Sprout Creek Farm
Sprout Creek Farm is a non-profit working farm and educational center located in Poughkeepsie, New York. In addition to its production of vegetables, meat, and cheese, the farm also offers educational programs to children throughout the year.
The Society of the Sacred Heart operates Sprout Creek Farm, which once resided on the campus of Convent of the Sacred Heart, Greenwich. Today, the School continues to use Sprout Creek Farm as an educational center for studying the environment and sends students and faculty there on field trips and retreats.
History
Sprout Creek Farm was started in 1982 at the Convent of the Sacred Heart School in Greenwich, Connecticut as an alternative mode of education.[1] The Farm moved to the estate of Elise Kinkead in Poughkeepsie shortly after her death in 1987.[2] Since 1990 Sprout Creek Farm has continued to incorporate education for youth into its operations, offering day and residential camps in the summer and works with school groups from around the country throughout the year. Sprout Creek Farm is currently run by Margo Morris, the farm’s founder.
Commercial Operations
Cheese
Sprout Creek Farm produces 20 tons of cheese every year. The farm currently sells over a dozen varieties of goat, cow, and hybrid cheeses. Most of these cheeses are made from raw milk and aged over 60 days; the cheese made from pasteurized milk aged in less than 60 days.[3]
Livestock
Sprout Creek Farm raises free-range cows, sheep, goats, turkeys, chickens, and pigs. While the farm’s main operations revolve around their dairy and cheese making operations, it also produces meat and eggs from its livestock.[4]
Education
The farm runs residential camps during the summer months for girls and boys from ages 10–18, as well as day camps for children ages 6–11. Participants of the camps assist in daily farm chores, cheese making, and other environmental education activities.[5] In addition to its camps Sprout Creek Farm also offers cooking-classes, workshops, and social and environmental awareness programs for youth and adults.
References
- Hausman, Judith. "Holy Food." (2007): 68-74.
- Recipes in A Taste of Heaven: A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns by Madeline Scherb