The Free Farm in summertime

The Free Farm's new welcome signs by Jet

Taking a look at last summer’s blog postings, The Free Farm looked so bare without our greenhouse, hothouse, tool shed, office, terrace, etc. Our summer harvest is still abundant: today’s harvest yielding 100+ pounds of greens (12 lbs.), strawberries (3 lbs.), runner beans (5 lbs.), zucchini (61 lbs.), squash (13 lbs.), basil (4 lbs.), garlic (2 lbs.) and cucumbers (1.5 lbs.).

Our community of Free Farmers continues to grow as there's something for everyone:-) Though I came to The Free Farm to grow plants, it’s just as fun and rewarding to build and repair structures. Damon is the ultimate Do-It-Yourself guy, with tools in hand—building, fixing and sharing his know-how with other volunteers. When I invited him to contribute to our blog, Damon showed he's also gifted behind the camera as evident in his awesome photos (with clever captions) of today’s workday.

Brittany begins her sprout propaganda

Brittany finishes her project with Pia & Mallika

Byron & Jonesey composting

Byron & sister Cassie

Byron's new
composting bins

Compost

Fran multi-tasking

Free Farm is spreading the wealth

Hannah is definitely the farm's expert harvester

Hermano hard at it

I have never seen Tree in here!

Joyce defending the moat

Kay is on her weeds

Mallika & Susan harvesting

Our resident cook

Our resident flower child

Our resident swami

Rafael & Roger (sans Wesker)

Rob & Jonesey giving Byron a break

Roger in the strawberries

Robert watering the container garden

The day's catch

The family sits down for lunch

Wesker

Public Service Announcements:

Tues., Aug. 23, 2011, 6:30-8:30 pm Introduction to Carnism
Unitarian Universalist Center, 1187 Franklin St. at Geary Blvd. SF
Dr. Melanie Joy, activist for social and environmental justice and animal welfare, will present her book Why We Love Dogs, Eat Pigs, and Wear Cows on how our diets evolved. Dr. Joy will focus on healthier diets based on more sustainable and humane agricultural practices, while preserving the earth and oceans.
http://www.sfvs.org/events.php

Beginning Wed., Aug. 24, 2011, 1:30-4 pm, Healthier Living Workshops
Wed. workshops through Wed., Sept. 28, 2011, 1:30-4 pm
Richmond Branch Library, 351 - 9th Ave. betw. Geary & Clement, SF
Developed by Stanford University School of Medicine and hosted by SF Department of Aging and Adult Services, free 6-week workshops are designed to help people with chronic conditions and their caregivers improve the quality of their life. Participants learn how to manage pain, stress, and fatigue; be more fit and eat healthier; work more effectively with doctors and healthcare professionals; set goals and problem solve to make positive life changes; and feel better and reduce healthcare costs. To register, contact Shelly Glazer, City College of SF, 415-452-5839 or sdglazer@ccsf.edu. Details at http://healthier-living-sf.eventbrite.com/

Thurs., Aug. 25, 2011, 5:30 pm-7:30 pm Artist reception for “Faces of Hunger”
Oakland City Hall Rotunda, 1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, Oakland
Exhibit from Mon., Aug. 22 to Fri., Sept. 2. The work of renowned photojournalist David Bacon, the exhibit is a collection of stories and images from Alameda County Community Food Bank clients, member agency staff and volunteers. RSVP by Tues., Aug. 23 to knzewi@accfb. org

Thurs, Aug. 25, 2011, 7-9pm, Living Wild: Native Plant Tasting & Book Signing
Ecology Center Store, 2530 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley
An evening with Alicia Funk, author of Living Wild: Gardening, Cooking and Healing with Native Plants of the Sierra Nevada, to enjoy appetizers made from local native plants and sample wild fermented beverages. Learn how to process oak nuts (acorns) and other fall edibles, discover easy-to-grow native plants to add to the backyard this fall, and view original functional artwork from native plant materials. Growing native plants for food and medicine can help our own health as well as that of the landscape around us. It offers a way to deepen our relationship with the land we inhabit, support local biodiversity, and fundamentally shift the way we eat, garden and heal so that we can truly live sustainably. http://www.ecologycenter.org/calendar/event.php?eventID=36330 .

