When our children were young, we tried everything to get them outside. Sure, our family life inside was filled with the kind of drama you'd call gloriously ordinary—which pasta for dinner, whose turn it was to feed the dogs or get the phone, and how best to gather everyone around the woodstove hearth every evening.
Outdoors, I figured it was all about the destination, so we constructed paths from one rural attraction to another. We had a picnic path to the blueberries, another to the chicken coop. One trail wound to the tire swing and zip wire, but that was neither our "scenic overlook" nor "outer beltway."
As these paths tolerated all variety of vehicles, from wobbly wheelbarrows and reluctant bicycles to bouncing baby carriages and battery-powered jeeps, there was a fair amount of maintenance required, especially in the spring and winter. Clearing these trails required an arsenal of tools and trashing my weekend jeans; if the chainsaw was involved, there would be a whole other level of supplies and precautions. Turning the mundane into the fantastic, my oldest daughter would often come find me, cutting in the woods. She would collect the sawdust piled up by the logs, carefully scooping up cups full and sprinkling it around her newfound woodland fairy domains. "Magical dust," she called it.
Believe it or not, these paths were chances to confirm household partnerships: My wife frequently invoked The Dogwood Rule: "Never cut down a dogwood tree, alive or dead." I did once, and she wouldn't talk to me for three days. Her rule applies to ferns as well, although she knows I like a good mow, to be able to trim the trail all the way to the edge. It makes for easier back and forth passage. Suffice it to say, we have our share of Zen-like obstacle courses on these crooked, cluttered paths.
These days, the paths are more functional. Like spokes on a wheel, our paths lead in all directions from the back door: to the mailbox, the end of the driveway for the daily newspapers, to the well house and, of course, to our neighbors' houses and their own lattice of paths. One of these neighbors recently discovered a 10-foot tall mound of bulldozed dirt in the brush a hundred yards behind his house. He astutely called it "Arrowhead Head Hill," and his boys have since marched a path toward it again and again. They are playing there with their digging trucks all the time. One day, as they listened patiently, he slowly explained the name to us: "Well, we haven't found any arrowheads yet, but we know they're there." The explorer cycle continues.
My oldest daughter was once inspired to plan a path directly into the woods from the basketball court. I asked her where the path was going.
"I don't know Dad, I just wanted to make one," she responded. "You guys always look like you're having so much fun with your paths. I wanted to do one myself."
Yes, that's it; I'm grabbing my boots and loppers and heading out the back door right now.
2012年2月8日星期三
2012年1月5日星期四
Vineland bookbinder's works on display Saturday in Bridgeton
Branko Najdanovik has the patience of a saint. He needs it, too, because the 82-year-old Serbia native has been trusted to restore 200-year-old Bibles in the past.
Down a long dirt driveway and inside of a former chicken coop, the Vineland man explains what it takes to restore priceless works — a skill he picked up some 65 years ago.
“As a bookbinder, you’ve got to have patience,” he said.
Even today, he seems at home in his work shop. A space heater warms one corner while the cold steel of machines vital to his work sit in another.
The craftsman makes his way through the shop and pulls out a 1906 edition of the “World and it’s Peoples.” The spine is in ruins and he will be mending it in a many hours-long process.
He has already gone “page by page” and fixed the tattered paper and made two “in-sheets.” These attach the back of the front cover and what is technically the first page of the book.
“Old books are like doctor-patient when they come,” Najdanovik said Wednesday.
Readers interested in seeing the fruits of this delicate labor will have the opportunity to do so tomorrow at a two-hour reception being hosted at Frank Burton & Sons, on West
Broad Street, in Bridgeton.
“It’s rare in Cumberland County, rare in South Jersey and probably rare in the Delaware Valley,” said Art Cox, local historian and friend of Najdanovik.
In 1946, a private bookbinder told Najdanovik about a coming consolidation of the private industry in the field. He left Germany in 1960 for Canada and then emigrated to the United States five years later.
He arrived in California because associates in Canada told him someone there needed a bookbinder.
But Najdanovik does more than bind books. He knows typesetting, stone lithography, leviathan type, printing and marbling.
“You don’t teach yourself this,” he said.
However, since the Vineland shop’s inception in 1978, Branko’s Bookbinding & Print Shop has always been a one-man show. Except for maybe those times during the 1980s when business was busy and he had his son doing work in the shop after school.
Najdanovik has done work for families, private collectors, historical societies and even himself, showing off an empty and intricate photo album.
The tools of his trade are large and small. He picked up a hulking 1881 model cutting machine for $90 in Pennsylvania. It cost him $200 to ship it here in pieces, which he handily assembled upon arrival.
There are larger machines that sort pages and smaller ones that cut holes in them. There’s also the Crock-Pot sitting on his shop table he needs for the glue when making covers.
On any project, he’ll start by inspecting every page then the cover for repairs. An insert to shore up a tattered and flapping spine, then reattaching that spine, often comes next.
