Shares available at Sankanac CSA

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills announces that shares are available for Sankanac CSA’s 2012 season.

Part of Camphill Village Kimberton Hills, the biodynamic 15-acre garden operates as the 200-member Sankanac CSA, which stands for Community Supported Agriculture. 

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has become a popular way for consumers to buy local, seasonal food directly from a farmer.  Typically a farmer offers a certain number of "shares" to the public which includes a set amount of vegetables or other farm products, based on the harvest.  Participants purchase a share and in return receive seasonal produce each week throughout the farming season. 

The gardens of Sankanac CSA, which are organic and biodynamically farmed, are harvested each week, and shareholders can pick up their produce either on Tuesdays or Fridays for 24 weeks.  There are also U-pick crops, including flowers and berries. 

Members can choose to purchase either a full or partial share depending on their personal needs. A full share is designed to feed a family of about four; a partial share to feed a couple, or a veggie-loving individual. The cost for a full share is $750 and a partial is $430.

Sankanac CSA grows a diverse seasonal mix of vegetables, flowers, herbs, and berries and also tends a small herd of mixed livestock (sheep, goats, donkeys).  The head gardener, Todd Newlin, and his wife, Mary, oversee this enterprise with a crew of over 10 gardeners (including individuals with special needs, apprentices, service volunteers, and interns).

The crew is deeply committed to the use of biodynamic methods, which allows them to strengthen the fragile ecosystem as well as provide food of the highest quality to our local community. Activities in the CSA include plant propagation, greenhouse management, pruning, crop cultivation, harvesting, tractor and equipment operation and maintenance, irrigation, livestock management, composting, and making/using the biodynamic preparations.

The group warmly welcomes new members, and does have available shares for the upcoming season. Please email SankanacCSA@gmail.com for more information or to request a share.  

CVKH Blog: Year-long volunteer positions available

People with diverse backgrounds, skills and personal goals join our community for a year of service or for a lifetime, volunteering their time and energy; they live, work, learn and grow with us.

We currently have openings for Garden Apprentices and Service Volunteers. 

Garden Apprentices:  Immediate openings available.  We offer the opportunity for aspiring agrarians to gain experience in biodynamic, organic, and sustainable methods of agriculture and land stewardship in a social therapeutic setting together with adults with developmental disabilities.  Garden Apprentices receive strong “hands on” training by working alongside experienced farmers. In addition they receive a solid theoretical foundation in biodynamic and organic agriculture.

Service Volunteer or Short-Term Coworkers:  In the fall of each year, a group of volunteers from around the world join us for a year of service to support the work we do with adults who have developmental disabilities.  Service volunteers spend time working within a household, as well as in a land or craft workshop.  Whether you are looking for a volunteer experience during a “break” following training or college, or if it is time to reexamine your life’s direction, a year of service in Kimberton Hills will offer new inspirations as well as be a time to reflect and consider future life goals.

For more information about these opportunities, contact Craig Brown at 610-935-3963 or craig@camphillkimberton.org. 

2010 Stella Natura is available - inspiration and practical advice for gardeners

At Kimberton Hills we believe that the health of land and people are deeply interdependent. In that spirit, we practice biodynamic agriculture, which begins with the best organic practices and incorporates a view of the land as a living organism.


If you want to learn more about biodynamics, you may be interested in reading STELLA NATURA, the Kimberton Hills Biodynamic Agricultural Planting Guide and Calendar. In print since 1978, the calendar is edited by Sherry Wildfeuer and published by Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. It can be ordered online at www.stellanatura.com or via phone at 610-469-9686. Locally it is available at Kimberton Whole Foods and at the Camphill Kimberton Craft Shop.
 
This Calendar has many aspects: a basic introduction to astronomy, a simple ephemeris, a planting guide, a star map, aid for following the movement of the planets in the night sky, and articles by ten different authors. All of these attempt to provide a true picture of the world outside us and ideas to assist in developing a healthy relation to that world.
 
Four dollars from each calendar sold goes directly to support the work of Camphill Kimberton.