Last Community Workday of 2011!

NSC’s Growing Home community gardeners come together for one more workday in December! 

Photos on this post courtest of Harvey Finkle

Sadly, In December the Growing Home farmers had to put their plots to sleep for the winter. I was unsure which farmers would come and brave the cold. However, the community proved to be amazing once again as over 45 people were ready to begin work at 9 am.  All of the fall greens (mustard, bhok choy, tatsoi, and kale) that had been sweetened by the frost were harvested and eagerly taken home. Tea (Chai) was brought out throughout the day and made on a stove in the garden to keep everyone warm.

Using the fall greens, many Nepali families make Gundruk for the winter – a preparation of mustard greens that are fermented in water and then dried. Throughout the winter they are used in soups, curries, and dhal. A sour taste that is hard not to love! Stay tuned for recipes! 

Due to the intensive planting and three season production the raised beds needed extra soil and compost for the next season. The community worked all day to fill the raised beds with a delivery from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. Three generations joined in as grandmothers encouraged their grandkids to help and teens lifted the wheelbarrows for their parents.

Growing Home has come a long way from last winter when the lots were trash and weed filled! With help from dozens of volunteers and partner organizations Growing Home has been transformed to a productive urban farm and thriving community space. The space is a dream come true for the 70 families who have plots and many more who come to events and activities at Growing Home!

 

Apple Orchard Trip

On Saturday October 15, the refugees took their last field trip of the year to go apple picking and picnicking! It was a huge success and a joyous day for all. 106 refugees rode together on two crowded school buses to Solly Brothers Farm in Ivyland, PA. Most of the group were regulars of Growing Home who have been a part of the urban farm since the start of the project earlier this year. However, there were new families, who have arrived over the past few weeks, that also joined the trip and connected with the community. It was a beautiful day and a great mix of families – elders and children, Nepali, Karen, and Chhin.

Although the season is not fully over, this trip represented the culmination of a great year at Growing Home and a celebration of the hard work of all those involved in the project. Adam Forbes, the farm manager for Growing Home, had visualized this trip earlier in the year.

“Since the start of the season, I’ve dreamed of taking our families to trips outside the city,” said Adam. “At the top of my list was apple picking in the fall. My fondest childhood memories are falls on the east coast and the times I got to go to an apple orchard or pumpkin patch. It was a true honor to be able to share this with our vibrant…refugee communities.”

The excitement of the participants was palpable at Growing Home an hour before the group was supposed to leave – a large crowd was already formed. The families rarely arrive so early for anything – so this meant a lot. They boarded the buses in the cool morning air and began their trip to the orchards. For many of the families, it was their first time outside of Philadelphia since they arrived in the United States. The entire bus ride they pointed out the views of the Delaware river and were so excited to see corn fields and peach orchards similar to the ones found in their homelands.

As soon as the group arrived at the farm, the families took off running. They loved the pumpkin patch but were thoroughly confused as to why pumpkins are not eaten, but are instead bought for decoration. Later, they all got to take a hayride to the apple orchard. Each person got bags to place their apples in and families worked together to climb apple trees to find the sweetest or tartest apple. Some families even found wild edibles hidden among the orchard to bring home. After Apple picking, playing in the orchards, and eating as many apples as they could – the group enjoyed a community picnic with an abundance of traditional foods.

Lunch turned into play time for both kids and adults – games from soccer to Frisbee and duck duck goose were played. Seeing the excitement of the families at the opportunity to get out of the city for a day reminded Adam how important these type of events are.

Adam elaborated saying, “While our urban farms provide a much needed green space in the city and place to relax and come together – it is not the same as escaping the city to wide open fields.”

Since Saturday, the families have been raving about the trip, some even declaring it their favorite day since they arrived. Some refugee children have been bringing apples from the trip to school for lunch.

Overall a great day and a wonderful way to enjoy each other’s company as the season winds down on the first year of Growing Home!

Farm Open House

On Thursday September 15th, Nationalities Service Center held an open house at the Growing Home Urban Farm to celebrate a bountiful first growing season. The rain came and went in spurts but it did not dampen the spirits of those in attendance. NSC staff and Growing Home farmers were excited to show off the project to visitors from various agencies around Philadelphia, including Deputy Mayor Michael DiBerardinis.  Many of the guests had not seen the gardens since NSC first signed the lease in early April when it was a trash filled, weedy lot. Everyone felt  a great deal of pride showing the guests what these vacant lots have become.

