I’ll be mining the newsletter subscriber survey results for a long time, there’s so much good information about community interests in there that will help guide Spring Creek Homesteading’s work over the next few years.
As a first look at what local homesteading people are thinking about, here’s a summary of the first 58 responses to the question:
“Please list topics for up to four workshops that, if offered, you would be interested in attending.”
Advanced Bread Baking
Aiding local insect and animal populations as weather changes
Alternate energy or appropriate technology topic (including home energy, transportation, equipment) at a moderate to advanced level
Animal powered farming/cultivation
Anything with meat
Apartment composting
Backyard chickens: caring for them
Baking
Basic carpentry skills
Basic or advanced cooking
Basics of French Cooking
Basic permaculture ideologies
Beekeeping
Bike repair
Bread-making
Building a grape arbor structure
Community tool library
Candle making
Canning and preserving
Cheese-making
Cleaning and carding raw wool
Cooking using seasonally available local foods
Converting cooking oil or grease into fuel for cars or heat
Crop rotation made easy
Cured meats
Dealing with increase in local pests (mosquitos, ticks)
Deterring squirrels in the garden/yard
Dutch oven cooking
Edible spring wild plants
Energy efficiency
Exotic Mushroom cultivation
Fermenting – drinks and foods
Food Prep
Gardening soil additions
Gardening
Group Canning Sessions (a series)
Hands-on canning workshop
Herb gardens
Home brewing
Home repair and maintenance topics
How to grow all your own food and store it all year long
How to use a backyard smoker for trout, barbecue, etc.
Lotion Making
Making homemade salves and ointments
Marketing strategies
Milk jug greenhouses
Morels – gathering
Native plants
Natural cleaning supplies
Natural fiber dyes – growing/harvesting and using
Pickup truck sharing
Plant grafting
Preparing fresh foods
Pressure canning
Preserving herbs/spices (or other garden foods)
Retooling for non-fossil fuel energy sources in affordable ways
Root cellars – building and using
Sewing
Small ruminants
Soap Making
Soup making with several types and the recipes for them
Starting hops/hops yard
Straw Bale construction
Straw bale gardening
Tie-dying
Top bar beehives – from construction to first bees
Rain barrels
Reducing backyard runoff
Vegetable gardening
What to plant where based on soil
Wine making
and
“Apart from informational resources, reskilling workshops and potluck socials, what other activities would you like to see Spring Creek Homesteading organize or participate in?”
I think it’s pretty damn good as it is. I would hope that eventually Spring Creek Homesteading will help stimulate and be part of a wider local movement to experiment with alternative economic models (e.g. worker-owned businesses), including the creation of local light industry. But I don’t think SCH needs to do everything!
I really appreciate the community organizing efforts, whether that is keeping people informed of local issues, or small grant opportunities. I’d like more info on fundraising opportunities (opportunities to give) for future grants or initiatives.
I think SCH is a great thing and I’m glad to be involved in it.
I don’t really have any other activities to suggest.
Keep up the great work!!!
THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU ALREADY DO!
Perhaps you could join with Lemont Village summer Friday night concerts or other groups to expand SCH’s reach.
Keep up your support/involvement with the Friends & Farmers Cooperative..thanks for that!!
I need to get involved, first!
Community Tool Bank
Maybe have a booth at a farmer’s market for information
Occasional joint activities with other communities
Just keep doing what you are doing. Listening, adding, re-evaluating. Thank you so much for all you do.
Garden tour, green home tour, tool library.
Work groups for tree planting (in forests) and invasives in the habitat cleanup
Sustainable energy co-ops for solar and wind generated power
Seems like you are doing a great job as it is.
Bike rides
Hikes
Local restaurant tours
I’d like to see Taproot Kitchen take off or be integrated with Friends and Farmers Co-op
That seems like work enough and good work at that. There has been good work on this front, don’t try to do too much and reduce the quality of content. There are a lot of other organizations that you post updates to that already do a lot of work on some of the fronts you seem to want to expand to.
Perhaps a kayaking/canoeing or camping trip.
