Pennypack Pickings 2/26/2012

Pennypack Pickings

February 26, 2012
Volume 10, Issue 5

In This Issue

Leader of the "Pack"

PASA Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture and GRID magazine chose to feature our farm in their annual Farm Book.
Click here to read the issue.

Isn't Farmer Jessica a perfect cover girl? Please read the article and , if you have not already, subscribe to GRID Magazine. That way you will always be in the know about sustainability in the Delaware Valley.

Coincidentally, Alex Mulcahy, editor of GRID, will be our honoree at our annual Localicious Dinner
Thursday, June 14th.

We are very grateful to PASA for featuring our farm this year.

The Daily Daikon

Don't forget to visit Pennypack Farm's new blog...
Click Here for the Daily Daikon

Sustainability Expo and Movie Series

Off to a Sweet Start! Movie Series

The Sustainability Expo and Movie Series was off to a rousing start with the screening of "Queen of the Sun." The movie about bees and the people who keep them turned out to be a sweet Valentine's treat for those who came. The Expo beforehand featured honey tastings from as far away as Africa and Europe and local honey that was labeled by zip code. Attendees could literally buy honey that was made by bees who lived in their own neighborhoods. The panel discussion after the movie was lively as beekeepers spoke to the challenges and rewards of keeping bees in PA. Many thanks to our panelists - Jim Bobb, Trey Flemming, Danielle Odhner and our own Andy Andrews.

The next movie is "What's Organic about Organic" on Tuesday, March 13. This film delves into the debates that arise when a grassroots agricultural movement evolves into a booming international market. As the film moves from farm fields to government meetings to industry trade shows, we see the hidden costs of conventional agriculture. We also see how our health, the health of our planet, and the agricultural needs of our society are all intimately connected. The film compels us to look forward, towards a new vision for our culture and encourages us to ask, "How can we eat with an ecological consciousness?"

A panel immediately following the movie will help to answer that question on the local level. Farmer Andy will be back with Casey Spacht from Lancaster Farm Fresh and David Woo from Weaver's Way

Montgomery County is rich with an abundance of locally raised, organic food. Some of the best sources will be well represented at the Expo before the movie including Lancaster Farm Fresh, PASA, CreekSide and Ambler Co-ops, Weaver's Way, Bryn Athyn Bounty farmer's market, and Pennypack Farm and Hazon CSAs.

The Expo starts at 6:30. The movie starts at 7:30 with the panel immediately following. For more information and advance tickets please visit www.amblertheater.org/pennypack.

Winter Calendar

Garden Soils 101 - Last chance to register!

Tuesday February 28, 7:00pm

$15, $10 per additional person

Learn how to get your soil tested, how to amend your garden soil in preparation for spring, and about starting seeds indoors. More info...

Kitchen Knife Skills - Registration ends Tuesday!

Thursdays March 1,8,15 7:00pm-9:00pm

$75, $60 per additional person

Good health means eating right. Knowing how to cut and prepare vegetables is half the battle. Improve your cooking skills by learning to cut vegetables effectively and effortlessly, making food preparation a pleasure. Transform the look and texture of your meals and become a confident cook! More info...

Sustainability Movie Series and Expo

What's Organic About Organic?

Tuesday March 13, 2012, $10

Click Here to Purchase Tickets at Ambler Theater website

Examine how organic farming has evolved from a grassroots movement to a multi-billion dollar industry, and learn what's at stake for maintaining meaningful standards for organic food production that will protect citizen interests, heal the environment, and support the livelihoods of family farmers.

6:00pm Sustainability Expo in Theatre Lobby

7:30pm Movie showtime

Stay afterward for an insightful panel discussion.

Pennypack Farm partners with Meadowbrook Farm & PHS

Pennypack Farm and Education Center has partnered with Meadowbrook Farm and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to offer Little Seeds and Little Sprouts. Bring your young ones out to Meadowbrook Farm for hands on gardening and outdoor fun. Themes include worms, seeds and flowers, and friendly bugs. Siblings 2 and under are welcome to tag along free of charge. Registration and payment required in advance.

Little Seeds 10:15-11:15 am

Wednesday, April 18th at Meadowbrook Farm Curious pre-schoolers, ages 3-4, and their grownup explore the wonders of the garden together. Learn all about worms our 'underground farmers' with a themed story and hands on garden activity. $8 per parent/child pair, $6 per additional child. Register Online

Little Sprouts 1:00-2:00 pm

Wednesday, April 18th at Meadowbrook Farm Children ages 5-6 and their favorite grownup will enjoy time outdoors in the garden while learning about worms and compost with a themed story, craft, and hands on garden activity.

$10 per parent/child pair, $8 per additional child. Register Online

Hosted by the College Settlement of Philadelphia