Blog Style Three – Classic

October 28 • 8am to 1pm

Show off your Halloween costumes and explore the Spooktacular Youth Garden for all kinds of fun including animal explorations and tracking, insect identification, spooky scavenger hunts and games. Meet the critters and creepy crawlies from our friends at Sacramento Splash and Save the Snakes. It is sure to be a treat! Create natural Halloween decor for your home. Make leaf crafts, nature crowns, and corn husk dolls. It is sure to be a treat! $5 per person (ages 3 to 11) for a wrist band to enter the Spooktacular Youth Garden. Payable at the turquoise Welcome Info Tent. Kids must be accompanied by an adult.

Highlights

See What’s Happening on the Sun

Community Observatory docents will set up several types of solar telescopes for safe public solar viewing of the exciting events happening now.

Bat Hollow Maze

A Halloween tradition at Soil Born Farms created by our farmers.
Kids of all ages love to run, play and get lost in the maze. It’s in a new location this year.

Learn About Bats, Owls, Crows & Hawks

Naturalist Cliff Hawley will give a free talk in the Sacred Circle at 10:15am

Regenerative Agriculture Farm Tour

Explore the American River Ranch through the eyes of a visionary.
Walk and talk with Shawn Harrison, Co-Director. See how our farmers implement regenerative practices that revitalize the land and restore the historic American River Ranch. Many of these principles can be applied to your home garden. Everyone can play a part in creating a climate-safe California.10:30 am. Pre-registration required.

Live Music with Millington Strings

Enjoy the classic tunes with a cup of Pachamama coffee and local baked goods available at Phoebe’s Tea & Snack Bar.
Special musical guest Jillian Van Ness of Grow Resilient Families will be playing a “spooky and festive set of tunes geared towards 0-6 year olds, but that’s fun and engaging for the whole family” 10:15-11am.

Storytelling with Kimberly Austin

Local author and storyteller Kimberly Austin will be reading her new children’s book Little Glory and the Wham-demic in Sacred Circle at 9:30 am and 11:30 am.

Farmhouse Kitchen Pop Up Brunch

9am to 1pm or until we sell out. Proceeds benefit our education program.

Frittata Plate
Autumn Vegetable Frittata served with a mixed green salad and Camina bread & butter.

Li’l Sprouts Plate
Three Organic Buttermilk Pancakes served with organic butter & organic maple syrup. Chocolate chip option.

Green Plate Special
Black bean chili served with a mixed green salad & sweet chive cornbread.

Sponsors

Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op
Pachamama Coffee
Community Observatory

Drive-thru Farmstand Pickup on Saturday

Our marketplace features organic produce, prepared foods, seedlings, fruit trees and an assortment of organic pantry and baked goods that we have curated from local farms, bakeries and small businesses (see details below). It’s a one-stop shopping experience that will support you and local farmers, bakers, artisans and entrepreneurs on the road to recovery.

Shop from Tuesday at 5pm through Thursday at 9am >>

Order and Pickup Schedule for the Week of October 1

Order Online: Tues., October 2 from 5pm through Thurs., October 4 at 9am
Prescheduled Order Pickup: Sat., October 7 between 8am and 1:00pm

A Healthy Start to the Weekend

Open Air Organic Produce Stand

For our customers who prefer to shop in person and choose their own produce. With the aim to provide you with an abundant selection of organic produce every season, we are honored to sell organic produce from our own fields and from family farms and orchards in the region. For the best selection order online and choose the walk up option on Saturday. We’ll have everything packed and ready to go. If you see something else you want, you can buy that too. EBT accepted. Opens at 8:00 am.

Greenhouse Garden Shop & Fruit Tree Nursery

New Fruit Tree Varieties Available!

We have an assortment of varieties available, all chosen for their adaptedness to this region. Available now through our online marketplace and in-person on Saturdays:

• Figs: Tiger Panache, Improved Brown Turkey, Black Mission
• Apples: Fuji and Pink Lady
• Plums: Beauty
• Pears: Comice, Warren and 20th Century
• Nectarines: Double Delight, Snow Queen
• Cherry: Stella
• Peaches: Elberta, O’Henry, Redhaven, Snow Giant, Arctic Supreme
• Olives: Arbosana, Mission Black
• Apricots: Tomcot, Gold Kist
• Pluot: Dapple Supreme
• Mulberry: Black Beauty
• Persimmons: Chocolate, Fuyu and Coffeecake
• Pomegranates: Eversweet, Parfianka, Wonderful

The Greenhouse Garden Shop & Fruit Tree Nursery is open every Saturday until 1 pm through October 28. Stock up on cool weather crops, fruit trees, herbs and flowers and enjoy a relaxing morning at the farm. All plants are organically grown with love and selected for the Sacramento area. Pick up high quality potting soil, compost, garden tools, books, seeds and chat with our educators. You can also order online for a Saturday pickup by appointment.

