Simple illustration of a green plant with roots, stem, and leaves.

Farm & Food

Nourishing Our Community—From Soil to Table, Together.

Two smiling people standing behind a table with jars of homemade syrups and a large red sign spelling 'CAFÉ', inside a cozy wooden interior with a clock on the wall. A sign with tips and a cucumber are also on the table.

Nourishing Our Community

At the heart of MCCLC’s farm and food initiative lies a simple belief: growing and sharing real food builds healthier bodies, minds, and communities. Our regenerative gardens—teeming with garlic, tomatoes, lavender, elderberries, and heirloom crops like sorghum—are more than sources of sustenance; they are living classrooms where hands-on learning meets Appalachian tradition.

Are you someone with connections to farm & food grants or funding partners? Please email us, let’s connect!

A greenhouse filled with rows of potted, young green and purple plants on tables made of cinder blocks and wooden planks, with artwork hanging from the ceiling and a gravel pathway running through.
A young girl with freckles holding a small brown and black rabbit close to her face outdoors.
Group of people sitting at picnic tables under blue umbrellas outdoors with greenery and hills in the background, enjoying food and conversation.
Wooden outdoor kitchen with a sink, hanging utensils, and cooking pots on the ground, set in a natural, green outdoor setting.
A young girl with long blond hair smiling while holding a gray hen outdoors on a farm. The girl is wearing a colorful polka-dot jacket and bright blue pants, with a barn and wire fence in the background.
Plastic bags filled with arugula, turnip, radish microgreens, and other microgreens on a surface.
Two children harvesting onions in a greenhouse with potted plants on tables in the background.
Variety of pumpkins on display in a greenhouse at a pumpkin patch.
People gathered around a large wooden table in a cozy room, engaging in conversation and reading. The room has a wooden vaulted ceiling, small windows, and bookshelves along the walls, indicating a community or library setting.
A man and a boy are outside in a backyard; the man is holding a pizza peel and is cooking pizza in an outdoor oven, while the boy is standing nearby in a yellow shirt and a baseball cap, looking down at a pizza on a wooden board.
People gather around a wooden table preparing food with herbs, spices, and plates, with cups and a smartphone present.
People preparing pizza outdoors under a white canopy, with a rustic wooden table covered with pizza ingredients and toppings. One person is holding a snack and smiling, while the other is adding toppings to the pizza dough.
A farm field with small plants growing, marked with orange, pink, and blue flags, with a greenhouse in the background and a wooded hillside behind.
Rows of young red and green seedlings growing in black trays inside a greenhouse.
People gather in a backyard on a sunny day, some browsing books on a rack, others relaxing on lawn chairs, with green trees, a dirt road, and hills in the background.
Several trays of seedling plants in soil, with different varieties showing green and purple leaves.
Close-up of a pink clover flower surrounded by green leaves in a field with a blurred background of trees and a blue sky.
A man in outdoor clothing, including a beige cap and teal jacket, stands in a wooded area with green plants and trees, examining something in his hands.
A woman watering seedlings in trays inside a greenhouse outdoors.
Two children walking on a dirt path carrying plants, with a third child ahead, near a greenhouse, in a rural, green landscape.
Green farm fields with crops and a greenhouse, green hills in the background, under a partly cloudy sky.
A lush green farmland with rows of crops, a small dirt pathway, a hillside with dense trees, and a partly cloudy sky.
A colorful painted sign featuring flowers and a butterfly in a grassy outdoor field with a cloudy sky overhead.
Wooden steps leading uphill through overgrown vegetation in a natural outdoor setting, with a mountain and sky in the background.
Outdoor area with grills, a small wood fire pit, a small wooden shed, and trees in the background.
Two children walking through a farm field with wooden baskets, surrounded by green plants and tall grass on a sunny day.
A woman and four children in a lush garden or farm surrounded by various green plants and flowers, with trees in the background on a sunny day.
Children inside a greenhouse harvesting onions, with plants in pots and on tables around them.
A young child with blond hair working in a greenhouse surrounded by plants, including garlic that the child is holding, with potted plants on a table in the background.
Two children preparing pizza outdoors on a rustic wooden table with various ingredients, while an adult in the background tends to a barbecue area.
Outdoor table with various ingredients for making pizza, including shredded cheese, fresh greens, tomato sauce, vegetables, and a small child preparing food.
Children preparing pizza outdoors around a rustic wooden table with various toppings and ingredients in a backyard.
A man with a black beard and a tattoo on his arm is preparing dough on a cutting board outdoors. An older woman and a young girl observe him. The woman is wearing a green t-shirt, and the girl has blonde hair and is wearing a black top. There are var
Outdoor rustic setup with a wooden table holding a large metal bowl with red liquid, a jar of dark liquid with a spout, and a frying pan. Surrounding the table on gravel ground, there are additional wooden tables and a wheelbarrow, with children in c
People grilling outdoors on a rustic wood outdoor kitchen with a wooded background.
Inside a greenhouse with young plants in pots, including tomato and pepper seedlings, arranged on tables under a curved plastic roof.
Four plates of pepperoni pizza slices on white plates, placed on a light-colored table with a darker background.
A woman and two young boys working in a greenhouse, tending to plants on raised beds, with string lights and hanging plants overhead.
A group of children and an adult exploring a lush vegetable garden with green plants and flowers on a hill on a partly cloudy day.
A logo with stylized green and yellow leaves arranged in a circular pattern.