A family campfire/ bonfire event
Food or decorating ideas for the holidays
I’m so profoundly grateful for all the responses and support and encouragement, and very much looking forward to incorporating many of these ideas going forward. Thank you!
Egg Hill Gardens: ‘Sugar Ann’ Sugar Peas & French Heirloom Snow Peas….lettuce mix, kale, Swiss Chard & mustard greens. Green garlic & scapes for making pesto!
Boalsburg Farmers Market – June 18 & 25
(From Jim Eisenstein)
Open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the PA Military Museum.
Our June 18 market falls between two of the special events scheduled for this summer and fall. Last week (June 11), our co-manager Tony Sapia of Gemelli’s Bakers, with the assistance of local food writer Anne Quinn Corr, conducted our first Kids Day cooking demonstration. We invited third graders from Our Lady of Victory, Gray’s Woods Elementary, and Friends School to the event and gave them a voucher good for $5 worth of purchases. Check out pictures of the event on our Facebook page. If you didn’t catch the front page article in the CDT about the event, here is a link to it.
This week (June 18) will be a regular market, but since we are entering the beginning of the season for summer crops, it will feature a wonderful variety of top quality fresh produce, herbs, new cheeses, dairy products, flowers, meats, pasta, breads, soaps, sauces, apple products, and more. The salmon fishing season in Alaska also starts soon, so this will be your last chance to purchase Wild for Salmon’s wild-caught Sockeye until they return in market in late summer.
And if you like good music, come hear Steve Crawford sing and play from 3:00 to 5:00.
Next week (June 25) our first grown-ups’ Learning Kitchen of the season will feature a cooking demonstration by Mark Johnson (Elk Creek Cafe) and two of the Jade Garden Restaurant’s bartenders, Sc’Eric and Chris Young using fresh ingredients from the market. The demonstrations will begin at 2:00 o’clock.
Both events reflect the commitment of the Boalsburg Farmers Market to help build the local food revolution that is gathering momentum all over the country. We are more than a collection of local producers seeking to sell the fruit of their labors. We want to introduce children to the value of local, fresh foods and other products and help their parents learn innovative ways to prepare them.
Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers, who initiated the learning kitchens last year, notes that “These learning kitchens are part of the Boalsburg Farmers Market’s efforts to educate the guests who patronize our market in new ways to use the wonderful fresh, locally grown products they see at the market.”
We hope you will come to help us celebrate the glories of locally produced food.
Other Upcoming Events at the Boalsburg Farmers Market:
July 16 – Learning Kitchen #2
August 6 – Third Annual Golden Basket Award Chefs Competition
September 11 – Second Annual Plow to Plate Harvest Dinner at the Mt. Nittany Winery, featuring a full meal prepared by local chefs using fresh ingredients from the market.
June 22 – “The Woods in Your Backyard” Workshop – Register TODAY
Register By Today (June 17) for “The Woods in Your Backyard” Workshop on June 22 at 9 a.m. at the Forest Resources Building at PSU. ”Would you like to reduce your lawn, plant trees, and invite wildlife to your suburban lot?…Penn State Extension, Forestry For the Bay, Clearwater Conservancy, Penn State Master Gardeners, and the Centre County Conservation District have assembled outstanding speakers who will share their knowledge about creating or improving wildlife habitat, tree identification and care, tree planting and native landscaping, forest ecology, woodlot management techniques, invasive plant identification, and more. Enhancing or creating natural areas and woodland on your property reduces mowing, welcomes wildlife, and creates a backyard forest.”
To register Click Here or call 355-4897. Participants must be pre-registered by Monday June 17, 2013. A $20 fee is being charged per person to cover program costs ($35 for multiple registrants from the same household), and includes lunch and educational materials. For more info, contact the Penn State Extension office in Centre County by phone at 355-4897 or by e-mail.
Blog posting is getting a bit haphazard, what with kids out of school for the summer and so forth…hope to have more time to compile more info next week…
FARMERS MARKETS - What’s in season?
