The Farm at Trinity Health Ann Arbor is currently hiring 1 full time position!! We are thrilled to be growing our team to be able to further our mission to grow a healthy community.
Position description:
Community Health Worker (Link) A Community Health Worker is a frontline public health worker who is a trusted member of and/or has a remarkable understanding of the community served. This trusting relationship with the community enables the CHW to serve as a liaison/link/intermediary between health system and the community to facilitate access to services and improve the quality and cultural competence of service delivery. The CHW will work, primarily, with people experiencing food insecurity and other social needs. We are excited to have someone on staff who is dedicated to serving our community members and helping them find resources and skills to improve their lives.
Did you know that growing your own garden can help improve physical health, emotional wellbeing, and social interaction? Amanda Sweetman, regional director of Farming and Healthy Lifestyles at St. Joe’s, demonstrates how you can easily create your own salad bar at home. It’s low cost, it’s healthy and it tastes great! Watch our video:
We are excited to share what we’ve been seeding and growing over this last year. Our 2020 Annual Report shows how our partnerships helped us start new programs in response to the pandemic and how donors and grantors were crucial in accomplishing renovations needed for all of our community efforts. We want to thank all our volunteers, interns, partner groups, colleagues, and staff for working hard in growing a healthy community!
2020 highlights:
Doubled our food distribution; 11,000 boxes out
Started a clinical referral program with 121 participants with over 1,134 deliveries
Donated $27,000 produce ~ 6,320 lbs to reach 4,900 patients and frontline healthcare workers
$139,017 supported local Michigan farmers
Our Produce to Patient Program really makes a difference in patient’s lives, here’s what Dr. Irina Burman from Academic Internal Medicine (AIM) Clinic had to say:
“Every Wednesday morning during the summer and fall of 2020 I would make a stop at The Farm to pick up a very generous donation of seasonal vegetables and bring them to the AIM clinic. Veggie Wednesdays became so popular that many patients would make an extra effort to schedule their visits on Wednesday, just so they could take some greens home. We were sharing not only wonderful nutritious food with our patients, but also provided them hope and a much needed sense of normalcy during these difficult times.” – Dr. Burman
A change is coming,and our earth lets us know. Wemay carrysome of winter with us; our losses and grief from last year have been numerous, but as gardeners and farmers we see what emerges from the dark soils – life.
The cycles of life and death,everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature helps our spirits – gardening does this. Gardening allows us time to reflect, connect, and share. It is an activity that nourishes the soul.
Did you know?
The benefits of gardening include:
Improved physical health, emotional wellbeing, and social interaction- all positive ways to work through challenging times.
Exposure to good bacteria and boosting your immune system.1
Charity and Hope! The act of growing and giving flowers and vegetables to family, friends, and those in need is often the most precious gift.
Gardening is also good for the health of our communities – studies show how community gardens can help us develop supportive networks when things get tough.2
Gardening mixes the need to nurture and be nurtured. If you have ever planted a seed and watched it grow to fruit – you know what I mean. If you don’t and want to get started planting – start exploring by checking out an almanac for beginners: https://bit.ly/3w7IdeG! Who doesn’t like to play in the dirt? Let’s get digging!
The Farm at St. Joe’s provides space for hospital staff to tend to the land and one another. If you are interested in volunteering or learning about our other programs, visit: https://stjoesfarm.org/
Local Harvest – www.localharvest.org. Put in your location and you can find community gardens, local farms, farmers markets and more.
Liz is a Registered Nurse who has worked in diverse health care environments in triage care, community health and rehabilitation. Her passion for facilitating educational and therapeutic experiences in the outdoors has led her to horticultural therapy where she designs and facilitates garden-based therapeutic programming to increase human health and wellbeing. Concurrent passions for community health and gardening/farming brought Liz to The Farm at St. Joe’s in the role of Farm Program Manager. She is a passionate gardener and has worked on a number of farms, cultivating health and community through plants.
Did you know you can still eat local Michigan produce even on a 6-degree, snowy February day? It’s true–there are greens galore, root vegetables for days, and apples aplenty. Not to mention all the frozen or preserved foods that are available. How are we growing greens with a foot of snow on the ground? Growers use greenhouses or, more commonly, hoop houses. Less expensive than a green house, a hoop house is a passively heated structure where plants are grown in the soil and allow the growing season to be extended.
Why make the effort to eat seasonal produce?
