Amazing Salad Mix from Three Sisters Farm

Enjoy this photograph taken by Sarah Golden of 25 different greens that are growing right now at Three Sisters Farm in the Bioshelter! Hmm, maybe some of these green are growing outside? Sarah recently spent two weeks volunteering at Three Sisters Farm. One evening when Darrell was mixing the greens to prepare them for sale, Sarah asked him how many different types of greens were in the mix. They decided to count. Darrell started handing leaves to Sarah and rattling off their names. The greens list is below the photo.

Darrell Frey, author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm, built his bioshelter many years ago. He teaches the Permaculture Design Course at Phipps Conservatory and at his Farm with Elizabeth Lynch, Juliette Jones and others. He is truly one of the original permaculturists. We are so honored that he and Liz are working with us on our project at 1317 East Carson Street! One day soon, when we open the space, we will sell delicious Three Sisters Farm Amazing Salad Mix! Stay tuned, and please follow this blog and LIKE us on the Schwartz Market Facebook page! Thanks so much Sarah Golden for sharing this photo with us!

From top left:

Batavian endive

Bronze mignonette  lettuce

Black Seeded Simpson lettuce

Arugula 

Red Russian kale

Speckled Bib

Red romaine 

Red salad bowl (red oak)

Swiss chard

Dandelion (edible)

Chervil

Frisée endive

Shungiku (Chinese chrysanthemum)

Mallow (edible )

Nasturtium (edible)

Yellow Dock (edible)

Red Mustard (edible)

Tat soi

Wood Sorrel

Trevisio

The Muscle Behind the Renovation of Schwartz Living Market

Well here they are, David and Frank, the folks that are doing the real physical work of the renovation. Below is David standing in the space that will become a handicapped accessible bathroom. We intend to keep the brick wall exposed, but geez, those wires need work! David is an amazing man and is bringing incredible healing energy with him every day. Our project is truly blessed to have him.

This is Frank standing in the space that is to become the second bathroom. Frank is a master carpenter and painter, and we are thrilled he is working with us. Still lots of deconstruction needed here. The historical panopticon that is above this space will be stabilized this coming week and then the work will continue on the interior bathroom space. We have considered the idea of composting toilets, but for now we will be using toilets that use less water per flush. Our understanding is that the Living Building project in Frick Park may have gotten approval for composting toilets. Stay tuned, for when we know the details, we will pass them along to you so you can integrate all we know without re-inventing the wheel and starting from square one...If you are on Facebook, go to and join the new Facebook page called Living Building Challenge Collaborative --Pittsburgh to learn more about the Living Building Challenge and to see why we are so intrigued with it!

We intend to open the market doors very soon. The focus for the next few weeks will be the bathroom renovation. We are practically down to the bones of the building in the area where the bathrooms are. Working within the context of the Living Building Challenge is a real eye opener. We are mindfully thinking about where each item that is deconstructed will go once it leaves the space. We are also in the process of figuring out where we will be sourcing materials and for that matter, everything that comes into the building. The process will be somewhat gradual so we don't go completely crazy! This is Darrell, Permaculture Designer, Author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm, and chief Contractor and Builder for the project at Schwartz Market. A genius in our midst. We are truly blessed with our entire energetic work force.

Here's David during bathroom deconstruction discovering and examining a bottle that was in the wall! He noticed the interesting sun design and was so excited!

Frank examining the bottle too. Yup, it's a whiskey bottle!

Several layers of flooring were deconstructed in the bathrooms. Frank and David found a penny dated around 1946 with the first layer of linoleum flooring. It's interesting to note that a new flooring product that is fine to use for the Living Building Challenge is called Marmoleum. Marmoleum is a natural, non-toxic product. The flooring layer found just above the linoleum was vinyl, a material that has a very toxic manufacturing process. A penny dated 1951 was found with that layer of flooring! Thanks workers that put that flooring down for letting us know when by placing pennies.

Darrell and Tony Albrecht, Architect, examining the space that will be two bathrooms in a few weeks!

Thanks all of you and the many others that are making this dream into a reality! Elisa Beck :)

Energy supply options at 1317 East Carson Street and Amazing Journey

Exploring energy options with Steve of Zero Fossil in the Schwartz Market parking lot off of Bingham Street in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side. Pictured in this photo from left to right are Brad Hochberg of Energreen, Tony Albrecht, Sustainable Architect, Steve Kovacik of Zero Fossil, and Stan Beck, my husband and Grandson of Morris and Helen Schwartz.

