Below is copy of a resolution, introduced by Mayor Segarra and Councilman Larry Deutsch on March 26th, supporting the labeling of foods containing genetically modified life forms (GMO’s). This is a great step our city is taking to allow our residents to make informed choices about the food they eat. Thanks to all who have worked to craft this resolution, it is another in a wave of voices calling out for gmo labeling.

GMO Resolution

Grow Hartford,  a small farm on four lots in an urban setting,  grows a diverse array of organic vegetables, herbs, fruit, greens, etc. We sell to restaurants, retail and non profit agencies and at markets. We operate a 12 week 32 share CSA program. Farm workers will learn the essentials of organic farming and be given significant responsibility, participate in planting, cultivating, harvesting, marketing, education and selling. Farm workers will learn sustainable organic practices of growing using mechanical and manual methods .

Farm Workers are expected to be able to perform rigorous outdoor work in all types of weather and have a sincere interest in growing, particularly in an urban environment. This is a temporary, seasonal, part time position. Part time hours from April to October. Competitive hourly salary and professional development and training opportunities offered.

Send a cover letter and resume to: Hartford Food System, Attn: Farm Manager, 86 Park St., Second Floor, Hartford CT 06106 or email to rodger (at) hartfordfood.org

The Knox Parks Foundations greenhouse next to our field at 75 Laurel Street will be used as the location for the first annual Hartford Harvest Market on November 19th from 10-2. Over 20 farmers and vendors, live music, kids’ activities and more. Please join us there!

Check out this Harvest-Market Flyer for more information

Grow Hartford Urban Farm News

The Grow Hartford Community Supported Agriculture program, a project of the Hartford Food System, has had a busy spring and summer. The urban farm serves over 30 Hartford families through a CSA subscription program as well as providing thousands of pounds of produce a year to area non profit partners.

Urban farmer Rodger Phillips works with bees in a top bar hive.

Urban Bees!

Grow Hartford wants to demonstrate the importance of honeybees and their relevance to the foods we eat every day. To this end and due to the fact that honeybees are in decline, we installed a swarm of bees at the Grow Hartford urban farm this spring . Our bees are doing extremely well, have access to water and lots of nectar from the farm and the many nearby gardens and flowering trees. Working with bees in the city is a win win as we increase pollination on the farm as well as  the biodiversity of our urban ecosystem.

Some of what CSA member families find when they come to pick up their weekly farm share.

CSA Program

Our Community Supported Agriculture members receive a bag of produce that was grown using organic methods every week. CSA members come to the farm to pick up and get to choose between a variety of different vegetables, fruits, flowers  and culinary herbs. Members also get to do their own harvesting from our “pick-your-own” crops.

This year we are delivering two large bulk shares to community agencies. One is being delivered to Hand on Hartford’s MANNA food pantry on Main Street and the other is going to South Park Inn, a Main Street homeless shelter. Both of these groups receive a large selection of high quality organic produce, grown right in Hartford.

Our new field on Main Street in Hartford, growing dozens of different varieties of healthy vegetables.

New Field on Main Street.

A few years ago one might not have thought that urban ag would gain the type of acceptance that would allow farming to happen right on Main Street in the capitol city. Our new Grow Hartford field on Main at the corner of Park Street is the result of a great amount of community support and cooperation. This once empty lot is now filled with long raised bed gardens growing healthy tomatoes, peppers, okra eggplant and squash for the immediate community.

Grow Hartford Youth Crew harvesting cabbage and potatoes for the CSA

Youth Crew!

Grow Hartford’s summer program for at-risk youth focuses on sustainable agriculture education, leadership and work skills, and community action. For 2011 our 12 Hartford teens have spent 6 weeks on the farm learning a variety of news skills while building leadership ability, confidence levels and friendships. Our Youth Coordinator for the season in Sharon Lewis.

Urban Farm Apprentices do some planting at the former Swift Factory site.

Swift Factory Farm

Grow Hartford has partnered with Northeast Neighborhood Partners to help kickstart an urban farm as part of their renovation of the former M.Swift and Sons Factory on Love Lane. The ground is tilled and planted and it looks like it will be a great season for yet another new urban agriculture project in Hartford!

Farming Internship Position Description
Five Corners Farm
Work Program
The farm internship is a part-time employment and leadership development opportunity for Northeast Hartford residents at the Swift Factory site at Five Corners Farm.

Goals
The Agriculture Initiative will provides structured, hands-on work and training in urban agriculture and will teach basic work readiness and life skills and expand their awareness of the larger community and the environment.

