Reflections on the Farm...

By By Mohammad Abuwadeh , Senior at W.B. Saul High School

The share which Mohamed writes about in this article was harvested from the Student Raised beds, a space maintained by our non-profit Weavers Way Community Programs.

As a third year participant in the “Harvest On Henry” fundrasier, I will have the honor of being the MC. The Harvest On Henry has had a relatively large impact on my life. Ever since I came to Saul my mother has been pushing me to get the information so that she could purchase a share from the CSA. She always thought that organic fruits and vegetables grown by students going to the same school as me was always “cool”. For some odd reason I just never got around to getting her the information. So every opportunity I would get to take some fruits or vegetables home from the CSA I jumped on it.  When I won the share from the CSA my mom was ecstatic. I walked in the house with two grocery bags of vegetables and a bouquet of flowers and my mom was shocked. She gave me a big hug and wouldn't let go.  I had no idea that getting a share from the CSA was so exciting to her. I guess since I go to school at Saul and work at the CSA a lot, I don't take organic farming so seriously.

The Harvest On Henry is a great way for locals to get the information they need to understand what exactly the CSA is. Most people don’t understand the benefits of organic farming and to why they would even invest their money into the CSA. Just persuading people into even attending the Harvest On Henry makes me feel like I am helping people’s lives-by them attending they get all the information they need to understand what organic farming is all about. Also, it gives them the sense that the CSA is a fun, loving, and active part of the community; not just a farm.

Juanita Falice's Thoughts on Henry Got Crops!

Juanita Falice is a senior at Saul High School. She is very active in the farm, whether it is during the school day with one of her classes, after school at farm club, or helping to staff the CSA pick-up and farm stand. She is also attending the World Food Prize to present on Somalia and agriculture and drought next month.

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and when I spend my afternoons over at Henry Got Crops, I can really feel the support from our shareholders. More often than not I’m actually out in the field side by side with a member weeding a bed or transplanting seedlings. My education may be academic based, but my passion is locally and sustainably grown food, and physically seeing my support system picking up their vegetables on Tuesdays and Fridays means the world to me. Like anybody else, I get a sense of accomplishment from my hard work when I can see where it is going and I have a feeling my classmates may feel the same way.
        Although many of the students at Saul don’t know the exact details of what goes on at the CSA, they are all benefit from it. Sometimes the mixed salad greens (from our very own Henry Got Crops) makes it’s way into our lunch rooms via the hands of one of the many students who have picked it. On those days, I don't know anybody who doesn’t want to try the salad. They may not realize it, but by eating that salad they are part of a community. A community larger than our school grounds that stretches to our local members.        
        Before I was exposed to urban farming I could care less where my tomatoes were being grown or why they were so unnaturally large. I didn’t care that my produce was drenched in pesticides and I surely didn’t see a value in locally grown food. Because of Henry Got Crops, I see that locally grown food ties the community together. Now,  I hope to study sustainable farming in college. I want to take the sustainable farming skills I’ve learned at the CSA , further them in college and then serve a term in Peace Corps with that skill. Now I encourage my friends and family to buy locally grown food.
        The orchard is a big step for Henry Got Crops and I am very excited to see how it furthers the student/member relationship and how it furthers education at Saul. Being that most of the trees won’t be producing fruit for a few years and I am graduating, I’ll have to return to see it’s progress. With the involvement of the students and members (along with Nina’s green thumb) I’m sure the orchard will be a wonderful addition to Henry Got Crops. I’ve already learned a lot at the orchard just from weeding the young samplings.
I am very glad that I have had the opportunity of working at the CSA all four years of my highschool career. I have learned so much and I’m grateful to our members for giving me the opportunity and direction that has greatly influenced my goals and aspirations.

Student Highlight! By: Clare Hyre

Yona Hudson is a graduating senior at W.B. Saul High School and has worked at the Henry Got Crops! CSA for all four years. Saul High School, Weavers Way Farms, and Weavers Way Community Programs have a partnership that allows 130 students to work on the farm per week to learn every step of the farming cycle as well as about cooking and nutrition.  Students use the farm as a hand on educational tool and harvest food from their raised beds to take home.  The farm provides food for 130 families and a variety of educational opportunities for community members. Yona has watched the farm develop from its beginnings and has been invaluable to the farm and to the farm education programs. Over the summer she will work as a crew leader for the Urban Nutrition Initiative and then will attend Penn State in the fall. We couldn’t be more excited or proud of Yona. I, Farm Education Coordinator Clare Hyre, interviewed Yona about her experience at the CSA over the past four years in early June.

