Torrieri trimming some spring mix in the field.
Image Credit: Meredith Epstein
In one day Claudia Torrieri helped harvest 785 pounds of basil at Terp Farm. While that was a very long day for Torrieri during her internship, she managed it and enjoyed her experience.
Torrieri, a Baltimore County native, is majoring in Sustainable Agriculture at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) and interned at Terp Farm, located at the College of Agriculture’s education and research center in Upper Marlboro, MD.
One of four interns at Terp Farm, Torrieri and her co-workers learned about GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) certification and applied practices that are good for the environment as they mowed grass, picked weeds out of the beds, and laid compost on the soil. Mainly, Torrieri planted and harvested vegetables at the farm, and she learned how to wash and pack the produce before it was sent to the dining halls on campus.
Torrieri was excited to learn how to drive a tractor during her internship. “This seemed like a pivotal summer for Torrieri, where she really took her farming experience to a new level. It was especially exciting seeing her discover new skills and passions, like cut flowers. She is an incredibly hard worker,” stated Meredith Epstein, Torrieri’s academic advisor at the IAA.
Torrieri enjoyed arranging the bouquets and selling them at the farmer’s market at the University of Maryland on Wednesdays. On the 4th of July a few of the flowers in a bouquet died and so she had to replace them with flowers from her bouquet. Even though Torrieri loved to take home flowers for herself, she always made sure all the other bouquets looked perfect to sell.
Working outside in the heat this summer really improved Torrieri’s work ethic. “I really appreciated that my boss treated the men and women the same and allowed me as a farmer to show that I can do just as much as a male farmer can” said Torrieri. Torrieri, who had a great experience at the Terp Farm and enjoyed meeting other students who attend the University of Maryland.
As for all that basil, her co-worker Edwin Sanchez explained, “This was the first season we were able to grow basil outdoors successfully due to the use of a powdery mildew resistant variety.” Basil was even being put into flower bouquets, so the customers were getting a culinary bonus.
These fun memories will remind Torrieri about the great experiences she had while attending the Institute of Applied Agriculture.
Torrieri (left) selling cut flowers at the farmer’s market on campus.
