Grid Magazine February 2014 [#070]

SUSTA I N ABL E PH I L A D ELP HI A

F E B R UA RY 2 0 1 5 I SS U E 7 0 G R I D P H I L LY.CO M

TOUCHDOWN!

Lancaster Ave. lands an Earthship

UP THE CREEK

Volunteers on watch at the Wissahickon

FARMBOOK 2015

Get inspired by our local women farmers

Interns and apprentices test their mettle while exploring greener pastures

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Good Women Make Good Husbands Gender equality is key to sustainability

L

ike many (even most) professions, animal and crop husbandry in the U.S. has long been dominated by men. As more and more female entrepreneurs own their own farms and become good husbands themselves, sustainably managing resources and humanely treating their flocks, they are showing the alternative to the horrors of factory farms and breaking glass ceilings all at once.

In this year’s issue of Farmbook, produced in partnership with the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture, we showcase women in farming. The number of women working on and running farms has more than doubled in the last 40 years, and it seems likely that trend will continue. Even as difficult as farming is (read our cover story on farm internships for the backbreaking details), perhaps women see it as a viable alternative to the dehumanizing demands of corporate work. When they own the businesses, they at least know their pay won’t be discounted.

And that’s a concern because women are, literally, undervalued in the workforce. Their wages are typically 94 percent of men’s, unless they have children. If that’s the case, they earn 60 percent of what men performing the same job earn. Fathers, on the other hand, can make as much as $5,000 more than men without children.

It pays to be a dad; it’s a liability to be a mom.

These well-known but still shocking statistics can all be found in a compelling and entertaining book by Brigid Schulte, an awardwinning journalist for The Washington Post, and a mother of two. The impetus for Overwhelmed: Work, Love, and Play When No One Has the Time was a nagging feeling the author had that she wasn’t doing enough at either work or home.

Yet she also felt like she had no time to relax.

She wondered if she was alone in feeling perpetually behind. And if she wasn’t alone, as she suspected, why do so many of us feel this way?

The book examines our country’s unhealthy relationship with work, our outdated expectations based on gender and a fundamental gender inequality.

Studies show that inequalities in the workplace are reflected in the division of labor at

publisher

Alex Mulcahy alex@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 102 managing editor

Sara Schwartz sara@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 103 acting art director

Jamie Leary distribution / ad sales

Jesse Kerns jesse@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 100 Drew Brightbill drew@gridphilly.com 215.625.9850 ext. 114 copy editor

Andrew Bonazelli home. In households with two working parents, the woman does significantly more of the menial household upkeep than the man.

(Schulte wonders why her husband—who works in the same field she does—is drinking beer and watching football while she prepares their Thanksgiving dinner.) The conclusion is that it’s a cultural leftover from the 50s, when women stayed home and men were breadwinners, even as the number of households with this configuration continues to shrink.

As with any injustice, inequality affects everyone. Men miss their kids, but don’t feel like they have an alternative to the status quo.

Women feel guilty no matter what they do. It’s a breeding ground for spousal resentment.

It’s been said that sustainability is ultimately a matter of design. A system so skewed against half the population cannot be sustainable.

Schulte’s book ends with a number of strategies designed to help the reader cope with “the overwhelm” of modern life. It’s hard to argue with her suggestions to meditate, simplify and focus, but in the face of a system geared toward endless growth and an endless workday, it makes you wonder: How much should we be changing ourselves and how much should we be changing the system?

writers

Shaun Brady Jack Braunstein Bernard Brown Katy Diana Kate Donegan Brion Shreffler Emily Teel interns

Michael Iannucci Jacqueline Klecak Jenine Pilla photographers

Stephen Dyer Christian Hunold Daryl Peveto illustrators

Kirsten Harper Melissa McFeeters director of operations and strategic partnerships

Heather Shayne Blakeslee heather@gridphilly.com published by

Red Flag Media 1032 Arch Street, 3rd Floor Philadelphia, PA 19107 215.625.9850 G R I D P H I L LY . C O M

alex j. mulcahy, Publisher alex@gridphilly.com

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COMMUNITY

Second Shift North Philadelphia nurse heals herself in the nursery by katy diana

Kathleen Harple says volunteering at Greensgrow gives her a break from the “craziness of life.”

Jimmy Matesevac, Greensgrow’s Fresh Food Manager, who has managed volunteers for several years, agrees.

“She can do anything on the farm and has gone up and down the loading ramp so much that we’ve renamed it the Kathleen Harple Cel-

ebratory Ramp,” he says. “We get to work with a lot of great volunteers here, so it takes a lot for someone to really stand out the way Kathleen does. What is most special about her is that she brings an incredible amount of love and positive energy to Greensgrow.”

SA L U T E S

WATERMELON MAGIC

After a run at the Franklin Theater in the Franklin Institute, Philadelphia-based filmmaker Rich Hoffmann’s children’s film, Watermelon Magic, will begin a three-year engagement at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., on its new digital IMAX system.

“To me, watermelons are a metaphor for the planet and hopefully people will want to take better care of the earth like Sylvie takes care of the watermelons,” Hoffmann says.

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ECA, EPA & PHA

Through a three-year, $200,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), ECA is partnering with the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) to train its residents over 260 hours in environmental remediation and water conservation. Participants who successfully complete the training will receive multiple national certifications and job placement assistance following training. Participants will be recruited from zip codes (19122, 19124, 19133, 19134, 19140) that were targeted because of their high levels of unemployment and their disproportionate number of EPA Cleanup Sites.

19 MASTER GARDENERS

In December, Penn State Extension Chester County Master Gardeners congratulated Ally Antonini, Marianne Bausinger, Karen deSimone, Judith Elliott, Nancy Gaspari, Megan Greenholt, Cathy Helmuth, Ed Hess, David Jones, Mary Letzkus, Cindy Lipshutz, Naomi Maloney, Helen Mastony, Maryann Nicholson, Pamela Nicolini, Carol Petrow, Aurora Polletta-Green and Joan Schrider Sgro on achieving their Master Gardener certification. The Master Gardener program trains volunteers, and once certified, Master Gardeners are required to perform 20 hours of service and complete 10 hours of continuing education annually to maintain their certification.

P HOTO BY STEPHEN DYER

VICONS BY FIONA CARSWELL; VINCENT LYNCH; PHIL SCOTT (FROM THE NOUN PROJECT)

Three years ago, Kathleen Harple and her dog, Fenway, EVERYDAY went for a walk around KensHERO ington and discovered the bustling Greensgrow Farms. At first, she was just a customer, but she soon saw the farm as “an anchor in the neighborhood” and wanted to a volunteer. A full-time nurse, Harple, credits volunteering at Greensgrow as a break from the “hustle of the city and the craziness of life.”

“My blood pressure goes down 10 points when I walk through the gate,” she says. “The people at the farm are some of the best people with whom I’ve worked in my life. I learn from them, laugh with them, and I’ve even cried with them.”

Greensgrow relies on volunteers to help with various tasks such as harvesting, weeding, setting up produce for the CSA and Farmstand, and assisting customers by answering questions.

“Kathleen is a great cook, and loves to share her personal tips [about cleaning and preparing produce],” says Lindsay Chirico, Nursery Assistant at Greensgrow.

Her willingness to help sometimes extends beyond advice. “One day this summer, I was cashiering and she was the next customer in line behind a gentleman I was helping,” Chirico says. “He was a few dollars short for his purchase, and rather than [having him put] an item back, [Harple] insisted on covering his bill. Her good deeds and grasp of the happiness in life [are] very inspiring.”

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GREEN BUILDING

Community members work on what will be Philadelphia’s first Earthship.

Off the Grid

In West Philadelphia, organizers use tires and earth to create an ambitious and energy-passive home

Kari Kramer helps build the Earthship in October of 2014 in West Philadelphia.

by jack braunstein

A

t a glance, the open-air lot at the corner of 41st and Lancaster appears to be littered with garbage—tires piled up in the northwest corner, mounds of dirt and cement mixed in with empty bottles and cans.