From Centre County Buy Fresh Buy Local: “Strawberries are still coming in strong, along with juicy hot house tomatoes. Vendors will now have carrots, broccoli, cucumbers and swiss chard, perfect to mix with a variety of greens like arugula, salad mix, kale, spinach and more. Add a burst of flavor in your favorite dish with some beets, radishes, onions and garlic scapes. Herbs and seasonings will be plentiful, as well as lots of year-round items like cheese, meat,eggs, bread, canned & prepared goods, baked goods, and wine. You’ll also find handmade items like soaps and body care products as well as other crafts.”
Fridays: Downtown State College (11:30am to 5:30pm on Locust Lane)
Tuesdays: State College (11:30am to 5:30pm on Locust Lane)
Tuesdays: Boalsburg (2pm to 6pm at the PA Military Museum)
Wednesdays: Lemont (2pm to 6pm at the Granary)
Saturdays: Bellefonte (8am to 12pm at the Gamble Mill)
Saturdays: Millheim (10am to 1pm at the American Legion Post)
Saturdays North Atherton (10am to 2pm at Home Depot)
UPCOMING SUMMER HOMESTEADING EVENTS
June 15 – Planting the Keller Street Community Garden Pollinator Beds – Saturday, 1 p.m. at the Keller Street Community Garden at State College Friends Meeting House, 611 E. Prospect Ave. No sign up needed.
June 15 – Centre County Black Hops Unit and Hoppy Valley Home Brew Club – Beer Brewing with Potluck Barbecue – 10 a.m. at 212 Oakley Dr. in State College. Contact Jens Breffke for details.
From Jens Breffke: “ Hello hoperators! This is a friendly reminder that we’ll meet this Saturday for brewing at my place on Saturday morning (let’s say 10ish!?). I hope you will stop by for a little while even you don’t plan on brewing. We will have the grill running for a BBQ potluck. Please let me know if and what you’ll bring. Heads up: Get your yeast starter going today, tomorrow the latest. I got already fresh yeast from Otto’s last night, Aaron and me picked up 28 gallons of apple cider from Way Fruit Farm in Port Matilda yesterday and will brew also beer. We’ll have many burners going so please let me know if you come with your equipment just so we can plan the space ahead. Weather forecast is looking good so far for Saturday. Let’s hope it stays that way. But my double size garage can fit a lot of people and burners. Hope to see you on Saturday!”
June 22 – Common Weeds of Central PA and Non-Herbicide Strategies for Management with Elina Snyder – Saturday 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Keller Street Community Garden at State College Friends Meeting House, 611 E. Prospect Ave. (Call 237-0996 or email to sign up)
June 22 – Seed Saving Workshop with Matt Sullenberger – Saturday 10 a.m. at the Penn State Community Garden off Pollock Porter Road.
From Scott Salesky of the PSU Community Garden: “If you’re interested in growing and preserving rare heirloom plant varieties, maintaining genetic diversity, and developing strains of plants that are uniquely adapted for your growing conditions, you may be interested in our next workshop at the Community Garden, which will be held on Saturday, June 22 beginning at 10 am. The workshop will focus on Seed Saving, and will be led by Matt Sullenberger, a PSU graduate student in Plant Science. Matt does research in tomato breeding and genetics, and is especially passionate about tomatoes and peppers. We hope to see you there!”
June 22 – Homesteaders’ Summer Potluck Picnic on Saturday June 22, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Spring Creek Park, Pavilion #2. RSVP at SignUpGenius.
June 22 – Summer Solstice Celebration at Tait Farm in Centre Hall – Fundraiser for Centre County Farmland Trust.
