Meet Kate Gabriel: We have a new Parsnip Mage

~ Kate, Sunshine, and Emiko ~

Kate and her husband Joe hale from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. So the big “W” you see on everything they wear has everything to do with Wisconsin and very little to do with Santa Barbara's Westmont College. They are both über athletes and love the outdoors. They moved here to spend more time with Kate’s grandma who lives in town and her sister who attends Westmont, and now they are “hooked” and want to stay for a while. Kate majored in biology and has done work in environmental science including a stint at a botanic garden and is interested in learning more about our food system and farming. She comes at a time when both Emiko and I have been looking for ways to improve the working environment of the farm: the work is difficult and it can get lonely at times. Kate brings a perfect combination of joy, friendship, and strength to the tasks of the farm. She’s just what Emiko needed. We have tried giving her an official title like “Farm Apprentice” or “Work Crew Boss.” Sarah Jane decided she needed the title “Arugula Slayer” which led Sam to come up with “Parsnip Mage.” I’m not sure how we drifted into fantasy gaming themes… But for now, we have decided to just refer to her as Kate the Great!

Providential Trail Work and Bean Shucking

We had another great group of volunteers visit us on the farm on November 10^th. Providence Hall is a private Christian high school and they set aside time several times a year to do community service. On this day we split our time between working on banking in the botany trail and shucking dried beans. We worked on the trail (and I mean worked!) for about two hours and then did a quick botany walk around the loop. When we got back to the farm we sat around and talked while shucking beans for about an hour. Beans are a staple (and healthy) food source for a large part of the world. We decided that accountants must have originally been farmers – the original “bean counters.” (bad joke) We also learned just how much work it takes to get them ready to be eaten. This must be what people did before culture ended the video age. Thank you for all your hard work. (Sorry for the crumby photos. I forgot my camera and had to use my silly phone camera)

The Harvest Festival Extravaganza

Wow! What an evening! Live music from the Dixie Hicks, over a dozen pots of hot soups, a truly gargantuan salad from the farm, bread donated from Our Daily Bread, fresh organic fair trade coffee from Green Star Coffee, yummy local ice cream from McConnell’s, and about 30 pies for the big competition! You might think that would be enough to call this a festival, but no… we mixed in lots of face painting, hay rides behind the big red tractor, and a crazy silent auction. In the end about 250 people celebrated the Five Loaves Farm’s bounty from this past year. By the time the Harvest Festival arrived the farm had grown and donated over 7 tons of organic produce to the hungry poor of Santa Barbara. Now that’s something to celebrate!

Speaking of celebrating… here are the winners of the pie competition.

Loco for Local (best use of local ingredients ) – Persimmon Pie

Mike and Katie Caterino

Sweetie Pie (yummy sweet pie) – Pecan Pie

Dave Chase (he will not share his secret recipe)

Umami Tsunami (yummy savory pie) – Tomato Galette

Erick Ribbens and Debra Nichols

Most Exotic (uh… most exotic) – Cranberry Marzipan Pie

Jim Manoia

People’s Choice (voted best all-around-pie by all-the-people) – Oatmeal Pecan Pie

Deb and Travis Bush

Thank you to the members of the A Rocha USA board of directors who served as our judges for the pie competition. I’m sure that all of us can feel their pain in having to sample 30+ pies!

Thank you to all of you you donated items for the silent auction: Velo Pro Cyclery, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Savoy Cafe and Deli, Island Seed and Feed, Natural Café, Taffy’s Pizza, Joy in the Small Things, Orchard Hardware Supply, Steve Hanson Landscaping, Green Star Coffee, and to the numerous individuals who donated their time, skills and crafts for the auction. It was a ton of fun and you really helped bring in some much needed funding for the farm. This was an excellent first year.

And a final thank you to everybody who came out for the Harvest Festival. After all the silent auction items were purchased and the donations collected, we raised $1701 toward the Five Loaves Farm operations. Thank you!

Harvest Festival Update

Here's an update on some of the items up for the silent auction. Lots of great donations from several of our friends. If you win an item, you not only walk away with something really fun, but your money goes directly back into the farm to continue blessing the hungry poor of Santa Barbara. So while this Harvest Party is meant to be primarily a Fun-raiser, you can also help make it a fund raiser as well. See you Saturday.

