Need a focus.

Leave negativity behind. Come to the garden. No really, visit us!

Staking and winding tomato trellises, laying new mulch and preparing new beds, roto tilling, weeding, and ho-ing have brought me to this point. I’ve helped to make food spring forth by the sweat of my brow, eyed Zach’s delightfully arresting dog Jinxie sprawl happily on the farm like it’s his savannah, and taken in the feeling of, for once, doing something as a college student that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer screen and/or thinking mostly about myself.

Now it’s time to buckle down and focus on summer project. I have been brainstorming ideas for expanding the role of the farm in the community, for beefing up PR, and for maybe solving some “problems”, etc. But I am new here and many of you have probably been living in the West Chester area for a long time.

I would love to hear from you! What should be a priority over the next few months? What seems to be an especially good endeavor? This is a good chance to have a role in shaping the operations of your local farm.

Below appear some options:

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

-       Forge a relationship with the West Chester Food Cupboard, a nonprofit that provides monthly groceries to people who are suffering from poverty and need aid in acquiring food for their families. (http://westchesterfoodcupboard.blogspot.com/). If we have produce that is no longer usable for sale, we can either bring a basket of produce to the nearby food cupboard, or have them pick it up from us.

-     

  Initiating a farm-to-school program, and selling some produce etc. for use in school lunches, perhaps with a small school, a private school like St. Agnes. I’m already friendly and familiar with St. Agnes School and with its principal Sister Joan because I helped to write a grant proposal for art room renovations as part of my class last year (http://saintagnesschoolwc.org/)

      I can look into this, make some phone calls, and see if this is feasible.

HISPANIC OUTREACH / ETHNIC APPEAL

-       The Hispanic population is sizable and growing! Businesses are trying to tap into this new market, but to be successful, they have to connect with Hispanic cultures and communicate effectively, which I have some experience with. There are several Hispanic groceries really close by.

-       Certain ethnic groups value farm products that the mainstream community has no interest in.

o   Here are some nearby options:

§  Maria De Jesus Mexican Grocery

·      127 E Market St.

·      610-436-7456

§  La Rancherita

·      323 E Gay St.

·      610-918-6200

§  Senora’s Authentic Mexican

·      505 E Gay St.

·      610-344-4950

PR & MARKETING

-        Besides writing a blog (and linking it to the Thornbury website) about my experiences working in the soil and learning how to grow food sustainably and sell locally (Pictures and smoothly edited videos would flesh out the blog and provide a window into the daily experiences of working on a CSA farm. Hopefully, there will emerge a group of online blog subscribers. 

-       Create a “product” that is uniquely Thornbury (a food perhaps? A unique pie?) Something that can be the Thornbury “signature,” and make it known!

-       Discuss Thornbury, the community, etc. on my radio show Sunday nights on WCUR 91.7 in the fall. We could even record a Public Service Announcement about organic/local/sustainable farming  to play on the air every day.

-       CRITICAL QUESTION: Is there anything that is being brought into the area because of high demand that we could produce?

-       A delivery program (I could do the driving), with which people can call in orders of certain foods/gifts and we can drop off at any address –THIS WOULD BE IDEAL for GIFT-GIVING. Say it’s someone’s mother’s birthday and they want to send her some local honey and other ingredients with a recipe for baking a delicious pastry…wouldn’t that be cool!

EDUCATION

-       Invite school groups and church/synagogue groups to visit the farm and have activities planned for them (like releasing beneficial insects), or cooking, or doing a little planting/picking.

-       A “camp,” maybe 2 – 4 days long. I could design a “curriculum/program” and itinerary of activities that would be fun for kids and educational. I bet some of our CSA members would love sending their kids to learn in a wholesome environment. It’s another way to take advantage of the farm for all it’s worth.

“PROBLEMS”

-       Figure out a method for recycling/reusing the plastic black mulch, or simply purchase a biodegradable variety (cutting down on labor costs), and easing the operations of the farm.

-       Here’s an example of biodegradable Eco-One mulch: http://www.eco-light.net/eco-one.aspx

-       Let’s make Thornbury even MORE sustainable/environmentally friendly.

THERE ARE SO MANY BARS IN WEST CHESTER

-       What about making beer? People go nuts for locally brewed beer.

o   (I can look into the process)