Please Support Our Work

Diversity creates harmony, and harmony creates beauty, balance, bounty and peace in nature and society, in agriculture and culture, in science and in politics. ~Vandana Shiva

Thank you for believing in the vision of Soil Born Farms and engaging with us to create change in simple, innovative and practical ways. Each year we raise money to move this legacy project forward, sustain programs, advance key initiatives and provide a living wage for our staff. Soil Born Farms has managed to survive and thrive by utilizing resources wisely, being creative, partnering with businesses, collaborating with organizations, writing grants, creating mission aligned micro businesses, selling produce and receiving generous donations from our community. Our nonprofit organization must regain strength to meet the demands ahead and we need your help. Will you step up and give to help Soil Born Farms thrive? We can’t do it without you.

We Grow More than Food

Registration is Now Open

This summer, students in grades pre-K through 6th have the opportunity to attend a unique, fun and educational summer day camp at Soil Born Farms’ 55-acre ranch located along the beautiful American River Parkway. Our day camps provide a wonderful opportunity for youth to make the connection between food, health and the environment. With so much to do in each camp session, youth are guaranteed to find something that peaks their curiosity and gets them excited! Each week, participants will explore garden, field, creek and river environments, get their hands dirty and cook up tasty food. This memorable summer activity for your children has the potential to be life changing! Act now, spaces fill up quickly.

New this Summer! Saturday Kids Adventures

This summer we are excited to offer single day kids adventures on Saturday mornings! These are perfect for kids who want to enjoy the farm but have packed summer schedules. We will spend our mornings harvesting in the garden, crafting with plants or out adventuring along the parkway. Mixed age experiences for campers ages 6-11. Sign up for one or more sessions.

Click here for more information>>

Register for our camps>>

Made Possible with Your Support

• 60,000 pounds of certified organic produce was grown at the farm
• 150,000+ organic plants seeded in our Greenhouse
• 1,080 6-packs and 3.25″ pot seedlings along with curriculum, garden resources and tools were distributed to local schools in Sacramento and Rancho Cordova.
• 300 teachers from SCUSD, SJUSD and FCUSD and credentialed student teachers from CSUS were trained in garden and environmental curriculum to facilitate successful, engaged learning in outdoor environments.
• 961 students participated in field trips, homeschool classes, after school activities and summer camp at the American River Ranch.
• 16 interns were trained and engaged at school gardens and in farm activities
• 4,785 student garden or farm experiences made possible through our Growing Together and Roots & Wings programs
• 162 adult classes were offered in home gardening, fruit tree care, nature exploration, herbal medicine, wellness, yoga and native plants.
• 6,500 pounds of fruit gleaned from neighborhoods
• 35 organic small farms, local businesses and artisans sell through our online marketplace
• 1,938 families served through our online marketplace & drive thru farmstand and the open air produce stand on Saturdays
• $8,292 healthy food sales through 217 CalFresh/EBT transactions. Thanks to a partnership with Alchemist CDC and the Market Match Program, our customers received $7,588 in free produce and plants.
• 1,850 quarts of healing soup prepared with love using seasonal, organic produce by the Culinary Arts Team. The soup was offered for drive thru pick up and served on Saturdays.
• 15 teens were employed and mentored at the Marketplace Drive-thru Farmstand, Phoebe’s Tea & Snack Bar and had summer jobs with youth ed, in the office and the kitchen.
• 425 people attended our free seasonal gardening clinics.
• 62 fruit trees were distributed for free and planted in home gardens with support from the City of Rancho Cordova. 110 more fruit trees were sold to home gardeners from our nursery.
• 26 grants applied for (13 awarded and 3 pending)
• 228 volunteers worked over 1700 hours on the farm, in the kitchen and at school sites assisting on a variety of food access, environmental stewardship and youth empowerment activities.
• 1 Farmhouse Kitchen was renovated to expand our micro business enterprise to include culinary classes, cooks camp, job training, pop ups, catering, healthy soup and meals for the Online Marketplace, Phoebe’s Tea & Snack Bar and Milly’s Mercantile.