Velo Pro Cyclery - 2 x $50 gift certificates

Petunia Pickle Bottom baby blanket

Savoy Cafe and Deli - $20 gift certificate

Island Seed and Feed $20 gift certificate and hat

Jewelry by KC Kemp

Natural Café - Two entrees

Taffy’s Pizza 2 free pizzas

Joy in the Small Things “Peace” banner by Jill Dixon

One Hour Massage by Ronda Perea

OSH garden arrangement

One hour landscape consulting Steve Hanson Landscaping

Two hours landscaping maintenance Steve Hanson Landscaping

(does not include materials used or disposal fees)

Green Star Coffee and $20 gift card

Soy Candles by Heather Ridenour

Patagonia Jacket

Farmer’s Market bag by Bonnie Fearer

Jewelry by Bonnie Fearer

If you haven't yet given us your RSVP for the Harvest Festival, please do so here. That way we will know a bit better as to how much soup and salad to prepare. Thank you!

Dust and Mulch - Volunteers

The day after our bunny fencing adventure with the Westmont basketball team we hosted a group of volunteers from Santa Barbara Community Church’s high school group. The farm is located on the property owned by SBCC so of course they know what is going on and want to help out when they can. This Saturday found us mulching the road leading into the farm. The road gets really rutted during the winter rains and the mulch helps minimize the damage. The mulch also helps keep down the dust which blows into the field when cars drive up and down the road. Dust clogs the pours of the plants and hinders the pollinators from doing their job. So, we spread a lot of mulch this day. In addition, I put Sam in charge of a small crew to clean up and re-mulch the trail from the church parking lot down to the farm. They did a fantastic job. Nice leadership Sam; you deserved the hammock time at the end of the day. Thank you Benji and Erik for organizing this day and all the youth and mentors who worked with us.

Basketball, Bunnies, and Botany

What do these three have in common? On Friday October 14, 2011, the Westmont College basketball team came to the Five Loaves Farm to kick off their team retreat by doing a little work with us. Over the course of about three hours they installed 780 feet of bunny fencing and cut the beginnings of our botany trail. The trail is in need of some more permanent maintenance and these guys put some sweat into it! The bunnies that live on our native hillside love the farm, especially the tender young plants when their own habitat is so dry and brown. It is just like the cartoons; really do eat carrots. The fence has successfully kept the bunnies out ever since. Hallelujah! We ended the evening with pizza. There is only one creature that eats more than the bunnies that used to get into our fields, and that would be a hungry basketball player! Thank you coach John Moore for organizing this, coach Jeff Azain for showing the guys how to sweat, and to the entire team for helping out.

Harvest Festival

We are holding our first ever Harvest Festival at the Five Loaves Farm on Saturday, November 5 from 4:00-6:00 pm. We want to celebrate all that has happened here on the farm this past year. We will be serving soup and salad made from some of our own produce. And like our Chill and Chow last spring, we are going to have a bit of competition. We are asking that you consider baking a pie to enter in our best pie contest. And of course there will be prizes! And because everyone will get a chance to sample the pies, everyone will be a winner! It’s a family event with face painting, gunny sack races, apple bobbing, and more. We will also have a silent auction, so bring those checkbooks! You never know what you might find. We ask that people pay $5 per person to help offset the cost of the evening (no more than $25 per family). All proceeds go toward the continued operation of the Five Loaves Farm. Please RSVP so we can prepare enough food for everyone. Pass this invite along to anyone you feel might be interested in some good ol' fashion farm harvest fun!

Santa Barbara A Rocha Fall Newsletter 2011

It’s harvest time! We have had a tremendous summer on the Five Loaves Farm. Farmer Emiko and our cadre of interns and volunteers have harvested over 6 tons of organic produce since May. These healthy veggies are distributed to approximately 500 people each week including hospice patients, migrant workers, elderly poor, homeless men and women, and single moms and their children. What an honor to be a part of blessing some of the neediest in our community. Thank you for your part.