It tastes better. Fruits and veggies start to lose their nutrients (a.k.a. their flavor) as soon as they are harvested. Local food doesn’t have to travel as far and thus can get to your table faster. Spinach from our hoop house will last two to three weeks in the refrigerator. Can the same be true for boxed greens from the store? Also, sugar is nature’s antifreeze. As temperatures drop, cold-hardy vegetables increase their sugar content to prevent ice crystals from forming and damaging the plants.
It’s good for you. Those nutrients that are being lost post-harvest are what you need to stay healthy this winter. A University of California study showed that vegetables can lose 15-55% of vitamin C within a week. Kale, which grows well in the winter, is a powerhouse source of vitamin C, which can help fight off colds and reduce the duration of illness.
It’s good for your local farmers. Winter is a slow time for your local farmers and buying produce now can help farmers get through the lean times. Many Farmers Markets are held year-round; check out this directory from Taste the Local Difference to find a farm market near you.
It’s a fun way to expand your cooking skills. Have you ever cooked a rutabaga or celeriac? If not, now is your chance. Kale salad is a favorite winter go -to recipe. The trick is to massage the shredded kale with a little bit of olive oil, so it turns dark green and becomes easier to chew.
Curious to learn more about how to eat seasonally in the winter and even year-round? Check out this guide on what’s in season throughout the year in Michigan. Another great way to eat more local, seasonal food is to sign up for a subscription with a local farmer. Sometimes called a Community Supported Agriculture Program or a Farm Share, these programs connect consumers directly to farmers which makes it easy to get a box of the freshest produce each week.
Did you know that several Trinity Michigan hospitals have farms on their grounds? St Joe’s Ann Arbor, St Joe’s Oakland, and Mercy Health Muskegon all have farms that work to grow not only vegetables, but also a healthy community.
The Farm at St Joe’s Ann Arbor is 11 years old and has many programs that connect people, farmers and health. Learn more about our program here.
2021 Farm Share Get a weekly or bi-weekly box of local produce! Learn more here. Need financial assistance? Check out our Fair Share option.
Ypsi Area Online Market A virtual farmers market with pick-up options at the Farm or in downtown Ypsilanti. Start shopping here.
Nutrition Buddies: Virtual after -school cooking classes this spring with our resident physicians for 12-14 year olds struggling with food insecurity. Families receive two-seasons of the Farm Share for participating. Contact: nutritionbuddies@stjoeshealth.org for more info or to sign-up.
I have a question for you: what does Thanksgiving mean to you?
This holiday has always been my favorite because it means lots of food, family, and an intentional pause in our busy lives to give thanks for the good and, even sometimes, the bad.
Thanksgiving evokes memories of being in the kitchen with my female relatives, learning how to make the gravy without lumps. It brings back that teenage longing to sit at the grown-up’s table. It makes me think of all of the mashed potatoes, stuffing, and those soft dinner rolls. I especially miss my maternal grandmother during the holidays. She had a soft voice, but she was the family director. We sang songs, played games, and generally went where she told us. She was the gravy master. I was just the muscle to whisk it seemingly forever.
The other thing this holiday brings up is the story I was taught as a child: Pilgrims and Indians making friends. My ancestors signed the Mayflower compact. In the past, this was a point of pride! Thinking about how my relatives shaped this nation into what it is today.
It was not until recently that I learned that the story of the original Thanksgiving was largely a myth. In fact, the holiday of Thanksgiving was created during the Civil War as a way to bring a divided nation together (sound familiar?). It’s not just a myth, it’s an active cover for the atrocities that were suffered upon the indigenous people of the area, the Wampanoag. The pilgrims were able to establish a foothold on Cape Cod because a plague of European origin had just recently gone through the population of the area, killing an estimated 70-90% of the people living there. Yes, the Wampanoag helped the pilgrims survive by showing them how to plant crops. But also, the pilgrims raided graves and massacred entire villages.
I’m glad I know this history. I need to know that my ancestors stole this land and that their survival was based on the knowledge of the Wampanoag and the many other indigenous peoples who had cultivated this land for thousands of years.
I’m also thankful for the indigenous leaders who are speaking out and giving us hope. I highly recommend that you read this article by Sam Sherman, aka The Sioux Chef. His words inspired my message to you today. And I think he finishes his story perfectly:
“No matter where you are in North America, you are on indigenous land. And so on this holiday, and any day really, I urge people to explore a deeper connection to what are called “American” foods by understanding true Native-American histories, and begin using what grows naturally around us, and to support Native-American growers. There is no need to make Thanksgiving about a false past. It is so much better when it celebrates the beauty of the present.”
