Wilson Street Urban Farm

Fermented Hot Pepper Sauce

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 01:02:41 +0000

This is one of the hot sauces Alex made with the hot peppers she harvested this season. It only uses hot cayenne peppers, salt and vinegar. It is reminiscent of Tabasco Sauce.

- sprinkle a pinch of salt on the bottom of a jar

- spread a thin layer of finely chopped hot cayenne peppers on the salt

- sprinkle a pinch of salt over the peppers

- continue layering salt and peppers until your jar is full or you have exhausted your finely chopped pepper supply

- cover tightly and store in a cool, dark place for a week (we used the basement )

- after a week, open the jar, skim off any mold (it’s only on the top and is normal)

- add enough vinegar to cover the peppers, cover tightly and store for another week

- after a week, run the concoction through the blender and then strain through a screen

The liquid is very hot, and we use the pulp as a hot pepper paste. We have stored the sauce and the paste, unprocessed, in the refrigerator since it was made it in October. I don’t think anything is brave enough to grow in it….also, it has a good amount of vinegar in it to preserve it.

What’s Been Going On???

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 19:23:26 +0000

Hello people! I have emerged from obscurity for a few moments to let you know that life has been continuing on the Wilson Street Urban Farm – all summer and all fall and into the winter. Since I have been negligent about updating the blog all season long, I decided that perhaps the best thing to do is to put together a photo tour of the summer. This will give you an idea of what kinds of activities have been happening here. It might be a pretty long tour since our summer has been crazy busy!

Click to view slideshow.

Now the outside beds have been put to rest and the hoop house is protecting some winter greens. The season has slowed down as the days have become so short. Soon it will be time to order seeds again and the whole cycle will start over. As it has since the beginning….

Enjoy this time of hibernation until the days lengthen and the spring beckons,

Janice

Thoughts about the Land Trust Rally

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 15:08:55 +0000

I had the privilege of attending 2011 Land Trust Rally in Milwaukee, WI from October 12 – 16 with Megan from the Western New York Land Conservancy. It was a half-week of learning that there are some really positive things happening in the environmental scene. I was also introduced to the city of Milwaukee, a city worth visiting (especially in March when Gaelic Storm will be there in concert).

A land trust is an entity that holds the conservation easements on a piece of property whether it’s preserved for farming or historic or environmental purposes. Many of the people I spoke with at the rally are focusing on watersheds and keeping our lakes and streams clean and viable. Others protect natural habitats, endangered species, urban parks and community gardens. There is really alot happening around the country to protect important and fragile spaces. I was impressed with the diversity of this country’s landscapes and habitats. I was impressed with the various ways people are trying to address the problems of climate change, habitat loss, urban sprawl, loss of farmland, endangered species, cultural identity, and land accessibility. I would encourage you to investigate what is going with land conservation and consider what you can do to support their efforts. They are doing an important job! Check out the Western New York Land Conservancy http://www.wnylc.org/main.html, The Genesee Valley Conservancy http://www.geneseevalleyconservancy.org/ and the Farm Land Trust ,http://www.farmland.org/default.asp.

On Thursday, I participated in a tour of some of Milwaukee’s urban agriculture projects including Will Allen’s Growing Power, http://www.growingpower.org/, and The Center for Resilient Cities’ project Alice’s Garden, http://www.resilientcities.org/Resilient_Cities/ALICEs_GARDEN.html. These are a couple of examples where meaning and purpose are being brought to populations and soils that have been overlooked and neglected. We visited Fondy Farmers’ Market http://www.fondymarket.org/about, which actively connects farmers with land and gives them a market for their produce in addition to educating the public about food and selling fresh local produce. I learned that there is a land trust within Milwaukee that holds deeds and/or easements on land set aside for community gardens, http://www.milwaukeeurbangardens.org/index.html.

Click to view slideshow.

I spent time at the Milwaukee Public Market, a vibrant and bustling indoor/outdoor market, open 7 days a week (outdoor market is only open on Saturday). I found the public library, whose administration has obviously NOT cut it from its budget. I bought a few used books there, and took them back to the Public Market to read on Sunday. The Milwaukee River flows a block or so from the hotel I stayed in, and the trip to the Public Market took me right along its banks. The River Keepers in Milwaukee have been working to clean the river and make it an asset to pedestrians by creating the “River Walk”, a beautiful boardwalk running up and down the river allowing pedestrians to access the city without dealing with traffic.

I tried to take some pictures, but I am no photographer. These are a few of my feeble attempts. Megan took some nice photos and posted them on the Western New York Land Conservancy Facebook site (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Western-New-York-Land-Conservancy/417570890323) I show up in a couple of her pictures.

