ecologically-conscious farming and land management practices through education and demonstration
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 30 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. […]
