Fall has arrived at
The Mountain
and
Many Hands Peace Farm
! As the leaves
change colors and the weather cools, the farm has been preparing for a productive month of October.
Lettuce, turnips, beets, Asian greens, garlic, and kale are being planted. Beans, basil, various cherry tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes, winter squash, and pumpkins are being harvested.
More than 500 pounds of delicious organic apples have been harvested from two locations in the Highlands area. The owners of the trees have graciously allowed us to harvest their fruit in exchange for a selection of the farm's homemade apple products. This includes freshly pressed apple juice, apple sauce, apple butter, dehydrated apple chips, muffins, and apple cider vinegar made from the discarded cores.
Our apple goods
as well as other farm produce
have been integrated into our guests' dining experience. Guests enjoy farm-fresh foods such as roasted tomato sauc
e with herbs, kale and basil pesto, roasted green beans, microgreens, nasturtium greens and edible flowers, and zucchini chocolate muffins. Yum!
The farm
has also been experimenting with new products outside the kitchen such as essential oils, bath bombs, and air freshene
rs. Utilizing the abundance of white pine on Little Scaly M
ountai
n, the distillation process involves a pressure cooker to boil and cool the needles. The distilled oil is u
sed to create essential oil and scented water. After a successful first attempt, our process will be perfected and expanded to make more oils from mint, oregano, lemon balm, and various other herbs.
The essential oils and other products will be sold via The Mountain Store and online through our new
Etsy store,
including the Mushrooms on the Mountain 2018
calendar created by Joey Kyle. The calendar includes colorful photographs of edible and non-edible mushrooms that grow on Little Scaly Mountain.
Joey Kyle has also been recently certified as a mushroom forager recognized by the states of NC, GA, and SC. Kyle can forage in national forests for 22 types of edible mushrooms which can be sold to restaurants, Mountain customers, or used in the kitchen. Having this certification will be a boon for upcoming foraging tours on The Mountain.
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Farm Managers Ben Galindo & Joey Kyle
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Alyssa Fuller, Mountain staffer and entomologist, conducted a pollinator survey in the meadow area as a p
art of our
Feed A Bee
grant project. Various bees were collected, identified, photographed, and released for the purpose of gathering information about the bee population at the farm. These data and Kevin Fitzpatrick's photos of the process can be seen on
iNaturalist
.
Food Forest update: Permaculture consultant Zev Friedman came for a second visit with staff to discuss future planning and goals of the forest. Friedman discussed plans of the layout, vegetation, and the possibility of incorporating animals in the space to reduce human labor needs. A construction of the gateway for the entrance of food forest has been built using black locust posts, entering a new stage for the development of the forest and our beautiful mountain.
Many thanks for your ongoing support of the Many Hands Peace Farm and The Mountain!
~The Farm Team
Your Generosity Makes the Difference!
Your donations to The Mountain's Annual Fund make up about one quarter of our annual operating budget. These gifts supplement our program revenue, enabling us to cover unanticipated costs, accomplish additional projects, and keep our costs affordable for many guests and camper families.
Your generosity and support make it possible for The Mountain to be the welcoming, memorable place that people of all ages love and value. As part of our efforts to make our 2017 funding goal, you will be hearing from us. We will be
asking for your financial support by year-end.
Here are a few opportunities and incentives to inspire your generosity in the coming weeks....
-
Donors giving $500 or more between now and Dec. 31st will receive our new
Mushrooms on the Mountain 2018
calendar
(described above!).
in celebration of The Mountain and the spirit of generosity that
#GivingTuesday promotes globally.
- Make a gift to The Mountain in honor or memory of a special person--provide their contact info and we will let them or their loved ones know a gift has
been made in their honor.
- Set up a new recurring monthly gift through your bank bill pay system or online via our PayPal system.
- Participate in our Gift Basket Silent Auction event which begins in mid-November and culminates on Thanksgiving weekend (bidding ends 9:00 AM on Saturday, Nov. 25th). To support this effort, you could donate a themed gift basket and/or bid on one. Online bidding will be publicized once we get enough basket submissions to showcase.
For this auction event, there will be Mountain, Many Hands Peace Farm, and Highlands gift baskets, as well as a variety of creative themes and specialty items: beach vacations, wine, craft beer, craft hobbies, and more. If you would like to donate a basket or special items, contact our
Development Staff.
Watch our
Facebook page
,
website
, and email communications for updates and bidding information.
Thank you!
