ecologically-conscious farming and land management practices through education and demonstration
This past weekend we had the pleasure of hosting an organic vegetable gardening workshop at MA Center San Ramon called Planting Joy! We had a wonderful group of attendees from around the Bay Area, all sharing one thing in common: the desire to learn how […]
We hope you can join us for this GreenFriends Farm Workshop on Saturday June 10, 2 – 4:30 pm: Microorganisms feed plants. In this workshop we will learn how to work with nature to cultivate beneficial microorganisms to nourish the vegetables growing in our gardens. […]
This past week was an opportunity to use the many lemons harvested to make a batch of marmalade. This time we decided on a ginger variant. The first step is to wash the lemons in cold or lukewarm water. The lemons are peeled, and the […]
“Even if we only have a tiny plot of land, we should try to grow a few vegetables.” ~Amma Planting Joy! Organic Gardening Workshop Saturday, May 20th, 9 am -1 pm We hope you can join us this coming Saturday to learn to plant organic […]
On Saturday, April 22nd GreenFriends Farm (GFF) at MA Center in Castro Valley held an Earth 🌎 Day celebration open to all. Educational booths included a slide presentation showing the history of the farm, water conservation practices used at the farm, permaculture, bee care, and […]
What is a Bee Board? In the hive structures at GreenFriends we use a screened bottom “sticky board,” which is at the lower structure of the hive. In the pictures below you will notice where the board is relative to the structure. There is a […]
In recent weeks the Orchard has experienced a wide range of weather conditions. There has been snow, rain, wind, and sunshine. The changing weather has been a constant change of activities in and around the Orchard. The heavy rainfall and dampness have seen more green […]
What’s the buzz this week? One of our hives, Brahmani, was returned to the orchard this week. Thank you to the Bee Team for their hard work, dedication, and devotion to our pollinator friends! The trees are currently bursting with blossoms and nectar, and patiently […]
This week was more painting of the trees in the Orchard. There was another period of dry weather, allowing the volunteers to meet and progress with protecting the trees. It is an important task as mentioned last week. Thanks to Anupama for organizing the Nature […]
Next time you visit the orchard, you might notice the lower part of the fruit trees have been painted white. You may wonder – why is this done? There are a few reasons why fruit trees’ trunks are painted white. Typically the painting takes place […]
As many of us have experienced the past few weeks, or rather for most of 2023, there has been a lot of rain. Access to the farm has been hindered by the weather and the road closures as a result of the storms. However, work […]
November had several activities including the Family Nature Walk on November 5th, 2022. There was a lot of behind-the-scenes production, including harvesting of various fruits and the making of several jams and sauces. We also had Karma Yogi’s helping in the Orchard. The bees were […]
For some of us, persimmon is an unusual fruit and is often misunderstood. This is probably related to having eaten an unripe Hachiya which leaves a sour, mouth-puckering taste. A quick browse of the internet reveals quite a lot of history of the persimmon fruit. […]
Over the past few weeks, we have been working with a team to create wildflower seed balls. These seed balls will be used in various places around the Orchard and Ashram to beautify the area and encourage biodiversity, especially for bees and other pollinators. What […]
You may have seen a few articles about the persimmons grown at GreenFriends Farm. The two varieties we grow are Fuyu and Hachiya. This year’s harvest has been excellent, leaving us with a plethora of persimmons! What to do? Muneebah and Tapomayi from our production […]
This past Saturday (3rd December) was the first day for GreenFriends Farm to attend the San Ramon Farmers Market. Our main products for the upcoming markets will continue to be our fruit from the Orchard. Next year, we may expand to include crafts, jams, and […]
This is the second in the Saturday Seva series. We hope you will get a feeling for what happens on a Saturday in the Orchard. October had several activities including the Nature Walk at the start of the month and Amma’s Birthday celebration later in […]
Quince is a very hardy fruit. Requires little maintenance, is drought-tolerant, and adapts to various soil content. They are shaped like a large apple and the color of a Golden Delicious. If you find a soft one it is probably rotten. Quince is an unusual […]
Over the past few weeks we have been working with pears, apples and quince to make dried fruits, sauces and jams. First, we collect and wash the fruit. We used 18 pounds of apples for this session. My favorite part of the process is coring. […]
On Saturday November 5th, the GreenFriends farm hosted another Family Nature Day. The purpose of events like this at the Orchard is social and educational. It is an opportunity for people to gather together and spend time in nature but also to learn, share knowledge […]
Please join us for a free event appreciating Mother Nature! On Saturday, November 5th, GreenFriends Farm will host a family nature day in the orchard for parents and children from 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. The program is designed to develop awareness of nature. Activities will include […]
Amma’s Birthday Nature walk began at noon from the temple steps. As the group walked through the woods, the walk became a silent walk. The participants paused to listen to the sounds of nature…birds, winds in the trees, and the silence. During the next part […]
