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The Bees of Rushton Farm: A Pollinator Perspective on Willistown Conservation Trust & Environmental Education

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One Sunny midsummer day in 2012 on Rushton Farm, the bees decided to swarm. Noah, a certified apiarist–and the sustainable gardening manager teaching our cohort agro-ecology best practices–knew exactly what to do, and quickly sprang into action. He was able to quickly and safely locate the queen bee and remove the correct branch the swarm had formed on. It was a quick and mesmerizing event that created a lasting memory for all us interns and students who were there for the swarm…and then it was back to tending the row crops we were growing for the community supported agriculture (CSA) and food donations. It was a unique and fun way to work and learn, and an experience that would only have been possible due to the efforts of the Trust to not only create and restore the 6-acre sustainable farm but to make it accessible to us city dwellers and students that would have otherwise never known what existed beyond the hedgerows.

This experience reminded me of a time growing up in the Midwest. While playing outside in my backyard on a south facing slope, I discovered bees entering and exiting a nickel sized hole in the ground. Curious to see what they were doing, I went inside and got a jar. Then I put the jar over the hole, and for about 5 stings worth of time, or 20 minutes or so, I could study the bees. This event, like the swarm at Rushton, created an indelible and memorable window of observation that I would forever remember. As the interns and I worked with the staff and hosted student groups at the farm, I could not help but be reminded how such events can make a lasting and meaningful impact on young people as they begin to explore their natural world and make ecological connections. 

As my internship progressed as part of the Penn MES program, the opportunity to study bees, and specifically native pollinators, arose. Working with Lisa Kiziuk and Fred de Long, I was able to reach out to bee expert Sam Droege from the Beltsville, MD bee lab. He assisted me with designing a baseline pollinator survey, told me where to get the glycol for the pan traps (painted yellow, blue and white solo cups with PVC holders) I would hand make and deploy in three areas around the farm, and even where to get the specimen collection bags and how to store the specimens for later ID (which Sam’s lab and interns there performed). 

I would soon conclude my field research at Rushton after collecting the specimens from the pan traps throughout the summer and sending them to the Bee lab for ID. Thanks to the sustainable farming practices, focus on native plantings and abundant open space, we were able to identify 49 unique species of bees at Rushton Farm.

My capstone project at Penn would focus on deadly and pervasive insecticides and crop protection products called Neonicotinoids–which are used as seed treatments on over 95% of corn and soy planted in the U.S–and which were not used anywhere on Rushton Farm. At the end of 2012, after all the Rushton farm crops had been sustainably grown and harvested, I published “The Producer Pollinator Dilemma: Neonicotinoids and Honeybee Colony Collapse.” This project was the most in-depth project I’d taken on to date, and it began with “The Bees of Rushton Farm, A Pollinator Perspective on Sustainable Agriculture,” which was the independent project preceding the capstone, and where we published our baseline pollinator survey with the native pollinators we observed and collected in and around the farm that summer.

What began as a summer internship spurred a lifelong academic and ecological interest in native bees, agro-ecology, and how we can all work together to restore our land with an optimal mix of wildflowers, native grasses, and sedges. This is how the PollinatorPatch nonprofit campaign to restore One Million Acres, One Backyard Patch at a time, soon evolved from my new job with Applied Ecological Services as part of the large scale Restoration Field Crew in the Midwest, and then Project Manager for the Wetland Reserve Program in Iowa, in conjunction with the NRCS and State DNR.

It was during these projects and assignments that I realized a pollinator optimized seed mix was needed, by eco-region, and bloom period, and with more than the CP42 standard of 9 forbs (3 in each bloom period). On Earth Day in 2015 PollinatorPatch.com was launched to offer folks the best available 30+ species seed mix for their backyard and to show them why it’s important to help the bees, just like Noah did that one sunny midsummer day on Rushton Farm when the bees swarmed. 

This past summer the entire experience came full circle when Monarch Joint Venture conducted a vegetation survey to see what native plants and wildflowers particularly were in bloom from a pollinator-optimized seed mix in the 3rd year of maturation.

“Everything is everything,” and we are all connected on our planet and by our collective actions. Small events can lead to bigger learning experiences and the unique and memorable outdoor education offered at Rushton is invaluable and makes bigger impacts in time thanks to the work of the Willistown Conservation Trust and its dedicated team.

