Mushroom Workshop Postponed
By The Farm Team | February 20, 2009
Dear Friends:
The recent week of rains was long overdue and badly needed. The rain gauge at the Farm recorded 4.8 inches of rain in the last week. Which is awesome.
Except for the fact that the soil is so saturated that it unsettled the portion of the hillside where we were planning on building a mushroom igloo at tomorrow’s scheduled mycelium workshop.
So the mushroom class originally scheduled for tomorrow is being postponed until Sat, Mar 28. Stay tuned.
Tomorrow we’ll have a typical winter workday of weeding our short day onions, stream restoration, and tree pruning.
Thanks, as always, for all of your energy.
The Farm Team
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Feb/March Upcoming Workshops
By The Farm Team | February 14, 2009
Farm Friends:
Coming up we have two guest workshop teachers, illuminating worlds of food that we often overlook amidst many beds of traditional annuals like peas, cabbage, and squash.
First, on Saturday, February 21st:
Mushroom Cultivation
Ken Litchfield (volunteer at Alemany Farm, teacher at Merritt College, and farmer in Moraga, CA) will share techniques and concepts around growing edible mushrooms using easy-to-come by materials. The plan is to make a “mushroom igloo” out of straw bales, but we shall see!
Then, on Sunday, March 1st:
Perennial Vegetables for San Francisco:
In this workshop, urban permaculturist Kevin Bayuk will help us explore low maintenance, drought tolerant, edible vegetation for the San Francisco garden. We’ll grapple with the questions like: Why perennials? What is a perennial? What plants work in San Francisco? Can you garden with perennials and annuals? Participants will also get a resource sheet of interesting perennials to try in San Francisco.
Both workshops occur on normally occuring workdays, so come down at noon for the workday and stay for the workshop!
These workshops are free but donations will be accepted.
Thanks, as always, for all of your work to make SF more food secure.
The Farm Team
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Alemany Workdays: Mark Your Calendars
By The Farm Team | January 29, 2009
Dear Farm Friends:
When two different months split a single weekend, our workday schedule gets complicated.
To clear up any confusion about our upcoming workdays, please mark your calendars:
- Saturday, Jan 31, Noon to 5 PM
- Monday, Feb 2, 1 to 5 PM
- Saturday, Feb 7, Noon to 5 PM
- Monday, Feb 8 1 to 5 PM
- Saturday, Feb 14, Noon to 5 PM
At most of these workdays, we will be continuing on winter tasks such as maintaing the native gardens and herb garden, mulching paths, and fruit tree care. We will also start planting some of our new apple trees.
On Feb 14, we hope to be planting several dozen new trees along the south edge of the property to screen the Farm from the freeway.
Thanks, as always, for all of your work to make SF more food secure.
The Farm Team
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Janurary Rain?
By The Farm Team | January 19, 2009
Farm Friends:
By now, if you’re like us, you’re wondering: um, isn’t this winter? Shouldn’t we be cold, cozying up inside, or at least putting mud-flaps on our bikes?
Well, if climate change (aka global weirding) has got you down, come out to the farm for far-too-early-spring cheer!
Besides our upcoming January workdays (this coming Saturday, the 24th; Monday, the 26th, and Saturday the 31st), we will be hosting a free workshop on how to build cold-frames out of strawbales. This will take place on the 24th, at around 3pm. Once we’re done, we’ll rally up with the rest of the volunteers to distribute the harvests from the day.
Thank you, as always, for your efforts to make SF more food secure,
The Farm Team
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Winter Break…
By The Farm Team | December 22, 2008
Farm Friends:
Late December is vacation time here at the farm; a time for us to let the cover crop grow, the mulch settle in, and the new perennials establish deep drought-tolerant root systems. It’s also time for us to go on vackay–whether to visit our families across the country, or with a relaxed staycation here in the city.
So take it easy and we’ll see you in the new year, maybe at our first workday on Sunday, January 4th.
Thanks, as always, for your efforts,
The Farm Team
p.s. For those of you considering the 2009 Apprenticeship program: the deadline for submission of applications is January 1st, so get your application in now! We will be notifying applicants of acceptance a week prior to the first class, to be held on January 11th.
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2009 ECOLOGICAL HORTICULTURE TRAINING PROGRAM
By The Farm Team | December 7, 2008
UPDATE: 2009 Course is FULL and CLOSED. Thanks!
Alemany Farm’s 2009 Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture
Download the application here: PDF / Word
If you are eager to learn more about urban food production and wish to gain some of the skills to become your own food producer, you should enroll in Alemany Farm’s Apprenticeship in Ecological Horticulture.
