Millheim Farmers Market Preview for Saturday May 25

(From Betsy Green)

This Saturday at the Millheim Farmers’ Market 5/25/2013 the following vendors will be selling their goods:

• Tamarack Farm with lamb sausage, lettuce mixes and greens, yarn & wool items
• Ben MacNeal will be selling his famous maple syrup!
• Betsy from Egg Hill Gardens will be bringing: Heirloom Tomato plants (many varieties), potted herbs, cut flower bouquets, Arugula, all kinds of lettuce, Asian Stir-Fry Mix, Baby Mustard Greens and many other items not mentioned.
• Salt & Honey…come check out Megan’s awesome seasonal goodies; pastries and gourmet foods.
• Cow – A – Hen:  Bill will have his pork, beef, chicken, turkey and duck for your Memorial Day feast!
• Leslie from Common Ground Organic Farm will have heirloom and rare garden plants.
• Gemelli Bakers….look for PIZZA,…AND….STICKY LOAFS….WOW.  Also, his Italy inspired breads.
• Menno Stoltfus from Crystal Hollow Farm will have veal, grass-fed beef, pastured raised lamb, rabbit, eggs, (also pickled red beet eggs), rhubarb, radishes, tomato plants.
• Brian Burger of New Harmony Farmstead is bringing FRESH pork, ham, bacon and eggs….sounds like breakfast!
• Kat’s Raw Foods:  come out and taste her kale chips, raw fudge, cookies and granola.
• Stone Meadow Farms:  Brian will have his awesome cheese and beef.
• Our Amish friend, Jeff Hostetler will be bringing baked goods and assorted vegetables.

The Market is Located on Rt.45 at the American Legion Pavilion.  Stop by, support local growers, and check out the Penns Valley Learning Garden situated right next to the market area.  The Penns Valley Learning Garden will have tee shirts for sale….they’re very cool!

June 14 & 15 – Democracy School in State College

(From Joe Cusumano)

“Today in the United States sustainability is illegal. It’s been rendered illegal by the system of law. Because when we attempt to pursue sustainability, especially at the local level, what we run into is a box of corporate rights that actually prohibits or prevents us from moving in that direction.”

– Thomas Linzey, Executive Director of the Community Legal Environmental Defense Fund

Attached please find the announcement for the Community Rights Workshop that we’ll be holding at the State College Friends School, on June 14-15. 

From the flyer:

“The workshop takes an in-depth look at how Pennsylvania’s political and legal structures have been set up to protect the interests of an elite minority, at the expense of the majority of Pennsylvanians. We’ll look at how Pennsylvania’s constitution has continually evolved since the American Revolution to protect wealth and privilege over community self-government; we’ll look at how corporations in Pennsylvania have received more rights and protections than those of you living in your community; and we’ll look at how Pennsylvanians have pushed back against these oppressive structures to reclaim democracy in their communities. Finally, we’ll consider what it would take to create a Pennsylvania constitution that protects the rights of people, communities, and nature by securing our inalienable right to local self-government, free from corporate and state interference.”

Please contact me to sign up. The cost is $25, including a Saturday lunch. Scholarships are available, as is on-site day care. Please let me know if you are interested in either.

Please forward this to friends. If you feel up to it, you can print it to post around town!

Workshop Instructors are Ben Price, Projects Director, CELDF and Chad Nicholson, Pennsylvania Community Organizer, CELDF. This workshop is sponsored by: PRESS − Preserving Rights to Environmental Sustainability and Safety and CELDF − Community Environmental Legal Defense Fund

Homesteaders’ Quarto – May 22, 2013

May 22 – 23 – Centre Gives Online Fundraiser

Visit centregives.org between 6 a.m. May 22 through 6 p.m. May 23 from your computer, smartphone or device, browse local organizations and learn how their work is serving Centre County. Make a donation and your dollars will be augmented by a $100,000 pro-rated match from Centre Foundation. Your donation could also qualify your chosen nonprofit for a variety of cash prizes. Minimum donation = $25, all donations up to $10,000 will be matched. Sustainability & Community Resilience organizations include:

• Clearwater Conservancy
• Penns Valley Conservation Association
• Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture
• Pennsylvania Certified Organic
• Centre County Farmland Trust