Visitors got to meet many refugee families who came out in the rain, hear their stories, and see the packed lots growing as much food as possible, over every inch. The farmers were exuded pride and excitement as they showed off their plots and told people what they grow.

Of course, it would not be a farm event withouth some amazing food and drinks.

 

The highlight for many was hearing one of the Burmese elders talk about her experiences here. She is one of the farmers who comes out every single day and has produced an amazing amount of greens, chilis, tomatoes, herbs, and more. She comes early to every event to clean and prep. At the open house, she spoke through a interpretor, at first whispering with her head down. As time went on she began to talk louder and even glance up at the group. This elder explained how she has been here two years and did not meet many other people. She was afraid to leave her house and had nowhere to go in the neighborhood. Growing Home has become a place of solace for her. She has met other Burmese and now feels comfortable leaving her house every day to come to the garden. She said she is happiest when she gets to be out watering and working with her friends. The vegetables taste just like what she grew back home and she ended by saying “they took our land and you have given it back to us.”

 

As the season begins to wind down, this event helped NSC and the farmers to take stock of how far the project has come this year and how much they have accomplished. Though the farms are small, they have transformed the city block that they are on, and for many, their lives in Philadelphia.

Growing Home was featured in an Office of Refugee Resettlement Newsletter last week!

The newsletter article, although short, is a very good summary of the mission of Growing Home and why so many people have worked hard this past year to make the farm a reality. Through their effort, Growing Home is a space where people can cross language and cultural boundaries and come together for a common good. You can find the article here. If you are interested in knowing more about the Growing Home project or would like to support its mission, please contact the project coordinator here.

Coming Soon: The Farm Open House and Pictures!

Party and Open House!

Please join Nationalities Service Center for a Growing Home open house this Thursday, September 15 from 3PM to 5PM to celebrate the farm’s first harvest! The event will be hosted at Growing Home, which is located at 732 Emily Street in South Philadelphia.

The event will give the Nationalities Service Center and Growing Home’s farmers an opportunity to thank the farm’s supporters. Vistors will be able to tour the farm, meet the farmers, and learn about the project from participants and staff members! Refreshments will be available too!

Come out and support the farm, learn more about the project and meet the farmers! Everyone is welcome!

Growing Home Featured on WHYY!

On Saturday, Growing Home was featured on WHYY, a Philadelphia public radio station! The story is a part of the station’s Fit series, which features stories about the different ways Philadelphia is staying healthy.

Check out link below for story and photos. It is definetly worth a listen!!

http://whyy.org/cms/fit/audio/growing-home/

First Field Trip!

On Saturday August 13th, Adam, NSC’s farm manager, and the farmers took their first garden field trip. Fifty Growing Home farmers boarded the bus and headed to Northwest Philadelphia for the day. Everyone was so excited for the adventure and to explore a new part of the city!

Up until February, Adam had worked as the Farm Educator and Farm Manager for Weavers Way Community Programs. Because of his connections there, Weavers Way was generous enough to donate extra produce to the refugees. About a month ago, Adam had taken two women up to Weavers Way Farm in Mt. Airy to collect the produce from their fields. They were so happy to see trees and large farm fields. One cried with joy as she harvested and said it was just like being back in Bhutan.

Since then, Nationalities Service Center has worked to raise money to bring a larger group to Weaver’s Way and it finally happened! As soon as the bus pulled up to the farm, the families took off running. People were immediately picking blackberries, climbing trees, and exploring the fields. Seeing the farm reminded many families of their farming histories and many talked about how they use to be farmers like the ones at Weaver’s Way. The families loved the wild greens that some people consider weeds; many gardeners spent nearly an hour excitedly collecting greens to bring home.

The families had a picnic in the shade and later played baseball in the grass.

There is a community farm attached to Weavers Way Farm. There, the elder gardeners gave the farmers and Adam a tour and presented the families with many baskets of vegetables from the Weavers Way plots. It was beautiful to see the exchange and of knowledge, smiles, and hugs despite language barriers.

After the farm visit, the group went to the Wissahickon Creek, where they walked through the woods, played in the water, and even saw some horses.

This photo was recently published in the Mt. Airy, PA publication "The Shuttle." Link to come!