June 30 – Happy Valley Timebank Concert at Webster’s
From Sean Morgan: “I’m so excited to announce Happy Valley Time Bank’s first in personevent! It will be held at a wonderful community space, Webster’sBookstore Cafe at 133 E Beaver Ave in Downtown State College on Sunday June 30. The intimate brunch concert starts at noon and runs until 2 pm. The cost is free! Soulful singer-songwriter and guitarist Eric Ian Farmer will perform starting at noon. My alter ego, torchsinger-songwriter Sean O’Donoghue will take the stage at 1:30 pm. This is an opportunity for time bank members to get to know one another and for the public to learn about the time bank. Volunteers will be available to help prospective members sign up during the event. You can get a taste of Eric Ian Farmer’s soulful sound at VocallyGrown.com. You can listen to Sean O’Donoghue’s original jazz inspired songwriting at SonicLoving.com.” Happy Valley Timebank’s mission is to foster community connections through hour-for-hour exchanges of all of our unique gifts. To post an offer or request, go to the link.
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)
From Justin Wheeler: “I will be providing all the necessary tools and supplies to build a basic rain barrel – but they should supply their own container/barrel. I’ll be showing examples made from a food grade barrel, and a tower made from storage bins that are stacked and “daisy chained” together. Participants though may find it easiest to use a heavy duty trash can such as this one. If using a trash can, it cannot be thin plastic – it must be of a heavy duty “rubbermaid” type material. Participants are welcome to bring any barrel they like however, and if they have questions about what can be used should contact me.”
July 13 – Building a Backyard Chicken Coop with Woody Wilson – Saturday, 9 a.m. t0 1 p.m. Host family/location needed! Pay $200 for materials, get free labor and a finished coop by the end of the workshop! (Call 237-0996 for more info.)
August 3 – PCO FarmFest Homesteader Workshop Series:
Cover Cropping in the Backyard Garden with Gene Bazan
Gardening for Pollinators and Native Bee Conservation with Justin Wheeler
Action Alert – Contact Senators to Support 2013 Farm Bill Amendments
Note from PASA’s Brian Snyder on June 3 – “…This week the US Senate returns to debating the Farm Bill, and we can use this opportunity to protect local food from industrial-scale food safety regulations. Key senators have offered Farm Bill amendments that would fix major problems with proposed food safety rules from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA). The local food movement nationwide needs your help to get these critical reforms a vote on the Senate floor…”
Friends & Farmers Co-op Survey
(From Rachel Hoh)
Friends & Farmers Cooperative, a recently incorporated co-op in State College, is working to bring a community-owned grocery store to the area. But the co-op needs your help. We’re currently asking community members to fill out a survey that will glean important information about our next steps. It takes just three minutes to fill out, yet it’s critical to our progress. The link to the survey is here.
June 7 & 8 – Millheim Mayfly Celebration
Enjoy all that central Pennsylvania has to offer at the Millheim Mayfly Festival, June 7 & 8. Beginning Friday evening, June 7, Main Street Millheim will be lined with street musicians, live artists, craft and food vendors, demonstrations, and other surprises. Take part in the fun by bringing along your bicycle, your family, and your sense of adventure.
The Millheim Mayfly Festival is hosted by the Millheim Business Community (MBC), a non-profit organization that works to foster healthy economic and cultural development of Millheim and the valley region through community cooperation, entrepreneurial innovation, and local governance. To find out more visit Millheim Mayfly Festival on Facebook.
News from Centre County Buy Fresh Buy Local
CCBFBL E-News – May 31 Edition, including farmers market listings and more:
“Warmer weather is bringing in new items – and we’re super excited to see strawberries making their spring appearance and you can also get hot house tomatoes. For now at markets you’ll find a variety of greens - arugula, salad mix, kale, spinach, andmore - along with beets and green garlic. You’ll also see the last of the asparagus, radishes, rhubarb, spring onions. You’ll always find lots of year-round items like cheese, meat, eggs,bread, canned & prepared goods, baked goods, and wine. You’ll also find handmade items like soaps and body care products as well as other crafts…”
News from Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture
Despite President Obama’s promise to take decisive action on climate change, his rhetoric has not been followed up with action. The president missed his own court-mandated April deadline that required the Environmental Protection Agency to final its rule requiring new power plants to reduce emissions. We are still waiting. But already, wildlife all across our country is being adversely affected by climate change. Scientists predict some species simply won’t make it. For us humans, how many more droughts, floods, wildfires, and hurricanes will it take before our elected representatives finally decide to take action to protect us and future generations? Elected officials, sportsmen, climate scientists, moms, dads, business owners, and members of the faith community will speak out and demand action on climate change.