Upcoming Workshops – Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network

• May 29 - Animal Handling Workshop for New & Beginning Farmers May 29, 2013, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM at the Sundance Life Farm, 4563 Lake Road, Towanda, PA 18848 (Bradford County). This field day will cover basic animal handling for new & beginning farmers, or for anyone wanting to improve upon their animal handling knowledge and skills.
• June 5 - Twilight Meeting: Tomato Trellising - June 5, 2013, 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM at  Common Ground Farm, 176 Zuck Road, Spring Mills, PA 16875. Leslie Zuck, owner of Common Ground Organic Farm, has been producing certified organic transplants and produce for more than 25 years. She rotates transplant production with in-ground vegetables in a 20′ by 60′ hoophouse.
• June 10 - Value-Added Farming at Quiet Creek Herb Farm - June 10, 2013, 10:00 AM – 3:30 PM at Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living, 93 Quiet Creek Lane, Brookville, PA. Join Claire and Rusty Orner for a tour of Quiet Creek Herb farm and learn how they have expanded their farm’s product line through value-added products and on-farm education.
• June 11 - Education as a Value-Added Product Farminar - June 11, 2013, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM online
• June 14 - Annual Tour of Rodale Institute - June 14, 2013, 9:30 AM – 2:00 PM at Rodale Institute, 611 Siegfriedale Road, Kutztown, PA 19530. During this year’s tour, Rodale staff will transport participants via wagon around the farm stopping to describe their current research and projects.
• June 19 - Twilight Meeting: Cut Flowers and Berries - June 19, 2013, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM at Pheasant Hill Farm, 3502 Main Road East, Emmaus, PA 18049. George and Melanie Devault have run Pheasant Hill Farm in Emmaus, PA since 1984. High tunnel producers since 1990 they grow vegetables, herbs, cut flowers and berries in their tunnels.
• June 26 - Urban Farming at Joshua Farm - June 26, 2013, 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM at Joshua Farm, 213 South 18th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17104. Join PA-WAgN’s 2013 mentor for Urban Farming and Food Access, Kirsten Reinford of Joshua Farm in Harrisburg, PA to learn how she took her dream of creating an urban farm to fruition.

News from Centre County Buy Fresh Buy Local

• CCBFBL E-Newsletter – May 16, 2013 Edition, including farmers market details.

News from Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture

• PASA E-Newsletter – May 16, 2013 Edition, including regional on-farm workshop dates, Allegheny Bike Fresh Bike Local info and more.
• June 29 – Forks Farm Tour & Potluck - 5-8 pm Details are available here, please RSVP.
• July 20 – Joint North Central & South Central Potluck at Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center - 5-8 pm. Details are available here, please RSVP.

May 25 – Fiber Arts Fest

The 1st Pennsylvania Fiber ArtsFest will be held at Juniata College, Huntingdon, PA, on Saturday, May 25. The ArtsFest will feature many aspects of fiber, such as spinning, weaving, embroidery, quilting, felting, rug hooking, knitting, and more!  There will be children’s activities, vendors, educational displays, demonstrations, and classes!

May 31 - FDA Produce Safety Standards Webinar

“Update on the new FDA Produce Safety Standards: Issues of Importance for Pennsylvania Produce Growers”  Speakers: Dr. Luke LaBorde, Associate Professor, Penn State Department of Food Science; Peggy Fogarty-Harnish, Farm Food Safety Program Coordinator. Hosted By: Penn State University Department of Food Science on Friday, May 31, 2013 12:00 PM EST

Presentation Details: On Friday, January 4, 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a draft Produce Safety Rule as required under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) of 2011.  This ruling will set mandatory standards designed to prevent microbial contamination of fresh produce including: use of agricultural water; application of soil amendments of animal origin; worker health and hygiene; the presence of animals in the growing area, and proper use and maintenance of equipment, tools and buildings. We will discuss the highlights of the requirements and important issues to consider in Pennsylvania. There are several considerations that may have a stronger impact on farmers in Pennsylvania compared to other states simply by the nature of how we do business here.  The small family farmer that has a mixed operation of produce and other farm enterprises such as milk, animal, or field crop production or an on-site bake shop, should educate themselves on a few specific issues.

Who should attend? Extension Educators, Industry leaders, Produce Growers, Produce Buyers. There is no cost to participate in this web seminar. The session will be approximately 60 minutes. Please join the webinar site by clicking here.  For More Information: please contact Peggy Fogarty-Harnish

June 1 – Spring Creek Festival & 5K

• Clearwater Conservancy 2013 Spring Creek Festival and 5K at Millbrook Marsh Nature Center.

June 10 – Centre County Climate Change Action Network – Beer & Wine Summit

(From Ed Perry)

On June 10 at 7:00 pm at the Unitarian Church, 780 Waupelani Drive, Pam and Doug Ford will give a presentation on how climate change is affecting the pollinators. They’ll also talk about how climate change is making life difficult for native plants.

