$4,771.77 is the approximate value of the 748.74 pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables I helped grow, harvest, and donate to the food pantry on campus. I am Blake Komisar-Bury, a student at the Institute of Applied Agriculture (IAA) at the University of Maryland (UMD). This summer I worked at the Community Learning Garden (CLG) at UMD, which is located between Eppley (the campus gym) and the School of Public Health building. At the garden we grow a variety of fruits and vegetables and the best part is we donate what we harvest to the campus food pantry so UMD students and faculty can always have access to fresh produce regardless of their financial situation.
I spent the whole summer weeding and watering, working alongside Meredith Epstein (my supervisor and manager of the CLG). At the beginning of the summer with the help of Julianna, an AmeriCorps member, we mostly harvested collard greens and kale. Towards the second half of the summer, we spent a lot of time trellising and pruning tomatoes with Sophie, a different AmeriCorps member. There were also a couple of weeks in between that were focused on clearing out the terraces and replanting them with the next set of crops. Throughout the summer I also helped Meredith manage volunteers who in turn helped us manage the garden. According to Meredith, “Blake's enthusiasm for plants and outgoing personality makes him perfect for engaging volunteers in our food-growing mission.”
One of my favorite activities was the entire process of harvesting and preparing garlic. Pulling the garlic out of the ground was already really satisfying because you start with a full terrace of garlic and pluck them out of the ground one by one until the terrace is empty and you have a large pile of garlic plants. They then sat in a room to cure until Meredith, Sophie, and I spent around four hours spread over two days preparing them to be donated. We removed the tops, roots, and dirty outer leaves of each head of garlic. Thankfully watching a movie and a couple of episodes of television made the process more fun than boring.
Another surprisingly fun experience was planting the strawberries. I spent a couple of days clearing out an area of grass and weeds to plant them in. Unfortunately, Meredith and I were having trouble finding a good chance to actually put them there. At the end of a busy day, we decided to head to the garden to finally plant them, despite the increasing threat of a storm. We ended up getting completely drenched frantically planting strawberry plants in the pouring summer rain. It was the kind of moment that felt right out of a scene in a movie.
The most valuable skill I gained over the summer was the ability to prioritize tasks in regard to both importance and urgency. I also gained more physical skills including planting, weeding, and harvesting terraces of plants. This internship solidified my interest in growing food for myself and others. Realizing this compelled me to start working towards an IAA certificate in Agricultural Business Management, in addition to the one I had previously started in Ornamental Horticulture. Meredith recalled that “It was a pleasure to work side by side with him all summer and watch him grow - both literally and figuratively.”
