WANT TO BE AN ORGANIC FARMER FOR A DAY?
GOFO is offering a hands-on one-day experience Saturday, October 29, at Red Fern Organic Farm. Participants will learn about organic farming, tour the facility, work in the field planting and harvesting, and sit down to eat a sumptuous lunch prepared with fresh farm products.
The Mizell family and farm owners will greet everyone at 9 a.m. and present the day schedule. From 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., participants will share hands-on field activities. At 12:00 p.m. Chef Heather Kalka will serve a delicious lunch made with organic products from the farm for everyone. After lunch, participants will be invited to a brief farm tour followed by a workshop on Herbal First Aid in the Garden offered by Meredith and Katherine Mizell.
Red Fern Farm, located 30 miles south of Greenville in Gray Court, s a small family-owned and -operated farm. Since 1996, they have worked on transforming 100 acres of red clay land, depleted from cotton farming at the turn of the 20th century and clear-cut for timber in the mid-90s, into sustainable gardens, pasture, and woodland habitat. They produce culinary and medicinal herbs; heirloom vegetables and fruits; grass-fed lamb; and wool goods. They direct market their vegetables, herbs, and plants through the TD Saturday Market in downtown Greenville and sell lamb to restaurants in Greenville and West Columbia. As they hone their craft and add new crops to the farm repertoire, their are committed to the idea that high quality food is our best medicine, the wisdom of traditional agricultural practices, and limiting off-farm inputs (fossil fuels, amendments, outside seed sources, and even what we feed ourselves) as much as possible. The Mizell family (Clark, Katherine and Meredith) are top notch organic farmers and spending the day with them is a delight!
Saturday, October 29th, 2011
Cost: $25 per adult; $15 (children 8-14 y.o.); children under 8 y.o are free and must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Lunch is included in the price.
Registration by Oct 26: online or mail payment (contact Lisa at asilheart@charter.net for registration form). All participants must sign the liability waiver prior to the event.
Event hours: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Space: limited to 25 participants.
Location: RED FERN FARMS
FARM WORKDAY ITINERARY
In the morning, participants will work in the field doing farm chores. At noon, a delicious lunch made with farm products and prepared by Chef Heather Kalka will be served farm style. In the afternoon, they will tour the facility and be invited to an informal workshop with the farmer. Participants are encouraged to bring gloves, a hat, water bottle and sun-screen.
• 8:00 – Meet at TBA location for car pooling
• 9:00 – Arrive at the farm. Meet and Greet farm owners: Meredith Mizell (farmer) will present the day schedule.
• 9:30 – Hands-on field activities: raking/spot weeding garlic beds and applying compost; cracking garlic bulbs and separating cloves for planting; harvesting a vermin-compost bed; harvesting fall vegetables; pruning lavender plants; establishing new sheet mulched beds
• 12:00 – 1:00 – Farm lunch ( spinach salad w/ apples, spicy pecans and cinnamon honey vinaigrette; braised lamb shanks with red wine reduction and lemon mint; stuffed kale rolls w/ tomato sauce; roasted root vegetables garlic and fennel tart and icing pumpkin cookies)
• 1:15 – Farm walk tour
• 2:00 – Herbal First Aid in the Garden: Meredith and Katherine Mizell will discuss & demonstrate how to use fresh herbs and home-grown herbal products as remedies for common gardening complaints like insect bites and bee stings; cuts, scrapes and bruises; skin irritations, heat and tension headaches, and upset or stressed stomachs. Techniques discussed will include poultices, herbal styptics, salves, washes, teas, and more.
• 3:30 – Goodbyes
GETTING TO THE FARM: Participants need to be aware that GOFO does not have insurance for carpooling and assumes no liability for it. Carpooling, ride sharing, or anything similar is strictly a private arrangement among participants who assume the risks associated with the travel.
FURTHER INFO: Please call or email Lisa Nelson at 864.414- 6149 or asilheart@charter.net
Farm Day Event Registration Form 2011-3.zip
