NEWSLETTER

THE HIGH SCHOOL FOR PUBLIC SERVICE YOUTH FARM

Farmer Column
Our summer youth program is going along swimingly! You may have seen youth working hard on the farm during your CSA pickup or selling at the farmers market. Thanks to our summer youth leaders program, we have 12 youth who are employed on the farm during July and August. W e are currently in our sixth week of the program and the students have really mastered the art of bed preparation, irrigation, compost and weeding at this point. They are also learning about food justice, botany and pest management. Two of our returning students, Tyasia and Shineka have taken on leadership roles at the farmers market. Be on the lookout for them and say hello! Also keep an eye out for an unveiling of a secret youth created value added product at the market in the next two weeks. We also have youth cooking demonstrations with ingredients from the farm during each farmers market. It is a great way to meet the students, taste our produce and learn new recipes to prepare summer vegetables. Just this past Saturday our youth led our volunteer day with adult volunteers from the community and the CSA. It was fun to see the interactions between the two age groups as they worked together to learn new skills. It is definitely hard work working on the farm as our summer youth leader Myranda admits. She says it was harder than she anticipated but is really enjoying working as a team and seeing her work pay off. Stop by the farm anytime Wednesday, Friday or Saturday and our youth would love to give you a tour and get you dirty! - Anita Singh, S ummer Youth Coordinator

Farm News and Notes

New at the market: Red Jacket juices! We are excited to offer fresh fruit juice from upstate New York at our market, again this week.

Community Volunteer Day Saturday August 18th, 10am-2pm Join us at the Farm and get your hands Dirty! Please bring a healthy lunch, a water bottle, and work clothes. No open toed shoes or sandals. Youth under the age of 13 must be supervised by an adult.

Free Community Workshop: Creative Salads (YOUTH-LED) Saturday August 18th, 2pm-3:30pm Salads are easy to make, easy to pack for lunch, and chock full of nutrients. These are no wimpy salads: they are big on flavor and will give you lots of energy. Summer Youth Farmers will lead workshop. Remember: You can always come join us for volunteer work during our farmers market - Wednesdays from 2:30 to 6:30.
Week 1 June 20, 2012 www.hspsfarm.blogspot.com Week 8 August 6, 2012 www.hspsfarm.blogspot.com

Featured Vegetable: The Tomato!

Flower of the week

The majestic euphorbia, a genus of plants that consists of approximately 2,100 species, can be found on five of the earth's seven continents. The "Mountain Snow" variety, an annual plant that has smooth, oval-shaped leaves and white flower clusters and can grow to three feet when mature, can be found at the youth farm. Euphorbia plants produce a milky sap that contains toxic chemical compounds, but the sap has been and continues to be a positive agent in folk medicine. Before Euphorbia is added to your bouquet, the stems are drained of the majority of the white sap. It is known to help heal wounds, and is used in Africa to stun fish. The euphorbia sap can also be used as a laxative. The name "euphorbia," given to the genus by the botanist Carolus Linnaeus, means "well-fed" in Greek. The plant is said to have originated in what is now Morocco.

Ingredients 2 cups balsamic vinegar 2 large ripe tomatoes 1/4 medium watermelon 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt 1/8 teaspoon sugar 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 1/4 cup shredded mint Method Heat the balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until the volume is reduced by half, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Core tomatoes and cut each one into four 1/4-inch thick slices. You need eight slices total. Cut eight 1/4- inch thick slices of watermelon. Trim the rind and cut slices into rectangles of equal sizes, about 2-inches wide and 3- inches long. Spread watermelon and tomato slices out on a plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and sugar. Layer watermelon and tomato slices on 4 plates to form a stack on each plate. Sprinkle pine nuts and feta over the watermelon and tomato stacks, then drizzle with the balsamic reduction, zigzagging back and forth across the plate. Sprinkle each stack with a pinch of salt and garnish with mint.

Shineka helping out at our market!

A view of the farm from above.

Week 1 June 20, 2012 www.hspsfarm.blogspot.com

Week 8 August 6, 2012 www.hspsfarm.blogspot.com