Practical Guidance and Family Fun

It’s Easy Eating Green

Eat the Rainbow Smoothie

Seed Sprouting Activity

How Fast Can It Sprout? Part 1

How to Plant a Fruit Tree

For more videos and tips, visit our YouTube channel >>

Saturday, August 27 • 8am to 1pm

Get Ready to Grow! Visit our organic plant sale to fill your garden with vegetable starts, edible perennials, medicinal and culinary herbs, succulents and fruit trees which will provide food and beauty through the fall and winter. All plants are organically grown with love and selected for the Sacramento area. Pick up high quality potting soil, compost and seeds and chat with our farmers and educators. Shop early for the best selection. Download Plant List >>

Free Gardening Clinic

Free Classes, Talks and Tours. Learn how to grow vibrant, tasty, and healthy plants from Soil Born Farms’ knowledgeable staff and community educators. Activities include: preparing your fall garden, growing fall/winter greens, seed saving, wreath making, native plant walk, regenerative agriculture farm tour, master beekeeper Q&A, and more. This is a rain or shine event. Registration will occur at the event ONLY and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Check in for tickets at the turquoise Event Tent. Schedule is subject to change.

Class Schedule

8:00–8:45am Preparing a Fall Garden with Shawn Harrison, Soil Born Farms
9:00–9:45am Drip Irrigation for the Home or School Garden with Shannon Hardwicke, Soil Born Farms
9:00–9:45am Master Beekeeper Q&A with Rachel Morrison, The Beecharmers
10:00–10:45am Attracting Birds and Beneficials to Your Backyard with Cliff Hawley
10:00–10:45am Preparing a Fall Garden with Shawn Harrison
11:00–11:45am Growing Greens Tyler Stowers, Soil Born Farms
12:00–12:45pm Master Beekeeper Q&A with Rachel Morrison, The Beecharmers

Tours, Walks & Talks

8:00–8:45am Regenerative Agriculture Farm Tour with Zebulon Siegel, Soil Born Farms
9:00–9:45am Native Plant Walk with Mark Shaffer, Happy Grow Lucky LLC and CNPS (California Native Plant Society)
9:00–9:45am Regenerative Agriculture Farm Tour with Tyler Stowers
10:00–10:45am Wreath Making Demo with Dried Flowers with Lacey Carlson, Soil Born Farms
11:00–11:45am Explore Volunteer Opportunities in the Gardens, Farm and Kitchen with Vanessa Forwood, Soil Born Farms
12:00–12:45pm Intro to Seed Saving with Kellan MacKay, Soil Born Farms
12:00–12:45pm Regenerative Agriculture Farm Tour with Shawn Harrison

Farmhouse Kitchen Pop-up Brunch

9am–1pm (or until sold out) Fundraiser: Proceeds Benefit the Culinary Arts Program
Organic Garden Bowl $12
Greens, Whole Grains, Veggies (Gluten-free and Vegetarian, Vegan option available)
Farm Fresh Frittata Plate $12
Roasted Potatoes, Mixed Green Salad (Gluten-free, Vegetarian)
Lil’ Sprouts Plate $7
Three organic pancakes and fresh fruit served with organic maple syrup and organic butter

More information >>

Co-sponsored by Sacramento Natural Foods Coop

Soil Born Featured in Comstock’s Magazine

Read the Comstock’s Magazine article about regenerative agriculture practices in our area. Soil Born Farm’s shift toward a regenerative management plan is slow and one of continuous learning that strategically introduces new agricultural methods. As the farm reopens to the public—that’s expected late spring or early summer—those practices will have an even stronger presence in the farm’s (urban agriculture educational) curriculum. Read the article: Regenerating Our Soil >>

Special Summer Program

Through experiential learning, discovery and play, youth will deepen their connection to food, health and the environment. Participants will explore, create, learn, sing and enjoy the outdoors. Kids on the Farm classes are designed for youth ages 7 to 11 years old. Each themed class will be unique and can be enjoyed as individual classes or taken as a series.

Thursdays from June 24 through July 29, 8:30 to 11:30 am. Price: $30 per class.

For more information and to register >>

June 24: Pollinator Palooza
July 1: We Dig Dirt
July 8: Roots, Shoots and Seeds
July 15: Nature Creations
July 22: Calling All Critters
July 29: Water Wizards