June ’23 Love Notes

I touch my own skin, and it tells me that before there was any harm, there was a miracle.

adrienne maree brown

Beloved Community!

What an abundant month it has been. We hope this love note finds you nourished on every level.

June is the month that the red heart-shaped berries ripen on the farm, a sweet gift of the earth In the midst of the big push of this time. As we transplant thousands of seedlings, charge ahead on campus construction, and welcome program participants to the farm, we have so much to celebrate! 

We started our regular Solidarity Share deliveries of vegetables, herbs, fruits, and eggs to the doorsteps of community members surviving food apartheid. And we welcomed hundreds of people to the land for our love-drenched SOULstice party and alumni reunion. Keep reading for highlights and invites to join us on this teeming path to freedom.

Joyous Juneteenth, Sweet Summer Solstice and Happy Pride!

Briana, Brooke, Cheryl, Clara, Crysta, Danielle, Hana’, Hillary, Ife, Jonah, Kai, Leah, Maya, Naima, O’den, Ria, Shay, and Susuyu

We want to take a moment to celebrate and uplift the meaningful work of our Education Coordinator, Danielle! Her stellar leadership with Soul Fire in the City and Youth Programming is truly embodying our core value of “each one, teach one,” passing the spark of growing your own food on to so many.

Danielle has been balancing programming work, including being co-lead organizer of our biggest event, the SOULstice party, with hands-on-the-land farming, tending the crops and soil with deep care and skill.

Her experiences in harm reduction, education, and community garden spaces in Washington DC and Baltimore, as well as her strong roots in Guatemala, all deeply inform her work. She is a heart-full leader and such a weaver throughout our collective. We are so grateful to be in kinship with this purposeful, sweet soul!

That means tomato trellising, back-to-back transplanting and direct sowing, integrative pest management approaches, and our first CSA harvest and delivery!

We really got to practice our integrative pest management (IPM) approaches when we learned that cabbage maggots were making headlines around farms in upstate NY. Although believed to be present in soil throughout the year, the warming climate has curated enough growing degree days to have this pest emergence make a big impact on the farm. The crops affected, mainly brassicas, will show signs of dramatic wilting, even with proper irrigation.

Seeing wilting, we investigated the roots, where we found small maggots tunneling inside the stem of most of our cauliflower and broccoli plants, hollowing the inside and eating the roots. In our commitment to taking care of our community and our soil, we employed IPM approaches, which encouraged us to use root-boosting soil drenches for our transplants, and add beneficial nematodes to help protect our plant babies by eating the maggots! We are thankful for other integrative pest management approaches already in action, which we learned from our sibling farmers in Haiti through agroforestry-forward jaden lakou’s, or courtyard gardens. Check out the Agroforestry How-To Video to learn how the forest helps the community out when environmental conditions are rough!

Soul Fire Farm’s jaden lakou is an intercrop of fruit trees, medicinal plants and strong smelling herbs such as chives, which are planted around the base of apple trees to attract pollinators and repel pests. These very chives were then harvested for our first Solidarity Share bags of the season! Even with these insect pressures, Farm Team was able to harvest an abundance of produce for this week’s Solidarity Shares! We are so excited to offer our community a little bit of everything: collards, rhubarb, spinach, beets, pea shoots, flowering chives, eggs, a carefully-selected cookbook and so much more! With just our first harvest, the bags were overflowing with deliciously nutritious foods, and lots of tender care.

These past few months have had us reckoning with the burgeoning responsibilities of a growing team and campus. As the major construction projects of the Program Center and the Abode need our careful attention, and our newer institutional spaces such as the Sanctuary, Nest, Barn and Office are now in full effect, the Site Team has more work on its plate. To expand our capacity a bit, we made the decision to bring on an additional member!

Enter O’den, who we were grateful to meet this past month following an open call for applications to the new Site Coordinator position. Hailing from the North Country of New York State, O’den has a willingness to work hard, a fun-loving vibe, gives great hugs, and has a passion for football and spaghetti.

Say hi next time you come through: you might hear his laugh, or see him doing any number of things around campus, from lawn care to building repairs.

“As a subscriber to Taoism, living in balance with the universe, earth, and oneself has been important to me. Growing up in Northern New York, I’ve always lived in nature and had a strong connection to nature. My grandmother is Native American, Cherokee, and was closely in tune with the teachings, I feel as though a will of fire has been passed down to me by her. Though I never got to meet her, I’ve always felt closely connected with her when in nature. My passion for football is the foundation of who I am, and continues to push me to the limit in my journey of self discovery. I am the black matter behind the shining stars.”

– O’den

Becoming Friends with Plants: DIY Herbal Remedies
Friday, July 21, 10am to 4pm ET – with Antonia Estela Pérez of Herban Cura

In just three weeks we’ll gather in person to connect with, identify, and respectfully harvest plants for healing. Antonia will lead us in learning to make a balm, glycerite, and tincture with herbs we will spend time befriending including anise hyssop, plantain, dandelion, and goldenrod. Registration closes Tuesday, July 18 at 10pm ET. 

