Summer Season Highlight: Staghorn Sumac
The word “sumac” can cause some confusion. Poisonous plant? Or mid-summer foraging staple? HFC foraging educator Andrew Leahy explains – click the video link above to learn the difference!
Staghorn sumac’s bright red berry clusters can be collected in late summer and early fall to make a tangy, vitamin C–rich drink often called “sumac lemonade.” This nourishing summer treat can be also crafted into a flavorful spice!
Discover more seasonal abundance by joining an upcoming foraging program at the Horn Farm Center! Fill your basket with new knowledge about local plant foods, herbs, and ways we can give back to the land through foraging.
Upcoming Foraging Programs
“Remembering Our Roots” T-Shirt is Here!
However you’ve connected with the Horn Farm Center – through classes, volunteering, events, or even online – you know our mission is rooted in building connection with the land. Now you can share that message in style while supporting ecological education and regenerative land stewardship!
Special thanks to York-based artist Steph Holmes for turning parsnip, dandelion, and garlic into stunning wearable art.
A Diversity of Unique Learning Experiences at the Horn Farm
This summer, we’ve had the pleasure of hosting over a dozen community groups for tours of the Horn Farm ecosystem! The photos above captured our latest excursion with the York College of Pennsylvania Alumni Association Hiking Club!
From regenerative growing fields to recovering meadows and forests, hikers explored how the Horn Farm Center brings together community-based agriculture and ecological restoration. Where else can you find three sisters gardens, elderberries, a woodland classroom, and mini forest plots all in one walking loop?
Custom educational outings are a great way to spend quality outdoor time with your group, camp, classroom, or colleagues.
Photos: courtesy of the YCP Alumni Association
Learn About Custom Tours & Programs
It’s All About Trees & Local Author Talk: In Search of the Old Ones
Horn Farm Center’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend celebrates pawpaws – and the whole landscape it calls home!
On September 20th, visit the Kreutz Creek Library from 10AM–3PM for “It’s All About Trees!” – a family-friendly, all-ages event with activities, tastes, free trees, and more. At 10:30AM, author Anthony Fredericks will share stories from his book, In Search of the Old Ones, revealing the remarkable secrets of some of the world’s oldest trees.
Presented by the Hellam Township Environmental Advisory Council and Kreutz Creek Library, this Wild & Uncommon event is free and open to the public! Please register to attend the author talk.
Don’t forget: Tickets are now available for the main event—the 21st Annual York County Pawpaw Festival at the Horn Farm Center. Explore the full weekend lineup and start planning your Wild & Uncommon Weekend adventure!
Wild & Uncommon Weekend wouldn’t be possible without our generous sponsors:
Plan Your Wild & Uncommon Weekend
New Festival Feature: Pawpaw Beer & Craft Brews by Collusion Tap Works
The 21st annual Pawpaw Festival is almost here—celebrating York County’s favorite wild fruit with food, music, crafts, over 40 vendors, and educational experiences throughout the day!
For the first time this year, we are excited to welcome Collusion Tap Works, who will be serving up their signature craft brews—plus an exclusive pawpaw beer made just for the occasion. That’s right – you can sip on tasty pawpaw beer while enjoying the festivities at the Horn Farm!
You can also stop by Collusion’s downtown location throughout Wild & Uncommon Weekend! Don’t miss your chance to taste this one-of-a-kind seasonal pour!
Advancing Health & Wellness
Just as we work to restore ecosystems, grow healthy food, and build resilient communities, UPMC is dedicated to advancing health and wellness across our region through clinical and technological innovation, research, and education.
Together, we’re growing a healthier future for both people and the planet!
As a sponsor of Horn Farm Center’s Wild & Uncommon Weekend, UPMC is helping us connect more people to the land and to each other. We are grateful for their partnership in our mission and work!