The Lisa Lane Farm Tour on July 17 at 10:00 had a great turnout thanks to Hannah Roditi who is coordinated the effort for a Master Gardener Project. Hannah Roditi and Shelley Durocher had canvassed neighborhood surrounding the farm the week of the tour. This yielded over 50 people who toured and brought produce from the farmer Desmond Samuda.
Speakers at the tour were owner and Windsor neighbor Kathryn (Kate) Lange, the farmer Desmond Samuda, CEEC Open Space Diane Mack, WLT President Dale Bertoldi and
WLT tour guide Vikki Reski.
Crops on the farm include Calaloo, a type of leaf amaranth used for greens, squash, tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. Special thanks to Kristen Grahams, Desmond Samuda’s niece who helped with tour arrangements.
A joint effort by Bloomfield’s Open Space Subcommittee and the WLT has resulted in an Open Space DEP grant application submitted in May 2010 (75% possible to purchase Development Rights for the 10 acre Lisa Lane Farm in the midst of an east side neighborhood which is a dense residential diverse (84% non-white) community. The Town has a commitment to buy the property from th
e owner for $300,000 if the grant is given and the team has found additional funding to make up the difference of grant funding in the purchase price. Two appraisals were done by the Town of Bloomfield. The team, the Conservation Energy Environment Open Space Subcommittee and the Wintonbury Land Trust have been working to secure additional funding. Money is tight in this economic climate. Neighborhood support of the farm is essential. The farm tour was a wonderful show of the neighborhood support.
Highlights of the grant application are:
The soil is significant state farm soil and has been amended with organic matter to obtain a fine textured growing medium.
The farmer who leases the land is Jamaican who grows calaloo, an amaranth used for greens and other ethnic crops.
The site has two vernal pools which offer abundant educational opportunities for the public schools. The Farm has in the past cooperated with the Agricultural Program at Bloomfield High.
The Urban Farm has walkable neighborhood access during hours of operation.
The Town of Windsor has defined a wildlife corridor which passes within a one block of the site along Meadow Brook which connects two North Natural Diversity Areas to several south of the site. Mount St. Benedict Cemetery is directly across Cottage Grove Road and Matianuck State Park and Keney Park are south within ½ mile.
Speakers at the tour were owner and Windsor neighbor Kathryn (Kate) Lange, the farmer Desmond Samuda, CEEC Open Space Diane Mack, WLT President Dale Bertoldi and
WLT tour guide Vikki Reski.Crops on the farm include Calaloo, a type of leaf amaranth used for greens, squash, tomatoes, peppers and cabbage. Special thanks to Kristen Grahams, Desmond Samuda’s niece who helped with tour arrangements.
A joint effort by Bloomfield’s Open Space Subcommittee and the WLT has resulted in an Open Space DEP grant application submitted in May 2010 (75% possible to purchase Development Rights for the 10 acre Lisa Lane Farm in the midst of an east side neighborhood which is a dense residential diverse (84% non-white) community. The Town has a commitment to buy the property from th
e owner for $300,000 if the grant is given and the team has found additional funding to make up the difference of grant funding in the purchase price. Two appraisals were done by the Town of Bloomfield. The team, the Conservation Energy Environment Open Space Subcommittee and the Wintonbury Land Trust have been working to secure additional funding. Money is tight in this economic climate. Neighborhood support of the farm is essential. The farm tour was a wonderful show of the neighborhood support.Highlights of the grant application are:
The soil is significant state farm soil and has been amended with organic matter to obtain a fine textured growing medium.
The farmer who leases the land is Jamaican who grows calaloo, an amaranth used for greens and other ethnic crops.
The site has two vernal pools which offer abundant educational opportunities for the public schools. The Farm has in the past cooperated with the Agricultural Program at Bloomfield High.
The Urban Farm has walkable neighborhood access during hours of operation.
The Town of Windsor has defined a wildlife corridor which passes within a one block of the site along Meadow Brook which connects two North Natural Diversity Areas to several south of the site. Mount St. Benedict Cemetery is directly across Cottage Grove Road and Matianuck State Park and Keney Park are south within ½ mile.
