Season ending at Pete's Community Farm

The end of the season as arrived. To end the growing season we decided to celebrate the first year of the farm with the community by hosting a harvest party.

It wouldn't be a party without music

The end of the season usually means many pumpkins. Time to carve and paint them!

The community mural was coming along nicely.

Children from the community helping paint the mural

the kids loved bobbing for apples!

It has been a great year getting to know the community. Keep Updated for next year by following the Farm on Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/petescommunityfarm. We Hope To See You Next Year.

Composting- Fall is the Best Time to add Compost to your Garden

It's that time of year for our rooftop garden at Core/ El Centro- Compost Time! After a years worth of compost our lovely staff Jessica and Sandra are sifting the compost to give our soil nutrients for next year. Here are some pictures from our composting experience.  

 Jess is serious about shoveling up compost! 

Shifting the compost with crates helps separate the decomposed soil from scraps- cost efficient too!

Compost is added to our ground cherry area for more nutrients!

Sandra having a blast shifting compost!

7 Pounds of Herbs into 1 Pound of Heavenly Pesto! - Dairy and Nut Free Option too!

OK. 
Not really, but 3 bowl fulls of parsley- curly and flat leaf - and basil left over from our Monday Night Farmers Market, you can easily say its been a productive year for both Pete's Community Farm and Core/El Centro Rooftop Garden!
What's a great use for all these lovely herbs? Pesto!

Here is how to make it:

Classic Pesto:

•       1 cup of walnuts

•       2 cups chopped parsley and basil

•       ½ cup of Parmesan cheese

•       3 garlic cloves

•       ½ tsp of salt

•       ½ cup of oil 

Add all ingredients into a food processor and blend until pasty.

    Allergic to nuts and dairy? Here is the option for you!     

     Nut & Dairy Free Pesto:

         1 cup of walnuts

                                                                                                                2 cups chopped parsley and basil

•                                                                                                               ½ cup of miso

•       3 garlic cloves

•       ½ tsp of salt

•       ½ cup of oil 

S Same as Regular Pesto

ENJOY!

Children in the Garden: Every Friday Night! Ninos en el Jardin: Cada Viernes!

Last Friday our Children's Activities participants came up to the rooftop to help us plant over 40 seedlings in our rooftop garden!  Join us every Friday night (weather permitting) 4:30-7:30pm through October. 

El viernes pasado los participantes de Cuidado de Ninos visita el techo para ayudarnos con plantar mas de 30 plantas en el jarden del techo!  Unirse con nosotros cada Viernes (con clima buena) 4:30-7:30pm hasta Octubre.

Planting basil, celery, and tomatoes.

Tomatoes go in next to the peas.

Watering the seedlings.

As the sun set, watermelon transplants go in while other continue to water.

We emptied one rain barrel, but there are three more to go! 

Making sure our new rooftop tenants have sufficient water for the warm weekend ahead.

Once the work is done, it's time for snack!  Tonight's healthy snack was cucumber with chile.

Field Trip #1: Kompost Kids

Spring is finally showing her (slightly) warmer face so we decided to visit the Kompost Kids Community Compost - every Saturday at noon! 

Melissa explains how compost works and what we'll be doing today.

First step: check the temperature. One of the piles was over 100 degrees! 

Layers of food scraps (green source), and wood chip/hay (brown source).

PVC pipes with holes drilled in them help to aerate the compost, breaking it down faster.

Lifting from bin 2 to bin 3 where the compost will enter the final stage of break down. 

Sandra is having a great time playing in the dirt! 

This compost is being put in the wheelbarrow to join the resting pile.

Cocinando con Ninos Dias 2 & 3 - Cooking with Kids Days 2 & 3

Here are more pictures from the last two cooking classes in February.
Aqui hay mas fotos de los dos ultimos cursos de cocina en Febrero.

For the last two cooking classes, we set up stations so families could have more opportunities to make a recipe.  Para los ultimos clases, tuvimos estaciones para que las familias pueden tener mas oportunidades he hacer una receta.

Harvesting cilantro straight from the tower garden! La cosecha de cilantro directamente desde el jardin torre (tower garden)!

Foto Friday: All Grow-Up!

Two months into the winter and our Tower Garden is doing great!

   

Dec. 13 2013 

Feb. 7 2014

Cocinando con Ninos Dia 1 - Cooking with Kids Day 1

This month, CORE/El Centro hosted its first Cooking with Kids series, every Tuesday in February.  The 10 registered families - including 10 adults and 16 children - enjoyed pre-made snacks and had hands-on opportunities to cut, measure, mix, and saute.

Este mes, CORE/El Centro organizo su primera serie de Concinando Con Ninos, todos los martes de Febraro. Las 10 families registradas - incluyendo 10 adultos, y 16 ninos - disfrutado meriendas pre-hechos y tubo oportunidades pracitcas para cortar, medir, mezclar y saltear.

Day 1 of Cooking with Kids- great turnout! El primer dia de Cocinando con Ninos - gran participacion! 

Cesar practices his onion cutting techniques. Cesar practica sus tecnicas de corte de cebolla.

Julie helps the girls measure cheese for their healthy microwave popcorn. Julie ayuda a las chicas miden queso para su palomitas saludable.

Alex instructs Ana on safe and efficient cutting techniques. Alex instruye Ana en tecnicas de corte seguras y eficientes.

Julie demonstrates sauteing the veggies for the frittata.  Julie demonstrara como saltear los vegetales para el frittata.

Zoe and Elliot add berries to the fruit and ricotta crostini.  Zoe y Elliot a~nadir fruta al pan tostada con queso ricotta.

Veggie Frittata ready for the oven: eggs, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, and cheese. El frittata con vegetales esta lista para el horno: con huevos, pimiento, hongos, cebolla y queso.