As you can see, we also have a new video that introduces the work of Santa Barbara A Rocha. Our hope is that this will better educate the community as to what we are about. Check it out. Please share this with your friends, coworkers, church groups,… whomever you think might benefit from knowing a bit more about A Rocha.

We are holding our first ever Harvest Festival at the Five Loaves Farm on Saturday, November 5 from 4:00-6:00 pm. We want to celebrate all that has happened here on the farm this past year. We will be serving soup and salad made from some of our own produce. And like our Chill and Chow last spring, we are going to have a bit of competition. We are asking that you consider baking a pie to enter in our best pie contest. And of course there will be prizes! And because everyone will get a chance to sample the pies, everyone will be a winner! It’s a family event with face painting, gunny sack races, apple bobbing, and more. We will also have a silent auction, so bring those checkbooks! You never know what you might find. We ask that people pay $5 per person to help offset the cost of the evening (no more than $25 per family). All proceeds go toward the continued operation of the Five Loaves Farm. Please RSVP so we can prepare enough food for everyone.

The farm is seen as a place of restoration both for the land and the people it touches. It seems that every week we get requests from groups that would like to visit, serve at, retreat to, learn, or receive produce from Santa Barbara A Rocha. We have had visits from sustainable agriculture advocates, foodies, college student groups, and homeless advocates. As my wife is quick to point out, there is no shortage of work. Pray with us that God would provide the energy, people, and funding necessary to meet the needs of our community. Thank you again for your continued support of our work.

We continue to search for a more sustainable financial future (don’t we all!). We had a few more individuals join us after our last newsletter; maybe more of you would like to join us and help bring a healthier future to the neediest in our community.

I look forward to seeing you all at our Harvest Festival on November 5. Please feel free to drop either Emiko or me a message. We love to hear from you. And please come by and visit. We continue to have Monday evening volunteer times from 5:00-7:00 pm. It’s a pretty serene place to watch the sun go down while the colors change on the mountains behind us. And you get the added benefit of knowing that what you are doing is helping restore lives.

Paz,
Marty Robertson

P.S. If you happen to be in town this coming Monday, October 3, come join us for a potluck dinner in celebration of Emiko’s birthday. Bring something to eat and come on down to the farm during our regular volunteer time between 5:00-7:00. We need to celebrate Emiko!

Santa Barbara A Rocha July Newsletter

Summer is upon us in the best of ways. The farm is ramping up for our next big harvest with pretty much the entire area planted out. Did you know that in May the Five Loaves Farm produced over 2,500 lbs. of veggies that were distributed to the poor of Santa Barbara? We are the only reliable source of high quality organic produce distributed freely to the needy of our community. This produce is used by groups feeding poor families, homeless men and women, hospice patients, and the elderly poor. In addition we have just completed three weeks of Creation Care Camps. More than 60 kids participated in the camps with numerous volunteers, helpers, and parents in tow. We also have three interns working and learning with us this summer. To learn more about any of these activities just click on the title of any of the following articles.

Five Loaves Farm’s Unique Niche

Creation Care Camp

Interns ~ Summer 2011

In addition I want to let you all know where we currently stand financially. About six weeks ago I was really discouraged about the future of Santa Barbara A Rocha. Emiko and I have stretched the budget this year to get us through about December, but after that there is no future funding promised to keep the farm going. After one particularly discouraging morning my eyes were opened to the reality of the unique niche that the A Rocha and the Five Loaves Farm play. As I mentioned in the first paragraph of this letter, the produce from the Five Loaves Farm is the only reliable source of quality produce available to the poor of our community. Later that same day and over the next couple of days four different organizations that work with the poor in our area thanked us for the food needs we are fulfilling with others requesting to be a part of the food distribution. It is awesome to know that we are filling a real need and the side benefits of it all are the relationships that are being built. It is about forming genuine, restorative community relationships that translate into appropriate care and action for the people who receive the food, those who distribute it to those in need, the leaders and volunteers of the conservation groups we work with, the families who come to our camp and school programs, the volunteers and interns who work along side us, and the land itself. Our hope is that we are a “cup of cool water” to all who are touched by our work.