His insheets, made from texturized fake leather, will hold the book and cover together.
There are also the jobs where he creates front and back covers for items that arrived at his shop with neither.
First, he lays a sheet of cloth large enough to encompass the publication and two pieces of cardboard that will constitute both covers. The cloth will be cut to size and cardboard bound with a cotton “cheesecloth” webbing to create a spine.
These are all hours-long projects but Najdanovick says he can stop and start at certain points.
“Now watch my hand,” he says with a batch of pages clamped horizontally in a vice. He’s demonstrating how to make the “perfect binding.”
He makes an “L” with his thumb and pointer finger, locks it into the corner of the pages and would then apply his special glue — imported from Germany at $120 a bucket.
He pushes the pages together left — pauses — and then right. It will ensure the glue seeps deep and forms a solid bond.
These days, Najdanovik is only doing personal projects and his son had come back to help wrap up some outstanding books to be bound.
Saturday’s two-hour reception will showcase his work. Readers may stop into Frank Burtons & Sons starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Light refreshments will be served.
Najdanovik’s reception is part of an exhibit at the store, in place through January, of photographs from 1892 through the present of Bridgeton in the snow. The works of local photographers, including those who founded the Bridgeton Camera Club in 1890, will be on display.
Najdanovik will be taking orders for binding copies of the News’ special publication celebrating Bridgeton’s 325th birthday.
Copies are $120 and Najdanovik can also typeset the recipients name in gold lettering on the book. The copy he bound for Cox as a holiday gift will be on display as an example.
Down a long dirt driveway and inside of a former chicken coop, the Vineland man explains what it takes to restore priceless works — a skill he picked up some 65 years ago.
“As a bookbinder, you’ve got to have patience,” he said.
Even today, he seems at home in his work shop. A space heater warms one corner while the cold steel of machines vital to his work sit in another.
The craftsman makes his way through the shop and pulls out a 1906 edition of the “World and it’s Peoples.” The spine is in ruins and he will be mending it in a many hours-long process.
He has already gone “page by page” and fixed the tattered paper and made two “in-sheets.” These attach the back of the front cover and what is technically the first page of the book.
“Old books are like doctor-patient when they come,” Najdanovik said Wednesday.
Readers interested in seeing the fruits of this delicate labor will have the opportunity to do so tomorrow at a two-hour reception being hosted at Frank Burton & Sons, on West
Broad Street, in Bridgeton.
“It’s rare in Cumberland County, rare in South Jersey and probably rare in the Delaware Valley,” said Art Cox, local historian and friend of Najdanovik.
In 1946, a private bookbinder told Najdanovik about a coming consolidation of the private industry in the field. He left Germany in 1960 for Canada and then emigrated to the United States five years later.
He arrived in California because associates in Canada told him someone there needed a bookbinder.
But Najdanovik does more than bind books. He knows typesetting, stone lithography, leviathan type, printing and marbling.
“You don’t teach yourself this,” he said.
However, since the Vineland shop’s inception in 1978, Branko’s Bookbinding & Print Shop has always been a one-man show. Except for maybe those times during the 1980s when business was busy and he had his son doing work in the shop after school.
Najdanovik has done work for families, private collectors, historical societies and even himself, showing off an empty and intricate photo album.
The tools of his trade are large and small. He picked up a hulking 1881 model cutting machine for $90 in Pennsylvania. It cost him $200 to ship it here in pieces, which he handily assembled upon arrival.
There are larger machines that sort pages and smaller ones that cut holes in them. There’s also the Crock-Pot sitting on his shop table he needs for the glue when making covers.
On any project, he’ll start by inspecting every page then the cover for repairs. An insert to shore up a tattered and flapping spine, then reattaching that spine, often comes next.
His insheets, made from texturized fake leather, will hold the book and cover together.
There are also the jobs where he creates front and back covers for items that arrived at his shop with neither.
First, he lays a sheet of cloth large enough to encompass the publication and two pieces of cardboard that will constitute both covers. The cloth will be cut to size and cardboard bound with a cotton “cheesecloth” webbing to create a spine.
These are all hours-long projects but Najdanovick says he can stop and start at certain points.
“Now watch my hand,” he says with a batch of pages clamped horizontally in a vice. He’s demonstrating how to make the “perfect binding.”
He makes an “L” with his thumb and pointer finger, locks it into the corner of the pages and would then apply his special glue — imported from Germany at $120 a bucket.
He pushes the pages together left — pauses — and then right. It will ensure the glue seeps deep and forms a solid bond.
These days, Najdanovik is only doing personal projects and his son had come back to help wrap up some outstanding books to be bound.
Saturday’s two-hour reception will showcase his work. Readers may stop into Frank Burtons & Sons starting at 10 a.m. Saturday. Light refreshments will be served.
