Camphill Cafe now open on Tuesdays

Starting May 29, the Camphill Cafe will be open on Tuesdays, in addition to the regular Wednesday-Saturday schedule.  Please stop by from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.  for delicious, organic soups, salads, sandwiches, entrees and desserts.

We are also pleased to announce we have become members of Fair Food Philly.  Fair Food Philly is dedicated to bringing locally grown food to the marketplace and to promoting a humane, sustainable agriculture system for the Greater Philadelphia region.

For more information, visit www.fairfoodphilly.org.

A beautiful Family and Friends Day

Thank you to all who joined us for our annual Family and Friends Day - Sunday, May 13.

It was a gorgeous day to gather and celebrate Mothers and Mother Earth!  We all enjoyed a musical presentation, followed by updates from community members and then lunch on the green.

After lunch, there were many activities to choose from including skirting fleeces, tending the herb garden, and planting a paw-paw patch.  A tea party and folk dance rounded out the day.

 

Talkfest Wrap Up

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills 4th Annual Talkfest…

A Great Success Thanks To You

And A Really, Really, Really Early Announcement For Talkfest 5!

I am so pleased to report that everyone had a spectacular time at the Birchrunville Store Café munching away on fantastic and neverending oardoors…people actually complained they ate too much!...while washing them down with wonderful organic wines and having amazingly interesting conversations.  What more can you ask for?

Well, there was that organic Tequila that showed up unexpectedly....  Then there was the way Aditi Roy strolled in with such an engaging manner and low key style for such a Big Television Personality. And quite a few people had never been to the Café before and took home menus to remind them to make a reservation to return as soon as possible.

All in all, a great time was had by all.  And we raised a bit of money to support Camphill Village Kimberton Hills.  Not only did almost all the registration fee go to support our place, but a number of you sent in donations even though you weren’t able to attend.  That is just so nice.  Bernadette is no doubt writing away at thank you notes or perhaps they’re already winding their way through the postal system as they head towards your mailbox.

Then there are the people who registered and never got there.  We feel so sorry for you. On the other hand, that did leave more for the rest of us…

Quite a few people asked when we’re doing it again.  They don’t seem to realize how much stress it places on Bernadette and myself.  We aggravate, we worry, we plot, and we have to drink hundreds of bottles of wine to find those few that meet the high standards required by Talkfest.  Then this year there were the dozens of bottles of Tequila we had to drink.

Luckily we can completely ignore the oardoors knowing that Francis will take care of that in his usual magnificent way.

And then there are all the people that complain we picked a day they couldn’t come due to some other thing going on. I have no idea why a vacation in Paris, a family reunion, a business trip, or getting married can possibly be more important that Talkfest…but, apparently some people feel this way.

Since Bernadette is so tired of hearing this, we decided to give you an entire year notice about the next one.  Well, a year less a few days, depending on when you read this.  Unfortunately we are not totally sure about this date so you might just want to keep every Sunday evening of April 2013 clear until we get it finalized.  But…April 28, 2013 is looking good.

Same excellent event: No, I repeat NO Program. Just great food and wine with the best conversation possible provided by the most interesting people around.

And, no, we are not going to do a Talkfest in the fall…unless one of you forks over a nice sponsorship in which case we are willing to have our arms twisted. The Café is available October 21….

Intro to Non-Violent Communication with John Cunningham: May 15

Intro to Non-Violent Communication
with John Cunningham

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

7:30 p.m. in Rose Hall

$10.00

Compassionate Communication is also commonly known as Nonviolent Communication and was developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

Compassionate Communication is about...
Meeting one another in a new way.
Giving and receiving real understanding.
Fostering the quality of connection that enables everyone's needs to get met through natural giving.
Recognizing the universal humanity in every human being, whether family or strangers.
Creating a new social impulse based on the practice of empathy.
Realizing the potential for social beauty within our communities.

Compassionate communication is about how we can re-forge how we speak, listen and perceive so as to foster this understanding.

Please join us in Rose Hall for this important training.

