Intern Adventures: Terp Farm Harvest Festival

Post written by Meredith Dillon, Dietetic Intern

Though a dietetic internship is hard work and it's not all fun and games, the interns here at College Park get more than our fair share of fun experiences! 

A few Fridays ago we had the privilege to help out at the Inaugural Terp Farm Harvest Festival put on by the Department of Dining Services at UMD College Park and we had a blast!

Flyer from the Event

The Harvest Festival was held at the Terp Farm which is a sustainable farming operation owned by the University of Maryland.  The Terp Farm helps the College Park community in many ways:

• Environmentally: The Terp Farm sustainably grows crops such as peppers, tomatoes, herbs, lettuce, and squash while using organic pest controls, composting, and practicing other sustainable farming methods.
• Economically: The Terp Farm sells crops to the University of Maryland Dining Services and can be found in the food on various parts of the College Park Campus.
• Socially: A portion of every Terp Farm harvest goes to those in need.

To see where this information came from and to find out more you can visit the Terp Farm's Website!

The Harvest Festival was a way for UMD students to see all of the great things the Terp Farm has to offer. Transportation via shuttle bus was provided from campus and hundreds of students came to celebrate the harvest!  Students could learn about the farm through tours that were offered periodically throughout the afternoon.  It was a great way for students to become aware of where some of their on campus food comes from, what sustainable farming means, and why it is important.

Along with the tours, there were many other fall festivities like pumpkin decorating, music, and food! The food came from a UMD food truck called Green Tidings that buys its produce from local farmers including the Terp Farm!  The food was delicious and the menu included a lamb sandwich, a ratatouille sandwich and apple cider!

UMD's Green Tidings Food Truck

The UMD interns got to help with things like directing parking, facilitating pumpkin decorating, and helping organize the food!  We all love an opportunity to represent our internship and help out Dining Services, and the free volunteer t-shirt didn't hurt either!

Note to future interns: Though it was easy to be happy at the Fall Harvest Festival, it is important to always be polite, happy, and professional at events like these where you are representing the internship.  Our director always says the internship is kind of like a "10-month job interview" and you always want to put your best foot forward.  Usually the events we go to are great experiences and really fun anyway!

Myself and some fellow interns getting ready to help at the Harvest Festival

Some fellow interns relaxing after volunteering

Myself and all of the interns extend a big thank you to the Terp Farm and Dining Services for inviting us to help and giving us the opportunity to end our class day in such a beautiful setting and at such a fun event!