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Common Ground Farm to Hold Open House May 12th
Common Ground Farm, an educational farm project located on the grounds of Stony Kill Environmental Center, will be holding an open house on Saturday May 12th from 10am to 1pm. The farm will have farm tours, local food for snacking and activities for the kids.
"This has become a tradition for us and a great way to kick off the season, " said Lisa Jessup, Executive Director of the farm. "It's a chance for us to raise awareness about the work we do and promote our produce share program."
The farm was started by a group of concerned consumers looking for a source for fresh, organic, locally produced food. In 2002, the group leased land from Stony Kill Environmental Center, hired a farmer and was up and running. Since then, the farm has expanded and serves as an educational resource for its members and their children and groups from schools and the community, including Cornell Cooperative Extension's Green Teen program and the Beacon Community Center. In addition, the farm has created a "Family Wellness Program" to provide its food to low-income families.
Common Ground Farm operates a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) share program where members purchase shares in advance of the season and pick up fresh vegetables, flowers and herbs from June through October. "This will be my sixth season with the farm and I can't imagine getting my food anywhere else," said Melanie Sherony, "We don't use any chemicals or pesticides, and for most crops, we get our food on the day it's picked."
The farm provides for both working and non-working options in its share program and most members choose to work. "You can't beat this as a way to insure your kids make healthy choices," said Shelly Tween, a member of the board of directors, "I try to bring my daughters out every week to weed, to harvest and to just play. Knowing where their food comes from, watching it grow and eating it just picked has made my children love, love their veggies."
Rebecca and Joe Schwen will be farming their second season with the farm and they will be conducting farm tours at the open house. Aside from raising food for 165 families, the farmers make themselves available to teach members and interns on the specifics of growing crops with organic methods, "this type of farming is very hand-labor intensive and therefore requires many hands and naturally builds community" said Rebecca Schwen. "It's rewarding that the fruits of your labor can also be shared with your community around the table or even just snacking on a cherry tomato in the field together.
The open house is free to all. Common Ground at Stony Kill Environmental Center is on Route 9-D, about 2 miles north of the Newburgh-Beacon bridge. For information on Common Ground's programs, the produce share program or the Family Wellness Program, contact Lisa Jessup at 831-6070 or e-mail membership@commongroundfarm.org.
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