But these familiar objects are not strewn about randomly; they have been intentionally collected to build the first urban Earthship. When it’s completed, it could be the most sustainable building in Philadelphia.

An Earthship is a passive solar house made from both natural and recycled materials (such as earth-filled tires), which makes it much more affordable to build than a conventional home.

The design is the brainchild of New Mexico based iconoclast architect Michael Reynolds. Five years ago, Philadelphia resident Rashida Ali-Campbell watched Garbage Warrior, a documentary about Reynolds, and her life was changed. “Explosions went off in my head,” Ali-Campbell says. “Why haven’t we seen that here already?”

Ali-Campbell, founder of LoveLovingLove Inc., a Philadelphia nonprofit that aims to strengthen and heal underserved communities, has been working tirelessly to get an Earthship in Philadelphia, and has successfully assembled a team of collaborators. Construction on this project began in October of 2014.

Ali-Campbell initially reached out to Earthship Biotecture, the New Mexico-based company responsible for the distribution of designs and oversight of construction of these eco-homes.

The company responded enthusiastically, donating over $7,000 worth of drawings and dispatching local Earthship expert (and son of Michael Reynolds) Jonah Reynolds to help edu8

GR ID P H IL LY.CO M F EB RUA RY 20 1 5

cate citizens, community leaders and politicians on the benefits of Earthship architecture.

The principles of Earthship design, Jonah says, embody a much deeper definition of sustainability than even the highest-certified green buildings.

The Earthships feature plantpowered “floor-to-Everglades” sewage treatment systems that allow tenants to grow fruit and vegetables year-round without paying a utility bill.

The homes also regulate temperature, relying on walls made of earth-rammed tires that keep them around 70 degrees all year. The Philadelphia Earthship will feature an extra layer of thermal siding, both for extra warmth in the city’s winters and for aesthetic flexibility. In fact, aesthetics were the primary concern for the city council members from whom Ali-Campbell and Jonah sought permission for the project. A slight departure from the rounded adobe abodes of the traditional Earthship, this building will have corners and a brick-like matrix to fit in with the conventional urban aesthetic of its neighbors.

“The Earthships take it to that next level of affordability and accessibility,” says Rob Petito, a contractor for Greenwright, Inc., who has partnered with Ali-Campbell and Jonah to bring Earthships into the urban East. “It’s a new level of freedom.”

The Earthship on 41st will serve as office space for both LoveLovingLove and Earthship Biotecture, and as a continuous demonstration space, where members of the community

can interact with the living systems at work in the building. Ali-Campbell says the Earthship should be finished by the end of the summer and open to the public.

“We want people to see the house, turn the water on, turn the light switches on, touch the walls, see that they don’t see tires,” says AliCampbell. Community engagement has been a focal point in the project’s construction, which was completed through a series of crowd-funded hands-on workshops.

Beyond this project itself, many have high hopes for the role that Earthships, which allow for very low-cost living in complete independence from fossil fuels, could play in Philadelphia’s sustainable future.

“I’ve been saying for many years: if it’s not an Earthship, it’s not affordable housing,” says Paul Glover, community organizer and founder of Green Jobs Philly, Philadelphia Orchard Project, Ithaca HOURS, Health Democracy and a dozen other environmental organizations. “These networks of Earthships reduce the cost of living, increase the capability to be productive rather than dependent, and they begin where there is the greatest neglected need.”

P HOTOS BY J O N AH RE Y N O L DS AN D D O N N A CO N N O R/P HOTOFAC E.COM

ENVIRONMENT

Getting Their Feet Wet Volunteers wade in to monitor the Wissahickon by bernard brown • photo by christian hunold

R

achel rosenfeld crunched her way through the ice near the shore to get to where she could drop her thermometer into the Wissahickon Creek, just upstream from the Valley Green Inn. Fishing it out of the near-freezing water would hurt, but you need measurements throughout the year to draw a complete picture of the Creek. Rosenfeld, along with other volunteers checking 35 sections of the Wissahickon and its tributaries, visits monthly

to check on its health, even in the cold months.

You cannot step into the same river or creek twice, which makes it hard to monitor water quality. The flow at any given moment is a mix of rainwater, groundwater and whatever chemicals have been washed in from the land or generated by life in the river. Any water sample you take is a snapshot, but the more snapshots you get, the better you can understand the state of the creek.

Up until August of 2014, the Wissahickon was

Rachel Rosenfeld, a citizen scientist, measures phosphate levels for Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association’s Creek Watch program near Valley Green Inn in Fairmount Park.

checked four times per year at just four locations.

The Creek Watch, a program of the Wissahickon Valley Watershed Association, now has more than 70 volunteers visiting 35 sections of the creek monthly.

“We were completely thrilled and taken by surprise by how big the response was,” says Gina Craigo, special events manager for the WVWA, who joined Rosenfeld and me on our visit. “It’s a large level of commitment from our volunteers to come out every month.”

Some volunteers commit to do more than others. All perform a basic visual and olfactory assessment, “looking for sewage odor or anything out of the ordinary,” according to Rosenfeld.

Along with 25 other “wading teams,” she also performs a chemical analysis, using a test tube and chemicals in the field to check for phosphate pollutant levels. Rosenfeld also reviews habitat characteristics as one of 16 habitat assessment crews. “We rate everything from how set the rocks are in the creek, how channelized it is, how big the riparian buffer is,” all indicators of creek health.

Riparian buffers—undeveloped land that can slow and filter runoff—prevent stormwater and nutrient runoff, and artificially reinforced channels intensify the current and prevent waterways from forming natural banks, according to Rosenfeld. And how rocks sit in a creek bed can tell you a lot: violent currents after heavy rains can bury them in sand or rip them out of the bed, destroying habitat for all sorts of bugs and small fish that need the structure.

The Wissahickon curves gracefully behind wooded hillsides just upstream from Rosenfeld’s study site. You can easily forget that you’re in a major city, but before it reaches Philadelphia, the creek drains suburban subdivisions and business parks, golf courses and shopping malls. As Craigo and Rosenfeld explained, the headwaters of the Wissahickon issue from an asphalted-over area around the Montgomeryville Mall. Groundwater is unable to feed the head of the creek as it would naturally. Instead, it begins with stormwater runoff and wastewater discharge.

Over time, the Creek Watch’s data might help influence decisions about development in the watershed, but the volunteers are already taking care of more immediate problems. For example, in November, volunteers noticed a construction site without proper silt fencing to keep soil from washing into the water. “We were able to work with the construction company to get the silt fencing put in,” Craigo says.

GET INVOLVED

Contact Stephanie Figary, WVWA Water Quality

Program Manager at stephanie@wvwa.org

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Flatbreads are great for an easy dinner on—or off—the grill.

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Warm up the kitchen without cranking the thermostat by making roasted sablefish, escarole and avocado salad and roasted pineapple and coconut sundae

Roast With the Most

Heat up your kitchen with oven-ready meals

toes. Pour remaining tomatoes (about 1/2 cup) and any accumulated juices into the jar of an immersion blender or food processor. Add vinegar, garlic, chili and remaining tablespoon olive oil to the jar, and purée until smooth and pourable, adding a tablespoon of water—should you need it—to reach desired consistency.

In a wide bowl, top escarole with avocado and roasted tomato halves. Serve with tomato vinaigrette.

story and photo by emily teel

A

Roasted Pineapple and Coconut Sundae

emily teel is a food freelancer dedicated to sustainable, delicious food in Philadelphia.

See more of her work at emilyteel.com .

Heat oven to 400ºF degrees.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

In a large bowl, stir together sugar, honey, salt, cayenne (if using) and orange juice until sugar dissolves. Add pineapple and toss together to coat. Allow to stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer pineapple to prepared baking sheet, reserving 2/3 marinade.

