☀️Summer Fun! Events & Updates☀️

SO MANY Exciting updates & events

in this months newsletter:

We've Gone Global
Our Growing Team
On-Farm Field Days
Black Butterfly Bulletin
Community Corner
From the F ield
Field Notes Dinner Series
Intern Interface

We've Gone Global

Last year we had the pleasure of hosting Ridho Bilhaq from the beautiful archipelago, Indonesia. He was selected as a “Sustainable Development and the Environment” fellow of the State Department’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI). Over a month, Ridho shared his business expertise and agricultural experience while working with FAB members and staff. We submitted a proposal to reciprocate those gains and it was accepted. In June of 2023 Farm Alliance staff Denzel and Alison participated in the reciprocal exchange in Indonesia!

During our 2 week trip we visited 6 urban farm sites, each one unique and beautifully cared for by the community, much like our Baltimore farms. At each site we were welcomed by the community with a spread of delicious local cuisine and even had opportunities to harvest and plant together. We discussed growing, marketing, composting techniques and shared about our work at The Farm Alliance of Baltimore, especially the benefits of working collaboratively with other urban growers.

While in Indonesia we were also featured in the local press, Denzel did a television interview and we participated as a speaker at the Urban Farming International Seminar Cap Panah Merah at the Prasetiya Mulya University.

It was such a joy to connect through food and farming with growers across the country. We are extremely grateful to The YSEALI Professional Fellows Program , Putra of the US Embassy Jakarta, and our gracious host Ridho and the rest of the East West Seed Company for making this trip possible and making this such a spectacular experience for us!

Click here to see more pictures from our trip

Our Growing Team

We’re so thrilled to be expanding our work and our talented team. Please join us in welcoming our newest team members!
Saj Dillard - Market Assistant
Emily Castle - Office Administrator
Layla Salomon - CIIP Intern
Adam Afilaka and Noah Lee - Black Butterfly Farm Production Interns

Learn more about our staff here

On-Farm Field Days

Join us in the field as we learn together at these on-farm events hosted by local experts.

We've got a full season of events! Tickets are free for Farm Alliance Members, ECO City & Future Harvest Trainees and just $15 for the public.

Get your tickets today!

see all upcoming events & get tickets here

Black Butterfly Bulletin

We went from a dry spring to a summer of storms and the crops are looking bountiful out at the Black Butterfly Teaching Farm! Cabbage and garlic have been cleared from the field and we’ve begun the 3 day a week harvest schedule for our okra, summer squash and tomato crops that grow so quickly. Onions and potatoes will be ready to pull soon and flowers are showing their colorful blooms.

All hands were on deck this week for the big task of harvesting our oat crop which is a part of our SARE research grant.

Thanks to generous contributions from the France-Merrick Foundation and ARPA funding we now have a 2023 Ford F150 all electric lightning edition pickup truck! Now we can haul and deliver our produce sustainably and efficiently!

Community Corner

If you'd like to come see the Black Butterfly Farm for yourself we invite you to join us for our upcoming Community Day, Saturday July 22nd, 10am-2pm

Herbal & Medicinal Uses of Native Plants Workshop
July 22nd 4pm-6pm, The Greener Garden 5623 McClean Blvd.
This workshop will be presented by Teri Speight of Cottage in the Court. Join us to learn how plants native to Baltimore can support your well-being!
Register Here

Black Yield Farm Grand Opening
August 5th, 12pm-2pm, 409 S Calhoun St. Come see the new farm space and enjoy food, music, vibes, fresh produce & games.

Land Sovereignty for Filbert Street Garden After years of work, this garden now has the deed to their land. Councilwoman Porter, Former Councilman Reisinger, and Comptroller Henry came to celebrate the sign over at FilbertFest. The Farm Alliance's own Rodette Jones was one of the awardees of the Protector of the Garden award! Filbert Street is grateful to all who stood by them and supported this process.

The Farm Alliance is back at the Waverly 32nd St. Farmers Market

Find products from our farm members every Saturday from 7am-noon at our stand near the corner of E 32nd & Barclay Street (across from Zeke's Coffee) and be sure to say Hi to our awesome Market Assistant Saj Dillard!

From the Field

Over the last 2 months over 85 beginning and seasoned growers have gathered to spend an evening learning at our Field Day workshops. It's been so wonderful to come together in the field and learn from our talented network. We’ve arranged bouquets with Maya Kosok of Hillen Homestead, harvested wild mulberries with Ted Martello of the Baltimore Orchard Project, repaired small engines with Shane Labrake, identified pests and weeds on the farm with Myeasha Taylor and Maria Cramer and learned about food safety with the Chesapeake Produce Safety Education Project. These events began as a part of our Black Butterfly Urban Farm Academy curriculum and now we can't imagine a season without them! We’ve still got lots of field days on the calendar and we hope you can join us soon for an on farm learning experience.

see all upcoming events & get tickets here

Field Notes: A Dinner and Dialogue Series

On Sunday, May 7, the Farm Alliance of Baltimore hosted the second event in our Field Notes Dinner Series. This one took place at Gatherings by Woodberry Kitchen in celebration of “New York Oyster King” and abolitionist Thomas Downing. The evening was tremendous; filled with oysters, bubbles, Bloody Marys, merriment, dining, music, and dialogue

During happy hour, attendees were treated to a raw bar featuring guest shucker Gardner Douglas (AKA “The Oyster Ninja”) and live music from trumpeter Brandon Woody’s trio. Philadelphia's own Chef Kurt Evans, known for his trailblazing End Mass Incarceration dinners and Down North Pizza, prepared a special meal centering oysters and honoring Downing’s legacy.

Deb Freeman, host of the Whetstone Media podcast “Setting the Table,” gave a spirited discussion about Downing’s elevation of the humble oyster and its rise from dark cellars into mainstream fine dining rooms. Guests also learned of Downing’s significant contributions as an abolitionist and station master on the Underground Railroad.

It was a fantastic and memorable night. We had a great time and looking forward to the next one on October 1, featuring the ingredient: sugar.

Intern Interface

Hi Farm

Alliance friends! My name is Layla Salomon, and I'm this summer's CIIP intern here at FAB. A little about me: I was born and raised in Houston, Texas, and I'm going into my senior year studying Environmental Studies and Cognitive Science at Hopkins. I'm hoping to go into something to do with either environmental justice or mental health care and support, but I'm still figuring that out.

I've been here for a little under a month, and so far it's been a really rich experience full of learning and growth (both physical and metaphorical)! My only farming experience before this was picking blueberries and keeping houseplants, but I've really enjoyed diving in and getting my hands dirty. So far my favorite farm work has been harvesting beets, and the piece of work that has left me with the most bruises has been carrying crates of cabbages :)

See you soon!

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