Let’s start celebrating indigenous foods: Did you know that a huge number of the foods we eat are indigenous in origin? Maple syrup, squash, pumpkins, beans, corn, wild rice, tomatoes, potatoes, and turkey!
Here’s a recipe from the Sioux Chef. This article gives lots more indigenous recipes.
4 to 6 cups wood chips (hickory, apple, or hazelnut)
Sunflower oil for rubbing the turkey
1. Place the turkey in a large container (a food-safe bucket or big pot). In a saucepan, heat about 1 quart of the water with the salt until it dissolves. Cool. Then add the salt water, the remaining water, maple syrup, juniper berries and sage to the turkey. Make sure the turkey is fully submerged. Cover (weigh the turkey down, if necessary) and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours. Soak the wood chips in cold water for at least 4 hours or overnight. Remove the turkey and pat dry.
2. Prepare a charcoal grill or smoker for indirect heat, at about 275 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle in enough of the soaked wood chips to cover the coals and allow them to char.
3. Place the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Brush the turkey with the sunflower oil. Place the turkey in the grill or smoker and cook until the internal temperature of the thigh registers 165°F, about 3½ to 4½ hours. Remove and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
Hi! I’m Danielle, the Farm’s latest dietetic intern. I am currently enrolled in Eastern Michigan University’s Coordinated Program in Dietetics, where I concurrently take classes AND experience real world nutrition-focused practices through various internships. This semester I am concentrating on community nutrition and chose The Farm at St. Joe’s to be my specialty rotation – I am so excited to learn more about horticulture and our local food system! Here’s what I have to say about the seasonal changes and the benefits to eating seasonally:
The summer season has come to an end, and that means it’s time we bring out the long sleeves and gloves and rotate crops here at the Farm.
Seasonal changes in sunlight, precipitation, and temperature affect many aspects of life on this planet. In Michigan, the cooler autumn weather may disturb our sinuses or mood and lead to modifications in the clothes we wear. For the environment, however, the air becomes cold and dry causing soil to lose its moisture and plants to drop their leaves. Have you ever witnessed summer fade into fall? We can visually see that nature is at its peak when the greenery transforms into vibrant shades of yellow, orange, and red. This shift occurs as the days get shorter and leaves prepare for winter by halting their production of chlorophyll.1
I was able to see how a farm transitions from summer crops to fall/winter crops when I helped with removing the tomatoes from the hoop house and prepared planting beds for future fall and winter harvests. We said goodbye to the tall, tangled vines and deep roots of the tomato plants and harvested the last of the cherry tomatoes – until next year, Solanum Lycopersicon!
Fun fact: Tomatoes originated in the Andes Mountains of South America and were first cultivated by the Aztecs and Incas in 700 AD. The fruit arrived in the United States around the late 1700s and found its way into Louisiana kitchens by 1812. It did not grow to be popular nationwide until the early 20th century.2
Nutrition highlight: Tomatoes are rich in vitamins A and C, potassium, and an antioxidant called lycopene.3 Lycopene gives tomatoes their red color, and most importantly provides protection for your heart.4
Tip: Crushing and cooking tomatoes allows lycopene to be more easily absorbed into the body.3
I arrived at The Farm in the midst of the harvest season. I helped in harvesting the last of the tomatoes, the last of the peppers, and the remaining eggplants – all were stripped and removed from their soil beds. This process allows for other crops to be planted in replacement, it’s called crop rotation. “Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land to improve soil health, optimize nutrients in the soil, and combat pest and weed pressure.5
@thefarmatstjoes “Emergence! There were tomatoes here just days ago, but we’re moving toward fall and we’re excited to have greens on the way.”
As I watch the seasons change and I’ve been harvesting the ripest fruits – it has really given me a sense of what it means to eat seasonally. Seasonal food is when fruits and vegetables are naturally at their peak and harvested right at that time. These foods tend to be purchased and consumed closely after their harvest, when they are cheaper, more complex, and richer in flavor than out of season produce simply due to freshness and availability. The cool thing about eating seasonally is that you can gain key nutrients through a variety of foods. What this means is that instead of eating Florida oranges all-year-round to get your vitamin C, you can eat Michigan apples, acorn squash, red bell peppers and broccoli in the fall; beets and white potatoes in the winter; arugula, leafy greens, and sprouts in the spring; and sweet peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries in the summer! Neat, right? If you’d like to see what other foods are considered seasonal in Michigan, check out Cultivate Michigan.
