Harvest on Henry Volunteer Opportunities

Event Date: Saturday October 15th, noon-4pm

Contact Stephanie Kane at skane@weaversway.coop to discuss your interests!

How to be involved - Activities at a glance:
Cow Plop Bingo - sell tickets on our bingo board at events prior to the festival and/or on the day of
Face Painting - templates provided to face painter volunteers
Kids' Games & Pumpkin painting - take tickets, stock supplies
Farm Market and Cafe - sales of apples, cider, coffee, tea, apple cider donuts
Pie Committee - cut & package donated pies, sell slices. May ask to help with pie contest set up
Ticket Sales - work the info booth selling tickets, event t-shirts, and answering questions about the event
WW Kitchen - take tickets for the food tent, help with serving food, utensils; keep supplies stocked, etc.
**All Committee Members and volunteers will receive 8 tickets to be used at the festival**
** Anyone working on the day of will be working alongside Saul High School students, teachers, and Weavers Way co-op volunteers.

Volunteers - We need many volunteers for all these activities; let us know if there is a particular area you would like to be involved in. We will contact you closer to the event to sign up for a shift. You can also volunteer prior to the event by handing out fliers, painting signs, etc.

Committee Members - If you would like to be on a HOH committee, you will be asked to attend 3-4 meetings, starting in August, and keep in touch with WW event coordinators in between meetings. You will also take more of a coordinator role on the day-of, orienting student and adult volunteers to their tasks on your Committee. If you cannot attend the festival, you can still be a committee member!

Tomato Season Has Arrived, In Full Force!

What are those beauties in your share? Here is an introduction to our tomato crop this year.  We grow three categorical types of tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes, paste tomatoes (also known as Roma, great for making sauce because of their low water content), and tomato tomatoes ☺ . Of the last category, there are two major types- heirlooms and hybrids. Heirlooms are old varieties that are particularly delicious, odd looking and VERY fragile. Hybrids are more ordinary tasting and looking but are more reliable producers that are less susceptible to disease and more sturdy. The heirlooms crack and ooze and are bumpy and funny colors. They have character, and taste out of this world amazing! Here is an introduction to some of the varieties we are growing this year, try them all! (All are heirloom, unless indicated otherwise.)

Prudens Purple- Large to very large (many over 1 lb.) fruits are flattened and smooth (except for shoulder ribbing on some), and resist cracking. Vivid dark pink skin with crimson flesh.

Valencia- Bright orange, round, smooth fruits average 8-10 oz. Their meaty interiors have few seeds. This midseason tomato will become more abundant as the season continues.

Striped German- The flat, medium to large, variably ribbed-shoulder tomatoes are shaded yellow and red. The marbled interior looks beautiful sliced. Complex, fruity flavor and smooth texture.

Big Beef Hybrid- Red, Large, avg. 10-12 oz., mostly blemish-free, globe-shaped red fruit.

Brandywine- Tomato lovers say this is one of the best tasting heirlooms. The skin is a deep pink color, with red flesh inside.

Nepal- This tomato does not look like an heirloom, but is still tastes like one!

Japanese Black Trifele- This unusual pear shape and burgundy color is one of the most unique varieties we are growing this year. Shoulders are still green, even when ripe.

Black Krim- This Russian variety is sometimes described as having a smoky flavor. It is deep brown/red with green shoulders, even when ripe.

Philly Food Swap

A Food Swap is part silent auction/part village marketplace/part fun-loving open house where your homemade creations (breads, preserves, special concoctions, canned goods, etc.) become your own personal currency for use in swapping with other participants. What better way to diversify your pantry and rub shoulders with friends and neighbors?

Details: Wednesday August 3rd, 7pm at our farm at the Awbory Arboretum (1011 East Washington Lane)

Who: We welcome everyone, as long as you bring something you made, grew, or foraged yourself. You must pre-register to attend. Also, remember that there is a limited number of tickets, so if for some reason you cannot make it, let us know and we can adjust the guest list accordingly. If you plan to bring a family member or friend who will be participating, we ask that they register separately. Non-swapping guests are welcome to come and observe, but please be considerate of our space limitations.

