Camp Programs
Each of the Farm & Wilderness camps has an organic garden, and almost all have farm animals. Maintaining these small farms and celebrating the bounty of harvest is a central component of camp programs.
Summer in Vermont is a glorious explosion of growth, and nowhere is this more true than on the farm. F&W campers spend time working in their own camp garden, weeding, watering, harvesting and eating. In the process of hands-on work, campers learn about organic farming philosophy, techniques and best practices from our experienced farm staff.
Campers care for our many farm animals in addition to vegetable and fruit gardens. Some campers rise with the sun to help with morning barn chores: feeding grain, slop and hay; milking; and refilling water buckets. They clean out the animals’ pens, replenish fresh bedding, and monitor all the animals’ health. Caring for our chickens, pigs, goats, cows and other animals gives campers a new understanding and appreciation for the origins of (and labor involved with) the food we eat. For many campers, responsibility for and close contact with animals is a joyous part of their summer.
Campers have had a hand in building the barns which house our animals, from the chicken palace, to the Indian Brook barn whose timbers are supported by whole trees, to our timber frame Farm Education Barn. Our new Farm Education Barn houses a state licensed pasteurizing facility, allowing us to serve our own dairy products to F&W participants. In addition to learning how to milk the cows and goats, campers learn to safely process and store the milk and to transform milk into a variety of delicious and familiar foods. Yogurt and cheese of all kinds are made during camp activity periods.
Our Farm Education Barn also holds our produce-washing stations and will soon house a fiber arts center and a food processing kitchen. The fiber arts center will provide hands-on opportunities for campers to work with the wool from our sheep, and the food processing kitchen will allow us to efficiently process raw garden produce into processed foods like sauces, salsas, and pickles.