Sat., Aug. 27, 2011, 8 pm Ten Dangerous Nutrition Myths
St. James Community Room, 4620 California St., betw. 8th & 9th Ave., SF
Dr. Janice Stanger, author of The Perfect Formula Diet, will discuss common diet myths. If popular ideas about nutrition were correct, why would so many adults and children be overweight and sick? This no-myth-left-untouched presentation will transform your understanding of six whole foods you should eat and the processed foods, animal foods, and supplements you should never consume. Exactly how much do you need of key nutrients - and what happens if you get too much? Enjoy whole food feasts without guilt or worries about deficiencies. Discover the secrets to sustaining strong bones, unobstructed arteries, and youthful vigor - all without dissecting your food into protein, carbs, and fats.
http://www.sfvs.org/events.php

Saturday's fruitful & veggieful volunteer day

Britt sent this terrific write-up with photos of Saturday’s volunteer day:

This Saturday was a very fruitful (and veggieful) day at the farm, with the volunteer crew harvesting an outstanding 186 lbs of produce! This bounty included over 6 different varieties of squash, strawberries, kale, collards, tomatoes, cucumbers, a variety of flowers, and basil.

This week, instead of using primarily words, I am going to document all that went into Saturday’s massive harvest with a listing of photos. These photos chronologically show what went into Saturday’s volunteer day. Each photo has a caption with it that will give you a bit of background information about how the workday evolved.

I hope you enjoy the photos!

Kevin, one of my friends from Missouri, came to visit San Francisco this weekend, so he stopped by the farm on Saturday to check it out. Being a pretty smart guy, Kevin started his volunteer time at an ever-popular location: the strawberry patches.

Kevin’s little sister, Katie, joined Kevin in the strawberry patches and happily ate/harvested her time away.

Just this week, Damon brought down a large panel painting of some strawberries. This panel is now adding color to the farm’s southern fence.

Throughout the day, our lovely Joyce greeted volunteers and visitors as they came into the farm. This Saturday, she looked particularly stylish in her straw hat, cute glasses, and Trader Joes shirt (that she somehow managed to convince Trader Joes to give her for free).

RARE SIGHTING: Damon without tools in his hands! Take a good look at this photo—it is quite a rare sight indeed.

Hannah, my friend from college, came up to the farm this Saturday as well. Looking super cute in her shades, she helped to wash the ridiculous amount of greens that were harvested.

The various types of kale that were harvested. Who knew kale could come in so many different shapes?

Just a sample of all of the different varieties of squash that grow in the farm. Talk about diversity! I could not even name half of the squash I found in this bucket.

Rafeal brought the farm’s youngest member with him: Wesker, a 4 month old Terrier/Chihuahua mix. So, so, cute!

Hannah prepared a lovely lunch for the volunteers of a quinoa/garbanzo/zucchini mixture along with bread. Evan brought some homemade pickles to add to the lunch—delicious!

Freshly picked strawberries served as our lunch's desert. Amazingly, our strawberry patches are still producing about 15 lbs a week, and it’s August!

My friend Hannah taking a break with Caroline (another one of my friends from school). Aren’t they cute =].

Susannah, manning the produce give away. With such a big harvest, the stand was hardly able to give everything away in the hour that it was open.

To complement the produce giveaway, Tim and I gave away some “sprouting kits.” These kits contained a glass jar filled with clover seeds and topped with a secured screen. The kits also came with a comic designed by Tree that details how to grow sprouts and a “Why Sprout?” information sheet made by Tim.

Sunflower of the farm #1.

Sunflower of the farm #2. I am constantly amazed at how diversity is integrated into ever part of the farm.

Volunteers in Action: This photo was taken from the northwest corner of the farm. That corner is my favorite place to watch the farm and its volunteers move and grow.

Britt

Botanical Beauties

Today was such a festive day with Afro Solo Community Health Fair in Western Addition, Nihonmachi Street Fair in Japantown and Pistahan Festival in SoMa! We had our own fair turnout of volunteers at The Free Farm. Kris took these photos of our botanical beauties.

Finally, John gets honorable mention in this blog for sharing chocolate this afternoon :-).

Public Service Announcements:

Mon., Aug. 15, 2011, 6-8 pm In Search of the Promised Tomatoland
Port Commission Hearing Rm, Ferry Bldg, 2nd flr, The Embarcadero at Market St., SF 94111
In his the recently released book Tomatoland, Barry Estabrook investigates the supermarket tomato’s origin in the fields of Immokalee, Florida. It brings to light the atrocities endured by fieldworkers and the heavy pesticide use that is standard industry practice. It also traces the history of how this once flavorful, nutritious fruit got so mealy and devoid of life. Also hear from Nigel Walker (Eatwell Farm) and Larry Jacobs (Del Cabo cooperative) about their efforts to provide an alternative for tomato shoppers who value flavor, environmental responsibility, and human dignity. Damara Luce (Just Harvest USA), who spent six years living in Immokalee and advocating for better working conditions for migrant farmworkers in the tomato industry, will provide a personal account of the culture and practices there. She will share her experience achieving some significant victories that have already improved the lives of field workers, and describe what work lies ahead.
http://nogrosstomatoes.eventbrite.com/

