Produce the interns raise comes from 100 varieties of plants. It is sold in subscriptions by the season for 20 weeks of vegetables and herbs and 14 weeks of flowers. People who sign up for this produce pick it up once a week at Michael Fields on the outskirts of East Troy in southeastern Wisconsin or at designated drop-off sites in Hartland, Waukesha and the Milwaukee metropolitan area. They learn to harvest, prepare and process biodynamic compost preparations at the oldest biodynamic farm in North America - the Zinniker Family Farm near East Troy. The program has an ongoing rotation of presentations with cooperating farms, including an operation that uses draft horses, an apple orchard and other vegetable farm operations.
Students also work with professional staff on special projects at the institute.
Each student also chooses a project to develop through the summer with guidance from staff. Through Stella Gardens, it is now helping interns acquire fundamental gardening skills they ll need if they choose to set up or establish their own subscription or market gardens. The institute s staff realizes it is hard work raising produce by organic and biodynamic methods - without chemical fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides. The instruction, hands-on experience and tours of subscription gardens and other farming operations across the region provide a good orientation to these challenges. This program aims to give interns who come to the institute skills and confidence any beginning farmer or produce grower needs.