LISTEN HERE
For this evenings Farm Hour I have a couple of interviews to play. I set up an incubator at Joe Moskowitz’s cafe, Casey Joe’s in Arkville about a month ago with about 32 fertile eggs…I was at the cafe the day chicks started to chisel through their shells and thought it was a fortuitous time to speak with Joe about his experiences on his fathers chicken farm in Halcottsville. AND we will hear from MArguerite Uhlmann Bower talking about wildcrafting edible plants and the upcoming identification walk and workshop she has organized for this wednesday at the tourquois barn, The upcoming walk and workshop is part of a monthly series of workshops called WEeds, Leaves, Seeds and Shoots, this is the second one in the series and the focus of this months workshop is supportive ways to help soil micro-organisms thrive using simple composting systems. As a follow up piece to Marguerites recorded discussion I sampled an audio piece from Journey to the Center of the Earth by the Rothamsted Research LAB in the UK. The subtitle to this piece is the first 23 centimeters in other words the first 9 inches of the earths living skin.
EVENTS
1. Grass Bioenergy Open House Planned: EnviroEnergy LLC in cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County will hold a GRASS BIO ENERGY open house on Tuesday, May 17th from 11 am – 3 pm at the EnviroEnergy mill at 2265 State Highway 7, Unadilla, N.Y. 13849 (just west of Wells Bridge). The open house will showcase live demonstrations of a 38,000 BTU and a 100,000 BTU high efficiency residential and small business scale heating appliances using local grass pellets. Attendees will view upgrades to the mill and learn about additional use of grass pellets as a weed free garden mulch. Project personnel from the Catskill Grass Bioenergy Project will be on hand to explain the use of grass pellets as a renewable heat source and share their experiences using grass pellets to heat 9 demonstration sites over the last 3 years. The Catskill Grass Bioenergy Project is a research and demonstration collaboration between the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, the Catskill Watershed Corporation and EnviroEnergy LLC.
2. Weeds, Leaves, Seeds and Shoots: Extend your Budget & Steward the Land © A plant identification series will take place once a month over the summer with a focus on nature and nutrition education. Beginning Wednesday, April 20th and then the first Wednesday there after, May thru October, Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower R.N., Herbalist will lead the walk at various Delaware County locations, hosted by 6 county businesses: Quarter Moon Café’ – Delhi, Turquoise Barn – Bloomville, Pepacton Health Foods Store – Downsville and Masonville General Store – Masonville, Harmony Hill Retreat Center – East Meredith. The focus of these classes are twofold: ‘Support the Land that Feeds Us’, and stretch our nutritional food potential. You will learn about responsible land and water stewarding as well as how to safely identify, process and preserve these nutrient dense garden weeds into a table food.
The first of the series will begin on April 20th, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. We’ll meet at Quarter Moon Café’s woodlands in East Meredith to forage various spring foods. We’ll then car pool back to the Café in Delhi to learn how to clean and store the wild foods, as well as taste a couple of Jonah’s preparations, pairing the wild edibles with some of his new homemade charcuterie products.
By participating in this grass roots effort, you will be supporting the education of people and community on the effects that gas drilling has on our environment, our health and our future. Suggested donation per class: $15 person. Call Marguerite Uhlmann-Bower for class details, directions and to pre-register at 607-278-9635 or email: 3moonsisters@gmail.com (Proceeds will go to CDOG)
The following are the dates and locations –
April 20 – Quarter Moon Cafe’ land in East Meredith
May 4 – Turquoise Barn
June 1 – Masonville General Store – land in Masonville
July 6 – Pepacton Health Foods Store – land in Downsville
August 3 – Turquoise Barn
September 7 – Harmony Hill Retreat Center – East Meredith
October 5 – Masonville General Store – land in Masonville
Monthly topics to be covered in addition to I.D. and food preparations.
– Water
– Soil and composting
– Recycling and Community
– Part 1 – Preparing biodynamic preps, and other natural methods for balancing soil
– Part 2 – Preparing biodynamic preps, and other natural methods for balancing soil
– Foods and Herbs to detox. land and our human body
– Endocrine disrupting chemicals and the diseases it causes on people, plants and things
Focus is two fold: support our environment and support our community.
Anticipated harvest at your locations:
April 20th – Quarter Moon – Ramps, Cattail Shoots, Dandelion Roots, Burdock Roots, White Pine Needles, Watercress
May 4th – Turquoise Barn – Dandelion Flowers, Leaves and Roots; Birch Bark, Raspberry Leaf, Wild Strawberries, Yellow Dock Leaves, Milkweed shoots, Hawthorn Flowers, Japanese Knotweed
June 1st – Masonville General Store – land in Masonville – Japanese Knotweed, Stinging Nettles, Raspberry Leaf, Wild Violet leaves, Elder Flowers, Burdock Stems, Milkweed shoots and leaves
July 6th – Pepacton Health Foods Store – Elder Flowers (one never knows), Mallow Flowers, Milkweed leaves and buds, Cattail Spikes and Pollen, Sumac Berries, Blueberries, Golden rod greens, Mints
August 3rd – Turquoise Barn – Yellow Dock Seeds, Sumac Berries, Service Berries, Raspberries, Blueberries, Milkweed buds and flowers, Queen Annes Lace, Evening Primrose and Golden Rod Flowers
September 7th – Turquoise Barn – Hawthorn Berries, Elder Berries, Dandelion Roots, Burdock Roots, Yellowdock seeds, Milkweed fresh pods, and any new growth around raspberry, blueberry, stinging nettle plants; Last of the Dandelion Leaves
October 5 – Masonville General Store – land in Masonville – Dandelion and Burdock Roots, Hawthorn Berries, Wild Carrot Roots, Evening Primrose Roots, Yellowdock Seeds, Goldenrod Seeds,
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