Ben Reynard | was an Intern at Willistown Conservation Trust’s Rushton Farm in 2012. After earning a Masters’s degree in Environmental Studies at Penn, Ben went on to work for Applied Ecological Services as an Ecosystem Restoration Supervisor. Additionally, he has launched the nonprofit, Pollinator Patch to restore backyard habitat. Ben is father to a three year old son and is restoring a 3-acre goat prairie and an 1850’s pioneer cabin he hopes to make into an eco-home for his son to learn eco-homesteading and ecological restoration. To learn more about Ben and his path visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamin-reynard-03a4b358/ or https://www.lps.upenn.edu/degree-programs/mes/community/0514.

The Old Salt

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Excerpt from The Wild Carrot, October 27, 2020, a weekly newsletter from staff to Rushton Farm CSA members.)

Noah and Owen Gress celebrating his first arugula planting. Photo by Fred de Long/Staff
I love the picture above because I have never seen Noah as happy as he is when he is in the company of his son Owen. I have had the privilege of farming with Noah for the last twenty years and we have seen and experienced a lot in those twenty years. It has only been in the last couple of years that I have seen Noah settle down, buy a house, and spend his free time enjoying the company of his wonderful family. Of course, it was not always that way….

Noah and I first crossed paths in the early nineties on Martha’s Vineyard. Noah was working at Solviva farm and greenhouse in West Tisbury while I was working on boats sailing out of Vineyard Haven. At that time, the Vineyard still had a somewhat rustic appeal and you could have beach party’s or camp out in cabins where you felt removed from the tourists who frequented the Island. Those who worked on the Vineyard and year-round “Islanders” knew all the great spots to hang out and fun places to go. There were a lot of fun times and crazy stories. Noah and I socialized in some of the same circles but never met.

Noah left the Vineyard in the late nineties and returned to West Chester where he showed up at Pete’s Produce Farm one day looking for land to farm. I was in my first year managing Pete’s Produce Farm and we (along with Pete) agreed that having a young organic farmer working some of the lands would be beneficial to the growing business. It was not long before Noah and I were sharing stories about the Vineyard, farming, and life in general. We hit it off immediately and have been working together, and telling stories, ever since.

Telling stories. That is where The Old Salt title comes in. Little known fact, while on the Vineyard Noah was also a licensed commercial fisherman. An “old salt” is a sailor or fisherman who is a raconteur or teller of stories. These individuals often keep the history of an area by recanting stories of past times and events. Ever since I first met Noah he has regaled me with stories ranging from boating misadventures to farm misadventures (we both have a lot of stories about misadventures). We have cataloged many stories over the last twenty years and the Rushton Farm Staff gets to hear them regularly. All the time. Nearly every day (ok every day) Noah and Fred tell stories of their past much to the amusement, ok, sometimes frustration, of a staff that occasionally shows interest but often just wants to eat lunch or go home. “The Chelsea shuffle” is named for the way Chelsea Allen would slowly move away as stories got longer and longer hoping we would not notice as she tried to get away. Now, The Purple Chill takes a different approach, and just says “I’m going home, feel free to keep talking”.

The reality is that Noah and I have learned a lot from the “old salts” who entertained us as we grew up. We have also learned a lot about each other after twenty years in the field. Noah is my brother in farming and life and I am lucky to have had him by my side through the good and the bad. This season has proven a challenge from the beginning but I knew if anyone could make it work it would be Noah. Thanks, Noah for all you have done during this difficult season. Of course, I am quite sure the “old salt” will turn the events of this season into some entertaining banter in the future. Look out, 2021 interns.

-Fred
Noah showing his skill at helping kids farm. I assume he is telling this child not to throw the potatoes. Photo by Fred de Long/Staff.

Join Us for a Pop-Up Picnic Dinner to Help Kick Off Art on the Trails

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A week-long event Art on the Trails: Preserve Gallery Walk with a pop-up picnic dinner on the lawn at the Rushton Conservation Center provided by our friends at Taste of Puebla. Wander the trails of Rushton Woods Preserve, enjoy the original Plein Air artwork by LandArt Events artists, and stay for a picnic with your group!

Pop-Up Picnic with Taste of Puebla
Friday, October 16th
from 4:30 – 7:00 pm
Rushton Conservation Center

Join us for a pop-up picnic dinner provided by our friends at Taste of Puebla held outside on the lawn at the Rushton Conservation Center. This event is BYOB, blanket, and chairs. There will be plenty of space to maintain social distancing while enjoying a menu featuring ingredients from Rushton Farm and other local Chester County farms. Guests are welcome to picnic on site or take their dinner to-go.

Ticket sales end at 12:00 pm on Thursday, October 15, 2020.

