Notes from Farmer Fred
July 28, 2010Alice outside her home  |
We have an old tractor and her name is Alice... well,
actually, it's Allis-Chalmers 170, a 62 horsepower workhorse vintage
approximately 1970. Alice does
most of the heavy lifting at Pennypack Farm, whether it is working the ground
or pulling half a ton of water and farmers on the waterwheel transplanter.
Alice wasn't designed for vegetable farming, but was
adaptable in setting the wheels apart to suit our wide beds, and with a clutch
that can be ridden to slow the tractor down to a snails pace. Such features are hard to come by, and
the other two tractors at the farm have different features for different
purposes. But if anything were to
go seriously wrong with Alice, our season would be in jeopardy.
Chains are needed to support her rear  | We would like to find a replacement or at least a helper for
Alice, which is why we are launching a special fund raising campaign. In the coming weeks you may see Alice
parked near the harvest house. If
you look closely you will see a chain that is supporting one of the sway arms
for the three-point hitch; metal fatigue caught up with her. The replacement part is on a slow boat
from China. You may also notice a
turkey pan suspended below the engine block, to catch the minor oil leaks from
old seals.
This season we expanded our production into five more acres
at the east end of the field; we've also been mowing some of College
Settlement's hay meadows that are beyond the pine woods. With all this extra load, Alice needs a
helper. We hope that you, the
members of the farm, will pitch in too.
Broken headlight; very depressing  | Mismatched front tires and mesh netting make her slightly unappealing  |
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The Dirt on Education
For information on all upcoming classes for children and adults click here.
 LAST CHANCE TO SIGN UP!
Hunt for Wild
Blackberries
with Wildman Steve Brill
Tuesday, August 3rd
5:00pm - 7:00pm
Back by popular demand "Wildman" Steve Brill will lead one
of his world-famous foraging tours, at Pennypack Farm & Education Center.
Join us for a 2-hour walk around the farm where wild foods grow side-by-side
with food crops. We will be foraging for berries, greens, medicinal herbs, and
seeds.
Details and registration available here.
 New Little Sprouts
session Added!
Wednesdays in September
10:00am-11:00am
Click here for details and to register.
Save the date!
Saturday, September 11th
10:00am - 2:00pm
Pennypack Farm & Education Center is teaming up with the
Eastern Pennsylvania Permaculture Guild this fall to offer a hands-on workshop
on Permaculture Design.
Learn how to integrate plants for food, function, and beauty
into your landscape. Look for more details and registration in future issues of Pennypack Pickings.
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