But what does this have to do with finances? After December the farm will cease to operate without an increase in financial support. It costs us about $60,000 a year to operate the farm. Some of you are already monthly givers. Maybe you could encourage someone you know to join you in supporting the Five Loaves Farm. For the rest of you, won’t you consider joining us by giving what you can on a monthly basis? Click here to be directed to the ARUSA website where you can set up your donation and designate it for Santa Barbara A Rocha.

Despite the insecure nature of our financial future, we have a lot to be thankful for and a lot of work that we’re excited to do. We’ll keep you posted on upcoming developments and events. Don’t hesitate to drop us a line; we’d love to hear from you. Thank you for your support.


Paz,

Marty Robertson
Director, Santa Barbara A Rocha

Five Loaves Farm’s Unique Niche

The Five Loaves Farm is now in full production. The entire 3 acres are planted out with veggies ranging from Anaheim Peppers to Zucchinis. May found us giving away 2500 lbs. of produce and June a little over 1700 lbs. From late July through September we should see a doubling of these quantities. It’s a beautiful sight to behold and it is uniquely filling real needs in our community!

We are now the only regular supplier of first-rate quality fresh produce, grown according to organic standards, to some of the poorest communities in Santa Barbara. We continue to distribute food through the Santa Barbara Community Development Center in Isla Vista on a weekly basis. Due to our increase in productivity we have expanded our distribution through Food Bank of Santa Barbara. This ensures that the food gets to people in need around our community. Organizations that currently use our produce include the Organic Soup Kitchen (healthy meals for the homeless, transition house, and pregnant moms), Food From the Heart (providing meals for hospice and the critically ill), and St. Vincent’s (meals for single moms and their children). In addition we have begun distributing produce through Querencia’s Eastside Kids’ Club and hope to begin distribution through Garden Court a retirement home for the elderly poor of Santa Barbara.

There are numerous families in Santa Barbara that live at or below the federally defined poverty level. That number is effectively larger when one considers the high cost of living in our area. One of the greatest needs in the culture of poverty is for healthy food. Most poor families can receive food from local distribution agencies like the ones Santa Barbara A Rocha has partnered with, but without the produce grown at Five Loaves Farm most of these agencies are limited to offering primarily non-perishable and often highly-processed foods. Any vegetables that are distributed are typically cast-offs from local farms or markets.

Without the food produced by the Five Loaves Farm there would be no fresh healthy vegetables to offer these members of our community. By our donations of high quality, nutritious, organic produce we communicate that the needy of our community are loved and as valuable as any other member of our society. It's a concrete way of communicating the love of Christ. We are fulfilling a very unique niche. What a blessing to be able to tangibly give of our “first fruits.”

I bet you would like to be a part of this. Come out any Monday evening from 5:00-7:00. It is an open time to hang out and work the soil with friends. We are also going to be in need of harvest help on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9:00-12:00. You know the line… “the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Send Emiko an email if you would like to help harvest.

Creation Care Camp

The earth is the Lord's and everything in it. (Psalm 24:1)
We have just completed three weeks of Creation Care Camp where more than 60 children ages 6 to 13 participated in activities that guided them toward a deeper appreciation for our world (we hope!). Each week followed a curriculum of geology, botany, entomology, ornithology, and recycling/composting.We played hard, covered a lot of ground, got dirty, and had a ton of fun!

The stones along the road would burst into cheers. (Luke 19:40)

Day one had us out on the long Geology hike through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Park. We worked hard to understand geomorphology, the dynamic nature of how the earth is shaped and continues to be shaped. Along the hike we were visited by friendly California King Snakes, Gopher Snakes and had the opportunity to watch several Brush Bunnies and gophers in a restoration area along Atascadero Creek. It was kind of like a zoo…

Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! (Proverbs 6:6)
On day two we focused on recycling and composting with a visit from my friend Eric Lohela. Kids are all now certified recycling cops and will hold you accountable! After that my friend Dr. Michael Caterino of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History visited us, and we went sweeping for insects. The kids really enjoyed being able to tear apart old oak logs in search of larvae and termites.