June 22 – Summer Potluck Picnic

Spring Creek Homesteading organizes informal, family-friendly quarterly community potlucks bring together people interested in strengthening the local food system to share meals and build friendships. The next one is the Summer Potluck Picnic  on Saturday June 22, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Spring Creek Park, Pavilion #2. RSVP at SignUpGenius.

News from Owens Farm in Sunbury

• June 1 is the registration deadline for June 8 Piglets On Pasture, a full-day workshop dedicated to the fine art of raising piglets in a natural setting.
• June 22 – Summer Solstice Farm Dinner - Celebrate Summer Solstice with a unique dining experience at Owens Farm. Our hay meadow transforms into a fresh air restaurant for the evening, amidst rolling hills dotted with sheep. 

Upcoming Workshops at Oyler’s Organic Farm in Biglerville 

At Oyler’s Organic Farms in Biglerville PA:

• June 15 - Simply Spelt-  9am-12pm. Trying to incorporate whole grains into your diet for extra fiber?  Come learn how to easily incorporate spelt into your meals.  Participants will make a delicious spelt pound cake, spelt onion crackers, and a savory spelt kernel salad.  Spelt used in the class is from local certified organic Small Valley Milling. $35
• June 22 - Kids in the Kitchen- 9:30am-12pm -Children will learn the basics of measuring while cooking and safety in the kitchen while making some yummy snacks!  Everyone will be involved in making apple cinnamon granola and warm muffins.  Don’t wear your favorite shirt, it might get messy!  We suggest that kids ages 8 to 12 will enjoy this class.  $18
• July 11 – Water Bath Canning - 6pm-9pm  - Learn to preserve food safely and correctly.  This will be a hands-on workshop where you will learn the basics of home canning and practice your canning skills as a beginner or experienced preserver. $25
• July 18 - Freezing for Winter – 6pm-8:30pm Want an easy way to preserve your summer bounty?  Join us to learn the basics of freezing fruits and vegetables quickly and safely for a high quality product to enjoy during the winter months.  $25
• July 20 – Canning Under Pressure - 9am-12pm - Ever wonder why foods such as beans, corn, and meats, need to be preserved in a pressure canner?  Come learn the safe techniques and the basics to preserving healthy food using a pressure canner.  Participants will go through the hands on steps of pressure canning green beans.  Bring your own green beans from your garden or use our fresh green beans!  $35
• July 26 - Perfect Pickles - 9:30am-12:30pm - Do you have an abundance of cucumbers or just want to learn how to make your own bread and butter pickles?  This class will go over the basics of quick pickle processing and will have you adding pickle products to all your meals!  $35
• July 27 - Totally Tomato  - 9am-12pm - Learn how to can your ripe tomatoes during the summer so you can enjoy them all winter long.  After canning your tomatoes, learn how to make some scrumptious tomato basil soup, tomato juice, and spaghetti sauce.  $35
• August 1 - Simple Salsa - 6pm-9pm - Nothing can compare to the taste of homemade salsa!  Learn how to make our family’s all time favorite salsa recipes.  The class will preserve them using the hot water bath method.  You’ll never want to buy salsa from the store again!  $35
• August 3 - Farm Fresh Pizza for Kids  - 10am-12:30pm-  Kids will help create their own personal pizza with ingredients direct from the farm.  While the dough rises, kids will venture out into the garden to harvest ripe tomatoes and herbs for their pizza sauce.  We suggest that kids ages 8 to 12 will enjoy this class.  $18
• August 10 – Peaches Please!- 9am-12pm - Home canned peaches win the taste test every time!  In this class, participants will learn how to can peaches using the hot water bath method.  Participants will also learn how to make simple peach syrup that goes perfect with pancakes and French toast.  $35
• September 21 – A is for Apple -  9am-12pm - Would you like to enjoy your apples even after fall harvest is over?  Come join us for hands on experience on how to make applesauce, pie fill, and freezer pack apples.  Everyone will take home their preserved apple products from that day! $35
• November 2 - Fermented Foods - 9 am -12 pm - Join Maureen Diaz, local food preserver and local chapter leader of the Weston A. Price Foundation, as she teaches the art of fermentation. Maureen will demonstrate how to ferment various types of foods including fruits, vegetables, and dairy products.
• November 21 - Savory Winter Soups - 5:30pm-8:30pm- Interested in creative ways to use your root or winter vegetables? Come learn some great recipes and enjoy your vegetables all winter long including Roasted Vegetable Soup, Apple Squash Soup, and Creamy Bacon Cabbage.  $35
• December 7 - Christmas Cookies for Kids - 9:30am-12:30pm- Nothing tastes better then Christmas cookies made with pastured eggs and local ingredients.  A variety of Christmas cookies will be made and kids will learn will their local ingredients came from.  Every young cook will take home a sampling of their Christmas creations.  We suggest that kids ages 8 to 12 will enjoy this class.  $18

Brush Available for Hugelkultur

A blog reader writes: “I have a rather large supply of old brush/wood that I am using to construct my first hugelkulture and will have lots left over.  I wonder if anyone you are in touch with would be interested in using it?  I live 15 minutes north of State College.  I would really love if someone else of like mind could put it to use in their own garden.” Let me know if you’re interested, and I’ll forward your email to the reader.