Roast, uncovered. After 10 minutes, turn pineapple and brush with half of reserved marinade.

Continue to roast another 10 minutes, then brush with remainder of marinade. Roast a final 10 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

While pineapple roasts, toast coconut flakes in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant and edges are beginning to brown. Set aside.

To serve, spoon pineapple into bowls. Top with coconut ice cream or sorbet. Drizzled with pineapple roasting liquid and top with toasted coconut.

lthough you can’t will spring to arrive sooner, you can turn on the oven. Not only does it warm up the kitchen without cranking the thermostat, it’s also the start of countless cold weather meals with nary a root vegetable in sight. The oven’s heat caramelizes the sugar in off-season cherry tomatoes (a guilty midwinter pleasure of mine), making them a worthy counterpart to creamy avocado and bitter, crunchy escarole. It adds appealing char to brassicas and concentrates the briny sweetness of olives and capers, and roasting is a foolproof way to cook rich Alaskan sablefish. If these recipes don’t cure your midwinter blues, roast a pineapple, eat it with toasted coconut and ice cream, and imagine you’re somewhere tropical.

Roasted Sablefish, Brassicas and Capers Active time: 45 minutes.

Serves 4 1 sablefish filet (about one pound), defrosted and patted dry 1 pound cauliflower (assorted colors), broken into one-inch florets 1/2 pound broccoli, broken into one-inch florets 1/4 cup capers, drained (about half of a 2.4 ounce jar) 1 cup Castelvetrano olives 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons butter, melted 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Lemon wedges, to serve Extra virgin olive oil Sea salt Black pepper

Heat oven to 400ºF degrees.

On a rimmed baking sheet, toss cauliflower, broccoli, capers, olives, olive oil, and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper.

Spread into a single layer and

roast, flipping vegetables every 10 minutes, until tender and beginning to char, 25 to 30 minutes.

Once the vegetables have been in the oven for 15 minutes, cut sablefish filet into servings and place skin side down onto a baking sheet. Combine melted butter, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and brush mixture over fish. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, until the filets appear uniformly opaque.

Once vegetables are done, remove from oven. Switch oven to broil and brown the fish for two to three minutes, until golden.

Remove and allow fish to rest two minutes before serving.

To serve, place sablefish over roasted vegetables. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and serve with lemon wedges. *Caution your guests to be mindful of the olive pits and the sablefish pinbones that run down the seam in the filet. Don’t worry; after the fish is roasted, they’ll poke out of the filet and can be easily removed.

Escarole and Avocado Salad With Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette Active time: 30 minutes.

Serves 4 1 medium head escarole, torn into bite-sized pieces 1 ripe avocado, cubed 1 pint cherry tomatoes 3 Tablespoons and 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided 2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/4 teaspoon chili flakes 1 clove garlic, minced fine Salt Black pepper

Heat oven to 400ºF degrees.

Halve cherry tomatoes and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. Sprinkle generously with salt and black pepper, and drizzle with three tablespoons olive oil.

Roast uncovered until tomatoes are sizzling and slumped, 10 to 15 minutes.

Set aside two-thirds of toma-

Active time: 40 minutes.

Serves 4 1 medium-sided pineapple, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed 1/3 cup orange juice 2 tablespoons honey Pinch salt Pinch cayenne pepper (optional) Coconut sorbet or ice cream 1/2 cup coconut chips, toasted

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R E S E N T S

2015

Meet members of the PENNSYLVANIA ASSOCIATION FOR SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE working to bring fresh, delicious food to local eaters

Z Farming A Farm of One’s Own

Women

Special Issue

Hitch Your WAgN: Network encourages women farmers and cultivates community Homesweet Homegrown o Dove Song Dairy o o Blooming Glen Farm MEET THE WOMEN BEHIND:

Tom Murtha with his wife, Tricia Borneman, of Blooming Glen Farm

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Plowing Ahead Women are shaping the next generation of farmers

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here is much to give thanks for as we gather to share a meal, especially when taking a moment to think about the many hands that have helped cultivate the good food we eat. The hands that raise our food are most likely weathered by the sun, wind and hard work that goes into nurturing seeds into plants, milk from udders and grains into flour. Often, when we talk about the diversified farms that feed our local communities, those hard-working hands belong to women.

This fact is no longer novel—women have been

shaping the landscape of sustainable agriculture for decades. It is more recently, however, that we have begun to celebrate them as visionaries and leaders in their field.

This issue of Farmbook highlights women who represent a greater movement. They are inspiring our domestic and global communities to place more value on the decisions that affect the food they eat, including its place of origin, production values,

environmental impact and, most importantly, how food choices affect the hands that grow it.

As innovators, entrepreneurs and educators, women are not only shaping the next generation of farmers, but also the ways in which we view, purchase and appreciate that which we eat.

I hope you enjoy this issue of Farmbook, dedicated to women in agriculture.

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SUPPORT SYSTEM

At left, Sara Runkel, who manages Great Bend Farm, says PA-WAgN allows women to find mentors to connect with. Below, Patty Neiner, left, and her partner, Lyn Garling, run Over the Moon farm and enjoy PA-WAgN’s camaraderie.

Equal Footing The Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network aims to elevate, support women who farm by sara schwartz

I

n the past 40 years, the number of women in the U.S. recognized as a farm’s principal operator—the person running the show—has more than doubled. This is progress.

Though the numbers have grown, women still make up just under 14 percent of the overall number, and continue to face issues most male farmers do not. There can be expectations within the family about managing childcare, or the struggles of working with equipment designed for men. And then there are the hard-to-pin-down disadvantages that result from being part of a minority that may not be taken seriously by some. To address this, the Pennsylvania Women’s Agricultural Network (PA-WAgN) was formed by a group of women farmers and Penn State researchers in 2005, working to support, educate and empower the women who wish to farm.

Patty Neiner, the educational program associate of PA-WAgN, says there are over 1,600 people who have joined the organization. She and her partner, Lyn Garling, run Over the Moon farm in Centre County, Pennsylvania, and were part of the founders in 2005. Neiner recommends that any woman considering a career in farming take advantage of the support system and camaraderie that PA-WAgN offers.

“Many states have organizations similar to PA-WAgN, women should find an organization close to them and get involved right away if they are interested in farming at any scale,” Neiner says.

Sarah Edmonds, the Metzgar Environmental Projects Coordinator and Manager of LaFarm, one of several sustainability initiatives at Lafayette College, adds to Neiner’s advice.

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“Find someone who can be a mentor, so you just don’t get into a farm job,” she says. “Try to find a farm internship, one day a week, to see if you like it. Be selective, try to find someone with the same values.”

Edmonds has been an active member of PA-WAgN for three years and places a high value on the support it provides: “I get to go to the networking events, field walks, breakfasts, community dinners—which is awesome.”

Sara Runkel, who manages Great Bend Farm in Port Clinton, Pennsylvania, joined PA-WAgN in 2011 and volunteers on the steering committee. She cites an issue that hit home with her last year—balancing working on a farm with family life.

“We just had a kid in April, and it has been quite the challenge to navigate being the primary farmer and a new parent,” she says. “There are ways to make it work. I think a big part of that is having a supportive network and mentors you can connect with, people who can help you through some of the challenges you might face balancing family life and running a farm.”

Beyond that, she adds that many people might not realize that a lot of farm equipment is designed for men—making it difficult or even unsafe for women to operate. “I think there’s an opportunity for education for women farmers around how to use equipment safely for their bodies for long-term use,” she says, adding that some equipment requires a certain weight on the seat to run it. “And maybe being able to pick and choose from equipment that will do the thing you need it to do, but is easier to manage if you don’t have the upper body strength to wrestle things around.”

But Runkel says this shouldn’t discourage anyone. “If what your passion is, is growing food, you can do it. You can be the one out on the tractor running the farm.”

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Dakota Borneman Murtha, the daughter of Blooming Glen Farm farmers Tricia Borneman and Tom Murtha, smells freshly pulled fennel.