June 10 – 20 community leaders will demand action on climate changeat Schlow Library, State College on Monday June 10, 2013, from 3:00 – 3:30 p.m. Speakers will be available 15 minutes before the formal presentations begin to take questions from the media. Speakers include Elizabeth Goreham - Mayor of State College; Dr. Ray Najjar, Climate Scientist; Steve Sywensky - owner of Fly Fishers Paradise; Charles Dumas - former candidate for the 5th Congressional District; Mark Henry – hunter, angler and life member, PA Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.
June 19 – Letterwriting Session at Ed Perry’s House - ”A couple of months ago, I held a letter writing session at Websters Cafe and Bookstore. I propose to hold another one – at my house – where we can sit out on the deck and have some beverages and snacks, at 6 p.m. on June 19 at 6:00 p.m., 440 Brush Valley Road in Boalsburg. We need to keep the pressure on the White House, and let our fellow citizens know there are others out there that are also concerned about climate change and want action. Please let me know if you plan to come.
June 11 – First Annual Kids Day Learning Kitchen at Boalsburg Farmers Market
(From Jim Eisenstein)
Third graders from three local schools have been invited to attend “kids day” at the Boalsburg Farmers Market on Tuesday, June 11. The highlight of the event will be a cooking demonstration by Tony Sapia of Gemelli Bakers that will show children how to make simple dishes using ingredients obtained from the market. After the demonstration, the vendors at the market will answer questions from the children about how they grow and make the products sold at the market, and the children will be encouraged to purchase items themselves.
Market co-manager Sapia explained that the intent of kids day is “to introduce kids to the variety of fresh products available at farmers markets, to introduce them to some of the ways they can be used, and to give them the experience of purchasing items themselves.” The event is part of a broader effort by the Boalsburg Farmers Market to make children aware of the importance of the healthy foods available from local growers. The market is a co-sponsor of the new Grays Woods elementary school garden, and plans to sponsor a “locally-sourced lunch” in several local schools this fall.
Third Graders from Grays Woods Elementary School, Our Lady of Victory, and the Friends School have been specially invited to the event, but all children are encouraged to attend. The cooking demonstration begins at 3:00 at the market, which is held at the Pennsylvania Military Museum on Business Route 322 (S. Atherton) in Boalsburg. The market runs every Tuesday from 2:00 PM till 6:00 PM, and there is ample on-site free parking.
Tuesdays at 5:30 at Rec Park Community Center. Register in person at the Farmers Market welcome tent on market days from 3-7 p.m. or by email. Attend 5 classes to get a free cookbook: ‘Simply in Season.’ Lewistown Farmers Market Flier.
At our farm store, we are offering local salad greens, asparagus(limited quantities), rhubarb and more! Check our cooler case for everything you need for a delicious, local salad including greens, Pennsylvania mushrooms, baby carrots, cucumbers, onions and then top it off with our homemade croutons and a bottle of Apple Cider Vinaigrette made in our Way Café and Bakery. We also have lots of locally-raised meats for grilling.Eating healthy and local never tasted so good!
Michele Marchetti writing in StateCollege.com - ”The revamped menu at Whiskers at The Nittany Lion Inn includes the following footnote: “As you read through this menu keep in mind that you are participating in a grand experiment in local food…”
June 22 – Summer Solstice Celebration at Tait Farm in Centre Hall
“Our annual free event will feature a variety of food and beverage offerings from local farms and restaurants, live music, farm & food related children’s activities, hayrides, self-guided farm tours, a silent auction and more. This family friendly day is a ‘feel good’ community event centered around the importance of our local farms and how we can all help to support and preserve them. Members from the Farmland Trust will be on hand to talk about their preservation work and why it is so important to this region. Participants include Gemelli Bakery, Elk Creek Cafe, Goot Essa Artisan Cheeses, Happy Valley Winery, Harrison’s Wine Grill & Catering, Hidden Pond Farms (Angus beef), Mount Nittany Inn, Mount Nittany Winery, PASA, Otto’s Pub & Brewery, Stone MEadow Farm, Tait Farm Foods, and Zola’s Bistro/Gamble Mill Tavern.”