Did you know Michigan produces more than 300 commodities, making us the state with the second most diverse agriculture industry in the nation? 6
Eating seasonally naturally helps you consume a variety of fruit and vegetables AND variation is akey dietary guideline. It allows for a broader intake of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, and ensures that you get all the nutrients you need while adding interest and excitement to meals.7, 8 Dietitians recommend eating a rainbow of foods regularly.
My favorite feature of seasonal foods are the fun festivities associated with them, especially at this time of year. Many of our famous fall activities here revolve around two of Michigan’s seasonally cultivated foods–apples and pumpkins–and I am so excited to enjoy the delectable items that are prepared using these fruits. That’s right! Apples and pumpkins are both considered fruits. Let’s take a deeper look into these nutritious treats:
Apples are one of the largest and most valuable fruits grown in Michigan,9 and are ranked among the top three fruits produced worldwide.10 Harvested between the months of August and October, they can be eaten fresh, sliced, canned, juiced, and sauced, and are great sources of fiber and vitamin C – with fresh, whole apples offering the most nutrients. For a delectable whole, baked apple recipe visit Tastes Better From Scratch.
Pumpkins are typically used for jack-o-lanterns this time of year.9 However, they are also a great source of nutrients such as antioxidants and beta-carotene (converted to vitamin A in the body). Harvested between the months of September and October, they can be eaten entirely – seeds and all, except their stalk. For a savory pumpkin chili, visit Chew Out Loud.
Buying local and seasonal fruits and vegetables not only benefits our health, it benefits our environment and local economy. If you’re buying food that’s grown near where you live, you’re likely buying in-season produce. This is how seasonal eating habits correlate with local purchasing to support our farmers and environment. Our environment benefits through a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions when food travels fewer miles to get to your plate.11 Less food miles result in less pollution and cheaper produce! This also stimulates our local economy by generating jobs due to supply and demand. If you visit a local apple orchard or pumpkin patch this fall, be sure to stay safe, have fun, and rest assured knowing that you are helping our economy and environment continue to thrive!
Hey, it’s Kat again. In today’s guest post, I’ll be talking about the history of hospital gardens as we know them today.
Tracing the history of hospital gardens shows us that there is a common thread of belief in the importance of fresh air, sunshine, access to nature and working the land as positive contributions to the healing process.
Healing gardens have long since served as places for recovery; for the restoration of the mind, soul and body. Monastery settings in the Middle Ages were the first instances where a garden was specifically incorporated as a part of the healing environment.
These spaces served as places for contemplation as well as for growing vegetables, fruits and herbs.
The Cloisters in New York City showcase a traditional monastic courtyard garden. Image: Kat Shiffler
A document believed to have been written by a monk in the early part of the ninth century describes a plan of an ideal garden for the Benedictine Monastery of Saint Gall in Switzerland, laying out many of the same formal features that show up in healing gardens today: intersecting paths for contemplative walking, a well or fountain, an herb garden, a green “court” or lawn.
In addition, outside the monastery’s walls there were also several acres of crops to supply necessary food for clergy, workers, visitors and the poor.
The Monastery of St. Gall was an early healing landscape. Image: Alarmy.com
The Church itself was instrumental in the establishment of hospitals during the Middle Ages that have influenced the delivery of healthcare through the centuries.
Later, the religious connection between spiritual healing and the garden began to fade and give way to a much more human-centered built environment. As hospitals developed, the formal cloistered garden features were often replaced by an open area for patients to walk and take in the sunshine and fresh air.
Some progressive hospitals that primarily cared for people with mental illness placed a greater emphasis on the active work of tending to gardens and fields. A prominent example is that of the Hospital at Zaragossa in fifteenth-century Spain. At this hospital, a routine of normal daily activities, including gardening, was encouraged for patients who were able—rather than confining them as was the custom at the time.
German horticultural theorist Christian Cay Lorenz wrote some of the first recommendations for hospital garden design at the end of the eighteenth century:
“The garden should be directly connected to the hospital… A view from the window into blooming and happy scenes will invigorate the patient… [and] encourages patients to take a walk… The plantings should wind along dry paths, which offer benches… The spaces between could have beautiful lawns and colorful flower beds… Noisy brooks could run through flowery fields… A hospital garden should have everything to enjoy nature and to promote a healthy life.”
