Written by Jay Rosenberg | 25 June 2010

On Sunday, June 20th, 40 people gathered at Hayes Valley Farm in San Francisco for What is a California-vore? - a panel discussion about urban farming. Co-sponsored by Pursue and organized by AJWS alum and Congregation Emanu-El Young Adult Community Social Justice Chair Spencer Rosen, we sat in the sun on bales of hay and heard from Jonathan Silverman of Feel the Earth Foundation, Lauren Anderson at Produce to the People, Jay Rosenberg of Hayes Valley Farm, and moderator Rebecca Ets-Hokin, a local culinary professional. Rabbi Sydney Mintz of Emanu-El welcomed us and framed the event in terms of the Jewish value of shomrei adamah, the commandment to guard and steward the land.

Read the rest of Jocelyn's article at Pursue - Action for a just World

Photos by Booka Alon & Chris Burley, June 20, 2010

Written by Chris Burley | 24 June 2010

The Corny Truth

The Corny Truth is a mural which shows viewers the parallel universes of Food Hell and Food Heaven. Food Hell is a timeline of industrial agriculture, from the farm to the household. It shows the faults of our food systems today, as well as some possible extremes that result from them. Food Heaven on the other hand, shows the more environmental and society friendly aspects of our food industries, as well as their results.

How do the things we buy affect the environment? Do you constantly find yourself reaching for your wallet everywhere you go? Did you know that everything we spend our money on takes a chunk out of our earth? Less Fest is a priceless event that tackles consumerism in a sustainable way. Discover alternatives to this growing dilemma and learn how it affects humans, animals and nature. Through our youth-led games and booths, visitors of all ages will be inspired to change their lifestyles to help save money - and our planet.

Join us Saturday, June 26th @ Hayes Valley Farm from 11:00am to 3:00pm for "The Corny Truth" and Less Fest.

Create and display your own outfits in our recycled-material fashion show! Watch live performances! ENJOY FREE FOOD! Also, join us in the unveiling of our interactive mural, "The Corny Truth: A Journey Of Food!" Explore alternate journeys of the foods we eat, how they travel from the field to our plates, and how our choices affect the world around us.

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Written by Chris Burley | 24 June 2010

One ... Two ... Three ... Four ... I can list edible plants till you're bored.

Five ... Six ... Seven ... Eight ... eating backyard veggies feels great.

And so are some of the cadences we like to sing at the Permaculture Bootcamp Workshop that's been taught several times here at Hayes Valley Farm. Since our beginning we have over 50 community members come through and rave about this introductory course. It has been so successful we're offering again and again starting Sunday, July 11th. One student reviewed the workshop and stated "i honestly think that you guys had it down, it was very informative and i thought you worked well together. i can't wait to learn more". Of the 13 participants who filled out our online review survey, 11 said the course was "Excellent" with only 2 stating it was "Good". We can't wait for you to feel the same so sign up today and get your bootcamp on!

Everywhere we go
people want to know
who we are so we tell them
we ain't the air force
playin' on the golf course
we ain't the navy
the sailin' navy
we ain't the marines
they don't even look mean
we are the the next generation
the RE-generation
the green army

Written by Jay Rosenberg | 23 June 2010

We were preparing a new kitchen garden bed as part of a permaculture design a few years ago and using old newspaper as a mulch layer. It was taking forever because we had all slown down to read the news.  That's why I mulch using only the comics section of the paper, it doesn't take as long.

Anyway, I was reminded of this recently while doing some research for the Hayes Valley Farm websIte.  We came across all of these great stories about the history of the Central Freeway and amazing people like Patricia Walkup (THE Patricia, as in "Patricia's Green" the beautiful park at Octavia and Fell). Originally, we were looking for some great photos to help tell the story of the farm, but along the way, we found the farm's story was already being written.

At Hayes Valley Farm, the story of a former freeway and a vacant lot is once again becoming a celebration of a city and community working together to accomplish something amazing.  It is constantly changing. You are a part of that story.

Tell your story.
Take a picture.
Take a class.
Create a class.
Make a movie.
Feel free.

Share.

Written by Zoey Kroll | 21 June 2010

More photos are pouring in, send us links to your Tube Duel sets and we'll include em here!

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