Learn more and register here

The workshop is designed to be a culturally relevant and safe space that centers Black, Indigenous and People of Color (read why here).

Save the date for upcoming workshops:
September 7 – Natural Dyes in person 3D with Keisha Cameron of High Hog Farm 
November 2 – Crop Planning virtual 3D with Amara Ullauri of Ayni Herb Farm & Larisa Jacobson of Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust

The SOULstice party was overflowing with love and beautiful energy! Highlights included a gravity defying aerial trapeze performance from the tree tops by Neshima, a multilingual soulful set by LADAMA, and the mind-opening and masterful flows of Kala and the Lost Tribe. We inaugurated the dance floor of the new program center with DJ Trumaster and DJ Nat spinning sonic medicine. There was a community altar, hammock grove, scavenger hunt and delicious food prepared with love. Hundreds of kindred souls converged and we elevated our JOY together.

During Sunday morning brunch, we celebrated board members past and present by calling their names and inviting all to share our humble gratitude for their selfless service. 

Warm and grateful shout out to our generous sponsors – Sunmark Credit Union, CDPHP, East Hollow Cider, and Honest Weight Food Co-op!

Our Alumni Reunion, which preceded the SOULstice party, was an intimate and gorgeous celebration. Our alumni community rejoined the land, and past Immersion cohorts, for shared meals under moonlight, songs and poetry by campfire, playful dips in the pond, and skill sharing workshops. We recommitted to our reverence and care for our human and non-human kin as we deepened into our collective work as stewards of the land.

Many friends, separated by space and time, hadn’t seen one another for years. The nostalgia of times spent on the land were heard in whispers between pitched tents long into the night. 

We just released the Black Earth Wisdom virtual keynote! Leah Penniman and the Soul Fire Farm team weave together the lessons from today’s most respected Black environmentalists, those who have cultivated the skill of listening to the lessons that Earth has whispered to them. This beautifully curated cinematic experience takes viewers on a poetic journey through Black ecological thought. 

Watch the trailer, learn more and purchase here

June’s Work & Learn Days were joyous! We harvested abundant bundles of mugwort, lemon balm, and mint to set them to dry. We also liberated our crops from competing plants and applied straw mulch to support their continued growth. We enjoyed delicious food around the pond and picnic tables and made new friends!

JOIN US!!! You’re invited to Soul Fire Farm to learn about some of our farming practices while supporting our food sovereignty work and getting your hands on the land.

• July 11 – Registration link (Sold out but join the waiting list!)
• July 18 – Registration link (Sold out but join the waiting list!)
• August 1 – Registration link

Learn more

Our first farm tours were full of whole-hearted stories and meaningful connections. We were honored to be joined by food and land sovereignty activists all the way from Colorado!

Soul Fire Farm will host 4 more tours throughout the 2023 farming season so that our beloved community can experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow here. 

Next up July 28 (Group Registration Available!) Learn more and register here

We had so much fun learning to build a composting toilet with fellow Samaria Marley of Junipers Garden with guidance from Blain Snipstal of Earth Bound Building! 

The mission of Junipers Garden: “To provide a space for black and brown people to be on land; reclaim their ancestral farming practices, traditions and seeds; and gain access to valuable knowledge and resources. Along with growing plants, the farm also hosts natural building and herbalism workshops, and seasonal events that celebrate the change of seasons, plants, food and culture of the African diaspora.” This year, the farm is offering a new Herbal CSA: visit junipersgarden.org for more info! 

Earth-Bound Building is: “a collective of skilled builders, crafts-people and farmers founded in 2014. Our Cooperative flowered out of the Black Dirt Farm Collective and the primary observation that functional, durable and ecological farm and land infrastructure lies at the heart of a just and thriving sustainable food system.” They specialize in “Timber Framing, Natural Building (think straw-bale and clay plaster!), and Agricultural Infrastructure that serves the needs of our farming and rural communities and offers functional and aesthetic value.”

We also visited with fellow Amirah Mitchell of Sistah Seeds and her partner San Sankofa of Herbal Affirmations recently! Sistah Seeds’ mission is: “to regenerate culturally-important varieties and seed-keeping traditions from the African Diaspora, while uplifting black seed stories and empowering aspiring black seed stewards.” They launched their seed catalog this season & you can still support them by purchasing seeds for your summer and fall plantings and signing up for their newsletter. Visit sistahseeds.com for more information.

Herbal Affirmations grows medicinal herbs and offers a beautiful line of herbal teas, tinctures, and smoke blends. The farm’s mission is to provide “alternative medicine to help fellow soldiers working through stress, anxiety, depression and insomnia.” Herbal Affirmations grows medicinal herbs and sells herbal teas, tinctures, and smoke blends.

We acknowledge with humility and gratitude that our work would not be possible without the labor, brilliance, and sacrifice of the Black farmer legacy organizations of the South, who were the originators of our movement and continue to be the experts on our collective path forward. We give thanks to the Federation of Southern Cooperatives, National Black Farmers Association, Tuskegee University Extension, Land Loss Prevention Project, New Communities Inc, Black Belt Justice Center, Black Family Land Trust, Black Oaks Center , Family. Agriculture. Resource. Management. Services. (F.A.R.M.S.), and Southeastern African American Farmers’ Organic Network (SAAFON), among others. 