CLARE  HYRE:  Hi Yona. To begin the interview can you tell me how you first find out about Saul and why you chose to go to an agricultural high school?

YONA HUDSON: I found out about Saul by accident. My old elementary school teacher knew I was into food and I was looking up schools with cooking programs so he told me the school was cool and had animals and stuff and although they don’t have a cooking program they had a food science program. So I applied and I got accepted.
I chose to go to an agricultural high school because this school had something different from the rest. Students could go outside for classes. I wasn’t sure what agriculture was at first but I researched and thought it sounded cool.

CH : What was your first experience and impressions of the CSA?

YH : I found out about the CSA through talking with the farmers, Nina [Berryman] and Nicole [Sugerman] I asked them about Alice Waters and wanted to know if the CSA had a similar program [to the Berkley Edible Schoolyard]. I had a good impression of the CSA and thought what the people were doing was cool and unique. I was like “this is where my food comes from!”

CH : You worked as an summer intern in  2009, 2010, and are currently the Saul student farmer. What made you interested in working at the farm over the summer in the first place and what made you keep coming back?

YH : My experience freshman year was what made me want to work at the farm over the summer. I saw the farm at it’s beginning and the vibe that I got from people that worked here made me want to come back. The atmosphere and the work felt good. I got a lot of joy out of seeing things grow. I had the experience of seeding arugula and then watching it grow! I knew it was mine. I thought the summer internship was great because the school offered jobs to youth to work at the farm and pays them.
The good experiences I had on the farm kept me coming back. I liked meeting the farm interns and learning about their experiences. I got to become closer with Nina and Nicole and developing friendships with them.  Also I learned enough to teach other youth about farming and I really enjoyed that. I liked going to meetings and potlucks and meeting people from all over who are doing this work. Working at the farm and as the student farmer allowed me to explore what farming really is beyond the labor. Going to the farm became something to look forward too.

CH : In 2011 you went to the Rooted In Community Conference in 2011. Rooted In Community (RIC) is a national youth led food justice conference and it was held in Philadelphia. What did you learn at that conference and did it change your relationship with farming? Food justice?

YH : At RIC I learned that I wasn’t the only youth doing this.  I learned that there were other organizations besides Weavers Way and Weavers Way Community Programs that were doing it. I learned that there was a lot of diversity amongst the youth who were farming. At RIC there were people from all over and the youth and adults all treated each other with respect and appreciation.
At Saul I sometimes get criticism for loving the CSA but at RIC we were in unity over our love for farming.
At RIC I learned that the whole idea of food justice is that people no matter what (race, gender, economic-status), we all have a right to access to food. I learned so much about food justice and food deserts. Until that time I didn’t realize I lived in a food desert. RIC made me want to learn about recourses and how to build a more just food system in my community. There I learned about SNAP benefits and how to use your benefits at farmer’s markets around the city. RIC made me feel like I was farming for a bigger cause and that I could use what learned to teach other folks.
Ultimately, RIC helped me meet youth who were enthusiastic about what I was enthusiastic about. I am still in touch with many of the youth and adults from RIC.

CH : I know you stated it above but could you define food justice for me again?

YH : I would define food justice as anyone, or anything despite of gender, race, age, class , etc. , has the right to good and wholesome food. The food has to be organic, pesticide free, good for you and with the intention of keeping you healthy.

CH :  Well said. What are your favorite things about working at the CSA?

YH: Meeting all the different people who come to the farm. I also like the labor of farming and knowing that as much work as I put into the farm comes back out of the farm and seeing the farm benefit others. Making connections with people that will last longer than my high school experience.

CH:  How would you say working with the educational programs at the CSA [WWCP] has changed how you eat or think about food?
YH: Before the cooking demo’s [with Clare during the summer internship] I would grow the food but I wouldn’t know what to do with the food. But after I learned how to cook a little more it diversified my palate and my eating habits.

CH : Congratulations on getting into Penn State. What are you planning on studying there? And, I know this is a loaded question but what do want to do as your future ‘career’? 

YH : Haha. I’m studying environmental studies at Penn State. I have no idea about careers but I know that I want to continue to work in food justice work, sustainability, and farming. I’m not sure WHAT I will be doing but I won’t be inside, that’s for sure.

CH :  You got a job this summer working for the Urban Nutrition Initiative, a Southwest Philly Food Justice organization that works with teens, as a crew leader. What are some of the things you are looking forward to /hoping to learn by working there?