Najdanovik’s reception is part of an exhibit at the store, in place through January, of photographs from 1892 through the present of Bridgeton in the snow. The works of local photographers, including those who founded the Bridgeton Camera Club in 1890, will be on display.
Najdanovik will be taking orders for binding copies of the News’ special publication celebrating Bridgeton’s 325th birthday.
Copies are $120 and Najdanovik can also typeset the recipients name in gold lettering on the book. The copy he bound for Cox as a holiday gift will be on display as an example.
2011年12月22日星期四
Tampa's 'Exploding Chicken' sculpture set for new roost
Within months the so-called "Exploding Chicken" sculpture, which roosted downtown for 22 years, will be settled in its new home at the Channel District roundabout.
"I would anticipate that the bird will find his permanent roost early next year," said Bob McDonaugh, the city's acting administrator for economic development. "After it's erected then it will be repainted and dedicated."
The 19-ton, 36-foot-tall piece officially known as the untitled George Sugarman sculpture flew the coop from Ashley Drive in April 2010.
Volunteers – including members of a local steelworkers union – disassembled the sculpture. It was lifted by a crane onto flatbed trailers and taken to Gulf Marine Repair Corp. for safekeeping while new accommodations were readied.
The original principal tenant of Rivergate Tower, NCNB National Bank of Florida, commissioned the sculptor's work in 1988. In 2005, when the distinctive riverfront cylindrical building at 400 N. Ashley Drive was sold to American Capital Partners of Miami, the new owner donated the sculpture to the city.
McDonaugh said he wanted to make sure it didn't disappear.
"It's a recognizable Tampa icon," he said. "People like it; they're fond of it."
The sculpture's foundation is under construction and will be completed in the next few weeks, McDonaugh said.
Asked about the sculpture, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, "I'm the last person to ask his opinion on art because I'm barely qualified to offer one. But it's a conversation piece. … If people are making fun of it, that means they're talking about it."
The abstract piece was given its popular nickname by longtime Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto.
Otto was excited to learn the chicken's return is imminent.
"I'm sure they're doing it for the Republican Convention – for the national exposure that it's going to bring the city," he said.
"I would anticipate that the bird will find his permanent roost early next year," said Bob McDonaugh, the city's acting administrator for economic development. "After it's erected then it will be repainted and dedicated."
The 19-ton, 36-foot-tall piece officially known as the untitled George Sugarman sculpture flew the coop from Ashley Drive in April 2010.
Volunteers – including members of a local steelworkers union – disassembled the sculpture. It was lifted by a crane onto flatbed trailers and taken to Gulf Marine Repair Corp. for safekeeping while new accommodations were readied.
The original principal tenant of Rivergate Tower, NCNB National Bank of Florida, commissioned the sculptor's work in 1988. In 2005, when the distinctive riverfront cylindrical building at 400 N. Ashley Drive was sold to American Capital Partners of Miami, the new owner donated the sculpture to the city.
McDonaugh said he wanted to make sure it didn't disappear.
"It's a recognizable Tampa icon," he said. "People like it; they're fond of it."
The sculpture's foundation is under construction and will be completed in the next few weeks, McDonaugh said.
Asked about the sculpture, Mayor Bob Buckhorn said, "I'm the last person to ask his opinion on art because I'm barely qualified to offer one. But it's a conversation piece. … If people are making fun of it, that means they're talking about it."
The abstract piece was given its popular nickname by longtime Tampa Tribune columnist Steve Otto.
Otto was excited to learn the chicken's return is imminent.
"I'm sure they're doing it for the Republican Convention – for the national exposure that it's going to bring the city," he said.
2011年8月24日星期三
32 Fairfax chickens killed, 46 missing, police say
Thirty-two chickens were found dead and 46 reported missing in a "highly unusual" overnight or early morning attack on a chicken coop in the Fair Oaks area, authorities said Thursday.
Only four medium-sized chickens of reddish coloring survived the attack and were found huddled together in what animal control experts described as a "clearly traumatized"state, according to Fairfax County police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.
Police said they think the most likely culprit was an animal.
Officers were called to the coop around 8 a.m. after a neighbor reported seeing dozens of lifeless chickens in the pasture of a farm in the 5200 block of Winfield Road, Caldwell said.
A portion of the electric fence surrounding the chicken coop had been trampled, Caldwell said.
"It was a vicious attack, savage," Caldwell said. "The chickens were found in varying states, with a number of injuries, some of them serious."
Police did not know who or what was responsible for the attack. No footprints or animal paw prints were found on the scene of the attack, according to Caldwell.
The coop is located on a farm in what Caldwell described as a "quiet, bucolic neighborhood." The chickens in the other coop on the property were unharmed.
Police are searching for the 46 missing chickens, she said. It is unclear if they are wandering Fairfax County or have fallen victim to predatory animals.
The coop is located on a farm in what Caldwell described as a "quiet, bucolic neighborhood." The chickens in the other coop on the property were unharmed.