Chester County's Best Kept Secrets Tour: May 4-19

Camphill Kimberton is excited to be a part of the Chester County's Best Kept Secrets Tour: May 4-19, 2012.

From tour organizer Michele Scott:

"This 16-day shopping, food and fun adventure showcases off-the-beaten path businesses hand-picked for their uniqueness. Travel place to place throughout the countryside enjoying special free things like demonstrations, drawings, gifts, and refreshments the business owners have planned just for you. The stops are varied, so there’s something for everyone… home furnishings and gifts, farm markets, crafts, consignments, antiques, jewelry, cafes, and more. You’ll receive coupons from every business and have chances to win prizes, too.

Although the businesses are located throughout the county, you will never drive more than 20 minutes between places if you follow the suggested path. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the merchants you’ll meet tucked away in the countryside. It’s a fun way to explore.

Tickets go are $7 each. $1 per ticket will be donated to the Arc of Chester County, which provides programs and services for people with disabilities. The first 2,000 people to purchase tickets also receive a shopping bag of promotional goodies."

You can purchase tickets via the Development Office at Camphill Kimberton. Contact bernadette@camphillkimberton.org for details. 

Camphill Kimberton receives DEP Grant for Environmental Education and Stewardship

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills  is pleased to announce that it has received a grant of $7,356 from the Department of Environmental Protection. This award will help fund an Educational Outreach Program on Sustainable Forestry Management, a three-phase project incorporating hands-on experiential learning and educational tours.   

To be truly responsible stewards of the land, Camphill Kimberton’s goal is to educate others of what sustainability really means. There are 100 acres of forest in Camphill Kimberton which are in need of care and stewardship to continue to thrive and protect the air and water.  As the depletion of American native woodlands is ever increasing, along with the destruction of riparian buffers that protect the rivers and streams, it is more important than ever to educate others about why and how to preserve woodlands.  This sustainable forestry program can become a unique and important demonstration model within the region and educate hundreds of students of all ages for years to come.

The three-phase project will incorporate the help of local college students, who will be invited to participate and learn about a wide range of environmental topics.  They will learn how to identify and rid the forest invasive species through strictly manual and biological removal, without any use of chemical pesticides or herbicides. They will learn to identify invasives and how best to remove them, restorative plants, and where they best grow, and how to plant them, and how to test soil and what to look for.  Topics covered may include point and non-point source pollution; soil, tree and plant identification; biodiversity vs. monoculture; native eco-systems and human impact on destroying them as well as restoring them; different microsystems that include soil, animal and plant variation; riparian buffer and its effect on the watershed; habitat loss vs. preserving “interior forest”; and forests as natural resources. 

Phase 1: Fall 2012 - College students will participate in a two-day workshop to have hands-on experience of sustainable forestry management and watershed protection led by environmental experts.

Phase 2: Winter 2013 - Fall workshop participants will have the opportunity to apply their recently gained knowledge by creating three educational, interpretive signs about sustainable forestry to place along the trails in the forest.

Phase 3: Spring 2013 - Workshop participants who would like to share their unique experiences can lead walks with younger primary and secondary school students who visit the village.

The new Educational Outreach Program on Sustainable Forestry Management will allow Camphill Kimberton to provide experiential learning opportunities, providing students a deeper appreciation of the material and more tools to apply and share later in life.

…

Camphill Village Kimberton Hills residents, living and working side by side, create a dynamic and caring community for people of all ages and varied abilities.  Located on 432 acres of farm, gardens and woodlands in Chester County, Pennsylvania, Kimberton Hills is also a local center for culture and a model for sound ecological living.  Founded in 1972, Kimberton Hills is part of the international Camphill Movement which has created communities where the values of service, sharing, spiritual nourishment, and recognition of each individual’s gifts can offer a model of renewal for the wider society. 

The DEP grant program was established by the Environmental Education Act of 1993, which mandates setting aside five percent of the pollution fines and penalties DEP collects annually for environmental education in Pennsylvania.

For more information on Camphill Kimberton, visit www.camphillkimberton.org.

For more information on environmental education, visit www.dep.state.pa.us and click “Environmental Education,” or call 717-772-1828.

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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.