Churchview Farm

as spring shifts into summer (at least temperature-wise) we see changes in the blooms and landscapes in & around our flower gardens. some of the more muted colors of spring tend to fade, and we start to see those bold summer blooms show up 🌺⁣
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one of our aesthetic goals for the Churchview flower gardens is to always have colors and textures that provide interest, and reflect the season 🍃⁣
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𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙖 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙛 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩’𝙨 𝙉𝙤𝙬 𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 (𝙤𝙛𝙛) 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙩𝙮 𝙖𝙩 𝘾𝙑𝙁⁣
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spring favorites, including -⁣
annual poppy (var. amazing grey)⁣
yarrow, ⁣
comfrey, ⁣
California poppy, ⁣
lamb’s ear,⁣
bupleurum
are all still showing up. but we’re also seeing first glimpses of early summer garden staples like -
red hot poker (aka torch lily),⁣
echinacea,⁣
snapdragons,⁣
zinnia,⁣
hydrangea ⁣
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we love seeing more & new blooms each day…it’s all part of the magic of the season ✨⁣

Now that groundbreaking is on the horizon, we’re able to share some of the plans for the interior of our new Teaching Kitchen!

This new facility, powered largely by solar, will include an open commercial kitchen with (among other things) a pizza oven, Italian induction range, multiple convection ovens, two ADA restrooms, and an indoor space to host around 40 people for all manner of education and dining experiences.

After completion (later this year) we will begin to offer *year-round* workshops, classes, intimate Farm Dinners, and private event rentals.

And of course we’ll keep you, our Farm Fam, updated on all the developments over the next few months. We truly cannot wait to share all of our progress and excitement with you, and grow into this new era of Churchview together ❣️

the spring flower garden really is a thing of beauty ✨ it’s especially exciting for us gardeners to watch the landscape change, practically before our eyes, as new textures and colors of blooms and foliage begin to shine. and as soon as one starts to fade, three others pop up in its place…a beautiful cycle.⁣
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here’s a little collection of what we’re seeing in the Churchview gardens during April and early May, and what’s likely also happening in your gardens at home 🌸⁣
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🌱 the beginning of perennial saliva, showy giant allium (or as my friend calls them, “Dr Seuss flowers”), delicate creeping phlox, and Dutch iris.⁣
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🌱 my favorite, the peony. from my grandma’s delicate heirlooms with the 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 fragrance, to those giant ruffled puffy blooms, these showoffs start now and continue to bloom over the coming weeks.⁣
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🌱 don’t sleep on trees and shrubs, with their spring flowers and stunning foliage (also a fab addition to spring bouquets). pictured here are lilac, tricolor beech, dogwood, rhododendron, and viburnum.⁣
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🌱 poppy! whether oriental or annual, the colorful crepe petals are showstoppers in the spring garden. they may be gone in the blink of an eye, but they’re WORTH IT. and, the beautiful seed pods left behind are excellent in dried arrangements (or just left in the garden).⁣
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🌱 iris! always one of the first to add color to the spring flower bed, and a great cut flower for the first bouquets. also one of the easiest to grow, as you can pretty much toss them in the ground and just let them do their thing, year after year.⁣
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🌱 the interesting variety of foliage and delicate early blooms in the shade garden are often the unsung heroes of the spring landscape and arrangements. False Solomon, lamb’s ear, hosta, bluebells, ferns, and lily of the valley add color and texture that are a lovely balance to the more showy blooms of springtime. ⁣
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whenever you are, get out there and explore the colorful surprises in your gardens and neighborhoods this spring ☀️ they won’t be around for long.