Police are searching for the 46 missing chickens, she said. It is unclear if they are wandering Fairfax County or have fallen victim to predatory animals.
Only four medium-sized chickens of reddish coloring survived the attack and were found huddled together in what animal control experts described as a "clearly traumatized"state, according to Fairfax County police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell.
Police said they think the most likely culprit was an animal.
Officers were called to the coop around 8 a.m. after a neighbor reported seeing dozens of lifeless chickens in the pasture of a farm in the 5200 block of Winfield Road, Caldwell said.
A portion of the electric fence surrounding the chicken coop had been trampled, Caldwell said.
"It was a vicious attack, savage," Caldwell said. "The chickens were found in varying states, with a number of injuries, some of them serious."
Police did not know who or what was responsible for the attack. No footprints or animal paw prints were found on the scene of the attack, according to Caldwell.
The coop is located on a farm in what Caldwell described as a "quiet, bucolic neighborhood." The chickens in the other coop on the property were unharmed.
Police are searching for the 46 missing chickens, she said. It is unclear if they are wandering Fairfax County or have fallen victim to predatory animals.
The coop is located on a farm in what Caldwell described as a "quiet, bucolic neighborhood." The chickens in the other coop on the property were unharmed.
Police are searching for the 46 missing chickens, she said. It is unclear if they are wandering Fairfax County or have fallen victim to predatory animals.
2011年6月1日星期三
Chicken keeping is latest backyard hobby
A growing number of San Antonians are learning that yes, indeed, the chicken came first.
In the past three months, Jimmy Manger, daytime manager at Alamo Feed & Pet Supply, has sold more than
400 baby chicks.
“We're seeing a lot more people keeping four or five chickens in the backyard for eggs,” Manger says.
The reasons for keeping feathered friends as pets and producers vary. More than a year and a half ago,
Yen Diep and her parents received chickens from friends with the intentions of butchering and eating
them.
“We opened the box and inside were the scraggliest-looking chickens we'd ever seen,” Diep says. The
chickens were spared from the cutting board, and the Dieps had to figure out what to do with five
chickens.
Googling led to some makeshift coop building; a few trips to the feed store later for a cage, food and
water trays and feed, and the chickens were situated in their new home.
For Diep's parents, who grew up in Vietnam, having chickens roam the backyard was a part of life.
“My parents were used to that,” Diep said. “The meat from free-range chickens is slightly tougher, but
they prefer that, so they'll buy free-range.”
The Dieps learned about keeping chickens through trial and error. After waiting for several months for
their hens to start laying, the Dieps asked friends what steps they should take to procure eggs. They
learned hens need a special protein-packed feed to reach optimal egg-laying hormone levels.
“After we got them the feed, we had so many eggs, my mom was giving away dozens,” Diep said.
Yes, the eggs are different from the eggs sold at your local grocery store. Different chicken varieties
lay different-colored eggs: eggs with spots and flecks, bluish-green eggs, dark brown eggs, tan eggs.
Once the harder-than-average shell is cracked, the inside reveals a slightly darker and, at times, bigger
yolk.
That being said, there isn't a discernible taste difference between home-grown and store-bought eggs.
Joe Barfield, a Mahncke Park resident, has kept chickens in his backyard since 2003. Barfield has celiac
disease and cites health and nutrition as reasons for keeping hens.
“It's a challenge to try and eat whole foods every day, but we try doing it a little bit here and there,
” Barfield says. Barfield and wife, Dee, use their eggs in all their dishes, including Shirred Eggs and
Raw Egg Curry Dressing.
Barfield keeps his hens in a chicken tractor, or movable chicken coop, he built. This helps protect the
chickens from predators while providing a new plot of soil to dig and peck; moving the chickens every
other day gives the soil a chance to use the nitrogen-rich chicken waste and flourish.
Even in coops, chickens aren't always safe. Predators such as cats, dogs, raccoons, opossums and even
bees can often find a way. The Dieps lost three of their chickens to a swarm of bees.
“They were defenseless,” Diep says. “We're nursing one back to health, but we're not sure she'll make
it.”
Barfield shares his backyard hobby with neighbor and Restaurant Gwendolyn owner and chef, Michael
Sohocki.
Sohocki built a pyramid-shaped tractor that stands more than 6 feet tall. Each of his hens lays about an
egg a day into three bottomed-out plastic buckets that lay on the side closest to the coops door. The
tractor is pulled across his backyard daily to give the chickens fresh grass and nutrients to consume.
“I do this because it makes my chickens happy,” Sohocki says. “Happy, healthy chickens will give me
eggs.”
His chickens produce about six eggs a day, which he uses in everyday cooking.
Sohocki's approach to backyard chicken-keeping focuses on sustainability and awareness.
“I trust these eggs because I know where they came from,” Sohocki says. “Increasing the social
knowledge of seasonal food and benefits leads to a healthier takeaway — the only change is you.”
