[In photos: Becky Christner and Jim Gold work on irrigation; Alisa Dalton tends to her garden; and volunteer Bill Pitney operates the John Deere. Photos by www.photoandgraphic.com.]
SARATOGA SPRINGS — “It’s like an old-fashioned barn raising,” says Paul Arnold. “Everybody’s pitching in.”
Arnold was talking about a large greenhouse that volunteers have built behind the silo at Pitney Meadows Community Farm (PMCF) on West Avenue. As chair of PMCF’s buildings and grounds committee, Arnold directed its construction.
The community farm will use the structure—manufactured by Quebec-based Harnois Greenhouses—to grow vegetables and to host events for as many as 300 people. Its 6,200-square-foot floor will cover a space one-tenth the size of a football field.
On Tuesday, August 1, PMCF will hold its biggest annual fundraiser in the new structure from 6 to 10 p.m. Five nationally renowned farm-to-table chefs will produce “Fire Feast on the Farm,” a multi-course dinner cooked over five live-fire pits.
The greenhouse will be the perfect venue for the Fire Feast, says Arnold. “Everyone loves the Pitney Farm for its sunsets. We’ll leave the western end open and hope for a spectacular show.”
Among those who volunteered is Ryan McFadden, owner of the Henry Street Taproom and a member of the Fire Feast coordination team.
“It’s so great to have our own farm right here in Saratoga,” McFadden says. “You can’t get any more local than this, and local sourcing is what we pride ourselves on at Henry Street Taproom. It’s a wonderful thing for everyone in the community.”
“When I heard about the Fire Feast and these five big-name chefs coming in from around the country, I just wanted to get involved,” McFadden said.
For more information, or to buy Fire Feast tickets, visit the PMCF website at www.pitneymeadowscommunityfarm.org.
