Updated June 8, 2017
Description
As a teaching farm, Native Earth strives to encourage the public to learn: how to grow their own food, how to raise animals, how to dye wool and spin fiber and about the rural arts in general. The farm is open for tours. Mingle with the animals or chat with Rebecca if she happens to be spinning wool in the farmstand. Pick up some pork or eggs while you’re there.
Location
94 North Road, Chilmark 02535
Contact
Phone: 508-645-3304
Online: www.nativeearthteachingfarm.org
Facebook: facebook.com/pages/Native-Earth-Teaching-Farm/183142325066147
Products include
Pork & duck, berries, eggs, honey, live animal heirloom livestock and wool
Sales location
Farmstand open 10am-6pm, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, mid-June through mid-September
Additional Information
Offers farm visits three days a week in summer and by appointment year round; occasional workshops in fiber arts and rural skills; Popcorn Festival in the fall and other occasional special events.
History
Bordered by conserved woodlands, The Native Earth Teaching Farm is a 5-acre farm with history – 100-year old blueberry bushes and a homestead farmhouse. Rebecca Gilbert and Randy Ben David raise heirloom breeds of livestock, including Cayuga ducks, Berkshire pigs, and assorted chickens for meat and breeding stock. And they are known for their fiber arts, including natural dyes from the garden and hand spinning lessons. Their knowledge is based in examples from the past, and they experiment towards the future, sharing their successes and failures along the way. A tour of the farm provides an opportunity for the public to deepen their connections with nature, with plants and animals, and with their food supply. Whether it is children playing with pygmy goats, families stargazing by the fire, or foragers on an edible plant walk, they explore the possibilities of time and place and always learn something new.
