Also be sure to go to the home page www.seedstock.com view the scrolling slideshow which has a great picture of Josh watering against a backdrop of kale blossoms.

About Seedstock, in their own words:
Seedstock is a company focused on innovation and sustainability in agriculture. Through the use of a variety of tools, including the news and information blog Seedstock.com and live events, the company promotes agricultural start up companies, university research, urban agriculture initiatives, and farmers employing innovative new techniques and approaches.

The company strives to bring together entrepreneurs, researchers, growers, the not-for-profit sector, and investors to encourage an open and ongoing dialogue focused on efficient and sustainable food production solutions.

Many thanks to everyone who came out to help on the farm this weekend! Spring is here, the last frost has finally passed, and we’re working hard to start our CSA and market for the year. You’ll be able to find us at good ol’ Strawberry Square, and one other location in Harrisburg… Stay tuned for more information! We’re very excited and we hope you are too.

8:30 a.m. : Tour of the farm and orientation (we request a $5 donation for tour if you’re not staying to work)
9:30 a.m.:  Let the fun begin!
12:30 p.m.  Break for lunch (provided)
1:00 p.m.:  More productive fun!
3:30 p.m.: Put tools away and call it a day!

• Please RSVP, particularly if you’re planning to eat lunch.  We want to make sure we have enough food! Also, while there is theoretically no end to the work, managing 5 volunteers is very different from managing 25 volunteers, and we want to make sure we are prepared.
• Feel free to come for part or all of the day–come when you can, leave when you have to.  If you’ve never volunteered at Joshua Farm, we STRONGLY encourage you to come for a tour/orientation at 8:30 a.m.
• We generally work rain or shine, so don’t let a drippy day put you off.

If you’re not available on weekends, we also have opportunities throughout the week most Mondays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Please let us know you’re coming and/or suggest another time if none of the options works for your schedule.  Thanks in advance for your help!

Kirsten Reinford
Joshua Farm Program Director

http://prismmagazine.org/just-eating/

That’s kind of how things happened with the Easter Egg Hunt.  It was just a little seed of an idea that grew in the back of my mind until I realized that I couldn’t ignore it any longer.  It grew into this thing that started to demand my attention.  We hardly planned for it but somehow things just came together to make it an absolutely wonderful event.

About 10 days before the event, someone stopped by the farm from Harrisburg Park and Recreation.  They wanted to see if it was too muddy because of the recent rain for a visit later that day.  We talked for a bit and it came up that we were going to have an Easter Egg Hunt.  He promptly offered some plastic eggs for the event.  I said sure but I didn’t really expect it to happen partly because nothing more was said about it.  Later that day we hosted that afterschool group for a tour of the farm.

The Monday before the Easter Egg Hunt a box was dropped off at the farm and it contained 1000 eggs with candy in each egg.  Needless to say it was such a blessing to receive this gift of eggs.  It was definitely more than we needed.  We made up flyers and we gave some to the Reinford’s to give to their neighbors.  I took some to Joshua Group kids at Holy Family School.  I invited kids from across the alley.  I took some to the office and made sure that Sally had a few.  The flyers got around to a bunch of different people. 

Micalagh and her family helped make the event a huge success.  That Saturday morning, Nieve, our neighbor Amanda, Micalagh’s brother Connor, and I added more candy to about half the eggs and we went up to the farm.  We hid loads of them but had about 80 that we didn’t hide.  We thought if a few of the kids missed out, we could give them some extra eggs.    

The kids started coming about 15 minutes early.  We tried to keep them near the front and to wait patiently for the rest.  We waited and waited and while we waited Micalagh had them play a game.  You pass the egg and who ever had the egg had to tell us their name and something about themselves.  We waited until about 10 after and we could wait no longer.  We had about 15 kids at that point, and you can only stall for so long. 

The kids took off and started looking for eggs high and low.  We had hidden about 400 of them.  We had 8 of those that were special eggs, good for different prizes (chocolate or more eggs).  They were hidden better than some of the others.  We had a special section for toddlers where the eggs were hidden basically just on the grass.  You never saw such an excited bunch of kids.  They took off and were having so much fun.  All the while more and more kids were arriving.  Good thing we hid so many because it took them a while to find them.

