1 Sarah LaPlante D Acres Executive director Josh Trought and one of the farm’s oxen, Henry. Zoom 2 Sarah LaPlante D Acres staff and interns pose for a photo during a local foods awareness event – they are (from left) Zach Behney, Grey Elam, Jeff Reinhardt, Karen Ganey, Regina Rinaldo, Ambra Talerico, Jade Martin and Meryll Davis. Zoom 3 Sarah LaPlante Karen Ganey juggles fire at an evening bonfire. Zoom 4 Photo by Sarah LaPlante Sarah Hall, Louis Holland, Grey Elam and Kevin Wall prepare for the farm’s monthly farm feast breakfast. Zoom 5 Photo by Sarah LaPlante Zach Behney, D Acres’ newest resident artisan, specializes in pottery. Zoom 6 Photo by Sarah LaPlante The sun shines on the common building, the mandala garden and the farm’s cob-built greenhouse. Zoom

The tiny town of Dorchester (near Plymouth) has a larger-than-life project going on within its borders: a nonprofit organic farm and educational homestead.

D Acres, which stands for Development Aimed at Creating Rural Ecological Society, is the vision of a man named Josh Trought. His laundry list of educational and work experiences – he studied economics in Spain and species diversity in Costa Rica, interned for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration and worked at a low-income health clinic and a recycling center, to name a few – eventually brought him back to the land.

The result of Trought’s interests and beliefs is a working farm with a colorful and ever-evolving team running the show. Staff members, residents, interns, guests and day-trippers intermingle at D Acres, where, on any given day, a visitor might stumble upon a ceramics class, a community dinner, an arts fair, a class on “Building With Nature” for middle-school kids, a pig roast or a yoga class.

The organization, which was founded in 1997, aims to teach both visitors and residents about sustainable living and small-scale organic farming and to improve the quality of life of residents and the larger community.

And the approach is an inclusive one: There seems to be something for everyone at D Acres.

Visitors can stop by for the monthly farm feast breakfast of local free-range eggs, D Acres meat, potatoes and greens, and fair-trade coffee (suggested donation: $10), then take a tour of the farm. Not a morning person? There’s also a monthly soup dinner, as well as a “First-Friday Pizza and a Movie.”

If eating’s not your thing (Ed. – we shudder to think!), there’s a writing group, a Reiki class, the aforementioned yoga, a regular volunteer day, an open mic night and an annual harvest celebration. There’s also a never-ending slew of workshops, including basic blacksmithing ($16), herbal tea-making ($10), harvesting and harvest preservation ($8), the art of fermentation ($12) and root cellaring ($8).

If you want a more authentic farm experience, you can even sleep there. Hostel options include private indoor bedrooms, car camping spots, outdoor tent platforms and indoor sleeping bag spaces ($10-$65).

If you’re thinking about paying the farm a visit, check the website, www.dacres.org, for directions, and call first – it may be a communal home, but it’s still a home, all right?
Here’s a few of the events coming up at D Acres:

July 26: Volunteer day, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
July 31: Open mic night, 8 p.m., free.
Aug. 2: Farm feast Breakfast and open house/open trails, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.. ($10 suggested donation for adults, $5 for kids).
Aug. 7: Full moon potluck, 6-9 p.m., free. Bring a dish to share.
Aug. 15: Farm Day, featuring live music, a pig roast, local veggies, raffles, a bonfire and tours of the farm and gardens.
To see more events, visit the farm’s website or look on our Green Events calendar.