Miscellaneous Resources
Garden Soil Testing Service through Penn State Extension - More info. C
ost is $9. You can put one cup of soil in a ziploc bag and mail it or take it to the extension office along with this form. You can also get a kit from the Centre County Extension Office: M – F 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 4
Gardening Workshop Organizing - Molly Sturniolo is the outreach/workshops coordinator for Penn State Master Gardeners, and is working with Justin Wheeler to develop a speaker’s bureau.
June 15 Application Deadline – New Grants Available
“Feed the Future Partnering for Innovation.” More information. Expressions of Interest (EOIs) for the next round open on 15 June 2013 and the deadline is 31 July 2013.
“Specifically, the program looks for modern, off-the-shelf technologies that will increase the productivity and competitiveness of smallholder farmers, especially women. Partnering for Innovation provides funds for pilot testing and demonstration of proven technologies, as well as larger grants that can bring these technologies to commercial scale.”
The garden is looking wonderful! Thank you to all the gardeners all for their hard work getting the plots cleared and planted. And thank you to everyone who helped at the May 18 workday – Beth and Adam filled the raised beds with more compost, Nina, Jimmy and Robbie weeded, Dave and Jeff installed rabbit-proof fencing and Dave and I trimmed the corner posts. Katy and Yetkin worked on moving weed piles out to the roadside, and then Dave and Nina took the weeds home for their chickens!
Upcoming Events
JUNE 15 – POLLINATOR GARDEN PLANTING - Master Gardener Justin Wheeler has planned the pollinator garden – flowers and herbs to be planted along the lower side fence and in the empty raised beds, creating a new satellite garden for the Snetsinger Pollinator Garden at Tudek Park. The planting will take place at our next workday, Saturday, June 15 at 1 p.m.
JUNE 22 – WEED IDENTIFICATION & MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP - Elina Snyder (Plot #4 and a Friends member cultivating a couple of raised beds) will be teaching a gardening workshop on weed identification and organic weed management on Saturday, June 22 from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the garden. Eli’s hoping that working together in a coordinated way will make it easier for all community gardeners to stay on top of weeds; even if you can’t make it to her workshop, she’ll be putting a handout with the key information in the binder in the toolbox.
PSU COMMUNITY GARDEN - Scott Salesky, Mark Dempsey and other managers at the Penn State Community Garden (off Pollock Road) are also planning several gardening workshops for this summer. I’ll send announcements about those as soon as the details, dates, times etc. are confirmed.
General Projects Update
IRRIGATION SYSTEM – Irrigation system is operational – thank you Gary! We’ve had a few hiccups, but Gary and Larry have repaired some of the leaks and are working on others. FOOTPATHS – I will be weed-whacking the wide perimeter paths and covering them with the leftover switchgrass this week. Most plot gardeners have already done this with the narrow footpaths between your beds, and it seems to be working well to keep down the weeds. I also put some grass seed on the patch of bare soil where the compost pile was, and then an unknown artist put a tire sculpture on that spot. FENCING – Two sides are rabbit fenced now. I bought another 50′ roll of chicken wire, and there’s a long roll of low metal fencing with narrower gaps by the lower gate. Anyone who wants to help out can continue installing the rabbit fence, using the zip ties in the tool box. MAINTENANCE LOG, TOOLS, ETC. – Toolbox is partially painted and the lid is there, but the hinges aren’t installed. I recently added a maintenance log, including a copy of the garden policies, and a set of small hand-tools for weeding and planting seedlings.
Burrowes Street Youth Haven Garden Update
This spring, Spring Creek Homesteading gave a $500 mini-grant to Woody Wilson of Wilson Home Farms to build and plant a raised-bed garden at the Burrowes Street Youth Haven, a project Woody organized with Marilyn Lavelle of the Youth Services Bureau.
