Food Processing Days
When the garden is in full bloom, we need all hands on deck to ensure that our harvest lasts. We use a wide variety of preservation techniques including fermentation, pressure canning, freezing, and more. A list of foods that we process include:
- tomato sauce
- sauerkraut
- fruit jams and jellies
- pickled peppers
- grape juice
- apple sauce
- and more!
We also need help processing grains (like wheat, rye, and amaranth), which includes winnowing and threshing.
These food processing days happen all summer long after the garden begins to produce, and they last into the fall. They are a great option for anyone interested in getting involved who has limited time or any physical disabilities. If you are interested in participating in our Food Processing Days, please contact julia@theundergroundcenter.org to be added to our emailing list.
Community Work Days
We also offer community work days throughout the growing season for volunteers to help out at Shagbark Farm. This is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning some regenerative growing practices in a social setting while also supporting our Saugerties Free Food Program. During work days, we also share a homecooked meal. Please contact julia@theundergroundcenter.org to be added to our emailing list.
Donate Something on Our Wishlist
Another way to support the UGC’s programming is to donate something on our wish list. We are often in need of building, farming, and food processing materials, and we love to source things second-hand as much as possible.
Building
- high quality windows
- hand tools in good working condition
- screws, nails, and other fasteners
- logs for milling
- reclaimed lumber (unpainted and untreated)
- insulation (rockwool or rigid foam, but no fiber glass)
- metal roofing
- slate roofing
- gutters (no vinyl)
- cinderblocks or bricks
- door knobs, hinges, and other hardware
- electrical wiring and boxes
- tiles
Farming
- cedar or black locust logs for fence posts
- fencing (chicken wire, hardware cloth, cattle fencing)
- water tanks (metal or wood preferred, plastic okay)
- manure
- hay or straw
- trowels
- shovels
- pick axes
- posthole diggers
- wheelbarrows or gorilla carts
- watering cans (metal preferred)
- work gloves
- sunhats
Cooking/Food Processing
- high quality pots and pans (cast iron preferred, no non-stick)
- canning jars
- grain mill (this one specifically)
- solar dehydrator
- fermentation airlocks
- Berkey water filter
If you are able to donate any of these items, please contact Julia at julia@theundergroundcenter.org with a description of the items.