Until next time,

Janice

A View of the End of Summer

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 03:16:05 +0000

Summer has waned, but oh, what a delicious one it was! For me, the CSA produce has been a well-spring of inspiration in creating memorable meals. Most of the vegetables were seamlessly incorporated into my cooking. I am delighted to have become more of a seasonal cook. Some of our favorites included a Roasted Veg with Eggplant, Leeks, Parsley, and Crispy Basil, Roasted New Potatoes with Rosemary, a spin on “Zuppa Toscana” with a Sausage, Potato, and Kale in a skillet moistened with cream, salads, made with the sparkling fresh mesclun, topped with grated carrot and the sweetest grated beets, finished with raw shredded cheese. There was the Alice Waters recipe for Chard Frittata, rainbow chard, anyone? Green onions went into everything, salads, to burritos, to stir-fries. And most recently, with the stems of fragrant lemongrass I made a Lemongrass Shrimp recipe from the Food Network, adapted, of course, to what I have in my fridge. The array of hot peppers added a new level to my typical cooking; I found de-seeding the hottest ones made them just the right burst of heat to especially bean and meat dishes. And the tomatoes! I ate most of them, sliced and sprinkled with salt, they were that perfect. Along with the culinary stimulation, the garden in virtually my backyard has repeatedly been good for my soul. To be able to look out and see the wealth of green and the bits of color from the flowers and vegetables brings me so much hope in this downcast neighborhood. The season may be shifting but I do look forward to what it brings, greens galore, perhaps? New friends, maybe? This is Wilson Street Urban Farm through my eyes.

Best,

Anna Harris

CSA Member

Click to view slideshow.

Milwaukee, here I come!

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 22:34:20 +0000

I have been privileged to be invited to the Land Trust Alliance Rally in Milwaukee, WI in October. I’ll be going with Megan from the Western New York Land Conservancy, an organization that works to protect forever the farmland and natural environments that we would be lost and starving without( http://www.wnylc.org/about.html ) . This year the Land Trust Alliance is focusing a bit more on urban agriculture and green spaces which explains why I was asked to go along. I’m really excited about getting to visit Will Allen’s Growing Power ( http://www.growingpower.org/ ) as well as other community gardens in Milwaukee on Thursday. Friday, I’ll spend a day visiting and learning about the Indian Community School of Milwaukee, a city that is home to eleven federally recognized tribes of American Indians. Those are my two organized field trips. I’ll have Saturday and Sunday for workshops and anything else I want to do in Milwaukee. My children will need to teach me how to use the camera, so I can take lots of pictures. When I return I hope to post some pictures and have some encouraging news to report. Does anyone who’s been there have any suggestions for restaurants or neat places within walking distance of the Frontier Airlines Center?

On September 17th we were one of the stops on the Tour de Farms which was a roughly 30 mile bike tour benefiting Massachusetts Avenue Project ( http://www.mass-ave.org/ ) and Green Options Buffalo ( http://greenoptionsbuffalo.org/ ) . The Tour visited some local farms, both urban and rural, and ended up at Oles Farm in Alden for their Harvest Celebration. There were over 100 participants this year which made for a pretty crowded street here. Mark and I rode out to the Oles’ place and back home on the tandem to join the group for their Harvest Celebration, about 40 miles altogether. It was an enjoyable evening, but we were pretty whupped by the time we got home. Here is a picture of the group at our place.

Until next time,

Janice

The Great Garlic Harvest, 2011

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 20:32:08 +0000

Last Friday we harvested our garlic. The weather has been so dry that the garlic died back quicker than I thought it would. I looked at it on the previous Saturday, saw that it would be ready in the coming week and so planned on Friday’s harvest. As it turned out, the crop was ready earlier than Friday, but the harvesters were not.

I advised my workers on Thursday that we would be starting early on Friday morning to avoid the heat of the day. I wanted to be out of the field before 10:00 am. We were out there before the sun was shining on the field and indeed we finished by 10:00. My workers did a great job. Unfortunately, I was relegated to a “cush” job because my back has been complaining so much lately. Here are some pictures of the whole process.

Janice

The Stand’s Opening! (finally)

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 15:16:53 +0000

Yes, folks, that’s right. We’ve finally decided to open the stand this season. We will be open Saturdays from 10:00 am until 12:30 pm. The hours have changed from last year, so please take note!

The produce we have ready for sale this Saturday include lettuces, scallions, basil, parsley, cucumbers, yellow squash, and some green tomatoes ( if I can convince Mark to part with them ). You can look at the “What’s Available” page to see the prices and availability.

Come on out tomorrow and visit us at the Farm on Wilson Street!

Janice

Another Opportunity To Support Urban Agriculture

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 12:49:37 +0000

This week is our monthly volunteer work day. We would love to have you come on out and visit the farm and lend a helping hand to the tasks that need to be done. We will be out there from 9:00 am until 12:00 pm unless it is pouring down a steady rain.

The farm is located on Wilson Street between Broadway and Sycamore. Hope to see you then!

Janice

Yes… Finally Another Post!

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:34:55 +0000

No, we have not been swallowed up by bears on the wild East Side. Here are some pictures about what’s growing down on the farm!Click to view slideshow.

Thanks, Anna, for taking more pictures.

Janice

Work Day Saturday

wilsonstreeturbanfarm — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 16:18:04 +0000

This Saturday, June 11, is our volunteer work day on the farm. People are invited to come between 9:00 and 12:00 to help out with whatever needs to be done.

Janice