I asked Steve of Zero Fossil the other day where their solar panels come from, where they are made, and what they are made of. He told me the panels are made in New Stanton, PA, of Polycrystalline with PPG glass, Alcoa Aluminum and that they are not only 100% American made, but also made in Pennsylvania. So awesomely impressive Zero Fossil! Kudos to you! As we are going for the Living Building Challenge with our project planning and implementation at 1317 East Carson Street, we are working towards figuring out how to meet that challenge and y'all fit into our framework and the framework of the Living Building Challenge, from what I can tell! See www.ilbi.org for details about the Living Building Challenge.

We are working slowly, mindfully, and methodically through the planning steps for the project. The first part, the renovation of the front 4800 square feet of the building will be complete soon. We need to put finishing touches on the original wood floor, the tin ceilings that were uncovered from below the drop acoustical tile ceilings, the new electrical/wiring work, and the renovation of the bathrooms. The kitchen renovation will be next! The electrician is waiting in the wings to see what choices we make regarding the lighting. His group, Harris Electric, has put in much of the brand new, to code, AC wiring. And now we/I am learning about the difference between AC and DC wiring, and that we may well be using some DC to power some of the fixtures or is it changing some of the AC fixtures to DC. If anyone asks, perhaps I'll blog more on that topic someday!

This blog entry continues with some of my history, some of the back story that led up to this moment in time for this project. As time goes on, each of those on our team, and members from the community and beyond, will reflect on what caught their attention about this project and why they were interested in engaging in the process. The process, we often reflect, is what it's all about.

Amazing journey today. Here's another piece of background leading up to this project at 1317 East Carson. Our daughter, Laura, and I, Elisa Beck, went to the Chatham University Campus in Pittsburgh, PA, to look around. Laura will be taking some classes there this Fall semester, and she wanted to see the campus.

So we took the grand tour. And what a tour it was. In addition to Laura learning about ongoing opportunities and activities on campus, meeting a few people, familiarizing herself with the grounds, buying her books, and figuring out where her classes would be held, I took a journey down memory lane. And I realized that the next journey is just beginning. Buddha Beginner's Mind Big Time!

Along the tour route, I ‘ran into’ Mary Whitney, Mary Kostolos, and David Hazzenzahl. I served on the Board of Directors of the Rachel Carson Homestead Association with both Mary’s in the late 1990’s, early 2000’s. Mary Whitney is now the Chatham's Sustainability Coordinator and Mary Kostolos is a Professor Emeritus in the Biology Department. Mary Whitney informed me that she is writing her Ph.D. dissertation on the Transition Town movement. She’d like to talk to me about it. I suppose I am a good person to talk to about Transition. After all, this project at 1317 East Carson Street is a Transition Town project. How so, you might ask?

The Transition Town (www.transitionpgh.org and www.transitionus.org) Movement is based in Permaculture and works with the concept of moving from Peak Oil to Resilience. And Transition Town work has to do with synchronicity and authenticity and organization and ease and dis-ease and health and healing and vision and engineering and architecture and Permaculture and creativity and community and people’s sensibilities and social and environmental justice and equality and evolving into and BEING and DOING and PLANNING all at the same time in this next era we are cusping into. All rolled into one! Mark Dixon of Your Environmental Road Trip , YERT.org, Greg Boulos of Blackberry Meadows Farm and Jeff Newman of the Pittsburgh Garden Experiment along with me, Elisa Beck of Schwartz Living Market, Friend us on Facebook!, and the 1317 East Carson Street project, http://1317eastcarson.blogspot.com and founder of Sustainable Monroeville,  www.sustainablemonroeville.com: the four of us folks with Jeff Newman in the lead, brought the Transition Town Movement to Pittsburgh a few years back. Between the four of us, we've planned and attended many, many marvelous Transition Trainings in the Pittsburgh region. Fred Brown, the Associate Director for Program Development and Malik Bankston, the Executive Director of the Kingsley Association in Larimer have taken a leading role in developing a really 'green' community in Larimer and are one of the sites in the city of Pittsburgh where the Transition Town Trainings have been offered. The Cedars in Monroeville, and the Carnegie Mellon Campus, the Shadow Lounge and other locations have been some of the other sites where the Trainings 4 Transition have occured. 

This project at 1317 serves as the overlap, the integration, and the prototypical integrator piece. At 1317 East Carson we, as part of the hub for Transition in the Pittsburgh region, are carving out the opportunity to educate the folk on Main Street USA, even in the middle of Partyville, USA, all about PERMACULTURE! Yipee!

