiful willows in the ground! Thanks to a DCNR (Department of Conservation and Natural Resources) Stream ReLeaf grant, we are planting another agroforestry system close to one of our three streams. Soon we will be able to harvest the branches for ornamental use, for making baskets, and for restoration projects on other parts of the farm. These willows come in all sorts of different, colors, shapes, and even scents!

We learned more about one of our friends the red-winged blackbirds this week. Even though there is plenty of work to do on the farm, we recognize the vital importance of taking time to simply observe. Observing from a single place over time can reveal patterns that remain hidden to a mere passerby. Here’s an example. This year, we have deliberately decided to stop mowing certain areas of the farm in order to create more diverse habitat and to save resources like time and fossil fuel. When we take the time to observe, we discover that there are many more creatures moving through and within the landscape. There is more habitat, there are continuous corridors for safe passage, and, in some cases there are particular structural elements needed by certain species. The wooden stakes that we put into the ground next to the newly planted trees have doubled as perches for blue birds who need a stable perch from which to hunt. The male red-winged blackbirds, on the other hand, don’t mind a perch that moves in the breeze, and they have moved in to the field where the tall stalks of yellow dock grow intermittently amongst the grasses. They perch there and sing letting others know whose territory belongs to whom! Check out the call here: red-winged black bird. We couldn’t get close enough for a photo of the birds, but, while trying, also noticed that the mate of the male bird fed on the dock seeds while he chased other females away. There’s so much to see and learn!

Upcoming events:
June 22 – Cycle the Solstice
June 29 – Foraging – June Plant Walk
June 29 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 13 – Mushroom Cultivation
July 13 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
July 18 – Where the Wild Things Grow (Youth Program)
July 23 – Introduction to Canning: Peach Jam
July 29 to 31 – Building Backyard Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
July 29 to 31 – Building Community Habitats (Junior Naturalist Training)
August 8 – Introduction to Canning: Tomato Sauce
August 10 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
August 20 – Roasted Vegetables
September 7 – The Ayurvedic Kitchen
September 10 – Introduction to Canning: Applesauce
September 28/29 – Pawpaw Festival
October 12 – Bread: Rising to the Next Level
October 15 – Woodland Steward Training Program

See you at the farm!