Come learn about the land by looking through the eyes of the species that inhabit wild spaces! Tomorrow, August 1, join us for an ecological adventure walk through the woodlands and the meadows of the Horn Farm Center. This Living Landscape journey will spark your sense of wonder and open your eyes to the secrets of the land we call home. We’ll focus on broad patterns of landscape as well as diving deep into the details of the micro-ecosystems under rocks, inside dead trees, beneath the soil, and beyond.
Come prepared for all weather, to get dirty, wet, and sometimes hot and sticky! This class is family and child friendly, but children must be accompanied by an adult. Registration is per person, regardless of age. Classes are led by Horn Farm Center Woodland Steward, Wilson Alvarez.
In partnership with the York County Solid Waste Authority, we are offering a Backyard Composting workshop that emphasizes affordability and simplicity. Each participant, no matter their level of knowledge or experience, will leave with the understanding and confidence to start producing their own compost at home. This is a hands-on workshop and will include plenty of time during the process to ask as many questions as necessary.
The class will first choose a site for a new compost pile and construct a bin. The low-cost bin utilizes welded wire fencing that creates a 3×3 cylinder. Participants will add leaves and kitchen scraps (and/or whatever materials are readily available and appropriate) in layers just as they would at home. Participants will also get the chance to turn/mix/flip a pile that is pre-existing and see an active pile that is late in the decompositional process.
Participants will leave with their own 12 foot roll of welded wire that can be set up and used immediately, a composting brochure that highlights details that were covered in the class, and an appreciation for the natural process we call decomposition.
This class is being led by Andrew Horn, Horn Farm Center Field Manager. This class will be held multiple times. Two additional dates are planned for October. The material covered is the same in each class. To register, select the date that works best for you:
They’re back! Wild Lands Immersion: Primitive Skills – Fall 2020, Saturdays, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., beginning September 19.
Five full-day workshops designed to reconnect you to the land and develop essential survival skills. Register for individual days or the whole series. Students will gain hands-on experience with basic, pre-industrial, woodland-style survival skills/bushcraft. This includes gathering wild foods and medicine, building debris-huts, animal tracking, fire-making techniques such as hand-drill and bow drill, making basic hunting implements such as a survival bow and simple traps, and much more! These classes are being offered as stand-alone one-day workshops but as a group provide a well-rounded introduction to these skills. Discounted package for those signing up for the full five-class session. This class is geared toward adults, but we welcome students 15 years or older. Students age 12-14 may pay to register if they are accompanied by a paying adult. Classes will be held outdoors and are limited to eight participants per workshop. Participants are required to bring and wear a mask when proper physical distancing cannot be maintained. (If you tried to register and got a notice that classes were full, it was a glitch in our software that has since been addressed. Please try again!)
Our farm partner Betsy’s Flowers at the Farm is offering fresh cut flower bouquets for for sale at the Horn Farm farm stand (inside the small barn). Her beautiful bouquets will be available for the next three Saturdays (July 25, August 1 and 8) from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The jar bouquets cost $10.
Fresh organically-grown produce from Kilgore Family Farm, another farm partner, is available on Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. inside the small barn at the Horn Farm Center. This week you’ll find cherry tomatoes, potatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, green beans, peppers, red onions, sweet onions, summer squash, and zucchini.
Saturday, August 1: The Living Landscape
Tuesday, August 4: Tuesday Afternoon on the Farm (free! pre-registration requested)
Saturday, August 8: Summer Foraging – August Plant Walk
Tuesday, August 11: Tuesday Afternoon on the Farm (free! pre-registration requested)
Tuesday, August 18: Tuesday Afternoon on the Farm (free! pre-registration requested)
Tuesday, August 25: Tuesday Afternoon on the Farm (free! pre-registration requested)
Thursday, September 3: Foraging for Wild Teas & Drinks
Saturday, September 5: Backyard Composting
Saturday, September 5: The Living Landscape
Saturday, September 12: Backyard Composting
Saturday, September 12: Foraging for Wild Teas & Drinks
Saturday, September 19: Wild Lands: Art of Seeing and Science of Observation
Saturday, September 26: Wild Lands: Shelter Building and Finding Water
Saturday, October 3: Wild Lands: Art of Fire by Friction
Saturday, October 10: Wild Lands: Foraging, Hunting, Trapping
Saturday, October 10: Foraging Wild Roots for Coffee and More
Saturday, October 17: WildLands: Advanced Primitive Hunting Techniques
Monday, November 2: Woodland Steward Training Program 2020-21 begins
Saturday, November 7: The Living Landscape
Saturday, December 5: The Living Landscape
See you at the farm!
York County has moved into the green phase for dealing with COVID-19, so we are resuming some on farm classes with modifications. Classes will be held outside and are limited to 10 participants per class. If more than one class occurs on the same day, start times will be staggered to reduce the number of individuals arriving at the same time. Multiple hand sanitizer stations are available. We will adjust as needed as time passes and things change. Participants are required to bring a mask and wear when proper physical distancing cannot be maintained. Except for family members physical distancing of 6 feet must be maintained.