What: You don't need to be a master chef to participate! Bring an assortment of your homemade edible specialties (think veggie starts, cookies, breads, pickles, preserves, eggs, baked goods, honey, granola, pasta, fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, yogurt… you name it!) to exchange for other handcrafted delights.You will be given the opportunity to offer trades in a silent-auction type format, and you will be free to choose which trades to accept for your products. Bring as much or as little as you like; there are no caps or minimums.  However, we suggest bringing between 10 to 15 items. You could bring several of the same item, or an assortment!

Drum Roll Please....

After nine wonderful years operating as Weavers Way Community Programs, we're thrilled to announce that from this point forward we will be known as FOOD MOXIE.  Why FOOD MOXIE? We’re here to cultivate a nutrition revolution--to give the most vulnerable members of our community the confidence and know-how to choose healthy food. Indeed, it takes a lot of courage to subvert dominant food systems and take charge of your health; our new name honors this feistiness and confidence. FOOD MOXIE captures the bold energy and enthusiasm our staff and program participants bring to our programs, and also more clearly reflects the work we do. After months of hard work, and with thanks to the team at Machinery, we're thrilled with where we've landed and are excited for what’s to come. Worry not: we're still the same fearless crusaders for food justice. Our partnerships haven’t changed. Our programs haven’t changed. Our relationship with Weavers Way Co-op hasn’t changed. My deepest gratitude for helping us grow to this point. We look forward to working with you in this next chapter of our adventure. With Moxie, Jill Fink Executive Director

Herb Corner: Lemon Balm

By Stephanie Kane, Local Purchasing Coordinator and Farm Market Manager

The tea section of our You Pick is full of herbs that have been used for centuries to gently ease symptoms and encourage overall health. All conveniently go very well together and are safe for frequent use, but many are contraindicated for pregnancy, so they should not be used without the guidance of an herbalist, especially in stronger doses.

This week, we’ll take a look at one to learn for about its historical use and different ways to prepare it. See our guide for how to make teas, tinctures, and salves. You can also attend one of our workshops to learn these different infusion methods.

This information should be used to promote health, not to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Do your research, try some different applications, and discover what works for you!

Lemon Balm: "Gladdens the heart and brings light where there is darkness and softness where there is tension". I love this quote. Lemon Balm truly is joy in plant form.

The basics: Soothes anxiety, nervousness, and depression. Repairs the nervous system and good for digestive upset or insomnia due to stress.
Part used: Flowers and leaves.
Flavor: Lemon smell and taste, sweet, sour, aromatic.
Herb Friends: Pairs well with catnip & chamomile for calming effects, fennel for stomach upset

Applications: 
For Mood: hypertension and irritability associated with stress or hyperthyroidism. If depression or anxiety are attributed to nervousness, lemon balm can be a great ally.
Digestion: In addition, if this nervousness leads to stomach upset, it can be relaxing to digestive issues.
Nursing mothers: Lemon balm can be taken long with fennel and chamomile to help stimulate milk flow for nursing mothers.
Sleepytime Syrup: Make an infusion by combining lemon balm and chamomile leaves with water and simmer, covered partially, until the liquid is reduced in half. Strain out the leaves, and mix with honey at a 2:1 ratio, infusion:honey. Can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Dose by the spoonful at night to help calm and relax everyone.

Fun Fact: Lemon Balm is a great plant for helping bee populations - it has been shown that the plant contains several compounds found in worker honeybees’ Nasonov gland, which helps bees communicate about food sources and hive location.

Contraindications: It is contraindicated with hypothyroidism (underactive) and in pregnancy, unless used under the guidance of a qualified healthcare practitioner.

Vegetable Profile: Cucumbers

We have two types of cucumbers on the farm, and three different varieties. The two types are pickling and slicing. Of the pickling type, we have two varieties, the traditional green and a whitish-yellowish variety called “salt and pepper.” There are differences between the two types, but from a culinary perspective they are very interchangeable. Pickling cucumbers tend to be smaller, making them a convenient size for putting in a jar and turning into pickles. Slicing cucumbers have a lightly tougher skin and are smoother. Cucumbers are in the plant family Cucurbitaceae which also includes squash and melons. The cucumber supposedly originated in India, approximately 3,000 years ago. Most, but not all, types of cucumbers require insects to pollinate the flowers, which then develop to produce the “fruit” or cucumber. We try to give them to you in your share nice and clean, but you might just find a cucumber that still has the shriveled, dried flower petal remains stuck on the end of the cucumber.