Classic open-air hospital design at Hospital del Salvador in Santiago, Chile. Image: Wikipedia
Florence Nightingale, the founder of the modern nursing profession, stressed the importance of fresh air and natural sunlight on the well-being and healing of patients in her landmark, Notes on Nursing published in 1859. She described the value of plants and outdoor spaces in the healing process,
“People say the effect is only on the mind. It is no such thing. The effect is on the body too.”
Florence Nightingale, Notes on Nursing
Throughout Victorian and Edwardian periods, green spaces in hospitals were seen as places for healing. But in the decades the followed, priorities in hospital construction changed; the industrial revolution and two World Wars took place. Park areas were replaced by parking lots.
But in 1984 a study by American psychologist Roger Ulrich provoked a renaissance in the hospital garden movement. Ulrich showed that patients with views of the outdoors from their hospital bed recovered faster after surgery, and spent less time in the hospital than those who did not have an outdoor view. Ulrich has gone on to publish widely on the health benefits of nature:
“Just looking at an image of nature could be healing”.
Roger Ulrich, ‘Forest Bathing’: How Microdosing on Nature Can Help With Stress
Today there are many beautiful contemporary examples of outdoor hospital environments that promote healing through a connection to plants. These spaces are once again being seen as critical for health and well-being. Working farms at hospitals, however, continue to be somewhat rare—a growing part of the overall movement to create spaces that heal.
A contemporary courtyard garden at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London designed by Chris Beardshaw. Image: The Telegraph
Hospital gardens provide a natural and calming view, stimulate the senses of therapy patients, provide restoration and relaxation for visitors and staff—and have the potential to grow healthy food for surrounding communities.
Healthcare practitioners take a break outside. / Photo: Legacy Health
Hey, it’s Kat again. In today’s guest post, I’ll be talking about the timely topic of nurse burnout and research into hospital-based gardens.
Burnout among nurses was on the rise even before COVID-19. In a 2017 survey, 63% of registered nurses employed in hospitals self-reported workplace burnout.
Characterized by symptoms of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and loss of personal efficacy, burnout has far-reaching negative consequences for individual wellbeing, quality of patient care and costs to the healthcare system. One study estimated that nurse burnout adds up to $14 billion annual
In 2019, the World Health Organization included burnout in the 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases as “an occupational phenomenon” rather than a medical condition, saying burnout “is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”
Research indicates that hospital gardens are one way we can lessen the fatigue and stress that lead to burnout.
For a study in 2018, a team of researchers that included legendary healthcare designer Roger Ulrich, looked at indoor and outdoor break environments and their effect on nurse burnout.
Time outdoors can help reduce symptoms of burnout. Photo: Legacy Health
Nurses at Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, Oregon were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of a daily work break in the garden and 6 weeks of indoor-only breaks. Researchers had the nurse-participants complete the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey (MBI), a tool used to measure burnout in healthcare workers, at the start and end of each 6-week period.
The nurses also recorded the immediate psychological impact of a break in both environments using another tool that asked them to rate feelings of anxiety, sadness, anger, worry, fatigue and pain on a defined scale.
What they found was that for the nurses who took their 20-minute break outside, the garden provided greater reduction in burnout.
They concluded that taking daily work breaks in a garden may be beneficial in mitigating burnout among nurses working in high-stress hospital environments.
The research setting was featured the Portland news recently, highlighting the positive response to the garden in light of COVID-19. One nurse said of the Legacy Health garden,
“It takes you to such a different place that it’s so refreshing to your spirit and your soul and your psyche.”
Gardens provide respite for practitioners, patients and their families. Photo: Legacy Health
Another nurse said of the garden,
“It is transformational for me. It really is. Just to even get five minutes in the garden, you shift your paradigm. You’re no longer thinking about the hospital. You’re looking at the plants, you’re smelling the herbs that are growing here, you’re seeing the sunshine.”
Providing spaces for respite is more important than ever—in hospital environments and public spaces alike. What’s good for the mental health and wellbeing of nurses is good for us all.
In the next blog post, I’ll be exploring best practices for designing restorative spaces, according to prominent thinkers in environmental psychology.
Guest post by Kat Shiffler, collaborator with The Farm at St. Joe’s and graduate student in Landscape Architecture at the University of Michigan.