The 12-month course will take participants through the seasons, covering key garden and orchard tasks that occur in Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Workshops will teach core principals of food production such as soil fertility and composting, propagation and planting, seasonal tree care, water-wise irrigation, plant identification, integrated pest management, and crop planning. The hands-on training —using our vegetable gardens, herb gardens, and orchards — will cover several different methods of sustainable horticulture such as French Biointensive and Permaculture. In addition to gardening instruction, the classes will include discussions on social and political issues such as food security and government agricultural policies.
Our hope is that by learning the skills, concepts, and cultural context of urban agriculture, you are inspired to go out into the world as a “good food” activist. To this end, part of registering for the course includes committing to 40 hours of volunteer work, ideally at Alemany Farm or another sustainable food project in a low-income neighborhood.
Main curriculum for the Ecological Horticulture classes will be covered the second Sunday of every month, January through December, at Alemany Farm. The workshops will take place from 10 am to 5 pm, with a generous break for a potluck lunch. This core curriculum will be enhanced by 12 other workshops covering issues such as urban beekeeping, medicinal herbs, graywater systems, mushroom cultivation, and food preservation (drying and canning). Course participants have access to nearly 120 hours of instruction.
There is a suggested donation of $125 for the year-long course. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Students will receive a course reader. Non-core curriculum classes are also open to pre-registered members of the general public, but preference will be given to students registered for the Ecological Horticulture program. Participants are encouraged to purchase their own hand pruners and trowels for the class.
To register for the Apprenticship in Ecological Horticulture, please visit www.alemanyfarm.org and download an application. Completed applications should be mailed to: Alemany Farm, 2715 22nd Street, SF, CA 94110. The deadline to submit applications is January 1, 2009.
Download the application here: PDF / Word
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Yelp for Strawberries!
By The Farm Team | November 24, 2008
Dear Farm Friends:
If you’re staying here in the Bay for the Thanksgiving weekend, please join us for our regularly scheduled community workday this Saturday, Nov 29. We’ll start around Noon and wrap up around 5 PM.
There will be plenty to do, including mulching paths and sowing cover crop in the main garden, prepping our permaculture garden, and continuing work on the orchard hillside to get ready for a lot of apple tree planting in Jan. Good times!
At the end of the workday, we’ll have plenty of winter greens to harvest and share. Also, if you like you can take home some strawberry plants to put in your home garden so you’ll have super-local berries in 2009.
Attention critics: If you’re a registered reviewer on Yelp.com, we hope you’ll add a review of your experience at the Farm to the posting that just went up at http://www.yelp.com/biz/alemany-farm-san-francisco
Thanks so much for your efforts to make SF more food secure. We hope you have an enjoyable holiday.
The Farm Team
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Weekend Change-up and Important Developments…
By The Farm Team | November 8, 2008
Dear Farm Friends:
First off, please note the switcheroo on the workday this weekend. Normally it would fall on Saturday, but due to a collaboration with the Green Festival, we will be having the workday on Sunday, November 9th instead. In addition to normal workday activities, there will be a tour and workshop on Medicinal Herbs (information below).
Second, some news of potential concern for friends of the farm:
The south slope of Bernal Heights (adjacent to the farm’s hillside orchard) is at risk of development. A brief history, from the the South Bernal Action Alliance:
The South Bernal Action Alliance (SBAA), established in 1991, is a group of concerned neighbors working together to improve the quality of life in South Bernal. In 2000, SBAA convinced the Planning Commission to comprehensively address the problem of piecemeal development on South Bernal’s undeveloped hillsides. At that time, the City agreed to perform the South Bernal Slope Study to examine vehicular and pedestrian access patterns and infrastructure needs for south Bernal where slopes are extreme and streets are underdeveloped or nonexistent.
The study was never done. Now (2008), the SBAA has remobilized to demand that the City enact a moratorium on development of the hillside until the South Bernal Slope Study is completed. There are approximately 100 vacant and privately-owned parcels south of Crescent Street (at the ends of Moultrie, Andover, Bache and other streets). Private developers are currently attempting to obtain city permits for several disparate housing projects on these lots. The SBAA (and the Bernal Heights Neighborhood Center) believes that the piecemeal development of these 100 lots will degrade our neighborhood. Among the SBAA’s concerns are:
1. loss of local open space and a 20-year old children’s community garden
2. the sudden influx of additional traffic that may affect pedestrian safety
3. integration with Alemany Housing
4. the construction of large retaining walls that will affect the visual integrity of the hillside and degrade the character of the community
4. unanticipated impacts on city services such as fire and water service delivery
Please join us to stop the impending development projects and get the South Bernal Slope Study reinstated.
This week, Thursday, Nov. 6th at 1:30pm is a Planning Commission meeting at City Hall regarding this study.
