If your pumpkins are starting to turn, don’t throw them out: A Southeast Baltimore community garden seeks the gourds to help feed their goats.The Filbert Street Garden is home to animals like geese, ducks, chickens and turkeys, about two-thirds of which are rescues.And, currently, it’s the goats in need of some love from the public as the garden asks for donations — in the form of pumpkins.Kharey Gayle, the garden’s animal husbandry coordinator, told WBAL-TV 11 News that the goats love the gourds.”The vibrancy of the orange color and the taste, I think it’s a challenge to them, like bouncing them around in the pen,” Gayle said. “When you drop off these pumpkins, please, we ask that you ensure they are free of paint or marker spots because we’re looking out for the safety of our goats.”Pumpkins of all sizes can be dropped off at the garden’s gate at 1321 Filbert St. The 1-acre garden has served as a valuable community resource for the past 15 years.”We originally started as a way to tackle the food desert we’re in because it’s about a 45-minute walk to your closest grocery store, and on top of that, people are very dependent on corner stores which (has) a 25% markup. So, being poor is extremely expensive,” said Charles DeBarber, the garden’s external relations coordinator and chief beekeeper.The garden offers planting space for rent and grows fruits and vegetables in a production garden for a free neighborhood curbside food pantry.”Our birds also produce about 3,800 eggs a year, which go to our curbside pantry,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News.All the buzz at the garden these days is a new honey house that’s under construction.”We can harvest our honey there. We harvest about 100 gallons of honey here a year,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News. “We have about 35 to 40 hives here.”While the garden is closed to the public for the winter, it will host a big event on Dec. 13.”We have ‘Ring In Winter,’ another free event where you can come and tour, meet our animals, and Santa will be here,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News.
BALTIMORE —
If your pumpkins are starting to turn, don’t throw them out: A Southeast Baltimore community garden seeks the gourds to help feed their goats.
The Filbert Street Garden is home to animals like geese, ducks, chickens and turkeys, about two-thirds of which are rescues.
And, currently, it’s the goats in need of some love from the public as the garden asks for donations — in the form of pumpkins.
Kharey Gayle, the garden’s animal husbandry coordinator, told WBAL-TV 11 News that the goats love the gourds.
“The vibrancy of the orange color and the taste, I think it’s a challenge to them, like bouncing them around in the pen,” Gayle said. “When you drop off these pumpkins, please, we ask that you ensure they are free of paint or marker spots because we’re looking out for the safety of our goats.”
Pumpkins of all sizes can be dropped off at the garden’s gate at 1321 Filbert St. The 1-acre garden has served as a valuable community resource for the past 15 years.
“We originally started as a way to tackle the food desert we’re in because it’s about a 45-minute walk to your closest grocery store, and on top of that, people are very dependent on corner stores which (has) a 25% markup. So, being poor is extremely expensive,” said Charles DeBarber, the garden’s external relations coordinator and chief beekeeper.
The garden offers planting space for rent and grows fruits and vegetables in a production garden for a free neighborhood curbside food pantry.
“Our birds also produce about 3,800 eggs a year, which go to our curbside pantry,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News.
All the buzz at the garden these days is a new honey house that’s under construction.
“We can harvest our honey there. We harvest about 100 gallons of honey here a year,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News. “We have about 35 to 40 hives here.”
While the garden is closed to the public for the winter, it will host a big event on Dec. 13.
“We have ‘Ring In Winter,’ another free event where you can come and tour, meet our animals, and Santa will be here,” DeBarber told WBAL-TV 11 News.
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