We decided after a while that we needed to have a second round.  We had all the kids come back down to the front for a few minutes.  Micalagh had them playing Simon says or something like it.  Micalagh’s brothers and sisters went to the other side of the green house and hid the additional 80 eggs that I had reserved.  It was good to have these extra eggs for the 15-20 kids that got there after the hunt start.  The kids got to have another chance to find more eggs.  It wasn’t the way I had planned it but worked out well. 

We couldn’t have asked for a better day.  It was warm and the sun was out.  I know a few of us got a little burned but it was perfect for t-shirts and shorts.  There must have been at about 25-30 kids that came and participated.  They were Joshua Group kids, and relatives of others that knew, neighbors, friends of friends and it was awesome.  They were just running around being kids and having fun.  Parents visited with each other and enjoyed the weather.  It was such a huge success that I hope that it becomes a tradition at the farm.  We still have a bunch of eggs that we can use next year.  It was a beautiful thing when an idea takes root and blossoms.  I know that it was a blessing to the kids, the parents, my wife, the Beckwiths and especially myself.  I am glad that the idea took hold and kept growing until there was nothing we could do but try and make it happen.  The event couldn’t have turned out better even if we had planned better. 

It makes me smile and does my heart a world of good each time I find an egg (about 6 now) that weren’t found and to think about that wonderful day.

Joshua Moritz

Some of the kids that were there to start the Easter Egg Hunt.

It seems appropriate to share this story, since we are going to farmers market today. About a month ago, we were at Farmers on Walnut in Camp Hill. They hold it a large room in the bottom of the Camp Hill Presbyterian Church.  The vendors’ tables kind of form a circle with us in the middle with two tables and the administrator’s table.

We have been there twice and have had a great time there both times.  It is well organized and run.  The customers and other vendors are really friendly and talkative.  It is a relaxed atmosphere with a feeling of community.  Many of the customers bring their children along.  People are chatting and catching up or learning more about the farm or products.

Kirsten came during the market to check in and see if I needed anything.  She had DJ, Marina and Havah.  Havah was dress in this cute little Tigger costume with ears and a tail.  The children were wondering around looking at things and Havah was right behind me when a little boy came up to her and pointed at her tail and asked her if it was real.  She acted a little shy and didn’t really answer him.  He decided to see what he could find out on his own.  He pulled her tail and this led her to walk away from both of us. 

She walked about ten feet to where Marina was standing in an open space in the middle of the vendors.  It was so amazing to see about 12 kids suddenly gathered around the two of them.  They all started jumping up like Tigger, laughing and giggling the whole time.  They were just being kids having loads of fun.  It just does the heart good to see children having unbridled joy.  They are so innocent and happy.  It was something you just had to witness.

It’s always good for the body and soul to go to a farmers market. 

Joshua Moritz 

Spring has sprung and things are moving into high gear on Joshua Farm. In 2013 we will be having monthly work days on the second Saturday of each month. This month, we could really use some help weeding, planting, moving a mountain of soil for our new raised beds, spreading compost, more planting, edging the asparagus and blueberries, painting, picking up [other people's] trash, still more planting, laying out irrigation hoses, and building community!

• Where: Joshua Farm, of course! 213 S. 18th St. Harrisburg
• When: Saturday, April 13
• Time: Tour and orientation at 8:30 (highly recommended for those who have not volunteered before), work from 9:30-3:00 p.m. with a break for lunch (provided). Come when you can, leave when you have to–even an hour of work is a big help!
• Bring: gloves, hat, water bottle, enthusiasm
• Take home: fresh veggies, blisters, sore muscles, and the satisfaction of a job well done
• Heavy rain plan: dance with joy! But stay home–I don’t have enough inside work to keep ya’ll busy.
• RSVP by Friday noon (and please let me know if you’ll be here over lunch and if you have any dietary restrictions/preferences).

If you’ve never been to Joshua Farm before and want to see what the fuss is all about, please join us!  Come for just the tour ($5 donation appreciated if you’re not going to stay and work) or come to work.  It’s going to be a fun time.

Thanks for your support! I’m looking forward to a great season!

Enter this sink, which I purchased at an auction recently.  It’s been semi-permanently installed in our new wash station, and it has a drain.  This is huge.  Instead of using bins, we can fill up the sink, and when the water is dirty, we pull out the plug, and voila!  The water goes away, no heavy lifting required.  I’m pretty excited about this, in case you can’t tell.