Harvesting History Summer Scrapbook
School might be back in session, but we have a summer full of memories to look back on! Check out our summer scrapbook below.
What did our garden grow?
This summer, our team planted 47 different botanicals in our garden, including artisanal greens (assorted lettuce, broccoli greens, Jamaican sorrel/ sourleaf, kale, Swiss chard, and turnip greens), herbs and aromatics (basil [Genevese and Thai], chives, garlic, lavender, lemon verbena, oregano, parsley [curly leaf and flat leaf], peppermint, rosemary, spearmint, and thyme [French]), flowers (bee balm, black-eyed Susans, borage, dahlias, gladiolus, nasturtium, marigolds, snapdragons, squash blossoms, and zinnias), and vegetables (eggplant [Fairy Tale and Ping Tung Long], peas [snow and sugar], peppers [Buena Mulata, Fushimi, mini yellow bell, and Vinny Neopolitan], potatoes [red and purple], tomatoes [Brandywine cherry and Sungold cherry], yellow squash). We even harvested some ground cherries this year!
Thanks to the dedication of the Harvesting History team, we were able to donate 45 pounds of fresh produce to the Athens Food Bank, Germantown Community Cupboard, and the Salvation Army Soup Kitchen in Hudson. In total, our garden grew 105 pints of assorted produce, 18 bunches of salad greens, 24 floral bouquets, and 97 heads of garlic!
Sungold cherry tomatoes Fairy Tale eggplant Marigold Jamaican Sorrel (Sourleaf) Daily harvest Kale Mini yellow bell peppers Ground cherries Floral bouquet Ping Tung Long eggplant Dahlia Eggplant flower Calendula Buena Mulata peppers Black-eyed Susans
If you or someone you know needs food assistance, please visit the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to find your nearest food pantry or soup kitchen.
Meet our team
Our Harvesting History program would not be possible without the dedication of our team.
Horticultural Technician Leslie Reed creates the “master plan” for our garden every season, ensuring that there is always something to harvest. She is our lead educator for the program, teaching elementary-aged children how to grow their own food, in addition to lessons on climate science, art, creative writing, meteorology, entomology, and more! She also collaborates with our program partners, such as In-Flight Inc. and Operation Unite's 4-H Freedom Farmers.
Horticultural Aid Tara Barrett assists Leslie in our Teaching Garden, co-leading volunteers regarding planting and harvesting, as well as overall garden maintenance. As a former Harvesting History volunteer, Tara has been involved with the program for over two years.
Friends of Clermont Advancement Manager Emily Meyer works alongside Leslie, Tara, and our volunteers in the Teaching Garden, assisting with planting, harvesting, and packaging the fresh produce. Emily hand-delivers our donations to local food banks in Columbia County. She is the program’s photographer, documenting our garden through the seasons. Emily also writes, designs, and plans the program’s social media content and blog posts.
Volunteer Lorrie Renz has been with the program for over a year, diligently assisting Leslie and Emily with planting, harvesting, and packaging produce as well as assisting Tara with overall garden maintenance.
We’re looking for volunteers to join our team!
Beyond the garden gates
This summer, we worked closely with Operation Unite NY (OUNY) and their Freedom Farmers 4H Club. Under the guidance of Horticultural Technician Leslie Reed, OUNY students took part in 13 programs, including preparing projects to present at the Columbia County Fair. Other program sessions included strawberry picking, terrarium building, making herbed ice cream, identifying beneficial pollinators, and overall garden maintenance.
Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club Operation Unite NY (OUNY) Freedom Farmers 4H Club
Are you a teacher or youth leader looking to expand your students’ knowledge of seed science through hands-on experiences? Contact info@friendsofclermont.org to learn more.
What’s next for Harvesting History?
With fall right around the corner, our team is hard at work collecting our late summer harvests and planting our autumn crops. We are looking forward to welcoming this year's class of Harvesting History students.
Want to support Harvesting History?
When the Harvesting History program first began over a decade ago, it served 100 children. Today, it serves over 1,000 youth, seniors, and adults throughout Columbia and Greene counties. Consider donating to ensure that this wonderful program can continue to provide engaging educational programming for all ages, free of charge.