Herb Corner: Basil!

Did you know we grow 5 different types of basil on the farm? And they are all available to you in the you-pick section. Get familiar with this multi-faceted herb and try each kind!

Eleonora This is your traditional, green basil. Perfect for making pesto, putting on pizza or adding to pasta dishes.

Red Rubin This basil is purple. It has a similar flavor to the Eleonoara but is a stunning, unique color.

Lemon You guessed it, this basil has a lemon scent and flavor. Add a citrus splash to your usual basil recipes.

Thai This basil has an anise-clove flavor. It has attractive purple tinted stems and flowers.

Tulsi (Holy) Basil This basil is in the medicinal tea bed, at the top of the you-pick section. It is known for its use in Hindu culture, it can be used in Thai cuisine and in tea. It is used medicinally for digestion and immune system support.

New Vegetable: Fresh Onions

Over the winter when we were planning for the upcoming season, Field Manager Brendan suggested we try a fresh, slicing onion. He picked out a couple varieties and we are excited to share one with you this week! The Sierra Blanca is a white slicing onion. It is the first time we’ve grown this variety, we hope you like it! A fresh onion is just like a regular onion, but it hasn’t been cured, so you should store it in a bag or container in your refrigerator. This particular variety is juicy and full of flavor, enjoy!

Herb Corner: Dill and Its Flowers

Hopefully you’ve enjoyed the dill so far this spring in the you-pick section. You’ll notice the dill has started to make beautiful flowers. We encourage you to pick these and use them in your pickle recipes, or as part of your flower bouquets. Throughout the season we will re-seed this area for more dill, so you’ll be able to observe the succession of the dill plants come and go. Right now you can see small dill starting to grow in the back of that same bed. Soon we’ll pull the large dill plants and re-seed in that area in an attempt to have a nearly constant supply of dill. If the flowers stay in the ground long enough, they will develop seeds and when they dry out completely you can collect those seeds to use as spices in your cooking, or plant in your garden. There’s a lot to do on the farm this time of year, so time will tell if we get to re-seeding the dill before it produces seeds!

Join us for the 3rd Annual WWCP Hoedown

The third annual Hoedown is an evening of locally sourced, farm-fresh food, live music and outdoor games, set against the backdrop of the 2-acre Weavers Way Farm on the grounds of Awbury Arboretum. Tickets include dinner, drinks, and a tax-deductible donation to benefit WWCP's farm and nutrition education programs for children and families. Guests are encouraged to bring a picnic blanket. Weavers Way Farm is easily accessible via SEPTA regional rail and bus, or bike! Street parking available on Washington Lane. We look forward to kicking off summer with you! Early bird tickets are available through June 5, 2016! Purchase here! Adults: $33 Children ages 6-15: $12 Children 5 and under: Free Family Pack (through 6/5): $85, two adults and up to two children, each child after that $7  Ticket pricing 6/06 through 6/24: Adults: $38 Children (ages 6-15): $15 Children 5 and under: Free! $45 at the door Fresh, local, and delicious menu includes: BBQ pulled chicken sliders BBQ seitan sliders (vegan) Kale salad (vegan) Potato salad (vegan) Bean salad (vegan/gluten free) Desserts include cake, brownies, cookies, and more! Local beer, cider, and kombucha!

Kohl-what?!

The kohlrabi is one of the strangest vegetables we grow, and one of the least well-known. Resembling a cross between a turnip and a flying saucer, the vegetable was bred from a wild cabbage plant, similar to broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, and many other similar vegetables, which are all in the “brassica” family. However, unlike all of these other vegetables, the kohlrabi vegetable that we eat is actually the swollen stem of the plant (known as the korm), not a root crop, a leaf crop, or a fruit crop. While you can eat the entire thing, it is only one of two vegetables we grow where the ‘good eating’ part is the stem (the second is fennel- the bulb of this plant is actually the petiole of the fennel leaf). The name comes from the German Kohl ("cabbage") plus Rübe  ("turnip"). You can eat them raw or cooked. This year we are only growing a purple variety (it’s our favorite!), but there are also greenish/white varieties as well.