Thursday, April 16, 2009

Produce Available at the Farm

The sun is shining!!!!!! Before I start the spring farm work this morning I want to let you know that I will be "opening" at the farm every Friday from 2-6PM (tomorrow)until the Kennett Square Farmers Market opens on Friday, May 15th from 2-6PM. Spring greens perfect for salad -- lettuce, arugula, baby spinach and spicy mix of asian greens-- along with delicious deep yellow yolked eggs from our happy pastured hens, will all be available for purchase. If you need directions to the farm or exact instructions about the location of these serve yourself items--feel free to e-mail me at claire@inverbrook.com.

These items will be available:
April 17th
April 24th
May 1st
May 8th
....and then from May 15th on you can find me at the Kennett Market

Just yesterday I made a delicious salad of this tender fresh greens and a hard boiled egg. To learn how to boil an egg just right click here.

In other news, the latest addition of CC guide to dining and entertainment is out. Check out page 9 and page 30--all kinds of Buy Fresh, Buy Local goodness.

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Events tonight!

I apologize for the last minute notice, spring farm work is keeping me away from the computer. The Stoud Water Research Center is hosting The Stroud™ Memorial Lecture Series:
Land as Home: Vision for an Eco-Culturally Sustainable Arctic
An Evening with Subhankar Banerjee

April 9, 2009
6:00 PM Cocktails & Hors D’oeuvres
7:00 PM Lecture & Book Signing

Meet featured artist, educator and activist, Subhankar Banerjee, and see his breathtaking photographs of the Arctic. Banerjee is the author of several books, including: Arctic National Wildlife Refuge: Seasons of Life and Land, The Last Wilderness, Photographs of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and Resource Wars.

Click here for more information.

Tonight is also the "welcome spring" green drinks (environmental happy hour) and PASA Buy Fresh, Buy Local networking event at Victory Brewing Company from 7-9PM in the Beer Hall.

For all the latest food and farming related events be sure to check out the Buy Local PA website-click on chester county, and then events. I will be posting a report about the very successful slow burn event sometime this weekend.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

April 1st-Time to get Planting!

Happy April Fool’s Day! On this quintessential early spring day—complete with April showers and an increasingly greener landscape—it’s a perfect time to start thinking about your own garden. Even if you have joined Inverbrook CSA or are intending on meeting your vegetables needs at the Kennett Square Farmers Market, it is still nice to have a tomato or two and an herb garden in your own backyard (you can always donate produce to a food cupboard). Early April is a good time to start many of the vegetables you will eventually transplant to your garden plot. As luck would have it, we are blessed with two great resources here in Chester County -- Happy Cat Organics (seeds) and Organic Mechanics (potting soil)—the basic beginnings for a successful vegetable garden.

Happy Cat Organics is a small heirloom seed company run by husband and wife team Tim Mountz and Amy Bloom. Tim and Amy have recently launched a new business Farm in Your Yard and would be happy to set up a vegetable garden for you. Tim also works at Terrain at Styers and is giving two lectures/workshops this month at Terrain. Click here for Terrain’s April events calendar.

Organic Mechanics is run by local soil expert Mark Highland, whose potting soil company is located in Modena (just outside of Coatesville). His soil can be found in area garden centers and some grocery stores through out the county. Click here for a listing of locations. Watch this video with Mark and garden girl Patti Moreno—a great introduction to his product and instructions on how to brew your own compost tea.

If you do not have the time or space (in your home) to start your veggie garden seedlings—you are still in luck. Both Happy Cat and Organic Mechanic will be at the opening of the Kennett Square Farmers Market on Friday, May 15th at 2PM. At this point Happy Cat along with several other vendors will be selling vegetable starts. May 15th is the last frost date for our region so it will be safe to plant your tomatoes, basil, and peppers outside. Happy planting!