Spring Great Garden Gang Concludes

Learning About Chickens (and more!)
during Spring Great Garden Gang Farm Camp
by Anya O’Halloran, PCLF Farm Camp Assistant

The Great Garden Gang Farm Camp participants have been busy working and learning at the Children’s Garden.  They have learned much about soil components – how, why, and what we compost, the journey of a seed from seed to plant, and some chicken chores required to care for a flock of chickens.

During each session of camp, participants receive a demonstration relevant to that day’s topic.  For seed day, Farmer Sharon did a skit with the campers on how a seed grows into a plant.  The kids were the seeds (in the process of turning into plants), while Farmer Sharon was the farmer as she explained the nutrients, sun, and rain needed for the seeds to grow!  This simulation was a big hit! 

Campers also do hands-on farm and garden tasks.  This Great Garden Gang broke up the soil in the Children’s Garden beds in preparation for planting, added ingredients to the compost bins, planted calendula seeds in pots, and collected eggs and held the chickens (always a farm camp favorite!).
 

Throughout the camp, participants work in their camp journals.  The journal included a scavenger hunt for things found around the farm, a worm worksheet for our worm observing activity, crossword puzzle, word search, supplemental diagrams, coloring pages, and more. 

Great Garden Gang was educational, active and fun!  Each camper came away with something new that they learned or did during camp!

Thank you, campers, for being a part of the Spring 2013 Great Garden Gang Farm Camp!

Visit our website (http://www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php)
for information about our summer camp offerings and to register. 

 

 

 

Pastured Poultry at PCLF

Hens on Pasture!

by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

On Tuesday, May 14, our chicken flock finally moved from their winter hen house and run, to the egg mobile and pasture.  We were later than usual in getting them out, in large part due to the cold spring and lack of greens growing in the fields. 

We placed them not far from the Children’s Garden for their first pastured location – a great spot for them to be during our Farm Connections event on Saturday, May 18.  Today, after two weeks, we moved them to a new spot of pasture directly behind the Children’s Garden.

 

 

There are many advantages to pasturing chickens.  The hens have access to fresh growing greens, as well as the insects and worms that live among and below those greens.  And the chicken manure the girls leave behind is an excellent fertilizer for whatever will be grown there later in the season.

 

There are also a few potential disadvantages.  The egg mobile can never be quite as secure against predators as the winter hen house is.  And moving the egg mobile, electric fence, feeders, waterers, etc. etc. etc. every couple of weeks does take a bit of time and effort – even with six of us working to make it happen this morning. 

 

 

It’s so very worth it to me, though, every time I see the girls wandering through the vegetation, scratching about in their own unique sort of "chicken bliss"...

A Chicken Poem

All I Need to Know in Life I Learned From My Hens

a poem by Michaele Oleson of Sprout ‘n’ Wings Farm

submitted to Countryside Living Magazine, 2004

Wake up early, stay busy, rest when you need to.
But always stay alert.

Visit your favorite places each day.

Scratch out a living.

Routine is good.

Plump is good.

Don’t ponder your purpose in life – 
your brain is too small.

Accept the pecking order and know your enemies.

Weed your garden.

Protect your children fiercely – 
sit on them if you need to.

Take them for walks,
Show them little things and talk constantly.

Make a nice nest.

Share it with friends.

Brag on your accomplishments.

Don’t count your chicks before they hatch.

Protect your nest egg.

Test your wings once in a while.

Squawk when necessary.

As you age, demand respect.

Leave a little something for those who care about you.

Chase butterflies.

Eggs with Asparagus and Mushrooms

Cooking with Eggs Again!
by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

On Sunday I attended my favorite antique fair in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.  In addition to many, many antique venders, this fair also has a few farmer's market stands.  Once I'd made it through all the antiques (which took about 4 hours!), I stopped to see what foods they had to offer.  

The asparagus immediately caught my eye.  Spring is asparagus season -- so if you want to eat with the seasons, this is the time!  




On the very same table they were also offering several types of mushrooms -- including my favorite, baby portabellas!

I immediately envisioned some scrambled eggs with the addition of sauteed asparagus and the portabella mushrooms. Of course, I already had the necessary eggs at home -- so I decided to buy some of both the asparagus and the baby bellas.  As I made the drive back home, I was looking forward to dinner that night!

As evening fell and it was time to start the cooking, I sauteed some onion and garlic in addition to the asparagus and mushrooms.  And once the eggs were scrambled, and the veggies added, I topped it all with a bit of Monterrey Jack cheese. 

Ah!  A simple, but most delicious feast!

Come Visit the Chickens!

Farm Connections …
Organic Plant Sale, CSA Shares & Open House
at Prairie Crossing Farm

Saturday, May 18, 2013
10 a.m.—1 p.m.

 
Do you garden with flowers or vegetables? Do you enjoy fresh eggs from pastured chickens? Are you interested in what is happening at the Prairie Crossing Farm?

Come to the Farm Connections Plant Sale and Open House on Saturday, May 18 from 10 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. 

