Recent Posts

Painting and Nature Walk

Painting and Nature Walk

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 […]

Why are tree trunks painted white?

Why are tree trunks painted white?

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 […]

The Harvest must go on!

The Harvest must go on!

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 […]

Saturday Seva – November

Saturday Seva – November

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 […]

Persimmon Pudding, Ginger or Spiced?

Persimmon Pudding, Ginger or Spiced?

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. […]

Seed Balls

Seed Balls

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 […]

Nature Gives – From Tree to Jar

Nature Gives – From Tree to Jar

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 […]

San Ramon Farmers Market

San Ramon Farmers Market

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 […]

Saturday Seva – October

Saturday Seva – October

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 […]

The Quirky Quince

The Quirky Quince

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 […]