Growing Together Blooming Glen Farm is a labor of love for farming couple

A

by shaun brady

• photos by daryl peveto

sk Tricia Borneman and Tom Murtha of Blooming Glen Farm here that their dreams are attainable, but you have to keep moving forhow they met, and the couple credit a well-crafted mixtape. ward,” Borneman says. “We just kept putting one foot in front of the But almost 20 years since they first got their hands dirty other, accumulating knowledge, but you can never know everything together while urban farming as college students in Philadelphia, it’s you need to know about farming. It really took getting to the level where clear that farming has been a strong thread running throughout their we felt confident enough to do it on our own to know when we had to relationship. take the plunge.”

“I think we were just looking for something to do outside together Blooming Glen grows vegetables without synthetic fertilizers, pesthat felt meaningful and that we were passionate ticides, herbicides or GMOs, and uses compost, cover about,” Borneman says. “The ideas of working for crops, mulching and crop rotation to ensure the longourselves and working with the earth gelled together term health of the soil. Last fall, the farm was certified in farming.” organic. As complicated as the certification process Before leasing the 35 acres that comprise Blooming was, Murtha says, keeping the extensive records reGlen Farm in upper Bucks County in 2006, Borneman quired ultimately helped them as business people.

Perkasie, and Murtha spent several years as nomadic farmers “We realized as we went through the process that it Pennsylvania learning their craft at a variety of farms, moving from makes you a better grower,” Murtha says. “Everyone Philadelphia to Connecticut to Oregon to New Jersey, needs to stop thinking of farming as this romantic nos p ec i a lt y CSA produce and eventually back to Bucks County. Through it all, tion. Not that it isn’t, but it’s really an entrepreneurial Murtha says, “The dream was out there.” business venture. We’ve always been very passioninfo@ That dream—operating their own farm—was ate about making sure that our farm is a sustainable bloomingglenfarm.com realized with Blooming Glen, which now serves a business.”

300-share CSA, three farmers markets and wholesale Borneman calls Blooming Glen’s CSA “the backPASA member since 2006 customers. “We always tell people who come to work bone of our farm,” and emphasizes it as an example of

Blooming Glen Farm

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“We’ve learned to love our red earth,” says Blooming Glen farmer Tricia Borneman. “If you can grow it in this area, we try.”

their commitment to the local community.

Twice a month, the farm’s Chef Educator, Kristin Moyer, does cooking demos during CSA pick-up hours to help members figure out what to do with their crops. In addition to the twice-weekly farm-to-table lunches Moyer provides for the farm’s crew, she also hosts activities and educational opportunities for children of CSA members.

On the late September day when we arrived, she was handing out samples of a delicious squash tortilla soup.

Colleen Clemens, an English professor at Kutztown University, has been a CSA member for five years. “I’ve learned to use all kinds of things that I never imagined I would eat,” she says, mentioning bok choy as a recent success. “In the beginning, joining the CSA was about being able to come and see my food being grown. But I’ve come to know the people that own the farm, so there’s almost a social element to coming. I like to bring my daughter to play and pick. She ate her first strawberry and her first cherry tomato here.”

On weekends, Blooming Glen can be found at Headhouse Farmers Market in Philadelphia as well as the Wrightstown and Easton farmers markets. They also do wholesale business through Zone 7, a year-round New Jersey-based distribution service that connects farmers with restaurants, grocers and institutions. Partnering with Zone 7 allows them to concentrate on growing more of a few items that they do particularly

well, as opposed to their core CSA business, which requires growing a little bit of everything to please their weekly customers, especially core crops like carrots that don’t grow easily on the farm.

“Ten years in, we’re getting to a point where we actually know how to farm this farm pretty well,” Murtha says. “It’s amazing to think about how different everyone’s farms are.”

“We’ve learned to love our red earth,” Borneman adds with a weary chuckle. “If you can grow it in this area, we try.”

2015 FARMBOOK pa s a 7

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Homesweet Homegrown owner Robyn Jasko grows all of the peppers in her sauces.

Spicing Things Up Robyn Jasko’s “hyper-organic” peppers ensure a farm-fresh hot sauce by shaun brady

W

•

photos by daryl peveto

hen Robyn Jasko launched her Kickstarter campaign in lease a two-acre field in Kutztown adjacent to a public park and a cornMarch 2013, her husband implored her not to be upset if field, where they have almost 5,000 pepper plants. Each of the brand’s her attempt to crowdfund a new hot sauce business was three sauces features one type of pepper: Orange Crush, the Scotch unsuccessful. By the time she woke up the next morning, her $850 goal Bonnet Caribbean red habanero; Punch Drunk, the ghost pepper; and had been met, and 45 days later, when the campaign came to an end, she Aramingo, a pineapple mango-flavored sauce, the lemon drop pepper. had raised more than $53,000.

Punch Drunk is produced in partnership with Victory Brewing Com“It was insane,” Jasko says, still incredulous nearly a year and a half pany, which serves the sauce in its Downingtown brewpub. later. “I just thought, ‘Let me put this out to the universe and see what Jasko planted her first pepper plants in the community garden she happens.’ I never thought this company would take off like it has.” founded at Kutztown University shortly before embarking on a book Jasko and her husband, Paul David, both now work full-time productour for Homesweet Homegrown in 2012. She returned to find 300 plants ing Homesweet Homegrown hot sauces from their home in and hundreds of pounds of peppers, which Kutztown. Their products can now be found in more than went into her first sauces. She began selling 100 retail stores, including the Fair Food Farmstand, Harthe sauce at book signing events to positive vest Local Foods and Volta Market. The endeavor grew out of reactions, and then at farmers markets in Jasko’s 2012 book, Homesweet Homegrown, which was itself Berks County. an offshoot of her website, Grow Indie (goindie.com/grow).

While Homesweet Homegrown is not Kutztown, Both encouraged readers to grow their own food no matter certified organic, Jasko describes their Pennsylvania where they live. Jasko grew up gardening with her father methods as “hyper-organic.” They don’t use and kept up the habit even when space and circumstances pesticides in the field or artificial thickens p ec i a lt y proved challenging. ers in the sauces. They even forgo using Hot sauces and “I’ve always been interested in the DIY mentality of learnblack plastic in between the rows of pepper peppers ing how to make, grow and do everything myself, so I’ve alplants, instead opting to use organic paper robyn@ ways tried to grow something,” she says. “Even if it’s just a mulch. That’s an anomaly in their locale, homesweethomegrown.com windowsill basil plant or a garden on a fire escape. It just which is dominated by farmers growing tastes better, and when I learned about the political and enPASA member vironmental aspects, it became our way of living. Now it’s since 2014 exciting to see people really get behind it.”

Jasko grows all of the peppers used in her sauces, rare among even artisanal hot sauce producers. She and David

Homesweet Homegrown

Almost 5,000 pepper plants are grown for Homesweet Homegrown at a two-acre field in Kutztown.

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“I’ve always been interested in the DIY mentality of learning how to make, grow and do everything myself, so I’ve always tried to grow something.” — R O BY N JA S KO genetically modified (GMO) corn and soybeans.

Jasko says that the presence of a female farmer in the community was a bit of a novelty for what she calls the local “good ol’ boy farmers,” but her methods were met with even more head-scratching than her gender.

“A lot of them expect us to fail because we’re not using pesticides, but I refuse to listen to naysayers,” she says. “I think people are curious to see how it works out.”

Homesweet Homegrown hires community members and college students to help pick the peppers three days a week. One regular at the field is Jeri Carroll, a local Community Service Officer who met Jasko when they both served on the Kutztown Environmental Advisory Commission. “We’re pretty environmentally conscious in Kutztown,” Carroll says.

“This property was just GMO corn, but Robyn took it over and was able to take it more organic. It’s a small piece, but everything makes a difference.”

