Common Ground Farm

Today was the final BackPack distribution of the school year, and we're sending students home with two heads of Common Ground grown butterhead lettuce as well as a quart of strawberries from our friends at Nightingale Farm!

The Common Ground Farm Team has carefully planned, seeded, planted, cared for, and harvested so much for Beacon students, and are planning for even more in the fall.

CGF's BackPack program provides shelf-stable and farm fresh foods to students in the Beacon City School District who are at risk of weekend hunger. Thanks to flagship funding from the Redl Family Foundation, as well as sustaining funds from the Regional Food Bank's Food Forward program, United Way of Dutchess-Orange region, the Jeannette F. Schlobach Fund of the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, and Hudson Valley Credit Union, we have been able to grow the program as community need has increased significantly over the past four years.

We are especially grateful for our wonderful team of volunteers, our friends at the Beacon Rec Center, as well as each of the school social workers who are critical to the success of this program! 💚

Farm Camp starts at the end of this month and we can't wait! We are looking forward to a season of helping the farmers in the fields, making salsa from tomatoes we pick with our own hands, tending the garden, making art inspired by the natural world, learning, growing, and having fun together!

We still have a little space left if your kids would like to join us this summer:

🥕The week of June 29th, there is currently space available for 6-7 year olds and 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of July 6, there is currently one spot left for 6-7 year olds and 8-9 year olds, and there is space for 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of July 13, there is one spot left for 6-7 year olds and there is space for 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of July 20, there is limited space for 6-7, 8-9, and 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of July 27, there is space for 8-9 and 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of August 3, there is limited space for 8-9 and 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of August 10, there is limited space for 10-12 year olds
🥕The week of August 17, there is limited space for 8-9 and 10-12 year olds

If you haven't locked in your summer plans yet, now is the time! Visit https://www.commongroundfarm.org/farm-camp-registration to learn more and to register!

The Best Parts of U-Pick Can't Fit in a Basket

Summer U-Pick begins June 10.

They're the conversations with neighbors in the fields. The calm of spending time among the flowers and butterflies. The child who proudly carries home the vegetables they picked themselves. The vibrance of a meal made with food harvested just hours before. The feeling of being connected—to the land, to your farmers, and to a community of people committed to creating a more just and caring local food system.

By participating in U-Pick, you'll nourish your family, support local agriculture, and help ensure that fresh, local food remains accessible throughout our community.

We'd love to share this season with you.

🥕Reserve your share today. Visit the link in our bio. 💚

Connection Changes How Kids Eat

Over the years, we've heard countless stories of children who refuse vegetables at home but happily snack on peas, cherry tomatoes, and even kale while walking through the fields.

When kids connect their senses to food growing around them, they almost can't help but eat the rainbow. They pick green beans, smell herbs, search for caterpillars, help carry the harvest, and contribute to the meals their families share together.

These experiences do more than encourage healthy eating. They help children build a relationship with food, the land, and the changing seasons. They show kids that they are capable, that their contributions matter, and that they can play an important role in caring for themselves, their families, and their community.

Summer U-Pick begins June 10. Come explore the farm together. https://www.commongroundfarm.org/csa 🫑🧅🥕🍅🍆