School Farm Visits

Common Thread has become a popular educational destination for students of all ages!  So far, we have had visits from local kindergarteners stopping by to help us pick carrots, summer Sports and Science campers from all over Central New York and New York City, as well as Colgate students participating in college orientation programs through Outdoor Education and the Center for Outreach Volunteerism and Education (the COVE).

If you are interested in bringing students of any age out to the farm to learn about and participate in local agriculture, please contact us.

Colgate Food Class

In Fall 2009, Professor Chris Henke taught the first ever class at Colgate University dedicated to the subject of Food.  Through the class, students are not only able to learn about historical and global food trends, but they can connect what they learn in the classroom to their local community.  Each student enrolled in the class volunteers one morning every week, allowing them to learn about harvesting, local food systems and to talk to real farmers about what they do. 

Mud Oven

"Shared Mud Ovens have long been the heart of communities.  Mud is fun, Mud is Art, Mud is Fast, Mud is Cheap, Mud is Community, Mud is adaptable, Mud is brick!"
                    -Kiko Denzer, Build Your Own Earth Oven

In September 2009, a volunteer based arts organization dedicated to creating community through the arts in Madison County, Mad Art, used grant funding to construct a wood fired mud oven on the farm.  The project relied on re-used and recycled materials to make this structure more environmentally sustainable to construct as well as cost effective.  Leigh Yardley, a local artist and teacher, headed up the construction of this mud oven with help from many community members.

Along with designated Mud Oven events on the farm, the Mud Oven is also open to the public to use during daylight hours and instructions on how to use the oven can be found nearby.  So bring something to bake and enjoy what many cultures appreciate about the art and process of baking.  This is a fun place for kids and adults alike to experiment and share in the excitement of using a mud oven for the first time.
 

Art on the Farm

One of the things that makes a farm unique is its ability to nourish our appetites and nourish our souls.  Community and art can come together in a unique expression of beauty and nature.  Art on the farm is an opportunity to come away with a different perspective on the world around us.

At Common Thread, we welcome artists of all kinds to share our community space and participate in making this farm a more diverse experience.  We acknowledge the necessity for not only sustenance from the food we grow, but also from the art that inspires and challenges our hearts and minds.