Harvesting History 2025 Scrapbook
- Friends of Clermont
- Nov 17
- 3 min read
We’ve been busy bees this year with the Harvesting History program!
Check out our 2025 scrapbook below.
What did our garden grow?
Our garden may be tiny, but it is mighty! This year, we donated 65 pounds of fresh produce to food banks around Columbia and Greene counties, including the Germantown Community Cupboard and the Salvation Army Food Pantry in Hudson. That’s 200 pints of assorted fresh produce, 117 heads of artisanal lettuce and greens, 53 heads of garlic, 63 bunches of salad greens, and 35 floral bouquets.
We harvested 54 different botanicals this year, including artisanal greens (arugula, baby spinach, claytonia, endive, French sorrel, iceberg lettuce, little gem lettuce, mache, Marvel of the four seasons lettuce, pea shoots, red leaf lettuce, salad mix, and Swiss chard), herbs and aromatics (basil [Genovese & Thai], bronze fennel fronds, Chinese flowering garlic chives, garlic & garlic scapes, lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass, lemon verbena, Mexican mint tarragon, oregano, peppermint, rosemary, sage, spearmint, stevia, and thyme [English & French]), vegetables (kohlrabi, patty pan squash, peas [snow & sugar snap], peppers [Buena mulata, Italian frying, mixed sweet/lunchbox], potatoes [Yukon gold], radishes [cherry belle & Easter egg], squash blossoms, and yellow squash), and florals (black-eyes Susans, borage, calendula, daffodils, dahlias, forget-me-nots, nasturtium, snapdragons, violas, and zinnias). We even grew our own hazelnuts this year!
Thank you to our volunteers!
None of this would have been possible without the hard work and dedication of Horticultural Technician Leslie Reed, Outdoor Education Assistant Lila McPherson, Horticultural Aid Tara Barrett, Parks and Recreation Aide Jackson Tilley, Friends of Clermont Advancement Manager Emily Meyer, and volunteer Lorrie Renz. We were also fortunate to have five student volunteers from Tech Valley High School this summer: James Braine, Rowan Braine, Dan Crimmins, Catalina Wheeler, and Sal Roberts.
If you are interested in volunteering, please fill out our volunteer form.
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.
Program partners
From in-classroom instruction to after-school programs to summer camps, we were fortunate to partner with 11 local schools and organizations this year: Athens Middle School, Camp Oakdale, Clermont State Historic Site, Edward J. Arthur Elementary School, Germantown Central School District, Hudson City Department of Youth, In Flight, Operation Unite NY & their 4H Freedom Farmers, Red Hook Central School District, Spark of Hudson, and Tech Valley High School.
Thanks to our partners, we were able to reach 1,137 participants, including 952 schoolchildren and 187 teachers, camp counselors, and adults with developmental disabilities. This year’s students were able to take part in 26 program offerings, ranging from entomology to making natural food dyes, and of course, how to start seedlings for their own gardens.
We look forward to welcoming the next group of Harvesting History students in the new year!
What’s next for Harvesting History?
Even as we put the garden to “bed” for the year, the Harvesting History program never truly stops. Even though our harvesting may come to an end, we still aim to support our community through the holiday season.
Now through Wednesday, December 31, we are partnering with Clermont State Historic Site and the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York to host a food drive to support the Germantown Food Pantry. Needed items include shelf-stable milk and dairy, cooking oils, canned meat (chicken and fish), canned vegetables and fruit, peanut butter and jelly, dry cereals, hearty canned soups and chilis, baby food, boxed pasta and rice, stuffing mix, and other easily prepared meals. Monetary donations are also being collected. Any donation, big or small, makes a significant impact on our community. All proceeds directly support the Germantown Food Pantry and the communities they serve.
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.