Help out in the Sustainability Psychology Lab over the summer!

Are you looking for something to do over the summer which will build research skills and experience while making a positive difference in people’s lives and toward the future of our planet?  Come help out in the Sustainability Psychology Lab!  Many of our current projects are applied projects that seek to directly promote pro-environmental behavior and civic engagement, while the remainder of our projects will contribute to a basic understanding of how to conduct new types of behavioral sustainability projects in the future. If interested, please contact Nathan Geiger.

Open Letter to Glenn Thompson on King Amendment to the 2013 Farm Bill

(From Brian Burger of New Harmony Farmstead)

Folks who care about their food system need to ask “why” to Mr. Thompson and they need to ask Senators Toomey & Casey to squash the King Amendment as the Senate reviews the House’s Farm Bill.

Mr. Thompson -As my congressman and a member of the House Agriculture Committee I want you to know how very displeased I am over the committee’s approval of the pending 2013 Farm Bill “King Amendment” offered by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa). REP King is a known proponent of “Big-Ag”.  The King Amendment is popularly interpreted as a legality that will PROHIBIT STATE SOVEREIGNTY IN REGULATING OR LABELING GMO FOODS!! Maybe that works for REP King and his constituency.  It won’t work in PA, and it won’t work well for you.

I am a small-scale organic farmer.  Pennsylvania is a state proud of its heritage in small family farms.  There is also a growing interest and broad support element of the public at large to small-scale organic and sustainable agriculture and local food systems.  I would like to hear your explanation of the King Amendment, how you voted on that and where you believe this is going with the pending 2013 Farm Bill.

In all honesty, it is important that you know my family and our support-chain and advocates will look dimly upon your candidacy if “Big-Ag” is your allegiance over small family farms.

Sincerely yours,

Brian Burger, Coburn

Spring Creek Homesteading Update – May 22, 2013

Summer Reskilling Workshops

June 1 – Planting a Pollinator Garden & Building a Bee Box with Justin Wheeler – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 301 South Garner Ave. ($12 suggested donation. Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)

July 6 – Building Rain Barrels with Justin Wheeler – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 301 South Garner Ave. ($12 suggested donation. Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)

July 13 – Building a Backyard Chicken Coop with Woody Wilson – Saturday, 9 a.m. t0 1 p.m. Host family needed! If you’d like to host the workshop in your backyard, please let me know. The materials cost will be $200 for lumber and hardware. The workshop instructor and participants will provide the labor, and you’ll keep the finished coop. ($12 suggested donation for participants. Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)

August 3 – PCO FarmFest Homesteader Workshop Series:

• 1:00 p.m. - Using Cover Crops in Your Backyard Garden with Gene Bazan - Farmers, particularly organic farmers, use cover crops to improve soil structure, build fertility, control weeds and pests, attract beneficials, prevent soil loss and retain moisture. They look great, too. Cover crops realize these benefits at monetary, environmental and muscular costs lower than the industrial alternatives. Backyard gardeners can use cover crops too. In this introduction you will learn the varieties of cover crops, sources of seeds, how and when to use them, and how to incorporate their use within your food-growing activities. Gene Bazan and Tania Slawecki have been serious backyard food growers since 1997 when they took a bio-intensive mini-farming workshop with John Jeavons of Ecology Action in Willets, California. They have given talks and workshops at PASA, to local gardeners through Centre Region Parks and Recreation, through the Projects in Sustainable Living course at Penn State’s Center for Sustainability. They have posted considerable information on their website.
• 2:00 p.m. - Gardening for Pollinators & Native Bee Conservation with Justin Wheeler - Did you know that there are over 4000 species of bees native to North America, and that 1 of 3 bites of food we eat are dependent on these pollinators?  Like honeybees however, our native bees are in peril.  Loss of habitat and other environmental issues have lead to major declines in our native bee populations.  In this presentation we’ll explore the difference between native bees and honey bees, and discuss simple gardening practices you can adopt to help protect these beneficial pollinators.  Justin will also discuss native bee nesting habitats, and demonstrate simple and attractive nesting houses you can make at home. Justin Wheeler is a Penn State Extension Master Gardener of Centre County.  Justin provides educational outreach concerning pollinator gardening practices and issues of environmental sustainability through the Snetsinger Butterfly Garden at Tudek Park.  An area of special concern is preserving our native bee population by providing habitat and pollinator friendly gardening practices.
• 3:00 p.m. - Backyard Chickens with Nellie Bhattarai - Communities across our country are realizing the importance of bringing our food source closer to home.  Chicken ordinances have been recently been created in large cities like Atlanta and smaller ones like State College and surrounding townships, which allow for a few backyard birds on residential property.  In this program we’ll discuss the two primary reasons (education and nutrition) that our family has chickens, issues related to health and safety of keeping chickens, and the importance of communication and respectful balance within your community. Nellie Bhattarai is a local horticultural therapist and mom.  Upbringing in rural PA, education at Penn State, and service as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nepal helped to expose her to ideas and practices in sustainability.  As a board member for the Harris Township Community Garden, she leads an effort toward educating our youth, encouraging a closer connection with our food source, and building community relationships through gardening.  Our home is a great example of how you can do a lot with a little space…raising chickens and rabbits, vegetable and flower gardens, mushroom logs, composting, berry bushes, and still have lots of space for a sandbox and a place to play!
• 4:00 p.m. - Canning Summer Fruits with Josh Lambert - The growing interest in local foods and gardening have spurred a similar interest in home food preservation.  Home canning can provide a safe, cost-effective, and tasty way to preserve fruits and vegetables for consumption throughout the year.  This program will provide novice canners basic information about how to safely can high acid foods such as peaches, applesauce, pickles, and jams.  Josh will provide an introduction into relevant issues of food safety, information about what supplies you will need and where to get them, as well as a demonstration of the process of canning high acid foods with a boiling water bath canner. Josh Lambert is the President of the Board of Directors of Spring Creek Homesteading Fund and has been a home canner for more than 10 years.  Josh is also an Associate Professor of Food Science at Penn State.  He has experience with both water bath and pressure canning fruits, vegetables, jams and jellies.

Spring Creek Homesteading Information Resources

• 5.16.13 SCHF Update (Monthly E-Newsletter) – Includes our first homesteader survey. If you receive the e-newsletter in your email inbox, please fill out at least the first question in the survey: “Do you want to continue receiving the Spring Creek Homesteading e-newsletter?” Starting with the July 2013 issue, e-newsletters will only be sent to people who have answered “Yes” to that first survey question.
• UPDATE – If you are not already a subscriber, you can subscribe here.

New! Editorial Guidelines:

• Weekly Blog Post: Within a year, I plan to transition the online blog to a paper newsletter published weekly on a hand-powered letterpress printer and distributed through local-focused downtown State College businesses and organizations. (Heading to Iowa for a Ladies of Letterpress conference in late June). In the meantime (until the printing system is ready to go) I’ll continue to post weekly Wednesday compilations of local sustainability news here at the blog. If you have an event or announcement for upcoming Wednesday editions of the Homesteaders’ Quarto, the submission deadline is Tuesday at noon each week. Announcements should be up to 200 words, and include the event title, brief description, date, time, location, cost and contact for more information.
• Monthly E-Newsletter: Starting in May 2013, e-newsletters will be published once a month, around the 15th. If you have an event or announcement for upcoming monthly editions of Spring Creek Homesteading News, the submission deadline is the 10th of the month. Announcements should be up to 200 words, and include the event title, brief description, date, time, location, cost and contact for more information.

Tuesday Farmers Market Previews – May 21, 2013

Boalsburg Farmers Market 

(From Jim Eisenstein)

The Boalsburg Farmers Market is open Tuesdays from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the PA Military Museum.

We had a wonderful first outdoor market last Tuesday – lots of happy customers and lots of great stuff.

This week will be even better.  Here are a few highlights for May 21.

