Waking in the morning has never been so easy. Each day we take the short bike ride down to the farm while the sun commiserates with the horizon and the dew blankets the ground. Just like a good Georgia summer, the days of June bring us ample sunshine, and just like hopeful farmers we wish for rain every day.

My name is Mary Hathaway and I arrived to Serenbe Farms on May 15th and am pleased to be staying throughout the summer and perhaps beyond. I am originally from the east coast of Florida, and I am constantly charmed by the cool mornings and evenings, the rolling hills, and deep clay soils of Palmetto.

These first three weeks have been packed with learning, working, and a whole lot of delicious eating. Laboring on the land is innately one of the most honest occupations, and the days pass quickly with the firm sensation of well-gained sustenance. The nurturing of biology is the unique reality of farming that I am lucky enough to enjoy and that we are all fortunate to benefit from in the form of amazing organic produce.

This coming week will mark the start of our kids´ day programs at the farm. Each Wednesday from 9am until 11am in June and July (for a total of 8 weeks), the farmers of Serenbe Farms will provide entertainment, education, and quality programming for your 5-12 year old children. Activities included range from blueberry picking to hay rides, from arts and crafts to a continual nurturing of a specific crop in the field. This year, our goal is to teach the students how to grow plants from seed: including planting, caring for, harvesting, and preparing the vegetables. Please inquire if interested!

One of the farm´s goals is to provide a meaningful place of education for all ages. We do many different kinds of programs, ranging from school partnerships to corporate team building exercises. Each program, while serving different purposes, hopefully shows the participants the care and time that it takes to grow healthy food. We incorporate fun into our programming as we try to do in our daily work, and it´s amazing how much work you can actually get out of a set of 8-year-olds or 50-year-old CEOs. The farm is a great classroom, I'm still learning every day!

Enjoy the Veg!

Mary and my farming comrades Lauren, Matthew, R.J., Paige, Brock, and farm mascot Nico

Note from Paige:

I got away this weekend for a short vacation! While away, I missed the farm and my lovely crew, but I had no fear that the farm was in good hands. My assumptions were correct as I arrived after having been gone for a whole 3 days, the greenhouse looked great, irrigation was perfectly tended, and the livestock looked even happier and healthier, not to mention that there are now more flowers in bloom! I offer many, many thanks to RJ, Mary, Matthew, and Lauren for holding it together, ya´ll are making one heck of a group of farmers. And now, I may go away every weekend (only kidding).

Also, just to let you know some interesting farm news, we have harvested all of our garlic! We ended up with a total close to 4000 bulbs! The bulbs are now curing in the garage at the intern´s house, talk about a pungent smell! You´ll be dining on them in no time. Also, the crew just finished a great new duck pond in the duck area; please check out the cuties swimming away. And, last but not least, we´ve rigged up our slightly imperfect turkey coop. Overcoming some minor PVC issues, we zipped the last zip tie and our turkeys are to go out this evening. Our farm is turning into a haven for birds!

Hope you enjoy the yummy harvest; we´ve got some surprises around the corner!