Volunteer Spotlight: Tara Barrett
- Friends of Clermont
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
Tara has been a volunteer in our Harvesting History garden since May 2024. She came upon Clermont when she first moved to Red Hook and was looking to learn more about the local community and its history. After taking a tour of the mansion, she decided to get involved.
What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
Volunteering in the Harvesting History garden is a unique experience. Most of the food we grow is donated to local food banks. To give back in a way that not only benefits Clermont, but the local community in such an impactful way, it’s an extra cherry on top. By volunteering in the garden, you also get a sense of comradery. We have less volunteers in the Harvesting History garden, so we have become a tight-knit group over the last year. It is a very pure and honest group.
Can you share a specific moment or experience that stood out to you during your time as a volunteer?
It always amazes me how much food the garden can produce. Even during the change of seasons when the garden appears to be dormant, there is always something waiting to be harvested. There is such abundance every week, and it was humbling to see how much the garden truly provided. There were points during the summer when we would harvest beans for weeks!
What skills or lessons have you gained from your time as a volunteer?
When I first signed up as a volunteer, I thought that I would be working in the ornamental gardens, so I expected that I would learn how to care for floral gardens. When I learned that there was a need in the vegetable garden, I was hesitant because I do not have a working knowledge of vegetables, and I wasn’t sure if my presence would be helpful. But in the Harvesting History garden, I am learning so much more than I thought was possible! We learn about how to plant, tend to, and harvest a wide variety of vegetables and edible flowers. But most of all, I gained the confidence to try to implement what I have learned in my own personal gardens. You need to have patience when it comes to growing vegetables. The satisfaction is not instantaneous as it might be when planting flowering plants for an ornamental garden. You have to be comfortable with allowing yourself to not know everything and being open to learning new things.
How do you stay motivated to continue volunteering?
Volunteers only meet in the gardens once a week, and it's early in the day, so it's easy to settle into a routine. My day would just be starting regardless if I was at the garden or not, so I might as well use my time to help others. Being a part of something bigger than yourself and giving back to the community in such an impactful way, it really doesn’t get better than that. Being in the garden and harvesting our crops is the reason that people have food on their tables. The state’s horticulturist, Leslie Reed, ensures that the garden has a wide variety of vegetables, so the harvest is always varied. Just because someone goes to a food bank doesn’t mean that they don’t deserve variety when it comes to their food. Everyone deserves to cook fun food.
How do you feel that your work has impacted Clermont?
The Harvesting History garden is tucked away from most of the walking trails, and because of this, most visitors do not physically see the work that we do. In a sense, our work in the gardens is more mission-based. The Harvesting History garden is a teaching garden created for the purpose of learning and giving back to the community. We are helping to maintain a sense of place in the community just as the Livingston family did not that long ago. I am looking forward to getting back to the garden and having another successful season!
Interested in volunteering at Clermont? Here’s what you need to know.