Though this is normally the time of year when we would start teasing our Weeknight Dinner Series, this time around things are a bit different 😉 In case you missed the big news, we are constructing a brand new indoor Teaching Kitchen (and event space ✨) slated for completion later this year. In the meantime, no need to fret — our sold-out Sunday Dinner Series will kick off in July, and we’ll announce more opportunities to dine with us as soon as humanly possible❣️

happy earth day, friends 🌏🌳🌱⛅️⁣
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we’re excited to already be enjoying so much fresh food, and it’s just the beginning. here’s a bit of what’s been making the short trip from the fields to our kitchens, going home with our farm fam, and shared with friends. ⁣
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I’m grateful to be the host of Churchview, to share this space with so many incredible people, and to be part of a fabulously supportive sustainable food & education community in Pgh. ⁣
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enjoy some sunshine today, and maybe munch on a fresh piece of asparagus in celebration ☀️

Tara and her team of work shares & volunteers are already taking our 2026 growing season extremely seriously. It takes an incredible amount of time, planning, & effort to grow as much produce as we do at Churchview, even for an intimate “farmette” like ours. But it’s all more than worth it in the end, because everything grown will either go home with the folks who grew it, or end up in the hands of our amazing chef partners. It’s hard to get much more farm-to-table than that. 👩‍🌾🚜🫜

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮! We’re thrilled to announce that CVF will be issuing a Request for Bids (RFB) available on May 1, 2026, for the construction of our teaching kitchen building. Grant funding (generously provided to us by Allegheny County to offset construction costs) requires that this project be advertised widely in order to ensure a fair and open bidding process and contractor selection. ⁣
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𝗛𝗲𝗹𝗽 𝘂𝘀 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗱 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄. Interested contractors should read the attached public notice for information about how to obtain the RFB. ⁣
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Adjacent to our existing outdoor dining pavilion, this indoor facility will include a fully equipped kitchen and teaching space where we will offer year-round programming, including a variety of workshops, classes and events.⁣
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Thanks to our CVF friends & family for your support and patience as we undergo this monumental development for our (very) small business, and for our community. We cannot wait to share our progress, and welcome you into the new space!

it’s a wild world out there, friends, and we couldn’t be more thankful that springtime weather, crops, and our workshare & volunteer family have started to return to CVF. ⁣
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the weekend was filled with glorious sunshine and warm temps ☀️, fresh asparagus/herbs/eggs, unwrapping fig trees, working in flower beds, transplanting over 1500 seedlings (!), and a big group of smiling faces 🥰⁣
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guest starring babies snoozing in harvest baskets and toddlers happily plopped in the grass, it was one of those weekends that fills me with gratitude for the day, and excitement for the season to come.⁣
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we’ve got this 👩🏻‍🌾💚

When was the last time we talked about how much we love all of the sweet animals at Churchview? ALL of our animals (pets included) aside from our laying hens are rescues.

We are currently home to two dogs, three cats, three goats, two geese, 8 ducks, 6 roosters, and about 70+ laying hens - all of whom are free to roam the farm (in various capacities).

Our beloved 🐶s Fran & Lucy are often present to greet our Dinner Series guests ❣️ But don’t worry if Fran isn’t around — she sometimes gets overwhelmed by so many smiling faces and takes a night off at her grandparents’ house down the hill.

🐱s Bunny, Poppyseed, and Paprika are our feline companions (and savvy hunters). Our 🦆🐓🪿 friends are known to contribute to toasts and speeches during our private events 😉 and our sweet 🐐 ladies love it when our guests give them a little treat (provided for all events, weather permitting).

We love all of our animals so deeply, and it’s just wonderful that all of you do, too ❤️

the 2026 CSA workshare program at Churchview is full, and we’re so exited to start the growing season with another fabulous team 🌱⭐️⁣
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there are a few new faces joining us, and lots of familiar ones (including those who predate certain now-humongous puppies) 🐶🐶 ⁣
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as always, we’re gearing up for a season full of sweat, laughter, dirty fingernails, farmer tans, conversation, hard work, sore muscles, and tons of fresh & delicious food 🥬🍓🥝🥒🥕🌶️🥚🥚🥚⁣
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spaces on the volunteer list are also filling up, but all the info is on our website under 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘳𝘩 𝘶𝘴 (link in bio). if you’re interested, check it out and shoot us an email 🪏⁣
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see you out there in the sunshine ☀️