Wed., Aug. 17, 2011, 9:30 am-5:30 pm California Academy of Sciences Free Admission Day
55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, SF 94118
Visit the only place on the planet with an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum, and a 4-story rainforest all under one roof.
http://www.calacademy.org/visit/ (Be sure to visit The Free Farm, too, during our Wed. volunteer hours, 10 am-2 pm, always free :-)!)

Wed., Aug. 17, 2011, 6 pm Environmental Justice v. California Cap-and-Trade
Center for Political Education, 518 Valencia St. & 16th St, SF
AB 32 California’s landmark global warming bill faces a new threat. The current plans for AB 32 call for 20% of the pollution reductions it mandates to come from industry using a cap-and-trade system that will allow major polluting industries to choose where they will pollute. If polluters can choose where to pollute, we are concerned that communities of color and low-income communities will continue to bear most of the burden of toxic air pollution.
The planned cap-and-trade system also lets industrial polluters choose not to meet a portion of their targets at all by purchasing “offsets” from other locations. Many of the offsets in other cap-and-trade systems have proven to be fraudulent. Others have forced Indigenous Peoples off their lands. Join the panel discussion with Alegría De La Cruz, Center on Race, Poverty and the Environment (CRPE); Nile Malloy, Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and Michelle Mascarenhas-Swan, Movement Generation Justice & Ecology Project.
http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/bayarea.php?uid=11615

Staycation at The Free Farm

Pancho lifts harvested kabocha squash

As Tim mentioned last week, we’re all singing one song in this uni-verse. Seeing camera ham Pancho’s contagious smile while holding up the large squash made me wanna burst out into The Partridge Family Song ;-):

Hello, world, here's a song that we're singin',
C'mon get happy!
A whole lotta lovin' is what we'll be bringin',
We'll make you happy!

We had a dream we'd go trav'lin' together
We'd spread a little lovin' then we'd keep movin' on
Somethin' always happens whenever we're together
We get a happy feelin' when we're singin' a song

Trav'lin' along there's a song that we're singin'
C'mon get happy!
“C’mon get happy” lyrics by Wes Farrell & Danny Janssen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4xQ5qwwQoc&feature=related

When I arrived at The Free Farm this Saturday morning, I checked in with workday leader Tree and presented my rather unusual request: Was there anything for me to do that would not involve getting dirty because I had to appear clean for an afternoon appointment? Well, there were many things I could try: weeding with gloves (got dirty), mortaring bricks (too challenging to avoid dirt), harvesting kale and strawberries (ok) and greeting (ok).

Irene, Kate & Susan pull weeds from container plants in greenhouse
Damon mortars brick steps of terrace
Roger raised funds for charity while completing SF Marathon last Sunday
Tim & Jessica harvest beans
Adelaja harvests strawberries

While greeting with Joyce at the entrance, we met many neighbors walking their dogs to and from Jefferson Square Park (lawn across from The Free Farm). They mentioned walking past The Free Farm often when the gates were locked, but didn’t know they were welcome to come inside during our workdays. We also greeted others—several from outside of San Francisco—who were curious enough to wander inside.

I remembered when I first heard about The Free Farm last year, I wondered if it was a commune similar to Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania (former military barracks that squatters turned into schools and housing, rent-free, tax-free and car-free; http://christiania.org/). It was then that I thought we need a visitor’s guide to The Free Farm!

(Disclaimer: Please note this draft guide is not official. My relatives wonder about my qualifications to author a visitor’s guide. For example, I actually had to explain my photos because I was most impressed by Copenhagen’s largest cemetery, where Hans Christian Andersen and Soren Kirkegaard are buried, being used as picnic grounds by the Danish. In contrast, they preferred my sister’s photos of the changing of the guard and royal wedding of Crown Prince Frederik and Australian commoner Mary outside Amalienborg Palace—just coincidence that we were visiting during the 2004 wedding--but it was too much pomp for my taste. I like places open to commoners, without having to marry into royalty.)