If you can’t make this meeting, The Bernal South Slope legislation will be heard by the Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee on November 17th at 1pm (City Hall, room 263). This meeting is in addition to the hearing on November 6th at the Planning Commission. Because the Board makes the ultimate decision about the legislation, this is THE most important meeting for folks to attend. It is critical that the Board hear from neighbors, because the developers are flooding city hall with opposition. The Planning Commission is advisory to the Board of Supervisors, so that meeting (November 6th) is also important. But if you can only make one meeting, the Board of Sups meeting on the 17th is the one to attend.
If you can’t attend the meeting(s), please consider writing a letter to both the Planning Commission and the Board, urging the approval of the Bernal South Slope amendment to the Bernal Special Use District. Find a sample letter and contacts that include the Board of Supervisor at:groups.yahoo.com/group/southbernalheights
Thanks for helping us save this precious piece of open space, wildlife habitat, and potential future nut tree orchard!
——————————————————————-
Medicinal Herb Garden Tour and Hands-On Workshop
Practice Using Herbs for First-Aid Remedies
and Do-It-Yourself Herbal Health Care
November 9, 2008 Sunday, 1-3pm
Come see Alemany Farm’s new Medicinal Herb Garden on a guided tour by Herbalist Cara Saunders of Bear Wallow Herbs. Join in a fun workshop where you will learn how to identify herbal medicine plants and how to use them as first-aid remedies. We will look at the plants in the garden, feel the plants in our hands, taste the herbal tinctures, test the herbal salves, and learn how to use these plants for cuts, scrapes, burns, sore muscles, colds, flu, and many other common injuries and ailments.
We will demonstrate how food can be your medicine as we enjoy sampling herbal appetizers and herbal drinks that are tasty and healthy! Food and drink handcrafted by Therapeutic Chef, Kristin Doyle. www.therapeuticchef.com
Alemany Farm, 700 Alemany Blvd in San Francisco
(map and directions at www.alemanyfarm.org, click on Get Involved)
Free Event! Donations are welcome.
All participants will get a FREE ticket to the San Francisco Green Festival.
Contact: Cara Saunders, Bear Wallow Herbs
cara@bearwallowherbs.com
(530) 462-4784
_________________________________________
Thanks, as always, for helping to make SF more food secure.
The Farm Team
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Harvest Fest and Party!
By The Farm Team | October 17, 2008
Dear Farm Friends:
We hope you can come to the Farm this Sunday, October 19 for our Fourth Annual Alemany Farm Harvest Festival. We’ll start the festivities at Noon with some work projects including saving our sunflower seeds for next summer and clearing beds in preparation for winter. Around 1 PM, the bands will start playing, and will spend the afternoon making music courtesy of some bicycle-powered amps.
Throughout the afternoon we’ll have bicycle hayrides, face painting, sack races, and other games for kids. At 3 PM we’ll fire up the grill. We will have organic hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers. Please bring a side dish or dessert to share. At the end of the day, we’ll do an especially large harvest so everyone gets to take home a head of lettuce, some greens, carrots, or greenbeans.
Also, please remember that next Wednesday, Oct 22, there will be a party at the Rickshaw Stop to benefit the Farm. The event, hosted by Party Corps (http://www.partycorps.org/proto/node/16) will include performances by B Brown, Brass Liberation Orchestra, and Afrolicious. Tickets are $10. Hope to see you at one of these events.
The Farm Team
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Farm Fest and Party - October 19!
By The Farm Team | October 2, 2008
Dear Farm Friends:
Fall is going to be plenty busy with Alemany Farm events, so mark your
calendars.
On Sunday, October 19, we will have our Fourth Annual Alemany Farm
Harvest Festival. We’ll have bike-powered hay rides and games for
kids. Live music, and plenty of food to share. We’ll also be planting
out our 2009 garlic. Festivities start at Noon. Spread the word.
Then on Wednesday, Oct 22, there will be a Benefit Party for the Farm
at the Rickshaw Stop. Musical acts that night will include:
B Brown, Progressive dance hop & afro-beat flavored house
http://www.myspace.com/thepeopleoakland
Brass Liberation Orchestra, Acoustic Balkan brass, New Orleans
second-line jazz and Samba beats
http://brassliberation.org
Afrolicious: Pleasuremaker & Senior Oz Spinning,
Afro-tropi-electro-samba-dub-disco-funk
http://www.myspace.com/afroliciousoriginal
Tickets are $10. Doors open at 6 PM.
… And if that’s not enough, please remember we have our regularly
scheduled community workday this Sunday, Oct 5, from Noon to 5 PM.
We’ll be clearing beds in preparation for planting our winter cover
crop and building compost.
Thanks, as always, for helping to make SF more food secure.
The Farm Team
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