Looking for a few fantastic interns

At Arcadia, our interns are essential. We love the energy and talents they bring to the farm, and they're involved in all aspects of our small operation. Interns gain important skills and knowledge that help prepare them for careers in sustainable agriculture, outdoor education, nutrition, nonprofit management, and more.

This spring, we're offering two different internship positions. Farm Interns will focus on our small-scale sustainable farming operation, while Farm Education Interns become an integral part of our farm field trip program. Follow the links to learn more.

Deadline for applications is February 1st. Help us spread the word!

Welcome Stephen, new Arcadia Farm Director

Stephen Corrigan is Arcadia's new Farm Director! We're really glad to welcome him to the team. While there will surely be plenty of opportunities to meet him in person, read on to meet him virtually.

What experiences have prepared you for this position?
I’ve been growing and raising food for the better part of a decade now, working in a commercial setting for about 6 years, and as an educator for the last 4 years. Throughout that time, I’ve learned that in order to connect people with their food, we have to get them out there doing the work, seeing where their food is grown, and meeting the people who raise it. Once that curtain is lifted, it’s very difficult to see food as something that doesn’t matter. I’ve had the great fortune to have had thousands of these interactions with CSA members, chefs, students, fellow farmers, and random passers-by, and the experience of sharing what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, as well as delicious recipes, gardening advice, and, of course, beautiful, tasty food, has been an incredibly rewarding experience.

What is most exciting to you about your new job as Farm Director at Arcadia?
I feel fortunate to be joining a relatively new organization filled with bright, passionate, and motivated individuals and an inspiring line-up of programs. I’m also looking forward to being part of the future growth of this farm, which I hope can develop into a showpiece for the region.

I’m incredibly excited to be jumping into a new region, where the local food scene seems to have so much interest and steam building behind it. Having spent most of my time growing in New England, I’ve seen the passion that many have for local and sustainable food begin to taper off, which has made it difficult to be innovative or creative. While these are just first impressions, the market here seems to be clamoring for new products, ideas, and, overall, simply more farms and farmers to supply it.

I’m also eager to be a part of this historic piece of property and its rich agricultural and culinary traditions. I’m looking forward to scouring through the historical documents that are available to find out more about with kind of things have been raised here over time.

What challenges do you anticipate you'll face as the Farm Director?
Moving to a new piece of land is never an easy task, and I anticipate that it will take me a little while to figure out exactly what this piece of land can do and how best to improve it for the future. I’m fortunate to have Mo’s guiding hand a bit to hear more about what’s been done and what is possible for the future.

Getting to know the rhythms of a new region is also going to be a bit difficult and yet present me with a wealth of new opportunities. Farmers can easily fall into a rut of the same schedules (planting, harvesting, pests, etc.), but being here will allow me to work with crops and varieties that I’ve never had a chance to grow and a longer overall season, which will be a welcome challenge as I’m doing my planning and continue into next season.

What are some of your goals for the 2013 growing season?
I’m still working out which of these goals are feasible and which are harebrained, so perhaps I’ll keep my goals here on the modest side. I’d like to keep up the aggressive improvement of the soil quality through active management, cover cropping, and amending. As part of that, I’d like to really nail down a good larger scale composting system. We’ve got an excellent supply of raw materials (manure, food scraps, etc.) around, and I’d like to be making use of that much better. I’d also like to begin growing more beneficial plants on the farm not only for soil and plant nutrition, such as nettles, equisetum, and comfrey, but also for beneficial insects and bee forage.

As a model of what I want this farm to become, I want to be meticulous in the farm’s succession planting to ensure a consistent supply of what we grow and always having top-quality produce.

If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
No question, garlic. It’s humble, definitely not the flashiest vegetable out there, but it’s indispensible to almost any method of cooking , incredibly versatile and got a spice that you won’t soon forget. I also like how it can provide a crop in several different ways, from scapes to green garlic to full-sized mature heads, providing different flavors for you throughout the season.

Meet Matt: Arcadia's Director of Development & Communications

Wow, we've got a lot of new staff coming on board to launch us into the spring season!  Meet Matt Mulder, Arcadia's new Director of Development and Communications.  Matt's job is to generate a sustainable fundraising strategy for Arcadia, and make sure our communications with all stakeholders are clear, consistent, and connected to our mission.  We're so excited to have him on board!

Matt, what past experiences prepared you for this position?
Almost every job I’ve ever had has involved children, education, history, the environment, or agriculture. Most recently, I directed the Accokeek Foundation's Center for Agricultural and Environmental Stewardship.  I’ve spent the last year working on issues of agriculture and food justice, and I look forward to continuing that work by supporting and enhancing Arcadia’s excellent programs.

What’s your favorite healthy recipe?
I’m really into Crispy Kale right now. Toss a big bowl of organic kale greens with 1 TBSP olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with salt or other favorite spices. Crisp on a backing rack set on a sheet pan in an oven at 250 degrees for 20-25 minutes. For more fun, use Lanceolate (or Dinosaur) Kale.

If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
Trombocino Squash. I played the trombone throughout much of my life. Its also a very versatile squash - its a great summer squash and can be hardened and used as a winter squash that can store well.

What about this position are you most excited for?
I’m excited about the opportunity to work with an energetic, enthusiastic, knowledgeable staff that can accomplish great things if they have adequate resources and enough support.

What do you see as your next steps - what do you plan to tackle first?
I am spending my time developing a comprehensive fundraising plan for Arcadia. I also want to make sure we are spreading the word about all of the exciting initiatives that are starting this spring – full operation of the Mobile Market, the Arcadia Farm stand at Woodlawn, Arcadia Farm Camp, and the all of the other exciting upcoming programs and events.

