Latest News and Local Produce From a Neighborhood Farmer

3PH In the News

Last month I had an epic experience making my way over to Adams Morgan neighborhood in Washington, DC  to do an interview with the amazing team at Pineapple Media. Ariel and Atara went above and beyond to give me a warm welcome to their space at Full Service Radio, and the time just went by in the blink of an eye. Click here to listen to the podcast.  

On next Wed March 13 from 6:30-8:00 pm, I will join Carrie Cochran Vaughn (Clagett Farm) on another Pineapple Media podcast. We will dive into all things CSA, discussing CSA crop planning, considerations at different farming scales, farming in & out of the city, why some members demand rutabaga & others shun it, and more! 

Listen to the conversation here: zoom.us/j/472833347

And check out this interview I did last fall with The Groundwork Podcast. To be honest, my favorite thing about doing these interviews (besides getting to know the amazing hosts!) is getting to listen to all of the other episodes and learn about fabulous folks in the food and farming community.

What our Region Grows

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has released "What Our Region Grows," a unique report examining food production and farming throughout the metropolitan region. Download the report here.

If you are local to Washington, DC please sign up for our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Please click on the link for info about this year's CSA to sign up today. 2019 will not be the same as 2018, I can guarantee that. First of all, we have magicians to make sure we get an average amount of rainfall this year. Ok- just kidding we can't do that. But we do have 2 new drop offs, we added a few weeks to the season at our main location (in the Shaw neighborhood), and all of the porch picks ups will start an hour earlier. PLUS: we are adding three new crops to our plan and more space for the veggies that made the top 10 in our end of year survey.

VISIT THREE PART HARMONY'S WEBSITE TO READ MORE ABOUT THE FARM: http://threepartharmonyfarm.org/ 

In the Spirit of Giving this Season: Give the Gift of FREEDOM by Christine Commerce, Diocese of Orlando Human Trafficking Task Force

Reflect upon your purchasing habits  

   

Christine Commerce, Diocese of Orlando's New Human Trafficking Task Force Coordinator, challenges us to become ethical consumers in her recent  blog post addressing labor trafficking and exploitation. "In our society of excessive consumerism, we often purchase things, whether we need them or not, just because it was on sale or we got a great deal.  People don't realize that many toys and clothing produced in countries such as Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam  are produced through either child labor, forced labor or forced child labor."

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As the holiday season is upon us, here’s a challenge for you. Instead of days on end braving the crowds, fighting for a parking space and then frantically searching for the best deal for stuff that you and your loved ones probably don’t need, place more emphasis on the gift of time with family, friends, and those who are lonely.

In our society of excessive consumerism, we often purchase things, whether we need them or not, just because it was on sale or we got a great deal. People don’t realize that many toys and clothing produced in countries such as Bangladesh, Burma, China, India, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are produced through either child labor, forced labor or forced child labor.

According to the United States Department of Labor, child labor means all work performed by a person below the age of 15. It also includes all work performed by a person below the age of 18 in the following practices: All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, and where work is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

Forced labor includes work provided or obtained by force, fraud or coercion, including: (1) By threats of serious harm to, or physical restraint against any person; (2) cause the belief that, if the person did not perform such labor or services, that person or another would suffer serious harm or physical restraint.

Consider shopping instead this holiday season with the Catholic Relief Services Ethical Trade Program (www.Ethicaltrade.CRS.org ) which has a plethora of reasonably priced gifts. This price tag comes with the knowledge that you helped uplift a world of people, who are paid fair wages, provided safer working conditions and have environmentally sustainable practices. So, if you’re looking for a good deal or even a fundraiser for your parish – that’s two great causes for the price of one.

If you decide to brave the hordes of shoppers searching for that excellent deal, consider downloading the Sweat & Toil app from the U.S. Dept. of Labor at http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/. There at your fingertips, you will find a complete list of products and the countries that contribute to labor trafficking. Consider using this app not only during Christmas but throughout the coming year. It could be your New Year’s Resolution! Buying smarter may not save money but can help save lives.

“Things have a price and can be for sale. But people have dignity that is priceless and worth far more than things.” – Pope Francis

Second Week of Advent: Young Adults Called to Serve

Changing Seasons @ Three Part Harmony Farm

I used to listen to the podcast "Another Round" with co-hosts Heben Nigatu and Tracy Clayton. I think they stopped making new episodes, but if you haven't heard the archives, they might feel dated but they are still entertaining.

At the end of each episode, as the "outro" music starts to play, Tracy says "Heben, we made it" and Heben always says "We made it: hey!"

That's kind of how I feel this week as we finally have the last seeds and plants in the ground after a challenging and sometimes harrowing September.

We started out this 2018 season with a bang: it snowed on the first day of spring! I remember looking out at the greenhouse covered in snow and totally packed to the gills with seedlings that needed to go out that very week.

Not a single month this year have we had "normal" weather. August seemed unseasonably cool. We took advantage and got a head start on the fall planting. The September rains we get during hurricane season did finally make their way far enough inland to not only give the farm a good soaking but dumped enough rain for us to save some for later. Besides walking in the puddles in the mud in my chacos (a type of outdoor sandals), I'm not sure what else we were supposed to do. Finding dry days to re-seed, looking for dry windows to get the remaining transplants in the ground: that became our sole focus this September.

Achieve success we did, and in no small part it was due to the tenacity of the crew and all the folks who helped including my mentor and a partner farmer to boot. That's what you call  all hands on deck.

Thanks of course to the CSA members who let me send endless recipes for the red mustard greens and the green mustard greens (pretending they are different vegetables) when secretly I know you really wanted to know what happened to the spinach we planted four times (they drowned the first three times.)

Despite weather ups and downs: our team is incredibly strong and the soil is alive. For every challenge we faced this season, we made it through because of the cumulative effort that's brought us to this, our seventh year during which we expanded our growing space to reach the maximum footprint and also peak production. 

We have so much to celebrate this season and I hope you will join us for another epic fall festival at Three Part Harmony Farm.

We've been so focused on re-seeding and re-planting that we haven't gotten out a lot of details about what will happen at the fall festival this year. Of course there will be garlic planting, games, potluck, music, and art! Stay tuned and check out updates on instagram. Tyler our photographer has already been posting highlights from previous years to get us all in the mood for a party.

See you there?

Le personnel de JPIC à l'événement AFJN, le samedi 15 septembre 2018

AFJN a commémoré ses 35 ans de plaidoyer. La célébration a commencé à 11h30. Fr. Aniedi Okure, le directeur éxécutif, a présenté le modérateur de l’événement, le professeur Robert A. Destro, directeur de l’Institut de recherche en politiques (IPR), après une courte biographie du professeur le présentant comme directeur fondateur du programme interdisciplinaire en droit et religion de Université catholique d'Amérique. Le professeur Robert Destro a été nommé par le président Donald Trump au poste de secrétaire d'État adjoint à la démocratie, aux droits de l'homme et au travail. 

La première partie de l'événement était focaliser sur la présentation du travail effectué par la Société des Missionnaires d'Afrique au cours des 150 dernières années. Les défis, les résultats et l'impact de la mission à travers le monde et en Afrique. Ensuite, la deuxième partie était la vue d'ensemble des 35 années de plaidoyer en Afrique de l'AFJN, par Sœur Eucharia Madueke et, aux États-Unis, par M. Bahati Jacques. L’AFJN a également offert un déjeuner gratuit et la réunion s’est terminée par deux bouteilles de champagne, célébrant l’anniversaire de la Société des Missionnaires d’Afrique et du Réseau Africa Faith & Justice.