CSA Home | Farm Calendar | Maysie's Farm Conservation Center | How Membership Works | Join the CSA | Crop Schedule & Availability | Contact Us


Back to Newsletter Page 1 | Newsletter Page 3

Updates

Update on Education Committee

Maysie's Farm Conservation Center Education Committee is up and running! The committee consists of Sam Cantrell, Paul Morgan, Louise Smith, Dawn Lawless, Amy Bruckner and Mary Ann Maggitti, and we welcome support from anyone interested in educational programs.

We are dedicated to expanding school programs, a public lecture series and on-farm demonstrations. Our mission is to provide educational programs to members and the public on ecological issues. Some of our upcoming topics for lectures and on-farm demonstrations include School Gardens and a Slow Food potluck dinner. Information will be distributed as these events are scheduled.

Committee meetings are held monthly with wonderful feasts as members bring a dish to share. Come out and support this program; we welcome your input!

For more information contact Paul at (610) 827-7189.


Pickup Etiquette

This year Core Group members are volunteering as distribution managers on pickup days. They will make sure vegetables are stocked in the barn, point you towards the pick-your-own beds, and answer questions. Here are a few other things to remember:

  • When you arrive for your weekly pickup, park above the barn. Try to remember to bring your own bags. If you won't be able to make your pickup date, please give us at least one day's notice.

  • Consult the board for quantity guidelines and for any farm messages. You may leave your vegetables in the cool barn while you go out to the pick-your-own crops.

  • Don't forget to sign the pickup list so we know you've been there. You may also leave messages on this sheet (i.e., a request for a pickup change). In addition, sign up for chickens and eggs before the end of each month for pickup the first week of the next month.

  • Children are welcome at Maysie's Farm, but we ask you to keep an eye on them at all times. Please do not allow them to throw rocks, sticks or any other objects. Also, please respect the privacy of the house. Some parts of the barn are also off limits: the second floor, the tool room and areas on both sides of the food distribution area. In addition, the greenhouse is off limits to children except when accompanied by adults, and the beds are restricted for everyone. Please leave your pets at home.

  • Take your time! Be sure to check out any volunteer activities or member events. And don't forget to pick up some materials to share with friends, family and neighbors.

Return to Top of Page


How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck if a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?
by Dawn Lawless

Ah, our beloved woodchuck, a/k/a the groundhog. Groundhog seems like a more fitting name for this ravenous mammal. We've all seen them stuffing themselves near brushy areas or woods. They are diurnal for the most part. Their favorite meal includes tender, succulent plants, which is not good news for the friendly farmer. The woodchuck can do considerable damage to crops. Hence we have Bessie. Her main job is to reduce the number of critters eating the vegetables. On a more positive note, groundhogs create burrows that other animals, such as game and furbearers, utilize for refuge or a home. Any woodchucks hibernating this winter on Maysie's Farm will begin to wake up and do what they do best, eat plants.


Sustainable Agriculture Research Award
By Louise Smith

Through our Outreach Programs, Maysie's Farm Conservation Center (MFCC) awarded a $100 U.S. Savings Bond and Certificate of Excellence in Sustainable Agriculture Research to Erica Rodriguez at the Delaware Valley Science Fair on April 11th. The Delaware Valley Science Fair is an annual exhibit and competition for students in grades 6-12, from Southeast Pennsylvania, Southern New Jersey and Northern Delaware, who have conducted research in one of fourteen different scientific categories. Sam Cantrell, Executive Director of MFCC, judged the research projects and carefully considered at least a dozen relevant projects, primarily in the botany and environmental sciences categories.

Erica's project, "Comparing the Efficacy of Chemical Versus Organic Fertilizer" found that even a simple organic fertilizer produces healthier plants and less leachate than a chemical fertilizer such as Miracle-Gro. Her display board and the verbal presentation of her work were excellent. In addition to our MFCC award, Erica won Third Place in her category (10th Grade Environmental Sciences), an award from Women in Science and Engineering and a U.S. Army award. Congratulations, Erica!

Sam Cantrell encouraged Erica, who is a student from George Washington High School in Philadelphia, to continue her research and possibly focus on comparing different organic fertilizers: i.e., composts made from different materials and over different timeframes. Encouraging students and applauding them for their interest and research in sustainable agriculture is one of the ways we at Maysie's Farm Conservation Center accomplish our mission of increasing public understanding of the importance of conservation and ecological thinking.

Wish List

Our Wish List this month focuses on things for the new Children's Garden. Please contact Sam at (610) 458-8129 if you can donate any of these items or services:
  • bird feeder
  • bench or table
  • 8 foot bean poles
  • bird bath
  • children's gloves
  • children's tools
And for cooking demonstrations, we need:

  • Juicer
  • Food processor

As always, we also welcome donations of:

  • hand drawn art for the newsletter
  • Eagle Scout or Gold Award projects
  • compost or transportation to haul compost

Please contact Sam for more details: (610) 458-8129

Spring Old and New
by Cathy Fornwalt

I have lived through many Springs.
They've become but routine Things.
Then I take my puppy out.
Spring is new to his young snout.
New smell, new sight, new scent, new feel —
all new to him. His senses reel.
He knows not how this bothers me —
he knows not where to poop or pee.
So, lest our territory's faded,
we must make sure we don't get jaded.
We are the Spring. We are the New.
We are the lettuce leaves that grew
on Maysie's Farm, a CSA
located not so very far away.
We are the pups who there were born
from Bessie on a September's morn.
We are the New. We are the Spring.
We are far from a routine thing.
And when we think the harvest's through,
We'll learn we're Spring, both Old and New.

This poem was written after a Spring evening's walk with Lucky Poe, son of Bessie and Homer, born on September 13, 2000. Lucky Poe remains quite distracted by the Spring.

Return to Top of Page


Choosing Local Organic Poultry and Beef
by Louise Smith

Again this year, CSA members will have the option of purchasing delicious organic pastured poultry and eggs that are made available to us by Brian and Holley Moyer of Green Haven Farm. Last year many CSA members enjoyed the convenience of picking up their poultry and eggs while at the farm and they were glad to support a local producer of organic pastured poultry. When you arrive at the farm to pick up your vegetable share in late May, there will be sign up sheets in the distribution area of the barn where you can request the number of chickens and dozens of eggs you'd like to order each month. If you have any questions, just ask a Distribution Manager or Intern and they will be glad to help you.

We now have information available about purchasing organic beef from Pickering Valley Farm in Charlestown Township. Look in the distribution area in the barn for this information also. Pickering Valley Farm is a family owned farm that raises biodynamic, pastured Charolais and Simmenthal cattle that produce very lean beef. The meat is offered in shares similar to the CSA concept. One share, which is equivalent to 100 pounds of a variety of beef cuts (including roasts, steaks, ground beef, etc.) costs $450 and you pick it up at Pickering Valley Farm four times during the year. You can also buy some items a la carte. For further information, you can contact John Foster, owner of Pickering Valley Beef, at 610-933-9333.

Eating food that is locally grown and raised supports our local food shed and helps preserve the remaining farmland in our rapidly developing area. Eating organic food that tastes as delicious as the chicken and eggs from Green Haven Farm and the beef from Pickering Valley Farm also satisfies our families' need for excellent, healthy food choices. I serve food from both of these farms to my family with our delicious Maysie's Farm vegetables and they enjoy these meals very much.

Return to Top of Page


Back to Newsletter Page 1 | Newsletter Page 3