Final Projects

This week was our first week of breaking into our final projects.

Kylie and I are planning on creating lip balm, soap, and candles from beeswax and other natural oils and materials. We started by collecting the materials we needed which include beeswax, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, almond oil, and other essential oils. This week we experimented with lip balm, it is actually a simple project for anyone that wants to try to create all natural lip balm, what we did was grated one part beeswax, two parts coconut oil, with a few drops of vitamin E oil for a moisturizing effect. We melted it together and stirred until we had a clear oil like liquid, we poured small amounts into containers we bought off of amazon and let it cool. It was our first time trying it so we need some more practice, but it turned out pretty well!

We are excited to see how the rest of our products will work out, we plan to sell our products at the last market day.

- Jenna

Organic Certification

           

Recently we received word from CCOF that our farm passed their inspection is USDA Organic. I began this process in September of last year and after filling out the application we were inspected by CCOF. Soon after the inspection we were told that we passed and that we are certified.

Since the beginning of the RHS farm we have used 'organic' methods but now we are able to officially market that produce that comes from our farm is certified organic. I am very pleased that I was able to contribute to the farm becoming organically certified. I encourage future students to contribute in continuing to follow our standards of farming sustainably and organic methods. I hope you participate in future inspections and certification renewal. 

Miles

SustAg Action

It was a an action packed week for Mr. Stewart's SustAg classes (a couple of weeks ago)! Students gave their presentations on their farm reports, where they ventured to farms and farmers markets for interview farmers and representatives.

Later in the week, the class went out to the marsh for a lesson on bees. And to finish up the week, the class held its monthly market. With its wide array of permaculture up for purchase, the market was a success.

--Ray

Week in Review

The spring is upon us; the temperature is rising and the days are becoming longer and hotter. This week in SustAg, many groups are planting new crops for the spring rotation and harvesting the old ones. In loom of spring break, students have been preparing their beds for the upcoming week. By now, the places that were harvested are now filled with new spring crops: either seeds that were planted, or crops that were grown in the hoop house in flats. In addition to our one bed work, we have also had a lot of time to work at our management jobs. My groups management job is composting, so we spent our block period this week building the March compost pile and sifting through the October/November pile. Overall, it was an important and productive week with lots to be done before break. I am excited to see the results after one week away from the farm. 

Grant Mosby, 5th

Recently in Sustainable Agriculture

Recently in Sustainable Agriculture, we've been doing a lot of cleaning and maintenance work around the farm to make sure it looks good for the springtime. Last week, my group and I did a complete cleanup of our bed, getting rid of all of the invasive weeds and the one bell bean plant we've had since August. As of today, we planted some sweet peppers in our bed which is exciting, although I was hoping for watermelons.

Last week we helped John out by completely double digging one of the class beds, adding in new compost, and then broadcasting onions, lettuce, and mustard throughout it.

It's been a fun time on the farm recently, and I'm excited to see our plants flourish with the beautiful weather to come! 

Marisa