Farm

“We are not in Kansas anymore” at least that is what I told my mid-western wife when I brought her to Maryland!

Normally it is not hard to get motivated to go into work on Friday mornings because we all go skiing every afternoon with the Calleva Snow Club, but last Friday was a bit different.

At 7:45, a tornado touched down on the Calleva Farm landing in the woods behind our amazing kitchen that brings you the Dirty Dinners and then cutting across fields to our Indoor Riding Arena where our CHAPS (calleva horse adventure programs) calls home.

For 15 minutes, this 95+MPH winds took down 100+ trees, numerous horse sheds, lighthouse, bleachers, windmill, the Enchanted Forest and whatever happened to be in in the path of a decapitated or uprooted tree! Several of these structures were built by students that came to the farm for a senior project or as part of our agricultural programs learning about sustainable construction.

Fortunately none of our staff, horses, cattle, or other farm animals were hurt when the tornado hit. Our mechanic Steve was in the woods and was able to get under his truck, all the animals laid down in the open fields, and staff stayed in their buildings while the trees fell.

The thoughts of cleaning, rebuilding and figuring out options for where there once was many trees feels quite overwhelming but somehow pales in comparison to the tremendous outpour of support and love. From camper families, community leaders, local clubs, churches, alumni, childhood friends, it is just a great reminder that we are so lucky to have such a supportive and caring community.

We are planning for 3 community days next week. Our plan is to do a MASSIVE CLEAN-UP on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 2-6pm. Calleva Staff will be leading teams on a multitude of projects from tree branch removal, dismantling of sheds, reclaiming and recycling resources, fixing fields, and picking up debris from woods and fields.

We hope to see you all and look forward to working alongside our friends. Please bring good work boots, work gloves, and proper safety gear. We are asking all volunteers to sign waivers and will be serving food from our kitchen. Volunteers will be directed upon arriving at the farm.

Calleva Farm
19120 Martinsburg Road
Dickerson MD 20842

Thank You!
Matt Markoff

Last week we had the incredible opportunity of opening the doors of our new office and farm store to the public during our Farm Store Sneak Peek! Thank you so much to everyone that came out to show your support, as well as supporting the Manna Food Center with your donations. We had the authors of the Bread & Beauty cookbook onsite signing copies of their amazing book, as well as Waredaca Brewing Company and Rocklands Farm Winery serving up some drinks from behind the bar. We’ll officially be opening the doors to our store on May 7th, so make sure to come by and visit and pick up some local honey, farm fresh produce, hand dipped candles, and more! Until then, enjoy these wonderful photos from the talented Chris Knowles Photography.

It’s winter time around Calleva, which means a little peace and quiet after our Spring/Fall school programs and busy Summer Camp season. Even though we might be trying to take our long winters nap, things on the farm are still busy as ever! While we celebrate the holidays, folks are still out to care for the animals and working on projects to get ready for our 2019 season.

I am reminded of years ago when my wife and I cared for the horses around the Calleva farm. On Christmas morning before the stockings were opened, or gifts unwrapped, we headed out across the snowy fields to make sure everyone got their Christmas breakfast. Even my mother and brother joined in with the chores. The horses, cows, and other animals don’t take a day off, so neither did we. While this Christmas I got the sleep in and didn’t have to trudge out to feed and muck, there were still those folks who did including Marlon, Max, Finney and many others that keep our farm going year round.

For us it’s worth all the hard work, and just part of our goal to provide for and educate the countless students, campers, and guests that step foot on our farm. Whether it be for a Dirty Dinner, a school program on sustainable agriculture, or even a group coming out to build benches as a service project, The Calleva Farm is the place to be!

~ Dave “Brokeback” Harding – Resident Beekeeper and more

Click To Find Out More About Our Farm

Winter Happenings Around The Calleva Farm

Click To Find Out More About Our Farm

Through a series of circumstances, I ended up taking on a much larger role in Dirty Dinners last year. Though definitely stressful, I really feel like the experience promoted a lot of personal growth for me and inspired me to think up more events to throw at the Calleva farm. The farm is a very special place, but though Calleva’s camps and Markoff’s Haunted Forest are well known in the area, the fact that we are a working farm with market animals and an intensive vegetable operation comes as a surprise to many people I’ve spoken with. Thus the idea to bring more people to the farm, to experience all we have to offer first hand. This year we will be offering a number of workshops and events for families and individuals from the DC and Frederick areas to try their hands at some homesteading skills as well as some more social events featuring our farm fresh produce.

I’m especially excited for our backyard chicken series. Many of our staff have been very helpful in taking care of our birds on the farm, and have gotten their own chickens over the years. During this workshop there will be a chicken processing demonstration for those interested in raising their own meat birds, or want to know what to do with an old “stew hen” that is no longer laying eggs. To me, this was one of the rites of passage into really seeing myself as a farmer. It’s always hard to take the life of something you see and care for every day, but if I made the decision to eat meat, it is important for me to know what goes into making my meal. That said, my meat consumption since coming to Calleva has gone down a lot. Partially for health reasons, partially because I feel that for the amount if work that goes into producing meat quality has to beat out quantity for me to feel ok consuming it. This concerns the quality of life for the animals and the farmers. The second part of this series concerns egg-layers. We have designed an optimal hen house for a backyard flock of 4-6 hens, which would supply a family with about a dozen eggs a week at peak laying time. We will provide the parts, tools and instructions to put together this kit, and a few coop – ready pullets to start. We will also talk about different chicken breeds and the unique considerations for raising chickens in the Mid-Atlantic.
Another event I’m really looking forward to is another addition to our Dirty Dinner series – the Deadly Dinner. It will coincide with Haunted Forest time and allow us to feature the plethora of fall crops we will have and hopefully create a great haunting atmosphere, different from the forest, but still cohesive. I’m also hoping it will serve to remind people that they are on a farm, and that fall farm season isn’t just about pumpkin patches, corn mazes and hay rides (though that’s all great fun and has been a staple of agritourism for ages).

Want more information?