Art on the Trails:
Preserve Gallery Walk
October 17th – 24th from 8 am – 6 pm
Kirkwood, Ashbridge, Rushton Woods Preserve and Farm

Explore the Trust’s preserves through a Plein Air artist’s eye during our week-long, self-guided gallery walk. Trail markers will display the artist’s artwork along the trails of Kirkwood Preserve, Ashbridge Preserve, and Rushton Woods Preserve for you to enjoy from the same location the artist set up their easel. The preserves are open from dawn to dusk for you to wander the trails and collect a canvas for your own home. Visit landartevents.com to purchase the original artwork. LandArt Events donates 15% of all sales to WIllistown Conservation Trust.

Pop-Up Picnic Dinner Menu
Art on the Trails

The Wonder Twins

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Excerpt from The Wild Carrot, August 25, 2020, a weekly newsletter from staff to Rushton Farm CSA members.)

Abby, Anna and Molly harvesting, of course, Magic Molly purple potatoes. Photo by Noah Gress/Staff.


It was a warm day in mid-June and summer was right around the corner when Abby and Anna showed up to volunteer at Rushton Farm. Rushton had been bringing in regular volunteers for a few weeks and we were still working on the logistics for work precautions and social distancing. Volunteers were generally working alone and communication was limited as staff worked independently from the volunteers. That all changed the day Abby and Anna arrived.


On that mid-June “Just Show Up” volunteer Wednesday Abby rolled into the parking lot, hopped out of her car, and sauntered over with a smile to say she was here to volunteer. Anna pulled in a short while later (driving a little bit slower) and with a similar enthusiastic smile jumped right into work in the field. Both Abby and Anna showed no fear in attacking weeds and planting endless crops. They also worked comfortably with the Rushton Staff, who until their arrival had been keeping isolated. In these times where precaution is a constant focus, it was refreshing to see two 17-year-old rising seniors smile and laugh while working hard alongside seasoned farm veterans. From that first day on, Abby and Anna became part of the Rushton Farm Staff.

Abby Oswald harvesting tomatoes at Rushton Farm. Photo by Jennifer Mathes


While Anna became a committed volunteer putting in many hours of hard work on the farm, we found that Abby wouldn’t leave the farm. Really! She showed up at 9 am every morning and left when the senior staff left, took lunch with the senior staff, and put in the same hours as the senior staff. By July Rushton Farm had hired its youngest full time paid intern in Abby Oswald.

Intern, Abby Oswald, at Rushton Farm. Photo by Jennifer Mathes


Through this summer Abby and Anna have been a constant source of positive energy and hope. Every day Abby shows up with a smile and a no-fear attitude. She has worked alongside the senior staff not missing a beat and following instruction closely. It is when Abby and Anna are working together that the farm is most alive. Two high school seniors laughing and bantering about school, swimming, and life while working in the field. Their energy is contagious and it makes you forget about current conditions and appreciate being outside, working on a farm, and enjoying the company of those around you.


Next week Abby and Anna leave the fields of Rushton and head back to school. They will be missed. They leave behind an example that when things get tough when your summer plans are canceled when the future is uncertain, you still have to move forward and keep a positive frame of mind. They both came to Rushton and we, and the farm, are better for it. Abby and Anna, good luck in the upcoming year and always remember that Rushton Farm is right around the corner.

So are the weeds. If you want to sneak out of your virtual classes and come back to the farm we won’t tell anyone. 


-Fred


Abby Oswald will start her senior year at Great Valley High School. She is an avid swimmer who enjoys the outdoors and has a great work ethic.

Anna McNaull will start her senior year at West Chester East High School. Always upbeat and with a constant smile, Anna saw Rushton as an opportunity to get out and spend some time during her summer working on a farm.

Tomato Tasting Recipes

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Can’t make it to our Tomato Tasting event? Join us in spirit and celebrate tomato season by making our favorite tomato recipes for you and your family!

SPICY TOMATO CHUTNEY 

Spicy Tomato Chutney was served at Tomato Tasting on a cracker with fresh chevre (goat cheese).

INGREDIENTS

2 pounds vine-ripened tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped scallion greens
1 red bell pepper
1/2 cup red-wine vinegar
3/4 cup cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. mustard seeds
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. dried hot red pepper flakes

DIRECTIONS

1. Chop tomatoes and bell pepper.

2. In a medium saucepan bring all the different kinds of vinegar to a boil with sugar, salt, mustard seeds, black pepper, and red pepper flakes, stirring occasionally, and stir in tomatoes, bell pepper, and scallions.