Components
Who we will hire:
3 Northeast Neighborhood residents
Requirements:
Commitment to the program and willingness to learn
Interest in being involved in all aspects of food production, distribution and marketing
Good attitude about hard work and working with others
Ability to get to various worksites
Willing and able to follow directions and pay attention to detail
Ability to work hard in all kinds of weather
Commit 15 hours per week for the duration of the program from July through October
Must be 17 years or older
What will they Do
Participate in soil preparation, irrigation, composting,  planting,  weeding, harvesting, and farm maintenance
Be exposed to tree planting, and lawn and garden work
Be exposed to area farmers and food distributors
Be involved in all aspects of food production, distribution, and sales
What will they Learn
Learn and practice work skills development including communication, commitment, customer service, and teamwork
Learn about horticulture, sustainable farming, and lawn and garden work
Learn about the environment
Learn about food and nutrition
Learn marketing and sales skills

***Download the Farming Internship Position Application here***

For more information about the farm internship please contact:
Jennifer Cassidy at 860-278-9398

Grow Hartford Farm Site Manager for Swift Factory/Northeast Neighborhood Partners Site

 
Under the overall direction of the Grow Hartford Urban Farm Manager, the Site Manager will oversee all aspects of farm operations, including field preparation, cultivation, seeding and crop production, harvesting and storage.

 
The Site Manager will:

Work with and under the overall direction of the Urban Farm Manager

Be knowledgeable about farming and/or gardening, particularly growing
vegetable crops in a Northeast location.

Follow the planting and harvest schedule on time
Operate farm equipment safety and effectively

Supervise a crew of apprentices and volunteers to quickly and accurately harvest, plant crops and perform other farm work

Maintain a valid drivers license

Maintain harvest records on a daily basis

Make deliveries of produce to area farmstands, markets, agencies, restaurants and stores

Be able to set up at and sell at a market in a fast paced environment

Have the ability to develop and implement new crop ideas and projects

Have good customer service and community outreach skills

Have a general knowledge of equipment repair and maintenance

Be able to work in inclement weather

Have the ability to lift up to 75 lbs

Have a sense of humor and cooperative attitude
This is a seasonal, part-time position, averaging 20-25 hours per week, starting in May and ending in late October. Compensation is $12-$15 per hour, commensurate with experience. Some training opportunities may be available to advance farming skills. Strong preference for Hartford applicants, particularly residents of Hartford’s North End neighborhoods.
Apply by submitting a resume and cover letter to rodger @hartfordfood.org or by mail to:
Hartford Food System, Inc. Attn: Farm Manager 86 Park St., Second Floor Hartford CT 06106

An optional add on for our CSA members this summer – a “Bread Share” from Farm to Hearth! Todd and Melissa will be delivering their fresh baked artisan bread to Grow Hartford for our CSA member families. Rather than buying low priced industrial bread, or high priced health food store bread, CSA families can choose to join the bread CSA at a fraction of the cost while supporting the financial solubility of local grain farmers and bakers.

Some of the breads you’ll find in the CSA:

“Sunflower Rye” – A light rye bread with organic sunflower seeds

“Whole Wheat”- 100 percent whole wheat

“Toasted Sesame”- Our country wheat bread with organic toasted sesame seeds in and around the loaf

“Rosemary Wheat” – Our country Wheat loaf with locally grown rosemary

“7 Grain” – Our Country Loaf with cracked wheat, cracked rye, steel cut oats, cracked corn, cracked barley, millet, and flax

“3 Seed” – Seed combinations change – sunflower, flax, millet, sesame, etc.

“Dark Country” – 100 percent whole grain combination of wheat and rye

Fresh and local, what could be better?

Click to read more details.

A great article in the Hartford Courant about CSAs  which mentions Grow Hartford. Check it out!

Grow Hartford,  a small farm on four lots in an urban setting,  grows a diverse array of organic vegetables, herbs, fruit, greens, etc. We sell to restaurants, retail and non profit agencies and at markets. We operate a 12 week 30 share CSA program. Apprentices will learn the essentials of organic farming and be given significant responsibility. Apprentices participate in planting, cultivating, harvesting, marketing, education and selling. Apprentices will learn sustainable organic practices of growing using mechanical and manual methods and will attend workshops off-farm throughout the season. We work with several other local organic farms and participate in a Western CT CRAFT program.

Apprentices are expected to be able to perform rigorous outdoor work in all types of weather and have a sincere interest in growing, particularly in an urban environment. This is a temporary, seasonal, part time position. Apprentices work 20-30 hours a week from April to November. Competitive hourly salary and professional development and training opportunities offered.

Send a cover letter and resume to: Hartford Food System, Attn: Farm Manager, 86 Park St., Second Floor, Hartford CT 06106 or email to rodger (at) hartfordfood.org

Thanks to our volunteers who helped plant out our garlic on the Laurel St. Field. We planted 40 lbs of Music and Chisnook Red, both hardneck varieties. This should give us a very nice crop of garlic for the 2010 season. We also managed to plant a small crop of Jerusalem Artichokes which, besides producing a delightful sunflower, also yield a great root crop.

As the snow starts to fall I am dreaming of summertime and grilling up some fresh garlic cloves!