Written by D.L. Vanini | 04 April 2011

When Zoey of Hayes Valley Farm asked me to write about potatoes, I was very happy to oblige. Of the roughly twenty kinds of vegetables I’ve grown organically, spuds are my favorite. The plant of which they are part is beautiful; they are to my taste the best-eating of vegetables; they are the staple par excellence, admitting of a virtual mono-diet, as was demonstrated by the pre-Famine Irish who ate almost nothing besides potatoes; and their cultivation entails strenuous exertion in the open air. On top of it all, potatoes are a food spiced with history and romance.

I didn’t see a potato in the ground until late in life. When I left my native San Francisco to settle in Ireland in 1994, I was a city bumpkin with no experience of agriculture; I couldn’t have had a green thumb unless I got gangrene. Aside from a determination to have a potato crop in my first year, I went to the Old World armed only with some literature concerning spud cultivation: an American magazine article given me by the late Dorothy Mayer of the Fort Mason Community Garden.

Written by Lindsey Goldberg | 01 April 2011

Spring has sprouted!!!

This morning at 7am, I hopped on my bike and rode north to the Farm. In the east, a giant golden orb glowed just off of the horizon. The sun was shining, the sky was clear; I had a feeling it was going to be a spectacular day!

Our first camper, Brody arrived ready for Spring Sprout camp session 1 with his adventure boots on and his vibrant curiosity in bloom. Brody encouraged us to explore the labyrinth that winds its away around and alongside the riverbed; we discovered so many treasures along our path, discoveries that lead to questions, which lead to even more discoveries.

Our nature name choices reflected our interests, the theme of the day (soil) and the season. We are collectively: Worm Thinker, Hummingbird, Ecosystem, Bugs, Beez, Vermy Love and Goat Whisperer. The sensory exploration of the farm was filled with wonder, tastes and MUSHROOMS. Worm Thinker named a particularly big and unusually wet mushroom that had fruited up all over the food forest: Big Wet Fish, (Fish because this mushroom has gills similar to a fish).

Written by Jay Rosenberg | 22 March 2011

Please come to the General Meeting of the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Association this Thursday night at 7:00pm to learn about the Return of the Bees to Hayes Valley Farm. Karen Peteros, Head Beekeeper will be joining us to discuss where the hives will be located, what kind of bees will be kept, and where you can get more information.

Join us in welcoming back the bees this Thursday night!

When: Thursday, March 24th, 7-8:30pm
What: H.V.N.A. General Meeting
Where: Korean American Community Center, 745 Buchanan Street (at Grove) Map

In addition to the Return of the Bees, the night will feature a meet and greet with new Supervisors Jane Kim (D-6) and Scott Wiener (D-8) and current Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (D-5), as well as updates from the various committees such as Transportation & Planning, Communications, and Art Culture & Environment.  The meeting starts at 7:00 pm at the Korean American Center at 745 Buchanan.

Beekeeping Classes at Hayes Valley Farm this weekend

The Urban Beekeeper’s Primer. The A’s, Bees and C’s of Urban Beekeeping
Everything you want to consider before starting to keep honey bees in an urban environment.
When: Saturday, March 26, 10am-1pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Langstroth Hive Equipment Assembly
Being able to assemble equipment can help save the beekeeper lots of money and impart a greater appreciation of “bee space”. Students will assemble boxes and frames of various sizes, and will learn options for and install various types of “foundation” into the frames.
When: Sunday, March 27, 12-2pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Photo by Zoey Kroll, May 27, 2010

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Hayes Valley Farm is excited to continue it's partnership with San Francisco Bee-Cause, bringing hands-on beekeeping classes to Hayes Valley Farm. If you would like to volunteer with San Francisco Bee-Cause and learn more about native bees, honey bees, and urban beekeeping, contact us via email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Written by Karen Peteros, Co-Founder of San Francisco Bee-Cause | 14 March 2011

HONEY BEEKEEPING ESSENTIALS, THE SERIES

Since information about Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) hit the media in early 2007, there has been a growing interest in honey bees – how critical they are to our food supply, how they are used and abused as an integral part of our industrial food system, and what we can all do to help ensure healthy populations of honey and native bees. As a result, beekeeping by individuals is on the rise, particularly in urban environments. Historically, San Francisco stands out as a progressive leader among major US cities in its legal and public policy attitudes about beekeeping: it is not inherently dangerous, it should be legal and is appropriately regulated by the law of nuisance.

On March 20, Hayes Valley Farm, in partnership with non-profit San Francisco Bee-Cause, is launching a comprehensive series of classes designed to provide aspiring and new beekeepers with the knowledge and hands-on experience necessary for responsible and successful honey beekeeping in the urban environment. Instructors will provide a personal, in-depth approach designed to get students the confidence to properly manage a honey bee colony through all lifecycle events, and to use “natural” methods of beekeeping aimed at colony health.

Upcoming classes include:

Understanding the Honey Bee Colony
Knowing basic honey bee and colony biology is essential for the beekeeper to work with, rather than against, the bees’ natural inclinations as they change throughout the seasons.
When: Sunday, March 20, 10am-1pm. Cost: $30. Register now.

The Urban Beekeeper’s Primer. The A’s, Bees and C’s of Urban Beekeeping
Everything you want to consider before starting to keep honey bees in an urban environment.
When: Saturday, March 26, 10am-1pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Langstroth Hive Equipment Assembly
Being able to assemble equipment can help save the beekeeper lots of money and impart a greater appreciation of “bee space”. Students will assemble boxes and frames of various sizes, and will learn options for and install various types of “foundation” into the frames.
When: Sunday, March 27, 12-2pm. Cost: $25. Register now.

Written by Lindsey Goldberg | 02 March 2011

"I was born for this!"

- Jacob, 1st Grade French American International School, as we neared the gate on our way out of the farm after a dynamic, after-school session this evening.

Each week since the new year I have gathered up a group of budding urban farmers from one of our neighborhood schools and we trot over the farm in a clump, recounting stories of the weekend, visionary ideas for the farm and sharing timeless jokes.