Twin Villages Foodbank (TVFF) Farm Assistant Manager Kaitlyn Gardner is a blur of motion, tugging large fistfuls of beets up out of the earth and twisting off the greens before dropping the ruby red roots into a crate. A few rows away, Farm Manager Sara Cawthon uses a small knife to harvest crisp stalks of broccolini. Crates of firm round cabbage heads are stacked nearby.

Despite a dry spring, the harvest is plentiful here at Damariscotta River Association’s (DRA’s) Great Salt Bay Farm, where TVFF grows produce using organic growing practices on two acres of land.

What sets this busy farm apart from many others is that the produce grown here is donated to six Lincoln County food pantries and four other low-income food programs.

With generous support from the community and help from hundreds of student volunteers, the farm grows and delivers nutrient-rich vegetables to food pantries in Newcastle, Boothbay Harbor, Wiscasset, Jefferson, Waldoboro and Whitefield, as well as the Waldoboro and Newcastle Head Start programs, Wiscasset High School, and the CLC YMCA summer and after-school snack programs.

The farm is currently producing both red and green cabbage, kale, several varieties of lettuce, beets, chard, onions, zucchini, summer squash, and carrots.

Community and foundation support for the farm has also made it possible to extend the irrigation system to every field that is planted this season. Cawthon credits the success of the current harvest to the expanded irrigation, particularly since there was so little rain in June. According to Cawthon, regular watering increases the crop yield, makes the produce last longer, and can even make certain vegetables taste sweeter.

The farm operates through donated Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) shares. This variation on the CSA model allows individuals, families and businesses to purchase a symbolic farm share which will then be donated to Lincoln County pantries and programs.

For more information or to make a donation, email Farm Manager Sara Cawthon at scawthon@twinvillagesfarm.org ,or visit the farm’s new website at www.twinvillagesfarm.org.