The trees of the field will clap their hands. (Isaiah 55:12)
On day three we set out on our native plant walk. After touching, smelling and even tasting a few of the plants along the trail we came back to the farm for a snack and a time with Tima who shared with us how the Chumash of Santa Barbara used the native plants. She brought along several baskets, a bow, and many toys made from plants in our area. She even got us up singing and dancing a couple traditional songs. We finished the day planting pumpkins for a fall harvest party, beans to take home, and working in the field to help the tomatoes with Farmer Emiko.

...not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your father knowing it. (Matt. 10:29)
On day four of our camps Mark Holmgren led us on a bird walk through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Park. Seeing our resident pair of White Tailed Kites each week was a highlight. After that we spent an hour with Max the Great Horned Owl and Kachina the American Kestrel presented by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s Eyes in the Sky program with Gabriele Drozdowski and Sarah Jane Robertson. It made it extra special in that while we were out hiking one week we found a feather from a Great Horned Owl and a feather from and American Kestrel.

But ask the animals what they think—let them teach you; let the birds tell you what's going on. Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics. Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories. Isn't it clear that they all know and agree that God is sovereign, that he holds all things in his hand… (Job 12:7-9)
For the older kids there was a marine ecology day at Arroyo Burro Beach for the last day of camp. We played Erosion Explosion and gathered data for a Pacific Mole Crab study for NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries. Alicia Cordero ended our day with an amazing snack at the beach of Chumash treats: acorn mash, seaweed, salmon, Chia treats, and fry bread with nectar. Incredible!

He counts the stars and calls them all by name. (Psalm 147:7)
We also held an evening event that brought everybody out from the three weeks of camp for some astronomical fun, a night hike, a slide show, and desserts. The Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit were on hand to help us see Saturn, rings and all, as well as share pieces of meteorite and starry tales. The hike felt a bit like a 60-person-long-pied-piper-serpentine up and around the botany trail. Lots of smiles. A few of us even got to see the night-only blooming native Soap Bulb in full bloom.

Sixty kids + 45 families + a dozen volunteers + an incredible site = Fun!

Interns ~ Summer 2011

We are so fortunate to have three incredible interns with us this summer. Before I introduce them to you, it might be helpful to know just what an internship looks like. Emiko and I see internships as a way to train future leaders; it is an educational experience. As such Emiko has put together a curriculum for her sustainable agriculture interns that includes readings, sight visits to other related programs, discussions, hands-on practice and of course incredible meals together. There are three areas of focus that interns can chose from here at Santa Barbara A Rocha: sustainable agriculture, environmental education, and conservation. Interns are volunteers with a longer-term investment and time commitment than our typical volunteers. It is an unpaid experience and at this time requires interns to find their own housing. They are a special group.

And here they are…

Debra Warren is from Mount Pleasant, Michigan and is studying dietetics at Central Michigan University. She came to learn about Environmental Education and was with us for three weeks this summer. She helped run our three weeks of Creation Care Camp and worked with Emiko in the afternoons to learn about sustainable agriculture.

Kayla Burkett also hales from Mount Pleasant, Michigan and is a recent graduate of Westmont College, Santa Barbara. She has volunteered at the farm in the past and will be with us for about three months. Kayla plans to use her newly gained sustainable agriculture knowledge and experience in the near future when she returns to northern Uganda to help with a farming project connected to Sports Outreach.

Anthony “Wally” Waldrop is from Bakersfield, California and is also a recent Westmont College graduate. While at Westmont Anthony gave leadership to the campus A Rocha student chapter. He helped spearhead several activities and events there. He is also interning in sustainable agriculture and will be with us at least through the end of summer.