Overlap, integration, of what? The doing and the being. The being and the doing. The inner and outer ecosystems. The Biological model, the Sustainable Regenerative and Living Building models, and the Health/ Preventative Living Foods with Enzymes model. The Sense of Place. Love and Authenticity. Permaculture. All of it. Together. All wrapped up into one.

I met David Hazzenzahl. at a welcome party at Bernie Goldstein’s home last year, was it? I showed up early and greeted David in the elevator. I remember him asking me what I was doing there. He was mighty nervous that day. After all, he was entering a new space in his life at that time. Today, David proudly reported to me that the first fourteen Master’s students in Sustainability are starting into the program this Fall. Go Chatham! The Master’s in Food Studies Program is in full swing at this point. The first graduates have arrived into the world with their degrees. Congratulations to all of them. How awesome!

 The only other person I know at Chatham is Patty DeMarco, Ph.D. Educated as a chemist and having a distinguished career, Patty is the former Executive Director of the Rachel Carson Homestead and now the Director of the Rachel Carson Institute at Chatham University. May all of these wonderful folks continue to thrive and may Chatham University be one of the many local schools representing their amazing programs on the Historic Main Street South Side project we are creating!

Vendor opportunities are available for regional Non- Profits at Schwartz Living Market located at 1317 East Carson Street in Pittsburgh, PA. The twenty vendor booths will be occupied by food, arts and Non-Profit vendors. The Non-Profit booths are being offered at no charge on Saturdays for the first year of operation. If you are part of a Non Profit that would like to represent itself between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM for one or two Saturdays during our first year of operation, let us know, and we will put you on the calendar. We expect to open our doors soon, starting on Saturdays only and then expanding to six or seven days a week! If you are a healthful food vendor or arts vendor let us know if you are interested in a three or six month lease. For inquiries, contact Pam Barroso at pjs787@gmail.com Mailing address is Schwartz Living Market, P.O.Box 81081, Pittsburgh, PA 15217

We are working to create space for all of us creative souls to express our genius, unencumbered! Bravo!

 Elisa Beck :)
1317 East Carson Street in Pittsburgh's Historic South Side, Schwartz Living Market, An Urban Oasis for Healthful Living~ Linking the Urban and Suburban Food Not Lawns Movement with the Urban Core through the Schwartz Living Market project as the foundation

Steve demonstrating a solar battery and some green and red LED lights with Stan watching.

Frank putting finishing touches on the tin ceiling

Installed globe fixture and the newly painted panopticon in the construction zone

May the Schwartz Be With You!

Here are some highlights from the July 5, 2012 preview market party event at 1317 East Carson Street, soon to be re-opening as Schwartz Living Market! So, someone this past Thursday evening told me if we name the project right, they'll be there shopping. Or was it, if we name a drink after "May the Schwartz Be With You", they'll buy one? How about May the Schwartz Be With You Wheat Grass Juice Shots?!!!

Arlene is Morris Schwartz's granddaughter, and there I am too.  Sarah Ann Schwartz, may she rest in peace, Morris's daughter, and Arlene and Stan's Aunt, was deaf.  I am signing, I love you. Arlene and I are standing in front of Jenna West's Schwartz Living Market display. Jenna has designed our logo, cards, and brochure and there will be more design work coming!

What an amazing evening, this past July 5, 2012, was! Some folks asked why the  @#$% were we having a party when it was renovation and reconstruction we need to be doing? And what will it be? The newly invented Schwartz Market as Schwartz Living Market? What will BE there? So many questions and so few clear answers! So, now you know how this project has been going. We are doing it...ALL... and all at once! We love it and enjoy it, and it can be simply maddening, at times, to do it all. The clarity is coming. It is all developing. Slow development it's called. Hour by hour. Day by Day. And then we sit back, lay back, and in our case, stand tall, and contemplate. And revel in our creation!

Laura, Rachel, Elisa and Stan, and who is that other guy next to Stan? Anyone know him?! 

Stan and Arlene's grandfather was Morris Schwartz. Morris came over to the United States from Hungary in the early part of the century and established Schwartz Market in Pittsburgh's historic South Side. We honor the legacy of Morris Scwartz and his wife Helen Schwartz. I understand they were two amazing, energetic, family and community oriented individuals.

