We’ll Be Joining Farmers @ the Firehouse this Saturday!

The ladies of Healcrest are excited to bring you delicious Summer refreshment at a new market this weekend! We are so fortunate and grateful to have wonderful new market opportunities.

Visit Maria at Farmers @ the Firehouse for Iced Tea, TeaPops, Loose Tea, and other amazing herbal edibles. Our flavors this week are Blueberry Lemon Balm, Roasted Peach Basil, Fresh Apple Mint, and Cucumber Surprise.

We are excited to see you this Saturday in the Strip at “Pittsburgh’s first & largest mostly organic or Certified Naturally grown farmers’ market.” Read more about Farmers @ the Firehouse.

Voted Best Farmers’ Market in Pittsburgh, Edible Allegheny 2010; 100 Best Things About Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh Magazine; Best Farmers’ Market, City Paper Staff Picks.

JULY :: Classes & Events at the Farm

On a small hill in Garfield, Healcrest Urban Farm is bursting with the colorful flowers of herbs in the height of summer! Our working, urban, organically run farm hosts a variety of events. Contact Michelle for booking at 615 804 0064.

Volunteering on the Farm!

Every Sunday from 11­4 join us for a volunteer day! We’ll be busy harvesting flowers, weeding, and working in our berry patch this month. Farm Tour at starts at 4pm, free for Garfield residents.

Classes & Workshops

In July we have 5 classes scheduled­ three Fermentation Classes with Natalya and two Herb Classes with Michelle! Fermentation classes will not run with fewer than 8 participants, so please register early at http://www.healcresturbanfarm.com/events.html

Salve Making Class! Monday July 7, 6­8 pm ($20)

From blooming garden to a wonderful finished product! Learn abut the therapeutic properties of different herbs and why you would chose them for your oil. We will talk
about many plants in the gardens and how to harvest them. Then we’ll harvest our own
roots and flowers to infuse our oils, discuss different techniques and turn your finished infused oils into a salve. Participants will leave with samples of products made in class. (Please register in advance so we can have enough supplies on hand)

Sauerkraut and Kimchi – Wednesday July 9, 6­8 pm ($25)

During this show, tell, an taste you will learn the foundations of making sauerkraut and kimchi. There is no one way of doing it. Come and explore the exciting possibilities that variations offer for our breakfast, lunch, and dinner plate.

Fermented Beverages – Monday July 14, 6­8 pm ($25)

This show, tell, and taste session will introduce you to the making of lightly fermented natural sodas with water kefir grains, fermented syrups to be mixed with sparkling water, and a variety of alcoholic meads.

Herbal Sleep Aids – Monday July 21, 6­8 pm ($10)

Trouble getting to sleep? Staying asleep? Bothered by sleep apnea? Or is it impossible to wake up?

Learn about different herbal approaches for addressing difficulties falling asleep all and trouble waking up. Walk through the gardens to identify common sleep aid plants and discuss how to grow and process them.

The Easy and Fun Milk Fermentations – Wednesday July 30, 6­8 pm ($25)

This session will cover the making of cultured and non­cultured butters, milk kefir,
okroshka (eastern European cold soup with milk kefir) and clabbering raw milk to make a
simple but delicious farmer’s cheese. Yum!

SUMMER HAS ARRIVED AND IT IS HOT!

So to refresh and recharge you we have Savory Strawberry Creamsicle; Cucumber Lime Mint, and returning champs Chocolate Lavender, & Fresh Apple Mint. In addition we are bringing freshly brewed Iced Tea by the cup. Try our original Tea Blends like Goddess Blend or Everyday Tea. We look forward to hosting you for volunteer days, tours, and classes. And we are always happy to see you at market.

Fermention Workshops with Cultures Lab and Natalya

Join us at Healcrest Urban Farm for Fermentation Workshops with Natalya. Natalya has been creating, studying, and experimenting with fermented foods for many seasons. This Summer SHE’S BACK to offer more exciting fermentation workshops!

Register here http://www.healcresturbanfarm.com/events.html

A Rainy Day Photo Shoot!