Creation Care Kids' Camp, June 20-23, 2011

Creation Care Camp week three is officially finished. This was our largest group with 21 campers, and like the previous two weeks, we had a great time! It just keeps getting better. Day one had us out on the long Geology hike through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Park. We worked hard to understand the dynamic nature of how the earth is shaped and continues to be shaped. In addition we had a nice visit with a very friendly California King Snake and had the opportunity to watch several Brush Bunnies and gophers in a restoration area along Atascadero Creek. It was kind of like a zoo… On day two we focused on recycling and composting with a visit from my friend Eric. Kids are all certified recycling cops and will hold you accountable! After that my friend Dr. Mike Caterino of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History again visited us and we went sweeping for insects. The kids really enjoyed being able to tear apart old oak logs in search of larvae and termites. On day three we set out on our native plant walk. After touching, smelling and even tasting a few of the plants along the trial we came back to the farm for a snack and a time with Tima Lotah Link who shared with us how the Chumash of Santa Barbara used the native plants. She brought along several baskets, a bow, and many toys made from plants in our area. She even got us up singing and dancing a couple traditional songs. We finished the day planting pumpkins for a fall harvest party, beans to take home, and working in the field to help the tomatoes with Farmer Emiko. That evening brought campers and families from all three weeks out for some astronomical fun, a night hike, a slide show, and desserts. The Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit were on hand to help us see Saturn, rings and all, as well as share pieces of meteorite and starry tales. The hike felt a bit like a 60 person long Pied Piper serpentine up and around the botany trail. Lots of smiles, and I got to see the night-only blooming native Soap Bulb in full bloom for the first time. For our final day of camp Mark Holmgren once again led us on a bird walk through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Park. We again got to see out resident pair of White Tailed Kites. Our last stop was with Max the Great Horned Owl and Kachina the American Kestrel presented by the Santa Barbara Audubon Society’s Eyes in the Sky program with Gabriele Drozdowski and Sarah Jane Robertson. It made it extra special in that while we were out hiking this week we found feathers from both birds. They live natively on the property. What a week!

Thank you again to all of our volunteers and helpers. I am overwhelmed that you all would volunteer your time to come out and share with us all. Thank you Mark, Mike, Eric, Tema, Alicia, Gabriele, Chuck, Pat, Paige, Emiko, Wally, Kayla, Makenzie, Megan, Sam, Sarah Jane, and Emma.

Also a very special thanks to Debra Warren who was our intern for the three weeks of camp. She left on Monday to head back home to Michigan. What a difference great help makes! You were a true blessing.

We have plans for a Harvest Festival in October/November as well as other potential afterschool and weekend events for kids, adults and families. Send me an email if you would like to be included on our monthly mailings marty.robertson@arocha.org.

Thanks!

Creation Care Kids' Camp, June 13-16, 2011

Week two of Creation Care Camp is completed. This week we had 14 campers grades 1st to 4th as well as 4 sixth grade camper/helpers. Like last week we started the week off with an epic geology hike. In addition to learning about the dynamic shaping of our earth we saw two ginormous gopher snakes (4-5 feet long each!). We also came upon a gopher that had been dropped from the sky by a hawk who circled above warning us to stay away from his lunch. Day two started off with us learning about sustainable lifestyles and ended with a visit from Dr. Mike Caterino, Curator of Entomology from the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. We netted insects galore and Megan caught a California King snake for all of us to touch. On day three we studied botany. We spent the morning hiking the hillside trail and learning about native plants and their usefulness to the Santa Barbara Chumash. During our snack time Tima once again shared with us several of her Chumash creations made from the plants we saw along our hike. Incredible! Afterwards Farmer Emiko, our interns Wally and Kayla, and volunteer Makenzie helped the kids plant pumpkins for a future harvest party in October (more about this as we get closer to October), as well as beans to take home in Be Green Packaging cups made from compostable bullrush - just stick the cups in the ground and water! And day four we learned about everything bird! We were again blessed to have Mark Holmgren lead us on a bird outing along the Atascadero Creek area of the San Marcos Foothills Preserve Park. We saw and heard Wrentits, Bushtits, Spotted Towhees, Band Tailed Pigeons, White Tailed Kites, Red Shouldered Hawks, and Turkey Vultures to name a few. We then met in one of the classrooms of Santa Barbara Community Church for a visit by Gabriele Drozdowski and Sarah Jane Robertson of Eyes in the Sky. Sarah Jane shared "Kachina" an American Kestrel, and Gabriele shared "Max" the Great Horned Owl. These are rescued raptors. How cool was that? We got to see and listen to these two beautiful birds up close and personal!