Organic plant starts of vegetables, herbs, and edible flowers will be available for sale from the Learning Farm and several other Prairie Crossing farmers, as well as a variety of other farm products.  

  
Meet the farmers, visit the chickens, and support the local food that is growing in your backyard! Several different CSA options will be available including organic vegetables and pastured pork. Reserve your free-range turkey for Thanksgiving and purchase free-range eggs and handmade goat milk soap.

In addition to the Learning Farm, other Prairie Crossing farmers offering organic plants and other farm products for sale this year include:

• Gretta's Goats
• Midnight Sun Farm
• Radical Root Farm
• Sandhill Family Farms
• Yaw-Ye Farms

After you’ve made your purchases, take a stroll around the Learning Farm and visit the Learning Farm’s chickens. A special farm scavenger hunt will be offered for kids! You may also want to bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the south lawn of the Yellow Farmhouse.

The Prairie Crossing Farm is located at 32400 N. Harris Road in Grayslake. Despite what inter-net maps indicate, Harris Road does not connect to the farm from Route 120. Enter Prairie Crossing via Route 45 at Jones Point Road and follow the signs to the Farm. Park in the parking lot next to the Yellow Farmhouse, or along the side of Harris Road.

Eat fresh, healthy, and local! 
Thank you for your support of local food.
www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php

Some Summer Chicken Camps Already Full!

Chicken Camps at the Learning Farm
by Sharon Gaughan, PCLF Education Program Director

We offer many different farm camps at the Learning Farm. Every one of our farm camps include time with the Learning Farm chickens, and the chickens have always been a farm-camp favorite.  

So, two summers ago we decided to offer our first two chicken-focused summer farm camps -- "Don't Be Chicken to Learn About Chickens" for ages 5-7 and "Don't Be Chicken to Learn Even MORE About Chickens" for ages 7-10.  No surprise, they have become our most popular camps since then! In fact, both of those camps are already full for summer 2013!

But now in our third year of chicken camps, we've added a few more options!  For the first time we're offering a summer chicken camp for older kids -- ages 10-12. 

Also for the first time, kids ages 8-12 will have the opportunity to work with our chicken farmers as part of our "Chicken Chore Crew."  We've just completed our spring "Chicken Chore Crew" camp.  You can scroll down to the previous April 17th and May 3rd blog posts to check out some of what we did.  If it sounds like fun to you, summer and fall sessions still have openings!

Below is the information for the 2013 chicken camps that currently still have openings.  To register and/or for information on our other farm camp offerings, please visit our webiste, Prairie Crossing Learning Farm. 

Chickens: There’s Always More to Learn!

Let’s explore the “chicken-ness” of the chicken!  How do they produce these amazing things called “eggs” – and lay one nearly every day?  What do chicken-keepers need to know, to help chickens “express their chicken-ness”?  Come find out, while spending time with our Learning Farm chickens!

Ages:  10-12 years old

Days:  half days (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday for 1 week)
Dates:  August 6, 7, 8, 9
Time:  9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Cost:  $95

Be Part of the Chicken Chore Crew!

If you’ve been a Hen House Helper volunteer with your parents, or if you’ve been part of our farm camps or other farm programs, then you’ve already had the incredible experience of collecting eggs from our chickens.  But there’s much more involved in caring for our flock than collecting eggs.  Come join our Learning Farm chicken farmers to learn about and participate in some of these important tasks!

Ages:  8-12 years old

Days:  Mondays

Summer Session Dates:  July 8, 15, 22, 29

Time for Summer Session:  10:30 a.m.-12:00 p.m.

Fall Session Dates:  Sept. 9, 16, 23, 30

Time for Fall Session:  4:00-5:30 p.m.

Cost:  $25/child/session

First Ever Chicken Chore Crew Concludes

Chicken Chore Crew, Part 2!

by Anya O’Halloran,
Hen House Helper Coordinator/Hen House Assistant

Our first ever Chicken Chore Crew Farm Camp concluded on Monday.  It was a bittersweet afternoon.  Our campers thoroughly enjoyed being able to feed, hold, and learn about our chickens during these past four sessions.  Many campers even gave names to some of the flock!  They were all very sad that this was our last day and begged that we extend the camp to many more weeks. 

 

During the wrap-up reflection time at the end of the last camp, we had each camper share whether their initial hopes for the camp had been met.  Holding and feeding the chickens was something most of the campers had hoped to do, and were able to do every day of the camp. 

 

Unfortunately, there was one wish that we were not able to fulfill – that of actually taking home a chicken or a chick! J

 

Sharon and I are very pleased at how well our first Chicken Chore Crew farm camp went.  We had a great group of enthusiastic campers and a lot of chicken chores were completed throughout the duration of the camp.  

 

Thank you, campers, for all your help!  We hope to see you around the Learning Farm again soon – our chickens would love a visit!

 

If you know someone that might be interested in becoming part of the crew, the Chicken Chore Crew farm camp is being offered again in the summer and fall, 2013. 

 

Visit our website (http://www.prairiecrossing.com/farm/learning.php) for more information and to register.