We are so excited about the 2nd year pilot program of the Rushton Farm Carrot Club. The Carrot Club's mission is to engage CSA families with children between the ages of 7 and 12 in the activities that occur on a working farm during the course of a season. By having "hands on" experiences in the field planting, tending and harvesting fruits and vegetables, children can learn more about the food they eat and the effort and reward that comes from the season on the farm. In addition, lessons can be learned about health, nutrition, and the ecosystem in and around Rushton Farm.

Once a month activities will be scheduled to take advantage of what is happening seasonally at Rushton Farm. Many of these activities will be designed so that participants can observe their work beyond a single day. For instance, seeding pumpkins in April will be followed by a pumpkin harvest in October. In this way children can observe how labor and patience can bring rewards. In today's world of instant gratification these are two valuable lessons to learn at any age. There will be new activities included this year so if your family was part of the Carrot Club last year, it will still be new to you.

We are hoping to have families sign up who are interested in making a commitment to attend at least 4 out of 6 sessions. The program will be run by Farmers Fred, Chelsea and Noah. They will be assisted by several farm interns and volunteers. We have the first session scheduled for April 28th at 5:00pm at the Farm. We are still finalizing dates for the following five gatherings but they will most likely be one Thursday evening a month from 5:00-6:30pm from April through October. The fee for the season is $60.00 per family and includes a healthy snack at each session.

If you are interested, please email Eliza Gowen at emg@wctrust.org. We will follow up with more details and dates as we get closer to the season. Thanks so much!