Don't forget that on Wednesday, June 22nd, all campers and their families are invited to our Astronomy evening at the farm beginning at 8:00 pm. Please come prepared to look at the planets and stars with the Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit, take a night hike, and maybe be visited by some of our nocturnal residents! We'll supply the hot cocoa, coffee and tea. We ask that each family bring a finger food dessert to share - potluck style! The skies should be clear for an evening of great viewing and fun!

We are looking forward to next week's campers beginning on Monday!

Creation Care Kids' Camp, June 6-9, 2011

We have just completed our first week of camp for the summer, and it was great! We had 19 campers ranging in age from 4th to 8th grade. Several were students scholarshipped from Goleta Homework Club and Eastside Querencia Kids' Club. We hiked, we studied, we ate, we planted, we played and we collected scientific data. Day one took us on a Geology hike through the San Marcos Foothills Preserve. Our two mile hike looked at the concepts of geomorphology and the dynamic nature of the Santa Ynez mountain range. Day two caught us studying botany. We started the day hiking a short botanical loop on the Five Loaves site identifying native plants and learning their historic importance to the Chumash. When we came back to our site we were given a real treat when Alicia Cordero and her cousin Tima shared with us several Chumash items that they had made from the very plants we were observing. How cool is that! Afterwards, farmer Emiko had us planting pumpkins and beans. We started day three birding with Mark Holmgren, board member of the San Marcos Foothills Coalition. We saw a pair of young Scrub Jays and a pair of "amorous" White Tailed Kites. We participated in a sort of "trash" in an effort to learn more about how to live sustainable. We then went on an insect sweep around the property. Thursday four found us at Arroyo Burro Beach playing Erosion Explosion and gathering data for a Pacific Mole Crab study for NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries. Alicia ended our day with an amazing snack at the beach of Chumash treats: acorn mash, seaweed, salmon, Chia treats, and fry bread with nectar. Incredible!

Thank you to all of our helpers: Megan, Sam, intern Debra, Sean, and Emma. Thank you also to all the parents who made such incredible and healthy snacks for us this week.

It was a great week and a nice kick-off to our three weeks of camps. I look forward to seeing all the campers at our astronomy night on June 22nd at 8:00. The Astronomical Unit will be there with several telescopes and if the fog cooperates we should have some great views of Saturn. Come prepared for an adventurous night hike/walk along our botanic trail as we look for owls and other night friends.

Creation Care Kids' Camp

A Rocha will again be running its summer Creation Care Kids’ Camps this June. Kids will learn about and experience the wonder of creation as we explore the geology, botany, zoology, ornithology, entomology, astronomy, and maybe a few other ologies to boot! There will be three sessions. Session One (June 6-9) is for kids entering 5th through 8th grades. Sessions Two and Three are for younger kids (entering 1st through 4th grades) and will be held June 13-16 and June 20-23. (Session Three is now full. Please sign your 1st through fourth graders up for session two.) Each day’s program runs from 9:00-12:00 and will be held at the A Rocha field site at 1001 Cieneguitas Road (down by the barn). We have a really fun schedule and there are some additional activities still in the works. It’s going to be fun! Cost is an $80 donation to Santa Barbara A Rocha for the four day camp. We will again be offering a $25 discount to campers who sign up to bring one of our daily snacks. Please contact Marty Robertson (marty.robertson@arocha.org) with any questions or to sign up to bring a snack. We hope to see you at camp.
Please register online at  http://tiny.cc/arochacamp.

Some photos and video of what we have been up to

Chill and Chow

Save the date for the first annual Chill and Chow, a chili and chowder cook-off in support of Five Loaves Farm! Come to the farm Saturday, April 9th at 3pm to participate in a little healthy competition for a healthier Santa Barbara community. All guests will chill, chow and vote on the winning pot. Judging will begin at 4pm. To be eligible for prizes, make sure your recipe highlights a minimum of one local ingredient, has a name, and is hot and ready to share! If you do not wish to participate in the cook-off, please come anyway to eat, throw down your opinion and check out Five Loaves. So, break out those secret family recipes, start experimenting, and extend this invitation to everyone! Suggested donation of $5 at the gate. Contact jordan.a.wrinkle@gmail.com to sign up.