Isles, Inc. 

October News from Isles

October at Isles
Honey Harvest
Haunted Harvest 5K
Isles Event Calendar

  

 

Board of Trustees

Steven Goodell

Ann Marie Senior

Liz Erickson

Manish Shah

Francis Blanco

Tom Byrne

Barbara Coe

Michael Dundas

Stuart Essig

Robert Harris

Karen Hernandez

Jacque Howard

Michele Minter

Oye Olukotun

Sa Mut Scott

Calvin Thomas

Thanks for your

service to Isles!

 

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Greetings!
  

It is harvest time, and for many, that conjures up images of rural fields and full silos.  For us, that means city neighbors sharing their bounty with friends and family, canning and freezing produce to last through the winter, and sharing vegetables with emergency providers in the region, like the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen.  Urban gardeners understand firsthand the impact of hunger on kids, the elderly, and neighbors here. 

 

This season, Isles' network of school and community gardens has grown to record levels - 58 sites around the city and region.  Tens of thousands of pounds of vegetables are being harvested.  Riding through the city, you can see gardens tended by all types of cultures and ethnic groups:  Central Americans, African Americans from the south, Puerto Ricans, Russians, Jamaicans, Liberians, youth, Caucasians, Pakistanis, and so many more creating a United Nations- style harvest!

 

Bees pollinate plants - yes, even city plants.  Isles now has two beehives in the city, and the bees are happily performing their free pollination services.  Bees support agriculture in important ways, and since we are bringing agriculture to the city and suburbs, bees come along with us.  This is particularly important because of the global threat to bee populations.  We recently had our first harvest of honey! 

 

Next week, we celebrate the harvest with a Haunted Harvest 5K Run/Walk.  Help us celebrate this great time of year, get a bit more fit, and enjoy raising money for an important and "growing" tradition.

 

  
In community, 
  
  
signatureMJ
Marty Johnson
Brave beekeepers Jim Simon and Chris Shimchick

Honey Harvested from Trenton Bees!

 

This year marked the first harvest of honey from the beehive at Tucker Street. The colony was established in the spring of 2012 and successfully survived the winter, which is no mean feat given that the honeybees are under intense pressure. Pests, disease, and adverse effects of chemicals all contribute to the decline of honeybee populations around the world. In order to survive the winter, colonies need to have enough honey and pollen stored to feed themselves, so responsible beekeepers only harvest the surplus.

 

In a traditional beehive, wooden boxes without tops or bottoms contain nine or ten vertically oriented removable frames upon which bees build honeycomb. The first step of the harvest consists of removing the frames of excess honey from the hive. This needs to be done carefully, as the bees are not too keen on their hard-earned product leaving home. Once the frames are safely offsite, the wax cappings can be cut off of the surface of the frames, which are then loaded in a hand-cranked extractor.  The extractor uses centrifugal force to spin the honey out of the frames. The New Jersey Beekeepers Association loans the equipment to us as a benefit of membership. Once extracted, the honey can then be filtered and put into jars.  
 
Thirty pounds, or the equivalent of two and a half gallons, was harvested and is being used for events and cooking workshops. Five staff members have helped care for the bees, which have enhanced the garden (and other gardens in the city) by pollinating countless vegetables, flowers, and trees.
 
Isles Honey

 

Haunted Harvest 5k
   

On Saturday, October 26th, Isles will kick off our first Haunted Harvest 5k Run/Walk and Monster Madness Mile Fun Run at Washington Crossing Park in Hopewell Township, New Jersey!  With the support of lead sponsor FMC Corporation, the Halloween-themed race promises to be fun for everyone. Al Siuta, FMC Director of Process Development and Engineering, will be serving as the race director and a team of FMC employees are volunteering on race day to assist in managing logistics.  FMC is proud to sponsor this event to benefit Isles' work of fostering self-reliant families and healthy, sustainable communities.

 

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. (for those who have not pre-registered). Costumes are encouraged!  Cash awards will be given to the overall winners, as well as awards to the top three in each age group and top teams.  Custom long-sleeved T-shirts and goodie bags will be distributed as available.  For those who wish to do a little less running/walking and a little more partying, the Monster Madness Mile Fun Run will take you over road and trail and will award prizes to all participants who survive. Come out to support Isles, and possibly catch a glimpse of the rumored Revolutionary War soldiers still wandering the park! Whether you walk, run, or simply come to watch, this will be a great opportunity to enjoy the beauty of Washington Crossing Park while supporting Isles. We hope to see you there!

 

 

Jim Simon with students at  Princeton Friends School

Isles' Jim Simon visited the Princeton Friends School to talk about the value of urban gardens in the community. Students from PFS will be cooking, baking, and selling food throughout the year to raise money for a worthy cause. This year, they have designated Isles as their recipient! 

 

Thanks PFS!  

           


Check the Community Events Calendar for upcoming events!
  
Isles, Inc.
10 Wood Street
Trenton, New Jersey 08618
609-341-4700