By Michelle Soto

Meg and I thought we could use this rainy day to our advantage and show some photos of our muscle powered tools that we use to create the gardens.  As we were planning and budgeting to create new gardens and revitalize more green spaces at Healcrest, we made a decision to not rent heavy gas powered machinery and to invest in quality earth moving tools that we can use for years to come.

We still use lawn mowers for grass cutting, but pretty much everything else up at the farm is a hand tool.  This definitely increases the time and energy it takes to build a garden bed, but the finished products are high quality beds that will be around for years to come, completely free of knotweed roots, rocks, and anything else that might impede the growing process.

We’ve found that the beds that we built last year have needed a few wheelbarrows of compost of them and some leaf mulch in the aisles, but are free of invasive weeds.  The hard pan clay that is just right under our top soil was turned with compost last year and has matured into a dark rich layer of soil, perfect for growing.

Planting into these beds will continue for a few more weeks! Official volunteer days are on Sundays from 11-4.  We won’t make you jump on a broad fork for you can help some baby seedlings find a good home!

Michelle loves to use the little digging fork to turn earth

Meg attacks knotweed, clearing a new path through the woods

Michelle jumps on the broad fork, using all her body weight!

Meg is shifting soil with the brand new shifter that Suzy built or the farm

Herbal Energetics Class

at Healcrest Urban Farm
Thursday, May 29 from 6-8 pm

We’re going to learn about recognizing the six tissue states in the body and the corresponding categories of herbs. I’m pulling knowledge from Ayurvedic medicine as well as Southern US Folk Herbalism. Hopefully you’ll leave knowing more about specific indications and what herbs will work well for your constitution and body type.

We’ll spend the first hour tasting plants from the garden and recognizing the movement within our bodies and the second talking about the different energetic systems across the world.

FREE Yoga with Meg – SEP SERIES

SEPT SERIES ~ FREE Yoga with Meg

We welcome you to join us in the Healcrest orchard for this series of Yoga 1 practicum classes. Join us at 7pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September.

This moderately-paced class will include sun salutations and a wide range of standing and seated postures designed to increase strength, balance and flexibility. For new students with good physical health. Bring water to drink and mat and/or blanket is recommended.

Join Meg Graham at Healcrest Urban Farm 5200 Hillcrest St. Garfield, PA. Register here or contact healcresturbanfarm@gmail.com Facebook Event Here

Healcrest TeaPops Sold at Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor

WE ARE EXCITED TO OFFER PRODUCTS AT RETAIL LOCATIONS

FIND TEAPOPS AT! Klavon’s Ice Cream Parlor 2801 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15222 – SUMMER HOURS: 11am-11pm

AND FIND TEAS AT!
Commonplace Voluto 5467 Penn Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15206
Breathless Beauty 108 Route 6 Bdg. 2 Milford, Pennsylvania 18337

The Healing Moon CSA Share

More info on the TheHealingMoon Herbal CSA.

A share would consist of:

1. 3 herbal teas (different each time)
   1. Everyday Tea, Rising Up at Dawn, Internally Healthy, Goddess Tea, Gentle High Vitamin, BabyHeal, Pure Rasberry, Coconut Chai Herbal, HealFast
2. 2 herbal extracts (non-alchoholic tinctures)
   1. PureGinger, FeverReducer, AllergenEase, Anti-Rheumatic, StressDown, WomanWarrior
3. 3 (3oz) single herb packets with usage info
4. 2 healing salves
   1. Deep Winter Healing Salve, Childrens Vapor Rub, Vegan Belly Balm, Vegan LipBalm, BlackPaw Anti-fungal Salve
5. Fresh Herbs when in season
   1. basil, rosemary, lemon balm, rasberry leaf, blackberry leaf, motherwort, mugwort, comfrey, nettles

All would be contained in a plantable box (either tree or flower seeds) that you can soak and plant in your yard, garden etc.

3 pick-up dates (either at Healcrest or potentially E.Liberty F arm Market)

Mondays:

May 28th, July 30th, September 24th, 2012

Donating to Healcrest to get your Herbal CSA Subscription:

Donate $65 per month for 3 months…………………………… (Made before May 1st, before July 1st and before September 1st

Donate $174 for total cost………………Made before May 1st (10% discount rate)

Donate $180 total cost…………………..Made after May 1st
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