YH : I’m so excited to work with UNI. I’m not sure if the people who work there know how cool they are but I think they are amazing. I’m so excited to work with the people I’ve looked up to for so long. They are very inspiring. They have so much diversity within their program because they work all over and their staff is really unique. I’m really excited to be a crew leader and work with youth. I’ve never really lead youth my age before and it will be a hard but also great for growth. I t will be a challenge but I’m looking forward to learning how to be a teacher and a stronger leader for food justice.

CH : Thanks Yona. I’m so excited about you going out into the world with all your experience in farming, cooking, and food justice. For the last question can you tell me your top three experiences relating to farm education and the CSA in the past four years?

YH :  1. Making connections and relationships with people for future jobs. I’m still in touch with past apprentices from the farm and folks from RIC.
2. Attending Rooted In Community in 2011. I also really enjoyed the 2013 Regional gathering at Bartram’s Garden.
3. Seeing the farm grow… it was just starting when I got here and I got to feel like I really supported its growth. I got to see a lot of people come and gain knowledge here.

CH: Thanks Yona! It’s been such a delight to work with you and I wish you the best of luck in your next steps.

YH : I’m still here for two more weeks. Don’t make me cry!

Orchard Planting Recap

By: Jacqueline Boulden and Nina Berryman

Last Wednesday 50 blueberries, 50 blackberries, 15 cherry trees, 15 plum trees and 15 Asian pear trees were carefully and loving planted behind the base ball field at Saul.

The  three-year plan for the orchard includes a wish list of future plantings of strawberries, figs, hazelnut and pawpaw, a fruit native to North America.

Ten volunteers and about 120 Saul students shoveled dirt, sprinkled peat, planted the trees and bushes in the ground, surrounded the plantings with protective wire mesh and poured bucketfuls of water to give them a start.

“Helping plant these blueberry bushes in the orchard gives me a better understanding of Saul, that it’s hands-on learning,” said freshman Austin Dennison. “It’s a good achievement to help do this and get paid back in berries.” Fellow freshman Lorenzo Velazquez agreed. “I love working with plants. That’s why I came here and I want to see the outcome of this.” 

Senior Nathan Newman will not be here to see the orchard fully mature because he is graduating next year but “four to five years from now I’ll be happy to come back and see the growth in the orchard.”

Lisa Mosca, from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), co-wrote the grant that made the first plantings possible. “It’s wonderful to see this,” said Lisa “We’ve been waiting for this day for 10-months and I can’t wait to come back and see what it’s like in 10-years.”

Eight of the hard-working volunteers were from publishing company Elsevier, which gives each employee two days a year with pay to do volunteer work. Amanda Minutola, a content specialist at Elsevier, said her volunteer days used to be spent in soup kitchens but this year she wanted to do something with high school students and something outdoors. “Planting the orchard is definitely more labor intensive than the soup kitchen,” she said. “It’s hard work and it’s just great to see something that you do that will last several years.”

“This is a big deal,” said Jessica McAtamney as the planting neared completion late in the afternoon. Jessica teaches Urban Gardening and AP Environmental Science at Saul and was instrumental in establishing the CSA Henry Got Crops! program. “The field wasn’t being used for anything purposeful and now we have something that will engage kids, somewhere outside of the classroom they can learn hands-on.”

“Many kids don’t really have a sense about the variety of produce, they have never seen so many different plants,” echoed Clare Hyre, Education Coordinator for Weavers Way Community Programs. “The Orchard specifically is adding another layer to increasing the students’ knowledge about farming and the food they eat, where that food comes from.”

The new orchard is just a beginning, for the trees and for many of the students. As the students tend to the orchard and produce farm and increase their knowledge about fresh organic foods, they will watch the efforts of their work grow and it is hoped, they will plant the seeds of knowledge in other places, including their own back yards.

To paraphrase a well-known quote: give students some fruits and vegetables and they will eat for a day; teach them how to grow their own and they will eat for a lifetime.

Student Contributions

Nothing slows down at Saul during the summer! All incoming freshmen are required to attend summer session which is an orientation program to get a taste of what this unique high school is like. We have been enjoying getting to know the new students and introducing them to what happens on a vegetable farm in July. Please enjoy their comments about their first day on the farm!