Jasko has ambitious plans for her newly minted brand, beginning

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with taking their hot sauces national and eventually introducing new products. With her Kickstarter success and her background in journalism, marketing and web design, she intends to keep social media an integral part of those plans.

“I love that the walls have come down,” she says. “The Internet makes it possible for people to connect with others around the world, and together we can make anything happen.”

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SHE’S THE BOSS

Dove Song Dairy farmer Lena Schaeffer says she encountered some resistance to being in charge of the farm, but that’s changed: “Now no one thinks twice about talking to the boss, which is me.”

Below, baby goats are bottle-fed.

erty; and the fact that their two daughters were lactose intolerant but could digest goat’s milk.

The children share their mother’s enthusiasm for goats. Just like her mother, Emily, Schaeffer’s youngest daughter, asked for a goat on her eighth birthday.

“Her name was Saddle, and soon enough she had a baby,” says Emily, who still lives and works with her parents on the farm. “It seemed like we went from two to 200 At Dove Song Dairy, raising goats in no time at all.” is a multi-generational calling Schaeffer has become downright evangelical about goat’s milk, exby shaun brady • photos by daryl peveto plaining that the nutritional value is equivalent to that of cow’s milk, and that it’s easier to digest. “We supply a wildlife rescue center that has fed hen Lena Schaeffer turned 15 years old, her father asked [goat milk to] everything from bats to baby bunnies to fauns,” she says. her what she wanted for her birthday. Her answer: “A The farm’s 200 pasture-raised Alpine and Lamancha goats are milked goat.” Her birthday wish was granted, and decades later, twice daily. The Schaeffers use no hormones or antibiotics and don’t feed the goats corn, soy or genetically modified organisms (GMOs). goats still hold a special place in her heart.

Schaeffer, now a grandmother, keeps 200 goats on her farm, Dove As one wanders the pastures (while attempting to avoid the occasional Song Dairy: “They have awesome personalities. You can pick them up head-butt or shoelace-gnawing from the endearing but insistent goats), on your lap and hold them when they’re babies.” the farm is revealed as a testament to Schaeffer’s resourcefulness. A Adorable though they may be, goats have become a serious business rusted school bus has been repurposed as a chicken coop; an old cement for Schaeffer and her family. The Schaeffers have been milking commixer doubles as a grain bin. Seeing an elderly neighbor save the fat dripmercially since 1996 on their 47-acre farm in Bernville, Bucks County. pings from her cooking for a year to make soap inspired Schaeffer’s latest In addition to their raw goat milk, the farm offers a variety of products, endeavor: goat milk soap that she markets under the label “Aunt Lena’s.” including yogurt, cheese and soap made from goat milk; pastured eggs The Schaeffers’ initial plan was for Rodney to work full-time while and meats. They also raise chickens, pigs, ThanksgivLena ran the farm for the first five years, to establish ing turkeys, Christmas geese and guinea fowl. financial security. But after a little more than a year, his The colonial-era farm was founded by ancestors employer closed up shop, leaving the farm as the famof Lena’s husband, Rodney, but after two generations, ily’s sole means of support. Lena has continued to manthe family sold it. Lena’s parents purchased the farm age Dove Song, with Rodney sticking to manual labor shortly after World War II and she and Rodney, who and working a part-time job with the local township.

Bernville, had grown up together in the area, bought it from them Schaeffer says she encountered some resistance to Pennsylvania after they married. a woman being in charge during the farm’s early years, s p ec i a lt y Upon purchasing the property in 1996, Rodney and but has seen a change over time. “When we first went goat milk Lena decided to turn Dove Song into a goat dairy farm into farming, the sales reps always wanted to talk to for several reasons: Lena’s lifelong fondness for the my husband. He’s a very quiet kind of person and he info@dovesongdairy.com animals; the size of the farm, which the family deemed hates paperwork; it’s the grunt work that makes him too small for a cow dairy farm because the couple was happy. But now no one thinks twice about talking to PASA member since 2003 determined to raise their own feed grain on the propthe boss, which is me.”

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ON THE JOB TRAINING

Interns and apprentices learn the ins and outs of farming while testing their romantic notions about life on a farm by brion shreffler

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GRID PH I L LY.COM

F EB RUA RY 20 1 5

IL LUSTRATIO N BY M E L ISSA MC FEETERS

Rob and April Fix bought Ledamete in 2009, and started marketing products in the spring of 2010. “I figured, I enjoy the work, now let’s make it a lifestyle and a business,” Rob says.

M

ost job interviews are nerve-wracking, anxietycausing ordeals. But at the very least, they don’t take very long.

But that’s not the case if you are applying for an internship at Ledamete Grass Farm in Lehigh Valley. Farmer and co-owner Rob Fix adjusted his hiring process to include a two-day working interview after he and his first intern mutually decided to part ways in August 2013—several months short of the season's end, after Thanksgiving.

“It’s a big decision to come here [to work and live] for eight months,” Fix says of his paid internship, which includes room and board. “So, we want to make sure they’re comfortable with who and how I am, and we’re comfortable with who they are.”

In addition to knowing that the would-be intern can handle the daily grind of working on the farm—the most recent interviewee took part in turkey slaughtering this past November—Fix wants to see whether they have the problem-solving mentality the job requires. To test them, he uses a few simple tricks, such as allowing a hose to freeze before saying that his pasture-raised cows, chickens, pigs and turkeys need water.

For Fix, who owns the farm with his wife, April, it’s essential to find someone who persistently searches for better ways to do everyday tasks and can eventually be left on his or her own.

“They might come here with a romantic ideal of what farming is and

will realize that sometimes it’s some really hard work and really tough on the psyche,” Fix says. “It’s a tough life, but it’s a beautiful life.”

Hunter Smith, 24, who finished a May to November 2014 internship at Ledamete (pronounced Let-em-eat), gained Fix’s full confidence in his abilities around mid-July, allowing Smith to run the farm while Fix took pigs to slaughter.

At the farm, Smith’s typical weekday began at 6 a.m. to feed and water the chickens and pigs before moving the cows to another paddock of grass. From 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., he says it was a different project everyday that often involved cleaning the nursery or building temporary fencing for the cows. The afternoon’s tasks could include digging holes and installing posts for fencing in the woods to keep the pigs in. Final chores were completed from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m.

For Smith, the long hours and demanding nature of the job were worth it: “I appreciate living sustainably and I like the work.”

Fix and April both interned on farms in the early 2000s. The two met in February 2006 at a conference run by the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA), a nonprofit organization that promotes information sharing and education for farmers, while helping sustainable, eco-friendly farms and their associated community minded food systems to be economically viable.

After marrying in 2008 and buying the farm in 2009, April and Rob started marketing products from Ledamete in the spring of 2010. “I figured, I enjoy the work—now let’s make it a lifestyle and a business,” Fix says. “I wanted to get involved with local food systems to do my part.”

Driven by Ideals In addition to progressive farms like Ledamete that have come into existence in the last five to 10 years, there are the farms that share the same values and have been farming sustainably for decades.

New Morning Farm in South Central Pennsylvania is such a farm.

Since its inception in 1972, the farm has relied on paid apprentices. Owner Jim Crawford had considered law school in his 20s before surrendering to his passion for growing food, which had begun as a child when his parents entrusted him with a small garden plot. “We didn’t grow up on farms,” he says of himself and his wife, Moie. “We learned this from scratch. We have a natural affinity and rapport with [apprentices] because we were there once ourselves.”

F E B RUARY 20 15

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Crawford says that just as he knew he wanted something different than the life a college degree prepared him for, today’s generation of twentysomethings are looking beyond the typical cubicle and 9 to 5 routine. Crawford feels that he, and farmers like him, could be tapping into the “disillusionment with some of the conventional things that college graduates have to do these days.”

At Crawford’s organic vegetable farm, apprentices are assigned anywhere from two to six crops to manage, as well as two general farm jobs, such as managing irrigation, pest control, greenhouse management, and maintenance and repairs for equipment, vehicles and buildings.

