OAKLAND, Calif. — Sampling local honey and making a flower crown were just what Shania Maillet needed after a week of exams.
Maillet, a behavioral neuroscience major on Northeastern’s Oakland campus, was one of more than 200 people who enjoyed live music, crafts and food made with produce from the farm at the Oakland campus’s Fall Farm Fest on Friday.
“I needed this,” she said, in line to try honey from hives on the 2.5-acre organic farm. “I have five exams this week.”
Farm Fest featured a Mediterranean spread of food, some of it made with vegetables grown on the farm. A live band played near trees heavy with apples while students, staff and community members enjoyed crafting activities on the field next to the farm.
“We spend a lot of time here because we love it,” said Erin Stewart, who lives across the street from campus. Stewart and her grandson Zion enjoyed some snacks while they watched the band. “Northeastern has maintained an open door and we appreciate the community. The garden is so special and magical.”
The Fall Farm Fest drew students and community members with crafts and activities including flower crown-making, live music, face-painting and tours of the organic community farm. Photos by Lachlan Cunningham for Northeastern University
Children lined up to have their faces painted with butterfly designs. Student Devora Garcia and her roommate Jena Satia made flower crowns, twisting long-stemmed echinaceas into a circle.
“We had a long day and then we saw that there was this festival on the farm,” Garcia said. “I lived in New York City, so it’s nice having some nature nearby.”
There were jars of honey for sale next to a demonstration beehive where hundreds of bees squirmed behind a glass panel. Student Jonathan Li came with his roommate to see the beehive.
“A week or so ago, I walked along the hiking trail behind the farm and I saw the beehives,” he said. “So I thought I would come down today and check it out again.”
The Farm was established in 2010 along the western edge of campus and produces a year-round harvest of vegetables, herbs and flowers. All crops at the farm are started from seed, either in the greenhouse or in two 80-foot planting beds. All work is done by hand, mostly by student workers and farm director Julia Dashe.
Oakland’s climate allows for cultivation throughout the year, but the summer harvest is especially abundant. That’s when lovers of produce and flowers can subscribe to receive a weekly box. Beginning in the fall, farm produce is for sale at a farmstand on campus.
More than 60 varieties of fruit trees grow on the terraced hillside, including nectarines, plums, apples and figs.
At one booth student workers minced ginger and chopped apples for a spicy “fire cider” they heated up and served. Psychology major Jane Livingston was happy to have a relaxing activity to start off her weekend.
“I like nature, so when I heard about this I thought, ‘cool,’” she said. “I came down because I thought maybe I’d meet some new people.”
The community farm on the Oakland campus is a popular spot for community members, many of whom attended the Farm Fest. Honey made by bees in the farm was available for sampling and purchase. Photos by Lachlan Cunningham for Northeastern University