This year Mother Nature has been very generous with her bounty! The apples, especially, have produced a very good harvest. This poses a high-quality problem; what to do with all the fruit? Yes, we can sell at the farm stands and with FFH. However, we […]
This is the first in the Saturday Seva series. We will collate a series of pictures of the past month’s Saturday Seva activities. These pictures reflect the fun, community spirit, and service to nature and the Orchard. We hope you will get a feeling for […]
The Orchard has several unusual fruits, the Jujube is one of them. A Jujube has informal names of “red date” and “Chinese Date,” so you might think it’s a date, but it’s not! In it’s most ripened form it resembles a date and that’s probably […]
We are getting ready for the fall harvest that will include our persimmons. We have several varieties in the Orchard. One variety is the round, squat Fuyu non-astringent persimmon, which can be eaten hard or soft, with the skin on. We also have the Hachiya, […]
Curious what happens on Saturday Seva? Who can come to Saturday Seva? Anybody can come to Saturday Seva! All ages and all skill sets are welcome. We have a few suggestions, especially if it is your first time. Bring a sun hat, sunscreen, and water. […]
This past week we were on a very busy schedule to jar the honey and produce apple sauce. Some of these products will go into our Bags of Hope for the shelters in San Jose. A few weeks ago we harvested honey from the hives […]
Last Saturday (September 3rd) was our Nature Walk with Anupama. The theme of the walk was “The Child-Like Spirit within.” It started at 4 p.m. and though it was hot, the walk was mainly in a shaded area. The hike started in the Redwood Grove […]
The Creekside area was planted a few years ago and has a small number of fruit trees. GreenFriends Farm has been expanding the area to prepare for more tree planting and to improve the harvest of existing trees. This process involves several steps, including tree […]
On August 20th, GreenFriends Farm and Bala Kendra hosted a family nature day. All were welcome. It was good weather day, cool and comfortable to be outside. First step was to follow the signs: The event was well attended by all age groups, from 3 […]
In honor of our Mother’s 69th Birthday this 27th of September, Greenfriends Farm would like to distribute 69 bags of Hope to homeless camps in the San Jose area. Each bag has a cost of $20, and includes the following items: -1 […]
Is there anything more amazing in nature than honey bees? Nature itself is amazing! Now, let’s take a closer look at honey production. Grab a jar of honey (we have some available in the store). If you are looking at an 8oz jar of honey, […]
One option at GreenFriends is to make chunky plum jam. It takes between 2-3 days to make the jam. Why so long? The first step is to gather the crates of plums and start washing them. For current jam processing we gathered 54 lbs of […]
The Adi Orchard is on the left side of the temple. This is the oldest orchard at the farm, and first plantings occurred over 33 years ago. The trees in this orchard are amongst the most established at the farm. The Adi Orchard is also […]
The past couple of weeks have been challenging in the Lotus orchard. The pump in the pond has not been functioning at 100%, and this meant trees were not getting the regular allocation of water. We have been very fortunate to have the help of […]
The past week we have been brewing a lot of tea to feed our trees. Not tea as you might know it, and brewing does not involve a kettle. In this case we are talking about Compost Tea. In recent classes with Peter Ash we […]
Caring for the trees is an ongoing process at GreenFriends Farm. Thinning is an important activity in early summer for apple and pear trees. To a degree a tree will perform its own thinning by dropping fruit. We can also help that process. More below […]
In an earlier post we discussed the tasks of minimizing the water used by the farm. The farm is divided into sections. Each section has its own water cycle including which days of the month, the time of day, and for how many hours. A section […]
This video is to commemorate the 30 year anniversary of Amma’s Orchard at MA Center San Ramon. The video was first released in 2019. At GreenFriends Farm we recently uncovered a video from 2019 which commemorates the 30 year anniversary of the farm. There have […]
Mid-June and time to begin the harvesting process. There are many varieties of fruits at the Orchard, and therefore timing varies. When harvesting we have to consider the fruit itself (type) and how we plan to use the fruit. Will the fruit be used for […]
This past week it was time to harvest the honey. Harvesting requires a lot of coordination and hard work. This past week, the Bee Seva team and other Sevites, (13 in total) obtained the honey from our 3 active hives. We only take what is […]
Register Here Join us at GreenFriends Farm with Peter Ash on Sunday, June 26th! Learn how to improve the biology of your soil so your plants thrive! Healthy soil can naturally protect plants from pests, diseases, drought and even flooding without harmful pesticides or herbicides. […]
The next Nature Walk is on June 24th, 2023; meet at the Temple steps at 4:15 p.m. Do you wonder what happens on these walks? Anupama is the lead volunteer for the meditative nature walks. Yes, we have a lovely walk experiencing nature, and more […]
Last weekend we had a large volunteer group from Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) visit GFF and spend a seva day. HSS is a non-profit organization founded in the 1940s, you can learn more about HSS at their website (https://www.hssus.org). The day started with an introduction […]
We have created a new thermal composting area specifically to compost the organic food waste and Orchard fruits such as apples and pears. One fruit we do not compost is peels from citrus fruits. There are a few reasons why we choose not to compost […]