In the past three months, Jimmy Manger, daytime manager at Alamo Feed & Pet Supply, has sold more than
400 baby chicks.
“We're seeing a lot more people keeping four or five chickens in the backyard for eggs,” Manger says.
The reasons for keeping feathered friends as pets and producers vary. More than a year and a half ago,
Yen Diep and her parents received chickens from friends with the intentions of butchering and eating
them.
“We opened the box and inside were the scraggliest-looking chickens we'd ever seen,” Diep says. The
chickens were spared from the cutting board, and the Dieps had to figure out what to do with five
chickens.
Googling led to some makeshift coop building; a few trips to the feed store later for a cage, food and
water trays and feed, and the chickens were situated in their new home.
For Diep's parents, who grew up in Vietnam, having chickens roam the backyard was a part of life.
“My parents were used to that,” Diep said. “The meat from free-range chickens is slightly tougher, but
they prefer that, so they'll buy free-range.”
The Dieps learned about keeping chickens through trial and error. After waiting for several months for
their hens to start laying, the Dieps asked friends what steps they should take to procure eggs. They
learned hens need a special protein-packed feed to reach optimal egg-laying hormone levels.
“After we got them the feed, we had so many eggs, my mom was giving away dozens,” Diep said.
Yes, the eggs are different from the eggs sold at your local grocery store. Different chicken varieties
lay different-colored eggs: eggs with spots and flecks, bluish-green eggs, dark brown eggs, tan eggs.
Once the harder-than-average shell is cracked, the inside reveals a slightly darker and, at times, bigger
yolk.
That being said, there isn't a discernible taste difference between home-grown and store-bought eggs.
Joe Barfield, a Mahncke Park resident, has kept chickens in his backyard since 2003. Barfield has celiac
disease and cites health and nutrition as reasons for keeping hens.
“It's a challenge to try and eat whole foods every day, but we try doing it a little bit here and there,
” Barfield says. Barfield and wife, Dee, use their eggs in all their dishes, including Shirred Eggs and
Raw Egg Curry Dressing.
Barfield keeps his hens in a chicken tractor, or movable chicken coop, he built. This helps protect the
chickens from predators while providing a new plot of soil to dig and peck; moving the chickens every
other day gives the soil a chance to use the nitrogen-rich chicken waste and flourish.
Even in coops, chickens aren't always safe. Predators such as cats, dogs, raccoons, opossums and even
bees can often find a way. The Dieps lost three of their chickens to a swarm of bees.
“They were defenseless,” Diep says. “We're nursing one back to health, but we're not sure she'll make
it.”
Barfield shares his backyard hobby with neighbor and Restaurant Gwendolyn owner and chef, Michael
Sohocki.
Sohocki built a pyramid-shaped tractor that stands more than 6 feet tall. Each of his hens lays about an
egg a day into three bottomed-out plastic buckets that lay on the side closest to the coops door. The
tractor is pulled across his backyard daily to give the chickens fresh grass and nutrients to consume.
“I do this because it makes my chickens happy,” Sohocki says. “Happy, healthy chickens will give me
eggs.”
His chickens produce about six eggs a day, which he uses in everyday cooking.
Sohocki's approach to backyard chicken-keeping focuses on sustainability and awareness.
“I trust these eggs because I know where they came from,” Sohocki says. “Increasing the social
knowledge of seasonal food and benefits leads to a healthier takeaway — the only change is you.”
2011年5月2日星期一
It isn’t just going to be a chicken coop
Ena McPherson chose a seemingly unlikely place to begin construction of a chicken coop last Saturday at an empty lot on the corner of Throop and Willoughby Avenues. But Bed-Stuy is home to dozens of community gardens, and as an organizer of two in the area already, McPherson is adding this one to the list.
The chicken build was the starting point for the community space, but McPherson plans to bring the garden beyond poultry.
“It isn’t just going to be a chicken coop,” she said. “It’s going to be an urban farm with flowers and vegetables in raised beds, as well as a chicken farm, starting off with a dozen chicks.” McPherson also mentioned the possibility of a fish pond, using the slate that is scattered throughout the lot.
The event attracted volunteers from all around Brooklyn interested in self-sustainability and community agriculture. Delores Harris has a beehive in a community garden in Brooklyn Heights and makes her own soap. She said that she is particularly interested in urban farming and learning to be self-sufficient.
“I want to grow what I eat and I do it just for fun. But I end up giving it to the neighbors, because there's so much left over,” she said, laughing.
Jose Luis Quinones came on Saturday afternoon because he is interested in building a chicken coop and wanted to see how it could be done. Quinones helps run a community garden in Coney Island with 31 people, 20 chickens, goats and rabbits.
He is from Puerto Rico and used to garden with his grandmother, so he said he is used to getting his hands dirty. But he also views these events as more important than just getting things done.
“It's not just to build, it’s to teach the neighborhood,” he said. “I’d like to teach people to build, because it’s so easy and anyone can learn, and it can help get kids jobs.”