• Harold Kreider will be back with his very popular hot house big beef tomatoes, picked red ripe.
• One of our new vendors, Sweet Heat Gourmet, has gluten free, dairy-free morel mushroom pesto made entirely with ingredients from local farms, including our own Clan Stewart Farm and Jade Family Farm.
• Clan Stewart will be bringing the first parsley of the year along with mustard greens (among other things)
• Jade Family Farm will have French breakfast radishes, rhubarb, and lots of other greens
•  Tamarack Farms will have greens, plus tomato, pepper and kale plants)
• Ardry Farms will have greens and spring onions
• Jonas Beiler Family Farm will have greens and duck eggs (where else can you get them?)
• Pipers Peck has a special – buy-one-get-one-free fudge
• Stone Meadow offers a special on its pastured raised, grass fed ground beef  – three pounds for $5.00 a pound
• Bill Calahan of Cow-A-Hen Farm says he can meet “All your Memorial Day grilling needs,” with hotdogs, hamburgers, and sausages
• Bee Kind Winery will bring a new variety – Vignal, a sweet white wine with a tropical flavor
• Clover Creek Cheese Cellars is bringing its first Pirate Blue cheese for 2913, along with lots of other aged cheeses.
• Soap Sprite is back with over two dozen naturally scented hand soaps
• You also should check out the offers of another new vendor, Sweet Sunrise Bakery
• Gemelli Bakers will have its usual wide selection of breads and sweets
• Fasta Pasta its fresh-made pasta products
• Wild for Salmon has its wild-caught sockeye salmon products
• Byler Goat Diary will have something really special all summer – raw goat milk ice-cream, black raspberry and vanilla.  It took almost two years to learn how to make, and goat ice cream is very rare.

Last week, the Poe Valley Troubadours provided wonderful music.  This week, Picker and Papa will perform from 4:00 to 5:30.  We hope to see you there.

Tuesday Downtown State College Farmers’ Market

(From Betsy Green)

The Tuesday market is open from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Locust Lane. Vendors and products this week:

• Larksmirth Manor will feature hardy flowering perennials dug from Sarah’s Rebersburg garden….locally acclimated!
• Hidden Hollow Farms will be bringing lettuce mixes, asparagus, rhubarb and scallions.  Also, homemade baked goods.
• Green Acres Farm has honey, radishes, asparagus, Buttercrunch lettuce and rhubarb.
• Louisa from Bell and Whistle wants you to try her fresh-squeezed limeade, French macaroons and some of her other gluten-free baked goods, including vegan items.
• Dessie from Dn’D Farms has lovely goats milk sunscreen and hand lotions; also pet treats.  CSA meat shares are now available.
• Underhill Farm:  William wants folks to know that he’s having a yarn sale: 15% off his $15. & $18. yarns.  They’re beautiful!  Come see what he has to sell.
• Sam from Cottage Confectioner makes unique vegan baked goods using loose leaf teas and freshly ground coffee.  Also great tasting tea cookies, tea cakes and breakfast bars.
• Sun & Moon Creations:  All natural vegan soaps…try her HIPPY SOAP….also, all natural insect repellent.  Check out Tammy’s Facebook page for special offers.
• Spring Bank Acres:  Samuel wants you to know that he has eggs, awesome cheese, ICE CREAM, milk and yogurt.  Also rabbit & chicken meat.  Available now: radishes, spring onions, asparagus rhubarb and mixed greens.
• Dan from Red Hawk Premium Peppers will be bringing his entire line of hot sauces, mustard, relish & hot jams.  With our cold snap over, look for hot pepper plants and pepper seeds.
• Barrie & Mandy of Moser’s Produce will be bringing Sweeter Yet’ CUCUMBERS and baby spinach.  Check out his nearly 300 varieties of tomatoes!  Lots of pepper plants too.
• Betsy from Egg Hill Gardens will have spring salad mix, arugula, Asian Stir-fry mix, cut flower bouquets and a nice selection of perennial flowering plants and herbs.

Front Burner, Back Burner – May 10, 2013

Overview of how & where things are going with Spring Creek Homesteading Fund.

Centre Daily Times

I’m working on a roundup column for early June publication, similar to the last roundup column, published on January 19, 2013  - Localization initiatives are thriving.

Constant Contact Newsletter

• Publication Changes – Starting this month, Spring Creek Homesteading News e-newsletters will only come out once a month, around the 15th of each month. If you want an event announcement put into the newsletter, the submission deadline is the 10th of each month. Event blurbs should be up to 200 words, and include the event title, brief description, date, time, location, cost and contact for more information.
• Survey – There will be a survey in the May 15 edition, seeking reader feedback about how people use the newsletter, reskilling workshops and a few other things. The information will be used to cull non-readers from the subscribers list and sharpen our workshop focus for Fall 2013.
• Back Issues – Newsletter back issues are online at the “About” page.

Democracy School

Stop the PSU Pipeline organizers have scheduled a Democracy School for June 14 and 15, giving residents an opportunity to learn more about the State College Community Bill of Rights and how it can be used to build a sustainable energy future for the Borough. Scholarships are available for anyone interested in attending. To sign up for the Democracy School, contact Joe Cusumano. To request a scholarship, contact me.

