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Rain makes all the difference in the health and productivity of our fields. August was completely dry at the farm, leaving a patchwork of grass and thirsty crops: while clouds gathered above, it seemed to rain everywhere but this hilltop. The first significant rainfall finally arrived on September 5th!
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Thank you, August Volunteers!
August volunteers persevered through drought and dusty weather, and gave our fields some much-needed care to survive this dry spell.
Our Community Work Day marked the turning point of the summer, as we worked together to harvest the abundance of veggies that managed to ripen despite these conditions, and clean up spent field beds to rest for the remainder of the season: thanks to these efforts, a total of 44lbs of Beets, 10lbs of Chard, and 35lbs of Basil were gleaned and donated to our food pantry partner!
To every volunteer who joined us, individually or as part of a group, once or on multiple visits: thank you. Hilltop would not have had the success we see in the fields and throughout our community without your help.
With the change of seasons there have been some changes to our recurring volunteer hours, so please be sure to check out the Volunteering page and the interactive Volunteer Shift Sign-Up Calendar for the most up-to-date information on when you can be involved! I hope to see you back on the farm soon.
-Cynthia S.
HHF Food Donation + Volunteer Coordinator
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| August's Community Work Day
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Clark Scholar students from Manhattanville College put books aside and rolled up their sleeves to join our Community Work Day, where they were a force to be reckoned with as they made quick work of cleaning up field beds.
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One team focused on harvesting our summer abundance, while another on pulling up drip tape + plastic row covers, and removing spent plants to the compost.
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These boxes of veggies were the proud result of the day's work, and would otherwise have been in the compost or eaten by critters if not for the hands that helped glean them.
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There's still time to join our next Community Work Day on Saturday, September 10th from 9am-12pm, for the first major winter squash harvest! Late-growing, and with a long shelf life due to their hard rinds, these varieties of squash are usually less symmetrical or odd-shaped, with rough or warty skin. Butternut and delicata have become staples of fall dishes, but every variety has something special to offer!
Volunteers of all ages are welcome to join in the harvest, which will also involve their storage and cleaning up the beds afterwards. Share your favorite soups and roasted recipes, and go home with a new squash to sample at home.
Stay for the whole morning, or drop in before or after our other events of the day: if you'd like, register in advance via our events page to reserve your spot!
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Flower beds are still going strong, thanks to regular attention on Fridays from crew and volunteers! Now that we are at the end of summer it is time to say goodbye to some of the older successions, and focus on the newer, younger flower successions whose blooms will thrive in the cooler weather.
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After a Tuesday spent weeding, a surprise tractor run meant that some forgotten potatoes were unearthed as the dirt was turned over! Volunteers, along with an Intern, offered to stay late and collected these gems directly into donation boxes, so that they fed our community instead of rotting where they lie.
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Wash, pack, and repeat: Thursday mornings are so important in ensuring our veggies stay fresh for sale, and stay looking good! One regular and dedicated summer volunteer, Cecil, took charge of making labels and stacking these bins in the coolers to impose some order in the chaos.
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Effects of the Drought on the FarmThirsty critters flock to our crops to find any moisture they can get: our resident pest expert, Rick, humanely traps and releases all animals on his 200+ acre property upstate, where they will stay out of harms way and have access to plenty of food, as well as a fresh stream to drink from.
For plants, the situation was just as dire: the lack of water led to an uptick in disease and pests, which took a foothold in these stressful conditions. These issues further sapped each plant's strength and caused some to end their season early. Volunteers, just like our farmers, took great care to limit cross-contamination from tools and hands, which gives the remaining crops a chance to stay in production.
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" There is in fact no distinction between the fate of the land and the fate of the people. "
- Wendell Berry
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Another day of weeding, and of hoping the clouds overhead dump some rain (they didn't!)
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Weeding focus has shifted to the middle fields, which are full of summer squash, watermelons, and new successions of beets and turnips to thrive throughout the fall.
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Volunteers weed and prune our field tomatoes, keeping the plants healthy by removing the mass of weeds growing underneath the red row cover. Snacking on split tomatoes helped keep our energy up during the hot mornings!
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Before this photo was taken, you would be hard-pressed to spot the herbs growing here;
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after a bit of hand weeding, delicious young fennel was uncovered to be growing in neat rows!
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Tomatoes are a staple of summer, and nothing beats a fresh tomat' still warm from the sun. Younger volunteers enjoyed the chance to harvest these throughout the month, and also to help sort them out for donation vs. sale: squeezing a tomato to test its ripeness is an art form. All those yellow bins in the farm stand? Full of tomatoes!
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Personally, I never liked tomatoes until I tried one that was freshly picked. Being able to donate these beauties to those in need, as often as possible, is incredibly special. Heirloom, cherry, and plum varieties are sorted out multiple times a week to ensure we catch as many as possible for donation.
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Giving back to our community, in every way we can.
Over 2,374lbs of food were donated just in August, bringing our 2022 grand total to over 6,000lbs donated! August also received a total of 450 hours of volunteer attention, from 146 individuals- a new monthly record!
The more volunteers that are involved, the healthier our vegetables are and the more they are able to produce. For all those who have volunteered with weeding, washing, weighing, cleaning or maintaining: our plants and farmers thank you!
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Now that's a food donation! The food pantry partner recipient for this lot, Intergenerate, was blown away with the chance to give out over 230lbs of fresh produce to their families, including the Community Work Day boxes of gleaned food.
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The 2022 Hilltop Hanover Farm Volunteers motto:
"Try and leave this world a little better than you found it."
-Robert Baden-Powell
Thank you, August volunteers!
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The Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm and Environmental Center are dedicated to the development and advancement of sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, community education, and accessible food systems for all. Please help to further our mission by coming to one of our many events this summer on the farm or by making a donation today.
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Thank you for supporting local agriculture!
The Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm Staff & Board
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We gratefully acknowledge Consolidated Edison Company of NY, Inc.
for their ongoing support.
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