McPherson is also motivated by the idea of getting kids more involved with the community through these kinds of events. “It’s empowering for the kids because they can see what they accomplished,” she said. “They can say they were a part of it.”
The project is part of the idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which provides fresh produce from local farms for people in the community.
The lot at Throop and Willoughby is owned by Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and while HPD supports the plan to turn the lot into a community garden, the project is not yet fully protected because it is so newly formed.
“HPD could say ‘that's it’ and decide to build a five story building or condos right here,” McPherson said. “If we make it an asset to the community it will be harder for them to kick us out.”
So far, McPherson has had a great deal of support from community organizations like Green Thumb and New York Cares, which donated $1100-worth of supplies for the chicken build.
Despite this backing, the project is still short on the necessary tools needed to create the fully functional urban farm that McPherson is hoping for.
“We're short on resources because we're short on funding,” McPherson said. According to McPherson, the project is supported by Green Thumb but is officially in the jurisdiction of the New York City Parks Department. “If we make it a viable project, we’ll be under the jurisdiction of Green Thumb,” she said.
Once the coop is finished, there is still work left to do. McPherson plans to build and plant with volunteers every weekend throughout the season until the lot is transformed into an exciting spot for residents to come hang out and relax.
“We hope this is just the beginning of something wonderful.”
The chicken build was the starting point for the community space, but McPherson plans to bring the garden beyond poultry.
“It isn’t just going to be a chicken coop,” she said. “It’s going to be an urban farm with flowers and vegetables in raised beds, as well as a chicken farm, starting off with a dozen chicks.” McPherson also mentioned the possibility of a fish pond, using the slate that is scattered throughout the lot.
The event attracted volunteers from all around Brooklyn interested in self-sustainability and community agriculture. Delores Harris has a beehive in a community garden in Brooklyn Heights and makes her own soap. She said that she is particularly interested in urban farming and learning to be self-sufficient.
“I want to grow what I eat and I do it just for fun. But I end up giving it to the neighbors, because there's so much left over,” she said, laughing.
Jose Luis Quinones came on Saturday afternoon because he is interested in building a chicken coop and wanted to see how it could be done. Quinones helps run a community garden in Coney Island with 31 people, 20 chickens, goats and rabbits.
He is from Puerto Rico and used to garden with his grandmother, so he said he is used to getting his hands dirty. But he also views these events as more important than just getting things done.
“It's not just to build, it’s to teach the neighborhood,” he said. “I’d like to teach people to build, because it’s so easy and anyone can learn, and it can help get kids jobs.”
McPherson is also motivated by the idea of getting kids more involved with the community through these kinds of events. “It’s empowering for the kids because they can see what they accomplished,” she said. “They can say they were a part of it.”
The project is part of the idea of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which provides fresh produce from local farms for people in the community.
The lot at Throop and Willoughby is owned by Housing Preservation and Development (HPD), and while HPD supports the plan to turn the lot into a community garden, the project is not yet fully protected because it is so newly formed.
“HPD could say ‘that's it’ and decide to build a five story building or condos right here,” McPherson said. “If we make it an asset to the community it will be harder for them to kick us out.”
So far, McPherson has had a great deal of support from community organizations like Green Thumb and New York Cares, which donated $1100-worth of supplies for the chicken build.
Despite this backing, the project is still short on the necessary tools needed to create the fully functional urban farm that McPherson is hoping for.
“We're short on resources because we're short on funding,” McPherson said. According to McPherson, the project is supported by Green Thumb but is officially in the jurisdiction of the New York City Parks Department. “If we make it a viable project, we’ll be under the jurisdiction of Green Thumb,” she said.
Once the coop is finished, there is still work left to do. McPherson plans to build and plant with volunteers every weekend throughout the season until the lot is transformed into an exciting spot for residents to come hang out and relax.
“We hope this is just the beginning of something wonderful.”
2011年3月31日星期四
Coop building first of a few classes on raising
Drills were buzzing and hammers were swinging as three teams of participants built their own chicken coop March 26-27 at Tillers International in Scotts.
This was the first of a few classes Tillers International will offer to teach area residents about raising, processing and cooking chickens.
"This is so awesome," said Barbara Jenness as her husband, Jim Hott, finished nailing on the steel roof of her coop. "I just love it."
Jenness and Hott own a goat dairy farm in Byron Center and want to add chickens so they can have their own farm fresh eggs.
"It would take a long time for me to learn this many things (about construction) if I were just to read about it," said Betty Hawkins of Kalamazoo.
The chicken coop they built is a two-story 68-inch by 42-inch by 64-inch "mansion" with an enclosed grazing area beneath the living space and a ramp for chickens to enter at night and keep them safe from predators. It also has a nesting box where the chickens lay eggs and an opening to retrieve them. The coop can hold up to six chickens.
"The design is a work in progress," said Dick Roosenberg, executive director of Tillers.
