Outbreaks of listeria and other serious illnesses linked to tainted food are becoming more common, partly because much of what we eat takes a long and winding road from farm to fork.

Read more at http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_759890.html#ixzz1Zgla6apc

Planting Anne’s Garden
Friday June 24th 4-6pm

Join us in honoring the life of Anne Giddings, wife of Friends of Boulder Knoll Board President Bob Giddings, by planting a memorial garden on the farm. We will be planting an array of annuals and perennials and will follow a collaborative design that will greet every future visitor to the farm. Light refreshments, gloves and tools provided.

Exploring Ecosystems on the Farm Part II
Tuesday June 28th 4-6pm

Farm Educator Julia will lead a hike around the Boulder Knoll property, through forests, fields and wetlands. In this guided interpretation, we will examine what has changed in nature since our spring walk and examine unique landscape features, plants, trees, wildlife, and folklore. Please wear long pants and be prepared for uneven ground!

Beyond the Basics: Organic Gardening
Tuesday July 5th 4-6pm

Already begun a garden? Want to take it to the next level? Farmer Brenda will lead this workshop in going beyond the basics of organic gardening. Using examples from the farm and drawing on Brenda’s years of hands-on experience in the field, we’ll cover many aspects of farming. Participants are encouraged to come with questions!

Whats Buggin’ You?
Saturday July 16th 10-12am

The CT Agricultural Experiment Station’s Kim Stoner will lead this morning workshop on insect ecology. Dr. Stoner, an expert in local pollinators and entomology, will help us discover different insects, their relationships to plants and their purpose on the farm.

Friend or Foe? Invasive Plants and You
Saturday July 23rd 9-11am

Join horticulturist and invasive plant expert Rose Hiskes of the CT Agriculture Experiment Station in understanding the plants that are threatening our native ecosystems. Brief lecture followed by a walk around Boulder Knoll farm and forest in search of invasive plants.

Events are free and open to the public. Bring your enthusiasm and dress for the outdoors!

The farming season is well underway at Boulder Knoll Community Farm. Along the rows of vegetables and herbs, participants in Saturday’s “Patterns in Nature” workshop looked for examples of shapes and lines in the plants.

Environmental Educator Julia Meurice explained how patterns such as concentric circles, spirals and hexagons can be found throughout nature; in water ripples, star galaxies and beehives, respectively.

The two-hour long workshop also included a study of items collected by Meurice for their intricate patterns; rocks, a butterfly wing and even a snake skin (hexagons). Participants then used that insight to create pattens on paper.

 

The Friends of Boulder Knoll has used some acreage on the farm to build a community garden, and has harvested vegetables the last two seasons. The Town initially approved a one year lease, then changed it to a three-year rolling lease for the Friends, extending it one year every spring.

However, a request was made by current Friends of Boulder Knoll President Bob Giddings to extend the lease to five years. Giddings explained the extension would help in two ways. First, the Friends of Boulder Knoll would like to plant perennial crops, such as raspberries and blueberries, but to justify those plantings “a longer look forward is needed,” he wrote in a letter to the Town Council. Secondly, a longer lease term will help the group secure grant money from organizations like the United States Department of Agriculture and the Natural Resources Conservation Services.

“It is much easier to obtain grants if you have an established track record, which we now have, and a good prospect for long-term stability, which the lease term extension would help provide,” Giddings told the Council.

Councilman James Sima explained that the amended lease will allow the group to obtain more funding and a new clause was added to protect the Town. The new provision added is a surrender clause that would be invoked at the termination of the lease. The clause states that the lessee, the Friends of Boulder Knoll, would need to leave the property in good condition and cannot remove any plantings on the property.

 

You’re invited to attend these upcoming events in our new educational series —
“Springing into Nature”:

Organic Gardening for Beginners
Saturday, May 14 at 1pm
Boulder Knoll Community Farm

• Want to start a garden this spring but dont know where to begin? Looking for some tips to boost your garden’s health and resilience? Come help us kickoff our “Springing into Nature” series this Saturday at the farm for a workshop on how to get started. You’ll participate in hands-on demonstrations and have a chance to ask your questions! We’ll talk about site preparation, sun and water factors, soil structure and health, and plant selection. All ages welcome.

Patterning in Nature
Saturday, May 21 at 1pm
Boulder Knoll Community Farm

• Ever wondered why artists and poets alike are so inspired by nature?? In this art-themed workshop, we’ll take a look at some of the most common patterns in nature. We’ll use identification guides to teach us a few tricks, and sketch wild and domestic plants, insects and natural items alike. Bring your creativity and an open mind!

The Ground Beneath our Toes
Saturday, May 28, 1-3 pm
Boulder Knoll Community Farm

• Join us as we plunge into the earth for a look at soil ecology, decomposition and soil makeup! Using GPS maps that indicate Boulder Knoll’s three soil types, we’ll dig soil pits at different locations, compare their makeups, and talk about how forests and farmers use different techniques for building soil. Bring your scientific mind and a willingness to get “soily”!

Learning Wild Edible Plants
Friday, June 3, 4-6 pm
Boulder Knoll Community Farm

• Many of the plants we consider weeds are actually delicious salad additions, and native Americans used wild food stocks for hundred of years. We’ll walk around the farm’s perimeter and into the forest to explore what kinds of wild foods occur where, when and how to eat them. Participants will help collect ingredients for a wild salad! Bring an open palate, we will be taste-testing!

All events are free and open to the public. I hope you can join us! RSVP kindly requested to educator (at) boulderknollfarm (dot) com.

Stay tuned for more fun and educational events in the coming weeks and months.

Rules and Reality Test Chefs Who Think Locally
Jan Ellen Spiegel, New York Times
Published May 7, 2011

It sometimes seems that the Connecticut Department of Public Health, which oversees food protection and designates approved and unapproved food sources for restaurants, would rather see her cooking processed food than local farm stuff.

Click here to keep reading…

“As with many New England towns, Slocum said, farmers settled the area which became known as Cheshire. It was a farmer, Thomas Brooks who gave the town its name, and another farmer and former First Selectman, Burnsy B. Norton, whose name lives on at Norton Elementary school.”