What’s your favorite season for growing produce and why?
I love late spring/early summer in this area. The weather is nice, the days are long, and with some of the early season fruits and veggies starting to ripen, you begin to see that the bounty of summer harvests is not too far away.





Thanks Matt, we're excited to have you on board!

Meet Cat: Arcadia's Illustrator!

Cat Robinson is our new part-time Artist in Residence!  She won us over with her amazing farm signs last fall, and her talents working with kids.  Cat will be in charge of painting our Mobile Market, farm beautification projects, arts & crafts with kids, etc.  She'll also help with our spring field trips once they get started in April.  We're so glad to have her on board!  Let's get to know Cat better -

Cat, as a giant peapod, doing art projects at a recent Farm to Table family event

What are you most excited about for this position?
I could go on for days about why this position is so exciting for me, but don’t worry, I won’t. I am most eager not only to be a part of this lovely and passionate group of Arcadia staff, but more broadly, the movement that is changing the way we think about food. I can’t wait to challenge, engage, and excite future generations about making healthy and informed decisions about what they eat. I am also quite excited to reach kids in a way that engaged me during my childhood - through art.

What is the coolest project you'll be working on?
Most definitely Arcadia’s Mobile Market, a full sized school bus that will hit DC’s streets this spring. I will be hand painting various vegetables and Arcadia-tastic text on the bus!

What experiences have prepared you for this position? While nannying for three, young children in the DC area I learned that if you can draw vegetables playing music, kids think you are infinitely cooler. At the time, I did not realize this skill would come in handy down the road!  On a more adult note, a recent Master’s degree from GW in Art Therapy has prepared me for this position as well. The program played a major role in my artistic development and the grew my ability to engage kids in unique and engaging day-to-day experiences.  On a more historic note, I was my grandfather’s sidekick growing up, and he was an avid gardener. And though I have been a city dweller all of my life, my love and appreciation of growing food is strong. An appreciation of nature and vegetables is quite necessary to spend to amount of time that I do drawing them!

One of Cat's awesome signs at Arcadia Farm

If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
An eggplant. I love it’s rich and unique hue and it’s the main ingredient in one of my family’s favorite dishes, Eggplant Parmesan.

Which season has the best produce (and why?!) 
Hands down: fall. There are pumpkins to carve, apples to butter, and squash to soup. Now top all of that off with a over-worn, comfy sweater and life is good.

Meet Tom - Mobile Market School Educator

We just hired Tom Flanagan as our Mobile Market School Educator! Tom's going to be coordinating educational visits to schools by our Mobile Market, and putting on local food throw-downs in school cafeterias across the District.  Here's some more about Tom:

What past experiences have prepared you for this position?
I've had all sorts of jobs so far in my life -- you name it, and I've done it. I've worked at a coffee shop, a driving range, a nonprofit, and a soup kitchen; I've worked as a landscaper, a mechanic, a carpenter, and a baker; I've done marketing, organizing, teaching, and mopping. Now, as I step into this position with Arcadia, I can see how each of these unique experiences is going to contribute to the success of this program.

Recent experiences that I'll be drawing on most heavily include working with kids in the KIPP schools tending a small garden of edibles (with some minor success), and working with volunteers at Miriam's Kitchen to produce healthy meals for DC's homeless population.

What’s your favorite healthy recipe?
I have an adaptation of a lentil soup recipe that I stole from a food blog a few years back. It uses french beluga lentils that maintain their shape a bit more than the green lentils you usually see. Using some of my homemade canned tomatoes and adding in a stiff green toward to the end makes this a very clean tasting, healthy and hearty meal, perfect for a cold winter night (if we ever have those again!).

Tom doing some serious canning. 
That's what we like to see in an Arcadian.

If you were a vegetable, what would you be?
I'd probably be an apple, because I go best with either peanut butter or cheese, but not at the same time. Does that make sense?

What about this position are you most excited for?
I'm most excited to be working with kids, helping them find food they like and learning from them what makes food appealing to people of all ages. But I'm most excited for the opportunity to work with a small and highly motivated team, building a program that will get kids psyched up to eat their local veggies!

What’s your favorite season for growing produce and why?
I love the early spring farmers markets - all the good strong leafy greens, the spicy arugula, the sweet strawberries, the pencil-thin asparagus, the tart rhubarb... So much goodness happens in the first few months of the growing season. Second favorite, of course, is tomato season. Because tomatoes!

Intern at Arcadia!

Do you know someone who is energetic, passionate about sustainable agriculture and looking for an internship? We're a small staff at Arcadia, so we truly rely on great interns and volunteers to make our programs run and our farm grow. We're looking for a few good interns for the spring season now - help us spread the word!

Also, we know what's like to be an unpaid intern, so we want to make the experience as valuable as possible. For example, Mo has cooked up a mini farm school for her intern. Plus, we definitely have the best snack breaks around.

Check out the position descriptions for the following gigs - Farm Educator Internship and Sustainable Farm Internship - and pass them along to interested folks. Thanks in advance!

Farmer Liz is BACK!

Liz Whitehurst was Arcadia's fabulous part-time Farm Educator this past fall.  She spearheaded the design of Groundhog Garden (the space at Arcadia Farm that kids explore during field trips) and the development and implementation of our fall field trip program.

We're happy to say that Liz is back, this time in full force!  She'll be with us full time as Arcadia's Farm Education Coordinator.  Her main projects will be leading spring and fall field trips, developing summer camp program, and starting up a series of Family Fun Days on the farm.  Welcome back Liz!