We Believe In…

Inside a greenhouse, rows of young green plants in pots and trays, with arched white supports overhead and sunlight filtering through the plastic covering.

Regenerative Practices

We cultivate over 100 varieties of fruits, vegetables, and medicinal herbs using no-till, compost-rich, and permaculture techniques. This approach nurtures soil health, strengthens biodiversity, and models climate-resilient farming for our region.

A woman and children working together in a garden bed outdoors on a sunny day with clear blue skies, trees, and hills in the background.

Student Learning

Each spring, K–8 students design and tend individual garden plots—learning botany, ecology, and responsibility as they watch seeds become food. They learn to build raised beds, test soil pH, and create wildlife habitats that support pollinators.

A boy pouring a drink from a glass pitcher into a jar at an outdoor table on a sunny day.

Traditional Medicine Projects

Harvested herbs and fungi become the ingredients for elderberry syrup, fire cider, salves, and reishi tinctures. Students blend cultural knowledge with scientific methods—tracking extraction rates, measuring doses, and packaging products for community distribution.

A woman standing behind a table with a blue and white checkered tablecloth, displaying various dishes and condiments, at a farm produce donation event. There are refrigerators with stickers and a sign reading 'Egg fridge $4 a dozen', and a handwritten note expressing gratitude for local farm donations. The table has bowls of salad, fried food, pickles, and bottles of sauces, with a Mason jar of dressing and a sign thanking local farms.

Community Food Distribution

Through our partnership with Beacon of Hope, surplus produce and medicinal preparations flow directly to families facing food insecurity. This collaboration creates a direct line between education, equity, and wellness—ensuring everyone benefits from our harvests.

Numerous pumpkins of various sizes and colors are displayed on wooden pallets inside a greenhouse. Small pumpkins are in the foreground, larger ones in the middle and back, with some white and beige gourds. The greenhouse has a clear plastic roof and side panels, with gardening supplies and flowers on the sides.

Cultural Preservation

Each year, we highlight a heritage crop—heirloom corn for freshly milled cornmeal or native sorghum for molasses—keeping Appalachian agricultural traditions alive. We celebrate these practices through hands-on workshops and community gatherings.

Men grilling food outdoors on a rustic outdoor kitchen with a brick and wooden counter, surrounded by trees, with smoke rising from the grills.

Future Vision

Inspired by models like the Edible Schoolyard and Hawthorne Valley, we envision a community-led food program where learners grow, harvest, prepare, and serve meals on campus—creating a fully integrated educational, nutritional, and economic ecosystem.

Graphic of a stylized leaf logo with three leaves in shades of green and yellow.

By engaging learners of all ages in regenerative agriculture, MCCLC strengthens food security, fosters environmental stewardship, and reconnects people to the land. Whether you’re a farmer, educator, or visitor, the farm is a place to learn, taste, and experience the power of real food in nourishing hearts, minds, and the community as a whole.

A logo featuring four stylized leaves arranged in a circular pattern with two green leaves and two yellow-green leaves.