BERLIN – The Good Farm is again offering free vegetables in exchange for volunteer labor.
Located at Mariner’s Country Down on Sinepuxent Road off Route 611, the Good Farm grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables without the use of artificial chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides and maintains a small flock of chickens, whose eggs are sold along with the produce.
Volunteers are invited to take whatever vegetables are ready to be eaten, just as volunteers at the farm did last year.
In additional to doing a myriad of chores at The Good Farm, its founder, Christie McDowell, has held a Kids Day and children’s birthday parties at the site this year.
“We hosted our first field trip in June for Carmella’s Kids and would like to continue to do field trips for schools,” McDowell said July 18.
Children got a mini-lesson on worms and each took home a personal worm bin so they experience getting rid of kitchen scraps by putting the scraps in the bins. It is known as vermiculture composting.
“Kids love it,” McDowell said.
A new venture this year is composting with the community’s help, so volunteers are needed for that project. Volunteers could find restaurants to participate or they could enlist people to gather compostable items at their homes.
“People could involve themselves in that project to collect scraps and bring them to the farm,” said volunteer Emily Meadows. “We’re on our third bin now.”
Turning the compost is unnecessary because the chickens turn it when they walk over it.
“When I pull up [in my vehicle], the chickens know I bring food scraps,” Meadows said.
People are invited to get a pail at Go Organic in Berlin for a nominal deposit. After collecting kitchen scraps in it, they may return it to Go Organic, located at an edge of the parking lot near the county dental clinic in Berlin, just off William Street, where there will be an educational installation of composting.
“It’s a single cube just so people can see what it’s like,” McDowell said.
After depositing their compost material, they will get a clean pail to continue collecting their scraps. Scrap-collectors may also take their material to The Good Farm.
McDowell has been picking up kitchen waste and used coffee grounds at Blacksmith Berlin. Restaurants, including Baked Dessert Café, The Hobbit and Decatur Diner, also contribute compost. Additional participants include the Berlin Coffee House and Birch’s Produce.
For those who want to get down and dirty, Sunday volunteer days have been reinstated. Meadows and others will be there from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“People can just show up or email in advance,” Meadows said. “There’s always something to do.”
McDowell is at The Good Farm often, but she welcomes volunteers, including families, to join her Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional dates and times may be posted online at www.facebook.com/TheGoodFarm.
Among the chores are weeding, harvesting for farmers markets, seeding trays, direct seeding, watering, transplanting and spreading compost.
“I just like being out here in the sunshine and helping Christie out,” said D.J. Kazmaier, a volunteer who grew up on a New Jersey horse farm. “It reminds me of home. I like being around animals.”
Although Kazmaier enjoys working at The Good Farm, he said he would like to have more volunteers to share the experience.
Additional options, for those not into physical labor at the farm, include publicity of various sorts. Meadows painted signs for the volunteer campaign and she runs Instagram for The Good Farm. Another person designed the farm’s Web site, wegrowgoodfood.com.
Benefits of volunteering at the farm, in addition to the natural benefits of exercise, being outdoors and meeting like-minded people, include those free vegetables. A new benefit is expected to be participation in a half or whole cow, already slaughtered.
In addition to volunteers, The Good Farm could use a few items. These include five- and 10-gallon buckets for collecting compost and pallets, many of which were used to build an enclosure for the chickens.
McDowell, who seems to have boundless energy, sells The Good Farm’s bounty at the Fenwick Island Farmers Market and recently returned from the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference and plans to hold an Open House for Educators in August. She hopes that county teachers, Board of Education members, the Worcester County Commissioners, PTA officers and members of the general public would visit The Good Farm for a tour to learn about it.
Additional future projects include participation in seed libraries in Pittsville and Chestertown sponsored by the Maryland Public Libraries, being a member of the writing team for Chesapeake Food Farms, a possible appointment to the Governor’s Agricultural Commission and a possible book.
In her spare time, McDowell is a behavioral health registered nurse at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge.