We also pay homage and give thanks to Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer’s Freedom Farm Cooperative, Wangari Maathai’s Green Belt movement, and the Haitian Peasant Movement. Soul Fire Farm is one in a number of Black-centered and Afro-indigenous farming projects in this country. 

We are not the spokespeople for the movement, nor the lone stars, nor the principle movers. Rather, we are grateful and committed members of the interdependent web of Black, Indigenous, and POC-led projects that work toward land and food sovereignty. Please join us in uplifting and supporting legacy organizations. 

The Praxis series reflects on how our community can best put our values into action, sharing resources, ideas, and practice toward collective liberation. These will be shared each month in Love Notes and also on social media. 

In May, Soul Fire Farm participated in a summit designed to develop a roadmap for agroecology research in the United States. We put our heads together with activists, farming advocates and academics to discuss questions related to how to configure research institutions and approaches to advance agroecology in the United States; how to center diversity, equity and inclusion in agroecology; and translating research and knowledge into practice. We also offered, alongside our allies who were present, recommendations for rethinking the questions asked, such as how can research institutions seek leadership and guidance from movement forces about these questions and how might researchers learn to observe and follow practice, given that many BIPOC farmers are already using methods of their ancestors (what agroecology was before it received this name). Summit organizers are organizing notes and outcomes from our time together into an actionable plan with next steps. We look forward to sharing more in the future. 

Round up of policies and platforms we’ve supported in 2023 so far…

• Universal School Meals Program Act – This Act, which was reintroduced this year, has been updated to increase reimbursement for school breakfast and lunch, make meal applications more accessible, and reduce debt shaming.
• 2023 NYS Farm Bill Campaign – Campaign drafted by Equity Advocates, Black Farmers United NYS, and Food for the Spirit from months long listening sessions and priorities.
• NAACP Legal Defense Fund – Letter uplifting priorities surfaced by Black farmers regarding funds remaining in the $3.1B allocation for debt cancellation for economically distressed farmers.
• Stand with Farmworkers and Food Chain Workers in the FB – Letter addressing the need for the next Farm Bill to support and protect food and farm workers.
• NFFC Farm Bill Policy Platform – Farm Bill Platform drafted by National Family Farm Coalition with policy priorities based on NFFC central tenets of food sovereignty, supporting community versus corporate control, racial equity, and agroecology.
• Supporting Opportunities for Fairness in Farming Act in the Farm Bill – Letter supporting the OFF Act, which seeks to prohibit certain documented abusive practices associated with the checkoff programs and require improved transparency measures.
• Farm System Reform Act – Letter urging members of congress to include the reforms of the Farm System Reform Act in the upcoming Farm Bill. 

Community Work & Learn July 11, 2023  10:00 am – 3:30 pmSoul Fire Farm, 1972 NY-2, Petersburgh, NY 12138, USA Volunteer at Soul Fire Farm to learn about some of our farming practices while supporting our work and getting your hands on the land. Registration is required. Link  Each One, Teach One. Many Hands Make Light Work.

Community Work & Learn  July 18, 2023  10:00 am – 3:30 pmSoul Fire Farm, 1972 NY-2, Petersburgh, NY 12138, USA Volunteer at Soul Fire Farm to learn about some of our farming practices while supporting our work and getting your hands on the land. Registration is required. Link  Each One, Teach One. Many Hands Make Light Work.

Becoming Friends with PlantsIn Person 3D Skill Sharewith Antonia Estela Pérez of Herban Cura July 21, 2023  10:00 am – 4:00 pmSoul Fire Farm, 1972 NY-2, Petersburgh, NY 12138, USA Learn more and register here

Farm Tour  July 28, 2023  3:30 pm – 5:00 pmSoul Fire Farm, 1972 NY-2, Petersburgh, NY 12138, USA Visit Soul Fire Farm for our monthly seasonal farm tour! You’ll get to experience some of the plants, animals and humans that grow here. We will guide you through the growing fields and agroforestry gardens, take you up close to the building projects, share whole-hearted stories, and answer your questions. Registration is required – Link

• ‘Kiss the Ground’ Sequel Debuts at Tribeca, Shows Urgency for Food System Overhaul Leah Penniman
• Ecofeminism: Understanding the Connection Between Gender and the Climate Crisis Leah Penniman
• Ep 61 – Food for the Soul Clara Agbortabi
• The Revelations of ‘Black Earth Wisdom’ Leah Penniman

The food system was built on the stolen land and stolen labor of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian and people of color. Our ecosystem partners, Northeast Farmers of Color Network and National Black Food and Justice Alliance are claiming our sovereignty and calling for reparations of land and resources so that we can grow nourishing food and distribute it in our communities. The specific projects and resource needs of BIPOC land-based projects are listed on Northeast Farmers of Color Network and National Black Food and Justice Alliance’s respective maps linked above. We are so excited about these powerful opportunities for people to people solidarity.