The Schwartz Living Market is to be the engine for green growth for the overall Living Building project we are slowly and mindfully developing. What is a Living Building? Go to the Phipps Conservatory website to check out the almost open Living Building project right here in our own town of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Or go to the www.ilbi.org website to read about the details. We are working towards meeting the Living Building Challenge of an existing historic structure. A feat that has not yet been accomplished in this world yet, at least not that I know of. Exciting? You betcha! Why a party? We needed a party just about now!

Thanks SO much to all of you that vended and that participated at our preview market party on July 5, 2012. Below are a few highlights and we will blog with more details in the next days and weeks. The evening was truly fantabulous! Thanks so much to every individual and every family and every vendor. The evening showed us that the space is just perfect as a market space. I was so overwhelmed by the sweet wonderful energy the surrounded us the whole time! I wished the evening had been about three hours longer so I had had time to speak to each individual vendor for at least 15 minutes. I did not make it to each of the booths and did not even realize some of the vendors were there. I sincerely apologize for that from the bottom of my heart. Life and experience teaches so many important lessons, and I feel blessed to be part of all of this!

Thanks for being there and selling your books Patty Lemer, Executive Director of Developmental Delay Resources, and teaching us about Envisioning a Bright Future and selling your books. Thanks Jonothan for the delicious vegetarian food you prepared that will be part of our Transition Kitchen and to your family for being there too.

Thanks Jamie Glover of Global Lovin' one of our permanent vendors, for being there in our five foot deep prototype vendor booth. Your responsibly imported beautiful clothing from Thailand is just magnificent! Who is that standing with you and who is that shopping? Thank you both too!

Thanks Councilman Bill Peduto, and Jim McCue, and Sheila Collins, and that other handsome guy in the photo, for being there!

Dave, Hazel, Bob and Arlene

Thanks Dad for being there. You got to meet Hazel, who is older than you at 101! You were the patriarch and matriarch of the evening. You could feel young at 100 years and 9 months! Bob and Arlene, thank you too for being supportive of this project. Bob worked supplying tea to the Schwartz Market for many years. Both he and his Mom, Hazel have been family friend forever and are now retired, but not tired! We were so lucky Arlene joined us from California!

Incredible original hand painted T-shirts by Thrice Great Apparel

Thanks Miguel Sague, another of the permanent vendors, for your authentic Native American treasures. 

Darrell Frey of Three Sisters Farm and author of the book Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm,  is doing the Permaculture Site Design for the project for 1317 East Carson Street along with Elizabeth Lynch and Tara Alexander. All three of these amazing individuals have been involved in the planning and implementation of this project.

Liz and Jenna in the construction zone!

Thanks Three Sisters Farm and Liz and Darrell for all you are doing!

Thanks Tony Albrect for being the chief architect on the project and explaining to others what this project is all about and for understanding this process!

Thanks Ji, and an extra special thanks to Chad, for organizing the vendors and so much more for this evening and way beyond! 

Laura and Adira, Morris Schwartz's great-grandaughters, are chatting while others watch me take their photo from the Soap Box. The Soap Box 52 will be featured in the market for you to stand up and speak your truth! Non-profits are being offered a vendor booth for between one and three weeks on Saturdays only, for the first year of operation at no charge.

A special thanks to the Pennsylvania Resources Council for supplying the composting and recycling receptacles so this could be a zero waste event and to the Albert of Zerofossil for teaching us about wonderful alternatives to fossil fuels.

 I will go on and on in the next blog to continue to thank all of you that I have not yet mentioned.
Enjoy the photos and keep following this blog for project updates. We project opening by very late summer and with all of your help, we will continue to exceed everyone's expectations!

For more details and if you'd like to vend in the space at 1317 East Carson Street in the new Schwartz Living Market, please contact Pam Barroso at:

pjs787@gmail.com

Elisa Beck:)
http://1317eastcarson.blogspot.com
Like Schwartz Market on Facebook!

You Are Invited!

  

Sunflower shoots, wheat grass and are those sunflowers or pea shoots next? Spring at The Becks Sprout Farm. What is behind this Living Market that will be opening this summer at 1317 East Carson Street this summer? Now is your chance to find out!

You are invited and Save the Date! Come one, Come all! If you are reading this blog, you are invited to our fun(d) raising party on Thursday evening, July 5, 2012, at 1317 East Carson Street from 6:00 to 8:30 PM at the site of the new Schwartz Living Market. The suggested cost for you to grace us with your presence/presents will be between $15 and $100, or more, as we all want to see this project bloom beyond even your wildest expectations! The joy and deep insights that have come our way thus far over the past three years have already exceeded our expectations. What more can we ask for in life?