3. Simmer mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally (stir more frequently toward the end of cooking), until thickened and reduced. Cooking time will depend on how much liquid your tomatoes give off, usually 90 minutes to three hours.

4. Cool chutney completely. Put in mason jars. Tastes best after it sits in the refrigerator for a week.

5. Chutney keeps, covered and chilled, for a total of 2 weeks.  

– Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

OUR BASIC BRUSCHETTA

INGREDIENTS

12 to 14 fresh ripe plum tomatoes (about 1 3/4 lbs.)
2 tbsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. minced shallots
1 cup fresh basil leaves
3 cloves of garlic, slivered
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper, to taste
1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup finest olive oil
8 thick slices of peasant bread (whole grain flour)

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut the tomatoes into 1/4 inch dice and place in a bowl. Toss with minced garlic and shallots.

2. Chop the basil coarsely and add to the tomatoes, along with the lemon juice, salt and pepper, and 1/3 cup olive oil. Set aside.

3. Heat the 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet. Sauté the slivered garlic until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Discard the garlic and reserve the oil.

4. Toast the bread and cut each slice in half. Arrange the slices on eight small plates. Brush the garlic flavored oil over each slice, spoon the tomato mixture over the bread, and serve immediately.

The mixture should be at room temperature. Do not refrigerate – that will compromise the flavor.

– From the New Basics Silver Palate

RUSHTON FARM GAZPACHO  

INGREDIENTS

1 cucumber, halved and seeded, but not peeled 
2 red (or green) bell peppers, cored and seeded 
4 plum tomatoes 
1 red onion 
3 garlic cloves, minced 
3 cups of tomato juice from fresh cored, peeled and seeded tomatoes
(spicy V8 tomato juice works too!)
1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar 
1/4 cup good olive oil 
1/2 tbsp. kosher salt 
1 tbsp. Rushton Farm honey

DIRECTIONS

1. Roughly chop the cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and red onions into 1-inch cubes. Put each vegetable separately into a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until it is coarsely chopped. Do not over-process!

2. After each vegetable is processed, combine them in a large bowl and add the garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Mix well and chill before serving. Gazpacho tastes best if refrigerated overnight. The longer gazpacho sits, the more the flavors develop. 

– Adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garte

ROASTED TOMATOES

Make a morning of or day before – do not refrigerate. This recipe is best with Italian plum type tomatoes, but you can use any type of tomato, so long as it is fresh and vine ripened. Larger tomatoes will take longer and the heat may need to be reduced after they are caramelized to dehydrate them a bit. The small plum-shaped Juliet tomatoes are our favorites for appetizers. 

INGREDIENTS (enough for 6-8 baking sheets)

-Plum tomatoes – preferably Juliet or San Marzano (use all the same kind for even cooking)  
-Best quality olive oil
-Grey salt to taste
-Pepper to taste 

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, and rub olive oil over a rimmed cookie sheet or baking pan. We prefer disposable foil cookie sheets which we re-use several times since clean-up of the pan is difficult.  

2. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise, toss in a bowl with olive oil, salt, and pepper, making sure all of the tomatoes are coated. Place on the pan skin side down. 

3. Roast in the oven until the tomatoes begin to caramelize – the tops should start to get brown. Usually takes 30 to 45 minutes or so, but you have to keep watching them. They go from red to black quickly, so don’t forget about them! Bigger tomatoes will take longer. If using a large tomato variety other than plum, turn the heat down to 325 degrees after caramelization, and continue roasting until the tomato has shrunken and dried up a bit.

4. Remove individual tomatoes as they are done – they may not all be done at the same time. Keep them skin side down to form a little cup to hold the juices. Let them sit on the counter for a few hours uncovered – as they dry out the flavor intensifies.

Tip: For an extra treat, deglaze the pan with some wine or stock, scraping up all the browned tomato bits and reserve for your next sauce or soup.

The finished product can be used in endless ways, yielding an amazingly concentrated, rich, deep, sweet tomato flavor to all kinds of dishes. Chop it up and use as a base for tomato sauce; serve on crackers as an hors d’oeuvre; puree with stock and fresh herbs for an amazing tomato soup; put it on toasted bread with mayonnaise and basil for a fabulous sandwich, etc.

They can also be frozen in Ziploc bags – the texture will be lost, but the flavor will be there and is a perfect base for the sauce.  

2019 Tomato Tasting event. Photos by Kelsey Lingle/Staff.