Stephany Caraballo

My first experience at Henry Got Crops was mulching. I was told that I did a very good job and my teacher was satisfied. I learned and did new things, such as mulching. I never heard of that in my life till Friday. It was fun but it was also tiring at the same time. I learned that mulching helps to control weeds without using pesticides or other chemicals. I thought working/learning about plants was going to be boring, and I also thought it was an easy job because I never worked on it before. But, now I know not to "judge a book by its cover". I take back what I said about plants. I am actually interested in plants now after this wonderful experience I had at Saul High School. I have to admit that I was surprised on how hard I was working. I certainly worked up a sweat! I was also surprised at how beautiful and fast the crops grow. 
Tiarra Burnett

Today in school over in the Henry Got Crops! garden I learned that weeding in the garden is very important. If the weeds grow too tall you will have to weed them down, so the plants can get solar energy from the sun and help them grow. Also, while I was in the garden I tasted a very interesting vegetable that I usually don't eat very often. The vegetable that I tasted is basil and it was great. Another thing I learned while working over in Henry Got Crops! is how to cut down weeds, how tall some weeds can grow, how to use certain tools for special areas, and how to deal with the insects that are around us. Working on Henry Got Crops! can be stressful sometimes. Especially the heat and the bugs. I actually didn't expect to sweat so much. Ultimately, I actually enjoyed my experience at Saul High school.

Alexis Calhoun: When I came to Saul as a farmer at Henry Got Crops for the first time I learned a lot. I learned how to use different machinery and also how to weed. I also learned that it isn't as easy as it looks. Things are heavy and certain machines shut off without warning. At first, I thought that weeding and other farm work wouldn't be fun but it turned out to be really fun. Even though the pulling of weeds hurt a lot it was still fun on that very hot Friday. I was surprised that I really wanted to do some of the work that we had to do. I was really surprised because when I saw all that we had to do I was not really sure that I could do it. When I come back in the fall as a freshman I am looking forward to farming again and learning more than I have already learned in this summer session.

Aysha Burgos: I have learned so much these past few days. One thing I learned was that working with plants isn't as easy as it looks. Pulling out weeds manually can be very painful. Using the weed eaters doesn't necessarily make the job easier. When you use the weed eaters you have to make sure you have enough string and fuel. While I was working on the farm in my head I was saying "This is hard but fun work.". Honestly, the different kinds of plants and insects surprised me. It's not every day that beetles, slugs and other insects get on you. I'm looking forward to getting back outside and saving some more plants.

Brenna: Participating in W.B Saul High School Henry got crops was very interesting. I have learned that plants need as much attention and care as humans do. At first I thought that working with plants would be very boring but it turned out to be a great experience. I was truly surprised that I enjoyed it. To see how things affect plants and then to see how other things helped it grow and that it is not as easy to work with plants as you would think. For me it was hard because you had to put a lot of work into it. Seeing all the different types of plants and bugs was cool. Working with all the equipment and realizing how much everything is worth. With Mrs.Mcatamney we talked about many different plants and then we got to try basil. We tried basil with cheese and for me it was not a flavor I enjoyed. I am looking forward to learning more and understanding how they really work thing here at Saul(:

Meet the Farmers--Student Viewpoints.

At Henry Got Crops we do everything we can to incorporate students from Saul into every aspect of the CSA. Clare is working hard to bring the education programs to their full potential. Every student that comes out to the farm is contributing to the function and operation of the CSA. Below is one student’s essay about her experience working on the farm. She not only came out to the CSA with her class this spring, but also volunteered on the weekend at the spring fundraiser. Some of the money from that event went to purchasing a share that got raffled off to a different Saul student every week for free for the entire season.

By Rielle:

From the point of view of a Saul Agricultural Student, and having fully participated in the preparation of vegetation, I have realized how much it is important in my life. The CSA is important to my life because it provides vegetables, fruits and other food products that are beneficial to my family and me. The CSA provides opportunity of certain safe foods, that aren’t disturbed with preservatives or added ingredients.
I have learned a lot within my ten weeks here with the CSA. I have learned that you can’t just water plants; you have to fill it with two capfuls of fertilizer. I have also learned that you absolutely can not step on the planting beds, because it compacts the nutrients inside. Besides all of the necessary instructions, I have learned that the CSA group is not just a group of people that plant food, but really are educated, friendly people that treat people well, and treat people like family.
To be completely honest about my feelings toward the CSA, I would have to say that I honestly and truly like it. The workers and farmers sincerely love what they do and when I’m around them listening to them explain, I feel compelled to try it because they make it sound so pleasing. Another reason why is because you get an opportunity to work out doors, and get an experience of a lifetime. The CSA teaches you about life, health, and also GOOD FOOD!!!