Apprentices also help run the farm’s four market

Below left, Pearl Wetherall harvests squash and, at right, flameweeds carrots at New Morning Farm.

Bottom, Hunter Smith takes a break during his internship at Ledamete Grass Farm.

stands in Washington, D.C. Apprentices are expected to start between March and May, with Thanksgiving and Christmas as paid holidays. Many choose to work at least some time over the winter.

“Full time means that we expect people to be available to work at the farm if we need them, but there is some flexibility outside of our main season months,” says senior crew member Pearl Wetherall, 30. If apprentices sign on for the next season, they’re given a month’s paid vacation to be taken anytime between December and March.

During the busiest months, June to September, they work Monday through Friday and every other Saturday, typically from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As for finding apprentices, Crawford says, “[Early on, we] used to do a lot of recruiting on college campuses.” Citing an increase in interest that has coincided with the growth of the food movement, he says he hasn’t needed to do much advertising in the last 10 years.

IN THE FIELD Interested in interning or apprenticing?

Here are five farms looking for help. Find more listings at sites for the Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas (ATTRA), Northeast Workers on Organic Farms (NEWOOF) and the Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA).

Charlestown Farm 2565 Charlestown Rd., Phoenixville, Pa. For those interested in learning about seeding, transplanting, weeding, harvesting, washing, CSA distribution, farmers market sales, retail sales and working with poultry. Applications should be in by March.

Rick Rigutto at 610-509-3906, manager@charlestownfarmcenter.org , charlestownfarm.org .

Good Work Farm 4791 Rock Rd., Zionsville, Pa. Join the team at a draft-powered vegetable farm as an assistant farmer. Work includes learning greenhouse production, transplanting and hand-weeding.

Apply as soon as possible.

Lisa Miskelly at 215-804-7352, goodwork farm@riseup.net , goodworkfarm.com .

Jack’s Farm 1370 W. Schuylkill Rd., Pottstown, Pa. The farm is looking for “a hard-working, dependable person with an interest in farm work.” Positions open until filled.

Daniel Heckler at 610-413-9088, daniel heckler@jacksfarm.net , jacksfarm.net .

Ledamete Grass Farm 5471 Sell Rd., Schnecksville, Pa. Learn to raise and process pastured poultry and pork. Also provides experience managing a micro-dairy/beef herd, farm carpentry and more.

Apply as soon as possible.

Rob Fix at 610-767-4984, ledametegrass@gmail.com , ledametegrassfarm.com .

Pennypack Farm & Education Center 685 Mann Rd., Horsham, Pa. and 7005 Sheaff Lane, Fort Washington, Pa. Internships include farm education and 12 weeks of farm work with an emphasis on the importance of local, organically grown food. Apply as soon as possible.

Diane Diffenderfer, Education Director at 215-646-3943, education@pennypack farm.org , pennypackfarm.org .

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F EB RUA RY 201 5

WE LOVE OUR RIDERS. AND NOW THERE’S EVEN MORE OF

YOU TO LOVE. RESEARCH SHOWS MORE AMERICANS

ARE RIDING Next Steps Since 2012, Emily Best, 31, has apprenticed at New Morning Farm. “[After graduating,] I was thinking I would work at a think tank or a nonprofit and work on food policy,” Best says. “[But] after that season [at New Morning] was over, I really liked it, so I stuck with it.”

By the end of her first season, she felt that it was serendipitous that she couldn’t find work that drew upon her graduate studies in environmental policy. “I thought, ‘I feel good about my work,’ ” she says. “It’s very honest work and I felt like I’m a part of something. I didn’t want to leave that for a job that was not going to feel the same way.”

While Best loves her work on the farm, she has an interest in finding something that will allow her to have a greater impact and draw upon her educational background. Until then, she is enthusiastic about staying on for one or two more seasons, adding she’d only leave if it’s the right fit. Whatever she does, she wants to be an advocate for young farmers while “contributing to the conversation surrounding agriculture, food and health.”

Wetherall took classes while studying at Green Mountain College in Vermont that spoke to what she calls her “tripod of sustainability”—covering ecological, social and economic issues. Her agriculture classes exposed her to getting her hands dirty and she was hooked. After graduating in 2007, she did an apprenticeship on a farm in Vermont prior to a term with AmeriCorps in Wayne County, Pennsylvania.

A desire to learn more about food production and a love for “growing plants and being outside” brought her to New Morning Farm in 2009, where, after several seasons, Wetherall worked her way up to senior crew member.

Emily Best works at New Morning Farm's farmers market stand in Washington, D.C. She's apprenticed at the farm since 2012. "After that season was over, I really liked it, so I stuck with it.”

Wetherall could soon be added to the long list of farm owners—Crawford estimates the number to be roughly 40 or so—to emerge from the apprentice program. And when Crawford steps down, which he says may happen “soon,” she and fellow senior crew member Jen Glenister are considering taking over New Morning Farm. Wetherall says they’re thinking of transitioning the farm from a family-run business to a co-operative model, though she adds that many of the details are still up in the air.

In February of 2015, Smith, who interned at Ledamete, is starting as an assistant farm manager at Pathfinder Farms in Catskill, New York. He says his new boss, Jim Bulich, put out the idea of helping him finance his own farm, which he plans to start in three years.

While Smith loved the exposure to rotational grazing that he got at Ledamete, particularly with Fix’s large numbers of chickens, he says he’s looking forward to working with a much larger number of cows at Pathfinder Farms.

He’ll take Fix’s ever-proactive approach with him: “Something Rob always hammers home is that there’s a way and there’s always a better way to do things.”

Fix says that Smith will be missed, especially by his four-year-old who teared up on Smith’s last day at Ledamete. “He’s a blessed part of the community on the farm here,” Fix says. “I think that’s something that farming cultivates in itself—a rooting of oneself to the land that you’re on or the community that you’re involved in.”

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EDUCATING THROUGH AGRICULTURE Educating future farmers is a specific goal of the Pennypack Farm and Education Center, which created its first farm site in Horsham, Pennsylvania, in 2003, shortly after becoming a nonprofit. A second farm site opened in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, in 2013. The paid internship program at both sites runs five days a week and interns who enjoy their three-

month summertime stint can make the leap to Pennypack’s more intensive two-year paid apprentice program, which requires six days of work a week at one of the two organic vegetable farm sites. On-the-job and classroom training is combined to progress apprentices to managers in their second year, aiming to teach them to learn how to manage a farm.

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“Our programs, particularly our internship, gives collegeage people the opportunity to see if they want to pursue agriculture as a more viable career option,” says Diane Diffenderfer, the Education Director at Pennypack. Apprentices at Pennypack complete an online course in conjunction with the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project (New Entry) and Tuft’s University.

Lauren Sadler initially thought she would only be rounding out her horticulture degree from Temple University when she started an apprenticeship in March 2013, but fell in love with the work.

In November, she started as an assistant farm manager at the for-profit Everblossom Farm in East Berlin, Pennsylvania after completing her two-year apprenticeship at Pennypack in October 2014.

She plans to work there for three years and learn from owner Elaine Lemmon how to run a for-profit farm while balancing the demands of being a farmer and a mother. A love for delicious, sustainably raised food drives Sadler, who says she’d like to follow in the footsteps of former Pennypack intern and assistant manager Jen Topper, who launched Topp Notch Farm, an organic vegetable and flower farm, in January 2014.

“Right now I’m paying my dues," Sadler says in regard to taking the next step in realizing her dream. “But this makes me so happy.” —Brion Shreffler

JAN

Make Your Own Terrariums

Create a miniature garden under glass in this make-and-take workshop. Jamie McCracken will teach attendees how to create and care for mini landscape. Cost includes materials; soil, glass bowl and three plants.