Energy Sovereignty Website

The Stop the PSU Pipeline campaign is currently in a holding pattern while Penn State and Columbia Gas re-examine other pipeline routes and the Borough prepares to consider a recent request for permit application withdrawal in a few weeks. Recent posts include:

• Monday Morning Pipeline News – May 6, 2013
• The Timeline So Far – October 10, 2012 – May 3, 2013
• Withholding Consent – May 3, 2013
• Sarah Klinetob’s Good Idea
• Monday Morning Pipeline News – April 29, 2013

Grants and Loans

The most recent grant we funded was a $500 grant to Woody Wilson at Wilson’s Homegrown Farms and Marilyn LaVelle at the Burrowes Youth Haven, to build, plant and maintain a raised bed food garden at the teen shelter this spring and summer. More information is available at the “Programs” page, under “Microfunding”

Homesteaders Handbook

Copies of the Homesteaders Handbook – chock full of useful information about farms, gardens, local food production, processing and markets in Central PA – are available for sale at Webster’s Bookstore Cafe, for $15 each. If you’re not in the current edition and would like to be included in next winter’s update edition, please email me your information.

Keller Street Community Garden

Ten of the 12 available plots are now reserved and about half of the gardeners have started preparing and planting their plots. They look great and it’s so nice to see the garden being so well cared for! Gary Fosmire has just about finished installing the irrigation tap, and Master Gardener Justin Wheeler is planning a pollinator flower and herb garden for the raised beds; the pollinator garden will be installed during a community garden work day on June 15. If you’re interested in applying for the remaining thr plots, check out the garden policies and email me for more information.

2013 PCO FarmFest

Spring Creek Homesteading is coordinating the homesteaders’ education track for the 2013 PCO FarmFest, presenting four demonstration workshops in the afternoon on August 3 at the Grange Fairgrounds in Centre Hall. Workshops include:

• Canning Summer Fruits – Joshua Lambert
• Pollinator Gardens & Native Bee Nesting Blocks – Justin Wheeler
• Keeping Backyard Chickens – Nellie Bhattarai
• Cover Cropping in the Backyard Garden – Instructor pending

PSU Student Farm

Rachel Hoh has written an excellent history of the Penn State student-run farm, including case studies of student-run farms at other Big 10 universities: PSU College Farm Thesis. Rachel is interning this summer at Penn State’s Sustainability Institute, and one of her projects is to continue developing the student-run farm. Contact Rachel for more information or to get involved in her work.

Reskilling Workshops

Summer Workshops include:

• June 1 – Planting a Pollinator Garden & Building a Bee Box with Justin Wheeler – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 301 South Garner Ave. (Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)
• July 6 – Building Rain Barrels with Justin Wheeler – Saturday, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. at 301 South Garner Ave. (Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)
• We’re working to schedule Building a Backyard Chicken Coop with Woody Wilson and Building a Solar Drier with Lynne Heritage.

Spring Creek Homesteading Potluck

June 22 – The Summer Potluck will be a Potluck Picnic in Pavilion #2 at Spring Creek Park from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. RSVP at SignUpGenius. Charcoal and grills will be available if you want to bring meat or vegetables to grill…

Spring Creek Homesteading Website

Within a year or so, I hope to transition the blog to a paper newsletter published weekly on a hand-powered letterpress printer and distributed through local-focused downtown State College businesses and organizations. Although I expect to start with a home-based printing operation, eventually the project might move into a letterpress studio downtown, equipped to provide a community space for non-electric printing services and letterpress printing workshops.

In the meantime, I’ll continue to post compilations of local sustainability news – weekly on Wednesdays here at the blog. If you have an event or announcement for upcoming Wednesday editions of the Homesteader’s Quarto, the submission deadline is Tuesday at noon each week. Event blurbs should be up to 200 words, and include the event title, brief description, date, time, location, cost and contact for more information.

Spring Creek Homesteading Governance

Our current Board of Directors has been in place since our founding in August 2011, and includes President Josh Lambert, Secretary Dana Stuchul and me as both Treasurer and Program Director. I’d like to step down as Treasurer in the next few months, so we’re in the process of looking for a new Treasurer. We’re also considering increasing the size of the Board from three to five members, to better distribute our growing workload.

Street Fairs

June 22 - Spring Creek Homesteading Fund will have a table at this year’s Summer’s Best Music Fest. We would like to invite former workshop instructors, former workshop students, and others that have participated in a homesteading event to help us table. The event runs from 12 pm – 8 pm on June 22. Our table will be part of the Calder Way “Community Corridor” which highlights organizations that support the local community.

We would like to get pairs of volunteers to sit for two-hour shifts.  The idea would be for you to help us hand out SCHF literature, answer questions based on your experience, and basically help us show others in the community the impact that SCHF is having toward furthering local community resilience, and having fun doing it. Please contact Josh Lambert (237-0996) to sign-up for a time slot.