Staycation (invented by necessity of recession?) is a great way to enjoy your leisure time without the hassle of long-distance travel and with the benefit of going local (know your community). To assist in your staycation planning, here’s a draft Lonely Planet or Rough Guide to The Free Farm:

FACTS FOR THE VISITOR
1. When to go: Daytime during volunteer hours, year round, rain or shine! Dress in layers so you can peel down as appropriate to weather conditions.
2. Map: enter “999 eddy san francisco” at http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=ll
3. Tourist office: Check with greeter or workday leader. Read history on bulletin board. View video and slide show at http://www.thefreefarm.org/, where you also can read Our Vision, Who We Are, Get Involved and this Blog, of course!
4. Money: Not applicable.
5. Toilet: Compost toilet for pee-only.
6. Dangers & annoyances: Always be aware of your surroundings. Watch your step. Please make sure cats and dogs do not poop in our soil and vegetable beds as their poop contain pathogens that aren’t always killed in heat and remain infectious for people.
7. Volunteer hours: Wed. & Sat. 10 am–2 pm, 1st Sun. of month 10 am–12 noon
8. Special events: See SF Refresh (http://sfrefresh.blogspot.com/)

GETTING THERE & AWAY
9. Bus/train: http://tripplanner.transit.511.org/mtc/XSLT_TRIP_REQUEST2?language=en to get to The Free Farm at “Eddy St & Gough St.” Nearest BART at Civic Center. Muni #31 runs along Eddy St. Muni lines #38, 47 & 49 nearby.
10. Car (pooling recommended, street parking outside)/bicycle (parking inside ok)

GETTING AROUND: Walking so wear comfortable shoes

THINGS TO SEE & DO (Wed. & Sat.)
8 am yoga
9 am meditation
10 am play begins*
12 noon vegan lunch
1 pm produce stand (Sat. only)
2 pm play ends

*Play activities include:
Gardening: planting, weeding, watering, pruning, composting, mulching
Building/Fixing: terrace, deck, rack, benches
Painting: mural on office, plant signs, entrance sign
Preparing for produce stand (Sat. only): harvesting, weighing/recording
Photographing: bring your camera to capture images of our botanical beauties (see what real food looks like at The Free Farm & http://uliwestphal.110mb.com/mutatoes.html)
Singing

PLACES TO STAY: outdoors (container gardening site, labyrinth, picnic area, etc.), indoors (greenhouse, hothouse)

PLACES TO EAT: free vegan lunch outdoors (inside greenhouse if rainy), Wed. & Sat. only; please email sffreefarm@gmail.com if your volunteer group is larger than 8 so we can prepare enough food

SHOPPING: not applicable.

Today’s lesson: It’s possible to volunteer at The Free Farm without getting dirty;-). And what better way to enjoy your staycation than to play, learn and c'mon get happy with us at The Free Farm!

Public Service Announcements:

Thurs., Aug. 11, 2011, 7 pm, Urban Homesteading Talk
Green Arcade, 1680 Market St., SF
Rachel Kaplan gives a presentation on her book, Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living, an illustrated how-to and why-to for the urban homesteading movement, including interviews with homesteaders who share their successes, failures, and inspirations for eco-friendly lifestyles. The book focuses on do-it-yourself projects ranging from growing your own organic vegetables and fruit, caring for ducks and building a worm bin to implementing a rainwater storage system and generating resilient homegrown economies in our neighborhoods
http://www.thegreenarcade.com/

Sat., Aug. 13, 2011, 2-3 pm, Learn the Art of Seeding
Children’s Center, SF Main Library, 100 Larkin St., SF
In this hands-on workshop presented by Jonathan Silverman, Founder and Managing Director of Feel the Earth (http://www.feeltheearth.org/), learn about the earth, plants and the art of seeding.
http://www.sfpl.org/index.php?pg=1007430001

Beginning Mon., Aug. 15, 2011, general public tickets available at http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/edible-education-101 for
Tues. classes beginning Aug. 30, 2011, 6-7:30 pm
Edible Education 101: The Rise & Future of the Food Movement
Wheeler Auditorium, UC Berkeley
People’s Grocery Executive Director Nikki Henderson and UC Berkeley Knight Journalism Professor Michael Pollan have collaborated with The Chez Panisse Foundation to present the first Edible Education course and lecture series at UC Berkeley. Fall semester course will be open free of cost to 300 general public. Each week experts in their field will relate their discipline to the food system/movement from a variety of perspectives. Confirmed speakers include: Carlo Petrini, Peter Sellars, Marion Nestle, Frances Moore Lappé, Raj Patel, Ann Cooper, Eric Schlosser, and Alice Waters.
http://www.chezpanissefoundation.org/edible-education-101