From their January proposal:
“The Burrowes Street Youth Haven is a shelter for runaway and homeless youth between the ages of 12 and 17. The shelter serves all of Centre County as well as surrounding areas such as Clearfield County. There are approximately 10 staff members who rotate throughout the week. Residents and staff are provided with three meals a day that are either purchased within a $50 budget per week or donated from various organizations. The Burrowes Street Youth Haven has planted vegetable gardens before and seen some success, but there has not been much stability with the projects in the past.
We would like to provide a more accessible garden that can provide the residents with fresh vegetables throughout the growing season. The following plan is meant to establish a garden that can be tended and maintained easily by staff members and teenaged residents on a limited budget now and throughout future years.
We would like to install three 4×8 foot raised beds in an open lot in the Burrowes Street Youth Haven backyard. We chose to install raised beds because of the garden’s close proximity to an established Walnut tree. Raised beds are also the easiest type of garden to maintain, a factor important to the staff and residents.
We also plan to remediate the current growing space along the house to increase the amount of food that can be grown on-site. In total this project will create roughly 150-200 ft.sq. of growing space. The entire growing area will be fenced in and irrigated using drip irrigation.
In order to appeal to the wide variety of people who utilize the shelter, and reduce waste, we will be growing popular, well-known produce such as: Tomatoes, Peppers, Beans, Peas, Carrots, Salad Mix, Spinach and Potatoes. We want the shelter to have as wide a variety of food as possible every week throughout the season.”
The Burrowes Street Youth Haven Garden opened with a celebratory planting on May 15.
June provides market goers with some of the finest products all year, and the first June market today is no exception. Market is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the PA Military Museum
You will still see most of spring’s greens, asparagus (ending soon), spinach, salad mix, lettuce, and radishes, to name just a few. Eden View will bring the first collard greens (along with Cindy’s popular prepared dishes). John Eisenstein of Jade Family Farm says “Maybe the strawberries will ripen. I think they can, I think they can, I think they can.” And Clan Stewart will have mini kohlrabi. Byler goat diary has expanded its goat ice cream offerings with a new flavor – butter pecan. Clover creek has 8 kinds of raw milk cheeses, including cheddars and swisses, and Stone Meadow will bring more of its new batch of Camembert and its first Colby cheese of the season. If you still need plants, Tamarack farms has tomatoes and peppers along with herbs. Ardry farm will bring beautiful radishes. Bill Callahan will bring “same day fresh cut pork” to market. Piper’s Peck sells five kinds of salsa and Sweet Heat Gourmet four hot sauces. Sweet Sunrise Bakery has sticky-buns for your sweet tooth, and Soap Sprite hand-made naturally scented soaps to wash your hands after eating them. Jonas Beiler Family Farm has lacto-fermented Kombucha, a favorite of many health food devotees, and Wild For Salmon its wild-caught sockeye products for those who want to eat healthy and well. Fasta Pasta, Gemelli’s, El Gringo’s Tacos, and (weather permitting) the Pizza Oven will be there too.
To top it off, the wonderful Tussey Mountain Moonshiners will play from 4:30 to 6:00.
Oh, one more thing. The following week – June 11 - is Kid’s Day, where Tony Sapia of Gemelli’s Bakers will demonstrate at 3:00 PM to third graders how to make simple recipes using market ingredients, and where our venders will talk to them afterwards about how they grow what they grow, catch what they catch, and make what they make.
I’ve been reorganizing the Workshops page a bit, adding a chronological list of workshops offered by Spring Creek Homesteading since Fall 2011, along with the handouts used at those workshops.
If readers – especially instructors – have electronic versions of handouts that aren’t already available in this listing, please send them to me so I can add them.
Also, if you want to teach a workshop, here’s a handout about that: Information for Prospective Instructors. Good summer topics in need of instructors include “Building Solar Food Driers,” and “Building Bicycle-Powered Water Pumps for Garden Irrigation.” Looking ahead to fall, we’re especially interested in offering home weatherization workshops.