Located at Mariner’s Country Down on Sinepuxent Road off Route 611, the Good Farm grows a wide variety of fruits and vegetables without the use of artificial chemicals, fertilizers or pesticides and maintains a small flock of chickens, whose eggs are sold along with the produce.
Volunteers are invited to take whatever vegetables are ready to be eaten, just as volunteers at the farm did last year.
In additional to doing a myriad of chores at The Good Farm, its founder, Christie McDowell, has held a Kids Day and children’s birthday parties at the site this year.
“We hosted our first field trip in June for Carmella’s Kids and would like to continue to do field trips for schools,” McDowell said July 18.
Children got a mini-lesson on worms and each took home a personal worm bin so they experience getting rid of kitchen scraps by putting the scraps in the bins. It is known as vermiculture composting.
“Kids love it,” McDowell said.
A new venture this year is composting with the community’s help, so volunteers are needed for that project. Volunteers could find restaurants to participate or they could enlist people to gather compostable items at their homes.
“People could involve themselves in that project to collect scraps and bring them to the farm,” said volunteer Emily Meadows. “We’re on our third bin now.”
Turning the compost is unnecessary because the chickens turn it when they walk over it.
“When I pull up [in my vehicle], the chickens know I bring food scraps,” Meadows said.
People are invited to get a pail at Go Organic in Berlin for a nominal deposit. After collecting kitchen scraps in it, they may return it to Go Organic, located at an edge of the parking lot near the county dental clinic in Berlin, just off William Street, where there will be an educational installation of composting.
“It’s a single cube just so people can see what it’s like,” McDowell said.
After depositing their compost material, they will get a clean pail to continue collecting their scraps. Scrap-collectors may also take their material to The Good Farm.
McDowell has been picking up kitchen waste and used coffee grounds at Blacksmith Berlin. Restaurants, including Baked Dessert Café, The Hobbit and Decatur Diner, also contribute compost. Additional participants include the Berlin Coffee House and Birch’s Produce.
For those who want to get down and dirty, Sunday volunteer days have been reinstated. Meadows and others will be there from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
“People can just show up or email in advance,” Meadows said. “There’s always something to do.”
McDowell is at The Good Farm often, but she welcomes volunteers, including families, to join her Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Additional dates and times may be posted online at www.facebook.com/TheGoodFarm.
Among the chores are weeding, harvesting for farmers markets, seeding trays, direct seeding, watering, transplanting and spreading compost.
“I just like being out here in the sunshine and helping Christie out,” said D.J. Kazmaier, a volunteer who grew up on a New Jersey horse farm. “It reminds me of home. I like being around animals.”
Although Kazmaier enjoys working at The Good Farm, he said he would like to have more volunteers to share the experience.
Additional options, for those not into physical labor at the farm, include publicity of various sorts. Meadows painted signs for the volunteer campaign and she runs Instagram for The Good Farm. Another person designed the farm’s Web site, wegrowgoodfood.com.
Benefits of volunteering at the farm, in addition to the natural benefits of exercise, being outdoors and meeting like-minded people, include those free vegetables. A new benefit is expected to be participation in a half or whole cow, already slaughtered.
In addition to volunteers, The Good Farm could use a few items. These include five- and 10-gallon buckets for collecting compost and pallets, many of which were used to build an enclosure for the chickens.
McDowell, who seems to have boundless energy, sells The Good Farm’s bounty at the Fenwick Island Farmers Market and recently returned from the National Agriculture in the Classroom conference and plans to hold an Open House for Educators in August. She hopes that county teachers, Board of Education members, the Worcester County Commissioners, PTA officers and members of the general public would visit The Good Farm for a tour to learn about it.
Additional future projects include participation in seed libraries in Pittsville and Chestertown sponsored by the Maryland Public Libraries, being a member of the writing team for Chesapeake Food Farms, a possible appointment to the Governor’s Agricultural Commission and a possible book.
In her spare time, McDowell is a behavioral health registered nurse at Dorchester General Hospital in Cambridge.