Happy mid to late winter (depending which groundhog you go by), dear Friends of The Green Farmacy Garden!

Appearances from the outside may imply little going on here at the Garden over the winter, but internally we’ve been securing the foundation for a nourishing growing season with our community: manifesting new programs and updating existing ones, strengthening relationships with collaborating organizations, and updating infrastructure to better serve our community – scroll down for an example of house renovations!

The snow in early January, less than 3 weeks after the Winter Solstice, offered a stunning, blanketed take on the familiar terrain. The long, dramatic shadows at midday evince the North pole’s maximal tilt away from the sun at this time of year:

With the support of a Maryland Legislative Bond Initiative, we’ve begun updating the house for use in support of our mission and experiential education programs. The intention for the basement renovations completed this winter is a more open concept, designed to optimize health-focused education on the property as well as ADA accessibility.

Here’s the transformation of our new Classroom, facing out toward the driveway and patio where we normally commence most of our tours and events, in September (top), November (left), December (right), and January (bottom):

And here facing in from the driveway entrance toward the studio door in the Classroom front, in September (top), November (left), December (right), and January (bottom):

We can’t wait to explore all the potential uses for this new classroom space, including workshops, presentations, screenings, and more, hosted by CEI and affiliates as well as community members renting the space!

Our 2025 season opens this weekend with Introduction to Herbal Medicine, with monthly Herbal Medicine-Making classes, Foraging Walks throughout the season, varied volunteer opportunities, and much more to follow! You can see our scheduled public events here, and register on Eventbrite. Families seeking communal outdoor learning experiences with others can still explore CFIN’s 2025 offerings, and the full CEI event calendar including Freetown Farm and elsewhere in the community is on the website.

My best, Veri

GFG snow and basement photos by CEI Operations Manager Jonathan McKiinney; banner image of dwarf orange ripening in the studio in January by Veri Tas.