Roosenberg worked with Jack Gesmundo, president of the Tillers Board; Robert Burdick, Tillers construction coordinator; and volunteer Bill Brislen to build a test coop with a rounded roofline. They decided later to show participants how to build a coop with a gambrel roof that provides more space at the top instead. All four were at the workshop to assist participants at each step.
Students learned how to assemble the many parts for the coop, which had been pre-cut for time, space constraints in the woodshop and skill level of participants.
"There is an interest by urban, suburban and rural people in knowing where their food comes from," said Lori Evesque, education coordinator at Tillers. "We have learned that growing our own fruits and vegetables is one way to know this. The next logical step is to find a local farmer who raises chickens for meat or eggs and treats the birds in an ethical manner. For some people, the best way to do this is to raise them themselves."
In June, two other chicken classes will be offered at Tillers. One will focus on how to butcher chickens in a humane way.
It is not only for people who want to know how to do it, but it is also for people who want to have a better understanding of what goes into the process, Evesque said.
"It's all part of knowing where your food comes from."
The other class, "Everything But the Beak," will be taught by The Eclectic Kitchen's Channon Mondoux and Evesque. They will show students how to truss a chicken for roasting, properly cut it up and prepare a variety of dishes using the chicken's neck, skin, liver, kidney, heart, feet, and carcass.
"It's a shame when people don't know how to use as much of the chicken as possible. Not only does that save resources in hard economic times but it helps save some money by not relying on buying pre-cooked packaged meats," said Evesque.
A future chicken coop building class may be held this summer depending on how much interest there is.
Several municipalities have already cleared the way for keeping chickens in residential areas, said local attorney Suzanne Klein. These include Kalamazoo, Portage, Parchment, Oshtemo Township and Texas Township. Residents should check with their municipality for specific guidelines before deciding to raise their own chickens.
This was the first of a few classes Tillers International will offer to teach area residents about raising, processing and cooking chickens.
"This is so awesome," said Barbara Jenness as her husband, Jim Hott, finished nailing on the steel roof of her coop. "I just love it."
Jenness and Hott own a goat dairy farm in Byron Center and want to add chickens so they can have their own farm fresh eggs.
"It would take a long time for me to learn this many things (about construction) if I were just to read about it," said Betty Hawkins of Kalamazoo.
The chicken coop they built is a two-story 68-inch by 42-inch by 64-inch "mansion" with an enclosed grazing area beneath the living space and a ramp for chickens to enter at night and keep them safe from predators. It also has a nesting box where the chickens lay eggs and an opening to retrieve them. The coop can hold up to six chickens.
"The design is a work in progress," said Dick Roosenberg, executive director of Tillers.
Roosenberg worked with Jack Gesmundo, president of the Tillers Board; Robert Burdick, Tillers construction coordinator; and volunteer Bill Brislen to build a test coop with a rounded roofline. They decided later to show participants how to build a coop with a gambrel roof that provides more space at the top instead. All four were at the workshop to assist participants at each step.
Students learned how to assemble the many parts for the coop, which had been pre-cut for time, space constraints in the woodshop and skill level of participants.
"There is an interest by urban, suburban and rural people in knowing where their food comes from," said Lori Evesque, education coordinator at Tillers. "We have learned that growing our own fruits and vegetables is one way to know this. The next logical step is to find a local farmer who raises chickens for meat or eggs and treats the birds in an ethical manner. For some people, the best way to do this is to raise them themselves."
In June, two other chicken classes will be offered at Tillers. One will focus on how to butcher chickens in a humane way.
It is not only for people who want to know how to do it, but it is also for people who want to have a better understanding of what goes into the process, Evesque said.
"It's all part of knowing where your food comes from."
The other class, "Everything But the Beak," will be taught by The Eclectic Kitchen's Channon Mondoux and Evesque. They will show students how to truss a chicken for roasting, properly cut it up and prepare a variety of dishes using the chicken's neck, skin, liver, kidney, heart, feet, and carcass.
"It's a shame when people don't know how to use as much of the chicken as possible. Not only does that save resources in hard economic times but it helps save some money by not relying on buying pre-cooked packaged meats," said Evesque.
A future chicken coop building class may be held this summer depending on how much interest there is.
Several municipalities have already cleared the way for keeping chickens in residential areas, said local attorney Suzanne Klein. These include Kalamazoo, Portage, Parchment, Oshtemo Township and Texas Township. Residents should check with their municipality for specific guidelines before deciding to raise their own chickens.
2011年3月20日星期日
Norfolk woman not chicken in questioning ban on hens
Next month, Bryn Bird is planning to set some chickens up in a coop behind the Five Points
Community Farm Market at Church Street.
Bird, a manager there, hopes patrons visit the hens and see how quiet they are.
"Hens aren't loud, roosters are loud," said Bird, and they produce less waste than a dog.
Bird, 27, said she's bringing the hens to Five Points because it's fun and because "we can."