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→→ Sat., Jan. 31. 10 to 11 a.m. $35. Registration re-

quired. Register in the store or by calling 215-8877500. 435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. primexgardencenter.com

JAN 31

Repair Fair With the Philly Fixers Guild

Members of the community are welcome to bring broken or damaged items, including clothing and jewelry, and learn from a volunteer fixer who will guide attendees in how to repair or mend items. →→ Sat., Jan. 31. Noon to 4 p.m. Free. Memphis St.

Academy in Port Richmond, 2950 Memphis St. phillyfixersguild.org

JAN

Composting for Healthy Soil

Keep kitchen scraps and plant debris out of the landfill while creating black gold for your garden. Horticulturist and soil expert Jennifer Hendricks will discuss simple ways to compost outdoors all year long.

FEB

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→→ Sat., Jan. 31. 1 to 2 p.m. $10. Registration required.

Register in the store or by calling 215-887-7500.

435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. primexgardencenter.com

FEB

Native Lichens lecture: A Hidden World in Peril

Birds and Beans

7

The populations of many migratory birds are in drastic decline, and there are many things we can do to save them. Naturalist and author Scott Weidensaul explores the wonder and mechanics of migration, and will lead a talk on the simple, effective ways to help preserve our migrants—from what we plant in our gardens to what we pour into our morning mug of coffee. →→ Sat., Feb. 7. 2-4 p.m. $35. Mt. Cuba Center, 3120 Barley Mill Rd., Hockessin, Del. mtcubacenter.org

FEB

Learn to Raise Backyard Chickens

Join Dr. James Lendemer, a researcher from the New York Botanical Garden, for an exploration of native lichens. There are more than 550 species of native lichens in Pennsylvania, many rare or threatened.

Maureen Breen will teach how easy it is to raise a backyard flock. Learn how to choose the right chicks and how to keep them happy and healthy year-round. Primex will be selling baby chicks this spring. This is the perfect starter course for your new flock.

→→ Sun., Feb. 1. 2 to 3 p.m. $8 for members, $12 for

→→ Sat., Feb. 7. 10 to 11 a.m. $10. Registration required;

1

non-members. Early registration suggested; call 215-862-2924 to register. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, Pa.

7

register in the store or by calling 215-887-7500.

435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. primexgardencenter.com

bhwp.org

FEB

Birding Hike

Begin your day with a walk at Pennypack on the Delaware to observe the bald eagle nest, sparrows and waterfowl. The group will meet at the gazebo on the river. After the hike, the group will travel by car to Glen Foerd and Pleasant Hill Park to look for unusual gulls. Walk is for beginner to experienced birders. Binoculars available if needed.

7

→→ Sat., Feb. 7. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free. Pennypack Trail, State Rd. birdphilly.org

PHOTO BY SCOTT W E I D E NSAU L

FEB

Earth Story, Our Story Workshop

FEB 7

Philly Materials Science and Engineering Day

Materials science and engineering is the study of the materials that make up the world around us and how we use them to create useful things for everyday life. Philly Materials Science and Engineering Day offers the chance to participate in hands-on materials science and engineering activities while raising public awareness of its importance. →→ Sat. Feb. 7. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free. Bossone Re-

search Enterprise Center, Drexel University, 3141 Market St. phillymaterials.org

Featuring author and speaker Charles Eisenstein, come hear how “climate change calls us to heal ourselves and the planet.” Topics of discussion will include transition towns, divestment, soil, militarism and local food. There will also be a donation request from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. with a light lunch provided.

Brande Plotnick will teach attendees how to use worms to turn kitchen scraps into rich compost. Red Wigglers quickly create nutrient-rich worm castings. Great for the classroom, small spaces and apartment dwellers.

→→ Sat., Feb. 7. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Free with gift offering.

→→ Sat., Feb. 7. 1 to 2 p.m. $10. Registration required;

7

To RSVP, write to janesdugdale@gmail.com.

Central Baptist Church, 106 W. Lancaster Ave., Wayne, Pa. www.cbcwayne.org

FEB

How to Vermicompost

7

register in the store or by calling 215-887-7500.

435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. primexgardencenter.com/winter-garden-classes

F E B RUARY 20 15

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FEB

Tu B’Shevat Family Program

Buy a native tree seedling to take home in honor of the Jewish New Year of Trees. Visitors will also enjoy Andi Joseph as she leads a concert that blends traditional, original and contemporary music.

8

→→ Sun., Feb. 8. 1 to 3 p.m. Free with garden admis-

sion. Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. morrisarboretum.org

FEB 8

Build Native Garden Habitats at Home

Michael Kopena will discuss the dangers of gardening with exotics and introduce native plants you can use to create a sanctuary at home for songbirds and pollinators. →→ Sun., Feb. 8. 2 p.m. Free, registration required. The Cedars House, 200 Northwestern Ave. fow.org

FEB

Ladies of the Landscape

This lecture explores the societal changes that allowed women in the 20th Century access to the fields of horticulture, agriculture, conservation and landscape design.

8

→→ Sun., Feb. 8. 2 to 3 p.m. $8 for members, $12 for

non-members. Registration suggested, call 215862-2924 to register. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, Pa. bhwp.org

FEB

Civil Disobedience Action Camp

For five years, Earth Quaker Action Team has campaigned to get PNC Bank to stop financing companies engaged in mountaintop removal coal mining. Show how much you love the mountains, streams and the people of Appalachia by demanding that PNC stop.

9

→→ Mon., Feb. 9. 8:30 a.m. Free. To RSVP for civil dis-

obedience training, email chris.eqat@gmail.com.

Friends Center, 1501 Cherry St. eqat.org/loves-mountains

FEB

Vegetarianism 101

Whether we’re concerned about our health, animals or the planet, one of the most effective ways we can make a difference is to choose vegetarian foods. Learn why a growing number of people are touting the benefits of meat-free eating, and how you can get active in your school or community to put more vegetarian options on the menu in restaurants and cafeterias.

10

→→ Tues., Feb. 10. 6 to 7:30 p.m. Free. The Rotunda, 4014 Walnut St. meetup.com/thehumaneleague

FEB 11

Healthy Houseplants With Jeannette Glennon-Morrissey

Learn how you can grow house plants all year long and have them continue to thrive. →→ Wed., Feb. 11. Sign-in at 6:30 p.m., class begins at

7 p.m. $10 per household. Camden County Environmental Center, 1301 Park Blvd., Cherry Hill, N.J.

FEB

Designing With Plants

This lecture details how to combine plants using color, shape, texture, repetition and balance.

15

→→ Sun., Feb. 15. 3 p.m. Free. Registration required,

contact Jan McFarlan at 215-247-5777, ext. 156 to register. Barnes Foundation Auditorium, 2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy. morrisarboretum.org

FEB 18

Edmund N. Baker’s Awards Ceremony

Dr. Judith Rodin, this year’s Edmund N. Bacon Prize winner, will give a talk featuring ideas from her new book, The Resilience Dividend, at an awards celebration, where the winning team of the Better Philadelphia Challenge will receive a $5,000 prize. →→ Wed., Feb. 18. 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Check prices at philadelphiacfa.ticketleap.com/bacon-2015

Moore College of Art + Design, 1916 Race St.

camden.njaes.rutgers.edu/garden

FEB

Winter Warmers: Fun With Bourbon

FEB

Intro to Soldering

At the Department of Making + Doing, learn a few quick pickling methods and alcohol infusions while making bourbon-pickled jalapeño and apple pie-infused bourbon.

At the Department of Making + Doing, drop another skill in your maker tool kit and learn how to solder. This relatively easy, but important skill will help see you through to the end of your next project. No experience needed.

→→ Wed., Feb. 11. 7 to 9 p.m. $39. University City Science Center, 3711 Market Street. dmdphilly.org

→→ Wed., Feb. 18. 7 to 9 p.m. $29. University City Science Center, 3711 Market St. dmdphilly.org

11

FEB

Find Your Favorite Witchhazel

Witchhazels, colorful and fragrant winter bloomers, can be found throughout the Morris Arboretum. Pick up a map at the Visitor Center that showcases specially selected specimens. For Valentine’s Day, children may create a heart/witchhazel-related craft in the Visitor Center.