What will be going on at this fun raiser? You'll meet the zerofossil guy who is using some solar powered batteries to light up a dark corner and power our juicer. You'll see our newly exposed and restored tin ceiling and original wood floors. You'll learn about Permaculture from one of the originals, Darrell Frey, author of Bioshelter Market Garden: A Permaculture Farm, c 2011. You'll have the opposrtunity to purchase a signed copy of his book!  You'll meet lots of local folks running fantastic non-profit organizations in this western Pennsylvania region. You'll be able to buy delicious raw vegan food, drink a few ounces of wheat grass juice, sample and buy Moteasa's hand blended teas, and get up on the soap box to speak, dance or sing your truth, if you'd like to. You'll meet local business owners and be able to buy their wares including the Enchanted Gardeners just a half a block away and Artemis Environmental! Building New Hope will be there with their wonderful fairly trade, organic, shade grown coffee, Cecily of Juice Heaven will be selling her delicious juices, and there will be many vendors including Jenn's Jems, Globallovin with their clothing and accessories, and Miguel Sague with Native American arts and crafts and health and beauty items, and other surprises!

If you are interested in vending in the space when we open our doors this summer, contact Pam Barroso at pjs787@gmail.com, to get a vendor application. The prototype vendor booth is set up for you to see, and the lease agreement ready for you! We will help you in any way we can. There are a few remaining vendor spaces, so time is of the essence if you are interested in journeying with us as a vendor in the space at 1317 East Carson Street on Pittburgh's Historic South Side! Details can be found in the blog entry before this one at http://1317eastcarson.blogspot.com

We look forward to seeing you on July 5! Join us at 5:00 PM to see the South Side screening of Transition 2.0, the international documentary with local stars from The Whitney Avenue Farm LIVE! 


Elisa Beck~~  Schwartz Living Market  ~~~ Join Schwartz Market on Facebook! 

Schwartz Living Market: Call for Vendors!

Schwartz Living Market at 1317 East Carson Street in the heart of Pittsburgh’s historic South Side will be opening this summer, 2012, on Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM. We are looking for vendors that are interested in selling delicious healthy foods and drinks, beautiful art and more! There will be 16 vendor booths and a kitchen with a  cafe. The fees for booth rental are $50.00 to $60.00/ day and between $200.00 and $240.00/month at first with three month leases for food vendors, and six month leases for artists and others.  Contact Pam Barroso at 412-315-9319, pjs787@gmail.com for a vendor application. We are working towards forming a cooperative/collaborative among the vendors and plan to expand to six days/week. Join us in the adventure of a life time!

Inside the building we will be showcasing local environmental and other non-profits and educating and engaging the local community about what sustainability and regenerative design and living is all about. If you are involved in a non profit that would like to display inside the market, please contact us!

Our long term project of transforming the building into a Living Building of an existing historic structure that is zero net energy and zero net water is in the works! As you may know, our project has been registered with the International Living Futures Institute for over a year! Pretty cool for the ‘ Burgh and Main Street USA, eh?

Mmm, Mmm, good!

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Schwartz Living Market, Phillips Elementary and Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation Collaborate!

The children learned about Joe Liotta and how he has hand painted the signs since 1938!

The students learned about plants and living buildings from Liz Lynch and Tara Alexander. 

Fourth grade students arriving at the market, in the sunshine, for a tour. Was it a long walk?

Schwartz Living Market at 1317 East Carson Street was infused with wonderful energy on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, when over 40 students from South Side's Phillips Elementary School visited. In collaboration with Pittsburgh History and Landmarks, the students had the opportunity to tour the building and learn about the project in the renovation stage. The children were able to learn first hand about the long term "living building" and "green" plans, see the newly exposed and primed original tin ceiling, circa 1850, we think, learn about how ice was used in grocery warehouses to keep food cold, peek into an old walk-in freezer lined with cork, stand in the giant freight elevator and do some awesome drumming to energize themselves, their teachers, and the space!

That's a tall elevator shaft!

Having some fun!

Phillips Elementary students walking from East Carson Street towards Bingham Street under a newly- primed tin ceiling in the Schwartz Market building at 1317 E. Carson Street.

The kids learned about the rhythm of life from Chad and then had their own chance to drum and jingle, and feel the beat!

Thanks so much to Phillips Elementary School, Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and the teachers, interns and parents that made this visit so memorable! Also a huge thanks to the Schwartz Living Market and 1317 E. Carson Street project team!