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Photo by Molly Meehan Brown of Wild Ginger Herbal Center
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Can you remember a year more life-changing than 2020?
Against the backdrop of the global Coronavirus pandemic, the events of 2020 brought new challenges no one was prepared for, including changing the way we live and how we connect with each other. Through it all, Fox Haven has learned to adapt, offering new methods of programming and reprieve from the commotion. We have found solace in the ways nature allows us to slow down and come back to our senses, and extended this message to our community as a reminder of our innate resilience. Looking back, we are proud of our accomplishments in a time where our actions speak volumes about what we stand for. Here’s a list of 10 achievements we are celebrating this year.
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10 Accomplishments
We’ve Achieved in 2020
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1) At the onset of the pandemic, Fox Haven switched gears to offer donation-based opportunities for online learning. Within the first few months alone, we had reached over 500 people, some connecting from countries like Canada, the UK, and even Argentina. While we broadened our audience online, we continued our in-person programs outdoors, following the guidelines set by the CDC. To date, we have not received any reported COVID cases.
2) Working with our local health department, Fox Haven received an herb drying license that will allow us to sell dried herbs from our harvests and expand the possibilities for Fox Haven herbs. Once our license was approved, we launched our first Winter CSA, offering a bundle of herbal blends and educational classes taking place over Zoom. This program sold out within 2 weeks of its launch!
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3) We understand the need for more equitable funding practices and increased advocacy for (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) BIPOC communities. In 2020, we expanded BIPOC discounts and free offerings to organizations doing COVID relief for BIPOC communities–but not without help. On Giving Tuesday, our Fox Haven community raised $750 that will go toward expanding these offerings even further in 2021.
4) We had another successful year of the fresh herb CSA, serving a total of 55 members in Frederick and Baltimore. In addition to this, we launched an a-la-carte pick up of fresh herbs in conjunction with Full Cellar’s organic vegetable CSA pick-up. |
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| 5) In our holistic orchard, we picked our first-ever apple harvest, yielding 1 bushel! We celebrated by breaking out the old apple press to enjoy a delicious local cider!
6) We introduced many new plants to the lands at Fox Haven. Near the orchard, we added a row of lavender and rosemary beds that we hope will yield enough for you-pick opportunities in the coming years. We also added Cramp Bark, Hawthorn, Linden, Ginkgo, Horsetail, and Meadowsweet to our perennials. |
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| 7) We would not have been able to thrive this season without the help from our 8 dedicated interns and 30+ volunteers who helped us to tend to our gardens this year. The interns committed to visiting the farm twice a week all season long, and three times a week for our CSA harvest days. Digging up roots, planting new seedlings, and endless weeding are not always easy tasks, but this kind group of newfound friends made our weekly tasks even more rewarding.
8) We expanded our programs to offer 2 new monthly series, the Fundamentals of Herbalism and Level 2 Foragers that carried on online or socially distanced outdoors despite COVID-19. |
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| 9) Local families flocked to our farmhouses for some much-needed peace and change in scenery while still maintaining proper social distancing.
10) While families enjoyed their stay, we offered private classes and tours of our gardens and orchard for families to enjoy an interactive experience together. Above all, the beekeeping tour and honey tasting and garden tour and tea tasting were crowd-favorites! |
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And now, a word from our interns!
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