Taproot Community Kitchen

The spring fundraiser for Taproot Community Kitchen raised $300, now held in a dedicated checking account until we make some decisions about how to proceed.

At our Spring Potluck on March 22, Holly D’Angelo of Fox Hill Gardens and Transition Town State College mentioned that the Grace Lutheran Church kitchen – where Meals on Wheels are prepared – might be a certified commercial kitchen, and organizers might be interested in renting out the kitchen for public use. If a volunteer takes on the Taproot Kitchen project (see “Volunteer” update below), the next step will probably be reaching out to John Peters, the Green Team coordinator at Grace Lutheran, to explore a potential partnership similar to the agreement between Spring Creek Homesteading and State College Friends Meeting regarding management of the Keller Street Community Garden.

Also in mid-March, I talked with Jeremy Bean at the PSU Sustainability Institute about his 2-3 year plan to get the student farm at PSU up and running. Jeremy wants to include a community kitchen facility within the student farm complex and will be working with Rachel Hoh to move the college farm project along over the summer.

So our loose strategic plan is to pursue rental opportunities in the Grace Lutheran kitchen for a couple of years, while working with Jeremy to pursue the PSU farm kitchen for a permanent community kitchen.

WoodWorks

Our basement workshop is still available for homesteaders with building projects that require tools you don’t have and don’t want to buy. We have a table saw, mitre saw, router, jig saw and drill press. Details and liability waiver at the “Programs” page under “WoodWorks.”

Volunteer Projects

There are several local food projects now on the back burner that would benefit from some focused volunteer attention. Generally, projects move forward incrementally, with various people pushing a little bit here and there and good stuff taking on more defined shape over months or years of work.

Some of the current back burner projects that are ripe for some pushing include:

• Taproot Community Kitchen – Creating a user-friendly public kitchen for food prep, parties, catering businesses, etc.
• State College Area School District Farm-to-Table – Increasing the amount of locally-raised food prepared and served in SCASD cafeterias.
• PSU Farm-to-Table – Increasing the amount of locally-raised food prepared and served in PSU dining halls
• Itinerant Farmhands Inc. – Creating a pool of trained, skilled farm labor available for short-term, low-cost hire by area farmers.
• PSU College Farm – Creating a student-run farm within PSU for education and food production

If you’re interested in working on any of those projects over the summer, please contact me to set up a time to meet. I can fill you in with a general overview of the project, give you my files documenting progress to date, plus some contact information for key people working on the project and some ideas about possible next steps.

Volunteers will follow leads wherever they go, gather information about opportunities, obstacles, etc. and check in  with me occasionally to discuss thoughts about where to go/what to do next. When you hit your limit of how much time you want to work on the project, write up your experiences, lessons-learned, and so forth, for me to keep track of and pass along to the next people who work on that project. It’s an open-format assignment, but I find that’s actually how sustainability work often plays out.

——————-

Personal Note:

I’m taking a break from blog editing until Monday, May 20, for burnout prevention.

College Township Backyard Hens & Happy Valley Timebank

College Township Backyard Hens Update

(From Scott Stilson)

At their May 2 meeting, the College Township Council voted 4-1 in favor of keeping the chicken ordinance alive!

The next step — and an important one — is the public hearing on Thursday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. A public hearing is where Council invites anyone who has anything to say about backyard hens to come and say it. They’ll be putting ads out in the CDT to make sure that everybody in the township knows that Council is going to take a binding vote.

If we are outnumbered at the public hearing by folks opposed to backyard hens, our chances of getting this ordinance passed are sunk. So:

1. Mark your calendars and come!
2. Tell your friends to mark their calendars and come!
3. If you can’t come, email Council in early July to voice your support!

Many thanks to everyone who showed up May 2. Even though not many of us spoke, I believe our sheer numbers did. Let’s bring even more folks on July 18 — and everybody make sure to say something then!

Happy Valley Timebank Update

(From Sean Morgan)

Spring is here! What a wonderful time to ask for or offer assistance with spring cleaning and gardening. Also, if you are a gardener its a wonderful time to offer starts of your plants. If you want to garden its a great time to request the type of starts you would like. I’m offering spinach seedlings.

Keep posted for our first timebank potluck in June.

If you need any help at all with creating a profile and using the site, don’t hesitate to call me at 717-461-2227 or feel free to email. If anyone would like to volunteer to call up members who are not active, please let me know. We have around 100 members but only a dozen are active.

There is a wealth of untapped skills to be shared – now is the time to offer your gifts and be open to receiving!