On Saturday May 6th, Extension’s Harvest Kitchen and high tunnel were filled with families and friends enjoying the beautiful sunny day during the Grow and Preserve Open House. Visitors learned about numerous food preservation and gardening resources available at Extension through an assortment of activities. We shot some photos of all the happenings, check them out below!
This past summer I was a Garden to Table intern at Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County. I am a student at St. Lawrence University and the internship was through the Public Interest Corps on campus, which pairs students with non-profits in the North Country. I carried out multiple projects while there, including designing content for a pollinator garden sign, editing videos about food producers, contributing to a collection of local, seasonal recipes, and assisting with cooking classes for youth attending Farm Day Camp. These projects, in addition to the everyday tasks like watering and harvesting in the high tunnel, helped to forward the mission of Extension.
One of my favorite assignments was designing the pollinator garden signage. I started by researching models used in gardens around the world and reading about native plants and pollinators of the North Country, using resources such as the New York State Conservationist magazine. I used a design software called Canva which I had experience with before this internship but got to explore further in this assignment. With feedback from my supervisor, Erica, we arrived at a final version. It is rewarding to know that something I helped envision will be placed permanently at the Learning Farm for visitors to enjoy.
Apart from gaining a new skill set, I have grown more knowledgeable about the North Country after this internship, as well as more passionate about the activities and organizations that exist here. I understood that nonprofits have a big role to play in rural New York, and Cornell Cooperative Extension in particular has a role in supporting local farmers and businesses, as well as providing stimulating activities for youth.
I am beyond grateful for the people that welcomed me at Extension, and interning here opened my eyes to the community of northern New York. My experience was enriching professionally but also made my summer a more enjoyable experience: I tasted blueberries for the first time, harvested my first tomatoes, connected with kids through food, and met incredible people. I hope to implement what I learned into my academic studies but also in my daily life, bringing to SLU everything I learned about the local culture and environment.
Students from the class, Seeding Hope, taught by Rebecca Rivers at St. Lawrence University had a unique assignment last fall. Their course goals included, “shining a spotlight on existing projects that successfully unite diverse groups of people in grassroots efforts to protect and restore natural resources. We will focus on what we can learn from them about protecting the environment, sustaining human communities and increasing social justice.”
Three first-year students, Lydia Fedorowich, Sergey Avery, and Enith Alejandra Altamirano Salazar took on the task of identifying nearby organizations that play an active role in the north country food system. Their assignment was to create a podcast episode that included interviews with area people engaged in agriculture and food at the local level.
Click on the bar below to hear this episode. The guests include:
Lauren grew up in neighboring Vermont exploring and loving the green mountains and vast landscapes. Her undergraduate degree made her appreciate the communities that surround local foods and a Master’s Certificate in Food Studies from the University of Southern Maine made her want to pursue a career in the food system. In 2021 and 2022, she was the Local Foods Marketing and Development Educator for Cornell Cooperative Extension of St. Lawrence County.
