The Garden, Food Hub, and Farm Store
Healthy food is at the heart of our community at Stanton Home where we believe health and well-being go hand in hand. We are excited at the growth in our garden program where we have been busy this season seeding, tending, and harvesting organic vegetables thanks to our awesome staff and day program participants. Soon our farm store will be up and running and we will be able to share our goods with YOU – in the meanwhile you can check out our weavery items online here and check back soon for updates about the opening of the store at North Plain.
Food is our life force and brings us energy and nutrition and we believe everybody should have access to quality food. Our garden and farm programs are an integral part of our day program, where our team cares for the land and grows organic vegetables and more on our certified biodynamic farm. The principles of farming in this way honor the farm as a living organism and help us follow the cycles of nature in how we work and tend to the land. If you want to learn more about biodynamic farming practices you can read here .
All of this would not be possible without our wonderful staff who have helped us grow immensely over this past season.
Get to know our team...
Our Garden Manager Katie Herbst coordinates our wonderful team of gardeners and leads programming in our garden space, bringing smiles and fun to all activities while working sun up to sun down to make sure all the produce gets to where it needs to be.
Katie completed a degree in social work at the University of Vermont, traveling and working across the globe, from Hawaii to New Zealand, before coming to the Berkshires to join our community at Stanton Home.
Our Food Hub manager and farm store aficionado, Joe Scully, is from Worcester MA and has an extensive background in food systems and farming. As an active member of the local Berkshire food scene for many years he has joined us this season to step up our capacity in our food and farm activities.
One of his favorite vegetables are turnips (specifically the Gilfeather turnip), which has become a favorite snack of Orchard House while working out in the gardens on these long summer days.
Staying busy in the food hub
Tessa has been working in the food hub every Tuesday helping to harvest, pack and deliver fresh produce to all of the Stanton Home’s.
Sami has also been working every week and shared about her time on Tuesdays in the Food Hub: “We harvested scallions and kale and we go up to North Plain Farm to pick up the meat and milk. We bag up the kale and scallions before the food truck comes and get all the bags ready.”
Below, Marshall loves the garden activities and the tractor.
Inclusiveness - At the heart of what we do
We believe everyone has the right to enjoy meaningful work and activities in our programs. We make sure there are ways that all residents can participate in ways that feel engaging. Therapeutic arts are a natural segue to the abundance of the garden.
Here the garden team prepared calendula flowers to be made into balms and salves.
During the heatwaves we experienced in June, many activities were done under the shade of our great maple tree in the front yard. Above, Maggie and Clay are arranging flowers to enjoy at home.
During a time when many of us have been challenged by distance and the many difficulties of the pandemic we are grateful for the continuing support of our community that helps us thrive.
