Welcome Back Saul Students and Teachers

Monday is the first day of school and we are thrilled to have the campus bustling with students and teachers again. Tara, our education coordinator, has been busy confirming the schedule of teachers who will be coming out to the farm with their classes on a weekly basis. As many new freshmen across the city of Philadelphia are adjusting to the new aspects of high school, Saul freshmen are being introduced to the unique opportunities available at Philadelphia’s only agricultural high school. Freshmen at Saul will be introduced to the life-long lessons behind respect and care for animals, the hard work and patience required to grow food, and the safety and problem solving skills involved in small machinery and landscaping. Welcome class of 2018!

Welcome Back to the CSA!

The beginning the CSA brings a feeling that is hard to explain. It is a bit like the day before Christmas, or the day before graduation, or the day before standardized testing! It may feel like just the beginning to you, with this spring weather and it being the first time you’ll bring home your vegetables. But to us at the farm, it feels like the test at the end of two months of preparation, planning and yes even some studying! The first pick-up day is a day when we as farmers are asked to perform, and present our accomplishment, the harvest! It is exciting in that we get to share and show off everything we have been working so hard on for the last two months. But it is also nerve wracking- what if I weighed the salad greens incorrectly and we won’t have enough? What if starting at 7 on Monday isn’t early enough? What if the herbs in the  you-pick section get trampled?  As farmers there are many things we cannot control- the weather and pests for instance, so we work hard to perfect what we can control- every kale bunch is going to be stunning, just you wait! So please enjoy your first CSA pick-up, we are excited for the season to start with you, eager to get to know you better, and share with you the joys and hardships, the unpredictability and the bounty, and the ebbs and flows of the season as it unfolds on this urban farm.