14

→→ Sat., Feb. 14. 1 to 3 p.m. Free. Morris Arboretum, 100 E. Northwestern Ave. morrisarboretum.org

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FEB

Shapeshifting the Story

In this workshop, attendees will learn from two leaders in sustainability world—Charles Eisenstein and John Perkins— about formulating sustainable solutions in personal life and in the world.

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→→ Fri., Feb. 20 through Sun., Feb 22. $15 for opening

lecture, $295 for full workshop including meal.

Pendle Hill Center, 338 Plush Mill Rd., Wallingford, Pa. To register, visit dreamchange.org/ upcoming-workshops

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FEB

Raised Bed Gardening

The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s Sally McCabe will share her knowledge of community gardening using raised beds.

21

→→ Sat., Feb. 21. 10 to 11 a.m. $10. Registration re-

quired, register in the store or by calling 215-8877500. 435 W. Glenside Ave., Glenside, Pa. primexgardencenter.com

FEB 21

FEB

GMOs in Our Food Supply Lecture

Meet with the Vegetarian Society of South Jersey and members of GMOFree NJ for a presentation on the dangers of GMOs. We’ll watch Jeffrey Smith’s seminal documentary on genetic engineering, Genetic Roulette, The Gamble of Our Lives. Vegetarian starter kits and food samples will be provided.

23

→→ Mon., Feb. 23. 6:30 p.m. Free. Collingswood Public

Library, 771 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, N.J. Email thevssj@gmail.com or call 609-848-VEG1

Growing Native Plants: Propagation From Seed

Learn how to start native wildflowers from seed and seed germination processes. Attendees will plant a variety of wildflower seeds in class to take home. →→ Sat., Feb. 21. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. $15 for members,

$20 for non-members. Register by Feb. 19 by calling 215-862-2924. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, Pa. bhwp.org .

FEB

Sourdough Bread Class

Traci Opdahl of Amazing Healthful Foods will teach attendees how to make sourdough bread, and you’ll get to take home your own starter. Bring a jar to take home starter.

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→→ Tues., Feb. 24. 7 to 8:30 p.m. $15. Resurrection

Lutheran Church, 620 Welsh Rd., Horsham, Pa. pennypackfarm.org

FEB

25

Sourdough Bread With Philly Muffin’s Pete Merzbacher

Join Pete Merzbacher, creator of the famous Philly Muffin, for a class in Reading Terminal Market’s City Kitchen on the basics on making sourdough. →→ Wed., Feb. 25. 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. $35. City Kitchen,

Reading Terminal Market, 51 North 12th St. fairfood.ticketleap.com

FEB

28

Inspirational Garden Art With Invasive Plants

Let rustic furniture artist and landscape architect David Hughes show you how to turn invasive plants into beautiful pieces of garden art. Bring small hand pruners. →→ Sat., Feb. 28. 1 to 4 p.m. $30 for members, $35 for

non-members. Call 215-862-2924 to register by Feb. 25. Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 1635 River Rd., New Hope, Pa. bhwp.org

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Homestead Acts An occasional gardener evolves into an urban homesteader by kate donegan

W

hen I got serious about growing our own food four years ago, I had no idea how much it would affect how my wife and I lived and managed our lives and our home. We had already made a conscious decision to shop, cook, and eat as locally and seasonally as possible. So, it made sense that one of the ways to accomplish this would be growing at least some of our own food, and to work on becoming urban homesteaders.

The principles of urban homesteading, a term coined in 2001 by California urban farmer Jules Dervaes, are fairly straightforward, although they represent considerable challenges. The first principle is to grow your own food on your own city lot, with many urban homesteaders setting a goal to produce about 50 percent of what is eaten, frozen and canned.

In previous years, we maintained a garden

dotted with assorted pots, many annuals and an array of perennials, in addition to a few herbs.

Encouraged by the increasing number of people in Philadelphia who were growing their own food, I began to look differently at our outside space, realizing that our 20-foot-by-30-foot plot was plenty to work with. The process started via conversations with friends and informative books and websites. It continued with events and classes offered though the Food Trust, Greensgrow Farms, Fair Food and other like-minded organizations. We learned what plantings would do best in our area and space, the basics of soil management and natural ways to combat garden pests. At last, it seemed that we had some guidelines for what we were seeking: greater selfsufficiency and a greater level of consciousness about our effect on the earth. We craved a life focused on a stronger dependence on ourselves in

growing and cooking, as well as in maintaining our home in a healthy, environmentally friendly and community-connected way.

While we haven’t reached the 50 percent mark yet, each subsequent growing season brings us closer. Since we started, we’ve installed a large composter, started collecting rainwater for our garden and built a cold frame to continue to grow produce over the winter. Today, our growing area consists of three large standing planters, potato bins, a built-in herb garden and in-ground planting beds on the sides and back of the garden. It’s just enough space for growing, dining and relaxing.

But we didn’t want to stop there. Some other principles guiding urban homesteading include: using alternative energy sources and alternative fuels and transportation; understanding the immediate environment (where does water runoff go?; where does the garbage go?; what is the soil composed of?); reducing waste; collecting rainwater; living simply; doing the work yourself; and being a good neighbor by helping to build community in your urban neighborhood.

The urban homesteading principle of promoting community is very important to us. We now share seeds and tools and plantings with our neighbors and find ourselves talking regularly about what is going well, what pests we are battling, asking whether anyone wants to share a shipment of ladybugs and sharing the bounty from our growing efforts. At least three other homes on our small block are active in gardening and growing food. And we’ve also been able to share our compost mulch with our neighbors for their gardens. All summer long, we often answer our front door to see a neighbor standing there with a big bag of compostable material to be dumped into our composter—a free-standing 150-pound bin compost container installed in our side alley. A few times a year, we open the bottom lid and shovel out the beautiful black compost for use in our garden and for our neighbors.

And so we continue to evolve as urban homesteaders. The practices of urban homesteading provide those of us who choose to live in cities with the benefits of living a more self-sufficient, community-involved and sustainable life. It has certainly demanded adjustments in how we use our time, what we buy, and how we approach repairs and projects at our home. But we keep learning. We keep trying. And we continue to learn from and love the challenges. kate donegan is a Behavioral Health Consultant, a blogger at thephillyfoodist. blogspot.com , and a dedicated student of urban homesteading. She lives in Queen Village with her wife, three dogs and two cats.

Each month, Dispatch features personal reflections on adventures in sustainability. Have a story you’d like to share? E-mail getinvolved@gridphilly.com 22

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turning the tide

A lawyer makes the leap to sustainability consulting.

Tony Tancini Master of Environmental Studies ‘10, University of Pennsylvania To learn how Tony helps keep the Air Force green, visit www.upenn.edu/grid

Surfing at the Jersey shore was supposed to relax Tony Tancini (Master of Environmental Studies ‘10), a commercial and environmental litigator. But he was troubled by a nagging thought. “Every time I’d go surfing, I’d think, am I really contributing to justice for the earth? I could win cases left and right, but at the end of the day fossil fuels are still being used.”

One day Tony decided to act. He left his job, joined Americorps, and applied to Penn’s Master of Environmental Studies program. “Every single class at MES has helped me do what I do today,” Tony says.

Today, he is a senior analyst for Marstel Day, an environmental conservation consulting company. Tony, a veteran, works with the Department of Defense to reduce its environmental footprint. “It’s been a really cool journey,” Tony says. “I left my previous career to find work that’s a calling to me, and I’m finally doing that.”

Staff from Penn’s MES Program are here to answer your questions face-to-face on the second Wednesday of each month.

Walk right in.

w ww.upenn.edu/grid 24 GRID PH I L LY.CO M F EB RUA RY 201 5

www.upenn.edu/grid

www.facebook.com/UPennEES

@PENN_EES