Their presence also will be part of an effort to topple the city's prohibition against
keeping live chickens at home. Bird and others hope the chickens will "usher in a
conversation" that will help convince officials and residents it's time to change the law.
South Hampton Roads' four other cities also have prohibitions against keeping live chickens
in most residential districts.
Bird believes residents should be able to get their eggs from their own backyards.
"There is a big desire of people in Norfolk to keep backyard chickens," Bird said. She said
she knows some who are already doing it.
Regular Five Points customer Mark Haynes, a resident of Virginia Beach, said his wife "would
love to get chickens."
"I'm not sure if we're going to have live chickens at home," Haynes said. "We'll have to look
more closely at regulations."
Haynes said having chickens "should be just like having a dog."
"I've got two yellow Labs," he said. "If they're running amok in the neighborhood, then
that's a problem." He agreed with Bird that hens are quiet, adding, "unless you run up on a
chicken" that then runs and clucks.
Christina Close, a customer from Chesapeake, said she would be shocked if a lot of people in
Norfolk really want to have chickens. She has reservations about the animals' welfare and
cleanliness.
She prefers to get her eggs from the store.
Bird grew up on a farm and never had to buy an egg until she left.
"That was kind of shocking," she said.
The attempt to change the city's rule grew out of an effort to overturn a regulation against
keeping bee hives at home. In fact, the bee hive and chicken prohibitions are covered in the
same ordinance pertaining to residential districts: "Except as otherwise noted, there shall
be no raising or keeping of livestock, poultry, fowl, rabbits, bees and the like on less than
five acres, and the keeping of four or more dogs or cats above the age of six months shall be
prohibited."
The effort to remove the portion about the bees has received some city support but has not
been formally discussed by the City Council.
While working on the bee prohibition, Bird said, she learned that keeping bee hives is not
prohibited on industrial property. That made her wonder if keeping live chickens on
industrial property might also be OK. Deputy City Attorney Adam Melita confirmed that is so.
Bird got approval to bring live chickens to work. She placed an order with a hatchery in Ohio
for three chickens, which are to arrive in April.
There are no plans to sell the eggs. Between the three hens, Bird said, they'll lay only 21
eggs per week. "We have enough farmers who provide us with chicken eggs," she said. "We're
fine." Bird said she and other employees will likely eat the eggs.
Community Farm Market at Church Street.
Bird, a manager there, hopes patrons visit the hens and see how quiet they are.
"Hens aren't loud, roosters are loud," said Bird, and they produce less waste than a dog.
Bird, 27, said she's bringing the hens to Five Points because it's fun and because "we can."
Their presence also will be part of an effort to topple the city's prohibition against
keeping live chickens at home. Bird and others hope the chickens will "usher in a
conversation" that will help convince officials and residents it's time to change the law.
South Hampton Roads' four other cities also have prohibitions against keeping live chickens
in most residential districts.
Bird believes residents should be able to get their eggs from their own backyards.
"There is a big desire of people in Norfolk to keep backyard chickens," Bird said. She said
she knows some who are already doing it.
Regular Five Points customer Mark Haynes, a resident of Virginia Beach, said his wife "would
love to get chickens."
"I'm not sure if we're going to have live chickens at home," Haynes said. "We'll have to look
more closely at regulations."
Haynes said having chickens "should be just like having a dog."
"I've got two yellow Labs," he said. "If they're running amok in the neighborhood, then
that's a problem." He agreed with Bird that hens are quiet, adding, "unless you run up on a
chicken" that then runs and clucks.
Christina Close, a customer from Chesapeake, said she would be shocked if a lot of people in
Norfolk really want to have chickens. She has reservations about the animals' welfare and
cleanliness.
She prefers to get her eggs from the store.
Bird grew up on a farm and never had to buy an egg until she left.
"That was kind of shocking," she said.
The attempt to change the city's rule grew out of an effort to overturn a regulation against
keeping bee hives at home. In fact, the bee hive and chicken prohibitions are covered in the
same ordinance pertaining to residential districts: "Except as otherwise noted, there shall
be no raising or keeping of livestock, poultry, fowl, rabbits, bees and the like on less than
five acres, and the keeping of four or more dogs or cats above the age of six months shall be
prohibited."
The effort to remove the portion about the bees has received some city support but has not
been formally discussed by the City Council.
While working on the bee prohibition, Bird said, she learned that keeping bee hives is not
prohibited on industrial property. That made her wonder if keeping live chickens on
industrial property might also be OK. Deputy City Attorney Adam Melita confirmed that is so.
Bird got approval to bring live chickens to work. She placed an order with a hatchery in Ohio
for three chickens, which are to arrive in April.
There are no plans to sell the eggs. Between the three hens, Bird said, they'll lay only 21
eggs per week. "We have enough farmers who provide us with chicken eggs," she said. "We're
fine." Bird said she and other employees will likely eat the eggs.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)